ACCEPTED(Recognized) CHRISTIAN AUTHORITY-II—1Timothy 1:1-2
In order to fill the shoes of the faithful, one must first recognize his/her authority.
The greeting of the letter is contained in :1-2:
It contains the Writer, Recipient, the Authority by which it is sent, & Blessings.
Paul approached Timothy thru accepted authority.
The faithful Christian accepts God’s authority.
How do the faithful recognize Christian authority?
10 qualifiers of acceptable Christian authority.
Previously we found that,
A qualifier of an accepted Christian authority is...
1. Recognized FAMILIARITY(:1)
2. Recognized APOSTLESHIP(:1)
3—A qualifier of an accepted Christian authority is...
Recognized DETERMINATION/Determinism(:1)
Explanation: (:1)
:1—“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior & the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope,”
Paul’s ‘sender’ is “Jesus Christ”[‘Savior/Salvation Anointed’](transposed in MT—‘Anointed Savior/Salvation’). Paul thus has a Divine mandate. His apostolic tasks thereby take on a unique character, authority, seriousness & an urgency which overshadows the tasks/work of any civil or secular sources by which we draw a picture of delegation.
The mere mention of “God” admits much greater power than any human or humanity is capable of. It calls & invites the miraculous—NOT coincidence—but the miraculous, into play.
Thus any “commandment of God” is absolutely non-negotiable.
Thereby Paul is now an apostle not because he thought it would be a good idea, or that he thought it would be a good profession, or because someone thought he would ‘make a good one.’ Paul is an apostle solely by the determined will & design of God.
Paul indeed faced difficult tasks & awful obstacles & circumstances.
Acts 9:15-16—“But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen vessel of Mine to bear My name before Gentiles, kings, & the children of Israel. For I will show him how many things he must suffer for My name’s sake.””
He could not have endured them nor approached them without the wisdom & empowerment of the Holy Spirit!
How far reaching is this Determination?:
Was 9/11/2001’s Attack on America determined of God?
Are all so-called ‘natural disasters’ or ‘acts of God’ determined of God?
Js. 1:13, 16—“Let no one say when he is tempted, “I am tempted by God”; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone.”.....“Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren.” “Every good gift & every perfect gift is from above, & comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.”
Rom. 8:18, 28—“For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us.”.....“And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.”
“Commandment”—epitagh—1) An injunction, mandate, command. Strong—An injunction or decree; by implication, authoritativeness. Used 7X.
From—epitassw— To arrange upon, i.e. order.
Argumentation:
It is an unbelievably, incredibly fantastic & awesome thought to realize that the Almighty God, the author of salvation for all mankind has Determined & commanded our personal & collective gifts & ministries!
Reference to God infers absolute power of Determination:
GOD:
God undid man’s attempt to remove David from kingship when his own son Absalom usurped the throne—2Sam. 17:14—“So Absalom & all the men of Israel said, “The advice of Hushai the Archite is better than the advice of Ahithophel.” For the LORD had purposed to defeat the good advice of Ahithophel, to the intent that the LORD might bring disaster on Absalom.”
Gen. 1:3—“Then God said, “Let there be light”; & there was light.”
Job 38:4-11—““Where were you[Job] when I[YaHWeH] laid the foundations of the earth? Tell Me, if you have understanding. Who determined its measurements? Surely you know! Or who stretched the line upon it? To what were its foundations fastened? Or who laid its cornerstone, When the morning stars sang together, And all the sons of God shouted for joy? “Or who shut in the sea with doors, When it burst forth & issued from the womb; When I made the clouds its garment, And thick darkness its swaddling band; When I fixed My limit for it, And set bars & doors; When I said, ‘This far you may come, but no farther, And here your proud waves must stop!’”
DETERMINATION:
Jn. 12:27-28—““Now My soul is troubled, & what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’? But for this purpose I came to this hour. “Father, glorify Your name.” Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it & will glorify it again.””
Acts 2:22-24—““Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, & signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know-- “Him, being delivered by the determined purpose & foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, & put to death; “whom God raised up, having loosed the pains of death, because it was not possible that He should be held by it.”
Acts 15:18—““Known to God from eternity are all His works.”
Lk. 22:20-22—“Likewise He also took the cup after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in My blood, which is shed for you. But behold, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on the table. And truly the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed!””
