Qualifications for the Overseer – Part 1
1 Timothy 3:1-3
February 21, 2010

In his book on preaching, John MacArthur wrote:
“I am continually overwhelmed by the responsibility and liability that possess the preacher of God’s Word. We all look with indignation at the lawyer or judge who, for the motive of personal wealth, distorts the truth in attacking the reputation and personal possessions of people, while reducing them to poverty. We respond with similar indignation to the quack doctor who, by incompetence, hazards the health and life of someone for the purpose of financial gain. Such people deserve to be considered criminals; the pain and loss of their victims should rightly be laid to their account.
Offering oneself this way as the counselor or healer to care for someone in the time of crisis and then, through negligence, lack of skill, or selfish greed, making havoc of their lives is unconscionable. Medical and legal associations have set standards in an attempt to prevent such malpractice.
But what about me as the purveyor of God’s truth, the physician of the soul? Shall I not be held responsible to God for any perversion of truth, however witless, and for my negligence and lack of skill? What earthly regulatory association validates me? Do not I, who preach God’s Word, face a higher court than the legal bar or any medical tribunal? James wrote, “Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment” (James 3:1)
No profession has as high a liability potential as that of one who preaches God’s Word. God will judge every preacher on the truthfulness and accuracy of his preaching. Any failure as a spokesman for God brings not only shame (2 Timothy 2:15) but judgment. The Holy Spirit has promised that all who pastor God’s flock must “give an account” (Heb. 3:17). There will be a day of reckoning for the preacher. Only a tested and qualified kind of person has the right to be considered a lawyer, a judge, or a physician. The standard is significantly higher for the preacher!”
(MacArthur, John: Preaching; How to Preach Biblically, [Thomas Nelson Publishers, Nashville, TN 2005] pg. xi – The Introduction

As you know we are studying through the book of 1 Timothy
Because in this powerful letter we find one of
The most straightforward answers to a very important question.

“What should the church look like?”

It used to bother me tremendously in seminary
When professors would talk authoritatively
About what our churches should look like,
But they would never reference this book.

This letter reveals what the church should look like.
1 Timothy 3:14-15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”

MORE SPECIFICALLY
This letter focuses on the conduct and character of God’s church.

Paul wrote “so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God”

And therefore the main theme of the book is godliness.

And we have also studied this letter long enough for you to figure out
That godliness was lacking in the Ephesian church.

The reason of course was because the Ephesian church had bad teachers.
BAD TEACHERS PRODUCE BAD CHARACTER

1 Timothy 1:5-7 “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.”

Without going back through all the flaws in their teaching,
We understand the main problem was that their teaching was “fruitless”.

They were not bringing out salvation for the lost.
They were not bringing out sanctification for the saved.

They did not know how to use the Law,
They were fascinated with things that didn’t matter
And it was extremely spiritually harmful for all who listened to them.

Their teaching was terrible.

Which is why Paul will eventually tell Timothy:
1 Timothy 4:7 “But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness;”

But their bad teaching was not even the root of the problem.

These teachers were bad teachers because they had bad character.
• If they had truly loved God’s Word they would not have strayed from it.
• If they had truly loved God they would not have led people away from Him.
• If they had truly feared God they would have certainly given more effort to be accurate.

But these men were not in the ministry
For the glory of God or the growth of God’s flock.

These men were in it for their own personal glory.
Paul told Timothy that they were “wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.”

As you will see in a moment, it is not wrong to desire to teach,
But it is wrong to desire to teach if you do not understand God’s Word,
Or do not desire to remain committed to it.
Much like the Pharisees that Jesus dealt with:
Matthew 23:1-7 “Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them. “They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are unwilling to move them with so much as a finger. “But they do all their deeds to be noticed by men; for they broaden their phylacteries and lengthen the tassels of their garments. “They love the place of honor at banquets and the chief seats in the synagogues, and respectful greetings in the market places, and being called Rabbi by men.”

But this was not the only character problem.

They had unrepentant sin.
1 Timothy 5:19-20 “Do not receive an accusation against an elder except on the basis of two or three witnesses. Those who continue in sin, rebuke in the presence of all, so that the rest also will be fearful of sinning.”

Also prompting Paul to write:
1 Timothy 5:24 “The sins of some men are quite evident, going before them to judgment; for others, their sins follow after.”

They ignored the concept of godliness
1 Timothy 6:3-5 “If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain.”

They were greedy for money
1 Timothy 6:8-10 “If we have food and covering, with these we shall be content. But those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

In short their bad teaching did not stem just from lack of ability.
Their bad teaching was a result of their bad character.

And as you remember Timothy has already been charged
To clean up that ministry.

1 Timothy 1:3-4 “As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.”

Therefore the church (and specifically Timothy) needed to know
What sort of man was qualified to lead the church,
And what sort of man was disqualified.

When looking for a man to lead the church, what do you look for?
Strong voice?
Good hair?
Magnetic personality?
Business experience?
Quality education?
Family pedigree?

That is precisely why Paul penned this third chapter.
It is meant to help us evaluate those who lead us.

In these first 7 verses Paul lists 15 characteristics about the man
Who will oversee or pastor or shepherd God’s flock.

We will break them down into 5 main points of evaluation.
His Desire
His Character
His Family
His Maturity
His Reputation

We will only make it through the first two tonight.
#1 HIS DESIRE
1 Timothy 3:1

Paul begins with the phrase “It is a trustworthy statement:”

Most likely Paul is referencing a common creed that floated around
Here Paul endorses it as accurate by preserving it in the Scriptures.

“If any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work he desires to do.”

Speaks of a man who not only desires to shepherd God’s flock,
But who also takes the necessary steps to qualify himself to do so.

“aspires” translates OREGO
“to reach or stretch out”

1 Timothy 6:10 “For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”

Hebrews 11:16 “But as it is, they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly one. Therefore God is not ashamed to be called their God; for He has prepared a city for them.”

It is a word that speaks of a desire, but it more specifically
Speaks of the external steps used to fulfill that desire.

The saints of old took steps toward a heavenly country.
In a negative sense, the greedy take steps toward getting more money.
And so Paul here speaks of a man
Who is making the steps necessary to be an overseer.

He is pursuing the career.
He is preparing himself for it.

Now the reason he is preparing himself is because “he desires to do” it.

“desires” translates EPITHUMEO
“to desire earnestly”
This word stresses the inner impulse.

Poor man Lazarus
Luke 16:21 “[He was] longing to be fed with the crumbs which were falling from the rich man’s table; besides, even the dogs were coming and licking his sores.”

Jesus used it:
Luke 17:22 “And He said to the disciples, “The days will come when you will long to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.”

And so the word speaks of a strong inward desire.

And when you put both of those words together,
Paul reveals that a qualified overseer is one
Who actively pursues the office
Because he is driven by a strong desire to shepherd God’s people.

Certainly his motives must be pure (as we will examine in a moment)
But there must be a desire there none the less.

This was a very liberating truth for me, and an instrumental one that God used in confirming my calling.

I heard men run from the ministry.
I heard “You can’t do it just because you want to.”

THEN I READ 1 TIMOTHY 3:1

And it revealed to me that I was not the exception to the rule,
I was what God intended.

Men who do not wish to preach God’s word,
And who do not wish to lead others to godliness,
And who do not wish to see the lost saved
Should not let someone talk them into it.

The ministry is a toil, the work is hard.
Paul calls it “work”

And if you enter that job already not wanting to do it,
I can only imagine what sort of pitiful job you will do.

The man who is qualified to be an overseer must be a man who desires it.
After all, it is indeed a “fine work”

Paul said:
1 Corinthians 9:16 “For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for I am under compulsion; for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel.”

He said again:
Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

It wasn’t something he had to do.
Good luck trying to get him to stop.

A man who is qualified to lead God’s people
Must be a man with a fire in his bones to do the task.

He must be the type of man
That would lead with or without the title.
That would preach with or without the pulpit.
That would exhort with or without a salary.
That would teach with or without the glory.
That would continue with or without the encouragement of others.

So first: His Desire
#2 HIS CHARACTER
1 Timothy 3:2-3

Here are listed 12 attributes about the overseer.
All but one refer to his character.

If his character isn’t right then his motives are wrong.
He desires for the wrong reasons, as the false prophets do.

Furthermore half of his ministry is drastically ineffective.

For the preacher must not only preach truth, he must live truth.
If he does not, then he is unqualified for the ministry.

So Paul here sets out the character requirements for the man
Who would seek to shepherd God’s flock.

“An overseer, then, must be above reproach”

This is really the overreaching character trait.
It carries the idea of being one who charges will not stick against.

Because this world is and always has been opposed to the gospel,
It is only obvious that those who speak God’s word
Will continually come under attack.

John the Baptist was accused.
“He came neither eating or drinking and they say, “He has a demon!”

