Blueprints for a Healthy Church - 1

Guard the Gospel

This morning we are starting a series titled Blueprints for a Healthy Church as we go through 1 and 2 Timothy.

The series will go for 8 weeks as we look at 8 different parts of a blueprint for a healthy church.

This morning we are going to look at how we are to Guard the Gospel.

A healthy church must guard the gospel with faith, love, and a pure conscience.

Introduction

Blueprints are essential for any solid structure — they ensure what’s built matches the designer’s intent.

The same is true for the church; God has given us His blueprint in the gospel.

Paul writes to Timothy, his “true son in the faith,” to strengthen and guide the church in Ephesus—a church facing doctrinal confusion and moral drift.

Our text this morning will come from 1 Timothy 1:1-20

In this opening chapter, Paul charges Timothy with one crucial task: Guard the gospel.

Look with me at our first section of text 1 Timothy 1:1-11

1 Timothy 1:1–11 CSB

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope: 2 To Timothy, my true son in the faith. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. 3 As I urged you when I went to Macedonia, remain in Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach false doctrine 4 or to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies. These promote empty speculations rather than God’s plan, which operates by faith. 5 Now the goal of our instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. 6 Some have departed from these and turned aside to fruitless discussion. 7 They want to be teachers of the law, although they don’t understand what they are saying or what they are insisting on. 8 But we know that the law is good, provided one uses it legitimately. 9 We know that the law is not meant for a righteous person, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral and males who have sex with males, for slave traders, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching 11 that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which was entrusted to me.

Paul opens this letter to Timothy with a normal greeting for the biblical time period.

He opens with letting us know that he - Paul - is the one writing the letter, and that he is writing the letter because God has command to.

Therefore, this letter as we know all Scripture is inspired by God, that is the Holy Spirit gave Paul the words to write.

Paul is writing to Timothy who he calls his true son in the faith, that is Timothy is not his blood or biological son, but a person that Paul likely lead to salvation and discipled.

Our first main point this morning is:

1. The Gospel Must Be Protected from False Teaching (vv. 3–11)

Paul begins by telling Timothy to instruct certain people not to teach false doctrine.

We see many false teaching today, not just from false religions, but what we even call the prosperity gospel.

A. False teaching distorts the truth (vv. 3–7)

Paul wants Timothy to show people that false teachings, myths and endless genealogies will distort the truth.

False teachings will take Scripture from the Bible and make it say what they want, they will change it to fit their agenda.

Speculative or false teaching promotes confusion instead of faith.

When a person uses their false teaching it causes those that are seeking Christ or that are new believers to become confused.

False teachers are confident in what they are teaching but they are clueless to what they are doing many times.

B. The true gospel promotes love (vv. 5–7)

The aim of the gospel instruction that Paul was writing about is love that comes from:

A pure heart

A good conscience

A sincere faith

The false teachers have turned from a pure heart, a good conscience and a sincere faith and this departure has cause fruitless departure.

Paul says that these false teachers want to be teachers of the law, but they do not understand what they should be teaching.

C. The law supports the gospel, it doesn’t replace it (vv. 8–11)

The law is good when used properly: to expose sin, not to earn righteousness.

We know that we cannot keep the law perfectly, but the law helps us see the need for a Savior

The law brings sin to light, that we may repent of it and seek forgiveness.

The gospel reveals the glory of Christ — not rules, but relationship.

The gospel is not necessarily about rules, but more importantly it is about a right relationship with Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior

Application:

We must Guard the gospel by knowing sound doctrine.

We learn sound doctrine by studying God’s Word.

Avoid spiritual speculation; focus on gospel transformation.

When we hear something that we are not sure about, we need to ask where is that found in Scripture and then go and study it.

If we still are not sure go to a pastor or someone that could help.

Our next point is:

2. The Gospel Must Be Proclaimed with Gratitude (vv. 12–17)

1 Timothy 1:12–17 CSB

12 I give thanks to Christ Jesus our Lord who has strengthened me, because he considered me faithful, appointing me to the ministry—13 even though I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an arrogant man. But I received mercy because I acted out of ignorance in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 This saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance: “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”—and I am the worst of them. 16 But I received mercy for this reason, so that in me, the worst of them, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his extraordinary patience as an example to those who would believe in him for eternal life. 17 Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Paul recognized that it is Jesus Christ that provided him the strength to proclaim the gospel message.

