1 Timothy Series - Preach the Word of God

 

Preach the Word of God

1 Tim. 1:18-20

TImothy was commanded to confront those who spread false doctrine. For it didn’t advance the gospel of Jesus Christ, but led those with itching ears to arguments, meaningless talk, controversies, and speculations. (v.4) It wasn’t an easy task, but as Paul would later tell Timothy,  “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline...Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction. For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” (2 Tim. 1:6-7, 4:2-5)

Let’s begin with the first portion of the text, “Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience…”

Paul now writes instructions to his young protege who he considers as close as a son. He had met Timothy while traveling through Lystra on his second missionary journey (Acts 16:1-4). Paul had been privileged to pray with and for Timothy as the Holy Spirit directed Timothy’s calling.

 “I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also. For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline…do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” (2 Tim. 1:5-7, 4:5b)

Paul  commands Timothy to confront the divisive teachings of the Gnostics perpetuated by two men in the church leadership. Timothy was chosen by God to bear the burden of leadership in the Ephesian church. Timothy was equipped by the Holy Spirit and trained by Paul for this service. It was the prophecy spoken by the Holy Spirit that Timothy must recall and fan into flame the fire of the Holy Spirit. For Timothy had been through spiritual battles while traveling with Paul. It was in these experiences and the gift of God given to him so that he “...may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience. The Holy Spirit had instilled in Timothy the strength, wisdom, and understanding in having to confront these two church leaders. For Timothy may have heard from the Lord the words of Jahaziel son of Zechariah, “...For the battle is not yours, but God’s. (2 Chr.20:15) or the proverb, “but victory rests with the Lord.” (Prov.21:31) Timothy knew the importance of keeping the faith in the midst of controversy, for it is one of the wiles of the devil to bring controversy, argumentation, and division and derision through heresy and unsound doctrine. And indubitably, the enemy will try to divide the church over unsound doctrine. 

Last, Timothy had to hold on to a good conscience. For in the battle with demonic doctrines, the enemy will attack the mind, but Paul had taught Timothy to, “keep your head in all situations…” (2 Tim. 4:5a) Timothy may have listened to Paul's teachings to the Ephesians as well on the armor of God. He needed to wear the helmet of salvation for protection in battle.

Application - When God has chosen you for the office of leadership in the church, he has also gifted you with sound wisdom and teaching from His Word. In every battle that we encounter the enemy of God and those who do his bidding, we must, like Jesus, rely on the Word of God, for it is the truth that will be victorious over evil and lies. I for one am not a confrontational person. I believe the battle is not in the flesh, but in the spiritual realm (Eph. 6:10-18) and because it is in the spiritual realm (2 Cor. 10:3-5) This is where we are to battle. For the battle is the Lord’s. “...For the battle is not yours, but God’s. (2 Chr.20:15) and, “but victory rests with the Lord.” (Prov.21:31) Paul told Timothy not to get into a debate over unsound doctrine or philosophical pandering to the flesh or the devil, for this was not profitable for the church or for Timothy. “Through the fear of the Lord evil is avoided.”“Keep reminding God’s people of these things. Warn them before God against quarreling about words; it is of no value, and only ruins those who listen. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place, and they destroy the faith of some. Nevertheless, God’s solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: “The Lord knows those who are his,” and, “Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.”…Don’t have anything to do with foolish and stupid arguments, because you know they produce quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but must be kind to everyone, able to teach, not resentful. Opponents must be gently instructed, in the hope that God will grant them repentance leading them to a knowledge of the truth, and that they will come to their senses and escape from the trap of the devil, who has taken them captive to do his will. ( Prov. 16:6b; 2 Tim. 2:14-19,23-26)

Last, Paul actually addresses two of the church leaders who were the perpetrators of this unsound doctrine. So let’s look at the last portion of the text, “which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith. Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme.”

Paul had experienced unsound doctrines, ungodly myths, and heresies throughout his missionary travels in Asia minor and then in Rome. He had battled against the enemy's plans to stop the advancement of the gospel from without and within the churches. During some of these missionary journeys, he had been through horrific ordeals (2 Cor. 11:16-29). But it was the church falling back into sin that concerned him most,  “Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches. Who is weak, and I do not feel weak? Who is led into sin, and I do not inwardly burn?” (2 Cor. 11:28-29). 

Paul knew of the enemy's plans to destroy the church from within. He had seen them before. Faith was through God’s grace (Eph. 2:8-9) and true faith will be tested. Like Peter, Paul knew the value of genuine faith, “These trials will show that your faith is genuine. It is being tested as fire tests and purifies gold—though your faith is far more precious than mere gold. So when your faith remains strong through many trials, it will bring you much praise and glory and honor on the day when Jesus Christ is revealed to the whole world.” (1 Peter 1:7) There were those in the church who had believed in one God and that Jesus was the Son of God, but so did the devil and the demons. “But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds.” Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds. You believe that there is one God. Good! Even the demons believe that—and shudder.” (James 2:19)

