The Heart of the Gospel
Notes
Transcript
Introduction:
As we continue with our worship of the Lord this morning, I want to invite you to turn to 1 Timothy 1:12-20 as we continue with our sermon series. The text we are going to look at this morning, I believe, is right at the heart of the Christian message, and I think that it is only fitting that it falls on today as we prepare our hearts to take the Lord’s supper toward the end of the service.
And if you remember, we are studying this book, because we want to get back to the basics of what it means to be a healthy church. Or to frame it the way that we have over the last few weeks, we are asking the question:
What Is a Healthy Church?
What does that mean exactly? How do we know what a healthy church is? Is it the church that has a bunch of money stored up in a savings account or huge offerings? Is a healthy church a church that has a lot of people in it? Is a healthy church a church that has an awesome worship band… or to put it the other way.... Is a healthy church a church that only plays the songs of old? Are those things that make a healthy church?
These questions lay at the foundation for us to consider. Why do we do what we do? Is what we are doing as a local body of believers, healthy? How do we know?
But these are not just questions that we want to ask at the corporate level as if the Word of God has nothing to say to us on a personal level… because that simply is not true at all either.
The Bible says that we are the body of Christ, and we are individual members of it. We are collectively one body.... and yet at the same time, we cannot talk about a healthy church without talking about being healthy Christians, right?
What we are studying has huge implications for how we are to live our lives for Christ.
With that being said, let's turn to the Word together this morning and allow God to speak to our hearts. Hear the Word of the Lord this morning.
12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 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 (1 Ti 1:12–20).
Before we work our way through this text, let’s spend a moment together in prayer.
Let’s pray together.
Body:
Last week we said that chapter 1 3-20 of 1 Timothy deals with a common theme. Let me put this back up on the screen for us to think about. If we are asking the question, what is a healthy church, Paul starts off here in chapter 1 by reminding Timothy and the Church that....
Main Point: A Healthy Church Must Understand the Gospel Rightly.
This is central to the health of a church… and really to any Christian as well. If we are going to be healthy, then we must truly understand the Gospel of Christ… because it is so different than the message of the world. Man-made religion says that you must do and earn entrance into God’s kingdom. If you want to be right with God, then you better get your act together- clean yourself up.... and then maybe.... maybe God will accept you. That is man-made religion. The focus is on self. It is not the Gospel.
So, Paul started in verse 3, and I am not going to rehash these verses, but I want us to see what is going on here, by telling Timothy not to run away from these guys who are teaching a false gospel because they were devoting themselves to teachings that did not accord with the Gospel of Christ. Paul is telling Timothy to deal with the issue at hand.
There were two big issues that we talked about last week when it came to verses 3-11.
The False Teachers Were Not Teaching the Correct Gospel.
If you remember, they were devoting themselves to false doctrines, myths, genealogies.... really like this hidden secret knowledge of God kind of stuff, but they were not teaching about God changing a person's heart. Instead, they were focused on trying to earn God’s love and forgiveness through keeping of the Law. This leads to the second thing we talked about and that was…
The False Teachers Were Not Using the Law Correctly.
The law, or the rules, were never about trying to show us how to live right with God as if all we had to do was keep them and we would be ok. The problem with that is… none of us can or has kept them. We have lived in a life of rebellion against God. Thus, as the Bible says, the Law was about revealing sin to us so that we could see our need for a Savior.
That is what we talked about last week. However, I want to show you how this fits into our text for this week. Remember, the goal is one and the same: A Healthy Church Understands the Gospel Rightly… so now we are going to turn to understanding the Gospel. We have seen what it is not... it is not about keeping the law and earning God’s love and forgiveness. then... what is it?
What Is the Gospel?
This is where we pick up in our text for this morning. Let’s start by looking at verses 12-17. This is the first section here. Paul is explaining the Gospel.
12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, I want us to see here, that Paul starts with a statement of praise to God for what God has done in his life. This is going to set the stage for what we are about to read in this text. Paul knows that what he has… he only has because it has been given to him.... Paul says I thank Christ Jesus, and this is the Jesus who strengths Paul each and every day… like he does all who trust in Him... because he judged me faithful,
Now, let’s stop here really quick and talk about this. When you read this, in our context, our minds want to tell us… God saved Paul because He saw some good in his heart. Or there was something inside of Paul that God could see that others couldn't… and that is why God picked him… or appointed him to the ministry.
