SHIPWRECKED FAITH
1 Tim. 1:18-20
Timothy, my son, I give you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by following them you may fight the good fight, [19] holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. [20] Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.
Life is a great journey on which we are in the process of going through. The Christian Life has often been compared to a “race”, a “fight”, a “warfare”, a “journey”, and more.
Tonight we’re going to look at the life journey we are on in comparison to a journey on a ship to a destination from one side to the other.
No one who has any sense goes out onto an ocean just to find their way to the middle and get lost somewhere.
There is an intent or a purpose, whether it be to go out and spend some hours fishing or boating, and to return, or to pass from one side to the other.
The basic idea though is not to go out, run out of fuel, and sit and die in the heat of the sun, or to run their ship onto the rocks thereby destroying the ship and their lives at the same time.
I would also dare say that no one in the Christian life ever sets out on their journey of faith with the intent of getting wrecked somewhere in the middle, or just before they reach the other side.
The intent is to do everything within our power with God’s power to reach the other side and safely make it to heaven.
Tonight, I want to take a look at 3 things that will help us to keep our ship afloat as we continue on this great journey from here to the other side.
But first of all, I think it is important for us to realize that Paul is writing this letter to young Timothy, who was a minister of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
The principle remains the same for all of us as Christians, but we must also realize that Timothy was not just an “on the fringe” Christian, but he was a sold out believer in Christ, and was willing at this point to give his all to follow God.
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, and were now tools of the enemy in leading many astray.
I don’t want my life to simply be a shipwreck to be used as an example to others of what can happen if you get your eyes off the Lord.
Paul was making sure that young Timothy knew that there were going to be times of testing and at times he would be tempted to give it all up, and take the easy road.
He was able to say to Timothy, look over there and see the shipwrecks that have already found their place of rebellion and deception, now here are some things you need to do to steer clear of the rocks.
Here were a few of the things he told Timothy to do:
I. WAR A GOOD WARFARE
Paul told him to think back on some of the prophecies that told of his future successes in God, and to build on that, or take heart even in the midst of a difficult warfare, and remember God has a design and a purpose for his life.
We know that when Timothy started out, there was a softness, and possibly a timidity that had to be dealt with before he could become very effective in ministry.
It appears from research of scripture that at the time of the ordination of Timothy he was given gifts that greatly enabled him for the work of the ministry.
1 Tim. 4:14
Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
2 Tim. 1:6
For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
However, even with all of the gifts and prophecies that Timothy had received, he still had much opposition due to his youth, so his leadership was questioned quite a bit by believers and non-believers alike.
Paul urged him to “be bold” as well...
2 Tim. 1:7
For God did not give us a spirit of timidity, but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline.
Paul gave Timothy the imagery here of fighting in a war, which probably was something that Timothy was not excited about either.
It seems that at times Timothy may have been tempted to doubt his abilities, and even at times to doubt his call, and it took a few reminders by the Great Apostle Paul to get him back on track.
It may be difficult to think of Warfare as a “good thing”, but here was a time that Timothy needed to be reminded that what he was involved with was not only a good thing, but the best thing.
The greatest warfare in the world, and in the heavens, is the warfare that takes place over the destiny of the human soul!
No greater calling is there than to wrestle in prayer over a wayward son or daughter, or to send the sword of the spirit piercing into the heart of a person looking for answers in their life.
We too, today are involved in a warfare, and I think we are only headed for trouble when we begin to think that serving God is only about good times, good feelings, and good days.
If we believe those lies from the enemy, we will be setting ourselves up for shipwreck in the near future.
Thank God for the good times, but I commit to serve God in the bad times as well as the good.
This warfare must be fought in the power of the Spirit...
Romans 13:12
The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light.
Ephes. 6:13-18
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. [14] Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; [15] And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; [16] Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. [17] And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God: [18] Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;
Not only did he tell Timothy to fight a Good Warfare, but we also see tonight that he told him to
II. HOLD FAITH
There are two weapons in this great warfare, and those weapons are Faith and a good Conscience. The two go together, but without a doubt Faith must go first.
You cannot have a good conscience without Faith, and I believe that you also cannot have Faith without a good conscience.
There must be faith in your teaching, and conscience in your actions. When you have these two things, you also have conviction and believability when you speak and live.
Your life becomes an example to others who are looking for a reason to hope and believe in this life.
The story is told of a good woman known for her great calmness in the midst of many trials and for her simple faith. Another woman heard of her and said, "I must go and see that woman, and learn the secret of her strong and happy life." She went, and speaking to her asked: "Are you the woman with the great faith?" "No," she replied, "I am not the woman with the great faith; but I am the woman with the little faith in the great God."