Jesus was accused.
“Of being a glutton and drunkard a friend of tax collectors and sinners”

So it is not that an overseer is free from all accusation,
But that none of those accusations will stick.

The facts must always be on his side.

Before Jesus first sent out the twelve he told them:
Matthew 10:16 “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.”

This must be the character of the overseer.

“the husband of one wife”

Simply means “A One Woman Man” (not an adulterer)

MANY CONCERN THEMSELVES ONLY WITH DIVORCE
This can be true of a divorced man.
This can be true of a man who marries a divorced woman.
This can be true of a man who has an affair.
This can be true of a man who visits a prostitute.
This can be true of a man who is addicted to pornography.

Sexual sin is one of the strongest temptations that Satan throws at a man, and so he will certainly use it against a pastor.

Proverbs 6:26 “For on account of a harlot one is reduced to a loaf of bread, And an adulteress hunts for the precious life.”

Many a pastor has fallen from his position
Because he succumbed to sexual temptation.

This has to be settled in his character long before the temptation arises.

“temperate”

This word literally means “wineless” or “unmixed with wine”

And so we could easily say that the overseer
Can have absolutely no alcohol.
However:
1 Timothy 5:23 “No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.”

But that was as much medicinal as it was anything.
The water was so foul that a little wine actually worked as a purifying agent.

Because of his command to Timothy and because Paul will later command that an overseer not be “addicted to wine”,

We must look at this in a metaphorical or spiritual sense.

In which case the same Greek word
Can mean “watchful” or “alert” or “clear-headed”
(sort of like we use the word “sober”)

And so he is a man who is aware of what is going on around him.

You may remember in the book of Isaiah,
Isaiah actually rebuked the Jewish teachers
For their incompetence in this area.

Isaiah 28:7-8 “And these also reel with wine and stagger from strong drink: The priest and the prophet reel with strong drink, They are confused by wine, they stagger from strong drink; They reel while having visions, They totter when rendering judgment. For all the tables are full of filthy vomit, without a single clean place.”

There Isaiah likened the preaching of the prophets to vomit.
It was coming out of their mouth, but it was useless.

They were out of touch with God,
And therefore useless to the people.

A true overseer must not fall into such a trap.
He must be alert, he must be “temperate”

“prudent”

This carries the idea of being serious about things that matter.
Not necessarily a lack of humor,
But he realizes what things in life really matter.

One only has to look at the life and example of Jesus.
Most of the time He is very serious.
A few times He appears frustrated
Several times He is obviously angry
And twice we see Him cry.

But never in the gospel accounts do we witness Him laughing.
Certainly He did.
But those who wrote of His life were overwhelmed with His seriousness.

Nothing ever came before the ministry for Him.

He was prudent.
An overseer must be as well.

“respectable”

KOSMIOS “orderly”

This man’s lifestyle is not in disarray, but is in order.
There are no loose ends.
There are no areas where his life is a mess.

All of those are possible areas to fall under scorn,
And in order to remain “above reproach” he keeps an orderly life.

We have talked about it before while studying Hebrews.
Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

There the writer tells us to “lay aside every encumbrance AND the sin that so easily entangles.”

And we learn that not all things that encumber are necessarily sin.
Through bad decisions, debts, and poor planning
We can get ourselves in trouble.

An overseer has to have an orderly lifestyle
So that he is free and able to perform his ministry.

“hospitable”

He is a man who gives of himself to strangers.

This is not a man who just likes to fellowship with his friends,
But a man who is truly generous to those he does not know.

NOTHING INDICATES PURE MOTIVES LIKE HOSPITALITY
Jesus said:
Luke 14:12-14 “And He also went on to say to the one who had invited Him, “When you give a luncheon or a dinner, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, otherwise they may also invite you in return and that will be your repayment. “But when you give a reception, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, since they do not have the means to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”
“able to teach”

This is the single ability based requirement.

And I could certainly spend a lot more time here
But we will get there soon enough.

It is sufficient to remind, that in a church world
That seeks the “pastoral leader”
Being a good pastor is NOT enough to qualify a man for service.

He must be a good teacher of the word of God,
After all, that is his main responsibility.

All you have to do is listen to Peter when confronted with a pastoral problem.
Acts 6:1-4 “Now at this time while the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint arose on the part of the Hellenistic Jews against the native Hebrews, because their widows were being overlooked in the daily serving of food. So the twelve summoned the congregation of the disciples and said, “It is not desirable for us to neglect the word of God in order to serve tables. “Therefore, brethren, select from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may put in charge of this task. “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.”

That is also why above all else Paul will tell Timothy
1 Timothy 4:13-16 “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. 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. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

And even later in regard to elders
1 Timothy 5:17 “The elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.”

You just cannot have a pastor who is not an able teacher of God’s word.

“not addicted to wine”

This goes back to the drinking issue,
And it reminds that the overseer
Must not be given to worldly pleasures and vices.

He is not a social drinker, as such would open him up to much criticism,
And then he would not be “above reproach”.

He is one who keeps his reputation clean.

“or pugnacious”

The word here literally means “a giver of blows”

Is not an aggressive or combative person.
He is not the type that will punch you in the nose
For disagreeing with him.

Paul tells Timothy:
2 Timothy 2:24-26 “The Lord’s bond-servant must not be quarrelsome, but be kind to all, able to teach, patient when wronged, with gentleness correcting those who are in opposition, if perhaps God may grant them repentance leading to the knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will.”

And that carries into the next attribute as well.

“but gentle”

He is a man who does not influence men by force,
But one who leaves room for the working of God.

He is not a fighter.
He is not an intimidator.
He is a man who is content to let God work.

“peaceable”

While “pugnacious” refers to physical action,
This refers more to his nature.

He does not have a quarrelsome spirit.
He doesn’t look for fights.
He is not combative.

This doesn’t mean he refuses to stand,
But he is not one who relishes in the battle.

“free from the love of money”

Aside from sexual temptation, this may be THE OTHER BIG SNARE
That faces any man who desires to enter the ministry.

In fact, money and sex are the two most common ways
That false prophets are revealed and that they eventually stumble and fall.

Listen to Peter give attributes of a false prophet.
2 Peter 2:12-16 “But these, like unreasoning animals, born as creatures of instinct to be captured and killed, reviling where they have no knowledge, will in the destruction of those creatures also be destroyed, suffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you, having eyes full of adultery that never cease from sin, enticing unstable souls, having a heart trained in greed, accursed children; forsaking the right way, they have gone astray, having followed the way of Balaam, the son of Beor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness; but he received a rebuke for his own transgression, for a mute donkey, speaking with a voice of a man, restrained the madness of the prophet.”

If a man is not serving for the glory of God
Then he must have an ulterior motive and payoff.

For many that payoff is money.

If he is to remain above reproach,
He must not be one who is so open to such temptations.

So you get the first two elements of what an overseer is required to be.
Next week we will finish this passage and the requirements.

But here we realize that leadership of God’s church
Is a serious responsibility with serious requirements,
And ones that must be followed
If the church is to be what God intends it to be.

1 Timothy 3:14-15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”

The Effective Woman
1 Timothy 2:9-15
February 14, 2010

We have talked about many times before how the recent church growth movement centers on pragmatism.

Pragmatism = “the end justifies the means”

For a pragmatist only one question is commonly considered, and that is: “Did it work to achieve the goal?”

If the tactic employed brought about the desired result, then the tactic is proclaimed relevant and effective and many times even published in a book on how to grow the church.

By now you know that I am not a pragmatist,
Nor do I like much of the modern day church growth movement.

We must definitely focus more on what God says than on what appears to be working.

However, that does not mean
That we are not at all concerned about our effectiveness.

Certainly we do desire for the lost to be saved.
We desire for lives to be changed.
We desire God to be glorified.
We desire for marriages to be strong.

While we do not endorse any and all means of achieving it,
We do desire effectiveness as salt and light in this world.

We do desire to accomplish our task for the Lord Jesus Christ.

We must simply make sure that we set out to accomplish that task
In the manner in which God outlines in His word.

That is precisely what we are up against in our text tonight.

I’ve called this sermon “The Effective Woman”

And by that I mean we are talking about the woman is most effective
In accomplishing the task that God has before her.

You may remember that 1 Timothy 2 is NOT a chapter predominantly about the roles of men and women.

The chapter is predominantly about how we can
“lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”

That is seen at the beginning of the chapter.

And the main way in which Paul tells the church to be effective in leading such a quiet life is for time to be given when the church comes together for prayer for the lost in leadership positions.

1 Timothy 2:1-4 “First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

We are all aware that Christianity
Is not a requirement for being a governmental leader.

You don’t have to be a Christian to be a king.
You don’t have to be a Christian to be a president.
(This wasn’t even true in ancient Israel, let alone in Paul’s world or ours)

Sometimes we have political leaders who do not love the Lord, or His word.

Sometimes those leaders even go so far as to threaten our safety
Or freedoms in regard to the expression and spreading of our faith.

