Sunday, May 12, 2013

How the Gospel Shapes Our Perseverance: 1 Timothy 6:11-16


What does it mean to be a man or woman of God?  I have had people refer to me from time to time as a “man of God” simply because I’m a minister.  Is that what it means to be a man of God?  Does that mean that anyone who is not a minister is not a man or woman of God?  I ask you this today because in the text that lies before us Paul is going to show us what it means to be men and women of God, and what we are going to see from this passage is that being a man or woman of God has nothing to do with whether a person is a minister or not. 
In 1 Timothy 6:11-16, Paul charged Timothy to persevere in the work that God had called him to do.  This is what it means to be a man or woman of God: to persevere in our walk with God and in whatever work that God has called them to do.  That work may be pastoring a church, but that work may also be raising children as a godly mother.  Whatever the work may be, men and women of God stay the course.  They press on and finish their race.  It’s my prayer today that God would stir each of our heart to look to Him for grace to persevere till the end in whatever we have been called to do.  This text is going to give us two important truths that will help us persevere. 
[11] But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. [12] Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. [13] I charge you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and of Christ Jesus, who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, [14] to keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, [15] which he will display at the proper time—he who is the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords, [16] who alone has immortality, who dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see. To him be honor and eternal dominion. Amen.  (1 Timothy 6:11-16 ESV)

     I.         Men and Women of God Know How to Persevere (11-12)

In verses 11-12, Paul gives Timothy four imperatives (commands) that show him and us how to persevere in the faith until Christ returns.  The first way that we are to do so is by fleeing certain things (11a).  “These things” that Timothy is to flee are the evils of the false teachers mentioned in 6:3-10: heretical doctrine, arrogance & ignorance, craving for controversy and quarreling, & greed.  We are reminded here that the Christian life isn’t fight or flight; it is fight and flight.  Sometimes the way we win battles over sin is by turning our backs to it and running as fast as we can, just as Joseph did (Genesis 39:12). 
The second way that we are to persevere is by pursuing certain things (11b).  He is not only to run from something, but also to something.  He is told to “pursue” six items, which most commentators see as three pairs.  The first pair, “righteousness” and “godliness,” is a charge to pursue godly conduct.  The second pair, “faith” and “love,” is a charge to pursue godly virtues. The third pair, “steadfastness” and “gentleness,” is a charge to pursue godly ministry qualities.  Steadfastness is patience in difficult circumstances; gentleness is patience with difficult people.  We must always remember in our spiritual conflict that contending for the faith doesn’t mean that we are to be contentious people (2 Timothy 2:24-26).  They way that Timothy is to make a difference is by being the difference. 
The third way that we are to persevere is by fighting the good fight of the faith (12a).  This is a charge to contend for Christian truth, especially the truth of the gospel.  In 1 Timothy 1:18, Paul opened this letter by charging Timothy to “wage the good warfare” and now closes it by charging him to “fight the good fight of the faith.”  He would say of himself in 2 Timothy 4:7: “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.”  Two things stand out from these verses, the first one being a simple reminder that the normal Christian life is war. The Greek word here for “fight” gives us the English word “agonize,” and was used in both military and athletic endeavors to describe the concentration, discipline, and extreme effort needed to win.  The second thing that we need to see here is that some fights are good fights.  When false teachers appear in the church and the truth of the gospel is at stake, it is time to fight and at such a time it is good and right to fight. 
Finally, Timothy is told to persevere by taking hold of eternal life (12b).  In the NT, “eternal life” is presented as both a present reality and a future hope.  It is one of many examples of how we as believers are experiencing the world to come now in some ways.  And the picture here is beautiful.  Timothy was “called” to this eternal life.  When Scripture speaks of believers being called, it is normally a reference to being called to salvation or service to God.  This instance carries the former meaning.  A believers calling to salvation is not an invitation but a summons to which we respond (John 6:44, 65, Romans 8:30).  Timothy responded to this summons by making a “good confession” of this eternal life in the presence of many witnesses (probably a reference to Timothy’s baptism) and now he is to continue by violently pursuing and taking hold of it (cf. Philippians 2:12). 
 This instruction reminds me of the men in Nehemiah 4:17, who were ready to work with one hand and ready to fight with the other.  This is what the Christian life looks like: us reaching for God with one hand and fighting with the other.  That is how men and women of God persevere. 
If I could give you one practical way to put your perseverance on steroids, it would be that you make learning the Scriptures a serious, life-long pursuit.  2 Timothy 3:16-17: “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.”  God’s Word is what equips men and women to be men and women of God who know what to flee, what to follow, what to fight, and how to passionately chase God with all their heart. 

