1 Timothy 1. Now, Paul addresses this epistle to
Timothy. Not to Timothy only, though.
Otherwise, if he'd been writing to Timothy only, it wouldn't
have been necessary for him to declare that he's an apostle.
Timothy knew he was an apostle. But Paul is writing here to all
who hope in Christ, every believer whose hope is Christ. In the
salutation he says, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ. He identifies his office, his
authority. And that by the commandment of
God. Paul didn't put himself in the ministry, take that responsibility
upon himself. No man does that. No true servant
of God. But by the commandment of God
our Savior and our Lord Jesus Christ, who is our hope, this
is addressed to all to whom Christ is the hope, the good hope, the
blessed hope. But here in verse 2, especially
singling out Timothy, and we'll listen while Paul speaks to Timothy
and learn for ourselves. He says unto Timothy, my own
son in the faith. What a beloved title, my son. Timothy was not Paul's natural
son. He was not Timothy's natural
father. But Paul called him my son, a
very beloved title for several reasons. One, because of his
age. Timothy was much younger than
Paul. He was young enough to be Paul's son. Paul was up in
years. Timothy was a very young man.
And Paul calls him, my son in the faith, because of his youth.
And secondly, because he taught him the gospel. He's my son in
the faith. Timothy didn't know the gospel
until he met Paul. God used the apostle to teach
Timothy who Christ is, and what Christ did, and why he did it,
and where Christ is now, and how the Lord Jesus fulfilled
all the Old Testament prophecies, how he is the Christ, the Redeemer.
Timothy was grateful to Paul, and Paul was grateful for Timothy.
He taught him the gospel. And then he calls him his son
because of his affection for him. He loved this young man.
We love those who love Christ. We love them deeply and sincerely. Paul loved this young man because
he loved Christ. If we love him that beget, we
love those begotten of him. He that loveth not knoweth not
God. By this all men know you are my disciples if you love
one another." So Paul reaches out and with these kind words
embraces this young man because he loved him. I'll tell you another
reason why he called him my son. He had confidence in Timothy
to stand. To stand for the gospel. I shall
not be moved. I shall not be moved off the
rock, Christ. I shall not be moved off the
doctrine of Christ, the truth of Christ, the gospel of the
glory of Christ. And Paul knew that this young
man would not be moved. He's my son. He's my son. And he says, grace, mercy, and
peace. And I'm listening to him talk
to Timothy. And I want him to say the same
thing about me. Don't you? Grace, mercy, and
peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord upon you,
my son. Upon you. And verse 3, And I
besought you to abide still at Ephesus when I went to Macedonia. Here, Paul is leaving Ephesus. And it's always with tears that
we leave. a place where God has used us
and blessed us to minister to people. And Paul was leaving. But he felt a confidence and
a comfort in leaving Timothy there. That's right. He left Timothy
because he knew that Timothy would be faithful to the gospel.
He was confident, absolutely confident, that this young man
would do the same thing he did, preach the same gospel he preached,
love the people as he did, and not betray them, and be true
to his God. He knew that. Now, he didn't
have that feeling about many others. If you'll turn to Philippians
2, you'll find Paul the apostle showing some doubts about some
other men who profess to be preachers of the gospel. He says in verse
19 of Philippians 2, right into the church at Philippi, he says,
but I trust in the Lord to send Timothy, Timotheus is Timothy,
shortly unto you, that I also may be of good comfort when I
know your state. If I send him, I know what he'll
preach. I know whom he'll preach. I know
how you'll preach, and I know where you'll stand, and I'll
be comforted knowing that you're in good hands if I send Tim. Isn't that something? That's
how he felt about this young man. That's why he called him
my son. But listen, for I have no man so dear unto me, that's
what that saying there, like mine, is so dear unto me, who
will naturally care for your state. Whatever it cost him. Verse 21, For all seek their
own, and not the things which are Jesus Christ. Isn't that
sad? They seek their own. We studied that this morning.
They look on their own things, not on the things of others.
They seek their own. But, verse 22, you know the proof
of Him. You know where He stands. How do they know where he stands?