Thus at times political leaders can even make it extremely difficult for us to “lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”

AND HOW ARE WE CALLED TO DEAL WITH THAT?

The answer was clear.
PRAYER

We are called to pray for such men.
And the context of the chapter indicates that part of the public worship service is mean to be given to pray for such people in leadership and indeed all who are lost.

That was the point of the first 7 verses of the chapter.

Beginning in verse 8
Paul begins to give the practical application to that truth.

1 Timothy 2:8 “Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.”

Last week we saw what Paul commanded to take place.

Paul is talking about how we conduct ourselves in the church.

And while the church is together, the men are called to pray.

But we must also understand that men are not the only ones who have a role in this matter.

Women are also included in the responsibility.
Only the roles and responsibilities are different.
And that is what Paul addresses here.

Men are called to be effective in their quest for godliness and tranquility and dignity through prayer.

Tonight we see how women are called to be effective in their quest for godliness and tranquility and dignity.

And there are three things Paul teaches us tonight as he explains to us
What the effective woman looks like.

#1 SPIRITUAL ADORNMENT
1 Timothy 2:9-10

You will notice that the verse begins with the word “Likewise”.

This indicates to us that having addressed the man’s role,
We are now moving on to the woman’s role
Still as it relates to leading a godly life.

“I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.”

And so it is clear that we are talking about how a woman can be effective in her “claim to godliness.”

It is understood that all Christians should make such a claim.

It certainly ought to be our desire that however we may be perceived by the world, we ought to be perceived as Godly.

This is how women do that.

And the first area is her adornment.
Very simply, it is what methods she uses to make herself noticed.

“adorn” translates KOSMEO
From where we get our word “cosmetic”

It comes from the root word KOSMOS which is commonly translated “world”.
It really means “order” or “system”

This is why when a woman goes to put on makeup she is said to be “putting her face in order.”

She is trying to pull herself together and make herself presentable

Paul is here explaining how she should do that;
How she should make herself presentable.

And the first area does deal with her outward beauty.
“adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly”

And so there is an element in which a woman
Does take care of her outward appearance.

But at the same time she is called to look modest and discreet.

Proverbs 11:22 “As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.”

Paul then goes on to say:
“not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments,”

Some have taken that to mean that women should not braid their hair or wear jewelry of any kind or wear nice clothes.

But literally the word for “braided hair” just means “hair styles”

But please understand Paul is not forbidding a woman to have a hairdo.
That would contradict the concept of being neat and in order.

Paul is saying is that a woman’s hairdo, or jewelry, or wardrobe
Must not be the thing that is used to attract attention to her.

Those things must be neat, and modest and discreet, and put in order,
But they must not be your “adornment”.

Isaiah even pronounced judgment on such women:
Isaiah 3:16-26 “Moreover, the LORD said, “Because the daughters of Zion are proud And walk with heads held high and seductive eyes, And go along with mincing steps And tinkle the bangles on their feet, Therefore the Lord will afflict the scalp of the daughters of Zion with scabs, And the LORD will make their foreheads bare.” In that day the Lord will take away the beauty of their anklets, headbands, crescent ornaments, dangling earrings, bracelets, veils, headdresses, ankle chains, sashes, perfume boxes, amulets, finger rings, nose rings, festal robes, outer tunics, cloaks, money purses, hand mirrors, undergarments, turbans and veils. Now it will come about that instead of sweet perfume there will be putrefaction; Instead of a belt, a rope; Instead of well-set hair, a plucked-out scalp; Instead of fine clothes, a donning of sackcloth; And branding instead of beauty. Your men will fall by the sword And your mighty ones in battle. And her gates will lament and mourn, And deserted she will sit on the ground.”

That is not why God made you attractive.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT:
In the Sermon On The Mount, Jesus condemns a man for looking at a women lustfully; so can a woman be innocent who encourages it?

God created you attractive for the purpose of being pleasing to your husband, not to any and everyone else.

And so while a Godly woman is neat and put in order and modest and discreet and even well dressed, that is not her adornment.

A Godly woman’s adornment is listed in verse 10,
“but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.”

It is a woman’s good works, not her dress,
That should cause you to notice her.

1 Peter 3:3-6 “Your adornment must not be merely external — braiding the hair, and wearing gold jewelry, or putting on dresses; but let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the imperishable quality of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is precious in the sight of God. For in this way in former times the holy women also, who hoped in God, used to adorn themselves, being submissive to their own husbands; just as Sarah obeyed Abraham, calling him lord, and you have become her children if you do what is right without being frightened by any fear.”

A Godly woman doesn’t display her body, she displays her works.

Ephesians 2:10 “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.”

Men promote godliness through public prayer.
Women promote godliness through public example.

Spiritual Adornment.
#2 SUBMISSIVE DEMEANOR
1 Timothy 2:11-14

I might as well tell you that no verse ever seems to get me into as much trouble as this one does.

That is one of the beauties of pastoring this church. The ladies here are so submissive to the word of God that preaching this verse is quite easy.

But it doesn’t take a reporter to recognize that it flies right in the face of our culture today.

Feminism has certainly infiltrated the church and pushed many conservative Christian leaders to compromise on this clear Biblical mandate.

But as Paul explains an effective woman,
The second attribute she possesses is a Submissive Demeanor.

(11) “A woman must quietly receive instruction with entire submissiveness.”

You may remember the chaos that was brewing at the Corinthian church.

1 Corinthians 14:26 “What is the outcome then, brethren? When you assemble, each one has a psalm, has a teaching, has a revelation, has a tongue, has an interpretation. Let all things be done for edification.”

Everyone at Corinth wanted the lead role.
It is presumed that even women showed up with sermons to preach.

You may also remember that part of the solution to settling the problem dealt with instruction to women.

1 Corinthians 14:34-36 “The women are to keep silent in the churches; for they are not permitted to speak, but are to subject themselves, just as the Law also says. If they desire to learn anything, let them ask their own husbands at home; for it is improper for a woman to speak in church. Was it from you that the word of God first went forth? Or has it come to you only?”

Paul was clear there about godly behavior in the church,
And he is just as clear here.

Women are called to receive instruction, not give it.
And they are called to receive it with “entire submissiveness.”

No element of rebellion, no scoffing, no finger waiving,
None of the subtle nuances that are common of the boisterous woman.

She must receive instruction.

Furthermore:
(12) “But I do not allow a woman to teach or exercise authority over a man, but to remain quiet.”

I know many people in the world think that we are making it up, but it actually is stated here in the book.

Part of Paul’s command on how a person is to conduct himself or herself in the church addresses that women are forbidden to teach or have authority over men.

And as we have already stated,
We are dealing with the concept of the corporate church.

There are women who are gifted teachers…
There are women who are gifted preachers…
And there are even times when women are called upon to instruct men, evangelize men, encourage men, pray for men, etc.

But never are they called upon or allowed to do it in the assembly of the church.
It is forbidden.

In short a woman does not need to make her voice heard
In order to be effective in promoting the cause of godliness.
Now there have been some who have
Quickly placed an asterisk in front of this verse.

1) BUT WHAT IF THERE ARE NO MEN WILLING?
Then they deduce that it must be ok.

One must wonder what those same women do if there are no men willing to marry them? (Do they find another woman?)

Circumstances do not change the relevance of God’s word.
God issued the command with full understanding of the difficulties we face, but it does not mean His commands can be broken.

2) THIS IS JUST AN EPHESIAN PROBLEM
Paul was dealing with a specific problem here, but it is not relevant for all times and places.

One then might wonder why he gave the same command to Corinth.
One might also wonder why he gave this command to Timothy who would be very likely to minister in other places someday.
One might wonder why Paul told Titus that men were to be overseers.

But furthermore, Paul gives the reasoning
Why women are not to teach or have authority over a man.

And the simple answer is that they were not created to do so.

(13-14) “For it was Adam who was first created, and then Eve. And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.”

Paul gives two reasons why women are not allowed, and both deal with creation and the events immediately following.

1) THE ORDER
“For it was Adam who was first created”

Man was created by God, for God.
He was given headship, he was given seniority.

WHY THE WOMAN?
Genesis 2:18 “Then the LORD God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone; I will make him a helper suitable for him.”

Woman was created to help man, not lead him.

1 Corinthians 11:8-9 “For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man; for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake.”

And this fundamental order carries over
Into the order and practice of the church.
2) THE NATURE
“And it was not Adam who was deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.”

Now I’m gonna go out on a limb here
And tell you something that just might shock you.

MEN AND WOMEN ARE DIFFERENT
(You may not think so, but they are)

God created them differently.
They think differently, they react differently, they deal with things differently.

They are different.
Different by Design.

This does not mean that they are not equal.
Galatians 3:28-29 “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to promise.”

As far as salvation and eternal inheritance are concerned, women and men are absolute equals.

But they do play different roles.

