True Hope

1 Timothy 1:1, 2 – True Hope

This morning, as I was reading the opening verses of this powerful letter, God impressed on my heart three things. Paul wrote in these opening verses about God our Savior. He called the Lord Jesus Christ our hope. And then he referred to Timothy as a true son in the faith. I’m not sure why these three phrases called to me like they did this morning. I’ve read them hundreds of times – usually just skimming over them so that I can get to the “more important” stuff. At least that’s the way most of us feel as we read these verses. But there was just something about these words this morning. So let’s look at them for a few minutes.

First, Paul spoke of “God our Savior.” That is not a phrase that we use often. Usually, we talk about Jesus our Savior, and He is. Yes, it’s true that God the Father and Jesus Christ the Son are two of the three persons that make up the Trinity. Yes, they are One being, so it is acceptable to use the terms interchangeably. But I don’t think that Paul was trying to remind his readers that Jesus is God. I think He is trying to tell us that God the Father has always been the Author of salvation. Perhaps that is too fine of a distinction, but I don’t think so. God has always been called our Deliverer, our Healer, Our Sustainer, and so many other names that refer to our salvation. He brought the children of Israel out of their bondage in Egypt, and He has saved us from our sin. He is our Savior.

I read recently about another possibility: a comparison of two different saviors. In Roman thought and politics, the emperor was often called the savior of his people. In fact, the emperors considered themselves to be gods. As Paul fought against this false religious/political system, I think he wanted to show these Roman citizens who the true Savior and God really is.

Second, Paul used the full name and title of God the Son. He is the Lord Jesus Christ. Understand it this way: Jesus is His given name and it means “salvation.” Lord is His “earthly” title, and it indicates that He is our Master. Christ is the Greek version of Messiah, and it demonstrates His purpose in coming to the earth. Salvation has come in the form of the true Messiah, and all who submit to His Lordship will be saved. My friends, this is the only hope that the world has to avoid eternal damnation, and He is the Hope of Christians. Know this: hope in this context is a certainty, not wishful thinking. It isn’t like we would say, “I hope I didn’t miss the bus,” acknowledging the distinct possibility that we have. It is the certainty that we who know Jesus will live eternally with Him.

Like Timothy, a true son in the faith, we can know we are saved. The word “true” is used to refer to a legitimate son, but Paul was not claiming to be Timothy’s father either physically or spiritually. We know that Timothy was the son of a Greek father and was raised up in a Christian environment by his mother and grandmother. No doubt they led him to faith in Jesus. What Paul was saying is that Timothy was the real deal – a genuine Christian devoted to Jesus and His church. Truthfully, there is no greater compliment that could be paid to a Christian. Are you a true son/daughter of the faith?

Reporting for Duty

1 Timothy 1:1 - Reporting for Duty
 

Have you ever been in a situation where people were constantly calling into question your credentials? Wondering out loud if you were truly qualified for the task at hand? Questioning whether you have what it takes to get the job done? Even suggesting that you may not have the right to take that position? Throughout Paul’s ministry, he was questioned in this manner. His authority as an apostle was denied, and he was constantly forced to defend his calling. You can see it in many of the letters he wrote that have been included in our Holy Bible.

As he wrote this letter to the younger minister, Timothy, Paul settled the matter up front. He didn’t do this for Timothy; this young minister knew who Paul was and admired him greatly. If it were not for Paul, Timothy would not have been the man of God that he was. No, he was not justifying his position to Timothy but to all his critics who would read this very important letter. It is important because it contains two of the most significant passages in the Bible as it pertains to the leadership of the church. We will get to these eventually, but they deal with who should serve as pastors and deacons, and my friends, if our churches would heed the words of this apostle, many problems could be dealt with before they came into being.

So look at how Paul starts his letter. He states up front that he was an apostle of Jesus Christ because he had been commanded by God to be an apostle of Jesus Christ. Understand two things: he was saved by the grace of God that was offered to him in Damascus. When Ananias came to Paul on Straight Street, Paul gladly and freely chose to accept God’s invitation to become a follower of Jesus Christ. Of course, following the dramatic way Jesus revealed himself to the man who was known as Saul in Acts 9, how could he not accept this wonderful gift that not only changed his name to Paul but also changed his life forever. But know this. Once he had accepted God’s gift of salvation, he became God’s slave, and God ordered him to duty. He commanded Paul to be an apostle. This is the second thing that I want you to understand: once Paul said “yes” to salvation, his right to say “no” to God vanished. The same is true for Christians today: Jesus is not the Lord of our lives if we ever tell Him “no.” And if He is not the Lord of our lives, then He is not our Savior, either.

Child of God, when you surrender your life to Christ in this salvation relationship, God becomes your Master – your Commander-in-Chief. Not only are we not allowed to say “no,” our hearts should be so in tune with His heart that we don’t ever want to reject His commands.

What does it mean to be an apostle? The word literally means “one who is sent.” He was a messenger. In this case, Paul became a messenger of Jesus Christ. His message is a simple one: God is our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ is our hope.

