Philemon 1 – Hebrews 3

We start and finish Philemon today and begin Hebrews.  I’ll provide an outline of Philemon in today’s post and then one for Hebrews in tomorrow’s post.  Before we get to the outline, however, I’d like to look at the last passage of Scripture in today’s reading:

Hebrews 3:14-19

“For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end.  As it is said,

“Today, if you hear his voice,
do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”

For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for forty years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness?  And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest, but to those who were disobedient?  So we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief.”

Who was it that was unable to enter because of unbelief?  It was those who were disobedient.  We have heard God calling His people to obedience repeatedly during our journey through the Bible.  Jesus says in John that if we love Him we will obey Him.  Here Paul tells us that disobedience is equivalent to “unbelief”.  Have you ever viewed your disobedience in that way; as unbelief?  If we believe we will obey.

Guys, we are under grace but grace doesn’t mean that disobedience is no big deal.  Disobedience is an extremely big deal; it is rebellion against God’s authority.  Our disobedience is a revelation of our flagging belief.  Do we live as we say we believe?  As Scripture tells us God judges the heart of a man; He is not fooled by a phony show of faith.  He knows what you believe.  Do you?

OUTLINE

Philemon

Most agree that this brief personal letter was written by the Apostle Paul while he was in prison in Rome. It was addressed to Philemon, who lived in Asia Minor, in either Colossae or Laodicea. The letter follows a typical first–century form.

Paul’s letter was written to beg a wealthy believer named Philemon to take back a runaway slave, Onesimus, without punishing him as harshly as Roman law permitted. While the details of Paul’s relationship with Onesimus remain a mystery, some things can be deduced. The runaway slave met Paul while the apostle was in prison. Paul’s appeal suggests that Onesimus may have robbed his master for funds to use in making his escape. Yet Paul describes Onesimus as “faithful” and as a “brother.” Apparently Paul led the runaway slave to Christ, and Onesimus had shown evidence that his conversion was real. After his conversion Onesimus had spent enough time with Paul to be “helpful” to him and for Paul to develop an honest affection for him.

With this in mind we can understand why Paul was eager for Onesimus to be reconciled with his master, also a Christian, and to demonstrate his new faith in Christ by rendering Philemon honest service.

We can assume that Philemon acceded to Paul’s moving request. There is even speculation that this Onesimus later became the Ephesian bishop of that name the early church leader Ignatius mentions in letters to that city. If Onesimus did rise to become bishop, it shows the stunning impact of the Gospel in Roman society where only the wealthy became leaders of the many voluntary associations and clubs found in society.

OUTLINE OF PHILEMON

I.       Salutation                              1–3

II.      Thanksgiving and Prayer      4–7

III.    The Plea for Onesimus          8–21

IV.    Greetings and Benediction    22–25

Richards, L. O. (1991). The Bible readers companion (electronic ed.). Wheaton: Victor Books.

Having given you several rather long winded posts of late I will leave this one as brief as possible.

Have a blessed day brothers!

Your brother and servant in Christ,

Bill

Dying to self, living to serve!

2 Timothy 3 – Titus 3

There were several verses I wanted to comment on today but I owe you an outline for Timothy and yesterday’s post was so long I think I’m going to have to cut out a passage or two.  At any rate I do want to share this passage with you.

2 Timothy 3:16-17

“All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”

Why is it so important to read our Bibles every day?  All of the above.  Scripture is a fertilizer of our growth in Christ.  It propels us further along the road of sanctification.  It feeds us and fortifies us, providing the spiritual nutrients necessary to grow into spiritual adulthood.  But, to what purpose?  If I haven’t said this before hear me say it now; it isn’t about you.  The universe, creation, existence, is not about you.  The universe, creation, existence, is all about God.  It is all about His purpose and His will.  What is His will?  What is the purpose of the nutrition you receive from God’s Holy Word?  The purpose is that you will be competent and equipped for every good work.

