I Timothy 1: 1 – 17

 

I’d like for you to take your Bibles tonight and for my anniversary message on this occasion, I have chosen to turn to one of the great epistles of the apostle Paul to a young man unto whom he had taught the greatness of God’s Word, namely Timothy.  Timothy came under the mighty ministry of the apostle Paul and his whole life was changed and for the 2 or 3 or 4 years that he used to carry Paul’s suitcases around as Paul ministered here, there, and yonder.  It was Paul who kept opening his heart in the knowledge of the revelation of God’s Word to Timothy that made it possible for Timothy to move under the mighty anointing of the Holy Spirit with one of the great ministries recorded in the Word of God.  Timothy was a mighty young man of God and today in the ministry, we have young men who are also mighty men of God, young women who are mighty women for God.  And I believe that from time to time, perhaps it would be good for all of us who are in the ministry who have been called of the Lord and given a ministry of an apostle, a prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher that perhaps we should reread those epistles which are addressed to a young man in the ministry and how he is to conduct himself in the ministry which God has set in his heart.

 

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ.  He is not an apostle by the authority of the local church board.  He was not an apostle because he was set forth by the Way Ministry.  He was not an apostle because he was ordained by a certain group.  He was an apostle because he was called of God.  And he was this apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ which is our hope and the hope is the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.

 

Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is  our hope; -- I Timothy 1: 1

 

Unto Timothy my own son in the faith.  It was Paul who led Timothy to the Lord Jesus Christ.  Not only in the new birth, but in a fuller understanding of the greatness of his understanding of the Word.  And I am sure that my fellow ministers in here and all of you who have been ministering the Word of God and have won anybody to the Lord Jesus Christ, that that person you have won, that person to whom you have ministered, may on many occasions be even closer to you than a human brother or sister.  Because sometimes human brothers or sisters do not respond to the greatness of God’s Word.  But someone else does.  And the Word of God says who is my brother?  Who are my sisters?  Who is my father?  Who is my mother?  Those people, those men and women who do the Word of God and so Timothy was like a son to Paul because he had brought him up and nurtured him on the Word.  Grace, mercy, and peace to you Timothy from God our father and Jesus Christ our Lord.

 

Unto Timothy, my  own son in the faith:  Grace, mercy and  peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. – I Timothy 1: 2

 

As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, -- I Timothy 1: 3

 

It was the apostle Paul who requested Timothy to remain at Ephesus.  Now this is a remarkable thing because many times people seem to think that when someone has ordained them and set them forth, that after that they’re just free to run their own show the way they want to run it.  And most of them do.  But the Word of God teaches that the man of God who brings up, brings us up under the nurture and admonition of the Lord.  This one who has set before us the greatness of God’s Word, that it is he who in God’s sight is still our spiritual father.

 

And this is why the Word says that the apostle Paul instructed Timothy to remain at Ephesus as he went on to Macedonia.  And then he told Timothy, he charged him, he not only told him, he told him that he told him.  He said I charge thee.  This was a charge given.  That he was to charge them.  You know you can’t charge anybody else unless you charge yourself.  He said that thou mightest charge some of those that are inside of that group, that they teach no other doctrine.  Why it is that Satan is always after people to get them to start on some new doctrine or some little new idea.  Only the Word declares.  But somehow or other it seems like that one of the greatest temptations that comes to a young man or a young woman, as soon as you teach them God’s Word, a little bit of it, they want to pick it up and run with some new type of doctrine and see if they can’t figure it out from some little different angle.

 

Paul said quit figuring.  He said charge them that they teach no other doctrine because there is only one, and that’s the right dividing of the Word, and that Word of God stands like a diamond.  And that Word stays put.  A lot of other things may come and go, people, but that Word of God will live and abide forever and it will come to fruition with a mathematical exactness and with a scientific precision.  And every jot and every tittle of that Word will be fulfilled.  And God has set His Word above all His name.  And it is His Word that must be magnified by those of us who have been called of God.

 

And then he said now don’t you listen, neither give heed to fables.  It’s a very easy thing on the part of a minister to give ear to Johnny jump up and snowball Pete and Henry Boloko and the rest of them because they are always coming and they talk to you and they say, well I heard so and so about so and so.  Well, did you now?  He said, do not give heed to fables and endless genealogies.  Those things minister nothing but questions, and there is no godly edifying in them.

 

And for you and for me who have been called of God, we’ve got to close our ears to all that kind of baloney.  We have to have ears for the Word, people.  We must be a pillow for those who need to rest.  Perhaps we have to have those tear bottles for those who need to cry.  That is true.  We must become bread and broken that others may eat as ministers of God’s Word.  But, we do not listen to people’s talk and never do we listen to people’s talk where it’s one Christian talking about another one.  We ought to come to the place in our life as fellow ministers and men and women who stand for God’s Word, that we have the holy boldness within ourselves to say to a man or a woman, shut up.  Because who shall lay anything to the charge of what? God’s elect?  It is God who justified us.  And when God saved us, ladies and gentlemen, we got remission of sins and we passed from death unto life and shall never more come into condemnation.  Then why should any one Christian want to endeavor to knife any other Christian is just beyond my comprehension.  So turn a deaf ear, the fables and the endless genealogies.  All of those things which minister nothing but questions, rather than godly edifying the body which is in faith.