Amazing Grace

2 Thessalonians 3:14-18 – Amazing Grace

Authority – that’s how Paul spoke. With authority. He told it like it was, and he expected the church to listen because he was speaking with God’s authority. “If someone doesn’t obey what I’ve written in this letter,” said Paul, “then exercise church discipline.” Isolate him from the body of Christ so that he can come to his senses – so that his shame will get the better of him.

But notice how we are to do this: admonish him as a brother, not as an enemy. It seems we go to extremes in these situations. One extreme is that we either ignore someone’s bad behavior, pretending it didn’t happen or pretending it isn’t sin. And, folks, there is a lot of that going around. In the name of tolerance, we are fast re-writing God’s Word so that very few things are considered sin any more. The truth is that as a pastor, when I have tried to deal with some of these issues, I have been accused of being intolerant, unloving, and angry. Folks, let me remind you of something: to tolerate sin is unloving and all anger isn’t sin. The other extreme is that we become angry and aggressive, and we let our emotions go wild as we “discipline” our brother (that kind of anger is sin). Literally, he becomes our enemy. Paul said, “No!” We are to lovingly and gently restore someone who has stumbled into sin. Our goal is to bring healing, not to destroy another Christian.

So the key is that we must stand firmly for what is right, never condoning a brother’s sin, and never condemning a brother’s life. Have you ever heard that old saying, “But for the grace of God, there go I?” The only thing standing between all of us and an eternity in hell is God’s grace, and the only thing that keeps you from being the one undergoing church discipline will be the grace of God that strengthens you. Without Him, we would all continue to live in sin.

So Paul wrapped up his letter to the Thessalonian Christians in his usual way. He took the pen in hand and prayed a beautiful blessing of peace and grace into the lives of believers. Peace that comes only from His presence in our lives. Grace that flows freely from Calvary’s Cross to all who will receive it. “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see!”

Don't Grow Weary

2 Thessalonians 3:13 - Don't Grow Weary

As a lost person, doing bad things is fun. The Bible tells us that there is pleasure in sin – for a season (Hebrews 11:25). So lost people like to stir things up. They make unfounded allegations trying to plant seeds of doubt and distrust into the hearts of people. Truthfully, if they didn’t get some level of enjoyment out of this behavior they wouldn’t do it. They may convince themselves that they are serving the greater good, but in reality, they are simply tools of the devil who is using them to bring discord into the body of Christ.

But for Christians, doing good things brings the greatest pleasure: worshiping God, telling others about His love, ministering to the needs of hurting people. Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that if you don’t enjoy these things that you aren’t a Christian – well, maybe I am. Children of God, these are the very things that the Holy Spirit compels us to do. It is the mind of Christ in us. It is the very heart of God in us. And, my friends, if we let the mind of Christ indwell us and if His heart becomes our heart, then worshiping God and touching the lives of the weak and hurting should energize us.

Do you remember the story of the Samaritan woman at the well in John 4? Jesus had sent away His disciples to get food. They were all tired and hungry from their journey. When they returned, they found Jesus ministering to this woman. They were shocked on so many levels: a Jewish man speaking to a woman who was not his wife? In public? Alone? And a Samaritan woman, at that? How could this wise Rabbi make such a cultural/religious mistake? Of course, none of them would confront Jesus, but when they offered Him food, He turned them down. Why? He said that He had meat that they couldn’t comprehend. What did that mean? Jesus was telling them that He was no longer tired and hungry because ministry to hurting people energized Jesus, and it should do the same for us.

Try this out sometime when you are tired or depressed: go visit someone in a nursing home; do something nice for someone in need; minster to someone who cannot repay the favor. I guarantee you, child of God, that you will find your exhaustion eliminated. Your depression will disappear.

But look at what Paul said – do not grow weary in well-doing. Why? Because unlike Jesus, we are not divine. Have you noticed that even though He is the Son of God, Jesus took time away to become physically and spiritually refreshed? Sometimes when we do ministry, we see the worst in people. They will take advantage of you. The needs will be overwhelming. And the only way not to become cynical and defeated is to find refreshing and renewal physically and spiritually. Unless we take the time to allow the Holy Spirit to minister to us, we will run out of gas even if we are energized by doing good. By the way, that is why God gave us the gift of Sabbath, but that is a story for another day.

Troublemakers and Busybodies

2 Thessalonians 3:7-12 - Troublemakers and Busybodies

Even in a great church like the one at Thessalonica, there are troublemakers and busybodies – people who keep things stirred up by involving themselves in things that do not concern them. Apparently, some of these had turned this into more than just a hobby – it was a career. Full-time. With expected benefits. Keeping things stirred up took up so much of their time that they didn’t have jobs. Because they didn’t have jobs, they had no money with which to buy food. So they simply depended on the kindness of fellow church-members to take care of their needs, and I believe that even while they were partaking of their free food, they continued to practice their (un)spiritual gift of stirring things up (see. V. 12).

