The Aim of Our Charge
Notes
Transcript
Introduction and Context
Introduction and Context
· We’re beginning a new series based on Paul’s Pastoral letters to Timothy.
· The series is titled Enduring in Ministry because it is a continuation of our studies of the church at Ephesus and our shared desire to be a church that endures the test of time.
o In Ephesians we learned what it means to Endure in Christ, in his completed work and the way that work changes the way we live.
o This series will focus on what it means to build an enduring ministry; to do church in a way that will allow us to endure until Christ’s return.
· Acts 20:28–30 (ESV)—Paul gave a warning to the Ephesian elders before he returned to Jerusalem at the end of Acts.
28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.
29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock;
30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them.
· 1 Timothy is rooted in that history.
o It was likely written between AD 62-66, while Paul was imprisoned in Rome before his execution.
§ Only a couple of years after he gave his parting words to the Ephesian elders.
· 1 Timothy 1:1–2 (ESV)
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
· Paul had a close, personal relationship with Timothy. He was Timothy’s spiritual father and mentor.
o They traveled together and ministered together for many years.
o Now he was writing to Timothy as the pastor of the church at Ephesus.
· This letter to Timothy can be read on three levels.
· Personal correspondence between the apostle Paul and a local minister charged by him to lead a local church.
o This is why it is often called a pastoral letter.
o 1-2 Timothy and Titus are required reading for every pastor.
· It is also a letter from a pastor to a church he planted and loves.
o The final greeting in 1 Tim. 6:21 is plural “You/Y’all.”
21 for by professing it some have swerved from the faith. Grace be with you.
o It was meant to be ready to the whole church as instruction for ongoing work.
· It is also a general statement of principles for life, ministry, and worship in the church.
· So, 1 Timothy is a wealth of knowledge for anyone looking to build a healthy church.
The Mission Explained (1:3-4)
The Mission Explained (1:3-4)
· 1 Timothy 1:3–4 (ESV)—Paul jumps right into the occasion for his letter…normally there are some pleasantries and introductions…not so here.
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.
o There is great urgency to Paul’s letter. A pressing issue. Sound doctrine.
· Sound doctrine is an important theme in Paul’s letter to Timothy.
o He makes mention of it many times in the letter.
· For Paul, sound doctrine is what accords with the teachings of Jesus Christ.
o What he labored three years in Ephesus to proclaim.
· Galatians 1:11–12 (ESV)—Paul draws a straight line between his gospel message and Christ’s gospel because he received it from Him.
11 For I would have you know, brothers, that the gospel that was preached by me is not man’s gospel.
12 For I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.
· 2 Corinthians 13:3 (ESV)—He sees his ministry as a continuation of Jesus’s ministry to the church. Christ speaking through him (it’s apostolic).
3 since you seek proof that Christ is speaking in me. He is not weak in dealing with you, but is powerful among you.
· Paul left Timothy in Ephesus with a pressing mission; to oppose false teachers that were arising in the Ephesian church.
o He was given authority (a charge) by the apostle to command the church regarding false doctrines that were rising in the church.
· These “certain persons” were not merely overly curious persons, raising questions and dabbling in heresy.
o They were devoted to their doctrines; passionately interested in promoting them to others.
o And these doctrines were substantively different from what Paul and the apostles taught.
· 2 Corinthians 11:4 (ESV)—Elsewhere, Paul condemns different doctrine as anything that puts forth a different Jesus, different Spirit, or a different gospel.
4 For if someone comes and proclaims another Jesus than the one we proclaimed, or if you receive a different spirit from the one you received, or if you accept a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it readily enough.
· There will always be a need to answer the new challenges and questions of the age, but we must beware of the temptation to produce novel answers to these questions.
o The truth of God is eternal and timeless—through it, He speaks to us clearly in every age.
o This is why John Calvin exhorted preachers:
We therefore teach that faithful ministers are now not permitted to coin any new doctrine, but that they are simply to cleave to that doctrine to which God has subjected men without exceptions.
· The different doctrines of these false teachers consisted of an obsession with “myths and endless genealogies.”
o These are highly speculative and fantastic interpretations of the Old Testament.
§ They are the inventions of the mind rather than rooted in Scripture or the apostles’ teaching.
o These teachings were endless; pointless and fruitless; leading to speculation rather than spiritual maturity.
· These teaching were likely of Jewish background; an example of this is found in a contemporary Jewish extrabiblical writing called The Book of Jubilees which allegorically reinterpreted the Old Testament.
o It speculated about the biographies of the Old Testament saints and embellished on their stories in order to teach people to follow after them to righteousness.
· Their teaching doesn’t rally or unify God’s people; it only distracts them.
o By offering new and novel perspectives rather than pursuing the Scripture from a redemptive-historical perspective (the unfolding of God’s plan of salvation).
· It is precisely this departure from the redemptive-historical reading of Scripture that has caused the problem.
o Members of the Ephesian church have departed from the gospel of salvation which is the “stewardship of God that is by faith.”
· This is still a danger today for Christians.
o Pseudo-Christian religions like the Latter Day Saints like to pass themselves off as Christians.