You know I think we get pretty confused about “good works”.  We know that we are not saved by “good works” so that we may not brag in our own ability to “earn” salvation.  Yet, Paul mentions “good works” as something in which every Christian should be involved.  I have seen two extremes concerning the issue of “good works”.  Some say that “good works” are meaningless as they have nothing to do with salvation.  Others say that without good works one can lose their salvation.  Pardon me but I think both extremes are incorrect.

The Bible is clear that “good works” do not save us.  No where can I find scripture that states that if you don’t do “good works” you can lose your salvation.  I can find words of Jesus in Scripture that state that none that are given into His hand will be lost.  The Scripture does not go on to say “…if they continue to do good works.”

John 10:28-30

“I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, and no one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all, and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand.  I and the Father are one.”

You may disagree, but I read that passage to say you cannot lose your salvation.  Salvation doesn’t depend on you it depends on the grace and mercy of God; it depends on the loving sacrifice of Christ.  Christ freely gave His life for you; He did not lay it down in exchange for your good works.  Salvation is not some bargain you worked out with God; you save me I do good works – deal?  Good works don’t save us but good works are the right and natural response to salvation.

Titus 2:11-14

“For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.”

Did you get that?  He gave Himself up to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify us.  He did this so that we would belong to Him; a possession who are zealous for good works.  Now what are good works?  Good question.  You know there are many charitable organizations in the world doing good works.  Doing good should come naturally for a Christian but it seems to me that the good works in question have to do more with God’s will.  Some of these good works include renouncing ungodliness and worldly passion; to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives.  Some of these good works include feeding the hungry and giving shelter to the poor but to a purpose.  That purpose is showing the love of Christ and pointing the lost toward salvation.

These are the good works that come naturally in response to God’s grace and mercy which was given to you through salvation.  Are you doing these good works?  Brothers, you won’t lose your salvation if you don’t do these good works, but I have to ask, if you aren’t doing these good works, have you really accepted Christ?  Your life is supposed to reflect the new creature you became when you accepted Christ.  Does it?  Do you have the appearance of godliness, but deny its power (2 Timothy 3:5)?

Guys, are you working your field or God’s field?  Are you a lover of self or a lover of God?  It really comes down to that.  If you love Him you will obey Him and He has instructed you to work His field.  That is the only way you can be fruitful in Christ.  Let me finish my comments with two more verses from today’s reading.

Titus 3:8

“The saying is trustworthy, and I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to devote themselves to good works. These things are excellent and profitable for people.”

Titus 3:14

“And let our people learn to devote themselves to good works, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not be unfruitful.”

Now for an outline of Titus.

OUTLINE

Titus

The letter of Titus, like the second letter to Timothy, was written to a younger leader during Paul’s second imprisonment in Rome. Like the letters to Timothy, this is a letter of guidance and instruction.

Titus is mentioned 12 times in the New Testament. A fascinating picture of the man and his ministry can be drawn from the references. Titus was a Gentile, an uncircumcised Greek. He joined Paul’s missionary team some time prior to Paul’s second missionary journey. Like Timothy, Titus was frequently sent on special missions to deal with difficulties in various churches. Titus was apparently successful in helping reduce the tension that existed between Paul and the Corinthians. Timothy had earlier failed in that particular mission. It is significant that while Paul frequently exhorts Timothy to be strong, or to let no one despise his youth, no such urgings are found in his letter to Titus. Whether settling conflicts or collecting gifts for the poorer churches of Palestine, Titus seems to have enjoyed unusual success.