That is not what Paul is saying here at all. He is not saying, I thank Christ because he judges me faithful… as we see in just a moment… Paul was anything but faithful. But what is he saying then if Paul is not talking about some inherited good that was inside of him?
I think some other translations make this a little clearer. 12 And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because He counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry... (1 Ti 1:12).
The word judge literally means to be counted as… this was how God saw him. God looked at Paul and counted him faithful.... This is what the Good News does to everyone. It counts us faithful to God. From God’s perspective… Paul was faithful… even though he was not. This is the Gospel story for us all. In fact, Paul goes on... keep reading the text with me... appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent (1 Ti 1:12–13).
Do you see it there? Was Paul a faithful person? No. But God appointed Paul even though he was, in his past life, a blasphemer… that is one who speaks ill of the Lord.... he was a persecutor... Paul had one time killed those who placed their faith in Jesus… and he was an insolent opponent… or violent opponent. Paul was not a nice guy to be around before Christ got ahold of his heart. If you were a follower of Jesus, you did not want to be around him.... he was likely to get a mob together and drag you outside the city gates and have you stoned to death. This is Paul’s backstory. This is the person who is writing this letter. Everything that Timothy is up against at this Church… Paul is familiar with it because in some respects… he was that guy.
But notice what happens. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus (1 Ti 1:13–14).
Although Paul was an opponent of God… What happened to him? He received mercy… mercy, again, is you not getting what you actually do deserve. And why did he get mercy? We can’t say because he earned it. You don’t receive mercy because you have earned it. That goes against the definition of mercy, and it goes against the word received because in the text it is a passive verb… meaning Paul did nothing to deserve this. But do notice what the text says...... Paul received mercy.... and a better translation here is “since” and not “because” since he acted ignorantly... that was Paul’s state of being... he was ignorant of the things of Christ… it is not like Paul understood who Christ really was and was against him. Paul acted in unbelief. To use the word of Jesus in the Gospel, Paul would have been guilty of blasphemy against God the Father and God the Son, both of which are forgivable... That is what is going on here. But Paul's says he received mercy because he acted in unbelief AND the grace of Christ overflowed him. Two reasons for receiving mercy and they deal with Paul being the recipient from Christ.
Let’s think about this then in connection with our question… What is the Gospel?
The Gospel Is Something Received by Man.
The Gospel Deals with the Mercy of God.
The Gospel Deals Bountifully with the Grace of God.
The Gospel Changes the Heart for Faith and Love for Christ.
That is what we have seen thus far. But I want you to notice something here…these next two verses are the very foundation of why we are here this morning.… Look at verses 15-16 with me.
15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, this is code for “listen up”. What I am about to tell you is really important. This is Paul pulling from some well-known saying of his time. This is an early Christian statement. Would have been on their “about us” tab on their website listen under their beliefs as a church. It is that important. Don’t miss it.
What is the trustworthy saying? ... that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,
Stop there for a moment and let those words sink into your soul this morning. Why did Jesus come? He came into the world to save sinners. That was Jesus’ mission. Jesus had even said, I have come to seek and to save the lost. Ladies and gentlemen, that is what we are. We are the sinners. We are the ones who have lived lives of rebellion against God. We are the ones who have broken God’s commandments.
Yet, in His great love for us, God the Father sent God the Son- Jesus Christ- to come into the world to save sinners, like us. One of the most amazing statements in the Bible is John 1.
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made (Jn 1:1–3).
Here you have God the Father and God the Son, face to face. The Word and the Father, being together, and yet, being One... creating the world.... and yet later in the chapter we read… 14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth Jn 1:14.
Jesus Christ came into the World… the eternal son of God stepped out of glory, being fully God.... took on human flesh. Why? “To save sinners.”
This is why John the Baptist cries out... BEHOLD the LAMB of God who takes away the Sin of the World.
This is an amazing statement for us. This was the mission of Jesus. But...continue reading the text...
of whom I am the foremost. Other translations say, “of whom I am chief.” I am first. The Greek word here is protos… where we get our word prototype. Paul is the first among sinners. Paul is looking at his life and sees himself as the example of what it means to live a life of rebellion against God.
Notice here too, Paul does not say... I was the foremost.... he doesn't use the past tense here. He says I AM first.
