Here is a rough draft of my sermon from Sept 18, 2016.
The book of 1 Timothy was a letter written by the Apostle Paul to his apprentice Timothy. It is a shorter letter and within it there are passages of great controversy, as well as gems for pastors.
One passage that most young clergy enjoy is 1 Timothy 4:12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young. Instead, set an example for the believers through your speech, behavior, love, faith, and by being sexually pure.
The book of 1 Timothy was a letter written by the Apostle Paul to his apprentice Timothy. It is a shorter letter and within it there are passages of great controversy, as well as gems for pastors.
One passage that most young clergy enjoy is 1 Timothy 4:12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young. Instead, set an example for the believers through your speech, behavior, love, faith, and by being sexually pure.
“You’re young” is something I hear frequently, and I enjoy reminding people that I am almost as old as Jesus was when he was crucified. Jesus started his ministry when he was 30. So that’s a fun passage.
But today’s passage is an interesting one, and it is, probably a bit foreign to us. I’m afraid it may be one that we have decontextualized for our own benefit. Let me explain.
We believe in praying for our leaders, correct? We pray for our president and vice president, perhaps for our governor, mayor, etc. And we probably pray that they are Godly people. Perhaps we pray that God will anoint a Godly to “Win this nation back.” And having grown up in evangelicalism, I understand how for so many the message of the cross has been conflated with patriotism.
So when we read this passage, we may see it as instructions for this type of behavior, but I think that is eisegesis. Eisegesis is one of your expensive words for today. If you have not heard that word, eisegesis is the process of incorporating ideas into a text. We all do this to an extent, but when reading scripture we should be trying to hear what it has to say rather than making it say what we want it to say.
The opposite of this is exegesis which means to draw out.
So if we’re going to exegete this passage properly, then we would do well to remember Paul’s situation.
Paul doesn’t say to pray for Godly leaders, Paul says to pray for the kings and authorities so that we can live in peace. If you know Paul’s story, then this makes sense.
The Apostle Paul had been a Jewish teacher. And he was a eager teacher. He initially hated Christianity, so he was a part of killing Christians. While walking to a city called Damascus, Paul was blinded by a vision of Jesus. Paul repented, became a Christian, and started sharing the news of Jesus all over the Mediterranean
But today’s passage is an interesting one, and it is, probably a bit foreign to us. I’m afraid it may be one that we have decontextualized for our own benefit. Let me explain.
We believe in praying for our leaders, correct? We pray for our president and vice president, perhaps for our governor, mayor, etc. And we probably pray that they are Godly people. Perhaps we pray that God will anoint a Godly to “Win this nation back.” And having grown up in evangelicalism, I understand how for so many the message of the cross has been conflated with patriotism.
So when we read this passage, we may see it as instructions for this type of behavior, but I think that is eisegesis. Eisegesis is one of your expensive words for today. If you have not heard that word, eisegesis is the process of incorporating ideas into a text. We all do this to an extent, but when reading scripture we should be trying to hear what it has to say rather than making it say what we want it to say.
The opposite of this is exegesis which means to draw out.
So if we’re going to exegete this passage properly, then we would do well to remember Paul’s situation.
Paul doesn’t say to pray for Godly leaders, Paul says to pray for the kings and authorities so that we can live in peace. If you know Paul’s story, then this makes sense.
The Apostle Paul had been a Jewish teacher. And he was a eager teacher. He initially hated Christianity, so he was a part of killing Christians. While walking to a city called Damascus, Paul was blinded by a vision of Jesus. Paul repented, became a Christian, and started sharing the news of Jesus all over the Mediterranean
As he went, he faced a lot of opposition.
Acts 14 he is stoned for his preaching. Stoning was a process of hurling rocks and boulders at someone until they die.
In Acts 16 Paul is in Lystra with a companion named Silas. This is where Paul first meets Timothy, the young man to whom this letter we are reading today is addressed. Not to long after meeting Timothy, Paul and Silas get arrested.
