Timothy had a lot on his plate: 

• Doctrinal problems (chp 1) 
• Jewish Mysticism (chp 1) 
• Moral Problems (chp 1 + 4) 
• Ecclesiastical Problems (chps 2+3) 

Some of the false teachers have been feeding the Christians with a very unbalanced diet of: 

• Marriage (v3) 
• Meats (v3) 
• Mysticism (v7) 

They were attempting to find spiritual satisfaction through: 

• Relationships 
• Rules 
• Religious stories 

This was  long way away from reality 

Timothy's ministry is to overcome with the fruit…

'speaking lies in hypocrisy' (vs2) 

One word which caught my attention 

Hypocrisy 

One word and yet it is a word for the day that we live in 

The word for the actor in Greek 

The man behind the mask 

A man who pretended to be what he was not 

This is a word for today! 

Virtual reality 
Social media 
Status symbols 
Photoshop 
Facebook 

Hypocrisy is a characteristic which ought to be completely absent from the Christian not only because it's not nice but because it is absent from Christ! 

Christ was exactly what…

In the day in which we live there is a great need for Timothys 

For spiritual men and women who triumph amidst the the turmoil and tragedy of 'departure'(4:1) from Christ, from the truth. 

Men who triumph not because of who they are or what strengths or abilities they possess. 

Men who triumph not with the strength and confidence of a Samson but rather with a faith that overcomes the fear of a Gideon, with dependence that springs from the vulnerability of a David. 

As Timothy meets the challenges, it is not…