If one child is responsible for mowing the yard and another for washing the dishes, does that make them unequal?

No, they just have different jobs as they are suited for.

So it is here.
Men and women are different.

And the fact of the matter is that women were not created
To bear the authoritative position, especially in the church.

1 Peter 3:7 “You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.”

Now I know, as soon as you say that,
Those who oppose this teaching will start rattling off their list of women leaders and even their list of successful women leaders.

But please understand the flaw in that argument.

Just because a woman led, even in Scripture, that does not make it ideal.
David also had multiple wives.

And just because a woman seems to have been good at leading or effective as a leader that does not mean it is Biblical.
You can open a paint can with your pocket knife but that doesn’t make it ideal.

The point here is that the God who created men and women
Created them with their roles in mind.

And the simple fact is that a woman who desires to be effective in her quest for godliness is a woman who exemplifies entire submissiveness and one who abstains from leadership roles over men.

And so we see two attributes of the effective woman.

Spiritual Adornment Submissive Demeanor
#3 SOLEMN RESPONSIBILITY
1 Timothy 2:15

Here Paul lists a very important function that women do have.
And that is the bearing of children.

“But women will be preserved through the bearing of children”

“preserved” translates SOZO
Commonly translated “saved”

Only here it is not speaking of salvation from sin,
But rather salvation from a lack of effectiveness.

It is typical for a woman to read those first few verses that tell her to be obedient, quiet, modest, and submissive and then wonder how she will ever leave her mark on the world.

HOW DOES SUCH A WOMAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE?

And the answer is clear.
Through her children.

Women make a difference by raising godly children,
And exhibiting godliness to her children.

1 Corinthians 11:8-12 “For man does not originate from woman, but woman from man; for indeed man was not created for the woman’s sake, but woman for the man’s sake. Therefore the woman ought to have a symbol of authority on her head, because of the angels. However, in the Lord, neither is woman independent of man, nor is man independent of woman. For as the woman originates from the man, so also the man has his birth through the woman; and all things originate from God.”

And all of a sudden we see the great balance to the scenario.
One leads, and the other raises and shapes
The next generation of leaders.
It is the call of women.

Titus 2:3-5 “Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good, so that they may encourage the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”

This is a foundational concept to the spread of godliness.

• If men want to be effective in the spread of godliness they lead out in prayer and preaching.

• If women want to be effective in the spread of godliness they exemplify it and train their children in it.

No doubt the role of the man has quicker results,
But one could easily argue that the woman has more lasting ones.

A woman makes a difference by training her children.

She must be careful how she does it.

“if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint.”

In other words, you can’t just teach them however and then someday be considered one who was effective.

Just as Timothy would be called to watch himself closely in his teaching, women are called to watch themselves closely in their behavior.

And this is so huge.

TAKE FOR EXAMPLE OUR WEDNESDAY NIGHTS
We have all these kids come through here.

Very few remember from one week to the next what the Bible verse is, or what the lesson was.

Certainly the instruction is important, but far more than what you say, they watch how you walk.

Women are here called to understand that as they raise their children.

Let them see “faith” and “love” and “sanctity” and “self-restraint”

If you do, you will raise godly children.

Godly boys who will one day lead the church.
Godly girls who will one day train a new generation of church leaders.
And one only has to open their eyes
To see the effectiveness of mothers throughout the ages.

Peggy and I talked about Zipporah this past week.
(The wife of Moses)

My personal favorite was Hannah.
TURN TO: 1 SAMUEL 2:1-10

Where do you think Samuel got his theology?

But to be even more relevant we only have to look at Timothy.

In Paul’s second letter to Timothy he was discouraged and wanted to quit.
And what did Paul remind him of?

2 Timothy 1:3-7 “I thank God, whom I serve with a clear conscience the way my forefathers did, as I constantly remember you in my prayers night and day, longing to see you, even as I recall your tears, so that I may be filled with joy. For I am mindful of the sincere faith within you, which first dwelt in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and I am sure that it is in you as well. For this reason I remind you to kindle afresh the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For God has not given us a spirit of timidity, but of power and love and discipline.”

Later in that same letter as Paul instructed him, notice what he said:
2 Timothy 3:10-17 “Now you followed my teaching, conduct, purpose, faith, patience, love, perseverance, persecutions, and sufferings, such as happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium and at Lystra; what persecutions I endured, and out of them all the Lord rescued me! Indeed, all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted. But evil men and impostors will proceed from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived. You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them, and that from childhood you have known the sacred writings which are able to give you the wisdom that leads to salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work.”

WHO DO YOU THINK TAUGHT TIMOTHY THOSE SCRIPTURES WHEN HE WAS A CHILD?

And so you get the point.

Women have a solemn responsibility.

If we are to further the cause of godliness, men it’s time to stand up and pray.

But for the effective woman we promote
• Her Spiritual Adornment
• Her Submissive Demeanor
• Her Solemn Responsibility
It may not be quick, but it is promised to be effective.

1 Timothy 3:14-15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”

The First Battle
1 Timothy 2:1-8
February 7, 2010

Last week we concluded Paul’s opening remarks to Timothy
In which he revealed the problem and challenged Timothy to solve it.

Ephesus was a fruitless church.
Namely because they had teachers of bad doctrine in their midst.

Timothy was called to turn things around there.
• He was to instill the standard of godliness in that church.
• He was to purify the teaching ministry of that church.
• Ultimately he was to restore the church to a place of fruitfulness.

This would not be an easy task and therefore
Paul concluded his opening remarks by saying:

1 Timothy 1:18-19 “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, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.”

Paul wanted Timothy to lace up his armor and get ready to fight.
He was a soldier for the kingdom and it was time to take his stand.

And now that Timothy is presumably ready for the battle,
Paul moves on to the specifics of what to do.

That then brings us to “The First Battle”.
This is where Timothy was to begin.

That is indicated by the words in verse 1, “First of all…”

Sometimes when dealing with a reformation project,
The task can be extremely overwhelming.

No doubt Timothy could take the pulpit and wonder where to start.
The answer is PRAYER

And as you will see, not just any type of prayer,
BUT SPECIFICALLY EVANGELISTIC PRAYER.

Timothy needed to begin praying for the lost
And encouraging the men in his church to do the same.

The church at Ephesus had a fruit and godliness problem, it is therefore not the least bit far-fetched to assume they also had a salvation problem.

Paul actually tells Timothy later:
1 Timothy 4:16 “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”

It’s not that Paul or Timothy knew every person who was lost or saved
But basic common sense would indicate
That many of the problems would not be there if everyone was saved.

And so salvation was where Timothy needed to begin,
Not just in his preaching, but also in his prayer life.

Conversely, if the salvation problem were fixed, how much easier would it be to fix all the other problems?

There are 3 main divisions I want you to see tonight.
#1 THE URGENT REQUEST
1 Timothy 2:1

“First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,”

It really doesn’t get any clearer than that.
A vital prayer ministry was necessary
If the battle for the faith was going to be won.

And here Paul lists four attributes of a solid prayer life.

“entreaties” comes from a word that means:
“to lack” or “to be deprived” or “to be without”

And it therefore indicates a strong SENSE OF NEED
On behalf of the person praying.

It is not just a prayer request for the sake of talking at prayer meeting,
But rather a genuine burden on behalf of the person praying.

I will confess to you that much of the time “Prayer Meetings”
Can tend to annoy me.
(Not just ours, but all I have ever been involved in)

• Spiritual gossip sessions
• Fascination with doom and gloom (no praises whatsoever)
• Must be praying for anyone you add

Most of the time we have far more requests
Than we do praying participants.

It indicates to me a fascination with sharing news
And a lack of burden for actually praying.
Paul is looking for people who are genuinely and truly burdened.
People who are going to pray whether there is a meeting or not…
People who are going to pray whether there is a list or not…

“prayers” is a word that means just what it says.

The only thing to add is that the word is only ever used
In reference to men speaking to God.

The idea here is that people are so burdened
That they actually take the request to God.

They don’t stop when the request is on the prayer list,
Or when they have passed it along on the prayer chain.

They actually pray for the situation.

Paul is looking for people who are burdened enough to actually pray for the lost.

“petitions” is a word that literally means:
“to fall in with someone”

It carries the idea of putting your arm around a person
And not abandoning them.

It speaks of sympathy and compassion and involvement.

It is literally you being so moved with a person’s condition
That you take it upon yourself to carry the need to God.

PAUL IS LOOKING FOR A PERSON WHO IS SERIOUS ABOUT PRAYER

Finally:
“thanksgivings” is another word which means what it says.

And therefore it reveals a spirit of gratitude
That God would be willing to hear your request
And furthermore to join you in your venture.

If you had a child with cancer and there was only one doctor in the country who specialized with that particular problem, wouldn’t you be grateful if he agreed to sit and listen to you?

