Waging the Good Warfare

Turning your Bibles to first Timothy chapter 1 will be continuing in verse 18.

So PR last passage in this chapter continue on in chapter 2. This charge I entrust you Timothy, my child in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you that by them you may wage the good warfare holding faith and a good conscience.

By rejecting this. Some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander whom I have handed over to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme. Spring heavenly father we do come to you than your son, our Savior, our Redeemer, our Lord is in him that we have our faith and is him that we have our good conscience. It is in him that we have our boldness that we have our assurance of our pardon the fact that you have washed us you have regenerate us and you have loved us and adopted us and we can call you a friend as well as our Redeemer were thankful for your calling on us to join to join up and to fight in your army. We pray that we would wage good warfare. We pray that we would be warned by these two Alexander Hymenaeus. We pray that we would believe the Lord Jesus Christ fight the good fight of faith and that we would be victorious alongside you and your effort to expand the gospel throughout the world that we would continue to work mightily for your honor that we would be good Christian soldiers says I may pray this receipted as we continue in our series to first Timothy last month got to talk about God's unlimited grace and how Christ came in the world to save sinners and now I'm talking about Paul handing two men over to the devil. And so the tone has changed somewhat, but were reminded in the context here that Paul contrasts his testimony as a blasphemer and disobedient Pharisee, so that God's grace would be shown to be greater and that his glory would shine through his work as he is a missionary to the Gentiles. And so the message throughout this chapter is starting with verse three, where Paul tells Timothy to remain in Ephesus tells them to charge certain persons not teaching correct doctrine.

Their teaching myths and endless genealogies there promoting speculation rather than stewardship of the word of God. So again the tone is back to a serious tone where we are to call out and confront and to lovingly correct false teaching, and Paul has been redeemed.

He's been washed of his past sins.

He no longer stands condemned, but now he is serving and leading the Lord's army as a commander on earth. Paul speaks to Timothy Denise speaking to him as his son the faith and he wants to embolden him.

He wants to strengthen him in the faith, and in verse 18 we see that he cites, according with the prophecies previously made about you that by them you may wage the good warfare. We don't know exactly what his spiritual gift is the text doesn't tell us, but has something to do with his ordination. First Timothy chapter 4 verse 14 do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy. When the council of elders laid their hands on.

Not sure what's what his maybe it might be townsman might be preaching. It might be healing that ultimately Paul is pointing them back to the apostolic authority that was given to him by Christ and now he is telling Timothy to have a boldness to his witness.

A second Timothy chapter 1 verse six. For this reason almost to motivate him. He says I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God which is in you through the laying on of my hands, so there is a spark there's an ember growing there and Timothy is encouraged to stoke the flames to grow and develop this skill that is within him.

This ability and this is whatever this by prophecy blessing that God has given Timothy and he wants him to work diligently for the honor and the glory of God. So, by the authority vested in Paul he comes to Timothy and he tells him to wage the good warfare. That is what we're looking at tonight and another way to put this would be to fight the fight of faith.

Paul is describing the power of God through the gospel ministry and this is a spiritual war that is being fought. The Greek word here is struct Teo, which is another where we get the word strategy. This is a plan for warfare. It's not a quick battle that the battle is over and we could go home. But this is a long-term military strategy or a long-term war campaign that God has established him Timothy and Paul there just in the beginning of this warfare.

You and I were nearly 2000 years into this and were still fighting the fight of faith and so he wants Timothy to develop a strategy. First Timothy chapter 6 fight the good fight of faith take hold of the eternal life to which you are called in about which you have good confession in the presence of many witnesses. Second Timothy chapter 2 share in the suffering is a good soldier of Christ Jesus.

No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him emphasizing again. His need to honor the Lord to be caught up with the things of this world, but to simply honor Christ and serve him as his commander. Second Corinthians 10 from though we walk in the flesh were not waging war. According to the flesh, the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh. We have divine power to destroy strongholds. Again, an emphasis on this is a spiritual war that we are fighting is so that we are not off-track were told to avoid controversies elders in the church must not be quarrelsome, anybody that is prone to or craves controversy. First Timothy six forces most likely might be a false teacher.

