1 Timothy 1:18-20
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Illustration- A Failure.
Illustration- A Failure.
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king’s horses and all the king’s men
Couldn’t put Humpty together again.
The bigger you are the harder you fall.
Joshua Harris
“The information that was left out of our announcement is that I have undergone a massive shift in regard to my faith in Jesus. The popular phrase for this is “deconstruction,” the biblical phrase is “falling away.” By all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian, I am not a Christian. Many people tell me that there is a different way to practice faith and I want to remain open to this, but I’m not there now.”
Hesitant to use this as an illustration because of how heart breaking this is, but it really captures what Paul is warning against here in these verses.
This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight,
Paul mentions here a command that he has given Timothy. That really draws us back to what Paul has previously told Timothy.
In the previous 17 verses Paul has laid out what should be timothy’s greatest goal and work in Ephesus.
And what is evident in the first 17 verses and really the rest of the book is Paul’s love.
Three things Paul loves supremely.
Paul loves Christ and He has a reason to.
Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all. Yet for this reason I found mercy, so that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might demonstrate His perfect patience as an example for those who would believe in Him for eternal life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.
I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. Yet I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief; and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, among whom I am foremost of all.
This is not a poetic rambling where he is just trying to fill space in a letter. Every Word that Paul is writing here is inspired by God and I believe is a reflection of Paul’s thankful.
Paul loves Jesus, because Jesus has loved Him. The application point here being, true believers love Jesus because Jesus has loved them. They have a desire for Jesus. To be like Jesus. To walk with Jesus.
Do you? Do you love Jesus?
Can you honestly say you love Christ? Are you loving him well?
Secondly,
Paul loves Timothy.
He calls him his child in the opening of this letter and here again in verse 18 he calls him his child again.
Paul loves Timothy. He has invested His life into Timothy. He has made a disciple, and now he is sending him out, but he isn’t doing this without keeping some kind of contact with him.
Paul is writing a letter to someone he loves to encourage him in the faith. Keep that context in mind throughout the letter. Paul loves Timothy too much to leave him un-encouraged.
And I’ve mentioned this before but its worth mentioning again.
Who is your Timothy? Nominating Committee strategy this time.
In whose life are you investing?
And we have many excuses for why we can’t do this, but none of them are good enough.
Well you know I’m not around that many people.
Paul is writing from a distance in an period of time where communication is not exactly what we have today, but he knows that Timothy needs help.
He is writing a letter. From a distance.
Paul’s desire is that ministry goes on and the church thrive regardless of whether he is there or not. He desires that Timothy succeed.
.
Older members, Let me ask you a pointed question: Do you desire that the younger people in this church succeed in leadership? Do you desire that this church thrive long after you are gone?
I pray that your answer is yes there, and if it is, then the follow up question is: What are you doing in their lives to ensure that?
We use our phone all the time for all kinds of different things and the majority of times its self serving, but do we use it for the advancement of the kingdom. We have to think in these ways if we are believers.
Paul loved Timothy. Who are you loving?
Thirdly, Paul loved the church.
He is writing to Timothy, because he loved the church in which Timothy was serving.
Paul didn’t just love one church, he loved the Church. Every genuine body of believers, Paul loved them. Did some of these churches have problem? Yes the majority of them did. That’s what he wrote his letters about.
He wrote to address their problems, but he did not dismiss them as irrelevant to him because thats not where he went to the church. (Heart breaking last night hearing of a church in our area struggling). It doesn’t matter if that church isn’t where I’m a member. It matter because that is a local body of believers for whom Christ died. We should love the church.
Do you love the church like Paul did? Do you desire to see every church around us flourish in faithfulness for the kingdom of God?
Paul loved the church.
And his love for Christ, His love for Timothy, and His love for the church, provokes what he is about to write next.
This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight,
The command here he is referencing is fighting against the false doctrines.
But now he calls Timothy when things get difficult and the assumption is that they will, Timothy must remember his calling.
Later in the letter he will reference this again
Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery.
We are not told when or given an account in Scripture when exactly Timothy’s calling and commissioning happened, but suffice it to say, Timothy’s calling was supernatural. It involved prophecy. It involved a group of elders laying their hands on him and confirming him in the ministry.
Paul pleads with Timothy, “Remember your calling. Use them as your motivation and driving force in this fight.”
And then
Fight.
Fight the good fight.
When we think of the word fight, it may be helpful to consider definitions here.
We normally thing of this definition: to take part in a violent struggle involving the exchange of physical blows or the use of weapons.
to
Another definition- to engage in battle or war.
Timothy is walking into a place where spiritually, he is will have to make war. He will have to battle daily.
Timothy is not walking into a place where it will be easy for him. It won’t be a vacation for Timothy
He will have to fight hard for the truth.
He will have to fight hard against people who seek to dissuade and distract from the truth.
Paul for the love of Christ, for the love of Timothy, and for the love of the church, Paul says “Fight!!” Timothy When you feel like giving up, consider your calling consider who called you.
Church, Satan’s attacks on the church and pastor and church members are real. It’s a fight.
And its not just pastors and church leaders who engage in the fight,
Yes, Paul tell Timothy to fight, but he isn’t the only one in Ephesus who is called to fight.
Paul tell the whole church of Ephesus.. Every SAINT-
Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, so that you will be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm.
