Sermon Title: Halt! In the Name of the Law [1 of ]
Scripture: 1 Timothy 1:1-11
Wesleyan Community Church
Terry, Mississippi
Sunday Morning - January 6, 2002
Scripture Introduction:
Other than Jesus Himself, If there was ever a model that described the way a relationship between student and teacher should take place, the letters that Paul writes to his spiritual son Timothy would be that example. Paul loves Timothy, Paul cares for Timothy, Paul wishes only the best for Timothy, and Paul wants Timothy to succeed in what he is doing, and that is the spreading the Good News of Jesus Christ in its pure and undefiled form. That desire that Paul has for the success of Timothy’s ministry is not something that he found within himself, it was a desire that was placed upon the heart of Paul by God, for Timothy, all those whose lives Timothy would touch, and for the lives of those that were touched by those that were touched by Timothy. We are talking about a love for our spiritual children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.
We need to realize that without this drive and love, Christianity is only a single generation from extinction. If we fail to pass it on, then it stops with us and no further lives will be touched, every generation from this point forward will be doomed without divine intervention. With those thoughts in mind, let us read this mornings text:
Scripture Reading: 1 Timothy 1:1-11
1Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope; 2Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. 3As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, 4Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
5Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: 6From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; 7Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm. 8But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; 9Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; 11According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
Sermon Introduction:
There are three questions that we must address this morning in relation to this mornings Scripture: First, are we ready for a long drawn out war when it comes to the calling that is place upon each and everyone heart? Secondly we must ask ourselves and truthfully answer the question, can we be true to Jesus if we are not true to ourselves? And lastly, which way do we choose, the truth or the consequences? These questions are all alluded to in this mornings Scripture and just as they apply to Timothy, they are equally valid for each of us today.
Are You Ready for a Long Drawn-out War? Plainly stated, you can’t fight the battle if you don’t go out to the battlefield! We talk about it, we preach about it, but I think to often we dismiss the fact that we are in the middle of a war, a spiritual war, where Satan is the adversary and the souls of those we love are at stake. We are not in a petty battle for power, land, or material possessions, we are battling for the souls of sons, daughters, mothers, fathers, extended family, friends, co-workers and even the soul of the person whom we may like the least. Their souls are headed for an eternity of torment, unless we stand our ground and prepare to battle with the devil himself. We may have victory in our lives but there is defeat written over the entirety of the world outside.
Can You Be True to Jesus if You Are Not True to Yourself? There is a catchy phrase that goes with that question, “Liar, Liar, Pants on fire!” We have lulled ourselves into a false sense of security. We have become so comfortable sitting in our pews and standing behind the pulpits of today’s church that vast numbers of those that do not worship with us are leaving this life destined for an eternity in Hell, I am not so sure that if just wait and do nothing that our eternity won’t be much different.
What is Our Choice: Truth or Consequences? I think of the game show that Bob Barker used to host, that was called "Truth or Consequences", and the object of the game was to answer the question correctly and you would be entitled to a prize, but of course an incorrect response would entitle the contestant to the consequences that were elected for that particular segment. The problem is, that this is not a game, and the consequences are not cute little pranks, the consequences are an eternity of torment, separated from God. It is time for the church, the entire church to go forward and have nothing to do but win souls.
Let us pause for a moment of prayer!
Point 1: Are You Ready for a Long Drawn-out War?
Let us look at the first question, are we ready for a drawn-out war? Let us take another look at verses 3 and 4:
3As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, 4Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.
In this section, Paul is addressing his concern about three separate points of contention: There is an ongoing battle for the purity of God’s Word. There is the ongoing battle for the supremacy of God’s Truth. Finally there is the ongoing battle for satisfaction of the human ego. Three separate battles, all dangerous enough on their own, and yet all being waged at the same time.