   II.         Men and Women of God Know Why to Persevere (13-16)

Verses 13-16 are one long sentence, with verse 14 being a general charge to Timothy to “follow his orders without fault or failure” and that general charge is wrapped with four reasons why Timothy is to follow those orders.
The first reason we are to persevere is because we have a Creator whom we are accountable to and who is able to sustain us (13a).  We are accountable to God who gives life to all things and Christ who gave His life to purchase us.  That God gives life to all things is meant to remind Timothy that God is both Creator and Sustainer.  He is able to sustain Timothy through whatever he may face. 
The second reason we are to persevere is because we have a Redeemer who has persevered for us (13b).  This is what Paul intends to bring to Timothy’s mind when he reminds him that Christ Jesus made “the good confession” before Pontius Pilate in His testimony.  Paul is reminding Timothy that Christ persevered in His mission through great suffering to the point of death on the cross (Philippians 2:8).  This was for Timothy and for us.  For God’s people, there are fewer images that are more motivating than seeing the beaten and bloodied Christ refuse to cave in before His persecutors so that we may have life.  
The third reason this passage gives us to persevere is because we have a King whose return is certain (14-15a).  The certain return of Christ is supposed to be one of the most powerful motivators in the Christian life to persevere (Titus 2:11-14, 2 Peter 3:11-12, 1 John 3:2-3).  The idea is that we should be motivated to persevere until “the fat lady sings” because we believe that she WILL sing at the proper time. 
The final reason we are given to persevere in this passage is because we have a God who is infinitely glorious (15b-16).  The contemplation of Christ’s certain return causes Paul to erupt in praise, rattling off several of God’s attributes.  God is “the blessed and only Sovereign, the King of kings and Lord of lords.”  Only He ultimately rules this universe.  God “alone has immortality.”  We are immortal creatures, but our immortality is a gift from God.  No one made God immortal; He is.  God’s life is the essence of immortality.  God also “dwells in unapproachable light, whom no one has ever seen or can see.”  He is infinitely holy and inaccessible in His fullness.  Sinless, angelic beings cover their faces because they feel unworthy in His presence (Isaiah 6:2-3).  To Him belongs ultimate “honor and eternal dominion.” 
The reason Paul focuses on the glory of God here is so that the corresponding smallness of Timothy’s opponents might be seen.  These four reasons essentially communicate one truth: that we are to persevere because we have a God who is infinitely big and glorious. 
Scripture and history are filled with men and women who had such a clear picture of God’s greatness that they were willing to persevere to the very end.  David Brainerd was a missionary to the American Indians who persevered in the face of great depression and illness.  He would die from Tuberculosis at the age of 29.  Adoniram Judson, the first Baptist missionary from America, would minister for years before seeing a convert and suffered great loss.  Yet he never gave up.  John Piper tells the story of the perseverance of the Masai warrior named Joseph:
 One day, Joseph, who was walking along one of these hot, dirty African roads, met someone who shared the gospel of Jesus Christ with him. Then and there he accepted Jesus as his Lord and Savior. The power of the Spirit began transforming his life; he was filled with such excitement and joy that the first thing he wanted to do was return to his own village and share the same Good News with the members of his local tribe.
Joseph began going from door-to-door, telling everyone he met about the Cross of Jesus and the salvation it
offered, expecting to see their faces light up the way his had. To his amazement the villagers not only didn’t care, they became violent. The men of the village seized him and held him to the ground while the women beat him with strands of barbed wire. He was dragged from the village and left to die alone in the bush.
Joseph somehow managed to crawl to a waterhole, and there, after days of passing in and out of conscious- ness, found the strength to get up. He wondered about the hostile reception he had received from people he had known all his life. He decided he must have left something out or told the story of Jesus incorrectly. After rehearsing the message he had first heard, he decided to go back and share his faith once more.
Joseph limped into the circle of huts and began to proclaim Jesus. “He died for you, so that you might find forgiveness and come to know the living God,” he pleaded. Again he was grabbed by the men of the village and held while the women beat him, reopening wounds that had just begun to heal. Once more they dragged him unconscious from the village and left him to die.
To have survived the first beating was truly remark- able. To live through the second was a miracle. Again, days later, Joseph awoke in the wilderness, bruised, scarred—and determined to go back.
He returned to the small village and this time, they attacked him before he had a chance to open his mouth. As they flogged him for the third and probably the last time, he again spoke to them of Jesus Christ, the Lord. Before he passed out, the last thing he saw was that the women who were beating him began to weep.
This time he awoke in his own bed. The ones who had so severely beaten him were now trying to save his life and nurse him back to health. The entire village had come to Christ.”[1]
One final example of perseverance that is appropriate this Mother’s day is the example of Timothy’s grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice (2 Timothy 1:5, 3:15).  They weren’t famous preachers or missionaries.  They were simply a mother and a grandmother who persevered in teaching Timothy the Scriptures from childhood, and the result was a mighty warrior that God would use for His kingdom. 
What these people all had in common is that they persevered in the work that God had called them to do because they had a big God.  One of the reasons that we often fail to persevere in our walk with the Lord and the work we are called to do is because we loose sight of just how big the God that we belong to is.  Men and women of God stay the course because they know that they serve a big God.  How big is your God?  With all due respect, some of us act like the God we serve couldn’t help us get through anything.  May we remember today that whatever we face, there is a glorious God and Savior who is able to hold us up as we persevere through anything!  Will you surrender your heart and life to Him today? 