Are we fighting? Do you struggle in faith? If you aren’t struggling, it probably means you aren’t fighting.
If your spiritual walk is secondary to the rest of your life? You may not be struggling a whole lot.
In fact, Im convinced Satan has no problem with you coming to church on Sunday if the Word of God and Christ has no impact on your life the rest of the week.
Why would he care about cultural Christianity?
Why would he spend his time attacking people who claim to be Christ’s and live like they are his?
IT may not be a struggle to you if this is the case.
If you are just giving in to sin instead of fighting it? It probably doesn’t feel like a fight to you.
Killing sin and seeking to live for the glory of God is a fight. The question is: Are you fighting?
Paul tells Timothy, Fight.
And our tendency
Next He tells Him to keep the faith and good conscience.
We have heard this before and we will hear it again.
But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
Then about deacons and the men they are to be.
but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience.
Faith and a good conscience go together.
Keep the faith means be obedient to Scripture. Seek to live your life as a believer according to the Word of God.
This is more than coming to church on Sunday.
This more than that. Its more than well you know I’m doing the best I can.
This may surprise you, but God doesn’t tell us to do the best we can. He never lowers his standard to our ability.
He says, “Be holy for I am holy.”
We are to live our lives according to God’s Word.
In other words, Paul encourages Timothy. Fight the fight of faith. Be obedient to God. Please God. Do His Word Teach His word and be obedient and what will inevitably flow from that, is a clear conscience.
Essentially, Paul is telling Timothy. BE HOLY. Stand Firm.
Even if some won’t.
Look what he goes on to say in verse 19.
keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.
To live opposing God and His word is proof that one do not have faith.
Paul implores Timothy. Keep the faith.
Do not be like those who abandon the faith and thereby prove that they are not of us.
Paul references men that have:
Rejected the faith.
These men
Rejected a good conscience.
Literally, they have crashed the ship. Their faith is said to be shipwrecked. They have fallen away.
And here is where we must be clear.
Those who “fall away” fall into the category of unbelieving. They are not believers who now don’t. They are unbelievers falsely proclaimed to be believers.
That is, they have not yet trusted in Christ. They may have made a profession of faith. but they were NEVER united to Christ.
They fit into a category of people John describes in 1 John.
They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so that it would be shown that they all are not of us.
Those who walk away and live outside of Christ were never truly in Christ at all.
How do I know this? Whenever we come to passages like this in Scripture, it is important that we look at the clear teaching of Scripture.
Jesus is abundantly clear in :
“All that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out. “For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. “This is the will of Him who sent Me, that of all that He has given Me I lose nothing, but raise it up on the last day.
If Jesus saves someone, they will be saved.
For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
If someone is in Christ, there is no condemnation.
Paul again is abundantly clear in Philippians.
For I am confident of this very thing, that He who began a good work in you will perfect it until the day of Christ Jesus.
Paul says here that some have rejected, but he goes on to say what he does to these men.
Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.
Wait a minute, I thought Paul loved Christ , Timothy, and the church, and he handed them over to Satan???
Essentially what happens here is that these men have been excommunicated from the church.
They have been disciplined by the church for the purpose of restoration.
In other words, these men by their lifestyle have proven that they are not in Christ, so Paul does not allow them to continue as a part of the congregation.
The hope that this act of discipline will reveal their need for Christ.
Allowing them to continue within the body of the church, to call themselves members of the church while they are living outside and in opposition to the will of God is not loving.
It is not loving to have people within the church thinking they are genuine believers and united in membership here if they by their lifestyle are opening denying Christ and actively and continuously living in sin.
Paul says it this way with regard to someone in the Corinthian church.
I have decided to deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of his flesh, so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.
Delivering one over to Satan essentially is saying that Paul is making it clear to them whose side they are on.
It is the church saying very clearly AND PRACTICALLY what John says in
If we say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth;
The wording here in 1 John is important.
The idea of walking in sin is a continual unrepentant living in sin with no desire for the things of Christ and His Word.
We aren’t talking about someone wh
These are people who when confronted in their sin don’t repent but continue in it.
They are proving where they are. Paul is saying he won’t allow them to continue in the body of the church as those who living in the sin of blasphemy.
Now, it is important to remember that the goal of any discipline is correction!
Do I like to discipline my little girls? No but I love them enough to do it. I desire that they be restored, that they be corrected.
Discipline hopes for restoration. That’s the goal.
:15
You also should understand that discipline normally hurts. But it is for our good.
Paul knows this and does this because he loves Christ and the church.
So how should this work?
Jesus outlines this in
“If your brother sins, go and show him his fault in private; if he listens to you, you have won your brother. “But if he does not listen to you, take one or two more with you, so that by the mouth of two or three witnesses every fact may be confirmed. “If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
In other words, there is a process. Church Discipline happens through a process. We mistake it as the final step.
Why on earth would Paul write this in his letter?
Because he loves Christ.
He desires to be obedient to him.
Because he loves the church.
He desires the purity of the church.
Because He loves Timothy.
He desires that Timothy not fall like these men.
Do you love Christ? Are you following him with your life? Then it will be a fight.
Do you love your Timothy? Then you will pour your life into them to help them not fall.
Do you love the church as you ought? Then join it, serve it, love God’s people, welcome the accountability that comes with it. Give your life to it.
