Grosey's Messages

1 Timothy 1:3-14, 18-20 STAYING POWER

Have you ever been required to do something that you knew was beyond your capabilities?
I remember when my cousin David and I took a little dinghy out into the water for a sail many years ago. I was just 12. He was 14. We knew there was a strong current, but that always makes for some excitement. We thought we could handle it. It wasn't until we were being pulled down the channel rapidly moving out towards the heads of the river at Nowra, quite out of control that we realised just how strong the current was. We struggled with the oars pulling hard against the current for more than half an hour, but we continued on our seaward course rapidly. Some fisher men in a passing speed boat got us pulling on the oars more strongly when they informed us they had seen a twelve foot shark just metres from our boat. We couldn’t afford to be tossed out of the boat, nor to try and swim to the shore.

Somehow we managed to get that boat on to the beach only twenty yards from the mouth of the river and the open ocean. But what if there's a whole bunch of people who's lives also depend on you doing what you have to do – but you can't do it? That was really the situation that Timothy found himself in. He was a young man, appointed by the apostle Paul to lead the church in Ephesus. When he looked outside the church he saw a hostile pagan world. He was supposed to be working for its transformation. Ephesus was a cosmopolitan, opulent port city on the western coast of Asia Minor, an area that is now called Turkey. The Romans allowed Ephesus to rule itself, and it grew to become a major center of commerce, education, and religion. The reigning deity of Ephesus was the goddess Diana, whose temple, one of the seven wonders of the world, brought the city fame and economic prosperity. The great temple of Diana employed eunuch priests and prostitute priestesses. The priests (megabyze) offered sacrifices, and the priestesses (melissa, which means "the bees") brought in money from their prostitution. Like swarms of bees, they permeated the city each evening to finance the operation of the huge temple. After greeting Timothy, the Apostle Paul urged his "true son in the faith" to remain in the evil, notorious city for the purpose of protecting doctrinal purity. Undoubtedly, Timothy would have preferred to be with Paul, his teacher and mentor, but Paul instructed Timothy to remain in Ephesus for the good of the new Christians there. ...Remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine [verse 3]. When he looked inside the church he saw people doing all they could to undermine everything he was trying to do. When he looked inside himself he saw a sinful, fearful and weak young man who was out his depth. What was he to do? He could give up. But this was a matter of eternal life or death. What else could he do? What can you and I do in a pagan world that needs gospel transformation? What can you and I do when difficulties arise in the local church?
I. Stay True To The Faith
If there is anything our world needs today, it is for Christians to have "staying power," a commodity that has become rare in our transitory culture. A generation ago, it was quite common for a man to spend his whole lifetime with one company, beginning as an apprentice and retiring at age sixty-five with only one employer. But today, down-sizing and restructuring leave employees with no alternative but to change jobs with unsettling frequency. There is very little security in the job market or anywhere else. "Staying power" is hard to come by in jobs, marriages, or in relationships, and it is greatly needed in the Christian community of believers. Nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith [verse 4].

Certain individuals had started to teach a different message from that which Paul had taught concerning Jesus Christ when he planted this church in Ephesus. That is what is meant by that phrase 'command certain men not to teach false doctrines'. Doctrine simply means teaching. The message that Paul had taught concerned Jesus Christ; his life, death and resurrection, promised in the Old Testament and of which Paul was an eyewitness. Some 'teachers' in the church had deviated from that message and were causing disruption specifically in how they were using the Old Testament, look at verse four: … nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. As we read in verse seven 'these men want to be teachers of the law', the law meaning our Old Testament. But these supposed teachers were totally misunderstanding the Old Testament. Firstly they concentrated on myths - fables, what Paul later in the letter calls 'Old wives tales'. They had no foundation in the Old Testament, and were pure speculation. Secondly they were misusing the Old Testament by quarrying the genealogies found there for personal gain. We're not exactly sure how they were doing this, one suggestion is that they were trying to prove spiritual pedigree by tracing their family trees back into the Old Testament.
And Paul is urging Timothy to command these men to stop. He is urging Timothy to contend for the Gospel. Later in the letter he says: If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching he is conceited and understands nothing.