There are worthless debates that we can have within the church, and it can take us off track so that we are not doing the mission that God has given to us. I heard about the store recently a man in Craig Barnes. He was the pastor at national Presbyterian Church in DC. The big Cathedral big historic church a lot of history, a lot of said Cigna territorial rights among the members there. There was an usher there that work for 25 years and they placed a coffee table in the narthex and he decided he was gonna quit the church quarter of a century serves the church and someone had the audacity to place a coffee table in the wrong place within the narthex and it got to the point where they had to bring in the hospitality committee and they had to bring him in and add bring in the session they established a task force and the three different parties had to come together and discuss for eight weeks over the placement of a coffee table in the narthex of the church is not a golden calf. It is a coffee table and still there was all this dispute, they eventually got settled, but we have to ask ourselves in the midst of such a silly dispute. What are we doing what is this most important thing that's going on in the life of the church are we hindered in any way from serving the Lord, and serving in his army as those who have been enlisted by the Lord Jesus Christ and so what we have to center ourselves on is the clear understanding of God's word.

Understanding who God is and what he's done on our behalf. We must fight the fight of faith in the faith is centered around who God is and what he has done for us in light of that truth. What are we to respond with what is our obedience look like to the Lord. Will this coffee table matter in a year. No Walt. And so we have to honor the Lord by continuing to fight the fight of faith to encourage one another as a platoon or battalion is a is a unit within this army were to encourage one another, build one another up and we are to know the doctrines that we hold to the we hold fast and so as we fight this good warfare.

The struggle is for the truth to testify to the truth. Those that do not know it, and we have these historic long-standing truths of the incarnation, death, burial and resurrection of Christ we fight for the doctrine of the Trinity. The doctrine of the sudden the God the son coming down into the world, that he might accomplish redemption. Our behalf and then God the Holy Spirit comes in and changes our hearts gives us a new heart of flesh, and that we might be born again and serve the Lord in a good conscience.

Moses back in Exodus 32 he had a fight on his hands with the nation of Israel and oppose them and their idolatry of a golden calf, Joshua in Joshua 24, he addresses the judges and officers of Israel choose you this day whom you will serve, whether the gods of your father's serve in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell.

But as for me and my house we will serve the Lord illogic in front of the prophets of bail. He was outnumbered 452, one, we see opposition in the New Testament where the Pharisees challenged Jesus and he very clearly rebuked them and corrected. Then we see Peter and corrected by Paul as he's trying to blend his works of the law with his justification by faith and II wish it ended with the Bible but no, there was continued disputes throughout the history of the church going back to the Council of Nicaea, there was a debate over the nature of Christ, is he equal to the father. We had a man named Athanasius who stood up before the entire Council and the phrase was Athanasius contravened him. He stood up against the world. He had allies but everyone was in opposition to him that he faced off the area and see if they stop anyone that would minimize the place of the Lord Jesus Christ equal to the father and finally through the Middle Ages and the dark ages and out of that came the Reformation, Philip Reich and said that eventually this doctrinal error. It was necessary that the Holy Spirit might reform the church. This is how it was done. Scripture had be defended as the alone standard for faith and practice.

Christ had to be defended as the alone mediator between God and man. Faith had to be defended as the alone instrument of justification. Grace had to be defended as the alone power of God for salvation and all these doctrines had to be defended in order to promote the greater glory of God, who alone is worthy to be praised and to take all that in. How do we sum this up. We are saved by grace alone through faith alone in Christ alone. According to the Scriptures alone, to the glory of God alone. This is the five solos of the Reformation.

This is our heritage.

