MPC, 24th September 2000.1 Timothy 1:1-11 - Timothy and the TRUE Gospel
Phil Campbell MPC, 24th September 2000.
I'll never forget the Christmas we bought a swing set for the kids. I leaned a lesson. Never buy something like a swing set if it comes in a long cardboard box. EASY ASSEMBLY. DO IT YOURSELF. Never believe that stuff.
And I can still remember that Christmas day. Hours on end, trying to put the thing together. Hundreds of little bits; screws this size, bolts that size. And if it hadn't been for the instruction manual, it would have been a disaster. Which of course I didn't look at til I'd just about totally messed it up on my own.
Like the old saying goes, "If all else fails, read the instructions." Maybe we just like to think we can work things out. Maybe it's pride. Maybe it's impatience. Whatever it is, the fact is that more often than not, if you don't follow the instructions, you end up in a mess.
And it's hard enough putting a kids swing set together. So how about when you're trying to put together a CHURCH?
Well, the good news is there's a manual. An instruction book. And we're going to be looking at it over the next few weeks. It's Paul's first letter to Timothy. And that's exactly what it is - instructions on how to put together a church. Step by step.
Paul's an old hand. An expert. And Timothy's one of his apprentices. If you have a look at verse 3 you can see the situation. Paul's always on the go - he gets to a city, he preaches about Jesus, there are people who respond. And that's the start of a church. And then he moves on. Does it again.
This time he's been in the city of Ephesus, and he's moved on to the top part of Greece. Macedonia. And so you can see what he's saying. Verse 3. "As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, STAY THERE IN EPHESUS." Paul's gone on ahead. Timothy stays. And Paul goes on to tell him exactly what he's got to do. Commands for certain people. How to deal with trouble makers. What to make his priorities. How to handle all the different sorts of people that make up a first century church.
You know, I guess in a way it's a letter that's especially relevant to people like Marie and me and our elders and our growth group leaders. It's just the sort of instruction manual we need. But the key thing is, it's an OPEN LETTER. It's addressed to Timothy. But it's here in the bible for all of us. So YOU need to listen as well.
In other words, it's a letter to Timothy to tell him how he should lead the church. But it's a letter for the church as well. For everyone. And it tells you how you SHOULD BE LEAD. And the sort of leaders you should be looking for. And the sort of GOALS we've got to work towards together.
It's a great book. And it's one that I want you to really get into over the next few weeks. It's short. And it's pretty simple stuff. But if we want to build our church the RIGHT WAY, we need to take notice.
First of all, though, let's have a quick look at some background. There's a set of growth group studies that we'll be starting in a week or two, and in the first one we'll be getting to know a fair bit about this guy Timothy. Because the interesting thing is, you can find out snippets about him from all through the New Testament. Outside the two letters written TO HIM, he's mentioned 21 TIMES in other places. Popping up all over the place. There's the story of how Paul first meets him back in Acts chapter 16, this bright young bloke with a Jewish mum and a greek dad, and everyone in the church speaks well of him.
Here's a young guy with a great future. Not as a lawyer or a doctor or an engineer. But hand chosen, to travel around with the great apostle Paul. And it's a hard life. You can almost trace his career through Paul's other letters. He's mentioned in Romans. He's mentioned in 1 and 2 Corinthians. He's mentioned in Philippians and Colossians and 1 and 2 Thessalonians. And all the time, he's being sent somewhere, or he's just got back from somewhere; he's going to encourage some new Christians in Philippi, or he's come back with an encouraging report from somewhere else.
And now here he is in Ephesus. And Paul's spelling out for him what he has to do.
Now it's not always easy for Timothy. He's no spiritual superman. And again, if you trace through all the references you can build up a picture of his personality. He's shy. A bit retiring. Turn over the page to chapter 4 verse 12 and you'll see he's YOUNG. And Paul has to say to him, "Don't let anyone look down on you cause you're young. But set them an example." And if you look across to chapter 5 verse 23, you can even get a medical report. Timothy's a bit of a sickly type. And Paul gives him some friendly advice. He says "Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine for your stomach and your frequent illnesses." (I know some people, that's their favourite verse in the whole bible.)
