4.3.42 9.14.2025 1Timothy 1.3-11 What the Church Needs Now…

Start:

Entice: We live in a culture infatuated with the idea of the big threat. Zombie movies. Crisis tales. Constantly shifting, mindbogglingly irrational conspiracy theories, “breaking news”. The Church should not join the world in this addiction to the adrenaline rush.

But how do we avoid it? Paul’s advice to Timothy will come down two a couple of basic insights:

One: Take the content of Christian doctrine very seriously.

Two: Don’t take yourself too seriously. 

Engage: We have all met “Mr. Smarty pants”. I was Mr. Smarty pants much of my life.

When the world is “high on its own supply”

we need to make a clear distinction

between the truly important

and the pretend important.

We must clearly differentiate the

Sublime

from silly

The problem people in the Ephesian Church were wannabe Law Teachers who took themselves far too seriously. They didn’t know scripture, misbehaved, puffed themselves up and saw themselves as being waaaaaay too important. Paul tells Timothy to let their air out.

1 Timothy 1:3–11 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, 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.

Expand:  First Timothy is not quite written in a circle but in chapter 1 Paul begins a pattern of combining discussion of doctrine with conversations about behavior. Bad doctrine may not be the excuse for bad behavior, but it often gives cover. Paul tells Timothy that the task of the Church is to

love,

to believe,

and

to have a clear conscience.

Leaders teach others. Some need compassionate guidance. Some need spanked first. 

Excite: Serious people are serious about the message,

not the messenger.

Serious people are serious about scripture,

not our own opinions.

Serious people make a clear distinction between the Church and culture

and do not get drawn into the constantly shifting sands of popularity, visibility, tweets, insta-whats, shazamograms, and duck-lipped selfies. 

Explore:

The Church needs a loving heart, a focused mind, and a clean conscience that comes from understanding the Gospel. 

Expand:We need champions for right teaching.  That means we need people 

Body of Sermon: Perhaps you are an

1 Able Architect 

Paul was, he was training Timothy to be, and we still have the need.

1.1 Correcting destructive 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,

1.2 Exposing Empty Doctrines. 

1 Timothy 1:4 ESV

4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.

Seductive and Silly

Myths and endless genealogies.

Speculative rather than established. 

The Church needs teachers with 

2 Clear Conscience. 

1 Timothy 1:5 ESV

5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

In a sense this verse is the heart of this entire Epistle. A smarter man would have preached a sermon with a specific focus on this verse. I trust that the Holy Spirit who was active in my study 12 months ago when I put this plan together will work things out today. 

Anywho…Paul has a goal, and this verse tells us what it is that all the Timothy’s we train, all the Caterpillars we coral, all the Teachers we prepare should have

Love that comes from 

2.1 A pure heart.

2.2 A good conscience.

2.3 Sincere faith. 

We need those kinds of people, those kinds of teachers because our churches constantly feel the 

3 Impact of Ignorance.  

The church has been and will always be confronted by the 

3.1 Swerving Sillies. 

1 Timothy 1:6 ESV

6 Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion,

Individuals who are led away from the character forming attributes of a Biblically formed conscience, heart, and faith. 

We have all met people who are constantly attracted,  sidetracked, distracted, and diverted by unbiblical thinking and what Paul calls unorthodox teaching.

The real risk of ignorance is not just those who believe the wrong things and base their behavior on those things but those who determine that they should teach those things. Paul calls them the

3.2 Bragging blowhards. 

1 Timothy 1:7 ESV

7 desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

They do not let information get in the way of their ignorance.

Their bragging is all the bolder because it is baseless. 

Finally, Paul notes the specific 

4 Legitimacy of the Law.

What was the Law good at? What did it accomplish for Israel, what does it signal for the Church? What is it “good at”? What are the limits of what it accomplishes?

4.1 Positive good if used positively. 

1 Timothy 1:8 ESV

8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully,

What exactly is that? What Paul says next gives us guidance for use of the Law. 

4.2 Separates those who act rightly from those who act wrongly. 

1 Timothy 1:9 ESV

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,

(Not for the) Just

Lawless and disobedient.

Ungodly and sinners.

Unholy and profane.

4.3 Vice List… 

1 Timothy 1:9–10 ESV

9 ….for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers,…

(The “social” table of the law.)

Violent

Sexually immoral

Neighbor haters.

4.4 Virtue List. 

1 Timothy 1:10–11 ESV

10 … 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.

Sound doctrine

Approved Gospel. 

Shut Down

All these issues arose within the Church.

It is no secret that our understanding of acceptable human behavior differs from the world. A significant portion of the Christian world has made it their crusade to change the world’s behavior.

It is a pointless, 

graceless,

endless,

treadmill of despair.

Because Paul knew then what far too many have forgotten. The only ones who will act like Christ are those who are in Christ.

But as God is well and truly our witness...

We SHOULD expect Christians to act like Christ.

To pursue love which cleanses our conscience, purifies our heart, and strengthens our faith. 

Timothy and Paul had enough problems with what was coming from inside the Church at Ephesus. They didn’t have time to worry what happened in the drinking parties of the dining clubs or in the bordellos that surrounded the Artemision. We need to understand sin when it creeps in and silliness when it thinks it is serious. That takes serious people who know the Word of God and His expectations.

Men and women who can be trusted to keep the order which has been established or work to reestablish it when it is threatened. Oh, how we need to be those people here! Oh, how wee need those kinds of people now!

What the Church needs now is…Love sweet love.