D
We want to go ahead in this particular series
to consider personal instructions to the man
God uses. For our study, we shall be looking
at the case of Timothy, and by the grace of
God we shall be basing our study on the
book of 2nd Timothy which is the 2nd Epistle
of Paul to Timothy. We are trusting that as we
go on in this series, the Lord will bring you
personal instructions that if you work upon
will prepare you to be the man that God can
use, and if you are already being used by
God, the Lord will further help you to serve
Him adequately and appropriately in your
lifetime.
For today, I would like us to turn our Bibles to
2nd Timothy chapter 1, I would like to read
some few verses from the 1st chapter before
we go on. Today will be a day of general
introduction as the Lord will enable us.
2Ti 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the
will of God, according to the promise of life
which is in Christ Jesus,
2Ti 1:2 To Timothy, my dearly beloved son:
Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.
2Ti 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve from my
forefathers with pure conscience, that
without ceasing I have remembrance of thee
in my prayers night and day;
2Ti 1:4 Greatly desiring to see thee, being
mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with
joy;
2Ti 1:5 When I call to remembrance the
unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt
first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother
Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.
2Ti 1:6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance
that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in
thee by the putting on of my hands.
2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of
fear; but of power, and of love, and of a
sound mind.
2Ti 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the
testimony of our Lord, nor of me his
prisoner: but be thou partaker of the
afflictions of the gospel according to the
power of God;
I would like us to stop here in verse 8. and
trust that God would grant us further insight
as we go on in this study. Before we get into
the depth of this series, I would like to make
some certain comments and observation on
the general preview of this particular letter
that Paul is writing to Timothy.
First and foremost, I would like you to look at
the fact that this is a personal instruction, an
instruction that is coming from an elderly
man of God, from a servant of God who had
experienced God for several years unto a
younger person, unto Timothy who has been
walking with God following our brother Paul.
Now while we go through this study, we
might see some personal comments that
were deliberately put (I believe that God
doesn't want to hide it from us) so that we
might know that the men that God use are
not men that are not natural. I want you to
realise that there are few things that we are
going to be talking about which are not
peculiar: they are issues that are common to
man, things that all of us go through in life,
what God allows to be put in Scriptures
because He uses men. When God begins to
use a man He doesn't forget that he is a man,
that it is a human vessel, a human form that
God has placed His hand upon.
So in this series we are going to be dealing
with Man that God Uses, a man that God can
use: what are the peculiar instructions that
God gives to them and what are the areas of
emphasis that God would want you and me
to focus upon even as we seek for God to
make use of our lives.
Now let's look at the passage basically before
we go ahead.
The letter was addressed by brother Paul so
we see
2Ti 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the
will of God, according to the promise of life
which is in Christ Jesus,
Now that is very, very critical for me and I
must comment on it before I proceed. We
thank God that the Holy Spirit has allowed us
to know the Author of a letter such as this
one: this remark is very critical. Why did I say
that? Now I want you to discover that before
a man can receive instructions that can
benefit his life, we need to have an insight
into the life of the instructor. There are so
many of you listening to me now that you
have so many people you try to take
instructions from - you have so many people
that you try to pattern your life after and
many of such people you cannot vouch for
their personal lives. You don't know what is
happening to them neither do you know the
dealing of God on their life! While I am calling
you to listen and to be instructed and to take
instructions from men I would again want to
say that ever before you pattern your life
after a man, you need to have an insight on
what kind of man he is.
We are in such a time and in such a moment
where young people are being misled, being
misguided by all kinds of serious men, all
kinds of leaders, all kinds of men that spring
up - self appointed - claiming to be men of
God, claiming to be apostles. Now, if you
want God to use you and if you don’t want to
be misguided in your life, you need to first of
all have an insight into the man, into his
ministry, into the personal experiences of
such men that you listen to! This is because
the man you listen to will affect your life
negatively if he himself is not following the
correct path.
to consider personal instructions to the man
God uses. For our study, we shall be looking
at the case of Timothy, and by the grace of
God we shall be basing our study on the
book of 2nd Timothy which is the 2nd Epistle
of Paul to Timothy. We are trusting that as we
go on in this series, the Lord will bring you
personal instructions that if you work upon
will prepare you to be the man that God can
use, and if you are already being used by
God, the Lord will further help you to serve
Him adequately and appropriately in your
lifetime.