Paul’s solution? No work, no eat. Don’t misunderstand. Paul’s heart was huge. He was always concerned about the true needs of people. He encouraged Christian benevolence everywhere he went. But folks, we need to understand that we aren’t always helping by giving. Sometimes we are enabling people to be lazy, to continue to be troublemakers, or to indulge ungodly habits. So Paul’s solution was a good one. Take care of those who could not take care of themselves, and let those who can take care of themselves work for a living. This would take up more of their time and they wouldn't be able to keep things stirred up -- at least not as much as before.

Again, Paul used himself as an example. As a minister of the gospel, his financial needs should have been met by the church. Instead, he made tents to earn a living and to support his ministry so that no one could blame him of taking advantage of the church. No one could accuse him of using his position for selfish gain. He wanted, more than anything else, to show his fellow Christians how important it is to live out the calling of Christ with no strings attached.

It amazes me at how often this scenario plays out in churches today. Not many days go by when someone does not come along with a sad story. They say that they need help desperately. Some of these requests are valid. Many are not. It is so easy to become cynical and deny those requests outright because none of us wants to waste the limited resources we have. There are too many valid needs that can be verified to take the risk, but Paul reminded us of a very important truth: “Do not grow weary in doing good.” That is what we are called to do! But Paul also reminded us of another very important truth. If these professing Christians continue to cause trouble, don’t feed them and practice church discipline.

Behave Yourself!

2 Thessalonians 3:7 - Behave Yourself!

Do you want to know how to avoid the problems associated with church discipline? Don’t walk in a disorderly fashion! It’s that simple! Paul told us the truth: you know better! If you are a child of God, you know better. Always remember that lost people are going to do the kinds of things lost people do because they are lost. But Christians know better because the Word of God tells them and the Holy Spirit reminds them how we are supposed to live. I overheard something the other day that I was not intended to hear. When the person realized that I was in the room, their whole demeanor changed. They knew they had done something wrong. Did that person feel guilty? I don’t know, but they were sure unhappy about being caught. Christian brothers and sisters, we know how we are supposed to act, and we know what we are supposed to do when we stumble into sin. We repent, and repentance makes things right. We get into trouble when we try to cover up our sinful behavior, pretend it didn’t happen, or ignore the promptings of the Holy Spirit.

There are many things that I admire about Paul, but one thing I admire greatly is the fact that he was willing to put himself out there as an example for people to emulate. I don’t know if it worked like this in his day (I’m almost sure it did), but today when you use yourself as an example, you are called “self-righteous” or “holier-than-thou.” Paul didn’t care. He told these early Christians that they knew how to behave because they had seen proper Christian behavior modeled for them by himself.

We need more of that today, but no matter how hard you try to live the Christian life, someone will be there to make accusations and tear you down. If you stand against sin, they say you are intolerant or that you are a legalist. If you confront the sinner, they say you have an anger problem. Paul didn’t care what they said, and neither should we!

Church Disipline? Are You Kidding?

2 Thessalonians 3:6 - Church Discipline? Are You Kidding?

Church discipline? In the 21^st Century? Are you serious? Absolutely! I believe that the single-greatest cause for the spiritual apathy, declining influence, and decreasing numbers in our churches is the fact that we no longer practice church discipline. There is no standard set to which to ascribe. There are no boundaries for behavior. There is no antidote for the evil influence that creeps into the church. As a result, the salt has lost its saltiness and the light has been diminished (Matthew 5:13-16).

In this verse, Paul said that when a brother starts acting up in an unChristian manner, we are to withdraw from him. Paul addressed this in 1 Corinthians 5. A man is having a sexual relationship with his stepmother. Paul said this church is “to deliver him to Satan so that his spirit may be saved.” In the following verses, he described what he meant. The man is to be excommunicated from the church. Fellowship is withdrawn completely. The idea is that as a Christian, he will see how serious sin is, and under the conviction of the Holy Spirit, he will repent. Outside of the protection of the church, he would face the devil alone and find out just how hostile the world could be when the church’s prayers and ministry ends. An additional element in this practice is that his removal from the fellowship would prevent him from leading other members astray.

Paul urged this same action again in 1 Timothy 1:19-20 under different circumstances. Jesus laid out this course of action in Matthew 18:15-20. If the brother sins, go to him one-on-one. If he listens and repents, great. He has been restored. By the way, when you do this, do it with love and a gentle spirit after you are sure that you are walking in the light of God’s love (Matthew 7:1-6; Galatians 6:1). If the sinful brother refuses to repent, take one or two people with you to gently confront him again. If he continues to reject the restoration process, take the matter before the church. If he still remains in his sin, he is to be treated “like a heathen and a tax collector.” Excommunicated. Isolated. Alone. He is to become an outcast so that he might come to his senses and be totally restored.

That’s the whole point: restoration. Not judgment. Not ridicule. Not defamation. We all sin. We all need to be confronted from time to time. And if we are spiritually sensitive, we will listen to our Christian brothers, repent of our sin, and the fellowship will be restored. Church discipline will not be necessary, and the man who strays will find healing, and the church will be strengthened!