The Pastor’s Plea (Part 2)

Title: The Pastor’s Plea (Part 2):

Text: Colossians 2.16-23

CPT: Colossians, hold fast to Christ and experience true spiritual growth and maturity. Do not submit any longer to regulations and rituals which only tend to falsely and temporarily puff you up.

CPS: Hey guys, hold fast to Christ and do not hold on to legalistic teachings and rituals, which only puff you up for a little while.

Introduction:

Philosophy should result in Practice. Therefore, a Wrong Philosophy results in a wrong behavior and practice. A Correct philosophy results in correct living and practice.

Introduction: I attended a conference 10 years ago where RC Sproul was one of the guest preachers. He spoke of his educational journey where he watched liberalism infiltrate his seminary (the one he attended as a young man) and then how it impacted the local church: Col 2.6-9; Sproul said he witnessed Thesis, Antithesis, Synthesis throughout the years.

• The thesis is an intellectual proposition. – The Gospel; Christ
• The antithesis is simply the negation of the thesis, a reaction to the proposition. – This is what false teachers do with empty and deceitful philosophy.
• The synthesis solves the conflict between the thesis and antithesis by reconciling their common truths, and forming a new proposition. This is Jesus plus.

The fear of syncretism arises when we see these same false teachers combining Christ with worldly philosophies;

Ill.: Tim Keller in his book, The Prodigal God, tells how weird Christianity was in the beginning. They’d meet their neighbor or some stranger and talk religion. Oh, I’m a Christian. Really? Where is your Temple? Well, we don’t have one? Then where do you offer your sacrifices? Well, we don’t really do that either. Christ was our sacrifice.

Transition: So, with spiritual practices moving inward, in a society that understood religion to be outward, there was a tendency toward syncretism or synthesis; Paul warns the Colossians not to synthesize the gospel with anything the world has to offer: not worldly philosophies nor human traditions. We want to spend a few minutes looking at Paul’s concern for the Colossians and then turn our attention to today’s similar situation;

We’re in the midst of a section I’ve entitled, The Pastor’s Plea. Beginning in 2.6,

• Paul pleads with the Colossians to continue to walk in the faith, just as they’d received that faith.  
• His plea is seeded out of his concern for those who would lead the Colossians astray
• His plea stems from power of the gospel to transform lives
• And finally, it blossoms into victorious living, because of Christ’s Victory.

Let’s pick up in 2.16 where we continue the Pastor’s Plea with three warnings; Paul’ 1^st warning:

I. Do not let anyone judge you (16f)

exp.: rd v 16; in regard to

• Food and drink (clean/unclean)
• Festivals, new moon celebrations and Sabbaths (Jewish Holidays)

exp.: it appears that false teachers have come onto the scene and are trying to incorporate a Jewish mindset into the Gospel; Jesus is good, you need Jesus, but you’re missing some things: add the Law; you must accept Christ as your Lord and savior, and oh yeah, you must observe these other things, too (circumcision; this festival, that festival; you can’t eat or drink this or that); synthesis; I love what Paul says next: rd v 17; these ‘shadows’ or practices had their purpose! They were shadows.

ill.: CS Lewis calls this world the ‘shadowlands’; you see a shadow and you know what it comes from; a tree; a car or truck; a deer; we see this theme of shadows present in the book of Hebrews; The temple, the sacrifices, the work of the priests were but shadows of the real thing, the substance;

app.: here is what I think Paul is saying: there is nothing wrong with someone who abstains from certain foods or certain drinks. And, likewise, there is nothing wrong with those who don’t abstain from certain foods or drinks; There is nothing wrong in celebrating holidays; the Passover, the feast of tabernacles; for us, Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc. The problem is when you insist upon these things being added to Christ in order to attain salvation; when someone says you’re not saved because you don’t do these things, too! Or maybe they understand you’re saved – you’re a Christian – you’re just not as mature as they are.

The two examples I think of are baptism and speaking in tongues. i.e., you’re not saved until you get baptized; you’re not saved until you speak in tongues; you’re not saved because you…

Now, I have some friends who believe these things. I’m sure if they happen to watch this video they’ll be offended – bothered. But we have our own problems within our denomination that is similar to these. We’ll get to those in a minute.

t.s.: he continues in v 18; rd v 18; Paul’s second warning

II. Do not let anyone disqualify you (18f)

exp.: rd v 18; disqualify; appears only here; not in LXX; καταβραβεύω; Κατα means down or against; Βραβεύω means to umpire, to rule. So you get the idea of someone who rules against you, hense disqualify;Melick writes: The word ‘disqualify’ builds on the word which means to umpire or award the prize. The NASB translates this sentence: Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize by delighting in self-abasement and the worship of the angels, taking his stand on visions he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind;

Note: He’s not talking about salvation here; i.e., you lose your salvation, but rather forfeiting the prizes and rewards of the Christian faith that we get each day; Who is he talking about? Specifically, he says ‘those’ who (three participles (pres. act. ptc.)

