Please turn in your Bibles this evening to I Timothy chapter 1 as we continue our study through the Word of God. As we begin this letter please understand that this is part of a group of letters known as “The Pastoral Epistles.” These 3 letters known as The Pastoral Epistles are: I Timothy, II Timothy and Titus and they were among the last letters that Paul wrote and thus, all that was important, all that was on his heart, the burden of his heart, he shares with Timothy and Titus who were leaders in the churches in Ephesus and on the Island of Crete respectively.
As the book of Acts closes, we are told, “Then Paul dwelt two whole years in his own rented house, and received all who came to him, preaching the kingdom of God and teaching the things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ with all confidence, no one forbidding him.” Acts 28:30-31. Paul was in prison in Rome, but that is not the end of the story for Paul. Paul was released from prison for a time since there were no real charges against him. During this time Paul revisited some of the churches he ministered to, including Ephesus and maybe traveling as far as Spain. While in Ephesus though, he sees that savage wolves came into the church and savage wolves rose up from within the church trying to bring in destructive heresy’s just as Paul warned them when he met with the Ephesian elders in Acts chapter 20. So they should have been on guard for this, but they were not even though they were warned. Thus, Paul tries to correct some of these errors and as he leaves the area he leaves Timothy in Ephesus to deal with the problems, to lead the people in the right direction. In a sense, he was their pastor.
Paul continued on to Macedonia where he wrote I Timothy and Titus in around 62-63 AD. In 64 AD Nero burned Rome and blamed the Christians for this devastation and by 66 AD, as the persecution against Christians grew, Nero had Paul arrested again and while in prison this time he wrote his final letter, II Timothy as he was preparing for his execution, which, according to tradition, occurred west of Rome on the Ostian Way in 67 AD as Paul was beheaded for his faith.
Timothy was the son of an unbelieving Greek father and a believing Jewish mother named Eunice and a believing Jewish grandmother named Lois, (Acts 16:1, II Timothy 1:5). This family lived in Lystra where Paul met them on his first missionary journey, (Acts 16:1), and it is possible that as Paul shared the Gospel message, Timothy received Jesus as his Lord and Savior. The reason I say that is Paul often speaks of being a spiritual father to Timothy.
Keep in mind that Timothy was a young man and he had his work cut out for him there in Ephesus. Thus, Paul writes Timothy this letter to encourage him, to equip him for the work that was before him. When I first moved up here from the Northwest suburbs of Chicago I received an 11-page letter from someone, unsigned, telling me that I should not be the pastor here in Manitowoc. Basically the letter was telling me to get out of town. Nice, warm greeting. As a young man, much like Timothy, I could have been discouraged, but I wasn’t because I knew that God had called me to Manitowoc to oversee this church and I have a godly pastor who not only equipped me for the work, but he is also an encourager in the work that God has called me to do. So ten years later I am still here doing what God has called me to do.
Who wrote this letter and the other Pastoral Epistles? Up until the nineteenth century and the rise or higher criticism, Paul was considered the author of these Pastoral Epistles. But no matter what these so called higher critics say, the evidence is overwhelming that Paul wrote these letters. We see second-century church Fathers, like Polycarp, Clement of Rome and Ignatius speak of Paul writing these letters. In the third-century we see Origen, Clement of Alexandria, and Tertullian quote passages from these epistles and stating that Paul wrote them. In trying to discredit the Bible people are discrediting their own work!
One last point before we move on and that is the theme of this letter, the purpose of Paul writing this letter to Timothy. In I Timothy 3:14-15 Paul said, “These things I write to you, though I hope to come to you shortly; but if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.” You see, things must have been out of order and Paul wants Timothy to get things back to the way they were. Thus, Paul will share regarding “public worship, the selection and qualifications of church leaders, the pastor’s personal life and public ministry, how to confront sin in the church, the role of women, the care of widows, and how to handle money . . .” (John MacArthur). Besides that there are many other practical points that Paul shares with Timothy and Titus as we will see over the next few months.
