Command

In the middle of the carpet on the floor of the Oval Office, you’ll find the seal of the President of the United States featured prominently.

The Presidential seal has a bald eagle holding an olive branch in one foot and arrows in the other. The head of the eagle is facing toward the olive branch which symbolizes peace. It’s a popular myth that during wartime, the seal is switched out for one in which the eagle’s head is facing the arrows, which symbolize war.

That is, in fact, not accurate. As cool as I think that would be, it’s not so. To think about it being someone’s job to change out the seal from wartime to peacetime…to think about where they might store the extra carpet seals—I love that kind of stuff.

The truth of the seal is that Harry Truman decided the eagle’s head should face the olive branch for no particular reason.

In 1946, when British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was visiting President Truman, Truman explained, pointing to the President’s seal on the wall of the train car that he had chosen to have the eagle’s head turn to face the olive branch.

Churchill replied, “I think the eagle’s head should be on a swivel.”

Always clever, Churchill was on to something. He knew that the United States of America would be back and forth between wartime and peacetime for the totality of its existence.

For the Christian, there is, in this life, no vacillation between wartime and peacetime. We are at war, constantly. We don’t have the luxury of peace. Our enemy is relentless. He never lets up. He is always after the people of God, prowling around like a lion seeking some to devour.

Ephesians 6:12 NIV

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

We are in a battle. A spiritual war. It’d be great if we could just turn our heads and pretend we are at peace, but we don’t have the option. We are at war, and will be until Jesus returns and sets the whole world at rights. This is why we’re instructed to fight the good fight and to be on our guard. We must fit ourselves with the armor of God and prepare to engage in battle.

A crucial part of this is following the commands and orders we’ve been given—following them ourselves and passing them onto others.

>If you have your Bible (and I hope you do) please turn with me to 1 Timothy 6, beginning with verse 11.

Paul is wrapping up this letter to his friend, his co-laborer in Christ, his son in the faith. He knows this letter will be read aloud to the church in Ephesus. And by the inspiration and preservation of the Holy Spirit, the Church universal and through the ages are recipients.

Paul gives Timothy (and the Church) a list of commands. As an apostle of Christ Jesus (1 Timothy 1:1), Paul has the right and the authority to give commands, commands Timothy needs to follow and pass on; commands you and I need to follow and pass on.

In verse 11, Paul is calling for a contrast. Timothy is, the church he’s pastoring in Ephesus is, and the Church is to look differently and behave differently than the false teachers and their ilk.

1 Timothy 6:11 NIV

11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.

In contrast to the false teachers who are after a form of godliness or the appearance of godliness because they believe it will profit them financially, in contrast to those who withhold honor from slaves and masters, elders and widows, Timothy and all who follow Christ are to behave differently. This we know.

Paul addresses Timothy specifically (and the rest of us indirectly)—“But you, man of God...”

That should remind Timothy of the great honor that is his in Christ and yet, maybe hit him with a bit of a punch.

To be a follower of Christ is a great privilege, unlike any other privilege there is. To be His people, to be His treasured possession, to be chosen by Him—what a privilege! There is nothing, NOTHING that compares.

It’s also quite weighty to be a follower of Christ. It’s a high calling, a life of surrender and sacrifice; a daily taking up of your cross and following hard after Him. This is not to say it’s a burden, but living for Christ is not to be taken lightly or flippantly.

Notice the commands, the orders Paul gives to Timothy (and, by extension, to us):

1 Timothy 6:11–12 NIV

11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 12 Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

1 Timothy 6:20 NIV

20 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge,

FLEE. PURSUE. FIGHT. TAKE HOLD. GUARD. TURN AWAY.

Those sound like battle orders, don’t they? Paul instructs Timothy in how he should order his life and how the church should rightly behave.

We must:

Follow the Commands We’ve Been Given

Paul doesn’t speak with his own authority; as an apostle of Christ, he speaks as God’s messenger. God—and God alone—is our Master. He’s our Commander, as it were, the One who gives us our marching orders. “Onward Christian soldiers” and all that.

