In The Footsteps of The Rabbi (2020) #8: Timothy and Titus
Welcome. To, our Jewish, roots. With. Insightful, Bible teaching by dr. Jeffrey Seif this. Week we look at the final letters written by Paul as we, follow in the footsteps of the rabbi from Tarsus. Thank. You so much for joining us today I'm David Hart I'm Kirsten Hart, and I am Jeffrey, Seif and we are collectively. Looking, at the last days, of Paul yes, this is the last program, in our series yes tell, us kind of where we're at now in this program we have followed. Him all over the place through. Abysmal, circumstance. Through Agony's, and ecstasy's, of travels a lot of travels, but he's not moving around so much he is jacked up by the police and, he's. In trouble he still cares about his friends, he reaches out to those whom he mentors, great great guys okay we're looking at Timothy and Titus today's, yes yes, Paul cared about these individuals. Paul, writes comunit to communities, 2 Corinthians, and everything but he, writes to individuals, - more. About that that personal touch dr., Seif is in, Ephesus, right now on location, let's go there. His, name was. Flavius. Furious. App, Dias. I've. Renamed, him however I call. Him Flavius. Luxurious. App Dias and the reason why is because. He. Lived. In, the, lap of luxury and, here we are in. His atrium, right now a home. Right, off the, major. Thoroughfare. In ancient, Ephesus. There's. A market outside in, a road that goes to the harbor, Paul. Would have frequented, these places ad was as what of others beyond. That then we have in proximity. Here. We have the pro consular, residence, just. Adjacent to this home here. This atrium had, rooms Roundabout, bedrooms, dens dining. Rooms used, for other reasons it was a magnificent. Structure in its day and in. Its day. That is rewinding. The tape back to the ancient world it was, in that day when, the, rabbi from Tarsus. Said. Listen I'm heading, to Macedonia, which is northern Greece but. He said to Timothy, listen, I'm urging, you, stay. In Ephesus. And help. The key lot, there help the congregation. There to, get the story straight, you. Know before you get the story out you got to get the story straight so, Paul commanded. Individuals, to the task of teaching and his. Writings, were commended, for posterity, in, written form hence you have the gathering of the New Testament corpus, I want, you to look please with me in chapter. 1, verse 3 of first Timothy where he tells him as I urged you. When. I went into Macedonia. Remain. In Ephesus, that you, may charge some, that they teach no, other doctrine. Fact. There were some that really had Paul disconcerted. He mentions, in verse 19 there. Were some that, have rejected, a good, faith in conscience, and he says they have quote suffered. Shipwreck, of their faith and it's interesting there's a harbor right down the street here so the analogy, of, a boat that crashes, against the rocks and falls this, for him is analogous, to a Christian, that, lets their whole be breached with, with poor understandings. And how ought we to live what. Ought we to do. If one names the name of the Lord he says in chapter. 2 verse 1 and, this is I think a fitting place to. Make. This point he says I exhort. First, that supplications, and prayers have said ever be made for all man and then he notes kings. And, all, who are in authority that. We might lead a quiet and peaceable life, someone, effect when Paul writes. Timothy. Who, stayed in Ephesus, says listen encourage. These people to pray for the people that live in this house right here I can assure you Timothy didn't live here but. This house and this ruin is built atop this is the ancient, administrative. Center of the ancient world and he says listen pray. For peace and a reason why he does that in part is because if, you'll, go to Luke's testimony, in the nineteenth chapter when. Paul came, to Ephesus there. Was an uproar. There. Was a riot because people were coming to faith they were changing the lifestyle, it was threatening the economy, and the, merchants got together who were manufacturing. Idols in various religious paraphernalia to another religious, persuasion, they got upset because people were disavowing. All of that and they, filled up the theater right down the street here and it was a big uproar, and, the. Things swelled, out of control, and then a fella gets up and says listen, we. Are guilty of disorder, here that there are pro consoles, he. Says the courts are open the proconsul sits, they, adjudicate, and it's interesting this is where the proconsul was here, we are in ancient Ephesus and here, Paul is encouraging.