What we tend to see today in the church, instead of looking at these letters on how we are to conduct ourselves in church, how the church is to function, many look to I Corinthians where we see the gifts of the Spirit being exercised. But listen to how Paul rebuked them for their disorder and you will see that is not how the church is to function. I am not saying that the gifts are not to be seen in church, but there is an order to it, not disorder!
Paul, in I Corinthians 14:26-33 tells us, “How is it then, brethren? Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification. If anyone speaks in a tongue, let there be two or at the most three, each in turn, and let one interpret. But if there is no interpreter, let him keep silent in church, and let him speak to himself and to God. Let two or three prophets speak, and let the others judge. But if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged. And the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets. For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints.”
Folks, the gifts of the Spirit are in operation when I teach. There is the gift of prophecy as I speak forth the Words of God, sometimes a word of wisdom, a word of knowledge and-so-on. But it is done decently and in order. Thus, let’s begin reading in I Timothy chapter 1, starting in verse 1 and let’s see what the Lord has for us as we learn how the church is to function and how we are to conduct ourselves in church or as we gather together to worship God.
VERSE 1
Paul, right up front, says that he is an apostle, not by his own efforts or will but by the commandment of God. He lays out his credentials and his authority, why? Because Timothy is dealing with heresy in the church and if they don’t believe him, this letter will or should settle the matter.
Paul links God the Father and Jesus together in giving this command and once again, as the Scriptures teach, the deity of Jesus Christ. And this plan of salvation by God the Father and carried out by God the Son, Jesus, the second person of the Holy Trinity, gives us hope for the future because of what Jesus has done in the past, saving us from our sins by paying in full the penalty for our sins.
VERSE 2
We have talked about Timothy already in our introduction, but notice that Paul calls him “a true son in the faith” which may indicate that Timothy was born again, saved through the ministry of Paul.
In Paul’s two letters to Timothy Paul adds mercy to grace and peace. First of all grace speaks of getting what we don’t deserve, God’s unmerited favor, unmerited love upon us. Mercy speaks of not getting what we do deserve, death. And peace speaks of a peace with God that is only obtained as we receive grace into our lives through Jesus Christ. And also, God’s mercy is also received by His grace, we don’t deserve it, but He freely gives it to us. It is as Paul said in Romans 5:1-2, “Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God.”
VERSES 3-4
Paul and Timothy were together in Ephesus and after Paul dealt with the false prophets in Ephesus he wanted Timothy to remain behind to finish the work. But Timothy is uncertain, he doesn’t want to stay but Paul “urged” him, which speaks of Paul begging Timothy to stay and complete the work. There will be times when God will stretch us and we will want to stay where we are, not get uncomfortable. Before I moved up here to Manitowoc I was involved in a great church and under a great pastor. I had a great job with some 5 plus weeks of vacation time. I made a good salary. I had a great home. There were great schools my kids went to. And God stretched not only me but also my family in moving us up here, to a place where we knew nobody, absolutely no one. And you know what, I thank God I took that step of faith. You see, it is in that stretching we grow and we learn to lean more upon Him, just as Timothy needed to do.
Timothy’s work in Ephesus was to get people back to the truths of God instead of fables and genealogies, foolish things that don’t mean anything in God’s economy. You see, these things don’t build up the body of Christ but they tear it down, they divide it. The word that Paul uses for “charge” is a military word that means, “to give strict orders from a commanding officer.” Paul wasn’t telling Timothy to do this if he wanted to, if he felt like it, Paul was commanding Timothy to teach sound doctrine! In fact, Paul tells Timothy, “Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.”
I Timothy 4:13. The church today is moving away from sound doctrine and into being an entertainment center, teaching on social issues, a feel good gospel and-so-on. That is not how the church is to function!
VERSES 5-7
It may be that some of the leaders were teaching a Jewish-type of legalistic doctrine, which goes contrary to the Scriptures. You see, God is interested in our heart, inward, and as He gets a hold of our heart it is then reflected in our outward actions. A legalistic view is to work on the outside, to clean up the actions, while on the inside we are filled with dead men’s bones, we are like whitewashed tombs as Jesus said!