• Insisting (θέλω: will; their will for you)
  • Asceticism (fasting); ‘self-abasement’;
  • Worship (religion) of angels
    • Acts 26.5; Jas 1.26; 27
    • Religion, faith, practice
  • Going on in detail about visions (setting foot on)
    • Being Puffed up (pres pass ptc) in vain (without reason)
    • Ill.: Pastor’s Prayer group with those who speak in tongues;
  • Not Holding to Christ; they’re holding on to a shadow; rd v 19; Christ, the only one who can bring true growth to the Body;

Transition: watch out for such people; avoid them; and then he gives them this great warning; rd v 20-22;

III. Do not add anything to Christ (20-23)

exp.: Paul says: you died to the world! Why are you still holding on to some of its regulations, precepts and principles; rd v 21; and then he gives the reason in v 23; they make you appear spiritual, but you’re really not; they make you appear humble, but you’re really not; you’re actually quite proud of your humility;

ill.: it’s like the man the church honored for his humilty; they brought him forward and honored him with a pin; the next week the took it away from him because he wore it!

ill.: Dr. Al Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY (whom Time calls the ‘reigning intellectual of the evangelical movement in the US) in his sermon “How does it happen: trajectories toward an adjusted Gospel” he lists 8 identifiable trajectories. I’d like to borrow from him and list them for you so that you might be mindfully aware of what preachers are preaching and teachers are teaching. Some of these you’ll recognize:

1. The Modern Trajectory

No, modern man would believe such myths; ill.: I remember eating at a table with some liberal pastors who were speaking in favor of gay marriage and ordaining homosexual men and women to the pastorate; I asked: with all that the Bible teaches against these things, how can you possibly be in favor of them. The answer: The Hebrew people were a pre-scientific people. Modern people have medicine, science and technology. Rudolf Bultmann said: No man who uses an electric razor believes that Jesus actually walked on water!

2. The Post-Modern Trajectory

The idea of Pluralism: what’s ok for you is ok for you. Truth is relative; ‘that’s your language’; we’re now supposed to tolerate all other forms of religion;

3. The Moral Trajectory – these folks struggle with the morality of the bible or as they would call it “the immorality of the Bible”; Specifically: Hell, divine atonement; human depravity; Wrath of God; penal substitution; sacrifice; and a God who acts in History through Judgment; Washington Gladden (Social Gospel) to teach such a doctrine as this (hell and divine justice) about God is to inflict upon religion a terrible injury and to subvert the very foundations of morality. Thus, we are morally superior to the stories in the Bible; today, a movement throughout the evangelical movement is to question God’s morality in crucifying His own son; people call this divine child abuse; a father would inflict pain upon his own child to forgive sins; ‘a divine monster’; self-aggrandizing in seeking his own glory; Mohler says in his sermon that so much of this movement has injected what he calls the ‘fairness doctrine’ – God has to be fair; Mohler points out that God is perfect and perfect is better than fair;
4. The Aesthetic Trajectory – God is beautiful; this is a beautiful story; the good, the beautiful, the true; thus, man being made in the beautiful image of God (imago deo) we’re aesthetic people; we can see these beautiful things for ourselves; These folks avoid Gen 3; clean up the story; the blood of Jesus; that’s gross;
5. The Therapeutic Trajectory – everyone has a therapist; some opt for those on TV, Oprah, Dr. Phil; Dr. Mohler refers to an article about “Therapy Envy” where there are those who are signing up for therapy in areas in which they don’t suffer; the idea here is that we are sick and in need of therapy instead of dealing with sin;

Ill.: A big movement today is the condemning and outlawing “Conversion Therapy”; In Britain this last month, Boris Johnson has tried to appease the Evangelical Community by saying that Conversion Therapy will be outlawed, but that there will be exceptions for Parents, Preaching and Prayer. But, the LGBTQ+ community is outraged. They want to take away the parents’ rights, the preaching of sin and even pernicious prayer.

6. The Pragmatic Trajectory – we have a problem, so let’s solve it; we organize, we mobilize, we scrutinize the problems and create programs and ideas to move us forward (where the Gospel fails, we jump in and help); Truth and Doctrine have their place, but in order to get results we implement a program! The pragmatic trajectory says we must be practical about ministry, evangelism and church growth; Key: Rd v 19 – grows with a growth that is from God.
7. The Emotional Trajectory – we are emotional beings; Jesus wept; emotion and feeling are at the heart of who we are; pastors have been moving toward not preaching the Gospel (Thesis), but rather what they feel or what they feel their people are feeling (antithesis); we call this preaching to felt needs; the danger is when pastor allows his feelings to dictate what he preaches; Mohler asks: How do you feel about original sin? What is your emotional response to hell? Point: it doesn’t matter how I ‘feel’ about the doctrines of the Bible. The preacher’s responsibility is to preach God’s Truth – not what he feels.
8. The Materialistic Trajectory – we live in a material world; we see the synthesis of the Gospel and the material trajectory with the health and wealth gospel; the prosperity gospel;

Transition: It amazes me that we keep adding to Christ. The Colossians were struggling with this; we know through church history that it continues for them for years, decades and centuries; And it amazes me that after all this time, we’re still trying to add to what Christ has done!