§ Their teachings are based more on the Book of Mormon than the Bible.
§ Their doctrines have nothing to do with the teachings of the gospel.
o There are those who trumpet hidden knowledge that they discovered in the Scripture.
§ Finding codes in numbers and names. (The number of the beast is everything and everyone)
· Why are these bad?
o Because they promote speculation rather than steadfastness.
· How does a person walk away from the true Christian faith? One step at a time.
Online Christianity is a chief example of this. Endlessly arguing and dividing over the most obscure points of doctrine.
Salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ is the most important message we could every preach because it is the most important thing God has ever planned and accomplished.
What better could we choose to study, teach, and live out.
We must hold to our mission if we would endure to the end.
The Opponents Exposed (1:5-7)
The Opponents Exposed (1:5-7)
· Paul then moves to explain the purpose of his instruction to Timothy and how the false teachers fall short.
· 1 Timothy 1:5–7 (ESV)
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.
· There is a clear, practical application to Timothy’s charge: Love.
o What is the aim of proclaiming the gospel and teaching it in the church? To produce love in the hearer.
· Love is the practical outworking of faith in Jesus Christ.
o False doctrine, on the other hand, produces only controversy and division.
§ It hates others because it does not care enough to warn them about what is truly important. (Judgment and salvation)
The aim of every preacher should not be to produce faith, but to produce faith expressed in love.
o True doctrine produces love for God and love for others (the Greatest Commandment). It promotes unity.
· Paul expands on the right motives of love.
· Love issuing from a “pure heart.”
o Washed clean by the Spirit. Purity of undivided affections. Selfless.
o An impure heart is self-centered.
· Love issuing from a “good conscience.”
o Pursuing what is good and right in God’s sight, doing the deeds of the Spirit.
o A guilty conscience creates distance and animosity (hates neighbor).
o A good conscience leads to greater intimacy in the church because there is nothing to hide.
· Love issuing from a “sincere faith.”
o Faith that trusts in Christ alone and not in works. Unhypocritical.
o A hypocrite cannot love others as much as they love themselves.
§ They care too much about what others might think of them.
· Together, these produce the kind of love that is pleasing to God.
True love commends sound doctrine.
· Conversely, the false teachers have impure motives, defiled consciences, and shipwrecked faith.
False teaching isn’t just an error of the mind; it is an error of the heart as well.
· They have swerved from true faith by engaging in vain discussion.
o All their talk produces nothing of eternal value.
· Today we face the dangers in going astray to either side.
o So-called liberal theologywants love without doctrine.
§ Everything is permitted as long as we don’t fight, no matter how far apart our doctrine is.
o On the other hand, more conservative theological strains often place sound doctrine as a prerequisite for showing love. Love is for those who conform.
· Sound doctrine tells us that love for God and others is the highest and purest doctrine.
o It’s a narrow way, but it’s the right way.
· Proverbs 4:18–19 (ESV)—Warns us clearly about the dangers of straying from the straight and narrow way.
18 But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day.
19 The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble.
· Proverbs 4:25–27 (ESV)—The answer is that we must discipline the eyes of our hearts and keep true as we walk the path.
25 Let your eyes look directly forward, and your gaze be straight before you.
26 Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure.
27 Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil.
· What is perhaps surprising about Paul’s accusation is that these opponents aren’t teaching something entirely foreign.
· These persons desire to be “teachers of the law,” the Christian version of a Jewish rabbi.
o They desire the notoriety and status of being great spiritual minds, with all the influence that attends it.
· The main problem for these false teachers is that they misunderstand what the law is for.
o It’s not that they are using the wrong text but using the right text wrongly.
· These self-described “teachers of the law” have an unearned sense of confidence about what they teach.
o They believe it and they are devoted to it and are bold in proclaiming it.
· Ultimately, Paul accuses them of being confident about things they have no understanding of.
o They read the Law, but they do not understand it properly.
§ Lack of understanding leads them to pervert it.
Following after the Pharisaic style in making the Law say what you want it to say rather than exposing what God intends for it to say. Making up novel readings that give the appearance of power.
· This is why they focus on fictional stories about biblical characters and speculation about the meaning of Moses’ genealogies.
· This is present today. Much of the appeal of modern false teachers is that they use convincing biblical rhetoric to promote unbiblical errors.
o Using the right language to teach the wrong things.
· Yet their confidence in their teachings is no substitute for truth.
The Falsehood Examined (1:8-11)
The Falsehood Examined (1:8-11)
· Paul then offers a digression in order to further explain the nature of the false teachers’ failure in interpreting the law.
o They fail to understand its purpose, its intended audience, or the proper way that it is to be interpreted.
· 1 Timothy 1:8–11 (ESV)
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.
· Paul’s view of the Mosaic law is also the commonly accepted Christian understanding of the Law, and Paul is appealing to a shared understanding.
o That is to say, if we use the law the way God intended it to be used.
· The Law is not the problem, the people who distort it are the problem.
o But the Law is good even though it can be distorted through false teaching.
· Romans 7:12 (ESV) —The Law is Scripture, breathed out by God. Therefore, it is good.