When Paul wrote this letter Titus was working in another difficult field: Crete. This island, 160 miles long and 35 miles wide, lies in the Mediterranean southeast of Greece. Once it had been the center of a great culture but the Cretans had become known in the ancient world as a depraved and intractable people. In this letter Paul quotes the poet Epimenides, who about 600 b.c. observed that “Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons” (1:12). Yet Paul expresses no concern for Titus. He simply gives advice, which has been rightly valued by young leaders throughout the Christian era, and expects Titus to successfully lead the Cretan church to “devote themselves to doing what is good”

THEOLOGICAL OUTLINE OF TITUS

I.     TITUS’ MISSION             1

II.    TITUS’ MINISTRY          2

III.   EXPECTED RESULTS    3

CONTENT OUTLINE OF TITUS

I. Greeting (1:1–4)

II. Titus’ Mission to Crete (1:5–16)

A. To Appoint Elders (1:5–9)

B. To Refute False Teachers (1:10–16)

1. Their character (1:10–14)

2. Their condemnation (1:15–16)

III. Titus’ Ministry in Crete (2:1–15)

A. Instructions Concerning Different Groups (2:1–6)

B. Instructions Concerning Titus’ Personal Example (2:7–8)

C. Instructions Concerning Slaves (2:9–10)

D. Instructions Concerning Godly Living (2:11–14)

E. Summary: Titus’ Duty (2:15)

IV. The Expected Results of Titus’ Ministry (3:1–11)

A. To Create Good Citizens (3:1–2)

B. To Motivate Godly Conduct (3:3–8)

C. To Protect from Spiritual Error (3:9–11)

V. Concluding Instructions and Greetings (3:12–15)

Richards, L. O. (1991). The Bible readers companion (electronic ed.). Wheaton: Victor Books.

Have a faithful day brothers!

Your brother and servant in Christ,

Bill

Dying to self, living to serve!

No - this is not the author!

A Little Controversy

2 Thessalonians 3 – 1 Timothy 4

We begin 1 Timothy today so I will provide an outline below.  Before the outline, however, I’d like to cause a little controversy.  I found the following passage in 1 Timothy interesting.

1 Timothy 4:1-5

“Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared, who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.  For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.”

When I read “who forbid marriage” in verse 3 I thought of the Catholic Church.  When I read “require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving” I think of Catholics and Judaizers.  Paul makes sure we understand what he means about foods God created by saying “everything created by God is good”.  Passages like this speak rather clearly to me of the fact of the New Covenant – we are no longer under The Law; in particular the dietary law.  In fact, earlier in 1 Timothy Paul had this to say about The Law:

1 Timothy 1:9-10

“understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine”

I’m reminded of a comment from last week about some Christians putting themselves back under the requirements of The Law.  I am fascinated by the Jewish roots of our Christians faith.  I see nothing wrong in celebrating the old festivals or even keeping the Mosaic dietary laws as long as it isn’t looked at as some kind of requirement to be right with God.  No one tried to observe The Law better than the Pharisees and Jesus had all kinds of condemnation for them.  You can’t be made right by the law.  As a new creature in Christ you are not under The Law.  You are in fact held to a higher standard which He enables you to observe.  The Law is for those who want to rely on themselves for their salvation.  Good luck with that!

I just can’t let it go at that.  Some people think that the equation is Salvation = Jesus + X, with X being something else – the dietary laws, observance of the Sabbath on Saturday, celebration of festivals.  That is not the equation.  The equation is Salvation = Jesus.  Jesus is sufficient.  If you don’t think that is true then the writings of Paul seriously challenge your point of view.  To make the New Testament say what you want it to say you’re going to have to do a lot of redacting.  There are some groups that do this.  We call them cults.

Boy, I’m rather opinionated on this topic aren’t I?  Forgive me brothers.  I’m afraid we all too often take bits and pieces of the Bible to support a position we prefer.  Even when we honestly search for truth we often take parts of the Bible as evidence but miss other parts that might moderate our conclusions.  That is why I believe it is so important for all Christians to read through the Bible from beginning to end on a regular basis.  Doing so gives us context; it helps us see the bigger picture.

You know scientists do studies and they often publish their findings in a report.  The news media will often search the summaries or skip to subheadings of these reports to find what they think will make great headlines.  The problem with their approach is that they make something sound as an absolute proven fact when the report actually says there is only a tendency.   I’m afraid we are often like these media types.