Well, we have the only God who can do anything
About the lostness of humanity,
And so we come with gratitude that He is willing to take our call.

“entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men,”

And there we see that everyone needs it.

Furthermore we learn that there is even a CORPORATE SENSE
In which we pray for the lost.

It is a vital responsibility of the church.

The Urgent Request
#2 THE BIBLICAL REASON
1 Timothy 2:2-7

I would certainly hope that there is no one in here tonight
That wonders “why” we need to pray for the lost.

SOME HYPER-CALVINISTS WONDER

Since God is sovereign over salvation,
It only makes that much more sense that we pray to Him
Instead of simply trying to take matters into our own hands.

If no one can come to Jesus unless the Father draws Him (Jn. 6:44)
Then it only makes all the more sense
That we spend a great deal of time petitioning the Father.

And so evangelistic prayer is necessary.

But just in case you are skeptical as to why, Paul actually gives four reasons here why you and I ought to pray for the lost.

1) IT PRODUCES PEACE (2)

Paul adds here that not only should we pray for all men, but also
“for kings and all who are in authority”

While verse 1 spoke of praying for the lost in a corporate sense,
Here Paul gets specific.

• Pray for the king.
• Pray for the leaders of the country.
• Pray for the leaders of the town.
• Pray for the leaders of the school.

We certainly know that we are to be in subjection to them.
Romans 13:1-5 “Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those which exist are established by God. Therefore whoever resists authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of authority? Do what is good and you will have praise from the same; for it is a minister of God to you for good. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword for nothing; for it is a minister of God, an avenger who brings wrath on the one who practices evil. Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of wrath, but also for conscience’ sake.”

1 Peter 2:13-17 “Submit yourselves for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether to a king as the one in authority, or to governors as sent by him for the punishment of evildoers and the praise of those who do right. For such is the will of God that by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men. Act as free men, and do not use your freedom as a covering for evil, but use it as bondslaves of God. Honor all people, love the brotherhood, fear God, honor the king.”

Scripture is clear what we are to do with those in authority.

And I’ve got to tell you
This is quickly becoming a lost doctrine in the church.

CHRISTIANS ARE DEVELOPING
AN UNHEALTHY FASCINATION WITH LEADER BASHING.

• More and more we hear of pulpits devoted more to political issues than to the study of God’s word.

• More and more we see preachers and theologians showing up on news shows to debate legislation.

We have clear Biblical instruction that we have no right whatsoever to slander the leaders God has placed over us.

Slanders, jokes, and things of the like are utterly offensive to God.

SO ARE WE JUST SUPPOSED TO CONDONE ALL THAT THEY DO?
No.

We pray for them.
“so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.”

• You aren’t the first person to realize that the government does not promote Christian values.
• You aren’t the first to realize that they even promote things we find detestable.
• You aren’t the first to realize that if they have their way, we may lose the basic freedoms of “godliness and dignity.”

But we don’t change them by slandering them.
We change them with prayer.

Matthew 5:43-44 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,”
Paul says the same here.

If you want to know why you should pray for the lost,
The first reason is BECAUSE THE LOST ARE MAKING DECISIONS THAT AFFECT YOUR WAY OF LIFE.

And since you don’t have the option of removing them from power,
Your only other option is to pray
That they have a change of conviction.

I certainly don’t do this correctly all the time, but I’m going to try.

I think from now on, whenever the conversation goes toward bashing Obama or someone else, I’m just going to ask the person if they would like to stop and pray for him with me.
(That ought to give me ample opportunities to pray for him throughout the day)

Furthermore it is bound to accomplish more than just talking about him.

“It Produces Peace”
2) IT PLEASES GOD (3-4)

Now certainly you and I know that thanks to the work of Jesus,
We are already pleasing to God.

In a positional sense, we are pleasing to Him.

That however does not mean that He is automatically pleased with everything we do in this life.

Therefore we make it our ambition to please Him in the choices we make.
Colossians 1:9-10 “For this reason also, since the day we heard of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;”

2 Corinthians 5:9 “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him.”

Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”

And so we know that in this life we are trying to please God.

Here Paul lists one way in which we can do that,
And that is by praying for the lost.

“This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior,”

God loves to hear prayers regarding the salvation of the lost.
That is music to His ears when He hears such prayers.

WHY?
Because He “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”

2 Peter 3:9 “The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.”

Ezekiel 33:10-11 “Now as for you, son of man, say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus you have spoken, saying, “Surely our transgressions and our sins are upon us, and we are rotting away in them; how then can we survive?”‘ “Say to them, ‘As I live!’ declares the Lord GOD, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’”

Psalms 103:8 “The LORD is compassionate and gracious, Slow to anger and abounding in lovingkindness.”

You and I both know that God is in the business of saving the lost.
This is His primary concern.
This causes Him greater joy than anything else.

So why wouldn’t He enjoy it when we join our hearts with His
And pray for the lost.

This is what Jesus taught:
Matthew 5:43-45 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

Again:
Luke 15:1-2 “Now all the tax collectors and the sinners were coming near Him to listen to Him. Both the Pharisees and the scribes began to grumble, saying, “This man receives sinners and eats with them.”

If you are familiar with Luke 15
You know that Jesus then introduced three parables.
The Lost Sheep
The Lost Coin
The Lost Son

To which He would emphatically remind that there is more joy in heaven over one sinner who gets saved than over 99 who don’t need saving.

His point was to the religious who had lost contact with the heart of God.
They were so caught up in their religious legalism
That they had forgotten that God by nature is a Savior.

Paul reminds us of that here, and encourages us to do something
That is utterly pleasing to God: PRAY FOR THE LOST

It Produces Peace, It Please God
3) IT PROVES OUR CONVICTION (5-6)

You have to love Paul’s statement here.

Furthermore it is basic Christian theology and one that we would all claim to be in hearty agreement with.

Two truths Paul states here.

ONE GOD
“For there is one God”

ONE WAY
“and one mediator also between God and man, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time.”

DO YOU BELIEVE THAT?
Do you really believe that people without Jesus go to hell?
Do you do anything about it?

Because to truly believe that hell is bad
And that people without Jesus go there
And then to do nothing about it,
Indicates you to be one cold-hearted person.

Or maybe it is that we don’t really believe hell is all that bad.
Or maybe it is that we don’t really believe that Jesus is the only way.

DO YOU SEE THE DILEMMA?

When we don’t pray for the lost,
Or share with the lost there is only three possibilities.

We don’t believe in Hell.
We don’t believe Jesus is the only Savior.
We believe it but we don’t care. (No love)

That is sad.

Matthew 5:43-47 “You have heard that it was said, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR and hate your enemy.’ “But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven; for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous. “For if you love those who love you, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? “If you greet only your brothers, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?”
I don’t think any of us want to be like that person.

But if you want to prove your conviction, then pray for the lost.

Praying for the lost to be saved proves that you believe hell is real
And that Jesus saves and that you don’t want men to go there.

The reasons why we pray for the lost

It Produces Peace It Please God It Proves our Conviction
4) IT POWERS OUR MISSION (7)

Paul says “for this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle”

FOR WHAT?
He is referring to the salvation of all men.
The salvation that Jesus came to purchase.

Paul says I have been called by God to lead people to salvation.
Not just Jews, but Gentiles as well.

And by the way so have you.

And since that is your mission,
Doesn’t it make sense to do everything you can
To help that mission be successful?

BUT WHAT CAN I DO?
Use trendy music?
Serve pizza?
Where those baddy type jeans?

PRAY

Prayer for the lost is what helps you in your mission
To lead them to salvation.

Romans 10:1 “Brethren, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.”

Colossians 4:2-4 “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving; praying at the same time for us as well, that God will open up to us a door for the word, so that we may speak forth the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned; that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak.”

Ephesians 6:18-20 “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints, and pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.”

Paul knew it, and we must know it.

If you wonder why you should pray for the lost, it is clear.
It Produces Peace
It Pleases God
It Proves our Conviction
It Powers our Mission

That’s the reason we pray for the lost.

The Urgent Request, The Biblical Reason
#3 THE OBVIOUS RESPONSE
1 Timothy 2:8

How do you respond to truth like that?

“Therefore I want the men in every place to pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and dissension.”

Paul calls out “the men” because in the corporate worship service,
It is they who are called upon to lead.

Certainly women are called to pray as well, just not to lead out in it at church.

And Paul even tells us how to pray.

PURITY & UNITY
“lifting up holy hands”

This does not mean that we are to lift our hands when we pray.
(Posture means nothing)

Lifting up your hands was a euphemism for prayer.

The point is that when we do it, we must do it from pure motives.
Isaiah 1:15 “So when you spread out your hands in prayer, I will hide My eyes from you; Yes, even though you multiply prayers, I will not listen. Your hands are covered with blood.”

It is hypocritical to pray for the lost to be set free from sin,
If you desire to remain in it.