So Timothy is to command the false teacher to stop. He is told to contend for the truth, for the Gospel. Look at what Paul goes onto say at the end of verse four: These promote controversies rather than God's work which is by faith

You see, because this false teaching had no substance, because it was a complete misuse of the Old Testament it produced controversy which results in disunity. When people start propounding their own views, man-made ideas, controversy and disunity will always prevail.
Make sure, says Paul, that 'God's work' is promoted. God's work that Timothy is commanded to grow is the work of the Gospel. That's what Timothy is to be involved in. The Gospel means good news. What God has done for us in history. How he has worked to rescue a people from their rebellion against him. How he has accomplished this through the sending of his Son into this world to die for our rebellion and rise again. Of which the whole Old Testament clearly points and prepares for and the apostles of Jesus Christ clearly proclaimed. That is what Timothy and we are to trust in and promote - the glorious gospel.
We must guard against false teaching, speculation, that sets aside Gods word, and surmises for ourselves, 'The way that I see this is…' and the Bible is set aside, and we start speaking over it involving ourselves in pure speculation, that has no grounding in scripture.

Now the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. Some have deviated from these and turned aside to fruitless discussion.

"swerved." The phrase, "turned aside," means "deflected." It's so easy to be deflected from a path of purpose. It's so easy to say, "Well, I've read through the Bible four or five times, I'll just read some good secular novel for a change, or some good biblical fiction, or some good books by Christian authors." Yes, there are good books out there, but if you are deflected from the Word of God and time spent reading lesser things takes precedence over Bible study, you'll end up with a head full of idle, empty talk. There's nothing more empty than a sermon without Scripture. We need to hear what God has to say, not what we think. 6: Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk. They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. We know false teachers by what they do - 'they wander away from these,' from the pure heart and good conscience and sincere faith that takes God at his word. They turn from the truth of the Bible and their lives portray the results. They live lives that are impure and that have what Paul calls later 'seared consciences'. So know the false teacher by what he does, know false teachers by what they are saying.

They want to be teachers of the law but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. These men wanted to be teachers of the Old Testament, they wanted to teach it to others - but they knew nothing about it. For they had wandered away, and were basing what they said on myths and false doctrines. They were confident but clueless. They spoke with authority but without the word of God. What false teachers say will never add up to what the Bible says; and consequently neither will their lives - how can it? They have deviated from the Gospel. And their deviation will affect anyone they teach.

Colonel John Bales earned the Distinguished Flying Cross. It seems that as his plane took off and began to climb away form Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma, an engine burst into flame. They later discovered that a mechanic had left a wrench lying on the intake of the engine, and when the plane's angle was right, the wrench was pulled into the engine, causing the fire. Soon, the whole plane was engulfed in flames. The tower instructed John to bail out, to eject from the plane immediately. But John looked down and saw a residential community with an elementary school, and he knew he couldn't leave the plane to crash into a heavily populated area. Barely able to see through the dense fire and smoke, John turned the plane around and headed back to the airfield. "I'll bring it in'" h e told them. He didn't know how many minutes he had left, but he prayed that the plane wouldn't explode until he was over the airfield. In that case, he would probably be the only one to die, but at least he would spare the children. All the while, the tower was urging him to eject. He landed the plane that day and was rescued by the firefighters who descended on the plane as it touched down. A few days later, in a special ceremony, he was presented the Distinguished Flying Cross for his heroic action, which spared the lives of unknown numbers of citizens. That's my definition of "staying power." I'm afraid a lot of Christians "eject" when they get in a hot spot because of their faith. When they're in a situation that calls for commitment and taking a stand, they get uncomfortable and bail out. God would say to us as He said to young Timothy, "Stay. Stay in that hot spot, that immoral place. Stay and stop the false teachers." These false teachers will increase if someone is not there to fill the power gap. If there ever was a time for Christians to have staying power, it's now. The only way we'll be able to stay is through the power of the Holy Spirit as Jesus lives out His life through us.
II. STAY TRUE TO THE FACTS
A. The Purpose Of The Old Testament Law We also know that the law is not made for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, for the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill fathers and mothers, for murderers, for adulterers and perverts, for slave traders and liars and perjurers - and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine that conforms to the glorious gospel of the blessed God Paul is reminding Timothy of the real purpose of the Old Testament.
First, it shows people up for what they are. It's not meant for the righteous we read, but for: … lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious… a summary of every human being that's every lived. We all fall in to that category; continue reading and see, all of us have turned from God's ways and rejected him. It had been a long case, and the man had served on the jury for several weeks. A friend said to him, "You must have heard so much law in the past few weeks that you're almost a lawyer." "You're not kidding," he answered. "I'm so full of the law that it's going to be hard for me to keep from cheating people when I get back to my business."