Paul knew the genuine faith of Timothy, for he was raised by a godly grandmother and mom. He had believed and given himself to the calling and service to the Lord Jesus Christ. He had appealed to Timothy to kick out Hymenaeus and Alexander out of the Ephesian church because they would not repent from or abandon their unsound doctrine. Timothy didn’t need to have a chaotic scene in the church, or join in the argumenting already established by Hymenaeus and Alexander. Timothy was to avoid the evil entirely and lead the church in the Truth of God's Word. God would deal with those who were spreading lies, heresies, and demonic doctrines. Just as Paul had to turn over the man sleeping with his mother-in-law in Corinth to Satan, so he did to those who have given themselves to suppressing the truth by their wickedness, their depravity of minds and bodies, and shameful lusts (Rom. 1). God knew their darkened hearts and would send God’s wrath on all who taught and practiced depravity and doctrine that are contrary to the Word of God, and all who followed in their teachings. Paul told Timothy he had already turned them over to Satan. Being turned over to Satan is to be excommunicated from God’s presence and from fellowship with the church. It is to return the sinner back into the degradation of the sinful world under Satan’s influence of blindness and hatred of all that is God’s.

Application - I have only once as a pastor had to turn over someone to Satan in my thirty five plus years of pastoring a church. I didn’t take joy in this act, but it had to happen or the church would be embroiled in controversy and the advancement of the gospel would be hindered. I don’t like false teaching, I hate it. This teaching doesn't align with God's Word. A false doctrine is a stated principle or belief that strays from the foundational teaching of God’s Word and establishes a fallacious and inaccurate belief that spreads, proliferates, and propagates misinformation and seeks to institute a contrary rule or teaching to oppose the doctrine based on God's Word.

Like Paul and Timothy, our calling is to the Truth of God’s Word, not to erroneous interpretation based on the injecting of man’s or demon’s thoughts and teachings into the belief or doctrine. Example: Biblical doctrine - God created man in his image (Gen. 1). God being eternal (no beginning or end) created man in his wisdom and knowledge. The erroneous doctrine of this is God was in the form of man before he became God, thus he created man in his image as man. Another biblical doctrine is the doctrine of Jesus’ birth. Scripture teaches that God the Holy Spirit came upon the virgin and she conceived, bearing the divine seed of God. Jesus is both fully God and fully man. The erroneous doctrine says that Jesus gave up his divinity and became fully man and not fully God, and it wasn’t till the baptism of the Spirit that he had divine power. The denying Jesus’ claim to being the Son of Man.

Another  Biblical doctrine - God will send his wrath during the last seven years of time upon an unbelieving and satanic-bound world, judge Satan, the fallen angels and demonic hordes to the lake of fire along with all who took the mark of allegiance to the beast, and then create a new Heavens and Earth where he will dwell with man forever. Erroneous doctrine - the christian church under new apostolic leadership will lead the church to victory by a worldwide revival, whereas the whole world will convert to christianity. And they will have the power to call wrath on those who oppose them. Then Jesus can come down and take dominion of the Earth.

We are living in the time of end as Paul, Peter, and others wrote to the churches. There will be many apostates and a great falling away from the faith as Paul wrote in 2 Thessalonians. So stay in the truth of God’s Word as he gave it to us by the Holy Spirit through the Old Testament saints and prophets, and the apostles of the first century church. God has given us everything we need in His Word, the Bible. There is no need for new revelations, new doctrines, or vision that are contrary to the written Word of God.

 I’m again including the ABC’s of salvation (JD Farag). Please, Jesus, God the Son, came to this world to save all who would believe and trust in him. He desires to reveal himself to you, He is the Light that overcomes the darkness of this lawless world. He hears your prayers, and all authority in heaven and earth have been given to him. He will answer you if you will truly believe. If you haven’t asked him to be your Lord and Savior, today could be that day.

 First, A - Admit that you are a sinner. This is where that godly sorrow leads to genuine repentance for sinning against a righteous God and there is a change of heart, we change our mind and God changes our hearts and regenerates us from the inside out. Romans 3:10 - As it is written: "There is none righteous, no, not one." Romans 3:23 - For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. (We are all born sinners which is why we must be born spiritually in order to enter the Kingdom of Heaven). Romans 6:23 - For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. The bad news is that the wages of sin is death, in other words our sin means that we have been given a death sentence, we have the death penalty hanging over our heads, that's the bad news. But here's the good news: The good news is that the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. Ephesians 2:8-9 - For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith —and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— not by works, so that no one can boast. Second,

 B - Believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and that God raised Jesus from the dead. This is trusting with all of your heart that Jesus Christ is who he said he was. Romans 10:9-10 - That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved. Third, 

C - Call upon the name of the Lord. Every single person who ever lived since Adam will bend their knee and confess with their mouth that Jesus Christ is Lord, the Lord of lords and the King of kings. Romans 14:11 - For it is written: "As I live, says the Lord, Every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall confess to God." Don't wait until later — do this now. Romans 10:13 - For "whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved." "O God, I am a sinner. I'm sorry for my sin. I want to turn from my sin. I believe Jesus Christ is Your Son; I believe that He died on the cross for my sin and that He was buried and You raised Him to life. I have decided to place my faith in Jesus Christ as my Savior, trusting only in His shed blood as sufficient to save my soul and to take me to heaven. Thank You, Lord Jesus, for saving me. Amen."

Please share this with someone this week, the Lord knows that we and they need it.

If you would like other lessons, please go to http://pmdinhisservice.blogspot.com 

Until next week, In His Service Mike Davis