Conclusion and Application: Let me review for you what I’ve done so far this morning:

1. I told you about RC Sproul’s experience over the past 70 years Thesis/Antithesis/Synthesis
2. I told you about Christianity’s misunderstood beginnings (no temple, no sacrifice, no festivals)
3. We went through the Scripture and showed you how Paul had warned the Colossians of this very thing – don’t let anyone try to make you think you need – a temple, a sacrifice, a festival, etc.  
4. Then, I listed for you 8 trajectories that we need to be concerned about in our time where the world is trying to get us to add to the Gospel.

So, what are our take-a-ways?

1. Theology Matters. As a Christian, you should be concerned with Theology. The movement to liberalism is a slow moving metric. The trajectory is there, but it usually isn’t recognizable until changes have been made. I liken it to the ‘frog in the kettle’ analogy.
2. Warning: Listen for anything that might sound like Christ plus. You know the Gospel. Recognize anything that adds to it – or takes away from it.
3. Enjoy the celebrations God has set forth, but don’t require them as a standard of salvation or even a level of righteousness or maturity.
   1. God has blessed us with festive times. We should not mourn during those times. But, they are not required for salvation. And they don’t detract from them either.  
4. Your salvation is complete in Christ. God has blessed us with so many wonderful things in this life, but none of them: not the people, not the party, and definitely not the particulars are ever needed to be added to Christ to complete our salvation.

Conclusion: Christ is all you need. Do not add anything to Christ! We are Justified by Christ alone, through faith alone. He stands alone! His sacrifice is sufficient, paying the penalty for every sin you’ve ever committed or will ever commit; He himself said, “It is finished!”

The Pastor’s Plea (Part 1)

Title: A Pastor’s Plea

Text: Colossians 2.6-2.15

CPT: As you received Christ, so walk in him. Watch out for those who would lead you astray to follow deceptive human traditions. Christ has set you free from all of that through his work on the cross.

CPS: Let us continue to walk in the same manner in which we came to Christ. We have a new life in Christ because of what he has accomplished in saving us and he has given us victory over the powers that threaten to entrap us through following the traditions of men.

Introduction: I’m not sure I’ve ever noticed, when I was younger, how I began a journey. Nor, am I sure that I noticed how the start effected my progress. I know now that I’m older and wiser to begin my journey with the car ready. Don’t travel on bad tires. Make sure the oil has been changed and the fluids are topped off and in good working order. I know this because I’ve changed the tire on a van beside the freeway on a hot summer day! I know this because I got going and realized I didn’t have something I needed.

On the other hand, when steps are in working order and plans have been made and outlined, your journey tends to go smoother. That means making contingent plans for when other, unexpected bumps in the road occur.

I think that is what Paul has in mind as he transitions from a deep theological statement of Christ – the foundation for our faith – into a plea for the Colossians to continue walking in the firm foundation of faith in which they started. 1.15, 19; 2.9. Paul then says that Christ, who is God, established the world and the church; 1.18a; And, having done that work, Christ had now reconciled them (the Colossians) and brought them into a relationship with God, the Father, through him.

In 1.24-2.5, the text from last week, Paul informed the Colossians that his passion, his pursuit, was the proclamation of this gospel that brought them reconciliation – this good news. And he ends the little passage with this statement of warning in 2.4f: that no one may delude you and 2^nd, I can’t be there to protect you.

But you know something big is coming in what he has to say because he says, “Therefore”.

Summary: Jesus is God in the flesh. He created all things (and sustains all things) – even the church, of which He is the Head. And he brought you into His Church, reconciling you into His Body through faith in Him. Therefore, and Paul makes his plea to them…

I’ve outlined this next portion of the text into two sermons (Part I & Part II). Today’s message will take on the portion of the plea as it comes from a pastor’s heart: 1^st,

I. A Pastor’s Plea is for his people to continue to walk in the faith, just as they’ve received that faith (6f)

exp.: rd 2.6f; Paul describes that journey to faith with these prepositional phrases (in him; with him); v6, 7, 10, 11, 12 (2x), 13, 15; next, Paul uses imagery to describe the action of the coming to faith and of their walk; 1^st three participles describe the action of ‘walking’ in him; When you first read them you might think that Paul is mixing up his metaphors – going from a plant (rooted) to a building (built up).

Ill.: mixed metaphors

1. We’ll burn that bridge when we come to it.
2. Trying to thread a needle with a haystack.
3. Half of one, six dozen of another.
4. Robbing Peter to pay the piper.
5. Burning the midnight oil at both ends
6. It’s not exactly Rocket Surgery
7. Don’t beat a dead horse in the mouth

But, Paul isn’t doing that here. In each of these metaphors he describes the Temple – the Body of Christ. Indeed, that is exactly what Paul does in 1 Corinthians 3, where he describes God’s people as God’s Temple.

