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Open with Prayer:
Read the Text: Just 3 Verses tonight.
18 This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, 19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, 20 among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.
As we come to a close on chapter 1 Paul gives Timothy some final instructions. In fact, Paul gives Timothy some exhortation to continue to fight for the gospel. This charge to fight for the gospel began back in verses 3-7 of this chapter and so we return to some final instruction after now Paul has laid out his personal testimony. To make this point Paul uses 2 men Hymenaeus and Alexander who we know were to be the false teachers at Ephesus. Both of these men had wondered away from the gospel. There are many commentators who believer that these men were elders in the church so they would have been know as spiritual leaders.
This should be a great reminder for all pastors and leaders in the church to be careful that we don’t wonder away from teaching the truth of Christ. There is no elder, deacon, Sunday School Teacher, or life group leader or even member of the church that is exempt from this warning. That is why Paul is helping us to see even today of the importance of fighting for the gospel.
So, clearly here Paul now charges Timothy to stick it out. He does so here by reminding Timothy of his call to ministry and by setting that in contrast with those who failed.
1. We fight for the gospel in our own lives.
1. We fight for the gospel in our own lives.
Before jumping right into the issue at stake on fighting for the true gospel Paul beginning in verse 18 reminds Timothy of the prophecies that were previously made about him. But what in the world are these prophecies? A prophet would be defined as someone who has a word from the Lord. This is a reference to the recognition of Timothy’s spiritual gifts for ministry and to God’s appointment just like he appointed Paul so too he has with Timothy. We also know that the congregation laid hands on Timothy to show their acknowledgement of his calling.
14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.
Here the elders laid hands on Timothy.
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,
And here we see that Paul himself laid hands on Timothy. What this means most likely is that Paul is referring to an experience in Timothy’s earlier days as he was recognized to have recieved the gift of the Spirit of ministry, a recognition that was made clear through some prophecies.
In any event, Paul reminds Timothy of these prophecies so that by following them or in the strength of them Timothy could better engage in the current fight or “wage the good warfare” as verse 18 tells us here. Notice the word fight here or wage warfare. This is a military metaphor. In contrast to the athletic metaphors used of fighting, where the general contest of the Christian life or his ministry in general is in view. Paul regularly uses the military metaphor in contexts where the struggle is against opponents of his gospel or against spiritual forces. So, Paul wants us to see here that Timothy’s fight or waging warfare is against false teachers and their errors. Timothy is to further engage in the fight holding fast at all times to his faith which is based on Christ and a good conscience. As we see back in verses 5 and 6 like verse 19 here we see that Paul mentions faith and a good conscience. Paul is reflecting on some men who have rejected these things. The word is literally repudiated or rejected both faith (trust in God) and conscience. Look at this verse with me.
5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
A pure heart.
A good conscience.
A sincere faith.
These are all things that should be true of our lives today men. Are we holding fast to these like Timothy and Paul? Do we desire them?
We need to understand that we are in a war. We just like Timothy here wage war daily. We are in a war for our lives, in our marriages, in our families, in our schools, in our country. Here is how Paul described the actual war in Ephesians chapter 6.
12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Paul says that there are spiritual forces in the heavenly realms that are active and they are waring against our soul. If we could just pull back the spiritual curtain for just a moment I think many of us would be shocked of the battle that is raging all around us!!!
The devil and his demons from hell are trying to entice us with temptation and deceptions. Satan is tying to constantly deceive us with other beliefs and trying to divide us because he does not want the gospel to resound in and through your life, your marriage, your family, or any other area.
This battle will often look differently in each of our lives, but we should not be caught off guard, because the war is real. So, here is my encouragement for us tonight!
10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might. 11 Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil.
Fight the good fight and stand strong men. There are many challenges that come from the evil one so keep the faith and a good conscience. (Verse 19)
2. We fight for the gospel in our churches.
2. We fight for the gospel in our churches.
As we come to the back half of verse 19 we see that these 2 men have shipwrecked their faith which is the gospel itself.
The word shipwrecked here was a familiar metaphor for those who lived in Ephesus. Ephesus was one of the major seaports in Asia Minor. Just as someone shipwrecked has lost all of their earthly belongings, those who have shipwrecked or abandoned their faith have incurred total spiritual loss. Now this does not necessarily mean that these 2 individuals lost their salvation, it rather suggests that they were never truly saved to begin with. Their salvation was not genuine or real even though they claimed it to be.
What is rather interesting here is the fact that Paul calls these men out by name. First he mentions Hymenaeus who will be mentioned again with a man named Philetus in 2 Timothy 2:17
17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
The second man here is named Alexander. This man is named 2 other times in connection with Ephesus.
33 Some of the crowd prompted Alexander, whom the Jews had put forward. And Alexander, motioning with his hand, wanted to make a defense to the crowd. 34 But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
A Jew by that name is shouted down by the mob and also in 2 Timothy 4:14-15. Paul warns Timothy of Alexander the metalworker. These could be 2 different people but in any case, the two men mentioned here are certainly church leaders and probably elders as we see in 2 Timothy 2:17-18.
What Paul means next in verse 20 has been the subject of much debate. Paul tells us, “I have handed them over too Satan.” This phrase simply means to put back out to Satan’s sphere, which would mean outside the church and the fellowship of God and His people. The removal of a person from the church and putting them back into the World. This would be excommunication. We read more about this in several other texts.
1 It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. 2 And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.
3 For though absent in body, I am present in spirit; and as if present, I have already pronounced judgment on the one who did such a thing. 4 When you are assembled in the name of the Lord Jesus and my spirit is present, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 5 you are to deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord.
But how exactly should we do this???
15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16 But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. 19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.”
Paul expects that by such excommunication that these men will be taught or learn not to blaspheme. The word learn here means to correct by discipline. We know that back in verse 13 when Paul was sharing his testimony he talked about that there was a time that he was found to be a blasphemer. Malicious talk is listed as one of the results of the false teachers, but what Paul has in mind here by learn not to blaspheme is the conscious rejection of God’s grace in favor of arguments.
These 2 men were put out of the church to show that they were not true believers, with the hope that through prayer they would realize the errors of their way and trust in Christ or return to Christ.
Paul wanted Timothy to understand that you and the church at times must take severe measures to fight for the gospel. Whatever you do, hold on to the gospel. In fact, it is the only thing that unites the church, and it is the only thing that will sustain God’s people in difficult days. So, truly the gospel is worth guarding and defending.
Closing: With the paragraph the reason for the letter is brought to a close. Timothy has been left in Ephesus to stop the false teaching and false teachers. After some digressions that offer a contrast with these teachers and their errors, Paul wraps things up with a personal charge to Timothy. Stay the course and guard the gospel.
My purpose in pointing this out to us is that we must do the same. I see so many false gospels today and people getting farther and farther away from the Lord. We need to speak the truth in love but also help those who are being misled.
Closing Questions:
What are some things that pull people away from the true gospel?
What extra things do preachers add onto the gospel?
Clearly we are at war with Satan. But what happens if we think we are not at war?
(Pray and Dismiss)