When we look at polling, the President, regardless of party, typically will have an approval rating under 50%.  The approval rating of Congress, regardless of party, is typically half of that if not a quarter, and the approval rating of the media is even lower than that.  Let us not follow in the footsteps of such a low regarded group as that.  Let us be faithful to the one true faith, rejecting the chains that some wish to put back on our lives.  Let us hold ourselves to the higher standard and embrace the entirety of God’s Word.

My how I rattled on.  Now for the outline.

OUTLINE

1 Timothy

Paul’s two letters to Timothy, along with Titus and Philemon, are unique in the New Testament. They were written to individuals rather than to churches. The first three of these letters are commonly called the “pastoral letters.” This is because 1 and 2 Timothy and Titus were written to instruct young leaders about how to carry out their itinerant ministries. Even so, about 10 percent of the material in these letters has to do with church organization or program. Paul concentrates most of his advice in two areas: These young leaders are to urge the churches to maintain purity of doctrine and lifestyle.

Paul’s first letter to Timothy was apparently written during that imprisonment in Rome with which the Book of Acts concludes. Most believe that Paul was released from this imprisonment, went off on another preaching mission, and was subsequently arrested and taken to Rome again. Paul’s second letter to Timothy was written during this second imprisonment, which the apostle did not survive. Eusebius, an early church historian, reports that “Paul is said, after having defended himself, to have set forth again upon the ministry of preaching, and to have entered the city [Rome] a second time, and to have ended his life by martyrdom. While then a prisoner, he wrote the second epistle to Timothy, in which he both mentions his first defense, and his impending death.”

It is clear from several references within these letters, as well as testimony of history, that the pastoral epistles date from near the end of the Apostolic Age. Only the letters of John may be later in origin. Thus the pastorals reflect the growing hostility of many in the Roman world to the church and the dangers a developed faith continues to face today.

Timothy

Timothy was a dearly loved companion of the Apostle Paul, who looked on him as a son as well as fellow soldier (1 Tim. 1:2, 18; 2 Tim. 1:2). Timothy was the son of a Jewish mother and Greek father (2 Tim. 1:5). He traveled with Paul on both the second and third missionary journeys and was sent on a number of special missions by the apostle (1 Cor. 4:17; 16:10; Acts 19:22; 2 Cor. 1:1, 19). He was not always successful on his missions. The sense of a somewhat ineffectual leader is strengthened by Paul’s encouragement that Timothy not permit people to “look down on you because you are young” (1 Tim. 4:12). The hesitant Timothy is also exhorted to be strong and given rather thorough instructions on how to complete his task.

At the same time Timothy is one of the more admirable of the New Testament’s “next generation” of Christian leaders. Paul commends him to the Philippians, saying, “I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the work of the Gospel” (Phil. 2:20–22).

THEOLOGICAL OUTLINE OF 1 TIMOTHY

I.       THE TASK               1

II.      INSTRUCTIONS      2–4

III.    ADVICE                   5–6

CONTENT OUTLINE OF 1 TIMOTHY

Greeting (1:1–2)

I. The Task (1:3–20)

A. Silence False Teachers (1:3–11)

B. Praise for Salvation (1:12–17)

C. Hold to a Good Conscience (1:18–20)

II. Instructions (2:1–4:16)

A. Concerning Worship (2:1–15)

B. Concerning Leaders (3:1–16)

C. Personal Guidance (4:1–16)

1. Concerning asceticism (4:1–5)

2. Concerning teaching (4:6–10)

3. Concerning duties (4:11–16)

III. Advice to Timothy (5:1–6:16)

A. Show Respect (5:1–2)

B. Organize Widows (5:3–16)

C. Honor Elders (5:17–25)

D. Instruct Slaves (6:1–2)

E. Monitor Money (6:3–10)

F. Pursue Righteousness (6:11–16)

G. More on Money (6:17–19)

Conclusion (6:20–21)

Richards, L. O. (1991). The Bible readers companion (electronic ed.). Wheaton: Victor Books.

Have a wonderful day brothers!

Your brother and servant in Christ,

Bill

Dying to self, living to serve!