Unity
“without wrath and dissension”

In other words we may not be able to agree on everything,
But we all ought to be able to agree that the lost need salvation.

We may disagree on what type of song to sing during the invitation, but we can all pray that they lost come down the aisle.
The obvious response to this truth is that when we come together we pray for the lost with purity and with unity.

This is a clear Biblical command.

And so tonight we are going to change our church policy.

From now on on Sunday night we are going to have a time of prayer for the lost, in which the men in attendance lift up holy hands to God to intercede for the lost.

It may be for the lost in general, or for the lost specifically, but we are going to begin to do this differently.

It doesn’t have to be anything long.
And I won’t force every man to do it, but just know that Paul asked for “the men” to do it.

And we pray with:
“entreaties” – a sense of need
“prayers” – requests made to God
“petitions” – prayers on behalf of the lost
“thanksgivings” – thanking God for hearing us

But tonight we begin to do it correctly.

1 Timothy 3:14-15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”

Fighting for the Faith
1 Timothy 1:18-20
January 31, 2010

Just by reading this text to get started,
Or even by reading the title to the sermon,
It is obvious that we are talking about an often overlooked concept to the Christian life.

Because of the Lord’s commands to love one another,
And to be forgiving of one another,
And to sacrifice self for the good of another,
Many inside Christian circles have adopted an extreme pacifist role.

Quoting passages like turning the other cheek as their banner they see no place whatsoever for any type of disagreeable behavior.

They point to Jesus as the one who “while reviled did not revile in return”

And they quickly and easily adopt the view
That there is no place for fighting in the life of a Christian.

It is noteworthy to point out that while Christ didn’t revile on the cross, it was only 5 days prior when He cleared out the temple.

And if we had the time I could walk you through the gospels
To show the very militant side of Jesus.

• Confronting the religious leaders and actually calling the hypocrites.
• Warning the crowds not to follow the Pharisees (while they were there)
• Pronouncing certain judgment upon the religious heretics.

The point is that there is a very real place in the church
For the concept of fighting.

And this is made clear by Paul’s commanding Timothy to “fight the good fight”

Certainly you know that our battle is NOT a battle to be fought with swords and spears and other earthly weapons

2 Corinthians 10:3-6 “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ, and we are ready to punish all disobedience, whenever your obedience is complete.”

We are not on a crusade like those back in the middle ages
Trying to force men into Christianity.

But we are still at war.
Our battlefield is the mind.
We confront bad doctrine, which results in bad living.

We wage war on sinful ideas and sinful practices.

We fight to protect the truth
And to see it lived out in the lives of men and women.

The point is that when a person enlists to become a Christian
They must certainly be aware that they are enlisting in God’s army.

From the moment that Timothy opened this letter from Paul
That reality is coming home to him.

Timothy was at war.
The enemy had brought a fight to Timothy.
The enemy had attacked his church.

1 Timothy 1:3-4 “As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines, nor to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies, which give rise to mere speculation rather than furthering the administration of God which is by faith.”

1 Timothy 1:6-7 “For some men, straying from these things, have turned aside to fruitless discussion, wanting to be teachers of the Law, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make confident assertions.”

Peter warned us that such times would happen.
2 Peter 2:1-3 “But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves. Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned; and in their greed they will exploit you with false words; their judgment from long ago is not idle, and their destruction is not asleep.”

And such times had come upon Timothy.
He may not have chosen to fight,
But if he didn’t then the enemy would certainly conquer.

Purity of doctrine was at stake in Ephesus
And as a result godly living was in jeopardy.

There was a battle to be fought.

LAST WEEK we heard Paul’s heartfelt explanation
As to why he is so passionately engaged in battle.

And tonight Paul will flat out command Timothy to join him in this war.

Many have found themselves in Timothy’s shoes throughout the ages.

Men like Athenasius…
(deity of Jesus)
An Egyptian scholar stood alone against Arianism defending the deity of Jesus.
The phrase was often quoted “Athenasius against the world”

Men like Martin Luther…
(justification by faith)
Asked to recant his writings in April of 1521 upon being branded a heretic and threat of death. He said, “Unless I am convinced by proofs from Scriptures or by plain and clear reasons and arguments, I can and will not retract, for it is neither safe nor wise to do anything against conscience. Here I stand. I can do no other. God help me. Amen.”

Even some men like Adrian Rogers who fought for the inerrancy of Scripture.

It’s not that any of these men went looking for a fight,
But the fight was brought to them and they chose to accept it.

That is where Timothy now finds himself
And Paul is very pointed as to what he should do.

We have three verses tonight and we will look at each one individually.

#1 THE EXHORTATION
1 Timothy 1:18

And there we see the weight of this issue at the onset.

“This command I entrust to you, Timothy”
This is not a suggestion.
This is not a request.
This is a command.

Paul was pictured as a military general looking for which lieutenant
He would entrust with the command of stopping the enemy attack.

Paul chose Timothy.

The task was dangerous.
The stakes were high.
And so Paul entrusted this mission to his most faithful student;
His son in the faith; Timothy.

He then explains why Timothy is the one.
“in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you”

Today men are called to the ministry first through desire, then through examination, and finally through confirmation of the body of Christ.

This will be clearly seen in chapter 3.
But prior to the days of the New Testament
Men were called through the spoken word of prophecy.

Men of God who were gifted to speak the true words of God actually spoke on behalf of those whom God had chosen to fill the office.

(Similar to Elijah throwing the mantle on Elisha)

And Timothy had been selected by God.
Acts 16:1-2 “Paul came also to Derbe and to Lystra. And a disciple was there, named Timothy, the son of a Jewish woman who was a believer, but his father was a Greek, and he was well spoken of by the brethren who were in Lystra and Iconium.”

When Paul selected Timothy it was even on the recommendation of such men.

The point is that Timothy had been selected by God
For the ministry, just as Paul had been.

And it was because of this calling that Timothy was now
To rise to the occasion and meet the enemy head on.

“that by them you fight the good fight,”

The call to a man who leads God’s people is a call to battle.
Titus 1:7-11 “For the overseer must be above reproach as God’s steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain, but hospitable, loving what is good, sensible, just, devout, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching, so that he will be able both to exhort in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict. For there are many rebellious men, empty talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision, who must be silenced because they are upsetting whole families, teaching things they should not teach for the sake of sordid gain.”

These are the men God had called and equipped, not to fight alone,
But to lead the charge against heresy and ungodliness.

Timothy was such a man and Paul commanded him to act like it.

The Exhortation
#2 THE EXPLANATION
1 Timothy 1:19

After commanding Timothy to fight, Paul now turns
To two very important aspects of how to fight.

Just as there are some in the church who completely dismiss the concept of Christian warfare.

There are some in the church who are fascinated by it, and sadly many who misunderstand what it means to fight.

I remember one time I had A PHONE CONVERSATION with a friend of mine who talked about going to a good Bible study about the Christian’s weapons.

I was thinking “armor of God” in Ephesians 6, but then this person started listing things like:
• Plead the blood of Jesus
• State the name of Jesus
• Fasting
I remember thinking, “What are you talking about?”

Those things are not weapons in Scripture. Powerful? Yes. But not weapons that believers pull out of their back-pack and throw on the enemy.

Remember this story?
Acts 19:11-16 “God was performing extraordinary miracles by the hands of Paul, so that handkerchiefs or aprons were even carried from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil spirits went out. But also some of the Jewish exorcists, who went from place to place, attempted to name over those who had the evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, “I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preaches.” Seven sons of one Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. And the evil spirit answered and said to them, “I recognize Jesus, and I know about Paul, but who are you?” And the man, in whom was the evil spirit, leaped on them and subdued all of them and overpowered them, so that they fled out of that house naked and wounded.”

Those people had the same type of mystical fascination
With spiritual warfare.

Well here Paul clarifies to Timothy the two things
Required to successfully fight the good fight.

“keeping faith and a good conscience”

If you want me to sum it up for you.
1) Accurate theology
2) Personal godliness

In order to truly fight the good fight for the kingdom the first thing you must have is ACCURATE THEOLOGY.

We must know the truth,
Preach the truth,
Recognize any deviation from the truth,
Defend the truth,
Teach the truth,
Obey the truth.

Jude 3 “Beloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.”

You could read the entire New Testament, especially the epistles
And see that this is the major thing that is occurring.

WHY DID PAUL WRITE LETTERS TO THE CHURCHES?
To correct their theology and to battle their theological error.
• Galatia wanted to be circumcised
• Colossae was given to philosophy
• Philippi had a couple of fighting women
• Thessalonica thought they missed the 2nd coming
• Corinth had more problems than I care to go back through

While that is not all that is contained,
In large part those letters are Paul contending for the faith.

He writes to encourage truth and to refute error.
He writes to commend the godly and rebuke the immoral.

That is precisely what Paul is calling Timothy to do at Ephesus.
To keep the faith.

