1 Timothy 1:1-2 - Part 4

Introduction

Over the last 2 weeks, we have seen three views that Paul had of God based upon 1 Timothy 1:1-2:

God can save the unsaveable - The Gospel according to Paul - John MacArthur wrote regarding our current philosophy: “That attitude toward guilt has created a society full of people convinced they are purely victims, not malefactors.” Even with this mind-set, God can save the unsaveable. How? The power within the light of the Glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:1–6 “Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God. But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus the Lord; and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake. For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.”

God’s thoughts and ways are different than ours. Therefore, His calling and purposes often do not have secular rational.

In John’s Gospel 6, Jesus had 1000’s following Him. They traveled from the north side of the Sea of Galilee to the east side of the Sea of Galilee. The day was nearly over and everyone was tired. The disciples wanted Jesus to send the people away. Yet, Jesus saw them as sheep without a shepherd. John 6:5–9 “When Jesus then lifted up his eyes, and saw a great company come unto him, he saith unto Philip, Whence shall we buy bread, that these may eat? And this he said to prove him: for he himself knew what he would do. Philip answered him, Two hundred pennyworth of bread is not sufficient for them, that every one of them may take a little. One of his disciples, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, saith unto him, There is a lad here, which hath five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so many?”

God is hope - God’s hope is not a chance hope. The world has chance hope - or hope without certainty. Illustration:

“I hope daddy gets home early tonight so we can play kickball after supper before his meeting.”

“Our hope is that Jim will arrive safely.”

“A good tailwind is our only hope of arriving on time.”

These examples of hope are anchored in desire and uncertainty. Biblical hope is having certainty in our expectation and desire for something good in the future.” This is not on the basis of chance but the promises of God who is hope!

So when God promises: 1 Peter 1:13 “Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;”

Why is it so important to grab a hold of God is hope? If our future is not secured and satisfied by God then we are going to be excessively anxious. This results either in paralyzing fear or in self-managed, greedy control. We end up thinking about ourselves, our future, our problems and our potential, and that keeps us from loving.

In other words, hope is the birthplace of Christian self-sacrificing love. That's because we just let God take care of us and aren't preoccupied with having to work to take care of ourselves. We say, "Lord, I just want to be there for other people tomorrow, because you're going to be there for me."

This brings us to the fourth and final view Paul had of God in 1 Timothy 1:1-2 - God is absolutely and unequivocally needed for ministry success.

1 Timothy 1:2 “Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Paul usually introduces his epistles with the phrase as read in 2 Corinthians 1:2: “Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.” However, with the pastoral epistles (1 and 2 Timothy and Titus), Paul adds “mercy.” The addition of “mercy” in the pastoral epistles adds insight to the necessary requirements from Heaven needed to accomplish ministry. Whether the ministry is pastoral or being a parent raising your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord we need God’s help.

These necessary gifts come “from God the Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.” The phraseology that Paul used (which is different from v.1) indicates the intimacy and tenderness of God to the one He dispenses these gifts to. Let me explain:

God our Father - These gifts are coming from a Father who loves His children.

Jesus Christ our Lord - Focuses on the humanity of Jesus. Jesus knows the weakness and travails of man because He became a man.

Our Father gives us these gifts because He loves us and wants us to succeed in ministry. Jesus gives us these gifts because He knows how hard it is to become a person.

Grace

1 Timothy 1:2 “Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.”

What comes to our mind when “grace” is said? usually a term connected with salvation. However, grace is not just the power from heaven that saves sinners, grace is the power from Heaven that enables us to do ministry within the gifts of the Spirit.

Romans 1:4–5 “And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:”

Paul had received “grace and apostleship.” Based upon Galatians 2:9, Romans 15:15-16, and Ephesians 3:7-9, Paul’s idea is not two separate ideas (grace is one idea and apostleship is another idea) but one idea explained by using two words that are connected with “and.” This is known in grammar as an hendiadys. Paul received Apostolic grace to do ministry as an Apostle.

1 Corinthians 15:9–10 “For I am the least of the apostles, that am not meet to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.”