[1] Excerpt taken from Let the Nations Be Glad, pages 93-94.

Friday, May 10, 2013

Note's from Dr. Benjie Loyd's sermon from Revelation 22:1-5

Hey guys, we heard a powerful sermon last Sunday from Dr. Benjamin Loyd!  He shared his sermon notes with me so that I could post them here for any of you that missed or anyone who wanted to meditated upon the message further.  Enjoy!  Here it is:


The Case of the Incredible Shrinking Jesus  
Revelation 22:1-5

1.     One of the greatest tragedies that I see happening in the church is the individualism of our time
2.     While we may not even recognize it, we are putting ourselves in the center of the universe
3.     When we become the center, the work of Christ is shrinking
4.     Consider how we talk about Christianity in our culture
a.     The health and wealth gospel: Jesus exists to serve me
b.     Jesus wants to give you your best life now, make you rich, make you healthy
c.     An individualized understanding of the faith
d.     Form #1: I will make Jesus my personal Lord and Savior: have you ever thought about how arrogant this is: do we really believe that Jesus needed our approval to be Lord
e.     Form #2: We speak of salvation in individualistic terms: I remember growing up in the church and I thought that this was all that was going on
f.      While Jesus must be personal to us and we must have a personal relationship with Jesus, we must consider that we are the prime actors
g.     We cannot focus on the individual aspects of conversion exclusively, we need to remember the cosmic scope of what Jesus is up to in our world
5.     There is no greater place to look at the scope of Jesus’ great work than Rev.22:1-5

I.          Because of Christ We are Granted Access to the Tree of Life: 1-2

A.            In Genesis we are introduced to the world that God created without the fall
1.     Eden means delight: the garden of Eden was to be a garden of delight
2.     Adam and Eve were placed in the garden to not only to enjoy, but to take care of it
3.     Their whole life revolved around God and the enjoyment of all he that made them to enjoy
4.     Then the unthinkable happens, they violate the one command that God had given: they eat of the forbidden fruit and they begin to die
B.             In Genesis we were banished
1.     The wages of sin: death
2.     The gift of God: eternal life and this is even promised in the pronouncement of the curses in Gen. 3:15
3.     The grace of God in banishment: Osborne says: God banished the first couple for the tree of life in Gen. 3:22 so they would not find immorality in the midst of their sin 
C.             In Revelation we are partakers of the tree of life
1.     This is better than Eden
2.     The river of living that is more sufficient that the Euphrates and the great river in Genesis
3.     The living comes from the throne of God and the Lamb
4.     Ezekiel prophesized of the day that living waters would flow from the temple
5.     Jesus himself stated emphatically that he is the living water in John 7
6.     The source of our refreshment and sustenance comes not from a place, but the person of Jesus Christ
7.     This is picture is so breathtaking and the beauty is so amazing, it makes us yawn at Eden
8.     New fruit every month, perpetual healing, amazing beauty: this is what we have in Christ for all eternity