A. The gospel displays God’s mercy (vv. 12–14)

Paul’s life is a testimony: from blasphemer to believer.

Paul once was a Pharisees that went around persecuting believers, but Jesus revealed Himself to Paul on the road to Damascus.

Grace overflowed — showing that no sinner is beyond saving.

Paul states that he is the worst of sinners, again he was going around persecuting believers.

Paul’s point is that even though he was the worst sinner, God still saved him of those sins.

There is no one beyond being saved.

B. The gospel reveals Christ’s purpose (v. 15)

The heart of the gospel: Jesus saves sinners.

Jesus states in Luke 19:10

Luke 19:10 CSB

10 For the Son of Man has come to seek and to save the lost.”

The purpose of the gospel is that sinners have a way to come into a right relationship with Jesus for salvation.

C. The gospel inspires worship (v. 17)

Right theology leads to doxology: “To the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”

The lyrics to the doxology hymn say:

Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; Praise Him, all creatures here below; Praise Him above, ye heavenly host; Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost

As Paul wrote this verse, he was praising God for his salvation and the gospel message

Application:

Never lose your wonder at the gospel.

We should never stop studying the Bible, the gospel message.

Share your story of mercy—your life becomes a living testimony of grace.

I like to call this our Jesus story, every believer has a Jesus story.

Sometimes we think well my testimony is not a powerful as the person the God saved from drug addiction or something like that.

But let me tell you, never underestimate what God can do through your Jesus story.

You never know the person God is going to put in your path.

Our third point this morning is:

3. The Gospel Must Be Protected with Courage (vv. 18–20)

1 Timothy 1:18–20 CSB

18 Timothy, my son, I am giving you this instruction in keeping with the prophecies previously made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the good fight, 19 having faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and have shipwrecked their faith. 20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have delivered to Satan, so that they may be taught not to blaspheme.

Paul brings this all together in these last three verses.

A. He gives a charge to fight faithfully (vv. 18–19a)

Ministry is spiritual warfare.

Ephesians 6:10–12 CSB

10 Finally, be strengthened by the Lord and by his vast strength. 11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can stand against the schemes of the devil. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this darkness, against evil, spiritual forces in the heavens.

As we stand to defend the gospel message, we will be faced with spiritual warfare.

Faith and a good conscience are the armor of a gospel guardian.

We must keep our faith grounded in Jesus Christ.

B. Then he gives a warning of shipwrecked faith (vv. 19b–20)

Hymenaeus and Alexander are examples of those who abandoned truth.

These two names will be mentioned further in Paul’s second letter to Timothy.

2 Timothy 2:17–18 CSB

17 and their teaching will spread like gangrene. Hymenaeus and Philetus are among them. 18 They have departed from the truth, saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and are ruining the faith of some.

The false teaching that Hymenaeus was teaching was that the resurrection had already taken place, which was leading people astray.

2 Timothy 4:14–15 CSB

14 Alexander the coppersmith did great harm to me. The Lord will repay him according to his works. 15 Watch out for him yourself because he strongly opposed our words.

Alexander was opposing or going against what Paul was teaching.

He was trying to make Paul out as the false teacher when it was Alexander that was the false teacher.

To hand over to Satan could be either that they were going to fall to some illness or physical disability brought on by Satan, or it could be that they were not part of God’s family but part of the world, those outside the church who are falling Satan.

As we guard the Gospel, we must have conviction and courage to confront error.

To be guardian’s of the gospel we must be willing to stand for what we believe in.

This makes me think of 1 Peter 3:15

1 Peter 3:15 CSB

15 but in your hearts regard Christ the Lord as holy, ready at any time to give a defense to anyone who asks you for a reason for the hope that is in you.

We must be ready at any time to defend what we believe in, but also understand that if someone comes at us with something that we are not sure of, the best thing is to tell them lets go talk to some, or I will find out and get back to you.

Application:

We must Guard our own heart as we guard the gospel.

As we guard the gospel we must make sure we believe what we say we believe, and that we know what we say we believe.

Satan will use false teachings to try to confuse us, and distract us from doing what God has called us too.

So we must Stay anchored to truth; steer clear of the rocks of compromise.

Conclusion

The gospel is a sacred trust — it must be protected, proclaimed, and preserved.

In a world of shifting truths, God calls us to hold fast to the unchanging gospel of grace.

The health of the church depends on how well we guard the gospel today.