In Acts 16 Paul is in Lystra with a companion named Silas. This is where Paul first meets Timothy, the young man to whom this letter we are reading today is addressed. Not to long after meeting Timothy, Paul and Silas get arrested.
Acts 17 Paul is in Thessolonica and it happens again.
And in Berea and Athens and Ephesus and Jerusalem. In all this places Paul gets a run in with the kings and the authorities. This means that when Paul wrote to Timothy, I don’t think he is instructing Timothy to pray for a Godly leader to correct the Roman empire. Paul doesn’t believe that fairy tale.
And in Berea and Athens and Ephesus and Jerusalem. In all this places Paul gets a run in with the kings and the authorities. This means that when Paul wrote to Timothy, I don’t think he is instructing Timothy to pray for a Godly leader to correct the Roman empire. Paul doesn’t believe that fairy tale.
And if the earliest Christians are any indication of how Christians are supposed to live, then their statements on the state lead me to believe that Paul wasn’t praying for leaders as we do. Paul saying, pray that they leave you alone.
“God called Abraham and commanded him to go out from the country where he was living. With this call God has roused us all, and now we have left the state. We have renounced all the things the world offers…. The gods of the nations are demons.”
~ Justin the Martyr (100AD – 165AD)
“I recognize no empire of this present age.”
~ Speratus (martyred 180AD)
“Shall we carry a flag? It is a rival to Christ.”
~ Tertullian (160AD – 220AD)
“I serve Jesus Christ the eternal King. I will no longer serve your emperors. It is not right for a Christian to serve the armies of this world.”
~ Mercellus the Centurion, spoken as he left the army of Emperor Diocletian in 298AD.
“I am a Christian. He who answers thus has declared everything at once—his country, profession, family; the believer belongs to no city on earth but to the heavenly Jerusalem.”
~ St. John Chrysostom (347AD – 407AD)
We can assume the early Christians didn’t often pray for the rulers to be Christians, they had a different understanding of the Empire. They believed that Jesus showed he wasn’t going to rule the way that the world rules. Paul was instructing Timothy to pray that they leave you alone.
And why would Paul want the rulers to leave the church alone? So that the church could accomplish its mission of telling people the truth.
And what is the truth?
There is one God and one mediator between God and humanity, the human Christ Jesus, 6 who gave himself as a payment to set all people free. This was a testimony that was given at the right time.
This is Paul’s summary of the good news. Human beings are separated from God and we are enslaved. We might not want to admit it, but we are enslaved to sin and death. We are enslaved to our own desires, and we cannot liberate ourselves. We cannot set ourselves free, we needed someone to liberate us from slavery to sin and death, and God did by sending his son.
Colossians says that God in Christ is reconciling all things. And we need to pay attention to the grammar here. God isn’t the angry one here. God isn’t wrathful here. God is love. We are the estranged ones, we are the ones who are separating ourselves from God. We are the ones full of wrath, envy, strife, bitterness. God’s love for us is so great that he sent his son to show us how to live, and he was so willing to connect with us, that God even let his Son die on the cross.
And what is more, Jesus conquered the grave, he ascended into heaven, And then he sent the Holy Spirit to us.
This is Paul’s summary of the good news. Human beings are separated from God and we are enslaved. We might not want to admit it, but we are enslaved to sin and death. We are enslaved to our own desires, and we cannot liberate ourselves. We cannot set ourselves free, we needed someone to liberate us from slavery to sin and death, and God did by sending his son.
Colossians says that God in Christ is reconciling all things. And we need to pay attention to the grammar here. God isn’t the angry one here. God isn’t wrathful here. God is love. We are the estranged ones, we are the ones who are separating ourselves from God. We are the ones full of wrath, envy, strife, bitterness. God’s love for us is so great that he sent his son to show us how to live, and he was so willing to connect with us, that God even let his Son die on the cross.
