1 Timothy 1 -Staying on Track
9/21/08
Turn with me this morning to the book of 1 Timothy. Timothy in towards the end of the New Testament, in the second half of the Bible. We saw last week that this is a letter from the Apostle Paul to Timothy, his young protégé. Paul left Timothy at Ephesus to straighten out the problems in the church there. Ephesus was a city filled with idol worship, sexual immorality, and false teachings.
Timothy, though, is a young man and sometimes people in the church did not follow his leadership and give him the respect he deserved (1 Tim. 4:12). Timothy was timid and shy (2 Tim 1:6). He sometimes was sickly, or at least was so troubled by the problems in the church that his stomach bothered him (1 Tim 5:23). The tension in the church had him to the point of giving up. But Paul gives him a letter to encourage him to keep on going.
Last week as we looked at chapter 1, we saw Paul give three commands to Timothy. We looked at the first two. The first one was,
1. Teach Sound Doctrine - Be sure that the church does not drift away into false teaching.
Paul writes inverse 3 - stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote controversies rather than God’s work--which is by faith. In the church at Ephesus -- not just in the city, but within the church, within the body of believers, there were people teaching heresy. Timothy is reminded he needs to pass along the truth.
There were two extremes at Ephesus: mysticism - those trying to teach a special knowledge beyond scripture, and legalism, those who were taking the OT law, and twisting it to serve their purposes. And both were wrong.
False teaching brings division, but sound teaching brings unity. Paul reminds Timothy to keep his focus on the main thing. The main thing is to make sure we keep the main thing as the main thing. So what is the main thing? Paul goes on to remind Timothy of his second task at Ephesus:
2. Preach the Gospel. Far too often we get caught up in rabbit trails - we talk to our neighbor, and they ask a question about Cain & Abel and their wives and we get our focus off of the gospel. People were using the OT laws wrongly. The OT law was never given to make us righteous, but to get us to see our sinfulness so we can see the need of the gospel, our need of salvation.
One of the best ways to share the gospel is to use the OT law. It’s fine to say that God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. But how about using the 10 commandments some time. Ask people, did you ever tell a lie? Did you ever hate anyone? Did you ever have a lustful thought? If so, you are a lying murdering adulterer, and you need salvation.
Many people think they are “good enough” and don’t need salvation. Use the 10 commandments, and everyone sees how short he falls of God’s perfection. So Paul goes on to remind Timothy of the power of the gospel. He shares his personal testimony of what the gospel did for him.
Paul records this starting in verse 12 - let’s look there together. READ 1:12-17.
Paul was a blasphemer, he was violent; he was unbelieving; he was as bad as they get - the chief of all sinners. But he was changed by the power of the gospel. Our first thought is to try to justify Paul -- well, he really wasn’t that bad -- I’m sure there were worse. But that is a rabbit trail that takes us off the main thing. We preach the gospel because the gospel has power to convert even the worst of sinners.
Romans 1:16 - I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile. Or as Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1: God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling-block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than man’s wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man’s strength.
Lest we ever forget, the gospel has the power to change lives. You might say, You don’t know my brother-in-law or my neighbor or my boss. I don’t care how bad they are -- no one is too far gone; no one is so bad that the grace of God cannot save them. And when they choose to believe and follow Christ, 2 Corinthians 5:17 tells us, Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come! God gives us a new nature upon salvation. We are born with a sin nature, but once we accept the gospel, God gives us a new nature to be able to live a godly life. God has given us everything we need for life and godliness.
Since our charge is to preach the gospel -- and I would say this is not a charge for pastors, but for each Christian - Matthew 28:19-20 - Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” -- Since this is a charge for each of us, then we need to ask ourselves, What sinners do I come into contact with? We can’t be afraid of associating with sinners. Jesus was called the “friend of sinners” - Matthew 11:19 - Look it up! But far too often, as Christians we cut off all association from sinners - we isolate ourselves. Now, it is true that our “fellowship” is only with Christians -- Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 6 - What does a believer have in common with an unbeliever? . . . Therefore come out from them and be separate, says the Lord. Touch no unclean thing, and I will receive you.” It is true that we should not have our morals and values and standards set by the unsaved around us. Instead we are to be salt and light in this world. But we cannot hide our light under a bushel basket -- remember the children’s song - This little light of mine - I’m gonna let it shine - hid it under a bushel, NO, I’m gonna let it shine.
Think about some of the people Jesus associated with - the samaritan woman (a hated half-breed), the leper (the outcast of society), the tax collector (the despised IRS agents), prostitutes, a woman taken in the act of adultery -- and in each case he showed love, shared the gospel, and saw lives changed. He didn’t justify their sin; but he looked beyond their fault to see their need.
We focus so much on outward conformity that we often fail to get the chance to share the gospel. Jesus has a beautiful prayer in John 17:
I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world. . . While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. . . I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of it. . . . As you sent me into the world, I have sent them into the world.
We are to be IN the world, but not OF the world. We are IN the world, but the world is not to be in US. Most Christians fall into one of two extremes: either we are so withdrawn from the world that we offer no saving effect, or we are so impacted by the world that there is no redemptive message. The goal -- balance -- and balance is a key in EVERY area of life -- the goal is to have that beautiful blend of building relationships and sharing the gospel through those relationships.