The daily struggle against sin is real. Christians are not perfect people. We are not people who no longer battle with the flesh. As one person put it, we are not sinless; however, we should sin less as we grow in the Lord. But here is what happens in the Christian life. As you continue to walk with the Lord, you become more and more aware of your sins as Jesus reveals those things to you. And praise His name that he does not reveal all of your sins to you at once. Who would be able to take that kind of knowledge? We would become undone if we saw the depths of our sins at once. We would crawl up in a ball and weep uncontrollably because the truth of the matter is that we are probably far worse than we actually think we are.
And I know that can sound kind of defeating, but it's not. Why is it not? Because Jesus came into the world to save sinners. The better we can grasp our sinfulness, the better we will appreciate the grace of God in our lives.
Paul continues here…look at verse 16 with me.
16 But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life (1 Ti 1:15–16). Paul is saying that God saved him so that God might use him as an example to the rest of the world. Like, if God can save someone who was like Paul… then certainly God can save anyone. You have no reason to believe that what you have done in the past is so awful that you are beyond the grace and saving of God. That is what the Bible is saying to you this morning. I don’t care what you have done. I don’t care how sinfully you have been living your life. Jesus’ death on the cross for your sin is greater.
Paul served as an example for all who would believe in Christ for salvation. Salvation is open to any and all who will come to Christ and place their faith and trust in Him. No one is outside of God’s ability to save.... but you must come and believe on Christ. You must confess your sin to the Lord, you must give up trying to save yourself. You must place your faith and trust in Jesus alone to save you. You must believe that Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection are enough for your salvation.
When you do that, when you trust Christ, you have eternal life… and that life starts now; not when you die. Christians, the life we live… we live to God now. We get to walk with Him now. We have sweet fellowship with Him now. Don’t miss that.
Let’s go back to our question and add to this. What is the Gospel? That is what we are looking at here in this section. We are trying to understand the depths of what God is saying to us.
What is the Gospel?
The Gospel Is About Jesus Coming to Save Sinners.
The Gospel Is About Us Seeing Ourselves in Need.
The Gospel Is About Having a Relationship with God.
The Gospel Is the Good News, that Despite Our Sinfulness, Christ Came to Save Those Who Repent of Their Sins and Trust in Him for Salvation BECAUSE of His Death, Burial, and Resurrection.
I know that is a mouth full, but the Gospel is so simple and so profound. In Short, the Gospel is about Jesus coming to save sinners. That is good news, because we are all sinners in need of savings. But at the same time, the Gospel is at the very heart of God, and we are NEVER going to get to the depths of it. We will spend a lifetime understanding the Gospel, and then we will spend an eternity celebrating the Gospel in heaven as we worship and live with God forever!!!
How Should We Respond to the Gospel?
The Gospel Should Move Us to Praise.
Look at verse 17 with me, this is what we see Paul do. As he has thought about the grace of God in his own life.... look at where he turns… 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen 1 Ti 1:17.
Paul just stands in aww of who Christ is. He is the King of ages. The one who RULES OVER ALL AND FOREVER. He is the everlasting one. Immortal. No one is going to take his throne when He dies… because it will never happen. He is invisible, although we cannot see him now, one day we will. He is the ONLY God. In a world where we want to worship everything… there is ONLY ONE GOD who is worthy… and to HIM belong honor and glory… both now and forever. This is what we see happen in Revelation. Our hearts will one day be fully satisfied in God as we pour out Praise to Him.
If you have trusted in Christ for your salvation this morning, then you have a reason to praise the Lord this morning. Let your heart be moved to worship.
There is a second response that we see here, though. Look at verses 18-20 with me.
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 (1 Ti 1:18–20).
The Gospel Is to Be Protected.
Paul picks up here back where he began in verse 3. He is telling Timothy, look, you have to be willing to wage the good warfare… that is... you have to protect the Gospel. Paul even reminds him of the prophetic words that were spoken over him as an encouragement for the ministry. Paul is telling him, don’t forget when you were commissioned out for the ministry. Don’t forget those who saw these Pastoral gifts given to you and commissioned you for the ministry. Don’t neglect those words that were spoken over you. Don’t run away from the fight. The Gospel is at stake. Fight the good fight. Hold onto the faith.
Paul then mentions some who didn’t hold onto the faith as taught. They in fact caused shipwreck of their faith. Paul does not mean that they lost their salvation… for the Bible is clear on that subject. Those who belong to Christ, they will remain because Christ is able to make the remain. However, these guys were living outside of the Christian faith. So, what does Paul do?
