9. 1Tim. 1.3-11 Gospel WarningPt2

1Ti 1:3-11 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, (4) nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. (5) The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. (6) Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, (7) desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. (8) Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully, (9) understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, (10) the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, (11) in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

Keeping in mind the who purpose of the letter that was written 1Ti 3:14-15 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, (15) if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.

What is the purpose of the church? The purpose of the church is the proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is to have the same mission, to obey the Great Commission Mat 28:19-20  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,  (20)  teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”

But where does that mission begin? It begins locally. Jesus told the disciples Act 1:8  But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

If you remember back in 1 Peter he writes that we are a royal priesthood and that we are to proclaim the excellencies of Him who called us out of darkness into His marvelous light. So as believers in the Lord Jesus we do this in two ways. We do it verbally in the proclamation of the gospel and by living holy in an unholy world. There are those who are happy living in their sin but there are others who are looking for freedom rom their sin. They want to see Christians who do not bow the knee to the morality of this world and do not bow the knee to their own personal sins. This is why we are taking a little time to open up these commands.

The last time we were in 1 Timothy we heard of the research of the Barna group about America’s new morality, the morality of self-fulfillment.

As is clear to see the morality od self-fulfillment has made its way into the church. Why is that exactly. One reason is the long-held belief that we are no longer under the law. While the statement has elements of truth it is not the whole truth. We are no longer under the condemnation of the law. We have been set free from it by the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who are in Christ Jesus are no longer under the penalty of condemnation. But the law still has application to us today. It is the New Covenant promise that God would write the law on the tablets of our hearts and if it was important for Him to do so it is important for us to understand it so that we might, as Paul has said, use the law rightly.

We also saw the similarity to what Paul writes in verses 9-10 and the 10 Commandments written in Exodus 20. Both separate the law into how we relate to the Lord and how we relate to one another.

COMPARISON OF PAUL'S DESCRIPTION WITH THE TEN COMMANDMENTS

1 Timothy 1:9-10 Ten Commandments Ex 20:1-17

Lawless and disobedient 1. No other gods

Ungodly and sinners 2. No idols

Unholy and profane 3. Not take Lord’s name in vain

--- 4. Keep Sabbath

Strikes/murders of fathers & mothers 5. Honor parents

Murderers 6. No murder

Immoral men, homosexuals 7. No adultery

Kidnappers/slave stealers 8. No stealing

Liars and perjurers 9. No false witness

Whatever else is contrary 10. No coveting

We looked at how the lawless and disobedient corresponded to the first command and how the ungodly and sinners corresponded to the second command along with how we are New Covenant believers would apply it to our lives today. This morning we will finish with the unholy and profane and how it corresponds to the 3rd and 4rth commandment and how we should apply it today. You may be thinking, why go into such detail concerning these things? The reason for this is our God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. If you have read the OT then you know with what great detail the Lord went into concerning His proper worship. The painstaking detail in the construction of first the tabernacle then the temple. The detail in the making of the priestly garments and all the articles in the temple and sacrificial alter, even with their placement inside the tent of meeting and the temple. His law covered the moral, ceremonial, and judicial. In other words, He is concerned with every aspect in how we live this live and therefore so should we.

There are 2 points: 1) the Unholy and the taking of His name in vain. 2) Profane and keeping the Sabbath

I. The unholy and the taking of His name in Vain.

What does unholy mean? Probably the best way to define it is to define what holiness is and apply the negative to it. The Greek word hosios is translated as consecrated, hallowed, holy, righteous, unpolluted with wickedness, Wickedness pertains to that that which is in opposition to God or what is sacred. It speaks of one’s lack of inner purity. It means ungodly and without regard of duty toward God or toward man and carries the idea not so much of irreligion as of gross indecency. In other words this man not only breaks the laws of God and society, but even breaks the unwritten laws of common decency. To the Greek it was unholy to refuse to bury a corpse. It was unholy for a brother to commit incest. 1Co 5:1  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. The man who is unholy offends the fundamental decencies of life. The unholy person is driven by self-love to gratify his lusts and passions of whatever sort, as fully as possible with no thought to propriety, decency, or personal reputation. Anosios is the opposite of hósios , holy or devout, which describes one's attitude toward, and walk with God, which conforms to His character, being the outcome of inward purity (and inward power of the Spirit). Only used twice - 1Ti 1:9, 2Ti 3:2.