Time. The test of time. Don't put your
eggs in a new basket. Time. The test of time. Trial. Timothy had been tried
and proven. Time. Trial. Faithfulness. Gospel. You know the proof of
him that as a son with the father, He has served with me in the
gospel. Him, therefore, I hope to send
presently, so soon as I shall see how it will go with me."
Oh, I tell you, that is such a blessing. I know Timothy will
be true to the gospel. So, verse 3 of my text, 1 Timothy
1, I besought thee, Timothy, to stay at Ephesus while I went
to Macedonia, that you may charge some that they teach no other
doctrine. Isn't that sad? Some do. Some
seek their own and not the things of Christ, not the things of
the church. Some come along and preach another
doctrine, justification by works, by law. Turn to Galatians chapter
4. They bring back the Sabbath day and the ceremonies and the Old
Testament diets and all of these things, it put men back under
the bondage of the law. Galatians 4 verse 21, tell me,
ye that desire to be under the law, don't you hear the law?
Don't you hear the bondage of the law? Galatians 5, 1 through 5, listen
to this, Stand fast, therefore, in the liberty wherewith Christ
hath made us free. Don't be entangled again with
a yoke of bondage. Don't get back under days and
holy days and touch-not, taste-not, handle-not, the tithe, storehouse,
all these things. Behold, our Paul is saying to
you, if you be circumcised, if you come under the law, Christ
will profit you nothing. I testify again to every man
that's under the law, that's circumcised, he's a debtor to
do the whole law, not just some of it, all of it. And then, verse
4, Christ is become of no effect to you, whose for every view
are justified by law. You've fallen from grace. We
through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness, not by
law, but by faith. And Timothy, charge these men
that they teach no other doctrine. You can do it and you will do
it. And then verse 4, And there they come with speculations and
prophecies and theories and questions and inquiries into secret matters.
Listen. And neither give heed to fables. Endless genealogies. All the
things today in the cults and sects that are going on in this
nation. And these things minister questions
rather than godly edifying. which is in faith. Speculations
and theories and questions and inquires into secret matters
do not edify believers, do not lead to faith in Christ, but
they turn believers aside from the gospel. Turn to 2 Corinthians
11. This is what Paul was fearful
of. In 2 Corinthians 11, people bringing
in unanswerable questions, and genealogies,
and speculations, and laws. He says in 2 Corinthians 11,
let's look at this, 2 Corinthians 11, Would to God, verse 1, you
could bear with me a little in my folly. And indeed you do bear
with me, I appreciate that. I'm jealous over you, with a
godly jealousy. I have espoused you to one husband,
that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ, not divided
in your affection or divided in your love, but single in your
heart, loving Him and Him alone, trusting Him, Him alone, looking
to Him, Him alone, not through your deeds and duties and religion
and works and self-righteousness and laws and days and these things,
looking to Christ. Verse 3, But I fear, lest by
any means, As Satan beguiled Eve through his subtlety, your
mind should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth
another Jesus whom we have not preached, or you receive another
spirit whom ye have not received, or another gospel which you have
not accepted, you might well bear with me. And that is what he is fearful
of here talking to Timothy about staying in Ephesus, holding the
people to the simplicity of Christ, defending them against false
teachers and those that would, in subtlety and crackedness and compromise, lead them away from
Christ and the gospel. Now verse 5, The goal of the commandment,
the goal of the law of God, is love. The end, put that word
there, the end is the goal, the objective of the commandment,
of the law, is love. It's to love God. It's to love
one another. That's the goal of the law. Let
me show you that. Turn to Matthew 23. Matthew chapter
23, verse 36. Listen to this. Matthew 23, verse 36. Matthew
22, verse 36. Here it is. Verse 35. One of them, which was a lawyer,
asked him a question, tempting him, saying, Which is the great commandment
in the law? Which is the most important law, commandment? And
Jesus answered and said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord
thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment. And the second is likened to
it. Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. On these two commandments
hang all the law. The end and goal of the law is
to love God. and love one another. And Paul wrote that in Galatians
2. I'll read it to you without you
turning. Paul said in Galatians 5, 13, listen. Verse 14, all the law is fulfilled
in one word. Thou shalt love thy neighbor
as thyself. That's the goal and end of the law is love. Go back
to my text, 1 Timothy 1, 5. Now the goal of the commandment,
the goal of the law is love. Love God and love one another.
