1 Timothy 1:12-20

Intro

Good Morning First Baptist. Everybody freezing this morning? Yeah, it’s cold, might ice sometime today. Anyways, before we really jump in, I want to say thank you Church Family for letting me fill in when Randy is out. Randy is doing well, he is recovering. He had surgery and he’ll be out for a couple weeks. Everything is fine, I’m told if you would like to do anything for them, pray for a speedy recovery, maybe shoot him a text. They did say they are good on food. He is doing good I know he wishes he could be here this morning, but he’ll be back not next Sunday, but the Sunday after.

But I want to say thanks to you Church Family and to Pastor Randy for letting me step in to the pulpit. Every time I can get in the Pulpit I am thankful. So thank you.

Also, I know we have put it out on Social Media but if you have not seen it, LL and I are having a little Girl in May. A lot of you have reached and congratulated us, so I just want to say thank you!

Alright so,

I want to talk a person no none of you in here know. His Name is Rusty Barnes Jr. None of you know him name, and that is okay you don’t have to know his name. Rusty was my middle and high school Sunday School teacher. He went on just about every youth trip, event, everything we did as a youth group, Rusty was there, he was a staple in the youth group. I learned a good bit from Rusty, and not like any complex theological topics, Rusty was a regular guy. What we learned from Rusty was how to be a regular everyday Christian. How to daily wake up and rely on Christ. We learned consistency. Rusty did a lot of things with us, Youth Camp, Youth Retreats, Ski Trips. He headed up Church softball, he one of the reasons that I am in to softball. Guys who played with us this past year, Rusty hit dingers, he hit bombs. But we learned what a normal, consistent christian looked like.

A lot of times we look up to the big name guys, John Piper, Charles Spurgeon, Russell Moore, CS Lewis, guys with names people know. And yes, those big name guys can have a big impact on our Christian walk but I want you to think about your life though, I’ wager most of us in here were not lead to the feet of Jesus by one of the big name people. We were lead to the feet of Jesus by a normal regular, faithful, everyday Christian who wanted to see people come to know the Lord. It’s okay you don’t know Rusty’s name — Christ does. Rusty entered into glory Wednesday January 5th, he is presently with Father, he was 44, Rusty was faithful, Rusty knew what it meant to be the church.

We had Rusty’s funeral Friday. I had the privilege of playing in the worship band at his funeral, we played a few different songs, but one of the songs that we played was Blessed Assurance.

This Passage that we are going to look at this morning is this song. It might not have any of the lyrics, the song wasn’t inspired by this passage that I know of, but this passage is our story, and this passage is our song. This is what we need to be singing, all the day long.

Context

So let’s get in to it, we are in 1 Timothy 1:12-20, so if you have a bible go ahead and turn with me to 1 Timothy 1:12, if you didn’t bring a bible there is one in the pew right there, just go on and grab that, if you didn’t have a bible at the house to bring this morning, go ahead and grab that bible and take it on with you. We can buy more bibles. We want you to be able to have the word with you.

So, 1 Timothy, we just started in this book last week to start the new year off, and the lens we are looking at this through is this idea of be the church, which is just a one of the phrases we try to end each service with, we do it in here, and ew do it every Wednesday night to close out Student worship. What we say is, You didn’t come to church, you are the church, so go and be the church. Be the church.

So what we are looking at here in 1 Timothy is how are we the church, how do we go and be the church.

If the church is not a place, what is the church.

What is the church for?

That is what Paul is writing to Timothy about, how does the church work. What is the point of the church. It is a really good turn of phrase, but what does it mean you are the church, so go and be the church?

Last week we looked at what the first 11 verses of this letter, basically, the church is to safe guard the teaching of the church, to steward the gospel well. To know what you know and why, to keep the gospel of Christ uncorrupted from false teaching and false teachers.

Paul is going to expand on this in this passage, he is talking about Christ’s mission and subsequently, what our mission is. What go and be the church means. So that is how we are going to look at today’s passage and how the rest of the book is going to be looked at.

