1 Tim 1:1-11 - God's Plan by Faith

People have many expectations of what a Church (both the building and the congregation) should look like. I’ve read more than my share of criticism. Some like to complain that it is too elaborate or too mundane. Some will criticize that the décor is dated, while others believe they are chasing fads. Some will moan that the music is old while others believe the service is no place for lights, smoke or amplifiers. Some long for old-time traditions, beliefs and practices, while others demand relevance. Some want a congregation that accepts all, while others want a church passionate about holiness.

Knowing that an election year can be contentious, I chose our challenge for this year to “put on Kindness.” To some kindness is all about sprinkles, unicorns and rainbows. But might there be times when true kindness looks like difficult truth and hard conversations?

Jesus told his followers that they were the salt of the earth, the light of the world, and when they gathered they were to shine as a city on a hill. This tells me that while a body of Christians ought to be winsome and attractive, we shouldn’t blend in with the world. I chose this book when I was planning out my preaching for 2024 to balance out the James and Jonah series we did until now. Those books deal with individuals in our world, but 1 (and later 2nd) Timothy tells us what a congregation should look like in our world. How do we look like what God designed the church to be?

Timothy was a young preacher in a relatively new congregation. According to Acts 19, Paul taught in Ephesus for 2 years, but as an entrepreneur, he moved on to pioneer preaching and sent his son in the faith to carry on. Any young preacher faces the challenge of what to continue and what to improve.

Paul smoothes out this transition by clarifying the things Pastor Tim should emphasize.

Inspecting the Envelope (1 Tim 1:1-2)

Realizing that the book we call our Bible was originally compiled over 2000 years with some 40 different human authors, it is important that our applications of the book follow a path that starts with 1)what is written, considers what that meant to the 2) original audience, reflect on how the 3)Christ event impacts that meaning, then determine 4) what we are to do with the words.

Sender – (1:1)

If the text says that Paul wrote it, we have no reason to doubt what it says without leaning into revisionist history. Modern scholars try to adjust what the Bible means by twisting what it says. [E.g. it wasn’t really Paul, it was someone pretending to be Paul.]

Recipient - (1:2a)

Acts 16, 19 & 20 indicate that Timothy had been with Paul in Ephesus during Paul’s missionary journeys. Paul left the Ephesian church under the leadership of Priscilla and Aquila in Acts 18 before returning in Acts 19 to pastor the church himself for 2 years.

Paul considered Timothy to be reliable because Paul sent him to Macedonia in Acts 19:22 before sending him to Ephesus.

Tone - (1:2b)

1. 1 Cor 4:17 and Phil 2:22 are 2 other places Paul refers to Timothy as a “son in the faith”.

2. This is fatherly advice, while Paul has authority as an apostle, he is not leaning into his power of authority but of his relational influence.

TRANSITION: Upon opening the envelope, the letter begins…

The Apostle Commends Pure Ministry (1 Tim 1:3-5)

Remain (1:3)

I recently listened to an audiobook of a biography of Francis Asbury. The subtitle of the series was “the circuit rider”. With small churches (house churches) and a shortage of trained pastors, it was normative for preachers to ride a circuit with up to 20 churches under one clergy.

I met a pastor from Moundridge who wrote a book about rural pastoring. Pastor Brad Roth writes that in rural America you will always be considered an “outsider” until one of your family is buried within the county. While I may still be an outsider after 6 years, your generational presence gives our church credibility in the community!

Guard right doctrine (1:3-11; 6:3-16)

The bookends of this whole book are sections on right belief. What we believe matters!!

Correct wrong belief (1:3b-4a)

Orthodoxy (right belief) leads to orthopraxy (right practice) as the book will talk about the value of good leaders; of Pastor Timothy’s example; of church reputation among those we are trying to win; and caring for people rightly.

Timothy wasn’t only to guard his own teaching, he was to protect the congregation from different teaching.

Love that is pure, good and sincere

Right belief (orthodoxy) without right affection (orthopathy) breeds dry, crusty messages and services that do not connect with the lives we live Monday – Saturday.

The charge to right teaching (1:3) is shaped by a charge to right interactions (1:5).

TRANSITION: Not everything that calls itself “Christian” is truly Christlike, or consistent with God’s Design.

