Sermon: Use Law & Gospel Properly to Steward the Gospel & not Shipwreck your Faith
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Dear Congregation of our Lord Jesus Christ,
Last week as Gurret visited, considered the need not only to plant churches, like ours congregation 40 years ago, but his in the last decade among the Afar, or like what we were attempting to do as Classis in Pickering; we can be so fixated on building up numbers, programs, or a staff, or facilities, or worship style or team, that we lose sight of our basic calling. We saw this in context of the NT church, , in Ephesus, city slightly larger than our city of Barrie, church visited by Paul and Timothy on second missionary journey in 50 AD established by them on 3rd missionary journey - Paul and Timothy first Christians on European Continent, but returned and 2 1/2 years, hugely important port city, 4th most important Roman city in the world. But remember Paul and Timothy go to Jerusalem, then in prison in Rome. 10 years go by - congregation has changed. Whole environment has changed, kind of like our culture is changing. Paul released two years before but now Nero is burning Christians , blaming fire on them, he is going to imprison and behead Paul shortly. Further as we saw in book of Jude and we know in earlier letter to Galatians, pressure from outside false teachers, Jewish gnosticism, asceticism, antilaw - deeper spirituality. And last week we saw this letter is partly written to confront a tidal wave of false teaching now within the church - some posing as teachers of the law.
Well, we saw that is the context of the pastoral letters, Paul wrote to Titus,in Crete and Timothy in Ephesus, he knows his time is short, he feels it’s a miracle these house church communities have survived the onslaught,so threatened, and he feels the urgency to make sure heart of gospel minsitry happening and upheld from generation to generation. So he sends not only directions in a letter, but apiece of his heart, all with the goal of what?
nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.
That’s a word like edification, but not edification of individual believers though it includes that, but edifice, the building up of a a home, household, God’s household, the administration of His grace in a community’s life. When we are not busy about that - we are just doing busy work. But when we are passionate about stewarding the gospel in each other lives, and in this world - look at what the telos, aim, the end result we’ll be heading toward:
The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
Tonight it is our task to see how Paul instructs Timothy to show up and do that in Ephesus. He instructs you and me how to do that here. And remember the stakes, after they forget Timothy years later, John has to show up and remind them again. After John is exiled, church lost its first love again, Jesus has to speak to John in visino from heaven.
Step 1: Expose a Wrong Use of the Law
Now honestly how could anyone be against law? We all intuitively know at the foundation of this universe life can only function with law, God orders and regulates, and sets boundaries, and when those are ignored transgressed problems, when they are kept there is order, beauty and goodness. Paul says as much about God’s moral law too in the book Romans. The law is good the problem isn’t with it itself. NO because of sin, and God pushing away, denying, twisting ways, its our use of the law that is the issue our relationship to it.
This is what Paul means by using the law lawfully, he is saying our first step in stewarding the gospel is a right use of the law. And these false teachers sure talk about law , but they don’t use it rightly. For them God’s torah, God law about myths genealogies, they refer to the law as some nice stories and principles, analogies and stories to get them on the right spiritual track. IE recently heard a sermon talk of Paul’s values, as if not giving commands from the LORD, and of his “advice for contemporary problems like the definition of marriage and “ Recently read a book where law is just what Spirit nudged old cultures to do, but no new culture new nudging from the spirit we make up new laws for our time. The only enduring laws are tolerance and acceptance of one another.
Well the problem with this use and relationship to God the law, is the great irony of
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,
Paul isn’t saying that the moral law doesn’t apply to believers any more, but those truly justified and in right relationship with God, though they aren’t justified by their law-keeping, nor can they e condemned by any of their lawbreaking; they still must have a gospel use of the law, but what Paul is saying here, we could put in “quotation marks”. The problem with the so-called teachers of the law is that they don’t think they are lawless and disobedient, that they are sinners who are out of step with God’s law. Paul is using the word righteous like Jesus does in
And when Jesus heard it, he said to them, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”
Any group or teaching in Christ’s church that says, we don’t need the law, we are no longer law but grace means that the law condemns no one; has a big problem and won’t be driven to the true gospel . Attack on antinomians. God uses his law, whether we read in Scripture or just in our conscience, to scream out that there are locked doors in this universe that God says - don’t do it - we need that restraint . And the first working of the Holy Spirit is to give the conviction using the law not only as a locked door, but as a mirror that hols up how we are out of step with God before us. says the world stands condemned already,
describes this dynamic of God’s response to all our sin like this:
For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who by their unrighteousness suppress the truth.