So, 1 Timothy 1:12-20 is where we are going to be this morning, so before we read it, let’s pray for our time in the word this morning.

pray

okay, here we go, 1 Tim. 1:12-20, ya’ll read this with me. Whole thing then we are going to look at it in chunks. So read this with me.

1 Timothy 1:12–20 ESV

12 I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service, 13 though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent. But I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, 14 and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. 15 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. 16 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. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. 18 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, 19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, 20 among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

The Church is made of Broken People v 12-14

Alright, so what is going on here? What is Paul trying to say to Timothy and what does it say to us today as the church?

Let’s look at these first two verse 12 and 14.

Paul first gives thanks to Christ, he is telling Timothy that there is nothing we can do in our own power. Paul gives Timothy a look back at what Paul used to be, and what Paul is now, and what has changed is Christ has come to Paul. Paul is different person because of Christ. Paul says he was one way now he is not. He was an enemy of the church now he is considered faithful. He is making is very clear to Timothy, it is not Paul, but Christ. And because of this, Christ has appointed Paul to service. From Blasphemer to blessed.

And what we need to see here from this is that Paul’s story is not unique. This is all our story. We all are all enemies of God until Christ comes and saves, gives us a new heart, changes our will, changes our desires. There is nothing we can do with out Christ. This is all our story,

So the first thing we need to see here in this passage, what does this tell us about the church? it tells us, The Church is made up of Broken people, so if you are note taker, or writing things down, write this down. The Church is made up of broken people.

So we have this bowl at the house, it was a mixing bowl that I had gotten LL for Christmas one year, it was the same bowls they use on downtown abby. Any ways this bowl broke, straight up in half. and instead of throwing it away, I’m gonna fix it. I have this stuff that will glue it back together but it will also have streaks of gold where the crack was. It wont be perfect, It wont be what it was originally designed for, but it will be made new. It will hopefully be restored.

The Church is made up of broken people.

All of us are sinners saved by grace through faith. All of us at one point did not have Christ and now we do. We were one way, and now we are another. This means the church is not going to be perfect. There are no perfect churches, because there are no perfect people. Only a perfect savior who saved broken people.

So what does this tell us about the church? We need to treat the church not as mine or yours, but as ours, that the church is a living breathing people, it is not a building but people called by God for his purpose.

And yes we have a building that we meet in, but this even tells us how we think of the building. This informs how we use the building, if we think of church as a people and not a place we will think differently about the place we meet. The building becomes a part of the ministry, the building takes on a new life. Stick with me, the building becomes less sacred and the people and what goes on becomes what is sacred. The building itself become a part of being the church. The church becomes a living breathing thing, call by God.

-------- And so what Paul is saying here in he was broken and now he is restored, he was one way, now he is another the people of God were broken and now restored. This is his story, this is my story, this is our story.

The Church is for Christ’ Mission & Glory v 15-17

So let’s keep going, let’s look at these next few verses, 15 through 17, read with me just verse 15, 1 Tim. 1:15

1 Timothy 1:15 ESV

15 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.

This the Gospel, this is one of the simplest explanations of the Gospel in scripture. It doesn’t get more plain than this. Christ came to save sinners. It doesn’t get more simple than this.

You ever had to explain what you do for work and the person doesn’t really get it? They ask and you’re like well I do this, I help with this, or I work for so and so, or I own my own business. and when you tell them you kinda get the stare? Like yeah, but what do you do? You know, — what is it you say you do here? — they’re not asking what your title is, they’re asking what is it that your job accomplishes? What is the goal of you job?

This is what Paul is saying to Timothy, this is the truest thing I can tell you, Christ came to save sinners, at the end of the day, that is why he came, that is what he says he does here, Christ came to save sinners. Then Paul doubles down on his testimony, and say, “of which I am the foremost” of which I am the biggest, I am the 2021 UGA defense of sinners. Christ came to save me, a sinner. Christ came to save us, sinners. Enemies of God, those in open rebellion of God, he came to save us. Church, if that was our Story, this is our song.