Obviously then Timothy must became a faithful student of the word
So that he can spot error and teach truth.

2 Timothy 2:15 “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.”

If Timothy is going to fight the good fight he must have accurate theology.

But he must also have personal godliness.
“a good conscience”

The writer of Hebrews said:
Hebrews 13:18 “Pray for us, for we are sure that we have a good conscience, desiring to conduct ourselves honorably in all things.”

While the first aspect of an accurate theology speaks of an offensive weapon, this speaks of a DEFENSE.

The main weapon we use to fight off the enemy is personal holiness.

TURN TO: EPHESIANS 6:13-17

And so it is clear that the best defense against the enemy
Is personal holiness.

That is why Peter said:
1 Peter 3:15-16 “but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame.”
When we fall into sin or deception we are like a soldier without his armor.
We are easily wounded and some even see their ministries destroyed.

FOR EXAMPLE:
“which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.”

Paul tells Timothy that the failure to maintain accurate theology and personal godliness makes you an easy prey for the enemy and you can actually see your faith shipwrecked

The idea is if you don’t remain pure in doctrine and in lifestyle
The enemy can easily take you out.

TURN TO: 2 Timothy 14-22

I know we have looked at this passage a couple of times recently but let me just remind you of it again.

You can clearly see the two dangers Paul wanted Timothy to avoid if he were to be victorious. (Bad theology and Bad character)

And then look at the potential for victory.
(VERSES 23-26)

The battle is only won through maintaining your spiritual weapons of accurate theology and personal godliness.

And so Paul has called timothy to battle for the truth,
And explains to him exactly what type of weaponry is required
To be victorious in that battle.

The Exhortation, The Explanation
#3 THE EXAMPLE
1 Timothy 1:20

Here Paul gives to examples of men
Who have done just what Timothy must avoid.

Hymenaeus and Alexander.

Hymenaeus:
2 Timothy 2:17-18 “and their talk will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, men who have gone astray from the truth saying that the resurrection has already taken place, and they upset the faith of some.”

Alexander
2 Timothy 4:14-15 “Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm; the Lord will repay him according to his deeds. Be on guard against him yourself, for he vigorously opposed our teaching.”
(First seen as a mediator at the riot in Ephesus)

And Paul reveals that because of their defection from truth and personal godliness, that he has “handed [them] over the Satan”

This is not the first time we have heard such speech from Paul.

1 Corinthians 5:3-5 “For I, on my part, though absent in body but present in spirit, have already judged him who has so committed this, as though I were present. In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus, 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.”

And of course it is rooted in Jesus teaching on church discipline.
Matthew 18:15-18 “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. “Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.”

And that is what Paul has done here.

There is a protective bubble that people are under
So long as they are associated with God’s people.

But when they are removed from that bubble, they are cast alone into the world and are free to be roughed up by the enemy.

The idea is that they learn that being a part of the body is a privilege and that there are certain requirements to be a part of that body that cannot be compromised.

And that is precisely what Paul says here about those two men.

“so that they will be taught not to blaspheme.”

“taught” translates PAIDEUO

“teaching through painful, physical punishment”

It was used twice by Pilot speaking of scourging Jesus.
Luke 23:16 “Therefore I will punish Him and release Him.”

Luke 23:22 “And he said to them the third time, “Why, what evil has this man done? I have found in Him no guilt demanding death; therefore I will punish Him and release Him.”

Paul used in reference to those who had desecrated the Lord’s Supper at Corinth and as a result were sick and dying.

1 Corinthians 11:32 “But when we are judged, we are disciplined by the Lord so that we will not be condemned along with the world.”

And that is precisely what Paul has done with these two men.
And it makes a strong point to Timothy.

You must indeed fight the battle for the truth.
It is your calling, it is your responsibility.

But be careful how you fight it.

Don’t let anyone tell you that
There is not a battle to be fought even in the church.
There is.

It is a spiritual battle against unbelief and unrighteousness.
We are those called to rise up and fight the battle for the purity of the church.

But all the while to watch ourselves to ensure that we are not wounded in the fight, and ultimately render ourselves useless to the battle.

1 Timothy 3:14-15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”

Remembering Why the Truth Matters
1 Timothy 1:12-17
January 24, 2010

This is truly a wonderful passage of Scripture we study tonight.
It is one that is often quoted (at least part of it)
And one that is a true joy to study.

What we have here is a sort of personal testimony by Paul.

I have a tough time reading this section without envisioning Paul
With tears in his eyes, moved with passion,
As he recounts the tremendous grace that was poured out upon his life.

And I have a tough time reading the end of this passage without envisioning Paul writing a hundred miles an hour and finishing by throwing his arms in the air similar to a calf roper who has just tied the calf.

This is one of those passages were Paul takes us inside
And we see the driving force behind the man.

I will admit that while reading through the first chapter,
It can seem as though this section is out of place.
But I don’t think that is the case at all.

Up to this point, Paul has been giving Timothy a straightforward challenge to clean up the doctrine at his church.

But notice how he closed that section.
1 Timothy 1:11 “according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, with which I have been entrusted.”

Paul had been entrusted with the gospel by Jesus Christ Himself.
And now Paul was entrusting Timothy to carry on the cause.

And that just paints a very vivid picture for us.

Paul wasn’t writing about the teaching ministry of the church
Because national surveys, and church growth books
Endorse that a solid teaching ministry is important.

Paul was writing because he was extremely passionate
About the preservation and preaching of the gospel.

It was his calling, it was his responsibility, it was his life.

And so we can clearly see why Paul would instantly go from that statement in verse 11 into a section regarding a personal testimony.

The purpose of this passage is two-fold.

1) TO REVEAL WHY HE SO ADAMANTLY DEFENDS THE GOSPEL

Paul becomes livid when the gospel is ignored, or perverted.

After all:
Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.”

Without the gospel, there is no salvation.

And therefore not only must it be preached,
But it must be preserved.

Galatians 1:6-9 “I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel; which is really not another; only there are some who are disturbing you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we, or an angel from heaven, should preach to you a gospel contrary to what we have preached to you, he is to be accursed! As we have said before, so I say again now, if any man is preaching to you a gospel contrary to what you received, he is to be accursed!”

And that is also why he is so forceful with Timothy.
1 Timothy 6:20-21 “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge” — which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you.”

2 Timothy 1:8 “Therefore do not be ashamed of the testimony of our Lord or of me His prisoner, but join with me in suffering for the gospel according to the power of God,”

2 Timothy 1:13-14 “Retain the standard of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. Guard, through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us, the treasure which has been entrusted to you.”

God saved Paul through the gospel.
God appointed Paul to preach the gospel.

And so he writes to remind Timothy that the preservation and preaching of the gospel is a personal issue to him.

And it ought to be to all of us.

2) TO GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT GOD LONGS TO DO IN EVERY MAN

You remember what Paul revealed in verse 5.
1 Timothy 1:5 “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

The gospel is important because it is only through the gospel
That God produces genuine godly converts.

And that is exactly what God did in Paul’s life.
God made him a genuine and godly convert.
Many would argue that Paul is both
The greatest theologian and greatest missionary who ever lived.

And what God did in Paul’s life He also desires to do ours.

AND SO WE STUDY TO BE REMINDED
WHY WE PROTECT THE PURITY OF THE GOSPEL MESSAGE.

Here is what God did in Paul’s life and we easily see why he is so passionate.

6 things God did and in some cases is still doing in Paul’s life.
#1 HE STRENGTHENED ME
1 Timothy 1:12a

“I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful,”

Fresh off the statement that Paul had been entrusted with the gospel,
He immediately thanks God for allowing it to be so.

And here Paul lists one of the things Christ did in his life.
“who has strengthened me,”

“strengthened” translates ENDUNAMOO
It means “to empower”

This is one of the first things God did for Paul after his conversion.
Acts 9:17-22 “So Ananias departed and entered the house, and after laying his hands on him said, ” Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately there fell from his eyes something like scales, and he regained his sight, and he got up and was baptized; and he took food and was strengthened. Now for several days he was with the disciples who were at Damascus, and immediately he began to proclaim Jesus in the synagogues, saying, “He is the Son of God.” All those hearing him continued to be amazed, and were saying, “Is this not he who in Jerusalem destroyed those who called on this name, and who had come here for the purpose of bringing them bound before the chief priests?” But Saul kept increasing in strength and confounding the Jews who lived at Damascus by proving that this Jesus is the Christ.”

If you wonder why Paul has been so able to fight for the gospel,
It is because God has strengthened him to do so.

I don’t know if Timothy was doubting if he could do what Paul asked,
But here Paul reminds him that the strength to carry out the Lord’s work
Comes from the Lord.

And God has done it for him repeatedly.
2 Timothy 4:16-18 “At my first defense no one supported me, but all deserted me; may it not be counted against them. But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that through me the proclamation might be fully accomplished, and that all the Gentiles might hear; and I was rescued out of the lion’s mouth. The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

And of course one of the pinnacle statements.
Philippians 4:13 “I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.”