1. Like a tree: pft, pass; a present state based upon a past action; passive means it wasn’t their doing, but that of someone else; Firmly rooted in Christ; if not, easily uprooted in a storm;
2. Like a house: Built upon a firm foundation; if not, easily destroyed in a storm;
3. Established in the faith; just as you were taught; that is to say, continue in how you began
4. Abounding in thanksgiving;

ill.: I got me some tomato plants and planted them recently. Last year, I started with one plant. It died. This year, I started with 8. I thought my chances of something surviving might go up. So far, I’ve only killed two plants. I’ve got a couple of plants looking pretty good. A couple of others…. Not so good. I’m quickly losing hope in the rest.

app.: Here’s my problem – and I know what it is: I didn’t start off very well. The truth is, I need someone who knows about this stuff to help me start off correctly.

t.s.: here are two simple words you can write in the column of your Bible – Command: Walk, #2

II. A Pastor’s Plea is seeded out of his concern for those who would lead his people astray

exp.: rd 2.8; watch out! That no one carries you off as a spoil of war! POW! Now, this sentence is a hard sentence to translate. Most translations work on a literal, word for word translation. And I honestly like that. But, sometimes, word for word in the original language doesn’t make sense. And I find that here in this verse. You NIV users, well, the NIV translates the thought. That’s not always good – and to be quite honest, sometimes that is bad – because they miss the thought. But in this case, I think the NIV nails it. Rd 2.8b; See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, but technically, it should be translated: See to it that no one takes you captive by empty and deceitful philosophy, according to human tradition…

1. Empty and Deceitful Philosophy or Philosophy that is empty and deceitful; not all philosophy is bad. There are philosophers who are solid. There is philosophy that is solid. But here, Paul says that there are those who come in and kidnap many in the church with a philosophy that is empty and deceitful.

The 2^nd part of this sentence continues: according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world…

• According to Human tradition, that is to say, those things which are Elementary or basic spirits (principles, forces) of the world
• And not according to Christ. Christ isn’t simple or basic. Look at 2.3 – in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge).

app.: So, walk in him – in his wisdom and insight and knowledge. Don’t get conned by those who would attempt to kidnap you with their empty and deceitful philosophy.

t.s.: Here are two more words to write in the column of your Bible – Concern: Watch out; #3

III. A Pastor’s Plea stems from the power of the gospel to transform lives – (9-12)

exp.: rd 2.9; remember, he is God; 2.10; he, who is God and all powerful, has filled you; 2.11a; circumcision – Humm, sounds like we’re hearing some of the empty philosophy and deceitfulness coming from those false teachers. Sounds like they’re trying to make these Christians Jewish, before they can be truly Christians. Rd 2.11b; Putting off the body of flesh; Paul employees some terminology that will be repeated quite a bit over the next few paragraphs. This term means to strip away or to strip off; think of undressing. And, redressing; rd the rest of 11-12; You were buried with him in baptism – the old you has died – that’s why you buried him/her; that rascal no longer lives, but a new you lives; rd 12b; this is saying that the same powerful spirit who raised Jesus from the dead has also entered into your body and powerfully raised your dead spirit from the dead – making you powerfully alive in Christ. That’s powerful!

ill.: you guys remember the times before technology made some powerful advancements? Do you remember getting in your car and turning the engine over and all it did was go… (make slow engine noise); that’s because there was no power – your battery was dead.

app.: But you don’t have to live your life that way! You are firmly rooted, built up in Christ and established because of the power and the presence of God at work in you!

t.s.: If you’ve been writing in the column of your Bible, here are a couple of more words. Cause: Power of the Gospel – your walk is by the power of the Gospel. #4

IV. A Pastor’s Plea blossoms into victory in the lives of believers because Christ is victorious. (13-15)

exp.: rd 2.13-15; you are no longer the same! Yes, you once were that way – but no more!

ill.: this is probably Satan’s greatest tools against believers. He is always reminding us of how we don’t deserve God’s grace because we’ve been bad. He quotes the 1^st part of 13 to us: And you, who were dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh… And he’s right – to a point. That’s what he does, he takes partial truths and builds lies from them. That’s what makes them so believable.

app.: When he does, that’s when you say, “Yes, that’s true, but…” and then quote the rest of this verse, “but God made me alive in Christ! He cancelled the debt that I owed! He took care of my legal matters through Christ, who paid my debt for me.” You see in v 15 there – that he was victorious over them, making it possible for us to live in victory!

t.s.: last set of words for the column of your Bible – Call: to Victory – live the winning life.

Conclusion:

“The Storm on our Shores”, Mark Obmascik, pg. 154-155; (great read) “The Battle of the Pips” – July 26^th, 1943; maybe some of you remember it? The Japanese had landed on the island of Kiska and stationed some 6,000 soldiers there. The US had prepared and was sending some 35,000 soldiers and sailors to take back the Aleutian Island, some 500 miles west of Alaska.