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
And the second use of the law is not just to show us locked doors, but to hold up before us that we are convicted by God. That’s a work of the Holy Spirit jesus promised would happen:
And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment:
And Paul is saying when the church no longer talks about God’s law as really binding on us, when they no longer reveal what holiness and sin are about, then we no longer think we are real sinners in need of salvation that we can’t earn. And the understanding is that those these false teachers of the law, have their stories, and have their new view of being spiritual, have own rules and lifestyle - they aren’t reaching the goal of a pure heart and of good conscience.
So Paul gives a ten item list about God’s law - ever heard of such a list before? And look they just so happen to line up with the 10 Commandments God gave Israel and the world as a summary of his moral law.
Some seem a little extreme. But hey do we have any extreme sinners here tonight? Can’t stay that way, but have any of that in your life, Paul says in many of us pretty bad track record, all of us sinners, and some the rest of society would say you’re unrighteousness really bad. Not a club, hospital!
And Paul shows that all of this is contrary to the life that the glorious gospel of the blessed God,
in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
but the law must do its work of convicting us, if the gospel is be treasured, stewarded and used in our life here. So Timothy and we ourselves are charged to watch out for this false teaching, and correct it among those tempted by it, to ignore God’s law, to down play its convicting work.
But by the time we get to the end of this chapter, there is another charge in
And that br
This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,
Timothy, young as he was was ordained with the laying on of hands, sent out by the church with the gospel message,Many times first to Thessalonica, when Paul was forced to leave, then to Corinth, he had served as an apostolic envoy, and timid though his personality was, weak as his physical presence seems to be, he was given the charge not only to uphold the force of the law , but much more specifically to uphold the super-abounding power of the gospel. With all the controversy about aestheticism, myths, genealogies, the gospel, the plain old simple pure gospel was a bore compared to all the other speculations. Has it become like that to you? And so we can thank Paul and the Holy Spirit for how the second step is stewarding the gospel is driven home!
Step #2 Magnify a Gospel Use of the Law
Once the law has beaten us up, don’t have to dwell excessively on this for most people as we usually have a functioning conscience and God’s word and Spirit make this kind of guilt, uneasy, clear. But when someone not only has this sense of accountability to God, and unease, but is actually led to believe that there is something more than law with God. When they are presented with the gospel of grace in Christ, a glimmer of hope sparks in your soul - there’s away to approach God that just might work might avail for me.
This is what Paul wants timid Timothy young, newly arrived again, to realize his commission into someone else life is all about. He wants him to see when you reach out with the gospel - it is actually God’s strength working against all the opposition not just your own. why church not stamped out. May be flickering, but gospel presentation with Spirit’s presence - flame into from ember to roaring flame again, if you can get people to believe and experience that their is a grace in Jesus that is greater than all their sin. Do you believe that. Do you offer that to others?
I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service,
Listen carefully, it may be true that those in settled unbelief, a deliberate rejection of the faith, like at least two of these false teachers, need to be handed over to Satan, shown that they are not yet in the faith or the fellowship. But Paul recounts his own history to show there is hope for the biggest sinners. Those who blaspheme and rebels against God, - but like those Jesus was praying for they do so acting ignorantly in unbelief. Doesn’t mean that the ignorance is an excuse, but a description of living in a condition of not knowing about the grace of the Messiah.
Paul freely acknowledges that he had blasphemed God even though religious. But even more in Paul’s case he is going to say God chose him as the first and chief of sinners. Is he exaggerating? Maybe more heinous and deliberate sins, but God raised him up as an example of one attacking Jesus and his Way of Grace. And do you remember what happened, God had to use the Risen Son Himsaelf to communicate the gospel, But God took the initiative and look how Paul describes that event in his life:
and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.
That word is actually too superly abundantly overflowed to me, hyper flowed, this grace that included a faith and a a love that the Holy Spirit flood my soul with.