The question then becomes:
WHY WOULD GOD GIVE HIM SUCH STRENGTH?

“because He considered me faithful,”

Does that mean God looks down into every man and if they look faithful,
Then He gives them strength, and if they don’t look faithful then they serve God on their own? NO

God strengthened Paul because Paul faithfully served God.
Paul obeyed to take the gospel
And God never failed to give him the strength to do so.

God strengthens those who serve Him.
“Where God guides, He provides”
“God doesn’t call the equipped, He equips the called”

He Strengthened Me
#2 HE STATIONED ME
1 Timothy 1:12b-13a
“putting me into service, even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor.”

It was Jesus who put Paul “into service”

Acts 20:24 “But I do not consider my life of any account as dear to myself, so that I may finish my course and the ministry which I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify solemnly of the gospel of the grace of God.”

Galatians 1:15-17 “But when God, who had set me apart even from my mother’s womb and called me through His grace, was pleased to reveal His Son in me so that I might preach Him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with flesh and blood, nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus.”

And so when you take this point with the first one,
We get a glimpse as to why Paul is so passionate
About the preservation of the gospel.

God had entrusted him with it
And has furnished him the means to accomplish his task.

How could Paul even consider not accomplishing
What God had entrusted to him?
I like the quote we saw on the video last Sunday night by, David Livingston

“If a commission by an earthly king is considered an honor, how can a commission by a Heavenly King be considered a sacrifice?”

That was Paul’s thinking.
This was an honor and he was not about to dismiss it.

This honor was further impressed upon him
Because of the circumstances he was in when God called him.

Jesus put Paul into service, “even though I was formerly a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor.”

God chose him when he was in the pit
And chose to give him the honor of proclaiming the gospel.

THIS EXPLAINS PAUL’S PASSION

And even though we may not have been persecutors
We were no more worthy than Paul was.

God did not see what great value we could be to His mission,
God saw what He could do through us
If we were first broken down and remade in His image.

Remember what Jesus said to Peter when He first met him?
John 1:42 “He brought him to Jesus. Jesus looked at him and said, “You are Simon the son of John; you shall be called Cephas” (which is translated Peter).”

I’ve always found that fascinating that Jesus called Simon a rock.
Simon was anything but a rock.

He was a wishy-washy, fickle, moody, reckless, bag of doubt and skepticism.

But Jesus saw what He would do in His life.
Jesus would turn Simon into a rock.

And that is what He did with Paul
And Paul was extremely grateful for that, as we all should be.

Jesus had strengthened Him. Jesus had stationed Him
#3 HE SAVED ME
1 Timothy 1:13b-14

“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.”
Jesus chose Paul when Paul wasn’t worthy to be chosen.
He was a persecutor.
He was a blasphemer.
And yet Christ saved him.

Paul does reveal that he didn’t blaspheme
So as to completely seal his fate.
“I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief;”

Paul never rejected the full revelation of the gospel,
Because he never had the full revelation of the gospel.

But on that day on the Damascus road, Paul received a full revelation
And turned to the Lord Jesus Christ.

And I love what Paul says about the salvation he received.

“And the grace of our Lord was more than abundant, with the faith and love which are found in Christ Jesus.”

We periodically sing about “Grace that is greater than all our sin”
That is what Paul is referring to here.

Romans 5:20-21 “The Law came in so that the transgression would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, even so grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”

Paul rejoices because the grace of Jesus was powerful enough
Even to overcome all of his sin.

And that takes some doing.
Acts 26:9-11 “So then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. “And this is just what I did in Jerusalem; not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons, having received authority from the chief priests, but also when they were being put to death I cast my vote against them. “And as I punished them often in all the synagogues, I tried to force them to blaspheme; and being furiously enraged at them, I kept pursuing them even to foreign cities.”
That was Paul before the grace of Jesus.

Acts 26:19-23 “So, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, performing deeds appropriate to repentance. “For this reason some Jews seized me in the temple and tried to put me to death. “So, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the Prophets and Moses said was going to take place; that the Christ was to suffer, and that by reason of His resurrection from the dead He would be the first to proclaim light both to the Jewish people and to the Gentiles.”
That was Paul after grace.

The grace of Jesus was more than enough to change Paul
From the churches biggest enemy into her biggest advocate.
No wonder he was adamant about protecting the truth of salvation.

He Strengthened Me He Stationed Me He Saved Me
#4 HE SOLIDIFIED ME
1 Timothy 1:15

Here is where we really see why Paul so adamantly defends the gospel
And so harshly opposes those who pervert it.

Because Paul has become overly convinced of something.

“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.”

Because of what Christ did in his life;
Paul had no doubts whatsoever as to the intention of Christ.

Christ came “to save sinners”
Christ came to turn wicked men into righteous men.
Christ came to turn sinful men into godly men.
Christ came to turn the wicked into the holy.

Which is of course what Paul has been preaching to Timothy
1 Timothy 1:5 “But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”

We aren’t trying to make moral men, or educated men,
Or philosophizing men, or speculating men, or religious men.
We are trying turn sinners into godly men.

That is what Christ is all about.
He came to save sinners.

And to further had proof int, Paul says, “among whom I a foremost of all.”

Paul was the worst, Paul was the most wicked,
PAUL WAS THE MOST INTIMIDATING.

Even after Jesus broke him down, Ananias still didn’t want to take over.
Acts 9:10-16 “Now there was a disciple at Damascus named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, “Ananias.” And he said, “Here I am, Lord.” And the Lord said to him, “Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying, and he has seen in a vision a man named Ananias come in and lay his hands on him, so that he might regain his sight.” But Ananias answered, “Lord, I have heard from many about this man, how much harm he did to Your saints at Jerusalem; and here he has authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Your name.” But the Lord said to him, “Go, for he is a chosen instrument of Mine, to bear My name before the Gentiles and kings and the sons of Israel; for I will show him how much he must suffer for My name’s sake.”
Paul was an intimidating witness.

Ephesians 3:8 “To me, the very least of all saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ,”

But Christ saved him.
WHY?

Because that is what Christ came to do.
He came “to save sinners”

What was going on at Ephesus was all wrong.
It was not fulfilling the mission of Christ.

They were making men speculate,
Christ wanted them to leave sin and be holy.

#5 HE SHOWED ME
1 Timothy 1:16

This doesn’t mean that Jesus enlightened Paul (although He did)
This rather means that Jesus put Paul on display
To make sure everyone understood what His plan was.

“Yet for this reason I was shown 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.”

Paul said very clearly, “I AM AN EXAMPLE”

I am an example of what Christ wants to do in a life.

He took the most wicked and made him the most faithful.
1 Corinthians 15:9-10 “For I am the least of the apostles, and not fit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me did not prove vain; but I labored even more than all of them, yet not I, but the grace of God with me.”

Paul says I want you to understand what Christ is doing.
And I want you to understand why I care so much.

Christ saves men through the gospel, one of those is me.
PREACH IT

The gospel is His means of bringing salvation to men, one of whom is me.
PRESERVE IT

If those before us hadn’t preserved the gospel
Then we would not have been saved.
He Strengthened Me He Stationed Me He Saved Me
He Solidified Me He Showed Me
#6 HE SATISFIED ME
1 Timothy 1:17

Paul ends with a doxology.
And it is a clear statement of why he does what he does.

“Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.”

Can’t you see Paul rising to his feet in triumph?

I picture Paul pleading with Timothy with tears in his eyes
To protect the gospel from all perversion
As he recounts what the gospel did in his own life.

And the more he recounts the triumph of his salvation
The more he is overwhelmed until he spills over in praise.

We have a word for that:
PASSION

Paul never lost sight of the fact that Jesus did the unthinkable and saved Him.
Paul never lost sight of the tremendous mercy Christ showed Him.

And because of that Paul never grew apathetic about His mission.

And so I think that is a fitting way for us to end tonight.

• DO YOU REMEMBER WHAT CHRIST DID IN YOUR LIFE?
• DO YOU REMEMBER THE CHANGE HE WROUGHT?
• DO YOU REMEMBER THOSE WHO PREACHED THE GOSPEL TO YOU?

NOW DO YOU REMEMBER WHY THE TRUTH MATTERS?

Do you realize that there are those in this world who have never heard a full or accurate presentation of the gospel?

• Some because they live in a land of darkness.
• Some because they live in a land of light, but go to a church that has maligned the truth.

HOW CAN WE SIT BY AND NOT MAKE THE TRUTH KNOWN?

If what Paul says motivates you,
Then you have rightly understood the point of the passage.

His goal was to motivate us to stand up and take charge.

In fact, just look at the next verse.
1 Timothy 1:18 “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 wanted Timothy to stand up and make a difference.

May we all be challenged to do the same.

1 Timothy 3:14-15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”