And what is more, Jesus conquered the grave, he ascended into heaven, And then he sent the Holy Spirit to us.
That death should signal to us how good God is. It should tell us how much Jesus loves us. Jesus is purchasing us from ourselves! The Holy Spirit’s presence in our lives should inspire us to acts of holiness and love. As Christians our primary focus should be on living out the good news that God’s reign has come near.
Now what does this passage mean for us today.
Well… its election season, and evangelical America has an obsession with politics. I do not think it is a coincidence that the increased participation in politics coincides with the decline of the church. Church attendance is waning, big time. At the same time Americas Christians live with a sense of anxiety. White Evangelicals in particular believe that they are being persecuted. Folks, we’re not. Thats a false narrative. And if you hear anyone trying to say that, turn off that media. You don’t need that type of fear mongering, because we aren’t being stoned in the streets yet.
Heres the deal, Christians need to be A LOT less occupied with politics and A LOT more concerned with loving our neighbors. We need to spend time learning God’s story, finding how we can interpret it once again to this present age.
This country needs Jesus far more than it needs a better president.
Now what does this passage mean for us today.
Well… its election season, and evangelical America has an obsession with politics. I do not think it is a coincidence that the increased participation in politics coincides with the decline of the church. Church attendance is waning, big time. At the same time Americas Christians live with a sense of anxiety. White Evangelicals in particular believe that they are being persecuted. Folks, we’re not. Thats a false narrative. And if you hear anyone trying to say that, turn off that media. You don’t need that type of fear mongering, because we aren’t being stoned in the streets yet.
Heres the deal, Christians need to be A LOT less occupied with politics and A LOT more concerned with loving our neighbors. We need to spend time learning God’s story, finding how we can interpret it once again to this present age.
This country needs Jesus far more than it needs a better president.
This leads me to a challenge: From now until election day, turn off the election coverage, just turn it off. Any time you would have spent reading about the politician, spend reading a theology text or the Bible. If you need a book, I have a BUNCH! I will gladly lend you a good book.
Also,I know the temptation to post about politics on facebook. I LOVE DEBATE! And I love talking politics. But Let’s make a deal. Let’s be known for the truth of the Gospel rather than our support for a political candidate. Stop posting politics on facebook. You’re probably not going to change your liberal nephew or conservative uncle’s mind. Just stop posting about politics on Facebook for a season. Its only a few weeks. Let’s learn the truth, lets embody the truth. lets be the truth, cause our nation needs Jesus, and it needs us to tell them the story.
If you are uncertain on what to do with this election, then spend whatever amount of time you would have spent watching the news in prayer. I think God will tell you better what to do than Maddow or Hannity.
I know that the state can be useful, but we have reached a point where Christians are turning to it instead of being faithful themselves. Lets be faithful Christians telling people the truth, and lets pray that the state leaves us alone so that we can do it. Amen?
Also,I know the temptation to post about politics on facebook. I LOVE DEBATE! And I love talking politics. But Let’s make a deal. Let’s be known for the truth of the Gospel rather than our support for a political candidate. Stop posting politics on facebook. You’re probably not going to change your liberal nephew or conservative uncle’s mind. Just stop posting about politics on Facebook for a season. Its only a few weeks. Let’s learn the truth, lets embody the truth. lets be the truth, cause our nation needs Jesus, and it needs us to tell them the story.
If you are uncertain on what to do with this election, then spend whatever amount of time you would have spent watching the news in prayer. I think God will tell you better what to do than Maddow or Hannity.
I know that the state can be useful, but we have reached a point where Christians are turning to it instead of being faithful themselves. Lets be faithful Christians telling people the truth, and lets pray that the state leaves us alone so that we can do it. Amen?
1 comment:
I apologize if this is a repeat post.... Ryan, thank you for this timely word in my life. I accept your challenge, from this point forward (I'm a little late to the game), in concerning myself with Godly things and doing away with political things. Your word has spoken to be and I thank you.
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