1 Timothy 1v12-20 - July 22 - PM
1 Timothy 1:12-20
In these verses we see one of the most graphic descriptions in the Scriptures of the unlimited power of the gospel. Paul realized that God had saved him from such a multitude of sins that it was truly amazing.
What does Paul say about himself in the first couple of verses? He says he was a blasphemer, a persecutor and a violent man. He did not deserve any grace from God. He called himself, in verse 15? I think the King James says he was chief of all sinners. He said that he was a wicked, vile person before he was saved. This made Paul marvel. God, even though he had been this way before, saw fit to give him the strength to spread the gospel. This strength was seen in his conversion and call, not just in the strength that he received that allowed him to work miracles. Christ’s strength did give him this power, but it was more than that. He was given the same power that we are given today, the power to tell others about Christ.
If we were to look at 2 Corinthians 4:7-12 tonight, we would see that in those verses Paul said that God committed the treasure of the gospel to apostles whose frailty resembled cheap clay lamps. That really tells us exactly how weak and vulnerable we really are. Think about a cheaply made pot or bowl today. If you were to drop one of those, even from a fairly small table or shelf, it would crack or break. Not much pressure is required to do this to it. We are the same way, when we try to do things under our power instead of relying on God. We can be easily cracked or broken. When we rely on God, though, he gives us the strength to stand up to all the tests that we will be facing.
Often we think that we are worthy, at least a little bit, of the blessings that we receive and the jobs that God gives us. Paul, though, realized that he really did not deserve any of the things that God had given him or placed in his power. Paul knew he did not get his position because of his recognition or because God thought a lot of him, but because he was willing. He was willing to let God make him into what God wanted him to be. We need to be the exact same way. We need to realize that God really is the potter and we are the clay. We need to allow God to mold us and make us the way that he wants us to be made and in the fashion that he wants to make us. We have to realize that many of the things that God wants us to have take time to develop.
Think about all the things God could have held against Paul. He had denied that Christ was the Son of God; he had hunted down Christians, and had acted like a bully. God, though, showed Paul mercy because Paul did not know the truth of the true nature of Christ. Today a lot of people fit in the same boat as Paul. They really do not know they truth. Paul thought he was serving God. Today a lot of members of churches think they are serving God. They, like Paul, though, need to realize that being religious is not what God wants. All of us know religious people that are not Christians. We also know a lot of people that think they are too bad for God to save them. I doubt that anyone you know is worse than Paul was. If God would save Paul, he would save them as well. All they have to do is do the same thing that Paul did, ask God to come into their hearts, confess their sins and they will be saved.
Until he was saved Paul had a clean conscience. He didn’t know better. He thought he was living right. After he was saved, though, his conscience changed and he knew better. His conscience went from bad to good and his condition, based on his conscience, also changed.
No matter how great our sin is, Paul is a prime example from Scripture that we can be saved. If Paul can be saved, anybody can.
No matter how gad out sin is, God’s grace is greater. Paul said that he was the worst sinner alive, but God still saved his soul. Christ came to the world for one reason, to save sinners. There is no other reason for his life, death, burial and resurrection.
Sometimes we are guilty of overlooking verse 17. We see in this verse, though, an attitude of praise and worship. Praise for what God had done. We see Paul giving God the glory, honor and majesty that God us due. Paul realized that God is a powerful, saving Father; we need to do the same thing. Paul called God the “King eternal.” This might allow us to picture God as being king of all the earth for all time. We also see him calling God immortal, or immune from decay or corruption. A third word we see in this verse is invisible. We cannot see God, but we know that he is there, just like we can’t see the wind, but we know it is there. Then he admits that God is the only God. There is nothing else like him. God does not have any competitors. Anything that we try to compare to God will pale in comparison. The honor that Paul gives God involves esteem and reverence due to God because of his personal qualities of excellence. The amen that we see Paul say in this verse is a word that affirms that the preceding truths are justified and correct.
If you will think back to last weeks study, Paul began this letter to Timothy with a warning against false teachers. We see Paul returning to this topic in verses 18-20. Paul was telling Timothy that he had to act. He could not stand by and let the false teachers run rampant. Timothy was to fulfill his calling as a Christian and as a minister. If he was able to do that, he would be about to stop the ones that were teaching wrong doctrines.
To overcome this, Timothy had a long, hard spiritual battle ahead of him. It would not be an easy victory or a pleasant countryside retreat. He was going to have to throw off the gloves and get nasty with the ones that were teaching false doctrines. Today, we have for far too long stood by and let false doctrines infiltrate Christianity. Some of these doctrines sound good. The doctrine of give and get sounds good, but I find nothing in Scripture to really support it. The doctrine that Dr. Schuler preaches out in the Crystal Cathedral and across the airwaves sounds good, that God is all love and that all we have to do is love him and everything will work out would be wonderful to follow, if it were true. We have got to stand up and fight for what is truth. The truth is that, yes, God is a God of love, but he is also a God of wrath. He is just going to put up with us for so long and then look out!
Paul encourages Timothy in verse 19 to hold on to the faith. Correct belief alone does not guarantee a useful Christian life. Each Christian has to combine a right understanding of Christ with a proper response to that understanding. Our faith has to produce good works, not our good works produce our faith.
Paul closes this section with a direct reference to two of the false teachers. We do not know for sure what these men were teaching, but we do see that Paul was fed up with whatever it was, as he had handed them over, or delivered, to Satan. It is generally thought that this meant that these men had been removed from the fellowship of the church and placed in Satan’s realm, where they would experience his malice. By excluding these men from the fellowship of God’s people, Paul was hoping that they would realize what they had done and turn back to God.
So, in just the first chapter of first Timothy, we see Paul give us a number of truths that we need to apply to our lives. First, Paul warned against the false doctrines that were taking over the church at Ephesus. His statements or warning were blunt and incisive. Through his words we can see just how important it is for us to have a theological understanding of the Bible.
Second, Paul gives us a bit of a summary of his conversion experience. He gives us a wonderful portrait of the wonder and gratitude he had, and we need to have, for what God has done for us by saving our souls.
Finally, Paul reminded Timothy of the truths he had already heard. Sometimes we get tired of hearing the same thing over and over, but many times that is the only way we will remember it. A lot of Christian communication does not consist of bringing in brand spanking new ideas, but retrying ideas, maybe changing them a little bit, that have been tested and tried over time.
Tonight, maybe you are here and you have realized that you need to come and let God change some of your ideas a little bit, refine them, make them wholly His instead of partially yours. Maybe you are here and you have realized that you just need to talk to God for a few moments about something that is on your heart. Maybe you need to stand up and tell others about the gospel in a way that you have never done before. Paul told Timothy he had a task, we too have a task. Our task is to tell others about Jesus. Are you doing that?