The Soldiers on Attu, the last island in the Aleutians, had defeated the Japanese there and were loaded up on ships and sent to Kiska. However, at some point in their journey, intelligence reports came in that 7 Japanese ships were headed their way from Paramushiro. Admiral Kinkaid did not want to be surprised by an attack from the rear. So, he ordered those ships to turn around and engage the Japanese.

Just after midnight, on the 26^th of July, multiple US ships located 7 blips on their radar. The US fleet navigated to the west side of the island to engage the Japanese. The soldiers and sailors prepared for battle. This battle for Kiska would begin at sea.

Five US Ships launched a barrage of artillery in an attempt to sink the Japanese ships. Guns roared at a range of 8-12 miles. Each 14-inch gun weighted 180,000 pounds. It required a quarter ton of propellant to blast a 1,400-pound projectile up to 13 miles. Even after firing  518 rounds from big guns, and 487 shells from the 8-inch guns, the radars still showed seven pips. There were no explosions or any other evidence that the enemy had been hit. On radar, the targets still moved. More shots yielded no change. After a half hour of fury, the guns were silenced. The seven pips linked on the radar, then disappeared.

At sunrise the American fleet and warplanes scoured the area for crippled and destroyed ships. They found nothing – no flotsam, no oil slicks, no lifeboats.

As it would turn out, a post-war investigation found that there were no Japanese ships within 200 miles of that area. It all remained a mystery for many years, until someone discovered that there is a group of birds, sooty shearwaters that migrate through the Aleutians every year. These birds are so large in number, that they actually appear on radar as ships floating on the water. The reality is that they’re just a huge raft of birds floating on the ocean waves.

The US military was engaged in a battle with a bunch of harmless birds.

I think Satan is really good at getting us to worry about things that have no bearing on what we’re supposed to be doing. His lies get us all worked up by turning our attention toward what appears to be dangerous and harmful, but in reality is nothing at all. Instead, our focus is taken from where it should be. He does it to us as individuals and he does it to us as a group.

What are you worried about? Is Satan reminding you that you aren’t good enough to serve the Lord? Is your past so glaringly bright, that it appears as pips on your radar? You remind Satan that those sins were nailed to the Cross, your debt has been paid and your account settled. You are free now to live life in the full power afforded you through the Gospel! Let’s pray – invitation;

1 Timothy 1.1-3

*Note: the audio begins late… for the full audio version, you can visit our church’s Facebook page and view the service.

Title: 1 Timothy: An Introduction

Text: 1 Timothy 1.1-3

Introduction: Erin Brockovich is now famous for her legal work against a giant company. She herself was not a lawyer, but rather a legal clerk who worked for a small law firm. Her story inspires most because she represents many of us – at least that is the way we see it.

She didn’t look the part. She wasn’t educated. She had made many mistakes when she was young. She was judged on her appearance and not on her work. The snobs with the money judged her incompetent because she didn’t dress like they did. She didn’t have the law degree they had. It was a modern day David and Goliath story. Pacific Gas and Electric Company had been poisoning the land around Hinkley, California. Their reckless behavior made the people the people of Hinkley and the surrounding area sick – many even died.

Her story inspires because she stood up to the mammoth of a company that had money and lawyers to fight. But she never backed down. She spent countless hours learning the ins and outs of that company. She met and got to know the people of Hinkley. She knew the sick by name. She knew their spouses and what their spouse did for a living; she knew who their kids were and what grades they were in. She knew where they lived. She knew where they shopped; who their doctors were; the most intimate details about their lives. She knew the company was dumping hexavalent chromium and contaminating the water sources the people of Hinkley were drinking.

Her story inspires because she spoke out and defended the ones who could not stand up for themselves and won.

For me, the Pastoral Epistles inspire like that. Paul writes to these young men who are serving as pastors in their local churches and encourages them to speak out against those who are killing the people around them. He writes to Titus in Crete and to Timothy in Ephesus. Our focus this morning is on Ephesus and this letter to Timothy. The Letter is entitled 1 Timothy. If you’re using a pew Bible, you’ll find the letter on page ???

Paul states his purpose quite clearly in 3.14-15; rd 3.14f; you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Sound Doctrine is vital to a church’s existence. Unhealthy doctrine destroys a church. Sound Doctrine teaches a church 1) how to behave, 2) it represents God, and 3) is a pillar and buttress of the Truth!

Over the next 4 months, our church will be looking at 1^st Timothy. I have invited 8 men to walk this journey with me, 6 of whom will preach to you at one time or another. I did not choose the sermons for the guys, nor their texts. It was all very random. The only part to this that I did know were the dates that needed to be filed. In some ways, I feel like Paul – and these men are like Titus, Timothy, Tychicus, Apollos, Zenas, etc.

Our basic goal this morning is to look at the introduction. We find the introduction in 1 Timothy 1.1-3 or on page ??? if you’re using a pew Bible.