Now, here is the thing, “love from a pure heart” comes from God, but in a legalistic view we twist God’s Word and become harsh and judgmental, not loving. In having a “good conscience” speaks of living as God desires knowing we are not perfect, but in a legalistic view, we end up condemned knowing we will never measure up to the standard of God – perfection. In having a “sincere faith” not hypocritical faith, we learn to trust in the Lord to help us, but in a legalistic view we tend to trust in our own ability to please God. In Ephesus, those who moved away from the truth were just speaking forth empty words, not even understanding the implications of what they were teaching, what the Law was all about!
VERSES 8-11
First of all the Law is not evil or bad, it is good! Paul said in Romans 7:12, “Therefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy and just and good.” The problem comes when we try to use the Law to make us right before God, being legalistic, and that will never happen. Paul tells us that we need to use the Law in a lawful manner. First of all let’s deal with the unrighteous person, the lawless person, because Paul says the Law is made for him. And Paul lists all kinds of sins that come from the 10 Commandments, 4 dealing with our relationship with God and 6 dealing with our relationship with our fellow man.
So is Paul saying that the unrighteous person must become righteous by keeping the Law? Not at all! Why is that? Because, as Paul said in Romans 3:10, “ . . . ‘There is none righteous, no, not one.” And in Romans 3:23 Paul said, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” And in Galatians 3:11 we are told, “But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for ‘the just shall live by faith.’” Then what is the point if we can’t obtain salvation through the Law, why is it there in the first place?
Paul tells us in Galatians 3:24-25, “Therefore the law was our tutor to bring us to Christ, that we might be justified by faith. But after faith has come, we are no longer under a tutor.” You see, the Law has no power to save us only to show us that we have broken the Law and our sins have separated us from God. It was our tutor or schoolmaster that brought us to Jesus, the One who can take away our sins so they are remembered no more, cast away as far as the east is from the west! Paul tells us in Galatians 3:19, “What purpose then does the law serve? It was added because of transgressions, till the Seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was appointed through angels by the hand of a mediator.”
Now for the righteous person, we are only righteous by faith in Christ as Paul tells us in II Corinthians 5:21, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” Thus, the Law did its work; it brought us to Jesus for our salvation. In saying that we are still to keep the commands of God, not for righteousness, but out of love! That is the glorious Gospel – salvation by Grace through Faith and not by the Law through Works!
What is healthy teaching, sound doctrine? It is measured by what is being taught – the Gospel of Jesus Christ – the Word of God!
VERSES 12-14
This flows from what Paul was just speaking about, our salvation by Grace through Faith in Jesus Christ. Here, to show the grace of God in service, Paul shares his former life outside of Christ, he was chief of sinners according to what he tells us, a blasphemer, a persecutor of God’s people, violently arrogant. Paul, in Acts 22:4-5 explains his behavior before he was saved by saying, “I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished.” Again in Acts 26:9-11 we are told by Paul, “Indeed, I myself thought I must do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. This I also did in Jerusalem, and many of the saints I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I cast my vote against them. And I punished them often in every synagogue and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly enraged against them, I persecuted them even to foreign cities.”
Paul’s point is this, it is God’s grace, his unmerited favor that not only saved Paul but also allowed him to serve the Lord. He didn’t deserve it but God graciously used Paul mightily. It is as Paul said in Romans 5:20-21, “Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.” Exceedingly abundant grace that God extends to each of us not only for salvation but also for service!
In II Chronicles 16:9 we are told, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him . . .” God is looking for faithful people to serve Him, available people, not talented people. Be faithful in the small things and see what doors God will open for you. To often we look at the big things and they won’t happen until we first do the small things, be faithful in them and as you are faithful in the small things, God will open other doors for you to step through. I am sure you heard people say this before, “We are looking for volunteers to help us out in this ministry!” That is not true, we are not volunteers but bondslaves of Christ and we are duty bound to serve Jesus, not just when we want, but everyday. It is what is expected of servants.
