1 Timothy 1:18-20 - Shipwreck of Faith

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,

“This charge”

Paul gave Timothy a “charge” (command/task) that calls back to verse 3 - that he would deal with false teachers

1 Timothy 1:3 ESV

3 As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine,

“Timothy, my child,”

Paul saw Timothy as a son

Paul the great mentor to Timothy

“in accordance to prophecies previously made about you”

Paul reminds Timothy of his calling and being set apart for ministry - an event where the elders and Paul laid hands on him setting him apart for ministry according to the divine revelation given to them by God. Timothy had a special calling similar to Paul.

1 Timothy 4:14 ESV

14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.

There is levels of mystery by what Paul exactly means by prophecy and how it relates to us today.

What is important to understand is that God revealed that Timothy was called to this ministry to a trusted group of other leaders.

New Testament IX: Colossians, 1–2 Thessalonians, 1–2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon The Holy Spirit

THE HOLY SPIRIT. CHRYSOSTOM: The offices of teacher and priest are of great dignity, and to bring forward one that is worthy requires God’s own calling. So it was of old, and so it is now. This choice is to be made apart from human sentiments, not looking to any temporal consideration, swayed neither by friendship nor by enmity.… In those days the calling of a priest was “in accordance with prophecy.” But what does that imply? That nothing human is to interfere with the leading of the Holy Spirit. For prophecy is not only the telling of things future but also of the present. HOMILIES ON 1 TIMOTHY 5.

A principle we can take from this is that we must be sure that God is calling a particular man to ministry when we ordain or appoint.

Wage good warfare

The battle we fight is not one of flesh and bone or with sword and shield but rather it is a spiritual one with spiritual weapons.

2 Corinthians 10:3–4 ESV

3 For though we walk in the flesh, we are not waging war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh but have divine power to destroy strongholds.

Believers engage in this spiritual warfare daily as we seek to combat sin in our lives and false teaching that is rampant

If you and I are like soldiers in an army. We are in squads or platoons with the leader of the army being Christ and our pastors as our platoon or squad leaders.

Christ is the ultimate authority and has put pastors in place to help guide the squads and platoons.

Ephesians 6:10–17 ESV

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. 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. 13 Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. 14 Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, 15 and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. 16 In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; 17 and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God,

What will ultimately happen in this fight?

Matthew 16:13–18 ESV

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

“Gates” are defensive therefore Christ and His church is on the offensive

The Warfare we wage daily: “Holding faith and a good conscience” (v.19)

1 Timothy 1:19 ESV

19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith,

The ultimate goal of this spiritual war we face is that we would persevere until the end

How do we accomplish this? How do we hold “faith and a good conscience” and avoid making a shipwreck of our faith?

Staying active in our spiritual disciplines of the faith:

Reading scripture

“There is dust enough on some your Bibles to write ‘damnation’ with your fingers” - Spurgeon

Praying

Gathering with the Lord’s people on the Lord’s day for corporate worship

Don’t just be present, be PRESENT

Pay attention

Get here early and stay after

Build plans around church not church around plans

Seek to grow your knowledge

Seek to grow in deeper relationship with other believers

Seek to kill the sin in your life

Ultimately it Abiding in Christ - which greatly helped by the things above.

“By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith,”

the Rejection and shipwrecking is what can happen when we quit doing all the things I just talked about.

Usually someone ends up involved with a sin that leads them to reject the teachings of Christ for a watered down gospel that allows them to hold onto their idols and sin. We see this most often with those who “deconstruct.” They usually loved some sin enough that they then found other ways to try and run from the faith.

Many I have known that have ended up walking away from the faith or who are involved in a face teaching is usually because they loved their sin more than God.

Two handed over to Satan (v.20)

1 Timothy 1:20 ESV

20 among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Hymenaeus and Alexander

Alexander: We do no know much about because it was a common name

Hymenaeus: We know that he was saying that the resurrection had already happened

2 Timothy 2:16–18 ESV

16 But avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness, 17 and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, 18 who have swerved from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already happened. They are upsetting the faith of some.

Handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme

What is this handing over to Satan? Is Paul sacrificing him or something? Lighting candles and killing him over a pentagram or something? No….

Two scriptures where this kind of language is used

This one

1 Corinthians 5 ESV

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. 6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7 Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. 8 Let us therefore celebrate the festival, not with the old leaven, the leaven of malice and evil, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth. 9 I wrote to you in my letter not to associate with sexually immoral people— 10 not at all meaning the sexually immoral of this world, or the greedy and swindlers, or idolaters, since then you would need to go out of the world. 11 But now I am writing to you not to associate with anyone who bears the name of brother if he is guilty of sexual immorality or greed, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard, or swindler—not even to eat with such a one. 12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13 God judges those outside. “Purge the evil person from among you.”

The most extreme measure of church discipline: Excommunication

In both of these instances where one is “handed over to Satan” we see very public gross sins

These were not small hidden sins but rather they were public sins that damaged the body or the witness of the body

Sleeping with Step-mother

Hurt the public witness of the church

Blasphemy

Destroys the church from within

Why does Paul call for what many would call an “extreme response”?

Paul deeply cared about the witness of the church and the sanctity of it.

Paul new that a little bit of leaven leavens the entire lump of bread

Paul wanted to protect those who were within the church from false teaching

This is why he called for the removal of those who were blaspheming and committing gross public sins

How do we apply this?

Well we remove these types of offenders from our churches:

Those who commit gross public sins that bring shame upon the name of Christ in our community

Those who blaspheme the name of the Lord Jesus by spreading heresy and false doctrine

We must have shepherds who will protect the flock of God by making hard decisions

Application

We must be and appoint people are willing to “wage good warfare” for Christ

We must be and appoint people who are willing to protect the flock of God

Related Media

Related Sermons