Secondly, it serves to restrain rebellion. That's what laws do, they set a standard which when broken requires punishment - it's there for 'lawbreakers'
Thirdly, the Old Testament gloriously points to Christ. It prepares us for Jesus who will completely and perfectly fulfil the law. Yet who will willingly and utterly take the punishment of all lawbreakers on himself by dying on the cross. That is the 'glorious gospel of the blessed God' and that is the purpose of the law, to make us see our need of Jesus Christ who died for us that we might become the righteousness of God. Paul models to Timothy and so to us the right use of the Old Testament and for us of the Bible. He reminds us that we discern false teachers by knowing the Gospel. A chaplain asked a dying soldier, "Can I do anything for you, son?" "I need someone who can undo," he answered. And Christ is that one. He can undo the tangles.

B. The Primacy Of The New Testament Gospel 11 "the glorious gospel of the blessed God."

CHS Headstone: Here lieth one believe it if you can, Who though an attorney, was an honest man!

The gates of heaven for him shall open wide. But will be shut against all the tribe beside.

John Berridge wrote: Run, John, and work, the law commands, Yet finds him neither feet nor hands;

But sweeter news the Gospel brings, It bids me fly and gives me wings.

"the glorious gospel of the blessed God." It freed a girl from a fortune-telling demon and raised her from despair to delight! It transformed a treacherous persecutor into a tremendous preacher! It took a woman who was a dirty tool for dirtier men and turned her into a winsome witness for our wonderful Lord! It rescued the maniac of Gadara from his conflict and quarreling and made him calm and quiet. It raises to hope those who are hopeless. It raises to purpose those who are purposeless. It raises to soundness those who are sick with sin. Without this glorious gospel - in death there's no life; without this glorious gospel - in temptation there's no triumph; without this glorious gospel - in sin there's no salvation; without this glorious gospel - in the life to come there's no heaven! But with this glorious gospel, through faith in the Christ of this gospel, you have victory over sin, the grave and eternal punishment.

Paul and every saved sinner exemplifies this gospel and demonstrates it to be glorious!

Its glorious because its about mercy. Verse 13: Even though I was once a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent man, I was shown mercy… In other words, Jesus dealt with Paul's past. Paul's bank account with God was massively overdrawn. If God had called in the debt, then Paul would have been well and truly busted. But Jesus took over Paul's debt and paid it off himself.
Its glorious because it floods lives with grace. Verse 14: The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly,… In other words, in dealing with Paul's past, Jesus also gave him an eternal future, and all of it utterly undeserved. The picture is of overflowing generosity – more than Paul could even take in. A groom promises to his bride on their wedding day: "All that I am I give to you and all that I have I share with you…" And that's effectively what Jesus said to Paul, which is quite something when it's the Son of God speaking. Paul became an heir of all the eternal riches of heaven. And given that he was a Jesus-hater, that really is abundant grace.
Its glorious because its about the two gifts of faith and love. Verse 14 again: The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

Faith in Christ is a gift. Paul would never have believed in Jesus unless Jesus had taken him by the scruff of the neck on the road to Damascus and shaken the unbelief out of him. And just as faith in Christ is a gift, so is love. Paul discovered a totally new experience of love: love for Christ, in place of hatred; love for his fellow believers, instead of a desire to destroy them; and in place of arrogant contempt, Paul found a love for the non-Jewish world that drove him to give his life to evangelism of the Gentiles.
Its glorious because it adds power. Verse 12: I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has given me strength… In other words, 'who has empowered me'. And what does that strength do? It enables Paul to be 'faithful' – to keep going. Paul was out of his depth being the apostle to the Gentiles. But he was able to persevere through the most vicious storms of persecution and pressure because of the strength of Jesus at work in him. How did Jesus transform Paul? He showed him mercy. He poured out his grace on him. He gave him faith. He gave him love. And he gave him strength. And as if that lot wasn't enough – one more thing. Did you hear that the tobacco giant Philip Morris has reported to the Czech government that it's much cheaper for them if they let their citizens die young of smoking related diseases? All those pensions they don't have to pay. If they rescue the Czech population from the perils of smoking, it's going to cost their government dear. Jesus made the same kind of calculation – but his conclusion was different. Should he let us die, or rescue us? The cost of rescue was incredibly high. But Jesus paid it.