For today, I would like us to turn our Bibles to
2nd Timothy chapter 1, I would like to read
some few verses from the 1st chapter before
we go on. Today will be a day of general
introduction as the Lord will enable us.
2Ti 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the
will of God, according to the promise of life
which is in Christ Jesus,
2Ti 1:2 To Timothy, my dearly beloved son:
Grace, mercy, and peace, from God the Father
and Christ Jesus our Lord.
2Ti 1:3 I thank God, whom I serve from my
forefathers with pure conscience, that
without ceasing I have remembrance of thee
in my prayers night and day;
2Ti 1:4 Greatly desiring to see thee, being
mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with
joy;
2Ti 1:5 When I call to remembrance the
unfeigned faith that is in thee, which dwelt
first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother
Eunice; and I am persuaded that in thee also.
2Ti 1:6 Wherefore I put thee in remembrance
that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in
thee by the putting on of my hands.
2Ti 1:7 For God hath not given us the spirit of
fear; but of power, and of love, and of a
sound mind.
2Ti 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the
testimony of our Lord, nor of me his
prisoner: but be thou partaker of the
afflictions of the gospel according to the
power of God;
I would like us to stop here in verse 8. and
trust that God would grant us further insight
as we go on in this study. Before we get into
the depth of this series, I would like to make
some certain comments and observation on
the general preview of this particular letter
that Paul is writing to Timothy.
First and foremost, I would like you to look at
the fact that this is a personal instruction, an
instruction that is coming from an elderly
man of God, from a servant of God who had
experienced God for several years unto a
younger person, unto Timothy who has been
walking with God following our brother Paul.
Now while we go through this study, we
might see some personal comments that
were deliberately put (I believe that God
doesn't want to hide it from us) so that we
might know that the men that God use are
not men that are not natural. I want you to
realise that there are few things that we are
going to be talking about which are not
peculiar: they are issues that are common to
man, things that all of us go through in life,
what God allows to be put in Scriptures
because He uses men. When God begins to
use a man He doesn't forget that he is a man,
that it is a human vessel, a human form that
God has placed His hand upon.
So in this series we are going to be dealing
with Man that God Uses, a man that God can
use: what are the peculiar instructions that
God gives to them and what are the areas of
emphasis that God would want you and me
to focus upon even as we seek for God to
make use of our lives.
Now let's look at the passage basically before
we go ahead.
The letter was addressed by brother Paul so
we see
2Ti 1:1 Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the
will of God, according to the promise of life
which is in Christ Jesus,
Now that is very, very critical for me and I
must comment on it before I proceed. We
thank God that the Holy Spirit has allowed us
to know the Author of a letter such as this
one: this remark is very critical. Why did I say
that? Now I want you to discover that before
a man can receive instructions that can
benefit his life, we need to have an insight
into the life of the instructor. There are so
many of you listening to me now that you
have so many people you try to take
instructions from - you have so many people
that you try to pattern your life after and
many of such people you cannot vouch for
their personal lives. You don't know what is
happening to them neither do you know the
dealing of God on their life! While I am calling
you to listen and to be instructed and to take
instructions from men I would again want to
say that ever before you pattern your life
after a man, you need to have an insight on
what kind of man he is.
We are in such a time and in such a moment
where young people are being misled, being
misguided by all kinds of serious men, all
kinds of leaders, all kinds of men that spring
up - self appointed - claiming to be men of
God, claiming to be apostles. Now, if you
want God to use you and if you don’t want to
be misguided in your life, you need to first of
all have an insight into the man, into his
ministry, into the personal experiences of
such men that you listen to! This is because
the man you listen to will affect your life
negatively if he himself is not following the
correct path.