Paul hands them over to Satan so they can learn not to blaspheme. Are they outside the saving grace of God? No. Paul labels himself the same way here. This is a reference to church discipline. The Gospel is so pure and good, that the Church must protect its message... and if there is someone who is living in open rebellion against the Gospel... living in unrepentant sin… will not turn away from it… Paul tells the church to excommunicate him or her. This is not to bring about judgment… but it is to bring that person to repentance of their sins.
The goal of church discipline is ALWAYS restoration. We want to see people grow in their faith and their walk with the Lord. However, there are times in the church, when the Gospel must be protected, and disciple must be enacted. That is what Paul is saying here.
Conclusion:
This is the foundation of a healthy Church. Main Point: A Healthy Church Must Understand the Gospel Rightly.
Let me give a few points that summarize what we have learned from chapter 1 of 1 Timothy
A Healthy Church Has Godly Leaders Who Protect the Gospel Message.
The Gospel Is Not About Earning God’s Forgiveness.
The Gospel Is About Jesus Christ Coming into the World to Save Sinners.
The Gospel Is Grounds for Us to Praise the Lord.
Before we turn to take the Lord’s Supper together as we focus on Christs, death, burial, and resurrection, I want you to ask yourself the same question we looked at last week.
Are You Resting in the Gospel Today?
This is for those who profess faith in Christ and those who do not. Are you resting in the Gospel today? Do you believe it is enough for you?
If not, then I want to encourage you today to come. Come to the cross of Christ. Lay down whatever you are carrying and come to Christ.
Let’s prepare our hearts for the Lord’s supper this morning.
Let’s pray together.
Invitation: Brothers and sisters, as we draw near to the Lord’s Table to celebrate the Communion of the body and blood of Christ, we are grateful to remember that our Lord instituted this ordinance:
For the perpetual memory of his dying for our sakes and the pledge of his undying love;
As a bond of our union with him and each other as members of His body;
As a seal of his promises to us and a renewal of our obedience to him;
For the blessed assurance of his presence with us who are gathered here in His name;
As an opportunity for us who love the Savior to feed spiritually on Him who is the Bread of Life; As a pledge of His coming again.
We are remined that the Lord’s Supper is an outward and visible sign of the grace shown to us in the death of our Savior. As we share the bread and juice together, we are invited to feed him in our hearts by faith with thanksgiving. We are faced again with God’s love for the unworthy and are strengthened by faith in the one whose body was given and whose blood was shed for us.
Institution: Here the words of institution: 23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread,24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. (1Co 11:23-26 ESV) Fencing: In the light of such great salvation, the apostle Paul warns us, “27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world” (1 Co 11:27–32). The Lord’s Table is for believers who have rested all their hope on the death and resurrection of Christ. If you are not yet a believer, you should refrain from partaking until you come to faith in Christ- and then joyfully partake along with the body of Christ. Before we partake of the Supper, let us examine ourselves, recognizing both the gravity of our sin and the weight of Christ’s glorious sacrifice. We encourage those of you who are believers to examine your hearts, so that you can partake in a worthy manner. If your heart is not right, refrain until you can come freely to partake.
Time of Silence for Reflection.
Prayer and Confession:
Merciful Lord, we do not presume to come to your Table trusting in our own righteousness, but in your great mercies. Knowing that we are all sinners saved by grave and that we regularly sin in thought, word, and deed, let us turn our hearts to you. Heavenly Father, you have loved us with an everlasting love, but we have gone our own way and rejected your will for our lives. We are sorry for our sins, and we turn away from them. For the sake of your Son who died for us, forgive us, cleanse us, and change us. By your Holy Spirit, enable us to live for you and please you in every way, for the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. It is in Jesus' name we Pray. Amen.
As the bread and cup are served, we ask that you hold them, and we will all partake together.
Prayer for the Bread
Distribution of the Bread
Have the Bread served to the church members. As the Bread and Cup is being served, I invite you to quit your heart before the Lord and seek Him at this time and think about His body that was broken for you.
Time of Silence.
Partaking the Bread.
19 And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." (Luk 22:19 ESV)- You may eat the bread.
Prayer for the Cup
Distribution of the Cup
Have the Bread served to the church members. As the Bread and Cup is being served, I invite you to quit your heart before the Lord and seek Him at this time and think about His body that was broken for you.
Partaking of the Cup: 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." (1Co 11:25 ESV)- You may drink from the cup.
26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. (1Co 11:26 ESV).
Let us have a moment of Silence in Giving Thanks to God for what He has Done through Christ our Lord and Savior.
Moment of Silence.
Invitation to stand and Rejoice in Song.