Basic Outline: First, we will look at the writer (who the letter is from), then the recipient (who the letter is to), and his purpose, which he alludes to in v 3;

• From: Paul
• To: Timothy (and the church at Ephesus)
• Purpose: you may charge…

Transition: that outline looks short, but the truth is, there is so much here, so let’s get to it.

1. From: Paul

exp.: Paul wrote this letter somewhere around the years 62-66 AD. Consider the following

• Paul was martyred by Nero in Rome. That is the historical tradition and has strong backing.
• Nero died in 68 AD, so, we’ll start with that date.
• Paul was near his death when he wrote 2 Timothy, his last book or letter that we have. If Nero put Paul to death, then Paul died before Nero. Make sense?
• So, let’s put Paul’s death around 67 AD – that means 2 Timothy was written near that time.
• There are at least two winters recorded in the Pastoral Epistles (Titus 3.12 and 2 Timothy 4.21).

Titus 3.12: When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there.

2 Tim 4.21: ²¹ Do your best to come before winter. Another winter is fast approaching. Each reference is a different context. So: at least two different winters. They could be one year apart or more; winter of ’67; the winter of ‘65. So, that would put 1 Timothy somewhere around 62-64 AD. These are rough guesses, of course – give or take a few years on each side the largest span would be 62-66. You probably have a good guess at the introduction in your Study Bible at 1 Timothy.

Next, Paul is imprisoned in 2 Timothy, but in 1 Timothy, he appears to be writing after his imprisonment as mentioned in Acts 28. I tried to locate times and places mentioned in 1 Timothy with Acts and I can’t reconcile them. Allow me to show you what I mean:

1 & 2 Timothy place Timothy in Ephesus. I jokingly say that he is the pastor of the 1^st Baptist Church in Ephesus. 1 Timothy has Paul going to Macedonia (1.3). In the book of Acts, Paul does travel to Macedonia from Ephesus (Acts 20.1), but Timothy has not been left behind in Ephesus. Instead, he is sent ahead to Macedonia (Acts 19.22). Added to this, Timothy accompanies Paul on his journey to Jerusalem (Acts 20.4). It is possible that Paul left at Timothy in Miletus when he was meeting with the Ephesian elders; however, Paul’s journey was toward Jerusalem in the opposite direction of Macedonia.

So, I can only conclude that Paul was released from prison after Acts 28. He ministered and wrote his letters (1 Timothy and Titus) between the dates of 62-66 AD. Then, at some point after those letters, he is thrown into prison again. According to 2 Timothy, he must have gone eastward after his Roman Imprisonment and not on to Spain, because he left his cloak and books at Troas. From his prison cell, during this 2^nd Roman Imprisonment, he wrote his last letter, 2 Timothy.

app.: Paul has a sense about him that the end is near. Verse 1 tells us about his calling: apostle. That means he is a missionary, a church planter. His authority is from God, who has called him and commissioned him. But, as the years have gone by, he finds himself unable to keep up with his previous pace of planting churches and discipling new believers. Jail time has put a toll on his body. Long hours, long travel, persecution, stress, these all have aged him.

So, he has strategically placed younger men in places of service. 1.3: Timothy at Ephesus; Titus at Crete (1.5); He sends their replacements. 2 Tim 4.12: Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. Before that, in Titus, Paul sent Tychicus to Crete – evidently to carry that particular letter. Paul mentions that Zenas, the Lawyer, and Apollos have been there with Titus and that Titus should send them on their way to Paul. Crescens is in Galatia; Titus served in Dalmatia, as well as in Crete. Mark is serving somewhere along the way between Ephesus and Rome. It would be a hard, but fun study to locate all of the names of these young men and see where Paul had located them for service – with both locations and dates.

Now, added to their placement as overseers in their respective churches, Paul has given them instructions about how a church should look and act. Now, this is so important! Don’t miss that! That is what these letters, 1 Timothy and Titus, are all about; more on that in a moment.

t.s.: For now, let’s turn our attention to Timothy

2. To: Timothy

exp.: rd v 2; he uses the same language with Titus; my true child in the faith. The Gk word here is legitimate. I think this means that Paul had a hand in their conversion to Christ and their foundation in discipleship. My guess is that Timothy was converted to Christ on Paul’s 1^st MJ. We first meet Timothy in the book of Acts (16.1). Paul and Barnabas had finished their 1^st MJ and had returned to Antioch to report their mission work. After some days and some disagreement about how they should handle things, Paul and Silas take off on Paul’s 2^nd MJ. Their first stop is in Galatia, at Derbe and on to a small town called Lystra. This is where they meet a young Timothy, who has impressed the people of Lystra and Iconium – and Paul, too. Paul immediately recognizes his potential and wants Timothy to accompany them on their journey. And so begins a mentoring relationship between the two men that will last for the next 15 years or more. So great is this relationship, greater even than any other relationship Paul will have with many men, that Timothy appears in all but three of Paul’s letters. Galatians, Ephesians, and Titus. An interesting side note about that: Timothy was from Galatia and he was the pastor at Ephesus.