This is our hope, this is what we have to trust in. Christ came to save sinners and call his people.

So what does this say about being the church? read the next two verses. 1 Timothy 1:16-17

1 Timothy 1:16–17 ESV

16 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. 17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

This is a prayer, this is our prayer. This tells us what the church is for. The Church is for Christ’s Mission and Glory. If you’re writing things down, write that down. The Church is for Christ’s Mission and Glory.

So what is our Mission? If Christ came to save sinners? How do we play into that mission? Our mission is to point this world to Christ. and that starts right here in Gray and Jones County. We are to Point Jones County to Christ. All of us.

So normally when I talk to y’all, I’m the Student Pastor, but let me switch hats for a second and be your Missions Pastor. We are all, everyone of us, Missionaries. If you are a follower of Christ, congrats, you are now a missionary, how you live your life outside this building is being the church. We can be the church together and we can be the church individually through out the week. Some people are the hands, some people are the feet, when we gather, we are the body.

I want to read you some numbers, normally numbers aren’t my thing. Not a big number guy, numberin’ is hard to me, stats aren’t my thing. But I want you to hear these numbers and let them sink in. 6 out of 10 people in Jones County are unchurched. That’s not all of Georgia, that’s not ATL, that’s not Macon, that is Jones Co. 17,241 out of the 28,735 people in Jones county are Unchurched. That is 17,241 people who are going to bust Hell wide open if we are not doing everything we can do to point people to Christ. If we are not joining in Christ’s mission, if we are not being the church.

So we need to think differently, Covid has changed our world, like it or not, Covid has fundamentally changed things. Things are not the same as they were January 2020. We have to figure out how we can best serve our community in this brave new world. and I’m not saying the burden is solely on FBC Gray, there are other churches in Jones County, but we are the county seat church, we need to be leading in the mission.

A thing that I have learned from our mission partners in Boston, Life Community Church, is that they are so in their community, that when their town, Quincy, wants to do something community wide, they come talk to Life Community Church, a church of about 100 people. It is a church plant, a tenth the size of our membership role. The community comes and talks to them about how they can help. That is reflective of how well they love their community.

So the question that this is begging to be ask is, okay what do we do? Well, for starters, it starts right here. It starts with the Gospel. This prayer here in verse 16 and 17 is a joyful prayer of thanksgiving. Paul is celebrating the Gospel in his life. And that is what we need to do, starting off, we need to celebrate the Gospel. It is worth celebrating.

One of the things my professors and pastors in seminary drilled in to us was, the church replicates what is celebrates. What we celebrate in here as the body will be replicated in here and out there. So if we are still celebrating the days before Covid, we are going to be stuck there. The Gospel gives us reason to celebrate, Christ came to save us, Christ came and called us in to his mission for his glory.

The Gospel is our song. This our song, we need to be singing it. Caring for, discipling, loving each other and the community. That should be reflected in here, that should reflect our worship. When you come in here, what you do out there comes out in here, how you prepare for worship will show up here. If you are only interacting with God, with God’s word on Sunday morning from 9-12, that’s not going to do it. worship doesn’t stop at 12, worship is a posture our life takes.

We have to celebrate the Gospel, the church points this world to Christ. The Church is for the Mission and Glory of Christ.

The Church fights for the Gospel v 18-20

So let’s keep going, let’s read these last two verses here 1 Tim. 1:18-20

1 Timothy 1:18–20 ESV

18 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, 19 holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, 20 among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

Okay so what is going on here? Paul is telling timothy to stay strong. Don’t lose faith. Remember what is the main thing. Wage the Good Warfare.

So what does this tell us about being the Church? We are to fight for the Gospel. We are to wage the good warfare. But what is the good warfare? Are we to fight this world? well yes, but also no.