This is our lineage and goes back to the beginning of the church and this is a continuous line of faith that goes back to Peter and Paul and Jesus Christ himself and goes back to the beginning of the church that we hold to a full reliance upon grace that we do not contribute anything to our salvation, but the sin that required it, and what we look to is a saving grace that's given to us through faith in Jesus Christ as a Paul is giving orders and entrusting this mission to Timothy and what were doing and proclaiming this salvation by grace were handing this down all hands it to Timothy. I was given to it through faithful men of the church and now I look at our young people. We handed down to you that you might believe in grace through faith in Christ alone. Just as we are called here to guard the deposit to hold fast to this faith we are training up those in the church that they too might be soldiers for the Lord Jesus Christ. If we take this charge. If we look at this and we look at this, not only as a calling to Timothy and what you look at WJ and iron leaders in the church look will Ferris and I working in man Mardis they all that's that's them. They do that as leaders of the church not the case. This is a calling for all of us to hold fast to the faith, alongside a good conscience and that's what Paul references here we are to serve the Lord with a good conscience of this is mentioned a couple of times. Verse five says this that the elders and stop to the teaching of false doctrine wishes to bring them back to love which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Chapter 3 verse nine he teaches the church leaders must hold to the deep truth of the faith with a clear conscience and again Paul saying in second Timothy 31. I think God whom I serve as my four forefathers did with a clear conscience.

Pulse faith is seen in his actions, but his actions are bold because he has a clear conscience as he moves forward. He is empowered by the Lord to work mightily with a good conscience is not hindered in any way anything that's happened before. He had passed. He had a time where he was him murdering Christians.

He has a lot to limit him and think back, why can't do that. I have student he sends American as though he might feel the pressure from those around him. What can you do. Considering your your persecution of the church.

But Paul stood before Felix the governor with a boldness he says of always I we strive to keep my conscience clear before both God and man. I have fulfilled the duty of God in all my days.

We see this is the grounds of a boldness in his ministry saw something we think of oftentimes would not only are we to believe in the Lord Jesus were called to have a boldness because we have been redeemed because we have been saved, but he was not caught up. He was not hindered in any way is best seen in Romans chapter 5. Since we been justified by faith we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access by faith into the grace in which we stand. We rejoice in hope of the glory of God.

Not only that, we rejoice in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope.

Hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit who has been given to us. We have a new heart and a new life and a new record in Christ, and that ought to embolden us to have a clear testimony to the world and encouragement to one another. Secondly, we see this fighting for those who are falling away the first was fighting the fight of faith and now were looking in verse 19 B fighting for those falling away, we see the apostasy of Hymenaeus and Alexander by rejecting this sum of made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander who handed over to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme the church of Ephesus was actually on a seaport, so his language here of ship wreck would be something that any Ephesian would understand if you were to have the ship wreck you're losing everything. Everything on board is going down except what you can quickly grab so this imagery of a ship wreck.

If we parallel this to the Christian faith. This is a spiritual loss of everything. Keep the boat analogy could say that their faith was on was on the rocks.

It was they ship wreck the faith. But even here, Scripture tells us that they were misguiding others were warned about this in first Timothy four now the spirit expresses expressly says that in the later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teaching the demons throughout the insincerity of liars, whose consciences are seared like a wound it's been cauterized. The nerve endings have been burned off.

They been seared off and so they have no feeling of conviction nor they hear the words of policy comes to them and tries to correct them for their error and what he says about these two men is that he hands them over to Satan. Hymenaeus is mentioned in second Timothy two is one who has swerved from the truth and their upsetting the faith of some. Not only have they left the faith that they're encouraging those around him to also leave the faith Alexander were not exactly sure which one is his were pretty sure it is Alexander, the Jewish coppersmith mentioned in second Timothy four, Paul says to Timothy that Alexander the coppersmith did me great harm of the Lord will repay him. According to his deeds.

Beware of him yourself, for he strongly opposed our message is interesting because there would've been a time that he would been part of Paul's ministry for him to hand them off to Satan.

He had to have them at first and then to give them over this phrase handed over to Satan is used also in the Corinthian church. First Corinthians 5. Paul is talking about those who are guilty of immorality within the church is is let him who is done these things be removed from you your deliver this man to Satan for the destruction of the flesh so that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord. All these three Hymenaeus Alexander and those in first contents. Five.