Consider the impact this truth has. I need pastoral grace to do the ministry of a pastor. I need parental grace to do the ministry of a parent. But, what do these statements mean?

We do not have a fundamental right to grace. Grace is something that we earn or work to achieve. I could never say to God: “God, I did all these wonderful things in your name, I deserve your grace.

Keep in mind what Paul wrote in Romans 1:4-5. The grace that enables us to achieve ministry comes from the Gospel story. Romans 1:4 “And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:” We can do nothing without the crucifixion, burial and resurrection of Jesus!

This is tied to the first point. If grace to enable ministry comes from the Gospel story and not our effort, then we need to be humble. We need to stay in position of needing grace power. This means, we need to stay on a bended knee, pleading for humility. Kent Hughes wrote: that we are the brook and He is the Spring. Donald Grey Barnhouse: “Love this gives upward is worship, love that goes outward is affection; love that stoops is grace.”

Arrogance is a death knell in ministry. I have known a number of good Christian people fall by the wayside because of pride. They thought they deserved a better woman, a better man, more respect, more money, more power, etc…1 Corinthians 8:1–3 speaks of someone who has their facts right but heart wrong: “Now as touching things offered unto idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth. And if any man think that he knoweth any thing, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know. But if any man love God, the same is known of him.”

Humbleness does not come naturally to a person - not even the great Apostle Paul. Humbleness is the attitude that allows grace to flow through. 2 Corinthians 12:7–9 “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.”

We need faith. The issue is not that God has not giving us grace to enable ministry. Even in 2 Corinthians 12, where Paul battled the thorn in the flesh, the issue was not a lack of grace to complete ministry but a lack of faith to believe he had appropriate grace to complete the ministry.

Romans 1:5 “By whom we have received grace and apostleship, for obedience to the faith among all nations, for his name:” We need to believe that we have recieved grace!

Jesus in a rebuke, said to His disciples: Matthew 17:20 “And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.” A. T. Robertson said - Our trouble is always with the mountain in front of us!

Mercy

Paul includes “mercy” in his introduction to the pastoral epistles.

Mercy “is the outward manifestation of pity and assumes need on the part of those who are recipients of the mercy and sufficient resources to meet the need on the part of those who show it. The idea of mercy is to show kindness or concern for someone in serious need or to give help to the wretched, to relieve the miserable. Here the essential thought is that mercy gives attention to those in misery.”

If we are talking about salvation, grace saves us from our sins, mercy removes the misery and consequences of sin. However, in 1 Timothy 1:2, we are not discussing salvation (Timothy has already been converted), but service. In serving the Lord, grace enables us to serve the Master, and mercy is compassion for the difficulties or misery of ministry. Ministry: whether you are a pastor, preacher, missionary, teacher, deacon, trustee, parent, etc…comes with enormous low moments where we need mercy to elevate us!

What does mercy do for the person in ministry?

Mercy gives us hope. 1 Peter 1:3 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.”

Peter opens the verse with “blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.” So often we gloss over phrases like this. However, lets pause for just a moment to appreciate this statement. As believers, we have the unspeakable privilege of offering blessings to the Most High God. “Blessing” means to speak well of or to praise. The world uses God’s name in vain or as a curse word, but Christians praises the name of God.

In 1 Peter 1:3 we are praising God for something He does. “His abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope.” His mercy has caused us to be born again unto a lively hope! God’s mercy caused hope to come alive within us. In the dark and depressing moments of ministry, we need to be reminded of God’s mercy that brought us hope!

The structure of the verse is “God the Father” is the subject; the verbs “hath begotten” and “lively” are in the active voice; “lively” in the the present tense. This means, that God the Father is actively and presently making hope alive for us! Everyday of our lives, God actively ensures our hope is alive. Our hope has the very life of the living God. The motivation for God doing this is His “abundant mercy.”

It is so easy to forget the work of God in our lives, as we do the work of God.

“Time destroys most hopes; they fade and then die. But the passing of time only makes a Christian’s living hope that much more imminent and glorious.”

“A living hope then is not static and dead but is active and vigorous in expressing itself in the hearts, minds and lives of Christians, if we keep our minds set on the things above.”