Isa. 46:9-11—“Remember the former things of old, For I am God, & there is no other; I am God, & there is none like Me, Declaring the end from the beginning, And from ancient times things that are not yet done, Saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, And I will do all My pleasure,’ Calling a bird of prey from the east, The man who executes My counsel, from a far country. Indeed I have spoken it; I will also bring it to pass. I have purposed it; I will also do it."
Lk. 24:44-48—“Then He said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you while I was still with you, that all things must be fulfilled which were written in the Law of Moses & the Prophets & the Psalms concerning Me.” And He opened their understanding, that they might comprehend the Scriptures. Then He said to them, “Thus it is written, & thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer & to rise from the dead the third day, “& that repentance & remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. And you are witnesses of these things.”
1Pet. 1:17-21—“And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear; knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish & without spot. He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead & gave Him glory, so that your faith & hope are in God.”
Titus 1:1-3—“Paul, a bondservant of God & an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect & the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Savior;”
Rom. 16:25-27—“Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel & the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, & by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith-- to God, alone wise, be glory through Jesus Christ forever. Amen.”
Mat. 28:18-20—“And Jesus came & spoke to them[the eleven], saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven & on earth. Go therefore & make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father & of the Son & of the Holy Spirit, “teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; & lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.”
Illustration:
‘God said it, I believe it, that settles it!’
Preparation for Hurricane Irene/Local govt. officials determined an evacuation was in order for the Outer Banks/The Governor ordered it, police & sheriff authorities enforced it/Those who remained did so at their own risk/How much more so if God determines something!/Recognized DETERMINATION
Application:
? Whose DETERMINATION qualifies a person as an accepted Christian authority?
?What DETERMINATION holds Christian Authority for you?
?Who & What have you Accepted as a Christian authority?
4—A qualifier of an accepted Christian authority is...
Recognized SALVATION(:1)
Explanation: (:1)
:1—“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior & the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope,”
Jesus’ bestowal of apostleship to Paul has come to him by the specific “commandment of God.” This God—Paul’s God, The God— is also “our Savior.” Paul’s God is specifically “our” Savior so that all Christians for all time are included.
“Our” could possibly limit his focus only to Paul & the other apostles, but this is highly unlikely. If so, it would merely include them as a small group which exists within the whole of believers with whom he identifies.
“Savior”—swthr—Savior, deliverer, preserver. ‘The name was given by the ancients to deities, esp. tutelary deities, to princes, kings, & in general to men who had conferred signal benefits upon their country, & in more degenerate days by the way of flattery to personages of influence.’-Thayer
**The entirety of the concepts & realities regarding salvation originate in the heart, mind & outworking of God alone. None of it is the outworking of man’s desire.
God’s salvation involves Jesus His Son:
2Tim. 1:8-11—“Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel according to the power of God, who has saved us and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which was given to us in Christ Jesus before time began, but has now been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who has abolished death and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel, to which I was appointed a preacher, an apostle, and a teacher of the Gentiles.”
1Jn. 4:14—“And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent the Son as Savior of the world.”
Our response to salvation’s requirement is FAITH:
Rom. 3:9-18—“What then? Are we better than they[Jews]? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews & Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written: “There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God. They have all turned aside; They have together become unprofitable; There is none who does good, no, not one.” “Their throat is an open tomb; With their tongues they have practiced deceit”; “The poison of asps is under their lips”; “Whose mouth is full of cursing & bitterness.” “Their feet are swift to shed blood; Destruction & misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known.” “There is no fear of God before their eyes.””
Rom. 3:21-26—“But now the righteousness of God apart from the law is revealed, being witnessed by the Law & the Prophets, even the righteousness of God, through faith in Jesus Christ, to all & on all who believe. For there is no difference; for all have sinned & fall short of the glory of God, being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood, through faith, to demonstrate His righteousness, because in His forbearance God had passed over the sins that were previously committed, to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, that He might be just & the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus.”
Gal. 3:26—“For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus.”
Argumentation:
Isa. 43:1-3—“But now, thus says the LORD, who created you, O Jacob, And He who formed you, O Israel: “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; You are Mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, Nor shall the flame scorch you. For I am the LORD your God, The Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I gave Egypt for your ransom, Ethiopia & Seba in your place.”