Now let us see how this relates to the third commandment which is: Exo 20:7 "You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain, for the LORD will not leave him unpunished who takes His name in vain.

How do we break this commandment? 1. By false. 2. Using His name in profanity. 3. Representing God falsely. How? When we take on the name of God and then act in such a way so as to misrepresent His character.

Do you see the connection? Unholy means to be without regard of our duty and attitude toward God. AS a Christian our walk with God should be that which conforms to His character. To take the name of the Lord in vain in one way is to act and live in such a way that does not reflect His divine character. But let us break down this command further.

You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain - Not is the first word in Hebrew giving the negative statement great force! Vain means frivolous, worthless, thoughtless, and here refers to the Great Name of Yahweh!!! It is interesting that the Hebrew word for vain (shav) to describe "worthless (shav) idols" (Jer 18:15). The Septuagint translates vain with mataios which describes that which is empty, devoid of force, lacking in content, nonproductive, useless, dead, fruitless, aimless, of no real or lasting value! That is how they are treating God's Holy Name! Woe! God's Name is in fact the absolute antithesis of vain, useless, of no lasting value!

A professor of mine at RTS, Dr. John Currid said this The reason why this act is considered so sinful may partly be understood because of the Hebrews’ conception of the meaning of a name. A name often represents the nature and character of a person....Yahweh is the personal name that God himself revealed to his people. When someone insincerely or thoughtlessly invokes God’s name, that person is proclaiming that God’s being, nature and essence are worthless. On the positive side, the Third Commandment means that the Hebrews are to revere and honor the name of Yahweh."

When we use God, Lord, Jesus then we are invoking all that God is as He is revealed in the Scripture and we are doing it in one of two ways. Either we are taking His name in vain or we are invoking it in reverence and awe. There is no neutral or middle ground in this.

Psalm 8:1 For the choir director; on the Gittith. A Psalm of David. O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, Who have displayed Your splendor above the heavens!

Psalm 111:9 He has sent redemption to His people; He has ordained His covenant forever; Holy and awesome is His name.

It is common vernacular to say Oh God, or to use the name of Jesus as a swear word but Christian understand that you are taking the name of the Lord in vain when you do such. That name which is above every name, who gives words like holiness, love, grace, mercy, justice, righteousness, majesty their fullest meaning and measure. When we take His name in vain we count it as nothing. When we are careless in our speech you can be certain that we are careless in other areas of our life. Which brings up the other point of application. When we say that we are Christians and then live carelessly we take the name of the Lord in vain. God has said you will be holy as I am holy.

When we are dealing with others is our conduct such that they would honor and revere God. Do we reflect Him or because of our conduct do people cast dispersions upon His holy name? Or do we live carelessly in this world because we know we have forgiveness of our sins. There is a huge difference between living carefully in the faith, a life of obedience and needing forgiveness and living carelessly believing that we can sin with impunity and have forgiveness. The Puritan Samuel Bolton said this is his book the true bounds of Christian freedom. Christian liberty is the freedom to do as we aought not the freedom to do what we want.

Tell me, do you take the name of the Lord in vain. Or do you revere His name. And again when we say name it is not just what He is called but it is all that He is in His character and nature.

II. The Profane and the breaking of the Sabbath

Profane refers properly to one who either was or ought to have been debarred from going over the threshold or entrance of the temple. The picture is that which is trodden under foot and which thus describes that which is the antithesis of that which is holy or set apart. In short it means to "trample" the holy! Profane also describes that which is accessible to everyone and therefore devoid of real significance. The meaning of this adjective is nicely conveyed by our English word profane which describes that which disregards what is to be kept sacred or holy. That which is permitted to be trodden by people at large is unhallowed, profane. Thus, a profane person is one who has made himself accessible to evil influence. He has not kept himself for God. He is common, unhallowed territory. He is secular, as contrasted to religious, so far as his relation to God is concerned.

How does profane relate to the 4rth Commandment? Exo 20:8-11  “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy.  (9)  Six days you shall labor, and do all your work,  (10)  but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, or your daughter, your male servant, or your female servant, or your livestock, or the sojourner who is within your gates.  (11)  For in six days the LORD made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

The profane will not keep as holy that which God has described as holy. Can we as Christians be profane? The command was given therefore it is possible that Christians may profane that which God has called holy by lack of diligence is keeping His commands and as a result slip into spiritual declension. I know I said this Sunday before last but this should lend us an attitude of fear. Reverential fear yes, but also real fear. The love of God and the fearing God are not mutually exclusive. I loved my dad but if I did wrong I knew what to expect from him and it gave me cause to be afraid. For the Christian God’s discipline is not for condemnation but for restoration. But consider Job.