II.        Because of Christ the Curse has been Removed: 3

A.            The initial affects of the curse
1.     Cursed is the ground, cursed is the serpent, cursed is man
2.     The sin and Adam and Eve threw things into a tailspin and things have not been right since the fall took place
a.     Satan: he was determined to wage war and destroy: he wants to kill the Messiah, destroy the family, and corrupt the culture
b.     Woman: he relationships with her children and husband are strained
c.     Man: relationship with wife, his work, and environment are cursed
3.     Alienation with God: we can’t enjoy him anymore 
4.     Alienation with each other: we will have friction with each other
5.     Alienation with nature: thorns and thistles will be produced from now on
6.     As a result of the curse, we get to live, get sick, and eventually die
B.             The work of Jesus in the Gospel’s
1.     To undo the works of the devil
2.     Remember, Jesus miracle stories are not mere acts of kindness, they demonstrations of what his eternal kingdom will be like
3.     He stilled storms, he raised from the dead, the cast out demons, he healed people completely: all precursors of the eternal kingdom will be like 
4.     When Jesus returns and eternity ensues, the Eternal Kingdom will be established and the old order of things will pass away: 21:4b
C.             The new creation
1.     Rev.21:4-5
2.     Things are better than they ever were in Eden
3.     We have to be very careful when we define the mission of the church: it is not the church’s primary responsibility to make the world a better place
4.     It is the church’s responsibility to introduce people to the king so that they will gain entrance into God’s eternal kingdom where they can reside in Shalom with God forever
5.     This is our future, because of the redemption that Christ won
6.     While Jesus is making us new creations, giving us a new heart, we must not forget that he is making a whole new heavens and a new earth as well

III.       Because of Christ We can Enjoy God Again: 4

A.            The enjoyment of God before the fall
1.     One of the first shocks that Adam and Eve experienced after the fall is they knew they were exposed before God
2.     Instead of enjoying God’s presence in the cool of the day, they were hiding from Him shame
3.     Ever since that day, man has not been able to enjoy the presence of God without a mediator
4.     All throughout the Scripture, God is making a way back for his people to enjoy him, but it was never as intimate as it was in Eden
5.     In Ex.33:20, The Moses that would converse with God was the same Moses that was told that he could not see God’s face and live
6.     John 1:18: no one has ever seen God
B.             The restoration of enjoying God’s presence
1.     God has branded his people with the blood of his Son
2.     As a result of Christ’s finished work, we will see God’s face
3.     This will be the renewal of walking with God in the cool of the day and then some
4.     God is better than everything else that new order has to offer: he will be the centerpiece of heaven
5.     If Jesus and the Father were not in heaven it would be nothing less than a gold plated hell: this is not our hope: it is much bigger: our hope is God

IV.       Because of Christ We can be What God Created Us to Be: 5

A.            God put Adam in the garden to worship, serve, and rule
1.     Work was a part of the pre-fall world: it just wasn’t excruciating like post-fall work is
2.     Adam and Eve were given dominion and responsibility to serve God as vice-regents of all that he had created
3.     Our labor has been marked with pain and struggle, and while we do rule in some ways, it is an incredibly frustrating rule because of the activation of the curse
B.             When the curse is removed, we will do what God made us to do
1.     We will rule the world that God has graciously given us
2.     We will rule with God forever and ever
3.     How does this impact the way that we live our lives right now
a.     Impact for the soccer mom: as you transport kids back and forth from practice, if they are believers you need to remember that you are transporting royalty: kings and rulers for all eternity
b.     We also need to remember, because of eternity we are never engaging ordinary people
c.     “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations - these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit - immortal horrors or everlasting splendors. This does not mean that we are to be perpetually solemn. We must play. But our merriment must be of that kind (and it is, in fact, the merriest kind) which exists between people who have, from the outset, taken each other seriously - no flippancy, no superiority, no presumption.”
d.     We must take seriously the greatness of the work of the Son: he is not just saving you, he is saving an entire people for himself
e.     He is not just remaking you, he remaking all that you see
4.     How amazing is the grand scope of God’s plan
5.     The world has been trashed, but not so bad that it can’t be made right again
6.     When we consider all that God has promised, we have to be awestruck by all the Christ accomplished