§ Continued Battle for purity of the Word
Paul has told Timothy, and now he reminds Timothy, that there are those that dilute and change and pervert the Word of God. It has happened in the past, it is occurring in the present, and it will continue on in the future. The Battle must go on, the battle does not go away when we simply refuse to fight. We face the same battle today. It seems that we have new translations of the Bible coming out every week. Now I will say that I have not always felt as strongly as I do today. The Scriptures are being re-written and re-re-written for the reason that they be understood by those in the world today. I’ll admit that there are times that I stumble over the pronunciation of the King’s English, there are times when I must clarify the meaning of a word that is contained that no longer is used today. The secret to the understanding of God’s Word is not in the way it is retranslated, it is in the seeking of the power of the Holy Spirit to enlighten us and open our minds to the comprehension of what is contained therein. The secret is found, not in translation but upon the knees is prayer.
· Continued Battle for Truth
We live in a world that says what is true for you may not be true for me. We have so many fables that people are passing off as religious truth, that it is no wonder that those that are lost but seeking get confused, confounded, frustrated and finally fed up. Even within the boundaries of what is considered the “Body of Christ” there are such variations that we don’t need cults and charlatans to sidetrack the earnestly seeking. What signals does the church send when we preach against certain lifestyles and some church welcome with open arms those lifestyles as acceptable to for their clergy? Don’t they understand that truth is truth? If a man refuses to believe in the concept of gravity, this disbelief will not spare their life when they jump from a tall building.
· Continued Battle for Self
The human ego fights against anything that is contrary to its growth. The Hebrew people spent countless hours preserving their genealogies, for the Jews that became Christians, the Messiah has arrived, the need for the endless genealogies was gone. We have Christ proclaimed to us and now we must decide to change the way we live our lives, if we deny the salvation that is offered through Jesus’ death on that cross, we also deny to ourselves the need to change. Just because we believe that hell is a fantasy, that wrong thinking will not protect us from the torment of hell. Lying to ourselves has become a past-time for some.
Point 2: Can You Be True to Jesus if You Are Not True to Yourself?
Let us examine verses 5 through 7:
5Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: 6From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; 7Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm.
Paul tells Timothy that there are three things that must all be correct. We must believe correctly, we must think correctly, and we must feel correctly. This is indeed a tall order, however, the consequence of failure is severe. We are told:
· Be True to Your Heart
Love from a pure heart, love with the proper motives behind it. The phrase that really catches my attention, and says so much for our world today, and that is “faith unfeigned”. Don’t be a fake! Don’t be a phony! Don’t be a hypocrite! Don’t say that you are a Christian if that is not what you feel in your heart. We fool ourselves to the point where we believe that our niceness will pass for Christianity, and though we may be considered “almost a Christian” there will be countless of “almost a Christian’s spending their eternities in Hell. Close does not count. You either believe or you don’t.
· Be True to Your Mind
You need to think the way God wishes you to think. How is that done? It is done through the study of His Word, allowing the leadership in our lives of the Holy Spirit, and the fruits that we reap in the time that we spend with the Lord in prayer. Learning is only as good as the truthfulness of the teaching. Paul reminds Timothy of those that have veered off of the straight and narrow path, he must, we must not only be concerned for the spiritual welfare of those that are being led astray, he should, we should be concerned with those that would mislead as well. This is sometimes a hard and difficult concept for us to grasp, it becomes easy in our minds to write off those who mislead, stop them we must but to resign them to hell would be unforgivable!
· Be True to Your Feelings
As I researched the subject of the existence of absolute truth, the more I looked at the opposing view, the more I became convinced of my acceptance of God’s truth, but I also firmly believed that those that profess that the truth of God does not exist don’t really believe it. I pose the following argument, if someone were to say that murder may be wrong for you and yet not feel that same conviction in his own life, what do you suppose he might say to someone who killed a member of his family and then choose the defense of his position that in his case murder is not wrong? We need to examine the feelings and beliefs that we hold at their deepest depths in our souls. The question should be asked, do you trolley not believe in God or do you simply wish to avoid the behavioral standards that go with it? Do we really believe that the lost will find their way to Christ, or are we simply unwilling to accept the responsibilities that come along with winning our lost brothers and sisters to Christ. I am going to share a story that should break your hearts, and if it fails to I believe there is need of prayer on your part.