They are handed over to Satan, which seems to be kind of a harsh phrase on about you. I read that seem to be a bit much. Is he reverting back to some Pharisaism's offenders self-righteousness what they mean by handed over to Satan have been a lot of session meetings only we've ever use the phrase you know we ought to do. Let's hand them over to Satan.

Let's give them to the devil. But what he's saying is let us. Let them let them go.

Let them go into their immorality.

God does this in Romans one, where he simply removes the restraints. He gives them over.

There's no restraining grace that will keep them when you're in the church when you're in the means of grace were you hear the preached word or you have fellow believers to encourage you.

There is a restraining grace where we say watch out for that. Be careful not to slip into sin give a climate that sin might grow. We have encouragement among believers to be careful read this passage with me let's go into the Scriptures to figure out what is the will of God. Here Paul is saying that the means of grace, that is the preaching and teaching and prayer and time together encouragement as fellow believers exists here in the church and to hand them off to Satan simply means to give them over.

So what I meant by my below gloomy tonight. Last week was the greatest story of grace and mercy and now these two men are being excommunicated and are familiar with the word excommunication is when someone is remove their expelled from the local church. We have we have this quick category in our book of Church order where someone has either committed a gross crime that would be like, wrong conduct they some major moral failing, adultery, something like that and also heresy false teaching. If someone were to commit themselves to a teaching that is contrary to God's word and if they were to not repent of their error.

They would be excommunicated from the church going still. Why would you kick them out. The means of grace are here.

This is where they need to be.

They need to be part of God's church is an account of unloving to push them out. Don't want to keep them here, but that's Paul's point here that he does this he hands them off to Satan, so that they might learn not to blaspheme.

The goal is that if they were to be removed from the congregation. They cannot corrupt those around them as was Artie stated that these two men of already started to persuade others of their error push them out is to remove them from the means of grace that they think of themselves as they contemplate over their error that they might return to fellowship with a repentant heart, and the goal of the church. Here is not to shame them, but to simply reclaim them to bring them back into the fold and number them among God's people in the way that Paul might do this. There was a timer. Paul would come to them and embrace them as a let's talk. Let's sit down and look at Scripture, we follow the model of Matthew 18 we still do this where Matthew eight if you return or you may but Matthew 18 verse 15 we confront one another one to one. If they won't listen if they won't repent. Then, we bring in a second person. Verse 16.

If they still won't listen. Verse 17 you tell the church, which is to say you tell church leadership and if they are still unwilling to hear than they are ultimately given over and they are asked to leave the church. That's the model that we have within our own denomination in this list language of handing them over.

It's a phrase that is used, to give them over to this further rebellion if they're not going to listen to God's word if they're gonna resist the Lord and resist the correction of fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, they won't repent of their sin. We have to simply give them over to their rebellion. We are sinners, but we are redeemed sinners, we do not commit ourselves to resistance against the Lord. Ephesians 4 tells us to put off your old self, which belongs to the former manner of life and create is corrupt through deceitful desires to be renewed in the spirit of your minds put on a new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. Therefore, having put away falsehood.

Let each one of you speak the truth, which with his neighbor, for we are members of one another part of loving your neighbor is telling them the truth part of loving fellow believers in the church is to say the truth, despite how painful it might be is telling the truth and love and correction that we might restore them, we might bring them to a clarity of God's word in Scriptures teaching is not a topic I want to talk about is not the most edifying, but it's in the text and as you go through first Timothy is the next verse, and that's what we must deal with and that we go through these proper channels and so ultimately this is the route in which we must take and as we go through.

Paul is not doing this out of any sort of personal anger toward Alexander Hymenaeus that we might be somewhat irritated with their opposition, we realize is that he is doing this purely out of love for Christ. If anybody were to teach false doctrine. He would do it.

He would go to them and tell them hey you are you are wrong, he would confront anybody, even his best friends he might go to them and say this is false teaching.

All of my heart. I must tell you this is wrong.