12 So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and righteous and good.
o But not all interpretations are good and holy.
· The Law is not self-interpreting; it needs to be rightly understood to be properly applied.
o It only produces a good result in our lives if it is rightly applied. (Used lawfully)
Using the law lawfully means reading it in a way that would be agreeable to the human author (Moses) and, ultimately, to God himself.
· There are three proper uses of the law.
o Convicting (Spiritual) Use—It reveals our sins.
So that by the recognition of sin they may be humbled, frightened, and worn down, and so may long for grace. (Martin Luther)
o Restraining (Civil) Use—The Law offers us a compelling warning of the judgment that comes upon evil doers.
§ Fear of punishment is a powerful deterrent from evil.
· Galatians 3:19 (ESV)—The Law was our guardian until the coming of grace.
19 Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions, until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made, and it was put in place through angels by an intermediary.
o Training (Didactic) Use—The Law teaches us God’s will for our lives.
§ It is the fundamental rule for Christian living.
§ When a Christian meditates on the law, he beholds its goodness in the goodness of its giver.
· Thus, he is aroused to obey it in thankful imitation of the Savior.
· The key to using the law lawfully is understanding who it is for.
· The Law is not given for righteous people so that they can be righteous, it is addressed to the sinner so that they will be convicted of their unrighteousness and turn to God for grace.
· Paul narrows the focus of his teaching to the most famous distillation of the Law, the Ten Commandments.
o Lawless and disobedient—Rebel against God’s authority (I)
o Ungodly and sinners—Idolaters who bow their knees to sin. (II)
o Unholy—Those who do not keep God’s name holy (III)
o Profane—Those who embrace the world and its temptations [Sabbath-breakers] (IV)
o Those who strike their father and mother—dishonoring parents (V)
o Murderers (VI)
o Sexually immoral and men who practice homosexuality—adultery (VII)
o Slave traders—Stealing (VIII)
o Liars and Perjurers—Bearing false witness. (IX)
o Whatever else is contrary to sound teaching—Covetousness (X)
· This last one is both dealing with covetousness and embracing how the Law addresses us in our sin.
· God didn’t’ give us the Law of Moses so that we could engage in useless talk and speculation about things that don’t matter.
· Rather, this catch-all statement shows us what the real problem is.
o What the law requires of us runs far deeper than just how well we keep the Ten Commandments.
o Doing sin is not the only evil, desiring sin is just as deadly to us.
· 1 Timothy 1:11 (ESV)— Paul concludes his digression by defining what “sound doctrine” consists of:
11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
· Some say that the gospel has nothing to do with the law; that Jesus did away with it on the cross.
o It is true that works of the Law cannot justify us. We can’t be saved by the Law.
o But the gospel doesn’t rob the law of its power or lower its legal standard.
§ The Law’s goodness still convicts us of our sin, restrains us from it, and guides us in godly living.
· What is sound will bring life and health to us. It builds us up. It builds the church up.
o What is sound for us doctrinally will conform with what is in the apostle’s teaching and the gospel.
o That is the deposit of faith that the Scripture and the apostles have given us: the gospel of Jesus Christ.
The gospel that Christ died for our sins and was raised to give us eternal life.
· That doctrine will always bring us health and life.
Conclusion
Conclusion
· John 16:13 (ESV)—Jesus commissioned the apostles to be his messengers and gave the Holy Spirit for the work.
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come.
· 1 John 4:6 (ESV)—The apostles’ teaching is therefore our dividing line, as John says:
6 We are from God. Whoever knows God listens to us; whoever is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the Spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
· The charge given to Timothy by Paul is the same mission we have today; stand firm in the truth
· We must be active in holding firmly to the truth by defying error in the body.
o But always in love with an aim toward their repentance and return to the truth.
· We are often subtly led to resent the Law because it is what condemns us.
o Paul teaches us that it is good because it condemns us and because it points us to our need for a Savior.
· If you love God today, do you think that He will be less lovely if you know him more? Absolutely not!
o He will only be more lovely. Commentator Philip Graham Ryken says:
There is beauty in the symmetry of God’s divine perfections: His justice is tempered with mercy; his majesty is counterpoised with humility. Then there is the beauty of the world that God has made.[1]
o He goes on to say:
The most beautiful man of all is Jesus Christ, who is God incarnate, the very Son of God. Jesus is not beautiful because of his physical appearance (see Isa. 53:2), but because of his perfect obedience to God, his sacrifice on the cross as a servant, and his glorious resurrection from the grave. Jesus is our beautiful Savior—“the radiance of God’s glory” (Heb. 1:3). And in Jesus, we ourselves are destined to become beautiful. This is the beauty of our salvation. God takes people who have been marred and scarred by sin—both our own sin and the sins of others—and starts to turn our lives into something beautiful, almost like a work of art.[2]
· What this church needs more of is sound doctrine. About God, about salvation, about ourselves, about good character, about the church, about family.
o All this, God has graciously provided for us in His Word.
[1]Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes, Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), 1094.
[2]Philip Graham Ryken and R. Kent Hughes, Exodus: Saved for God’s Glory (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Books, 2005), 1095.