Its glorious because it transforms sinners. He was the worst of sinners. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners - of whom I am the worst. That's not false modesty on Paul's part. He's looked into his soul and seen how deep the rot goes. We only really begin to understand how serious our sin is after we've found forgiveness in Christ. That was certainly my experience. It was after I grasped the gospel for the first time as a teenager that the full horror of what I was really like began to dawn on me. It was not a pretty sight. It would have driven me to despair if Christ had not given me strength and shown mercy. The cross of Christ shows us with awful clarity how serious our sin and rebellion are. But, thank God, the cross simultaneously shows us the remedy. 'Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners…'
Its glorious because it demonstrates that no-one is beyond God’s reach. Verse 16: But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life. Do you think that you're beyond the reach of Jesus – too far gone, too sinful, too hard-bitten and cynical, too much filthy water under the bridge? Think again. Look what Jesus did with Paul. He'll do it with you if you ask him and mean it. There is no limit to the patience and mercy that Jesus will show to you if you'll just ask him.

"Jesus, my Savior, to Bethlehem came, laid in a manger to sorrow and shame;

Oh, it was wonderful, blest be His name, seeking for me, for me."

"Jesus, my Savior, in mercy and love, came from the mansions of heaven above;

Tenderly pleading for sinners like me, pleading for me, for me."

"Jesus, my Savior, the same as of old, while I did wander afar from the fold;

Gently and long He hath pled with my soul, calling for me, for me."

Luke 19:10 the Lord Jesus Himself said, "The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost."
The facts? There is mercy for anyone. There is grace for anyone. There is love for anyone. There is power for anyone. There is transformation for anyone. There is pardon for anyone! And its all in Christ Jesus our Saviour and Lord.

There is a true story of a beach lifesaver who worked at Illoura beach, between North Cronulla Beach and Wanda. I was actually there that day with my dad. The beach was closed. There was a very heavy swell. The waves had to be 15 feet high. As we watched from the road at our car, a thirty five year old man, foolishly swimming in the storm swell was being swept out to sea in a dangerous current. The lifesaver donned the belt, and with the line attached swam out through the swell to wear the man, exhausted, was now lying face down in the water. I am not sure that he hadn’t been concussed after a huge wave crashed down upon him. He turned him face up in the water, gave a few short puffs and managed to yanked on the rope for the other lifeguard, (there was just one other lifesaver there that overcast stormy day) and he began hauling the two men to the beach. For just a couple of seconds, maybe half a minute, my dad and I, (I was about eight years old) lost sight of the two men in the whitewash. Eventually the lifsaver managed to get them back onto the beach. The swimmer revived quickly on the beach, but the lifesaver, ew learnt that evening on the news, held under the water by the weight of the seaweed through which the line had run, collapsed and died there on the beach. The swimmer simply got up and walked away without a word of thanks to the young man. We were shocked to hear on the news that he had counted the lifesavers life as no dear thing. Lack of appropriate gratitude and praise is a shocking thing. I cannot but think that so many hold the Saviour’s life so cheaply, when He was made sin for us. When He suffered and died in our place. I cannot understand the ingratitude of those who can walk blithely through their lives without tears over the sacrifice that the Saviour has made for them. This whole passage is wonderful kind of sandwich of praise. Verse 12: I thank Christ Jesus our Lord… And then verse 17: Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. "Depth of mercy! Can there be mercy still reserved for me?

Can my God His wrath forbear- Me, the chief of sinners spare?"

"I have long withstood His grace, long provoked Him face to face.

Would not harken to His calls, grieved Him by a thousand falls."

"There for me my Savior stands, holding forth His wounded hands;

God is love! I know, I feel, Jesus weeps and loves me still."

III. STAY TRUE TO THE FIGHT There was even more that Paul wanted to bring to young Timothy's attention: "Remember the expectations concerning yourself and the disappointments concerning others."
1. Remember The Prophecies About You To Timothy he says, "You've been called by Christ and the Christians. Be true to your title and be true to your trust." What's his title? His name. And what does it mean? "Honor to God." He's simply saying, "My son, live up to your name." How? By bringing honor to God. And that's what the Lord says to you, "Live up to your title!" And what's your title? Christian. Are you bringing honor to God? When Josiah Wedgwood went the rounds of his pottery plant, he always carried a hammer in his hands. If his critical eyes detected the slightest defect in any of his products, he'd break it, saying, "Only the best is worthy of the name Wedgwood." Remember, only the best is worthy of the name of Christ. Be true to your title, and be true to your trust. And what is entrusted to you, as was entrusted to Timothy? The good news about Christ. That's the gospel.