Tim Keller, the Pastor in New York City has this idea he talks about called the upside down kingdom. Basically the kingdom of God is an upside down kingdom. A kingdom when we look at history and how human nature works. The King is not for the enemy, but in the kingdom of God, the King has stepped off the throne and died in place of the enemy for the enemy. God flips our notions of power and turns them upside down. This is a really complex idea that I’m simplifying. We can look at this in this way.

Are we to fight this world? well sort of.

Christ has done the fighting for us, Christ has ultimately fought and won against sin and death. At the end of things Christ is King, if you remember our study of Revelation, Christ is the one who conquers. So what is this good war that we are to wage? In one aspect it is sin, there is not much we can do about the sin we see going on in our world, all the laws regulations, what have you will not stop sin form corrupting this world. We fight against our own sin, and sin in the church.

If we aren’t killing sin, sin will be killing us.

So it is not so much what we are fight against, but what we are fighting for. The Church fights for the Gospel. if you are writing things down, write that down. The Church fights for the Gospel. This is the main thing, this is what unites us. The Gospel is what draws us together. If we agree on the gospel, we can disagree about a number of other things and still be united. This is what the gospel does.

Timothy is fighting against corruption and false teaching in the church at Ephesus. We are going to look more about this next week, but Timothy is fighting against all kinds of things going on in the church at Ephesus.

So as we fight in this way, we need train like a fighter would train, strengthening our minds as well as our hearts. We have to be able to give a defense. read good books, strengthen you mind about the scriptures.

We have to know what the gospel is and what the gospel isn’t, we have to fight as timothy was, that the gospel would remain uncorrupted.

Look at verse 19-20 1 Tim. 1:19-20 “19 By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, 20 among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.”

This is pretty wild verse and we don’t have time to get in to everything going on here, but Paul says these guys Hymenaeus and Alexander have made a shipwreck of their faith. They lost their way, they didn’t make the the main thing the main thing, they let sin in and corrupt what they were charged with stewarding.

Think of the Titanic or really most shipwrecks, if you don’t navigate the4 waters well, they will toss you, they will wreck you. If you try to cross the Atlantic in row boat you are going to get wrecked. If you don’t navigate the waters well, you will get wrecked. If you get off course, you’re going to get wrecked.

Be the Church

So, what is the point of this, why are we talking about this this morning?

We have to be the church. Inside here as the church, we are a family. We need to remember this, because family is messy, but we are a family united by the gospel. If we can agree on the gospel, we can get though just about any other disagreement. The gospel is our song and we need to all be singing the same song.

Outside the church, we have to point the world to Christ, point this community to Christ. What we do in here, spills out to out there.

The Church isn’t stationary, the church has to go.

If you play sports or do anything that takes practice, you don’t practice just to practice, you practice to play the game. If you practice football you practice to play, unless maybe you are Georgia Tech.

But the Church isn’t here just to play church, we are here to be the church. Christ has called us out of darkness and in to light. for his mission and glory.

His Mission is to save sinners, our mission is lead people to the Savior.

So before we leave here this morning I want you to think about what it means to be the church. How can you go and be the church this week? If we aren’t going and being the church, then we stop being the church and the church is reduced to brick and mortar, it simply becomes a place. If we stop being the church, then we start merely coming to church.

For some of you in here, you have just come, and you may not know what it means to be a follower of Christ, you might consider yourself to be a Christian because we live in the south, and small town Georgia, and your family is Christian and your parents were Christians, but just saying you are Christian no more makes you a Christian than me saying I am an Atlanta Braves player. I can’t just say it and it be true. You can’t just say you are a Christin without being a follower of Christ. So ask yourself, who are you following? Do you know what it means to be a follower of Christ? Christ came to save sinners, Christ came to redeem and restore broken people. If you want to know what it means to be a follower of Christ come talk to me, talk to a friend, talk to one of my students, some of them know just as well as some of the adults in here. Talk to someone, come to Christ. Come know Christ as lord, come know Christ as king.

Y’all pray with me.

pray