It's a fascinating thing, you can actually build up a more detailed picture of Timothy than just about anyone else in the New Testament. A picture of this talented, young, shy young bloke with stomach trouble, who Paul's left in charge of the church at Ephesus. And it's a TOUGH JOB.
THE FIRST STEP
Well, let's have a look at the instructions. And start at step 1. The top of the list. Before Timothy can make any progress at all, he's got to stop the rot. Before he can start teaching the truth, he's got to counteract the people in his church who are teaching lies. False doctrine.
It's a funny thing, but it's always a problem. Where-ever you're trying to teach the truth, there'll always be INSIDE OPPOSITION. Cause Paul's not talking here about people outside the church trying to cause trouble. He's talking about the people INSIDE.
And there they are, arguing and debating and getting tied down in all sorts of technicalities; trying to dot all the i's and cross all the t's; and all they end up with is stupid arguments.
You can follow it from the middle of verse 3. Paul says I urged you to stay in Ephesus - "So that you may command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. These promote CONTROVERSIES rather than God's work - which is by faith."
Now friends, I want to say to you that THIS IS IMPORTANT. The fact is, if you're building a church then it needs to be built on RIGHT DOCTRINE. On the truth. Instead of on lies. If you're building a church, you need a solid foundation - and not myths and speculations and false doctrine.
Now that takes a bit of backbone. And for a guy like Timothy, it must have been hard.
And the trouble is, he probably didn't have much backing from anyone else. Because the false teaching he was up against SOUNDS SO GOOD. And religious. And WISE. And in the end, all they really want to do is teach GOD'S LAW. Now what can be so wrong with that?
Paul spells it out in verse 7. The genealogies and disputes and myths, they're just one part of the problem. And this is worse. He says "They want to be TEACHERS OF THE LAW. But they don't know what they're talking about, or they so confidently affirm."
Now he's talking about the OLD TESTAMENT LAW. The rules and regulations that you get in books like Exodus and Leviticus and Numbers and Deuteronomy. That's what these guys want to teach.
Well, let me ask you, what's wrong with that? Not so long back we worked through the book of Leviticus. Part of the Old Testament Law. Part of our BIBLE. So what's so wrong with being teachers of the LAW?
Well, let me tell you. If you want to be a teacher of THE LAW, then it might just be that you've missed the whole point of the GOSPEL. If you want to teach people that the Christian life is about keeping a set of Old Testament rules, then the fact is, Paul says, you're dangerous. If you want to teach people that being right with God is a matter of keeping Sabbaths and obeying a bunch of rules and regulations, then the fact is, you're saying JESUS MAY AS WELL NOT HAVE COME. Because that's exactly the stuff Jesus came to FULFIL. It's FINISHED.
So as we look at the Old Testament law, as you look at the book of Deuteronomy or Leviticus and all the rules and rituals and regulations, the first thing you've got to say is THANK GOD. Thank God that Jesus came and fulfilled it for us. And it's OVER.
Friends, it's great news! Paul wants Timothy to remember that Christianity is NOT ABOUT A BUNCH OF RULES. And he wants Timothy to STOP THE SORT OF PEOPLE WHO WANT TO SAY IT IS. Because they're missing the point. Not that there's anything wrong with God's law. It's just that we're FREE FROM IT. And the Holy Spirit is at work to make you RIGHTEOUS FROM THE INSIDE.
And that's what Paul says in verses 8 to 10. The law's not for Christians at all. It's for rebels. Read from verse 8. "We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. We also know that law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious; for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, 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, which he entrusted to me."
See what he's saying? And this is awesome. Once you're a CHRISTIAN, you're counted as RIGHTEOUS. The LAW is for people who don't ACCEPT THE GOSPEL. And it condemns them. But we're counted as God's friends who are ruled by love. Instead of rebels ruled by law.
You know, years ago an uncle of mine was the local police sergeant down at Macksville. And I'll always remember something that was said at his funeral. An old friend of his said this. He said, Ted Maher was the sort of policeman who didn't need a gun and handcuffs. He didn't need LAW. Because everyone in Macksville loved him. And nobody would even dream of putting a foot out of line. Cause they didn't want to hurt his feelings.
