Introduction

• Nebuchadnezzar was known as a great builder (the hanging gardens of Babylon, for example) and a fierce conqueror.
• Jeremiah 52:4, 10-16 – Nebuchadnezzar conquered Jerusalem and took some of the people back to Babylon, leaving only the poor in the land.
• Jeremiah 25:8-12 – God used Nebuchadnezzar to punish Israel.

He would ‘learn his lesson,’ but then turn around and sin again.

• Daniel 2:3, 26, 46-49 – Nebuchadnezzar glorified God and blessed Daniel and his friends.
• Daniel 3:1, 6, 14, 19-21, 28-30 – Nebuchadnezzar set up an idol and tried to force others to worship it.
• Daniel 4:29 – Nebuchadnezzar is back with more pride!
• II Corinthians 12:21
• Have I truly repented of my sin?
• It is time to die to sin (Romans 6:2)!

He never focused exclusively on God.

• Daniel 4:1-3 – Nebuchadnezzar calls God “the most high God.” See also Daniel 3:26. Although this is a correct term, it seems that Nebuchadnezzar might have thought of God as just being the highest of many gods.
• Daniel 4:8-9, 18
• Nebuchadnezzar changed the names of Daniel and his friends:
  • Jewish names:
    • Daniel: God is my judge
    • Hananiah: Who is what God is?
    • Azariah: Yahweh has helped
  • Babylonian names:
    • Belteshazzar: Bel protect the prince
    • Shadrach: Command of Aku
    • Meshach: Who is like Aku?
    • Abed-nego: Servant of Nebo
• Daniel 5:11 – He never got rid of the other “magicians” even though he made Daniel chief of the magicians.
• Acts 17:23-24, 31
• Acts 4:12 – Salvation is in no else!
• Matthew 16:18
• Ephesians 4:4-6 – There is one God.

He was guilty of pride.

• Daniel 4:25-37 – God humbled Nebuchadnezzar.
• Are we guilty of pride?
• Belshazzar saw what happened to Nebuchadnezzar and was still guilty of pride.

I Timothy 1

I Timothy 1:1-2 – Greeting

• The letter is from Paul to Timothy.
• Paul points out that God chose him to be an apostle.

I Timothy 1:3-7 – “instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines”

• I Timothy 1:4
  • Ephesus timeline:
    • Paul’s second journey: Acts 18:19-21
    • Paul’s third journey: Acts 19
    • Paul’s farewell: Acts 20 – trouble brewing
    • Paul’s letter: Ephesians
    • Timothy in Ephesus: I and II Timothy
    • John’s letter: Revelation 2:1-7
• I Timothy 1:6-7 – Just because someone is confident doesn’t mean they know what they are talking about.

I Timothy 1:8-11 – “The Law is good”

• I Timothy 1:9 – This is a not-but passage.

I Timothy 1:12-17 – Paul and Jesus

• I Timothy 1:15 – See Acts 7:58; 8:1-3. Paul stood in approval of Stephen’s stoning. Acts 9:1-9, 17-22 tells of Paul’s conversion afterwards.
• I Timothy 1:16 – Paul used himself as an example of the extreme change Christ can bring about in others.

I Timothy 1:18-20 – Timothy fighting the good fight

• I Timothy 1:18 – This seems to be a reference back to I Timothy 1:3 about instructing people not to teach strange doctrines.

I Timothy 2

I Timothy 2:1-8 – Praying for people God wants to save.

• I Timothy 2:1-2 – Pray that, if nothing else, the authorities will leave us alone.
• I Timothy 2:4 – God wants everyone to be saved! See II Peter 3:9.
• I Timothy 2:8 – Various postures in prayer are discussed in the Bible (Matthew 26:39; Acts 9:40; Mark 11:25). The emphasis here seems to be on holiness. It does not enforce a particular posture.

Holiness means action

Key passage of the quarter

• I Peter 1:13-16

Why did God create us?

• We have love to give, so we “create” children. God also has love to give, and He wants love in return.
• Ephesians 2:8-10
• James 2:14-26 – faith without works is dead
• Hebrews 13:16
• Titus 2:11-14 – special people zealous for good works
• Titus 3:1 – be ready for every good work
• Titus 3:8 – believers should engage in good works
• Titus 3:14 – maintain good works so we are not unfruitful
• I Timothy 6:17-19 – rich should be good, rich in good works, giving and sharing
• II Timothy 3:16-17

Don’t grow weary

• Galatians 6:7-10 – don’t grow weary in doing good, you will be rewarded
• Romans 2:6-10 - don’t grow weary in doing good, you will be rewarded
• Hebrews 6:10-12 - don’t grow weary in doing good, you will be rewarded

What is the point of good works?

• Matthew 5:16 – people may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven

What are good works?

We were made to have fear.

• Proverbs 22:3
• Fear is useful and keeps us alive.
• Healthy fear can be a good thing.

