Introduction

• II Kings 17:5
• Genesis 12:7 – Promises to Abraham
• II Kings 17 – God’s assessment of what went wrong with Israel.

Quit trying to be like the world.

• II Kings 17:7-13 – Israel started living like the people of the land who God had punished for living that way!
• II Kings 17:19 – Israel was then a bad influence on Judah.
• Acts 2:38-40 – “Be saved from this perverse generation.”
• Philippians 2:14-15
• Judges 2:12
• Israel started to blend in with the sinful world.
• Romans 12:2 – We must become what God wants us to be.
• James 4:4
• I John 2:15

Get back to God’s word.

• II Kings 17:12-13; Exodus 20:4 – God’s instructions on this were clear.
• Jeremiah 7:1-10
• We have a good amount of control over what influences us. It is our choice how much we read our Bible!
• Luke 8:19-21
• Proverbs 30:5
• Psalms 119:101-104

God will definitely punish.

• II Kings 17:18-23
• Deuteronomy 4:25-27
• Joshua 23:14-16 – God promised they would be punished.
• II Peter 3:7-9, 17-18 – God doesn’t want anyone to be punished but He is just.

What do we know about him?

• No biographical sketch in scripture.
• Mentioned 24 times in scripture in most translations
  • Acts – 6
  • Romans – 1
  • I Corinthians – 2
  • II Corinthians – 2
  • Philippians – 2
  • Colossians – 1
  • I Thessalonians – 3
  • II Thessalonians – 1
  • I Timothy – 3
  • II Timothy – 1
  • Philemon – 1
  • Hebrews – 1
• Sometimes referred to as Timotheus (Roman version of his name)
  • Translations often render this as simply Timothy.

Who was Timothy?

• Lystra – Acts 14
  • Paul there in about AD 48
    • Healed a lame man
    • Stoned and left for dead
  • Returned in about AD 50
    • Encountered Timothy
    • Acts 16:1-2

Timothy – well spoken of

• How did he get to be like that?
  • Had a faithful mother – II Timothy 1:5
  • The faithfulness of his grandmother and mother were instrumental in forming Timothy’s faith.
  • The foundation of his faith was the word of God. II Timothy 3:14-15
• Still young, probably young in the faith
• Had confessed Christ before many witnesses
  • I Timothy 6:12

Timothy’s enlistment

• Acts 16:3-5
• Paul adds Timothy to his team
  • First puts controversy behind them
  • Went about disseminating the Jerusalem decrees
  • Success!

Timothy grows

• Paul’s trust for Timothy increases
  • Sent with another (Acts 19:22) to Macedonia from Ephesus
  • Sent to troubled congregation (I Corinthians 4:17)
  • Left behind to teach at Ephesus
    • Paul greatly attached to Ephesus (Acts 20)
    • I Timothy 1:3-4
  • Paul warns Timothy to oppose the arguments of the Gnostics
    • I Timothy 6:20
    • Paul had predicted such in Acts 20:28-30
• Trusted emissary – I Thessalonians 3:2, 6
  • Paul sends Timothy to Thessalonica
    • Check on them
    • Strengthen and encourage them
  • He returns a good report
• Following sound doctrine – I Timothy 4:6
• Sincere faith – II Timothy 1:5
• Constant encouragement by Paul to continue progress
  • Letters of 1st and 2nd Timothy
  • Required complete involvement
  • I Timothy 4:15-16

Timothy’s journeys and sojourns

• Passed through “the cities” issuing the decree
• Phrygia and Galatia – forbidden to preach in Asia
• Down to Troas – Macedonian call
• Across to Philippi – conversion of Lydia, Paul, and Silas in prison
• On to Thessalonica and more trouble, then to Berea
• Trouble in Berea

Introduction

Learn how to think.

Learn how to work, even when it’s hard and unfair.

Learn how to manage your time.

Learn how to encourage the kids in younger grades.

Learn how to avoid pride.

Deuteronomy 4

• Deuteronomy 4:1-14 – You need to obey!
• Deuteronomy 4:15-31 – Idolatry
• Deuteronomy 4:32-40 – God (end of first speech)
• Deuteronomy 4:41-43 – Interlude (eastern cities of refuge)
• Deuteronomy 4:44-49 – Introduction to Moses’ second speech.

Deuteronomy 5

• Deuteronomy 5:1-5 – God made this covenant with us.
• Deuteronomy 5:6-21 – Repeating the 10 commandments
• Deuteronomy 5:22-33 – The people were afraid.

Introduction

• Revelation 2:1-7

Casually stray to a different authority

Give up hope and optimism