Isa. 43:10-11—““You(Israel) are My witnesses,” says the LORD, “And My servant whom I have chosen, That you may know & believe Me, And understand that I am He. Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me. I, even I, am the LORD, And besides Me there is no savior.”
Lk. 2:10-11—“Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy which will be to all people. For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.”
Titus 2:11-14—“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness & worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, & godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope & glorious appearing of our great God & Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed & purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”
Eph. 2:1-3 & 4-10—“And you He made alive, who were dead in trespasses & sins, in which you once walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience, among whom also we all once conducted ourselves in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh & of the mind, & were by nature children of wrath, just as the others.” “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), & raised us up together, & made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith, & that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Jn. 3:14-18—““And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
Joh 3:36 ““He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; & he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.””
Jn. 5:24—““Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word & believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, & shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life.”
Jn. 10:9-11—““I am the door. If anyone enters by Me, he will be saved, & will go in & out & find pasture. The thief does not come except to steal, & to kill, & to destroy. I have come that they may have life, & that they may have it more abundantly. I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep.”
Jn. 6:35—“And Jesus said to them, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, & he who believes in Me shall never thirst.”
Rom. 10:9-10—“that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus & believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, & with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
Illustration:
Border Patrol/A young agent unproven/Notices something suspicious in a semi-trailer X-ray/Unload all the barrels(supposed to contain liquid)/Many barrels had large blocks of compressed marijuana(1000 lbs.+)/His actions prevented many from a degenerate lifestyle of regret/Recognized SALVATION
Rescue dogs in earthquake zone/They sniff-out the living under the rubble/rescue untold hundreds of people/Without them many would be lost to death/Recognized SALVATION
God is the One who rescues you from the mess that you have become & rescues you to His heaven. Thereby, your every move, in this life on earth, is colored & effected by such a rescue.
Application:
?What SALVATION qualifies a person as an accepted Christian authority?
?What SALVATION holds Christian Authority for you?
?Who & What have you Accepted as a Christian authority?
5—A qualifier of an accepted Christian authority is...
Recognized LORDSHIP(:1, 2)
Explanation:(1, 2)
:1—“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior & the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope,”
also rephrased in :2— “from God our Father & Jesus Christ our Lord.”
MT reads—“God our Savior, & of Christ Jesus”
God has given this commandment, for Paul’s commission, in tandem with “the Lord”(TR & Byz only). Jesus Christ—of whom Paul is “an apostle”—is the One recognized by Paul as “the Lord.” Thus He is the One to whom Christians & Christendom are directly answerable.
“Lord”(TR & Byz only)—kuriov—He to whom a person or thing belongs, about which he has power of deciding; master, lord.
This highlights the co-equal source of all that Christianity is to be...All that you & I are & all that we are collectively as the Church. The Father does nothing without the Son. The Son is Lord in authority over all true Christendom.
Likewise our personal Savior God does not accomplish salvation’s fulfillment without the Lord of that salvation’s involvement.
Look at the interplay below:
Eph. 1:3-14—“Blessed be the God & Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy & without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace, by which He has made us accepted in the Beloved. In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom & prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven & which are on earth--in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.”
...& the Lord of such Christian salvation does not bring it about without the guarantee of the Holy Spirit’s sealing involvement as well.
2Cor. 1:21-22—“Now He who establishes us with you in Christ & has anointed us is God, who also has sealed us & given us the Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.”
Eph. 4:30—“And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.”
Argumentation:
References to Lordship(& Kingship) infer absolute power of Determination:
Lord(ynda(’Adonay)—used of anyone we answer to, particularly anyone(God) of greater power & ability):
Ex. 4:10-13—“Then Moses said to the LORD, “O my Lord, I am not eloquent, neither before nor since You have spoken to Your servant; but I am slow of speech & slow of tongue.” So the LORD said to him, “Who has made man’s mouth? Or who makes the mute, the deaf, the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the LORD? “Now therefore, go, & I will be with your mouth & teach you what you shall say.” But he said, “O my Lord, please send by the hand of whomever else You may send.””
2Sam.—7:18, 22—“Then King David went in & sat before the LORD; & he said: “Who am I, O Lord GOD? And what is my house, that You have brought me this far?”.....““Therefore You are great, O Lord GOD. For there is none like You, nor is there any God besides You, according to all that we have heard with our ears.”.....““And now, O Lord GOD, You are God, & Your words are true, & You have promised this goodness to Your servant.”