Paul charges Timothy “to keep this command”. It’s hard to know what “this command” refers to. I tend to think (along with a number of Bible scholars) that “this command” refers to everything Timothy has been called to do in this letter from Paul as well as everything commanded in God’s Word. It’s an all-encompassing phrase: “Do everything you know you should do.”

It’s like when we leave the kids with Grandma Terrie or Grandma Jan or Carla or Thad & Chancy or Tom & Tish. We tell them to behave themselves and to remember whose they are. The command to “behave themselves” encompasses all we expect of them, not just one particular command.

Of course, it means they are to make sure Thad and Tom behave, too.

1 Timothy 6:14 NIV

14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

FLEE. PURSUE. FIGHT. TAKE HOLD. KEEP THIS COMMAND. GUARD. TURN AWAY.

1 Timothy 6:20 NIV

20 Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge,

FLEE. PURSUE. FIGHT. TAKE HOLD. KEEP THIS COMMAND. GUARD. TURN AWAY.

These are the commands Timothy is to keep. He is to flee the temptation to be and do and teach what the false teachers around him are, to turn away from godless chatter. He’s to pursue godly characteristics and qualities (righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness), to fight the good fight, to be on guard, to take hold.

The Christian life is one in which, as we grow, we will learn to flee and turn away certain temptations and situations. It’s a call, at times, to fight; at other times, we must just be on guard.

Bottom line: it’s a summons to follow, to obey, to behave ourselves as we know we should.

It is a fight. It’s a good fight. It’s a fight for the gospel, for peace, for reconciled relationship between God and man and man and man. It’s a fight for the souls of others. It’s not that we fight this fight just for ourselves. We fight this fight, we follow the commands we’ve been given in order to see more and more people give their lives to Christ and escape eternal torment, eternal separation from God.

It’s a fight worth fighting—fight the good fight.

Think about where the battle is raging in your life—your marriage, your parenting, your relationships, your friendships, your emotions. Be encouraged from our text this morning; be encouraged to persevere, to keep going.

Jesus is coming back, and soon. And when He returns, there will be peace everlasting. Peacetime is coming. But for now, we have to fight.

FLEE. PURSUE. FIGHT. TAKE HOLD. KEEP THIS COMMAND. GUARD. TURN AWAY.

Some of those commands don’t sound like fighting; they sound like running away. But, make no mistake: sometimes running is a good strategy. Those who command troops during times of warfare call for retreat at times because it is the best strategy.

If I met a large 6’6”, 300-pound man in a dark alley, hand-to-hand combat might not be the best strategy. I can hold my own; I’m pretty scrappy and I’m stronger than I look. But, far and away the best strategy is to get out of there and quick (and I can run like the wind).

Where temptation, false teaching, materialism, slander, quarreling are concerned, the best option is to flee, to turn away. To run from sinful actions, sinful desires, sinful thoughts is fighting the good fight of faith. It is.

Kids, there is so much facing you. Sometimes the best option, the best strategy is to flee. To avoid. To turn away from doing what you know you shouldn’t do. Follow these commands: avoid sin and chase after righteousness and godliness.

When tempted to do anything, when pressured by your peers to join in, ask yourself: “Is this good? Is this something that would please God? What would Jesus have me do?

Follow these commands: avoid sin and chase after righteousness and godliness. FLEE. PURSUE. FIGHT. TAKE HOLD. KEEP THIS COMMAND. GUARD. TURN AWAY.

We follow the commands we’ve been given and we:

Pass-On the Commands to Others

When we come to verses 17-19, we might ask why Paul didn’t put these with verses 3-10. Paul just spoke about materialism and money. Why does he seemingly interrupt himself only to come back to money and riches now?

This is part of the fight. If Timothy and the believers in Ephesus are going to fight the good fight, they to be given commands to follow. Timothy needs his marching orders and he needs to realize he’s responsible for passing these orders on to others.

It’s like the commission Jesus gave His disciples:

Matthew 28:20 NIV

20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

We are to make disciples and teach them to obey everything Jesus has commanded. We don’t walk this Christian life for ourselves only. Part of our task is passing-on to others the same commands we are to follow.

Timothy is commanded to command:

1 Timothy 6:17–19 NIV

17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. 18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

Part of fighting the good fight of the faith is fighting for contentment. We are to flee materialism, to turn away from the false belief that God is a means to more stuff.