Now Paul says to Timothy, when you're building a church, remember, that's what it's all about. That sort of new relationship with God. And these people who want to come back and teach rules and regulations and laws and genealogies with their hair splitting debates, Paul says they've got to be opposed.
You want to know what a REAL Christian looks like? You want to know what it's REALLY all about? You can see it in verse 4 and 5.
That's where Paul spells it out. He says, this stuff that the false teachers are on about, it only causes trouble. He says these promote controversies, rather than God's work - WHICH IS BY FAITH.
And look what he says next. The goal of this command, he says in verse 5, the thing you want to achieve by shutting up these false teachers; it's not just to have YET ANOTHER theological debate. It's not because YOU'RE RIGHT AND THEY'RE WRONG. It's not about winning arguments. The goal of this command, says Paul, the reason I'm saying it, IS LOVE... LOVE which comes from a PURE HEART, and a GOOD CONSCIENCE, and a SINCERE FAITH.
Friends, you know the only way to get a pure heart? And a good conscience? And love? Cause you certainly can't get them from endless genealogies and myths and theological debates. And you can't get them from keeping Sabbaths. Or eating fish on Fridays. Or any other rules you can think of. The only way you get that sort of new start is from the gospel. And Paul spells out the gospel in verses 12 to 20. We're going to look at it more closely next week.
A message not about rules. But about JESUS. Not about what WE DO. But about what HE DID. Just glance through verses 12 to 20, run your eye down, and I'll point out some key words. Words like GIVEN. He has GIVEN ME STRENGTH. Words like MERCY. Or verse 14. GRACE. Being treated more generously than you deserve. He says "The grace of our lord was poured out on me ABUNDANTLY."
More key words. Verse 16. MERCY. UNLIMITED PATIENCE. And Paul's not talking about himself. It's not that Paul's saved because he's a nice merciful, patient guy. Just the opposite. He's saved because of the unlimited mercy and patience of Jesus. Who not only puts up with us. But has taken the punishment we deserve on himself; as he dies there on the cross.
Grace. Mercy. Patience. They're the sort of words Paul uses when he's talking about getting right with God. And they all come from God's side. Towards those of us who are going to BELIEVE ON JESUS... AND RECEIVE ETERNAL LIFE."
Sounds too simple, doesn't it. And you can see the temptation for the sort of people who want to ADD TO IT. Make sure we tell them to do THIS. Or THAT. Make it a bit more COMPLICATED. Like a REAL RELIGION. Add a few rules, let's come up with something that's really going to impress God, so he'll sit up and take notice.
And the problem is, as soon as you've done that, you've missed the point of the gospel. Which is why Paul's so insistent that TIMOTHY STAND HIS GROUND... against people like that. Who go around preaching LAWS when we need to find LOVE INSTEAD. Who'll tell you how to earn MERIT... when you need to hear about God's MERCY instead. God's mercy and love; just because you're STANDING WITH JESUS.
If we're going to follow the instructions, that's what a church is meant to be built on. It's not going to be built on LAWS AND RULES... but on THE GOSPEL. With a GOAL OF LOVE. The love and mercy God has shown us... shown to each other.
Friends, I guess we need to ask ourselves if that's what we're building here. And we'll need to look around every week while we're working through Timothy and ask that same question. Are we heading in the right direction? Or not? Are we listening to the right teaching? Or not?
Paul says, it matters. And he tells Timothy to take a stand. It needs to matter to you and me too. I guess we can't demand MERCY and LOVE from each other; but we need to be clear, don't we. And when we try to build it ourselves without reading the instructions, it's so easy to mess it up. But when you see the diagram of what it's all meant to look like when you've put it together, that's the shape we're building towards. Paul says, if they're preaching anything else, tell them to be QUIET. Stick to the REAL GOSPEL, the one about JESUS AND WHAT HE'S DONE. It mightn't be fancy. It mightn't sound quite as impressive as the learned Genealogies and endless debates. But Paul says the simple truth is the truth that leads to faith. The simple truth is the truth that leads to LOVE; love that comes from a pure heart and a good conscience. Let's aim for that!