How? Out of a pure heart. Out of a sincere heart. Out of a willing heart. And of
a good conscience, a clear conscience, purged from pride and dead works. and of faith, genuine faith,
not hypocritical faith, knowing that you're complete in Him.
That's the end of the law. That's the goal of the law, to
bring us to love God and love one another. And all the law
is fulfilled in those two commandments. And then verse 6, from which
some, some preachers, some teachers, have swerved and turned aside
into vain jangling These men who would bring you back under
the bondage of the law and the works. He says in verse 7, they
desire to be teachers of the law. They call it some of them
practical, practical godliness, practical living. I tell you,
the gospel is practical. It meets my need. Christ meets
my need. And these men desiring to be
teachers of the law, they don't understand what they're saying.
They don't understand what they're saying, they don't understand
the subject. Paul said over here to the Galatian church, he rebuked
them in chapter 3, he says, O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched
you, that you should not obey the truth, before whose eyes
Jesus Christ has been evidently set forth, crucified among you?
This only would I learn of you. Did you receive the Spirit by
the works of the law? or by the hearing of faith. Are
you so foolish then, having begun in the Spirit, do you need the
law to make you perfect? Now look back at the text. These
men who want to bring you back under the law, back under the
bondage of the law, back under the motivation of the law, they
don't understand what they're preaching or what they're teaching. But verse 8, now listen, but
we know the law is good. Now underscore this and listen,
the law is good if a man use it lawfully. The law is good,
the law of God is good. David said, I love thy law. Paul
talked about in Romans 7 how he loved the law of God. The
law is good if a man uses it for the purpose for which it
was given. The law is good if a man uses
it for the purpose for which it was designed. But if a man
tries to use the law, the commandments of God, to obtain life, it will
condemn him. If he tries to use the law to
obtain sanctification, it will condemn him. If he tries to use
the law to obtain righteousness and salvation, it will condemn
him. If he tries to use the law in
any way, the commandments of God, to find favor with God, apart from Christ, it will condemn
him. The law is good if you use it
for the purpose for which it was given. Paul said, listen
to this, you want to turn to this, Romans 7, Romans 7, listen
to this. Romans 7, verse 10. And the commandment, the law,
which was ordained to life, God said to Adam, do this and live.
Obey me and live. The commandment was ordained
to life. Paul said, I found it to be unto death. I misused it. I took that law and tried to
find righteousness in it, and life, and salvation, and acceptance
with God. And it killed me. The very thing
that God said, do this and live, killed me. When the law came,
I died. Now, the law is good. Alright, let's look at this verse
again for a moment. I know that the law is good if
a man uses it lawfully. The law is good if in the hands
of the Holy Spirit. That law reveals my sin. Convicts
me of my sin. Shuts me up to Christ. That law
is good if it's used lawfully in that way. Turn back to Romans
7 again. Listen to what Paul says here.
And this is what it did for him in Romans chapter 7. beginning
with verse 7, Romans 7, 7. What shall we say then? Is the
law sin? God forbid. I wouldn't have known sin but
by the law. That's how I found out I was a sinner. I had not known lust except the
law said, Thou shalt not covet. But sin, taken occasion by the
commandment, wrought in me all manner of concupiscence. Without
the law, without a revelation of God's character, and holiness. Without the law, sin was dead.