The Apostle Condemns Impure Ministry (1 Tim 1:6-7)

Speculations (1:6a)

Matthew, Mark and Luke all recorded Jesus’ instruction about the need for new wineskins to hold the new wine. But the new wine of the new covenant (Mark 14:24) that we just celebrated is NOT permission for any/all new ideas to be accepted by the people of God.

If the new “manifestation” or new “revelation” or new “experience” in ANY way diverts from what God has already spoken in His word and embodied in Christ, we can put it in the category of speculations rather than the stewardship from God.

This stewardship (v.4) is the center of this whole preaching series that I have called God’s design for His Church. This word stewardship is translated in other places in the New Testament as administration, management, or plan. It would be safe to think of it as “God’s appointed management plan for the church.”

You would be wise to evaluate all “new wine” in light of God’s house rules in order to avoid speculation.

Vanity (1:6b)

Vain discussions may be interesting, but they are wandering away from God’s design and they can easily distract from our God-given purpose and mission.

Much of modern “spirituality” fits into this category.

Revealing their ignorance (1:7)

The last 5 years or so have seen a rise in what has been labeled deconstruction. Pastors who used to be within the pale of orthodoxy began to ask “what if” questions that leads down a path toward agnosticism and atheism.

Several years ago, I attended a pastors conference in North Carolina. From the whole conference, I only remember one speaker. He was the newspaper reporter who broke the story about Jim and Tammy Baker’s fraud that led to the bankruptcy of their amusement park and Television network. This reported said that he truly believed Jim started with pure and honest goals of ministry, but somewhere along the line he became disillusioned by money and fame that led him away from the goodness of his early ministry.

2. To use the words in our text, he wandered away from the pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

TRANSITION: Without putting more names on this wandering, let’s look at why it is dangerous.

The Apostle Chastises what is Contrary (1 Tim 1:8-11)

The law is good… (v.8)

1. For us to properly apply v.8, we MUST go down the 4 stops on the path of application that I mentioned earlier!

2. “the law” meant something specific to those who received it at the base of Mt. Sinai. It had a specific meaning for Daniel and his friends taken into captivity. It had a specific understanding when Ezra and Nehemiah reestablished Jerusalem and 2nd temple practices. It turned into something that Jesus hardly recognized by the religious leaders of His day. And it means something specific to Paul who was raised under these religious leaders then converted on the road to Damascus.

3. If one uses it lawfully – not all uses of the law are equal.

Law is frequently understood in the Bible in relationship to covenants. A Covenant involves 2 parties and defined expectations.

I am convinced that part of lawfully, includes reminding ourselves of the goodness of the initiating party of the parties.

Before God told Adam the 1 limitation on his behavior, God breathed life into Adam.

Before God told Noah that humans are responsible for their actions against other humans, God brought Noah through the flood.

Before God told David that his descendants would sit on the throne, God established the Kingdom.

Before God told the Israelites what it would look like for them to be His people among the nations, He redeemed them from slavery.

Before God established the New Covenant that was prophesied by Joel and accomplished by Christ, He gave His Spirit to make it possible.

[today is Pentecost Sunday, and while it won’t even be mentioned in many churches, it is the day when the Holy Spirit came to seal us in the security of the New Covenant]

c. Lawful use of the law ALWAYS starts with recognizing the goodness of God and each covenant is a response to that goodness, not a way to earn His favor.

Who they are (v.9)

The church needs to be a people who respond to God’s goodness correctly because the world has many examples of those who do not.

Paul calls these people lawless, disobedient, ungodly, sinners, unholy and profane.

When our response to the goodness of God is selfish or stubborn we look a lot like these 6

What they do (v.9b-10)

This list is much more specific than what Paul wrote to the church as a whole:

Ephesians 5:3–5 ESV:2016

3 But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints. 4 Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving. 5 For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

· Paul wrote to the Ephesian church, people don’t watch their tongues and act sexually immoral. Paul wrote to the Ephesian pastor, people don’t watch their tongues and act sexually immoral.

Conclusion:

We should be different! (v.11)

If we embrace the gospel, we should live accordingly. We should NOT be described by the 6 nouns or the 7 verbs in this paragraph. The true gospel leads us to sound doctrine that transforms us away from these 13 descriptions.

If we see God as the blessed God, we participate with His work to transform us into a new creation and permit Him to conform us to the image of Christ himself.

The same apostle who wrote this letter to a pastor in Ephesus also wrote 4 letters to a church in Corinth. In one of those letters he wrote:

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV) — Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.