One thing about Faith is that it is often “senseless” - In other words, it does not appeal to our sense of direction for our lives, so therefore we can get way off course if we trust our sense instead of our Faith in God and His word.
I was watching a few minutes of a story on navigating a ship through the ocean, and the captain was saying that of all the things that can happen at sea, one of the worst is the thick fog that develops around the oceanliner. He said it is just like blindness when attempting to maneuver through the ocean. He then said the only way to continue on the journey is to “trust the instruments”. It may “feel” like you are going north, but in reality the compass says you’re going east, and just to be off a few degrees for a long period of time will lead you miles away from your destination, and possibly into shipwreck.
I believe in the same way, we must trust this great Compass that God has given to us on this journey we are on. The Bible tells us clearly of the difficulty we have with this when it says in:
Proverbs 14:12
There is a way that seems right to a man,
but in the end it leads to death.
I have found that our compass can often be in disagreement with the direction already established in the word of God.
True faith says we are not going to trust our sense of direction, but lean totally on the direction God has for our lives.
You know as well as I do, that a compass is no good unless you actually look at it, and put it to use.
We must use the tools that God has placed in our hands, and the Faith he has placed in our hearts in order to avoid Shipwreck.
Paul was saying to Timothy that you must continue to have Faith if you are not going to be shipwrecked as the two examples are given further on.
I hear people at times saying that “their faith got them through”. Well, that is great to hear, and most of the time it is a great thing to say, but if your “faith” is your religious denomination, it will only go so far.
If your “faith” is a special kind of feeling you get when you really believe in something, that will only get you so far.
If your “faith” is something that Mom or Dad, or your Grandparents handed down to you, it will only get you so far.
Shipwreck is avoided when your Faith has been tested through the storms and trials of life, and you realize your Faith must be in a person, and that person is Jesus Christ.
Not only must we War a Good Warfare, and Hold On To Faith, but we must also
III. HOLD ONTO A GOOD CONSCIENCE
Someone defined our conscience as that still small voice inside us that makes us feel even smaller.
As you know here, we have a nautical figure being set in our minds, and of course in the mind of young Timothy.
On ships and boats of that day, one of the ways of making the boats manageable was to either take on additional weight or put off the weight.
Paul was telling Timothy here that putting off a good conscience was like tossing valuable weight overboard, thereby making the entire ship unmanageable.
Direction becomes more difficult to latch onto, and maintain. The storms affect the boat in a greater manner than before.
Billy Graham says, "Most of us follow our conscience as we follow a wheelbarrow. We push it in front of us in the direction we want it to go."
I believe today that you don’t have to be a perfect person, or even a Christian to have a conscience.
God has instilled within all of mankind the basic knowledge of right and wrong, and it is only to our detriment to ignore that conscience cry.
We read in John 8:9
And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst.
Here were people ready to stone this woman caught in the act of adultery, but when Jesus wrote in the dirt, their conscience smote them, and they had to walk away.
For what it’s worth, I looked up the word conscience in the Bible, and did you know that it is mentioned 29 times? And every one of those times is in the New Testament. I wish I had an explanation for that one, but I’m afraid I don’t.
Some have said that a good conscience is the sweetest meal to which a man has ever sat down, the most beautiful music must be the music from a heart that has been true to itself.
Most beautiful is a conscience cleansed and washed in the blood of the Lamb, and is something that one must do whatever it takes to hold on to.
Wealth cannot purchase a good conscience, though many have tried. I think most obviously of actors and actresses who make a living faking life, somehow feeling that they need to find some kind of cause to take hold of and make a difference.
No, wealth cannot purchase a good conscience, and envy cannot steal it, poverty cannot harm it, and nothing but sin and wrongdoing can tarnish the beauty of it’s crown upon a persons life.
A good consicence is the peace in a martyr’s heart, and often the thing that will carry the one who suffers to the other side.
Paul was telling Timothy that if he wanted to stay on track and continue to have the blessing of the Lord in his life, continue to do the things that are right even when they may be unpopular.
Many people may view their conscience as their enemy, and feel the need to thrust it aside, but when you do so, you are casting aside the best friend you ever had.
The enemy will do all he can to convince us to throw off all the things that would be considered “brakes” in our lives.
Don’t throw away the things that God has placed in your life to enable you to get to Heaven in victory.
Conclusion:
Many a ship has been ushered out of the harbor of banners, streamers, waving arms, and glorious send-offs, only to be met with hardship in the middle of the ocean, and become only another shipwreck on the bottom of the ocean floor.
I believe today in order to keep our ship on top, we need to continue to:
WAR A GOOD WARFARE
HOLD ON TO FAITH
HOLD ON TO A GOOD CONSCIENCE