The rest of v 2 is a typical salutation – if there is such a thing. Paul has worked at refining his introduction through the years to reflect a high Christology. And, built upon that Christology is the authority given to Paul. It is typical in nature to other letters, but of course, reflects the change and growth in his faith. Listen to Gordon Knight:

This form of salutation reflects three factors: first, the teachings of the Christian faith have molded Paul’s adaptation of the standard form. Second, there is a great uniformity in this molding, especially in the grading section, which reflects a certain crystallization of his manner of expression of the essential Christian truths in these salutations. Third, there are certain variations that either reflect the recipients’ situation and need or anticipate and emphasize that which will be presented in the letter proper.

In all of his letters except the letter to the churches in Galatia, Paul refers to the recipients’ relationship to Christ (i.e.: to all the saints in Christ Jesus, as here – my true child in the faith, etc).

ill.: but here is where we can’t see the bond and what has forged it. As you read through acts you see Timothy right there with Silas and others, learning how to stand for Christ, learning that persecution will come. He is watching Paul as he suffers: in Philippi, in Thessalonica, in Berea as he watched Paul sail away alone – alone for his own safety; he is there in Corinth when the city erupted and wanted Paul’s head. Timothy was at Ephesus the first time Paul spoke there. He probably heard Paul’s promise to return if the Lord willed it. And the Lord did and Paul returned and stayed for two years. He watched as the people jumped up and down, screaming and yelling at the top of their lungs, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!” He watched as Paul begged to address the thousands of people who wanted him dead. Paul saw a crowd where he could preach Christ. I’m sure Timothy was one of the men who begged him not to do that. The crowd yelled for two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”

We have a bunch of material from Acts where Timothy watched and learned from Paul. But what about the “so much more” that we don’t have. What was it like in those prison cells as they had time for some one-on-one discipleship? What was it like for Timothy to listen to this brilliant man who knew the Scriptures and how to apply them? What was it like to watch as the man went from reading the Scriptures to quoting them because his eyes were failing him? What was it like to hear the story of Paul’s conversion and calling – to hear him tell it – the story we read about in Acts Chapter 9 without the inflection, without the emotion of Paul’s voice?

app.: As a pastor, I’m in awe of this relationship. Paul loves the people of Ephesus. He detests false teachers coming and leading people astray. He trusts Timothy to serve those folks – to teach sound doctrine and protect them from the foolishness that others try to bring into a church.

t.s.: which brings us to this last section… it deals with what I touched on at the end of the 1^st section… the purpose of these letters, and this one in particular.

3. Purpose: charge certain men not to teach a different doctrine

exp.: rd v 3; Paul gets straight to the point. This is why I left you there in Ephesus. This is why I’m writing to you! Paul deals with false teaching repeated through his ministry. We see it in just about every letter. We’ll see it in this letter, so you’re going to see it again and again (1.3-11; 13-20; 4.1-7; 6.3-10; 20-21).

• Myths (1.4; 4.7)
• Genealogies (1.4)
• A concern with the Jewish Law and its application (1.7)
• Empty sounds and contradictions referred to as ‘knowledge’ (6.20)
• Deception (4.1-3)
• Immorality (1.19-20)
• Financial Gain (6.5)
• Harsh Asceticism (4.1-5) through denying the self what God has blessed us with; rd; 4.1-5

ill.: false teaching is alive and well in the church today. Consider the following for us:

• For the first 1500 years of the Church’s existence – teaching came only through hearing the Word. Very few people could read it and very few people had access to it. The Word of God was spread through copies and often times, those copies were chained to the altar at the church. Regular people did not have their own copies. The only time they got God’s Word was through the preaching.
• Along come Guttenberg and his printing press, making it possible to have a copy of God’s Word. So, for the next few hundred years, the word of God could only be spread reading it and the public preaching of it. As the Word of God became more and more prevalent, it was outlawed in certain countries. The Church didn’t want it in the hands of normal people because they might teach falsely. I think it was more about control.
• The Advent of Radio and Recording makes it much easier to access the preaching part. But today, with the internet and TV, with its 557 channels and nothing on, you can hear multiple preachers in any given hour. False teaching can be pumped into your homes and into your head anytime you want to listen to anyone who tickles your ears.

app.: For me, it is a scary time.