Fear is real.

• Man and beast have fear.
  • God made us and them that way.
  • Protected and fed by animals’ fear of us – Genesis 9:2
• Fear can help us – Proverbs 1:7
• Fear can hinder us – Matthew 25:24-28
  • Fear of acting in this case was called wicked and lazy.

What causes fear?

• Danger
• The unknown or unfamiliar
• Overwhelming opposing force
• Personal experience – II Corinthians 12:20-21
• Other people’s experiences – Acts 9:26
• Disapproval of others – John 9:17-22
• Immediate consequences for actions – Jonah 3:4-9

Kinds of fear

• Reverence and respect
  • Cornelius – Acts 10:1-2
  • Jonah – Jonah 1:1-3
• Mortal fear
  • Belshazzar – Daniel 5:1-6
  • Saul and the Israelites – I Samuel 17:8-11, 21-24
  • Peter – Matthew 14:27-31
• Phobias
  • Spiders, snakes, etc.
  • Heights, people, situations
• Memory fear
  • “I remember what happened last time I did that.”
• Fear of consequences
  • Jonah – Jonah 3:10-4:3
  • Ecclesiastes 8:11

It can be controlled

• If we couldn’t control our fears, God wouldn’t have told us not to fear.
• Some general guidelines
  • Objectively examine what makes you afraid and why (awareness)
  • Known what you can use to mitigate it (knowledge)
  • Learn to use those items of mitigation (confidence)
  • Example – fear of flying

Subjecting fear

• Knowledge
  • Proverbs 1:7
  • Matthew 10:24-33
• Familiarity
  • Doing activities that make you fearful
  • Understanding better through instruction
  • Confidence through repeated exposure
• Faith
  • Matthew 10:29-30 – Truly believing you will be all right
  • Faith that God is with you
    • Jeremiah – Jeremiah 1:4-8
    • Apostles – Matthew 28:19-20
    • Other times and other ways

Love

• I John 4:16-19
• Motivation to put the fear behind you.

Helping others gain courage

• “Encouragement”
  • Isaiah 35:3-4
  • Acts 11:22-24 (Acts 4:36)
  • Colossians 4:7-8
  • Hebrews 3:13
• Mentorship and examples
  • Missionary activities rarely done alone.
  • Titus 2:1-8

Why is courage so important?

• Why work so hard for it
• Why strive to encourage others?
  • God instructs us
  • It has eternal consequences – Revelation 21:8

Take courage

Encourage others

Introduction

• When you think of the book of Judges …
  • What event comes to mind?
  • What character comes to mind?
  • What quality of God comes to mind?
  • What spiritual takeaway comes to mind?
• Judges depicts a bleak chapter in Israel’s history: one of idol worship and faithlessness, necessitating God’s continual intervention to punish and deliver the Israelites from oppression.
  • Psalms 106:34, 37-38
  • Ruth 1:1

Historical context of Judges

• Israelites were delivered from slavery in Egypt and then thoroughly and repeatedly warned against the pitfalls of living in Canaan.
• Deuteronomy 4:1, 9, 23-24; 11:18-23, 26-28
• Covers a period of about 300 years and depicts part of the transition from “house of the father” (e.g. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) to tribal confederacy to dynastic monarchy.
• First event chronologically – Judges 2:6
• The Israelites go from a time of relative unity (under Moses and Joshua’s leadership) to assimilating with heathen nations to anarchy and civil war.

What did the judges do?

• God intended for judges to lead throughout Israel (Deuteronomy 16:18-20; 17:8-13).
• Described using one or two Hebrew words – the first associated with saving or rescuing and the second with dispensing judgment.
  • Both found in the accounts of Othniel and Deborah (Judges 3:9-10; 4:4, 9-10), but more often the judges are said to serve as deliverers, (military) leaders, or decision makers.

Outline of Judges

• Chapters 1-2 – Roots of Israel’s apostasy
• Chapters 3-16 – The downward spiral of Israel’s apostasy
• Chapters 17-21 – The depths of Israel’s apostasy
• Latter parts of the narrative focuses on two points (Judges 21:25)
  • “in those days there was no king in Israel”
  • “everyone did what was right in his own eyes”
• Several graphic descriptions of God’s judgment (Ehud and Eglon) but also of wanton violence and depravity (Levite’s concubine).

General observations

• God’s intervention does not imply either commendation or condemnation.
  • Judges 14:4
• God’s silence does not imply either commendation or condemnation.
• Imagine trying to please God while living in Israel during this time.
• God’s people need godly leaders.
• Worldly surroundings negatively influence us.
• We must take God’s warnings seriously!

Class goals

• Better understanding of the text and its place in the Bible story.
• Greater appreciation for God’s character.
• Increased knowledge of the divine perspective on human nature.
• Learn how to escape the trap into which the Israelites fell (Judges 8:34; II Peter 1:9).