I didn't see it. For I was alive without the law,
without a revelation of the law. But when the commandment came,
sin revived, sin became clear to me, and I died. The law slew me. So the law is
good if it comes in the hands of the Holy Spirit and strips
me. and humbles me and shuts my mouth
and finds me guilty and turns me looking to God for help and
mercy, mercy for the miserable. The law is good. And secondly,
the law is good when it is written on my mind and on my heart and makes me to love it and obey
it because I love Christ. The commandments of Christ are
not grievous to a believer. They have our full approval and
acceptance. We love God's law. Turn to 2
Corinthians 5 and listen to Paul here. 2 Corinthians 5, verse
14. When the commandment of Christ,
when the law of God is written on our minds and our hearts, and we love it, and obey it,
because we love Christ, it is good. 2 Corinthians 5 verse 14,
For the love of Christ constraineth me thus, because we thus judge,
that if one died for all, then we are all dead. And listen,
And that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth
live unto themselves, but unto him that died for them and rose
again. The Lord is good. which are written
on my heart and on my mind." You see, the commandments of
Christ, I want you to listen to this, the commandments of
Christ are not grievous. Our Lord said, my yoke is easy
and my burden is light. The commandments of Christ do
not force us into a way of life which we despise. But He has His grace and mercy
brings us into a lifestyle that we love. I was up in northern Virginia
Tuesday, and we went to a... I went to a farm of Mennonites,
and then to a store that they run, sell their goods. And I
saw some of the most unhappy people that I've seen in a long
time. Moral people dressed in certain uniforms and
beards and little girls out trying to play in the sand with long
dresses and sleeves and hats. And I saw in the store young
ladies waiting on customers who were the saddest looking people
I believe I've ever seen. So sad. in a bondage, a religious
bondage, of rules and laws and touch-not, taste-not, handle-not
days, trying to keep these man-made rules of uniformity and dress
and suppression. And I thought, that's not Christ. Christ and salvation does not
force us into a way of life we despise? Force us into a way
of life that we abhor? And that we'd escape if we could? No, sir. Salvation is not the
old man in the jail of religion. Salvation is the new man walking
with Christ in a happy home and a happy church happy faith and
a joyful lifestyle. The law is good if a man uses
it lawfully. But if a man takes the laws of
God and tries to find acceptance with God and favor with God and
salvation and sanctification and righteousness, it will damn
him, it will condemn him, it will depress him, it will tear
his heart out, Put him in jail. Take all his joy away. But when
Christ comes and gives us a new nature and a new heart, and we
love His ways. We love His Word. We love His
Son. We love the truth. We love honesty,
godliness, and holiness. We want to be like our Lord.
I'll be satisfied when I wake with His likeness. You see what
I'm trying to say? So the law is good if a man uses
it lawfully. Let me show you another point
here. Listen to this. Listen to him in verse 9. You
know this, the law is not made for a righteous man. What does
that mean? The law is not made for a believer,
a regenerated person, A person who believes on Christ? The law
is not made for a person who has a new heart and a new nature,
who loves Christ, who walks in the Spirit. Do you, let me ask you, do you
need a set of written laws and rules to regulate your life and
to force you to do God's will? For example, Do I need a written
law to keep me from worshiping idols? I go to the law, it says,
I shall have no other God before me. Do I need that? Do I need
to be constantly told that? If I do, something is wrong with
me. Do I need a law to tell me not to make a graven image? Next
Sunday, I come up here with some kind of graven image, an idol,
a picture of Christ. You say, Pitcher, what are you
doing? That's against the law. Not only against the law, it's
against our love. It ain't the problem that's against the law,
it's against my love. Do I need a law to tell me not
to curse God, blaspheme God? Do I need a law to tell me not
to desert my parents? Not to love my parents? I love them in Christ. Do I need
a law to tell me not to kill Somebody? Do I need a law to
tell me not to leave my wife and marry another? Do I need
a written law to keep reminding me that you must not leave her? Don't you leave her. It's against
the law. It's against Christ. Do I need a law to tell me not
to steal? Marty and I handle hundreds of
dollars every week here in this church. Do we need somebody to
watch over our shoulder to be sure we don't steal it? That's
terrible to think of such a thing. Do I need the Lord to tell me
not to lie to you? To covet what you have? The Lord
is not made for righteous people. These doors aren't locked to
keep you out. They're to keep the crooks out. If everybody in this town was
saved, we wouldn't need a policeman. We wouldn't have a jail. We wouldn't
need a judge. God's our judge. That's right,
isn't it, John? And that's what he's saying.