• Consider Mayor Pete Buttigieg: the 37-year-old mayor of South Bend, IN. He’s the next big thing for liberals because he is gay and he is married to a man. And, he is a very nice young man. He’s intelligent and articulate. He went to Notre Dame, Harvard, and Oxford. Ok, so far not too very different from most liberals. But, here’s the thing: he spouts his faith and declares his Christianity unashamedly. And this is where I think Sound Doctrine is of great importance to us. Just look at our text, down in v 8-11. Now, there are some, probably more on the internet than here in this room, who would say it is wrong from me to ‘judge’ him and his faith. I think to some degree that would be true. But this is where we need to be very careful. Scripture is clear on this issue. He may be sincere, but he is sincerely wrong according to Scripture. What is scary for me is that there is a group of young, progressive Christians who are pushing and supporting his rise through the Democratic party.
• Al Mohler recently shared an article which came out in the New York Times questioning the foundational doctrines of our faith: the Trinity, The Virgin birth, The Resurrection of Christ. I’m guessing it was Easter and all – and that’s the perfect time to attack Christians. Nicholas Kristoph interviewed a Seminary president: Serene Jones. She is the president of Union Theological Seminary. And the article basically boils down to throwing out the main tenets of our faith. Serene Jones doesn’t believe in a resurrection. She says the empty tomb illustrates that “the ultimate love in our lives cannot be crucified and killed.” She says there isn’t a resurrection in Mark – only an empty tomb. Kristoph challenges her, not really, but just so she can expand on her thoughts: But without a resurrection, aren’t we left with just the crucifixion? She answers: “Crucifixion is not something that God is orchestrating from upstairs. The pervasive idea of an abusive God-father who sends his own kid to the cross so God could forgive people is nuts. For me,” she said, “the cross is an enactment of our human hatred. But what happens on Easter is the triumph of love in the midst of suffering. Isn’t that reason for hope? Well, according to Paul – No! If all we have is the crucifixion, if Christ is not raised, then we are to be pitied above all men. If Christ is not raised, then we are hopeless and our faith is futile.
• Joel Osteen is a motivational speaker who masquerades around as a preacher. I’ve chosen not to slam other preachers, but I don’t think Osteen lands in this category: a preacher. Joel Osteen’s teaching revolves around the self. There is no guilt and shame – those things don’t belong at his church. He will not talk about sin – that is so degrading. What he focuses on is making you feel better about yourself when you walk out those doors.
• The following is from CBSNews.com this morning:

Rachel Held Evans, a popular, progressive Christian writer who challenged the traditional evangelical views, died Saturday, her husband confirmed in a blog post. She was 37.

Evans was hospitalized in April for what she described in a tweet as “a flu + UTI combo and a severe allergic reaction to the antibiotics they gave me.” Her husband, Daniel Evans, had been updating on her blog about her health, writing that she had been placed in a medically-induced coma.

On Saturday, he wrote that she had been weaned from coma medication, but seizures had continued and severe swelling of her brain had been found, which he wrote caused severe damage that “ultimately was not survivable.”

“This entire experience is surreal,” Daniel Evans wrote. “I keep hoping it’s a nightmare from which I’ll awake. I feel like I’m telling someone else’s story.”

Evans was the author of several books, including “Faith Unraveled,” “The Year of Biblical Womanhood,” “Searching for Sunday” and “Inspired.” She spent more than a decade writing about what she described as “faith, doubt, and life in the Bible Belt” on her blog. 

Her popular writing and views on Christianity often enraged traditional evangelicals. In 2015, The Washington Post called her the “most polarizing woman in evangelicalism.” She was an advocate for LGBT membership in the church, urged fellow pro-life Christians to vote for Hillary Clinton and wrestled with the role of the patriarchy in the church. She served on former President Obama’s Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships. 

She eventually left the evangelical church, writing in 2016 that “church universal is so much bigger than white American evangelicalism, and that’s going to become ever more apparent in the months and years to come.” 

I’m sad that this young woman died.

But the saddest part of her story is that so much of her ‘ministry’ was much like Hymenaeus and Philetus. She rejected the hard parts of the Bible and followed how she felt. Many have been led astray. She had a great point. I too have been sickened at the organized church; the power plays of individuals; the segregation that is most evident on Sunday mornings.

t.s.: So, how do we handle this? Well, a guilty man should feel guilty. Sin is what separates us from a holy God and we have to deal with our sin. Most people just don’t want to change. But God loves us too much to leave us the way we are.

Conclusion: We must act and respond like Paul, who is being very clear that Sound, Healthy Doctrine is vital. It is what should guide the church. It isn’t enough to just babble on and place your focus on things outside of Scripture, like how you feel. We must be clear about what is in Scripture. And that is the whole purpose behind 1 Timothy.

Application:

1. The Charge: someone has to confront those who are teaching something other than sound doctrine. Someone has to cry out that the water has been poisoned. Don’t drink that water, but rather, come to the life-giving water. Here at Calvary, that is the elders’ responsibility.
2. The Word of God is our Standard: It has to be the standard. Culture changes; laws change; emotions change; The Word of God is unchanging! For Timothy, he had the letter to the Ephesians, and he had this letter. This letter closes with a plural “you” – that is ‘the church’, so it appears that Paul had the intention for this letter to go to the church, too.
3. The goal of this charge is love… v. 5; it isn’t to win arguments, but people. I’ll expound on this next week, but how can we say we love someone, but don’t love them enough to tell them the Truth.

As I think about Ms. Rachel Evans, I’m reminded that her passion was for those who were being rejected by the church. Something has got to change! But what must not change, is the Word of God on which we stand. What must change – is us. Love must drive us to understand God’s Word and use it as the standard for our faith.