2. Remember The Examples Of Shipwreck Before You [1 Timothy 1:18-20] While we are not clear about the identity of Alexander, we do know that Hymenaeus was a preacher of false doctrine. The two managed to make shipwreck of their lives because they got off track doctrinally. I could take twenty pages to write about fellow ministers I 've known over the last twenty years who have made shipwreck of their lives - morally, doctrinally, or financially. They no longer pastor churches, but make their living in some other way. Oswald Chambers said, The sense of the irreparable is one of the greatest agonies in human life. Adam and Eve had a sense of the irreparable when they were banished from the garden. Cain had a sense of the irreparable when he slew his brother, Abel. He said, My punishment is greater than I can bear! [Genesis 4:13]. Esau had a sense of the irreparable when he said that he had found no place for repentance after he sold his birthright for a bowl of stew. There is a real sense in which all of us have done things that can't be undone, and we experience that unbearable pain. But we can go on; we can change. We may not be able to alter the consequences of the mistake, but we can determine that we won't repeat it. Paul cited Alexander and Hymenaeus as a warning that none of us is exempt from error.
The new church plant in Jerusalem exploded in growth. It quickly grew from 3,000 new converts (Acts 2:41) to 5,000 men (Acts 4:4). That means there must have been more than 20,000 people in the Jerusalem church—counting women and children. Jesus commanded them to make disciples and that’s what they did.

But even though they were filled with the Holy Spirit and the number of disciples was increasing, the first church had its problems. Acts 6:1 says, "The Grecian Jews among them complained against the Hebraic Jews because their widows were being overlooked in the daily distribution of food." Do you know what the word "complained" means in the Greek? It means complained! It’s the same word used to describe the murmuring of the Israelites against Moses in the wilderness. Even though "much grace was upon them all" (Acts 4:33), some church members were griping and complaining. No leader likes to hear that. That shouldn’t be in the family of God. So the apostles quickly organized to resolve the issue. The best of churches will have problems just as the best of families will have disputes. In Acts 5 Ananias and Sapphira lied about the amount they gave to the church. In Acts 6 there were complaints about favoritism in the distribution of food. In Acts 15 Paul and Barnabas had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. In Acts 18 Apollos, a popular preacher, was teaching wrong doctrine. The church was filled with the Holy Spirit but it was still made up of imperfect people. Some Christians today are easily disillusioned and waste a lot of time complaining about the imperfections of their church. "The preacher isn’t deep enough." "The elders lack courage." "The Sunday school teacher is boring." "The youth minister is sloppy on appearance." "The worship leader doesn’t sing enough old hymns." "Half the congregation doesn’t show up for Bible study." On and on it goes.

You know what? Most of the complaints are probably true. The church is imperfect because it’s made up of sinful people. But somehow it never dawns on the complainers that their constant griping is contributing to the congregation’s problems. They imagine that there is some special church out there where everything is just as God intended it to be. Someone rightly pointed out that if you ever find a church that’s perfect, don’t join it because you’ll mess it up! One reason the church has problems is because many of us have a consumer mentality. Jesus said, "The greatest among you will be the servant of all." But instead of a service mentality we have a "serve us" mentality. We fail to grasp the fundamental principle that the church doesn’t exist solely for us; it exists to glorify God and serve others. Deitrich Bonhoeffer wrote, "True community begins with disillusionment." We must love people as they are, not as we wish they were. Let’s be realistic. There is no perfect church that will meet all your needs. But if you ask "Where can I help?" you’ll discover that for the most part your needs are met when you serve others.

John Ortberg asks, "Did you ever notice how the people who complain, ‘I’m not being fed here’ are often longtime Christians? I want to say, ‘Well, take off the bib and get out of the high chair and start feeding yourself!"

If we respond as Jesus who "loved the church and gave himself up for her," then maybe we’ll see the church as Christ sees it, "a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless" (Ephesians 5:25-17).