We could start a door-to-door program to share the gospel and meet hundreds of people. But we would be 10 to 20 times as effective if each of us would cultivate one good relationship and seek to be Christ to that person, to share the gospel out of our personal testimony.
Really, that IS the most powerful witness -- one which no one can refute -- to say, Let me tell you what God has done for me!
So, look at your life: what opportunities for relationship has God given you? How are you seeking the balance to not be like the world, but not to avoid the world? We have to look at the question
How do we live a godly life in a sinful culture? And the first thing we understand is that we need to be willing to engage the culture. We don’t have to be afraid of the culture. We don’t have to be afraid about getting into a discussion about abortion or evolution or any of a hundred subjects that might be debated. We can rely on the word of God. Paul stood up in Athens in Acts 17 to enter into a public discussion that he turned into a witnessing opportunity. We need to be willing to engage.
With Jacqueline attending OHS this year, we have already had several opportunities to confront the school district about issues that we see differently than the school. We don’t know yet how things will turn out, but we are willing to speak up and let our voice be heard. The second truth about living a godly life in a sinful culture is that we don’t follow the culture, we follow Christ. The Amish used to wear black socks when everyone else wore white socks. They were being different from the world. But when the culture popularized black socks, suddenly the Amish switched to wearing white socks. We don’t want to be like that and just always do the opposite of what the culture does. We want a serious stand based on the word of God.
There are three different Biblical approaches to dealing with our culture: First, there is the example of
Jonah - God sends Jonah to Ninevah, to declare God’s judgment. The people repent and God chooses to have compassion. But Jonah sits up on a hillside overlooking the city and separates himself, waiting for God’s judgment to fall. He wants Condemnation. And when God is merciful, he shows his own sinful heart and throws a temper tantrum about God being merciful.
The second example is Esther - She is a Jew in a Persian society. She knows the truth when all around her are blinded by lies. But she hides her identity. She doesn’t want to stand up and speak the truth until she understands that her very life is at risk. She has adopted a pattern of Accommodation. There are a lot of Secret Service Christians -- undercover Christians -- they are Christians, but you would never know it unless you would happen to go to their church.
But the third example, and the best example, is Daniel. He has adopted a pattern of Transformation - he is in the pagan society, but he is not impacted by it. He stands for his convictions, even when his life is on the line. He sets a godly example, and the whole kingdom is affected by it. He seeks the good of the culture and the good of the people of God at the same time.
In our society, we want to be Transformational Christians who see our culture changed because of the light and truth we bring. So back to 1 Timothy -- Paul says, Timothy, teach sound doctrine, and above all, the main thing is to preach the gospel. But he goes on to a third area, a third command for Timothy:
3. Defend the Faith - or put another way, don’t make shipwreck of your faith. When we think about famous ships, often the ships that come to mind - the Titanic, the Lousitania, the Arizona, the Atocha, the Edmund Fitzgerald -- are all famous for sinking. There are many Christians whose notoriety comes from their sin, their scandal, their shipwreck: Jim Baker, Jimmy Swaggart, Ted Haggard. But Paul warns Timothy not to make a shipwreck of his life and ministry. Look in verse 18:
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, holding on to faith and a good conscience. Some have rejected these and so have shipwrecked their faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.
To keep from spiritual shipwreck, what do we need to do? This could be a whole sermon in itself, but allow me a few minutes to bring out a couple points. First
• Follow the Word - Paul mentions the term “instruction” here. Many times we make a shipwreck when we go off thinking up ideas that make good preaching but they are not biblical. To keep from shipwreck, we need to make sure we are seeking the word of God. It does you no good just to carry around a Bible if you are not going to read it. Having it on your headboard or night stand will do you no good -- you don’t learn scripture by osmosis. We need to actually read and learn and study God’s word to benefit by it. 2 Timothy 2:215 - Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. The second key to avoiding shipwreck:
• Fulfill Your Potential - Paul talks to Timothy here about the Prophecies that were made about him. Leaders of the church saw great potential in Timothy and encouraged him in ministry. Over in 4:14 Paul says, Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. One of the greatest attacks of Satan is complacency, apathy. He doesn’t need us to sin; just to stay out of his way. There are many Christians who have given up all the giftedness that God has placed in them. They only want to use their gifts for their own enjoyment.
What is it that God has gifted you with? How will you use it for His glory?
• Fight a Good Battle - Lest we ever forget, we are engaged in a spiritual battle. Paul reminded the whole church at Ephesus - For we are not fighting against people made of flesh and blood, but against the evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in the heavenly realms. Use every piece of God’s armor to resist the enemy in the time of evil, so that after the battle you will still be standing firm. Many times we end up making a shipwreck of our life because we look at everything on the physical plane, and fail to see the spiritual dynamic.
• Finish Faithfully - Far too many Christians start out well, but give up the race. They get tired. They no longer feel the excitement of ministry. They become preoccupied. Timothy is reminded to hold on to two things: faith and a good conscience. Have a commitment to the word, and have a commitment to doing what you know is right. We need to defend against attacks on our faith, but we also need to stand up for what we know is right. To deny the truth or to deny what is right will bring about shipwreck in your life. To finish well, we need constant communication with our God. And that is what we will look at next week as we go on to chapter 2 and talk about prayer.
In closing today, look at your life, and ask the question, God, how can I do a better job of following you faithfully. Let’s pray.
