3 Marks Of A Shipwrecked Faith

3 MARKS OF A SHIPWRECKED FAITH

1 Tim. 1:18-20

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMOR

A teacher said, to Raymond, “Listen to me! This is the fifth time this week I’ve had to punish you! What do you have to say?” “I’m glad it’s Friday,” replied Raymond.

B. TEXT

18 Timothy, my son, I am giving you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies previously made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the good fight, 19 having faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and have shipwrecked their faith. 20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have delivered to Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme. [Christian Standard Bible]

C. FAMOUS SHIPWRECKS & WARNINGS

1. Shipwrecks have caused huge losses of material possessions and human lives down the centuries. We can think of the Titanic, the Lusitania, the USS Arizona & Indianapolis, Bismarck, HMS Bounty, Empress of Ireland, Costa Concordia, etc. as recent, famous ships that were wrecked. Ships usually sink because they collide with something, sink in battle, are overwhelmed in storms, have mechanical breakdowns or they break apart.

2. SHIPS ARE WARNED. Authorities warn ships of various dangers through weather reports, red flag announcements, detail computer mapping of the seafloor, and the proximity of icebergs & other ships.

3. SHIPWRECKS HAPPEN OFTEN. A rough estimate by the United Nations says there are at least 3 million shipwrecks lying across ocean floors. There are over 5000 shipwrecks in the Great Lakes that have taken the lives of over 30,000 mariners (6X). [If that’s true of the 3 million wrecks, it would mean that at least 18 million mariners died. That’s a lot of people.] https://www.marineinsight.com/maritime-history/18-famous-shipwrecks-in-the-world/

D. THE DANGER OF CHRISTIAN SHIPWRECK

1. The Christian life is a great journey, similar to a ship voyage whose destination is heaven. Many people have gotten lost out on the ocean. They never intended to be swamped in a storm or run aground on a rocky island, but it happened. Likewise, no one starts the Christian life with the intent of getting wrecked somewhere along the way.

2. Paul used two examples of Shipwrecked Faith when he spoke of Hymenaeus and Alexander who at one time had been involved in the preaching of the Gospel. [Hymenaeus lived in Ephesus and, with Alexander (1 Tim. 1:20) and Philetus (2 Tim. 2:17), departed from the faith and began teaching error -- specifically, that “the resurrection is already past” (2 Tim. 2:18). In other words, they were teaching that Christ had already come and the resurrection had already taken place – probably similar to what the Jehovah’s Witnesses teach. These men became tools of the enemy to lead many other Christians astray.]

3. I don’t want my life to be a shipwreck used as an example to others of what happens if you get your eyes off the Lord. There will be times of testing and temptation: we mustn’t give up or take the easy road. Paul was saying to Timothy, “look over there and see the ships that have been wrecked on the shoals of rebellion and deception. Make sure it doesn’t happen to you!”

4. How’s our faith? Have we bought into the “cultural” Christianity but don’t talk about it much? What would Paul say about YOUR faith? Is it healthy? Deficient? Strong? Or is it wrecked?

5. We’re considering, “The 3 MARKS OF A SHIPWRECKED FAITH.” The first mark is:

I. A LACK OF PERSISTENCE

A. IT MEANS ‘CONTINUOUS EFFORT’

1. Paul consistently encouraged young Timothy (in his letters) to “strongly engage in battle” or “fight the good fight.” Have WE forgotten that we’re in the Lord’s army and are to be engaged in the day-to-day battles between good and evil? If we’re living for the Lord, Satan will do his best to hinder us. It’s extremely easy to get lethargic and allow Satan to strip you of your strength in Christ.

2. Satan’s goal is to corrupt our desires, invade our minds, impact our lifestyles, and thus try to move us away from God. There’s no resting place this side of heaven; we must “fight the good fight” of faith.

3. In the aftermath of 9/11, thousands of men & women volunteered to go and defend this nation. Because of the aggression there was a reaction of total and complete devotion. Throughout history, when the church was persecuted the worst - commitment, devotion, and sacrifice rose to the top. Why is this? Answer this question, “When are you most likely to hustle to make a living? When you have a thousands of dollars in the bank & plenty of food? Or when the pantry is bare and the bank account is empty?”

4. Persistence is “sticking with it no matter what.” But persistence is NOT A ONE-TIME, occasional, or haphazard type of action -- it is ongoing. The lack of persistence heralds the possibility of a shipwrecked faith.