Pray. For. The, leaders Oh Paul would encourage. Prayers, for, civil, authorities, truth be known that, Paul had no influence. Over the, juridical, authorities, in the broader culture he. Did however have influence. About what happened in his own house the. Key he lost the congregation. The church, when. He wrote the Ephesians, he had developed, for them the doctrine, of the church that's why ecclesiology, the, doctrine that you're which is so very much developed in Bible colleges and seminaries using. The Ephesians. Text, well, when Paul writes to, Timothy. Here he exhorts, for. There, to be good, magistrates. Within the church house and to that end I want you to look please in Chapter three of first. Timothy verses one and on I want you to see what, the rabbi, of Tarsus, says about, organization. Within, the, Messianic. Synagogues, that is these congregations that, are, very. Jewish in their nature, they believe that the Messiah has come and you'll see in a moment how they're organized, along Jewish lines the. Reason why I say that if you look in chapter three verse one he says this, is a faithful saying if. A man desires to be a bishop, he desires a good work and a bishop must be blameless and, sober, not. Given to wine hospitable. Etc, he goes on there's a list there of virtues, that he says are incumbent, upon a bishop, now. Conceptually. Let me say there's a problem here given to the distance and culture when, today we think of a bishop we think of someone wearing a purple, shirt and a white collar someone. With doning, a big vestment, a crown and a cathedral walking around with a shepherd's, crook this, is a bishop you understand, the expression bishop, you get it from the Greek Episcopal. But. It really comes, from a. Pre-christian. Employment. The. Bishop. In the New, Testament sense. Here is comparable, to the Zeki, Neen in the synagogue. Paul was a synagogue, man, and, synagogues. Had elders. That. Were called Zeki NIEM, Zeki. Name comes from the Hebrew zucchini, which means bearded, ones were, the wise, there's. An assembly, of the elders and in Judaism. It was incumbent upon elders, to, be the husband of one wife not, given to wine just, hospitable. Able to manage his own house etcetera, now what's interesting and, looking to find stable leaders, for the church. Paul, employs. The. Same list, of criteria that's. Employed in the synagogue Paul was a member of the PHA Hashim the Pharisees, he was a synagogue man so. Paul's, drawing, from, his own inventory. Of. Structural. Mechanisms for, organizing, synagogue, life and employing, them here into the new economy he, then goes on to describe deacons, and he. Gives a list of character. Requirements, for deacons it's add bit more abbreviated, in the previous, and here. Again deacons, you know today people think of deacons it means different things to different people but in Paul's day synagogues. Had Shaw Machine it, comes to the Hebrew word for a servant, I said. All that to say this that if you look at Paul Paul writes Timothy, me says listen I don't want things to get out of control what. Happens is the waters, were getting a little murky and here I am in the residence, of. Flavius. Furious. Appt dias, and this. Is it then here there was a fountain, here now. You know if the waters are mixed and and the fountain is brackish, no one wants to drink from it what happens is the. Understanding. Amongst the early believers was getting murky, because there was divergent, tellings, and Paul fed says hey, Paul told Timothy clean. Out the water we got to get this thing right get it straight we need good leaders and what's, interesting is the rabbi from Tarsus, and looking, to set up leaders for the church employed. The criteria. For, leaders in Jewish, synagogues. Our. Resources. We the, grafted-in package, which, includes, the, series, called together on two, DVDs a. Grafted-in. Necklace, to, stand, with israel koozies, a grafted. Into cow a grafted. In pen our, things, to come book more and, the, prophesied. Messiah, before. Contact. Us and ask for the. Grafted, end package and. Thank you for, your support. I've. Gone all around the biblical, world to teach the Bible from a Jewish perspective, thank. You for sending me there after. I go there I come back here. This, is one of our editorial. Suites at our, Jewish, roots here. In our production studio. A number, of individuals, labor, indefatigably. Behind, the scenes in, order, to turn these programs, around it. Takes a while to turn them around and maybe get them out to the network because these are feel generated.
