1 Timothy - The Mark Of a Christ Follower is Love

Introduction

God calls each of us into a heart of Godly Love towards him and the world, but so often we miss the opportunities he puts in the world. We are like:

A Fire Pit Burning in the middle of a concrete factory without anyone in need of the heat, it is there and the flame may be burning, but whats the purpose? That flame would be better suited to be outside in the cold warming all of the people around it in the cold, dark world.

God calls us to go beyond the church walls with our flame and our love and bring a broken world to him.

But why?

Good person

1 Timothy 1:3–11 CSB

3 As I urged you when I went to Macedonia, remain in Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach false doctrine 4 or to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies. These promote empty speculations rather than God’s plan, which operates by faith. 5 Now the goal of our instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. 6 Some have departed from these and turned aside to fruitless discussion. 7 They want to be teachers of the law, although they don’t understand what they are saying or what they are insisting on. 8 But we know that the law is good, provided one uses it legitimately. 9 We know that the law is not meant for a righteous person, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral and males who have sex with males, for slave traders, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching 11 that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which was entrusted to me.

Body

Point 1 - A Pure Heart

A pure heart is a direct reflection of our identity.

The problem with these people is that their hearts weren’t in it for the right reason. It wasn’t to show love and show Christ with a hurting world. It was to be right and have fruitless discussions about issues that don’t really matter in the end.

What are some ways our hearts can become impure as Christians?

Desire to please others at the expense of pleasing God

A pure heart is the backbone of biblical love.

When you develop a pure heart is when you can truly love to the magnitude that God wants you to love.

Point 2 - Good Conscience

Having a good conscience means you don’t have to feel ashamed of the gospel.

Acts 23:1 CSB

1 Paul looked straight at the Sanhedrin and said, “Brothers, I have lived my life before God in all good conscience to this day.”

Romans 1:16 CSB

16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, first to the Jew, and also to the Greek.

This is the same Paul who at one point was a leader amongst the Jewish religion, same Paul who tried to kill Christians, but he developed a pure conscience when he accepted Christ as Lord. He was obedient to the law and because of this had a pure conscience.

God wants us to have a pure conscious towards men and towards himself

Why do you think it’s important for us to have a clear conscience when we share the word?

Not living like a hypocrite

We truly have confidence in God

We have nothing to hide

A Good Conscience is the spirit behind biblical love.

When you develop a good conscience you feel right in proclaiming the gospel. You don’t feel out of place or that you are promoting a cause that you don’t support.

Point 3 - Sincere Faith

Faith - A reliance upon and trust in God; a central emphasis of Christianity

2 Timothy 1:5 CSB

5 I recall your sincere faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and now, I am convinced, is in you also.

Some of us were similar to Timothy in that he was introduced to faith by his family, this is a tremendous blessing that Timothy and some of you had.

Others like myself didn’t grow up in church and were thankful to be brought into relationship with Jesus and having the right people around us to grow us in faith

Either way, God is calling us to a sincere faith in him, a faith to deny yourself, pick up your cross daily, and follow Christ.

Luke 9:23 CSB

23 Then he said to them all, “If anyone wants to follow after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross daily, and follow me.

What causes an insincere faith?

A heart that is in the wrong place

A pride issue

The wrong people around us

Anger

A lack of love summarizes all of these areas.

Sincere Faith is the foundation for biblical love

When you develop sincere faith you will start to see things the way Jesus does. You will have a deep trust for him and his word.

Conclusion

Romans 13:10 CSB

10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor. Love, therefore, is the fulfillment of the law.

That is the point these people Paul explains were teaching false doctrine were missing.

They sought after endless discussions of what really fulfills God’s law

But it isn’t that complicated.

We are all the broken people described at the end of the passage, but

Love fulfills the Law

The Mark of a true Christ Follower is Love found in a pure heart, good conscience, and a sincere faith.

If we seek to have those things, we find ourselves living out the great commission

Matthew 28:19–20 CSB

19 Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

That’s our why