We may actually finish this next week because I want us to understand the who, what, when, where and why of the command and how it applies to us today along with principles of application. Because this command has been debated probably more than any other of the 10 Commandments.

The Command- Remember the Sabbath Day to Keep it Holy Exodus 20:8-11

What is the principle aim of the command? – keeping the Day Holy

To whom was it addressed? – Superiors and Inferiors It was addressed to slave owners, their slaves, even the animals that they worked with. Today it would apply to business owners and their employees.

The Arguments to Obey this commandment of Keeping Holy the Sabbath are.

The rationality of it – God has set one day in six, not six days in seven. God understands and has made provision for that we may work for the provision of our families.

The Justice of it – His right to issue to His people what commands He will. We are the redeemed, He is the redeemer.

God’s Own Observance of it – He rested on the 7th day.

The argument of the creation ordinance. Is there any proof of that? Gen 4:3-5  In the course of time Cain brought to the LORD an offering of the fruit of the ground,  (4)  and Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat portions. And the LORD had regard for Abel and his offering,  (5)  but for Cain and his offering he had no regard. So Cain was very angry, and his face fell. ‘In the course of time’ literally means end of days, specifically the last day of the week

Benefits of Observing the Sabbath

-Why Has God appointed a Sabbath?

For His own immediate service - in it He is acknowledged as the sovereign God who has power both to command worship and appoint the time when He will be worshipped.

It promotes holiness in us. The business of day to day life makes us forget. Otherwise He would not have said, Remember the Sabbath Day. The Sabbath brings Him back to our remembrance, it renews our affections, refocuses our direction, and fixes our eyes on the eternal things above rather than the temporal things of this earth.

- Why has it changed to another day?

1.Christ’s own appointment.

Christ rose on the first day of the week and twice appeared to the disciples. Joh 20:19  On the evening of that day, the first day of the week, the doors being locked where the disciples were for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”

2.By the practice of the Apostles

Paul preached on the first day of the week. Act 20:7  On the first day of the week, when we were gathered together to break bread, Paul talked with them, intending to depart on the next day, and he prolonged his speech until midnight.

1Co 16:2  On the first day of every week, each of you is to put something aside and store it up, as he may prosper, so that there will be no collecting when I come.

III. How are to keep the Sabbath.

Negatively – by abstaining from all normal labors.

All secular work must be forborne and suspended. Neh 13:15-17  In those days I saw in Judah people treading winepresses on the Sabbath, and bringing in heaps of grain and loading them on donkeys, and also wine, grapes, figs, and all kinds of loads, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day. And I warned them on the day when they sold food.  (16)  Tyrians also, who lived in the city, brought in fish and all kinds of goods and sold them on the Sabbath to the people of Judah, in Jerusalem itself!  (17)  Then I confronted the nobles of Judah and said to them, “What is this evil thing that you are doing, profaning the Sabbath day?

Annointing the body of Christ after His death you would think would be permissible, but the Mary’s waited until after the Sabbath Lk 23:56.

God made this day on purpose to raise the heart to heaven, to converse with and to worship Him. God commanded the man who had gathered sticks on the Sabbath to be stoned Num 15:35

Exceptions: Works of necessity and works of mercy.

What is a work of necessity? It can be a work that requires immediate attention that cannot wait until after the Lord’s Day. It does not mean to do something on Sunday that you have procrastinated doing earlier.

Christ healed on the Sabbath. Luk 14:1-6  One Sabbath, when he went to dine at the house of a ruler of the Pharisees, they were watching him carefully.  (2)  And behold, there was a man before him who had dropsy.  (3)  And Jesus responded to the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath, or not?”  (4)  But they remained silent. Then he took him and healed him and sent him away.  (5)  And he said to them, “Which of you, having a son or an ox that has fallen into a well on a Sabbath day, will not immediately pull him out?”  (6)  And they could not reply to these things.

The Lord has set apart a day for the believer for the purpose of rest and worship. Going back to the purpose of the church in proclaiming the gospel and being holy in an unholy world. Do the people around you who are not Christian see how you spend your Sunday and do they see you spend it any differently than they do?

May God continue to reveal to us how to live in this world but not be of it. Next Sunday we will look specifically at the principles of how we should spend the Lord’s Day.