KING:
Isa. 43:15—“I am the LORD, your Holy One, The Creator of Israel, your King.””
Isa. 33:22—“(For the LORD is our Judge, The LORD is our Lawgiver, The LORD is our King; He will save us);”
Mat. 21:1-5—“Now when they drew near Jerusalem, & came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, & immediately you will find a donkey tied, & a colt with her. Loose them & bring them to Me. And if anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ & immediately he will send them.” All this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying: “Tell the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold, your King is coming to you, Lowly, & sitting on a donkey, A colt, the foal of a donkey.’””
Illustration:
My car is owned outright/Many don’t know what that’s like/But it is a freeing feeling!/You can keep it as or as clean or as dirty as you want/Not a lease agreement, but ownership/Recognized LORDSHIP
Fewer own their land & houses outright/Freedom!/You(owner) are the Lord(master) of what surrounds you/You will never have the landlord show up & inspect your home & make decisions for you regarding it/Recognized LORDSHIP
If you want to fence everybody out, then you can do it!
If you want to invite any who will live there under your terms, then you can do it!
Application:
? Whose LORDSHIP qualifies a person as an accepted Christian authority?
?What LORDSHIP holds Christian Authority for you?
?Who & What have you Accepted as a Christian authority?
6—A qualifier of an accepted Christian authority is...
Recognized HOPE(:1)
Explanation: (:1)
:1—“Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior & the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope,”
The “Lord” of all Christians is also the only means of their true “hope.” What is the Christian hope? It is all laid out in the fullness of Christ Jesus.
“Hope”—elpiv—1) Expectation of evil, fear; 2) expectation of good, hope—2a) in the Christian sense—2a1) Joyful & confident expectation of eternal salvation; 3) On hope, in hope, having hope. Strong—from a primary elpw(to anticipate, ususally with pleasure); Expectation (abstractly or concretely) or Confidence.
Argumentation:
We sing the Solid Rock:—“My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood & righteousness. I dare not trust the sweetest frame, But wholly lean on Jesus’ name...”
Titus 2:11-14—“For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.”
Rom. 15:12-13—“And again, Isaiah says: “There shall be a root of Jesse; And He who shall rise to reign over the Gentiles, In Him the Gentiles shall hope.” Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
1Pet. 1:3-5—“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”
2Thes. 2:16-17—“Now may our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and our God and Father, who has loved us and given us everlasting consolation and good hope by grace, comfort your hearts and establish you in every good word and work.”
1Pet. 1:20-21—“He indeed was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you who through Him believe in God, who raised Him from the dead and gave Him glory, so that your faith and hope are in God.”
Illustration:
David Koresh, self-proclaimed prophet of Branch Davidians cult/Called attention to himself as “the final prophet” & "the Son of God, the Lamb"/He called others to put their Hope in him/Some followed/Shootout with ATF/51 adults & 21 children died with no true or real HOPE/None Recognized HOPE
Recently Americans have understood what it means to lose hope/The economy goes sour & those who have their money tied up in investment portfolios lost vast amounts of wealth/They have lost homes & family/Their HOPE was in temporal things rather than eternal/No Recognized HOPE
My ink jet printer/I know it can print but it may fail me(it has before)/I hope in it(for specific purposes) guardedly/No Recognized HOPE
Mountains seem eternal but they are continually crumbling.
The Sun seems eternal but is is continually burning up.
HOPE in Christ is sure/certain/secure/trustworthy/unfailing! Anybody & Everybody, anything & everything else will eventually fail you!/Recognized HOPE
Application:
? Whose HOPE qualifies a person as an accepted Christian authority?
?What HOPE holds Christian Authority for you?
?Who & What have you Accepted as a Christian authority?
CONCLUSION:
Action:
A qualifier of an accepted Christian authority is a Recognized...
3. DETERMINATION(:1)
4. SALVATION(:1)
5. LORDSHIP(:1, 2)
6. HOPE(:1)
1. FAMILIARITY(:1)
2. APOSTLESHIP(:1)
Presented 09/11/2011pm to:
Needmore Baptist Church
1620 Mt. Vernon Rd.
Woodleaf, NC 27054