In a previous pastorate, we felt called to minister to the youth who lived in the streets of our town. Since this was going to be an extension of the arm of our church, the proper board procedures were followed. A certain member said he felt uneasy about the entire situation, felt that lives would be endangered, and then concluded with this remark, "THEY HAD THEIR CHANCE". This man was formerly saved from the very pit of hell at a latter stage in his life, but felt that the youth of 14 to 17 years of age had already had their chance. Is there even a hint of this attitude within you?
· We are given an Or Else!
If we allow the Word of God to be perverted, if our motives are impure, if we allow ourselves to become fake Christians, then there will be a terrible price to pay.
Point 3: We make Our Choice: Truth or Consequences?
Let us read this mornings final Scripture, verses 8 through 11:
8But we know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully; 9Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, 10For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine; 11According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.
Once again we can break this section down into at least three parts. First, the Law is only good when used lawfully, righteousness is only for the righteous, and finally the law is written for the lawless. It almost seems to simple to be true.
· The Law is Good When Used Lawfully
Just as we are responsible for holding others and ourselves to the requirements that we find in God’s Word, we are equally responsible for the times when we falsely use God’s Word for what it does not say. One of my favorite misuses of the Scripture is the words of Paul that tell the women to be quiet, how many people do we know that use this text to forbid women from participating in any type of ministry. If we spent the time looking at the situation that caused Paul to write that we find where women were disrupting the services through their questioning of their husbands as to what was taking place. There were layers and layers of man-made Laws on top of God’s Word that caused so many difficulties for the Jews, and the Christian Church of today is no different. Our use of the Scripture is only good when we use what God has written to us as He would intend for it to be used.
· Righteousness is for the Righteous
Lt us look at a moment at a new generation of Pharisees. They act so prim and proper in all they do, all that they do that is visible to those around them, however their hearts are full of poison. There is nothing wrong with a long eloquent prayer in church, as long as that is what is upon your heart, however if the prayer is to impress others - beware Pharisee!
If our gifts and goodness’s abound only to impress those in our vicinity, then once again, beware Pharisee!
If we put on the look of suffering in order to garner the attention and sympathy of others then I say - beware Pharisee!
Fake Christians may fool some that are around them but fake Christians will spend their eternity in hell.
· The Law is For the Lawless
Once again, my favorite illustration, the law against exceeding the speed limit does not exist for those that follow what is posted on the sign. The law against shoplifting does not exist for those that pay for what they take from the store.
The Laws that govern our moral behavior in the Word of God concerning the transgressions that He lists does not apply to those that follow what God has written.
Jesus proclaimed, "IF YOU LOVE ME KEEP MY COMMANDMENTS" If we are obeying what He commands, that statement does not apply to us. We obey and we love Him! He loves us, He died for us, and for those that are outside of what He asks will face the consequences that are contained in God’s Word. Follow it and we need never worry.
Conclusion:
As we prepare to close this morning, we need to ask ourselves the question:
Are we Ready for a Long Drawn-out War?
The Battle will be long and the enemy will stop at nothing along the way. There will people constantly trying to change and dilute the Word of God. Never, ever give in,
Can You Be True to Jesus if You Are Not True to Yourself?
Is the image that you project to others the image that God sees deep within? Are we seeking to see how far out we can go and still find ourselves within the boundaries of Christianity?
We have a Choice: We can choose the Truth or Consequences?
If there is someone who has not at yet accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior, the altar of prayer is open and that time of salvation is now. It matter not who comes and who remains, the decision is ultimately between the individual soul and the great and awesome creator.
Have you left the fellowship of God and realize the need to return to His loving arms – then come and pray – He awaits your return.
Are you searching for that deeper relationship? He wishes it as well.
Let us pray!