Some of you might not agree with that but listen to what Jesus said in Luke 17:7-10, “And which of you, having a servant plowing or tending sheep, will say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and sit down to eat’? But will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare something for my supper, and gird yourself and serve me till I have eaten and drunk, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank that servant because he did the things that were commanded him? I think not. So likewise you, when you have done all those things which you are commanded, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants. We have done what was our duty to do.’” That is how Jesus views servanthood and it is what is required of us!
VERSE 15
Jesus did not come to help us be better people but to save us from our sins which will then help us to be better people! You see, it is an outflow of what has taken place in our heart! In many churches today, especially in the Seeker Friendly churches, the word “sin” has been removed from their vocabulary because it is offensive. But if Jesus came to save us from our sins, then we have negated what Christ has come to do so we can be more politically correct or less offensive to people. You see, God (Christ) became man (Jesus) to pay in full the penalty for our sins. Don’t lose sight of that message! We are all sick in sin in need of the Great Physician Jesus Christ to cleanse us from our sins, even though some may negate the fact that they are sick in sin, that is the reality!
VERSE 16
Paul is basically saying, “Hey guys, if God can forgive a person as bad as me, he can forgive you too!” What encouraging words and words that Paul wants Timothy to guard, to speak forth so that others, sinners, can receive the Savior!
VERSE 17
As Paul finishes up speaking on God’s grace, His longsuffering towards him and us, he breaks out in this doxology or praise unto God, he just can’t stop! He understood that the King is eternal, immortal, invisible, wise and he alone gets the honor and glory forever, AMEN!
VERSE 18
Again, the word “charge” is a military word that was used in I Timothy 1:3 and it means, “to give strict orders from a commanding officer” as I have said. Paul wants Timothy not to give up but to forge ahead in the work that God has called him to do as he was prayed for and prophecies were given regarding the work God has for him. It is easy to become discouraged but if you are doing what God has called you to do, press on, don’t lose sight of the Lord. In the ten years that I have been up here in Manitowoc, I have been discouraged at times, and my wife reminds me of how God called me up to Wisconsin. 10 years or so before God brought me up from the northwest suburbs of Chicago; God spoke to my heart telling me that one-day He was going to bring me to Wisconsin to be a senior pastor of a church and He did! Thus, as Paul told Timothy, “wage the good warfare,” don’t give up.
In Acts chapter 20, starting in verse 22 Paul tells us, “And see, now I go bound in the spirit to Jerusalem, not knowing the things that will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit testifies in every city, saying that chains and tribulations await me. But none of these things move me; nor do I count my life dear to myself, so that I may finish my race with joy, and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.” Acts 20:22-24. Don’t let situations move you from the course that God has set for you!
VERSE 19
Why are faith and a good conscience needed to wage the good warfare, to fight these battles? Because they protect us against the spiritual attacks of the enemy that bring doubt and discouragement and condemnation into our lives! These are some of the tools we need to do battle against the enemy, Paul lists our spiritual armor in Ephesians chapter 6 that is also needed for we are all in the Lord’s army, we are soldiers waging the good warfare!
If you reject the faith then your life will be like a ship wrecked upon the rocks and Paul gives the examples of two men who fell into this category in the next verse.
VERSE 20
Paul named names – how rude! Why did he do that? He wanted to protect others from their heresy and to warn believers to stay away from them. Paul tried to discipline these men and they rejected what Paul said so Paul kicked them out of the church, out of the protection of the church so Satan could buffet their flesh. Why did he do that? So they may be broken, repent and return to the faith!
Now what about what Jesus said in Matthew 7:1, “Judge not, that you be not judged.” Folks, many twist this Scripture so they can continue in their sin, with their heresy. We are not to judge a persons heart, their motives or ministry but we are to judge a persons conduct, their teaching! Jesus went on to say in Matthew 7:15-20, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.” You see, we are to be fruit inspectors; we are to judge what a person is teaching by the Word of God, judge their behavior by the Word of God!
As I close this evening let me leave you with these words from II Timothy 4:1-5 where Paul said, “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.” May we earnestly contend for the faith that has been entrusted to us and hold everything in the light of God’s Word and you will not go wrong as you do so in love!