We need mercy to remind us to be merciful. Arrogance can easily set in the Christian’s heart. To the point where we think that we have arrived. By doing this, we can put undue pressure and burden on younger Christians.

Luke 6:36 “Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful.” The context is to be merciful to our enemies.

Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”

Being merciful does not mean we excuse sin or remove accountability for sin, but does speak of us having compassion and pity on those who sin. The person who has experienced mercy should be the first person to extend mercy.

Jesus gives a parable about mercy and forgiveness. Matthew 18:21-35.

Peace

1 Timothy 1:2 “Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord.”

A third needed divine help to accomplish ministry is peace. There are fascinating features in 1 Timothy 1:2. There is not a verb in 1 Timothy 1:2. Rarely, will a person ever read a sentence without a verb. “Timothy” and “God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord” are indirect objects. The subjects of the verse are “grace, mercy, and peace.” I believe the way Paul wrote this verse indicates that God is not in the process of giving us these gifts from heaven; rather, we already possess these gifts becasue He is our Father and Jesus is our Lord.

If this is true then how do we explain passages like:

2 Thessalonians 3:16 “Now the Lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means. The Lord be with you all.”

John 14:27 “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”

The answer is God giving us or leaving us peace is based upon our position with Him. In other words, if we are where we should be with God then we will have peace because peace emanates from God!

Isaiah 26:3 “Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on thee: Because he trusteth in thee.” The issue is not we need to pray for peace; rather we need to be where peace is.

Philippians 4:6–7 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” I have incorrectly said many times that if we our prayer warriors then God will give us a peace that passes all understanding. God does not give us this peace as a new event in our life because if we are where God is we already possess this gift of peace.

Galatians 5:19–23 “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.”

Henry Drummond: “Rest is not some holy feeling that comes upon us in church. It is a state of calm rising from a heart deeply and firmly established in God.”

When we are where we need to be with God, then we are in the sphere of God’s peace!

My peace I give in times of deepest grief, Imparting calm and trust and My relief.

My peace I give when prayer seems lost, unheard; Know that My promises are ever in My Word.

My peace I give when you are left alone - The nightingale at night has sweetest tone.

My peace I give in times of utter loss, The way of glory leads right to the cross.

My peace I give when enemies will blame, Your fellowship is sweet through cruel shame.

My peace I give in agony and sweat, For My own brow with bloody drops was wet.

My peace I give when nearest friend betrays - Peace that is merged in love & for them prays.

My peace I give when there's but death for thee - The gateway is the cross to get to Me.2

Is it any wonder that Paul refers to God as the “God of peace” seven times.

Isaiah 9:6 “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: And the government shall be upon his shoulder: And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.”

Philippians 4:9 “Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace shall be with you.”

This morning, will we allow the God of peace to rule in our hearts? Colossians 3:15 “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”

We won’t if we are unsaved.

Isaiah 48:22 “There is no peace, saith the Lord, unto the wicked.”

Isaiah 57:21 “There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked.”

Romans 3:17 “And the way of peace have they not known:”

What is the answer if your a lost?

Hebrews 10:22 “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.”

Hebrews 9:14 “How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?”

Colossians 3:15 “And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.”

In secular Greek, brabeuo meant to be a brabeús, an umpire, director or arbiter in public Greek games. He would assign a prize in the public games. He was to be a judge and award the prize.

In the present context brabeuo is used figuratively to picture the peace of Christ arbitrating, deciding in arguments, and thereby restraining the passions of the flesh nature that might threaten to disrupt the peace in the body. The peace of Christ would settle any friction and strife so that the believers could remain strong and unified,

The word is in the present imperative calling for this to be one's continual attitude. Thus this verse can be rephrased "let the peace of Christ continually decide as umpire or arbitrate in your hearts."

Kent Hughes: “How much misery we would avoid if we permitted ‘the peace of Christ’ to umpire in our hearts. How many words we would hold back if he were the arbitrator in our lives. How many sleepless nights we would forego if we did that. How the Church needs this too, ‘since as members of one body you were called to peace.’”