I think about if I was to even among us among the leadership here if I was to teach false doctrine, humor me for a moment just to give an example follows to say to anybody here that God the father died for our sins. The littlest of Christians in here would probably tell me Jesus died for our sins know that's not true. If I was to be adamant and I go to the leadership and I say, the Godfather died for our sins. I'd say just the same thing, let's go to the text was point you Christ. Christ bore our sin. Christ is the one that took our sin upon himself became sin on our behalf state your wrong and if I was to be adamant and in debate you know what, I'm still not listening all the way up the Presbyterian Gen. assembly.

They would tell me in love all the way you are preaching false doctrine. This is not personal, it is simply wrong teaching. We know that's not true. We know the fund and die for our sins, but the Lord Jesus Christ did allow my silly illustration to make the point that where we see error is simply out of love that we go to one another. Most false teaching is more subtle, where we see false teaching and Jehovah's Witnesses where they claim Jesus buddies like substance they just repackage 1/4 century heresy Mormons just the same way they bring in a different Jesus, but they claim to be Christian is a subtlety to false doctrine. They don't come in with glaring faults. What we must do is in love, go to them and clearly teach their error and as we go one to one Christian talks to Christian to on one more people are gathered in, and finally the wood. By the time he gets to the leadership we want to see the heart of the person are they personally repentant or are they like Hymenaeus and Alexander openly and publicly disobedient and on and in opposition to Paul's ministry. We have to look at the heart of the matter. Often times were dealing with broken situations, broken people sinful people that have great sin grievously major moral failings. What we have to do is not look at the sin, but look at their attitude after the sin David send with sending your ride to the front lines in sleeping with Bathsheba, but what we see in Psalm 51, we see a broken man. We see a contrite heart, and the goal is that if one is contrite if one is actually broken over their sin. The goal is maintaining the glory of God and the purity of the church and keeping and reclaiming disobedient sinners.

I was in a church a couple years ago and we had a medication church discipline and got somewhat public. There was a couple we know that they were sleeping together and she they didn't show up to church for pride.

About three or four months and she showed up three or four months pregnant and it was a very public sin in the body of the church. There was no gossip here.

She just shows up very obviously visibly pregnant in due the public nature of the sin they decided to address it in a congregational meeting and I don't think we would handle it this way. I don't think most churches handle it this way but they decided in the church in a congregational meeting to address the sin, and so they the pastor stood in the pulpit saw them in the pew asked them to stand up. The pastor charged them with breaking the seventh commandment sexual immorality in the form of fornication asked if they were repentant, which I think they had a meeting prior to say yes we are. He made a statement of the church and set up dishonor the Lord with my fornication were sorry we plan to get married please forgive us and it was out in the open was very uncomfortable with this is way too much. But you know what it was actually handled really well and in two arson to our surprise, the pastor was able to say due to their repentance and the fact that they're willing to admit where they've been wrong. We have the great privilege of welcoming them back into the church as full-fledged members are able to receive the sacraments and I want you to go by after service and shake their hand and welcome them back into the church and it was a great occasion I got to give him a big hug and welcome back. I'm so glad you restored and church fellowship and it was it was a great occasion really, but it was just all at one of those things were different.

I think we still handle it more privately, as our as Grace Church, but the point is that it was in a great opportunity to see restoration of disobedient sinners. So in conclusion I want to encourage us to encourage one another, Lord willing. We won't ever get to that point. I hope that we are redeemed sinners that are repented over sin that we confess our sin and not be bold and resist the correction and admonishment to God's Word gives us but my hope is that it Grace Church, we would be humble that we would love one another that we would go to the Scriptures together and our goal is to strengthen one another to fight alongside each other in the Lords Army that we would fight the fight of faith that we would hold a faith in good conscience, and not only serve the Lord, but to serve him boldly and that we would wage a good warfare and fight the fight of faith spray heavenly father were thankful for your word. Even the difficult passages of those that have rebelled against you been excommunicated from the church. We pray that you would convict our hearts that you would point us to the repentance that's necessary. Partnered with faith as an evidence of our true saving faith.

We would love you that we would honor you that we would not trample underfoot the grace of God, but cherish it price it remind ourselves daily that we would live in of Christian faith with good conscience, we pray, she would give us guidance from your word.

Thank you for your grace and mercy missions and we pray on