These are, in my opinion, some of the most beautiful verses in this letter. We who are rich in this present world (that’s you, friend)—we are to put our hope, not in wealth, but in God.

Timothy is to give them this reminder: everything we have is given to us by God for our enjoyment, but it’s not eternal; it’s not everlasting.

We are to enjoy what the material items the Lord has blessed us with, and part of that enjoyment is found in giving our riches away. Be rich in good deeds.

Part of the command is to lay up our treasures in heaven.

This life here and now, with all its tangible blessings and material blessings—cars, homes, phones, TVs, toys, video games, recreational items—this life here and now is just that. It’s the here and now.

The life that is truly life is the life to come. Life in the presence of God. Life lived forever with our Lord and Savior.

Paul’s command to Timothy is to command others, to pass this on to those in his care: live in such a way that you take hold of the life that is truly life.

If you’re living for this life, it will show. It will bear itself out. Your bank account will reflect it.

If you’re living for the life that is to come, the same will be true. It will bear itself out. It will be obvious. Your priorities, your checkbook will paint a clear picture.

Take hold of the life that is truly life.

Isn’t this the message we should be preaching? Isn’t that the command we should pass-on?

Do All This in the Power and Presence of God Almighty

I intentionally took the verses out of order, so that I could make this point last—the most important point.

We need to be careful, lest we think that the Christian life is checking off boxes on a list. “Okay, easy enough. Pastor Barrett told us to follow the commands we’ve been given and to pass-on the commands we’ve been given. Follow ‘em. Pass ‘em on. Got it. Let’s go. Let’s kick this pig!”

Paul is very careful to let Timothy know that he is making this charge, that he’s giving these commands in the sight of God and of Christ:

1 Timothy 6:13–14 NIV

13 In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you 14 to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ,

The only way Timothy can follow these commands, the only way he can pass-on these commands, is by the power and presence of God—who gives life to everything—and by the power and presence of Christ Jesus, and the strength that is in Him.

God is with you. The Creator and Sustainer of all things is on your side. That’s the source of the power you need to be able to follow and pass on the commands we’ve been given.

The Savior who died for you stands beside you in battle. He stands, at this moment, interceding on your behalf. The victory is won. We know how all this turns out! Jesus, the King, the Victor, Our Substitute, is coming again. We walk in His strength, in His victory until He returns.

As the battle rages on, when you feel overwhelmed, interrupt yourself from time to time with this doxology:

1 Timothy 6:15–16 NIV

15 which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, 16 who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.

Sometimes—okay, a lot of the time—what we need is a reminder, a momentary pause to recapture sight of who God is.

He is sovereign over absolutely everything. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords—no one is His equal. He is immortal, from everlasting to everlasting; nothing is going to surprise Him or catch Him unaware. He is Holy, Holy, Holy. No one can fathom His greatness or begin to describe Him. All words fail. With a thousand tongues and a thousand lifetimes, we’d never get at who He is, how great He is. He deserves all praise, honor, and might, forever and ever and ever.

Do All This in the Power and Presence of God Almighty

The last words of this letter are a powerful reminder of just this. Paul concludes this note to his friend with five beautiful words: Grace be with you all.

It’s grace—the only power we have is given us by grace.

It’s grace—our ability to follow and to pass-on is dependent upon grace.

Grace be with you all.

Follow the Commands We’ve Been Given. Pass-On the Commands to Others. Do All This in the Power and Presence of God Almighty.

>We are in a battle, this is true. Our Master and Commander has given us our orders. We must fight. But we fight from a position of victory. Our ultimate triumph is secured because Jesus has conquered sin and death.

We’re going to close this sermon and this sermon series through 1 Timothy by singing a song, with important words to remember as we “fight the good fight.”

The second verse of Martin Luther’s hymn is a fitting conclusion to this letter:

“Did we in our own strength confide, Our striving would be losing; Were not the right Man on our side, The Man of God’s own choosing: [You] ask who that may be? Christ Jesus, it is He; Lord Sabaoth His Name, From age to age the same, And He must win the battle.”

Let’s stand and sing in grateful praise to Almighty God!