Churches that just preach the law, or just preach our version of a spiritual law, practices, morality, missing the heart of both the OT and NT - law was part of the covenant yes, but not at the heart of it:
Think of Numbers - ark of the covenant, with what in it it. but what’s on t op those angels, angels who can’t understand mercy like you and me, just work by justice, staring at what mercy seat, the blood splattered. there. Then think of the New Testament the tomb of the women came too - what is there two angels where head and the foot . Staring at what - sacrifice is gone - risen - Why going out to that world - get the grace, forgiveness, the faith and love - those gifts, to the world, going ascended receive power of the Holy Spirit to give to the church so this super abounding reality of grace - conquer the world.
We are all to have a testimony that - God met me in the wilderness, in myself sin, failure, - but whether young or old, God came to me - he has strengthened me, I was convicted and confessed, But here is the heart of the covenant of grace, I recieved mercy, even for the greatest of sins - and instead of unbelief, this faith and this love flowed over to me! Do you have this simple tag line as the summary of your existence? Can you say that God in mercy has strengthened you, that he reconciling you, is transforming you with this new faith and this love?
And Paul rises to the height of eloquence either quoting what church proclaimed, the basic, the foundation, or his own summary - here is a trustworthy saying - bank on this I’m going to be gone , but you need this tag line:
The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.
And why?
And why?
But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life.
Perfect patience is unending patience, do people know that about you - God promised never give up on you. before golden calf this part of God’s nature not completely seen. But after Moses intercession God’s action to go on with faltering people - because of intercession - reveals his glory as the patient God.
The Lord passed before him and proclaimed, “The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness, keeping steadfast love for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, but who will by no means clear the guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers on the children and the children’s children, to the third and the fourth generation.”
Doesn’t that fill you with new hope for yourself, God wont give you on you, your life your progress through all the stumbles and falls, is God’s #q exhibit to show what his patience is like! You can sing Oh, no you never let go!
Doesn’t that fill you with new hope for yourself, God wont give you on you, your life your progress through all the stumbles and falls, is God’s #q exhibit to show what his patience is like! You can sing Oh, no you never let go!
There is an end to God’s patience outside of Christ, anger and accountability consume us. But in Christ is another story… This is also what Paul taught in
t of thThis is also what Paul taught in
but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.
On our Israel trip as the day began each morning we could begin by reciting Shema Israel… tag line. Do you know any tag lines like that. stop, drop, roll!
Paul says he Timothy, you and me called into service in Christ’s church and we need words like this. Echo in our hearts when facing situations. Faithful and true words, used when Christ speaks to his church in
And he who was seated on the throne said, “Behold, I am making all things new.” Also he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”
III. Wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience!
This passage concludes with what Paul now expects timid Timothy to do in light of the false teaching influencing some, requiring warning v.3 , but having shipwrecked others who in rebellious unbelief are teaching another gospel in the church. He names only too that hardened in false teaching. But what I want you to feel is that the issue isn’t so much that they are pressing the wrong rules or wrong approach to spirituality, but that their approach has short circuited the gospel. As a result they want people in the church to follow teaching, and do practices lots of busy work - but what they don’t get to because they don’t have a proper use of the law that leads to the gospel - is that they don’t have holding to the faith in Jesus and a good/sound conscience.
There are some who think faith, religion, Christianity, is a boutique religion - just individually take ideas practices that make you feel nice, like - just browse … Paul is saying, no Jesus commands all people every where to repent and to believe. This results in a third use of the law, not just some locked doors, nor just a mirror, but railroad tracks after we are saved, good conscience, , rigors gone, and this is what Paul means when he uses one other key phrase, repeated 14x in the Pastoral Epistles:
the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.
The gospel has to be the grounds for the sound teaching, pattern of belief and living of the apostolic teaching. Paul is not anti-l;aw as some accused him, he applies the law to sins of the day including homosexual practice, human trafficking slave trading of the Roman culture. And we too first grounded in the gospel but then transformed down the railroad tracks of not only apostolic faith but practice! The law are guide tracks, upheld as become like Jesus, motivated to please God for his glory out of love.... rigors of law relaxed, not performance, inner intent intensified… but by gospel use, gospel hold faith and good conscience.