More, Than studio, generated. We. Live at a time however, where things are happening fast and people want information, we, have a mechanism to get that information to, you I hope, you'll follow us on Facebook. Twitter, YouTube. We. Have information that relates not just to yesterday, but, today we're. All walking on a rough road with this virus in what have you and we want to get good news to you do. Go to those sources and thank, you for going with me on the journey down, life's highway. As. I walk along this ancient. Roman. Road I, come. Here, by my right hand to a. Memorial. To a famous. Roman. Citizen, of the, first century. BC. In, my. Left hand I have a memorial, to another famous. Roman. Citizen, from, the 1st century AD, and. That. Citizen, is Paul. Before. Paul went the way of all the earth he, wrote a few late letters, one. Of which was. The document, to Titus, that I want to consider with you if you'll, open up please to chapter 1 verse. 5 he says, I left you in Crete in order. That you could bring some stability to the congregation's. There, he's. Looking for leaders he says in verse 6 we're looking for someone who's blameless, doesn't. Mean perfect, as much as it underscores, the importance. Of someone with sterling, resolution. Someone. Who can manage his household, well Paul says doesn't. Seem unreasonable that, if a person can't, manage himself well or as household, well it raises, questions that the extent to which he can be of service to. Officiating. In the Church of God. Paul. Goes on then to underscore, the importance, of him having a good family here, he turns to the ladies of the house here, he says that women do. Well if they're, sober and reverent, and chaste and, they possess with these various. Good skills he says in verse 3 were. Fortunate, if the older, women will. Likewise, be reverent, and behavior, not slanderers. Not given to wine and, he, says that let these women, admonish. The younger ones to love their husbands, and their own children, to, be discreet, chaste. Homemakers. Good, obedient. To their husbands, that the Word of God may. Not be blasphemed. Noted. We see that the rabbi from Tarsus is interested, in establishing, good. Living, for. As much as the church is given to giving instructions, about getting into the next life it seems, that Paul was given, giving instructions on, how to live this one I believe. It's important, that as we walk in the footsteps of, the rabbi from Tarsus. We, understand. That here's someone who's a rabbi, who's giving instruction. For, the living of life and he wants to establish communities. Where, people can be raised up to maturity, and that, is with the older, man the younger man you. Know the older men serve the younger men the older women serve the younger women etc, he. Goes on to say in verse 11, of the grace of God, that brings salvation to. All men has appeared teaching. Us that we do well to deny, ungodliness and. To. Live soberly. And righteously and. Godly in, this, present age. Again. Let me underscore, that the rabbi from, Tarsus. Was very worldly. In the sense he, was concerned, with. People, living right in this age not. Just explaining, the right of passage to the world to come and as, a rabbi. He was practical. Because he was interested, in his, constituents. Having good, success in life, we. Would do well to remember that, God cares, about our life he came to give us an abundant, life and a good life and we, see in the Titus document, the rabbi from Tarsus is underscoring. How important, that is and, so, as a rabbi, does he gives instructions. That we all do well to pay attention to. It. Has been said that the long arm, of the pen reaches. Beyond the grave and, the. Reason why that is because, if someone, commends, their thoughts to writing that, even. When that person, dies their. Persona, lives, on in the next generation. The. Reason why I mentioned, that is that here, the rabbi from Tarsus is putting. Pen to paper to write at the ragged edge of. His, own grave from, a prison, now, he's been prisoned, imprisoned. On more than one occasion and, typically. He gives voice to an expectation of, a release but, here, he has no such expectation. Because he knows that, the time of, his end has. Come. Resisted. Though we may I, understand. It that sometimes, we know when this really is the season, when, it's time to give up the ghost, well when Paul writes. This letter to second Timothy this. Is where he is at in life, again. At the ragged edge of life and what does he say. He. Informs, as much in chapter 4 verse 6 he says I'm already, at the point, of death, to, be poured out and, then. He goes on to say and I love the language he said I fought. The fight I finished. The race, I've.
Kept, The faith. The. Imagery, is. Striking. For a variety of reasons, and as I follow in, the, footsteps of, the rabbi from Tarsus out here. In the, greco-roman, world I'm. Reminded. Of how his imagery. Resonates. With greco-roman, themes. When. Paul speaks of fighting, the fight remember. Previously. He had spoke of him, not boxing. Aimlessly, at the wind. Previously. He wrote we, do not wrestle, with. Flesh, and blood again, he uses that, imagery. Of of. The Olympics. Beyond. That here. He speaks of running. The race, again. Going back to a favorite sport of the Greeks and then the Romans it's, where we get the term to, run a marathon. From. An ancient Greek race, and, here. Paul has gone the distance and he. Finishes. Well. One. Of the things that I've learned when it comes to the Christian life is that a lot, of people who begin the race don't. Finish, it, but. Here Paul has, a steady, and strong finish, as he crosses the line but. Before he crosses. For. A number of years he belongs to you, mankind and. Then he fades away and belongs, to history but before, he goes he writes to someone he knows and he shares with him some things that he thinks to, be very very very important. His. Back was against the wall but. He was still moving forward. We. Read in 2nd. Timothy chapter 2. That as he's right, up against, his own demise. He. Tells. Timothy how to get the rise how to move forward and let's look please in chapter 2 see, if we can get to the essence of what he's all about he. Says in chapter 2 verse 1 2 Timothy you my son must. Be strong. In, the lord. Timothy. Didn't have a father art well obviously biologically. He did but he faded away shortly. Thereafter and, Paul took. The young fella under his wing and now. With Paul's about to go Timothy, would be particularly, disconcerted. But, he encouraged, him to be strong difficulties. Aside and then, he gives a few analogies. That. I think, are worthy of commending it's what Paul told Timothy at the end of his days from prison and we, do well to hear him he says in verse. 