The law is not made for God's people. The law is made for whom? Lawless, disobedient, ungodly,
unholy, profane murderers of fathers and mothers. Whoremongers,
homosexuals, defile themselves with mankind, men's kidnappers,
liars, perjured persons, any other thing is contrary to the
gospel. You see, the law and the gospel
stand together. If it's contrary to the law,
it's contrary to the gospel. That's right. Any other thing
that's contrary to sound doctrine according to the glorious gospel
of the blessed God. John, that's so, isn't it? If
it's against the law, it's against the gospel. That's right. Anything that's
contrary to holiness is contrary to the gospel. Anything contrary
to godliness is contrary to the gospel. Anything that's contrary
to the law is contrary to this gospel. It's according to the
gospel of the glory of God. It's such a harmony between the
gospel and the commandments of God that what's contrary to one
is contrary to the other. Christ said, I didn't come to
destroy the law. I came to fulfill it. The gospel no more excuses sin
than the law does. And I tell people this. They say, I'm not under the law.
I'm under grace. You're under a grace that's true to God's
law. That's right. The gospel no more
excuses sin than the law does. That's the reason I don't want
to be under the law. The law can't forgive. The law
cuts me no slack. The law shows no mercy. The law
condemns and curses. But the gospel of Christ forgives. The gospel doesn't need laws
to produce love. Listen to this. The gospel does not need laws
to produce love. It does not need laws to produce
grace or obedience. The gospel of Christ is its own
motivator. The gospel of Christ is its own
incentive. The gospel of Christ is its own
reward. To see the law of Christ To see
the law by Christ fulfilled and hear His pardoning voice changes
a slave into a child and duty into choice. To see the law of God by Christ
fulfilled and hear His pardoning voice turns a slave into a child. and duty into choice, because
it's His work, His will. By the grace of God, I am what
I am. And I close with this. The gospel does not need laws
and rules to produce obedience or love. If that were so, God would not
get the glory. The law would. But the gospel
of Christ makes us willing, gives us a willing heart. And the gospel
does not need to be hedged about or protected with laws to keep
people from leaving. The gospel does not need to be
hedged about with laws to keep people from leaving Christ. There
is no glory there. I'll show you something here.
This was the very foundation on which Satan attacked Job. Let me show you this and we'll
close. Turn to Job chapter 1. I'm saying that God's gospel
does not need laws to produce obedience, to generate fear. It doesn't need laws to hedge
it about to keep people from leaving. In Job chapter 1, Satan came among the sons of
God and had a conversation with the Father. It is recorded in
Job 1 verse 8, The Lord said to Satan, Have you considered
my servant Job? There's none like him in the
earth. He's a perfect, righteous, upright man, one that fears God
and avoids evil. Satan answered and said, Does
Job fear you for nothing? You've hedged him about, his
house, all that he hath. You've blessed the work of his
hands, his substance increased. I tell you the reason Job is
what he is, is because you have blessed him, supplied every need,
hedged him about, won't let anything touch him. That's the reason.
That's the only reason. He doesn't really love you, but
you've hedged him about, promised him rewards and all these things.
If he'd do certain things. If you move these things, he'll
curse you. He didn't. Alright. Second time,
Job 2. Verse 1, again, there was another
day when the sons of God came to present themselves before
the Lord, and Satan was among them to present himself before
the Lord. Down here in verse 3, and the
Lord said, Satan, have you considered my servant Job? There's none
like him in the earth. Perfect, upright man. One that
feareth God, hates evil, abhors evil. Still he holdeth fast his
integrity, although you have moved me against him to destroy
him without cause." You said that he followed me because I
was good to him. Well, we took it away and he
still followed me. What do you have to say about that? Verse
4, And Satan said, skin for skin, Yea, all that a man hath will
he give for his life. Put forth your hand, and touch
his bones. and his flesh, give him a disease,
strip him of his health, put him on the point of death,
and he'll curse you to your faith. The only reason Joe's following
you is he's afraid of you. He's afraid you'll touch him.
You do, he'll curse you. Did he? No. And that's what I'm
saying. I'm saying what Paul, I believe,
is saying in 1 Timothy. Laws and rules and regulations
and commandments and these things, hedging people about forcing
them into a way of life they abhor and hate and despise, putting
them in jail in the jail of religion, constraining them. That's not
it. They love Him. And they're motivated
to do what they do because they do love Christ. Isn't that right?
And they'll always love Him. And like Job said, though he
slay me, I'll trust him. To whom shall we go? He has the
words of life. We believe and assure that he's
the Son of God. I hope that's a blessing. We'll
continue that message tonight with the rest of the verses.