4. That, no one engaged. In warfare, gets. Involved in civilian, pursuits. Arguably. He's playing, against. The. The. Mythic, persona, that. The Roman, infantryman. Commended. In ancient. Greco-roman culture. The. Greeks and the Romans both, prided. Themselves with. Their warrior, class and, in. Paul's day the Roman Legionnaire. Commanded. Respect all, over, the Mediterranean they, called Maher Nostra, Man Latin which means our sea, because, they conquered. It and the, Roman infantryman, knew about discipline. Focus, not. Breaking, rank not, fearing, but endeavoring, to be calm and work, together with the other soldiers and above all follow. Orders. And never, ever ever, ever. Retreat. As, Paul. Finishes, his days he. Writes Timothy, to not wince. Back, in the face of adversity and, he, reminds, him of soldiering, he, goes on to say that, no one who competes, in athletics. Unless. They compete. According. To the rules and here. Again there's a story that is played out against the backdrop of greco-roman. Culture. We're. Individuals prized. Athletic. Competition. When. Competing, it's not good enough just to fight, one, must needs play it, out according, to, the rules. Paul. Doesn't want Timothy, to shortchange himself. Or his hearers, disappoint. Paul or disappoint, his Savior, play. By the rules Timothy, thirdly. He. Goes on to give an analogy he says it's the hard-working. Farmer. Who. Ought to get the first, share. Of the crop, Paul. Wants Timothy to work hard to, keep his focus to, not let his Verve and vitality diminish. Against. Life's troubles and, as. Paul's life, is right up against the edge he. Reminds, him in kind I think. It's fascinating to, that. Paul says listen it's the hard-working, farmer. Who gets paid well you know Paul himself, this. Rabbi, from Tarsus didn't, stay in Tarsus. He caught a vision when. He caught on to Yeshua with. The net result, that he turned, around and went beyond Tarsus. Two points, north, and, west. And he kept pushing and pushing and pushing the borders and now. It's time to go but. Before he goes he. Says to Timothy, and to the world my association. I want, you to know what. He wanted Timothy to know he, wants you to know and me to know that is to work hard to, be tough to, keep the faith to, not give in this. Is the life and the. Message, of the rabbi. From. Tarsus. What. Sign Satan. I will not keep, Simon, for. Zions sake reach the. Here. The, game is, on. The. Sad. You, came to us. Because. Of us. Oh. At. The risk of being, misunderstood, let me say I think this series is so important. I don't, think that I'm important, or that were important. I just think recovering. Paul the. Essence, and substance. Of the man and his message, is so, important, because he gets so much to the core of what it means to be Christian.
To, Follow in, the steps not, always the easiest though, that, is true not always easy it's, just so important. There's so much diversity. And, thinking, but Paul just grounds, us and what does it really mean to, walk in the footsteps of, Israel's, Messiah, and, even, more important than what I say about him is our. Viewers, just opening, up his literature, and reading, him, and hearing, him afresh I hope this series helps. Make him more meaningful. To people right I I think of maybe, you, as a, mentor, to the, police academy I, your. Mentoring these folks these guys and, gals but. They're there watching your life I've had two careers in life as. A theologian, I have an opportunity as a Bible College Seminary professor in. My police vocation. With that had an opportunity have, an opportunity, to mentor young officers, I just, think it's so important, to help raise up a generation and, we see that with Paul listen. Speaking. Of what we see, to. Me a highlight, in this whole series are the dramatic, vignettes, that come along with it we. Open up the Bible but we open up the Bible in the biblical, world thank, you for sending us there and if you find value in what we do let. Me tell you we're going back to that world and back to that world we go back to the world we go back to the word to, bring it forth fresh thank. You for helping us please support, us financially that's. Right it's been a great series, thank you for your me. A little sad yeah in a good series, they're all good and Brandon, series next week gently, off we go yes and as we go sha'alu. Shalom, yerushalayim pray. For the peace of jerusalem. Join. Us right now for additional, content that is only available on our social media sites Facebook, YouTube. And Twitter. Visit. Our website levitt.com for, the current and past programs the. Television, schedule tour, information and our, free monthly newsletter which. Is full of insightful articles and news commentary, view. It online or, we can ship it directly to your mailbox every month, also. On our website is, the online store, there. You can order this week's resource or. You can always give us a call at one eight hundred. Your. Donations, to our Jewish, roots help, us to support these organizations, as they bless Israel. Please, remember we depend, on tax-deductible, donations. From, viewers like you. This. Has been a paid program brought to, you by Zola, Levitt ministry.
2020-05-03 02:28