 

Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith:  so do. -- I Timothy 1: 4

 

Now you do this to the end of the commandment which is charity which is the love of God in the renewed mind out of a pure heart and of a good conscience.  The text reads sound mind.  And of faith unfeigned.  Unfeigned faith means no false pretense.

 

Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of  a good conscience [sound mind], and of   faith unfeigned: -- I Timothy 1: 5

 

Peter, you read it from Phillip’s translation tonight, wasn’t it?  Same essence, no false pretense.  We simply lay it on the line and say ‘Thus saith the Lord.’  This is God’s Word, God’s Word is God’s Will.  It means what it says, it says what it means.  And we declare it with great boldness.  But we also declare it with love.  But it’s not the kind of love that’s wishy-washy.  It’s the kind of love that stands.  That’s love.  It says in verse 6:

 

From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling; -- I Timothy 1: 6

 

I call it running off of the mouth.  Why?  Because they desire to be teachers of the law understanding neither what they say nor whereof they affirm.

 

Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm. -- I Timothy 1: 7

 

But they sure talk.  And do you know what they’re talking about?  The legalistic approach to salvation.  How, if you’re saved, you’ve got to live under this law.  If you are saved, you’ve got to live under that law.  When the Word of God declares that Jesus Christ was the end of the law to all who believe.  And this is why, we men and women called of God in the mighty ministry of His Word in this our day and time which is a more difficult day than the days in which the apostle Paul ministered.  We have to take a stand, and that is that we declare the love of God and the grace of God and not desire to be teachers of the law because all that’s of those people accomplish who desire to be teachers of the law is to get them under enslavement again.  And Jesus Christ didn’t come to enslave us.  He came to set men and women free.  That we might have life and that we may have it more than abundant.  That’s a tremendous reality.  Verses 8 to 12:

 

But we know that the law is  good, if a man use it lawfully; Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, For whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;  According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.  And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; -- I Timothy 1: 8 to 12

 

What a tremendous truth.  Whether people ever believe the Word that the Way Ministry teaches or not is not a primary concern.  But that we are faithful in its teaching is primary.  Whether they believe it, is their responsibility.  But it’s our responsibility to be sure that it’s taught faithfully and accurately.  It comes to a real privilege to be put in the ministry and I think all of us feel the same.  He says he was before a blasphemer, a persecutor, injurious, but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief.

 

Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious:  but I obtained mercy, because I did it  ignorantly in unbelief. -- I Timothy 1: 13

 

And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. -- I Timothy 1: 14

 

And that great 15th verse.  Listen. 

 

This is  a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. -- I Timothy 1: 15

 

Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. -- I Timothy 1: 16

 

And unless God first works it in your life, you can’t work it in anybody else’s.  Unless you first know God’s Word, you cannot teach it to anyone else.  Unless you yourself are dedicated, you can’t expect anybody else to be dedicated.  That’s right.  It’s a remarkable thing.  The higher that God elevates a man, somebody said here tonight, the further he puts him in the forefront of the battle.  It’s just the opposite for the Lord than it is in the secular world.  Because when you get to be honored in the secular world, you go hide behind the tree while the foot soldiers do the fighting.  I saw a picture once like that.  The general was  behind a tree.  The buck private was getting shot at, or something.

 

But for you men and women who are joined with us in the ministry of the greatness of God’s Word, let me say to you.  That the deeper you get into the Word, and the more God puts you to the front, the more you are going to be in the battle.  And you better be strong.  Not in your might but in His might.  And you stay put on God’s Word, and God will not fail you.  But with the keenness of your own mind, with the sharpness of your own mind, with your family background and the great abundance of that family, you cannot stand without the Lord.  It takes the Lord to make a man out of you  And to make a woman.  Without Him, we haven’t got it.

 

Now unto the King immortal, verse 17, invisible, the only wise God, be honor and glory forever and ever.

 

Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be  honour and glory for ever and ever.  Amen. -- I Timothy 1: 17

 

Isn’t that a wonderful record from God’s Word?  Of Paul writing to his son Timothy and how apropos it is.  Not only on this occasion, but on every occasion where men and women meet.  We begin tomorrow in a leadership seminar here at the Way Headquarters under the tutelage and leadership of Dr. Wade for two days.  There are people in here from distant places in the service tonight.  They’re here not only for this 26th anniversary, but they have come to be a part of the leadership seminar.  It is a seminar wherein we are going to be talking about the things that really are meaningful to men and women in our day and time.  How we can carry the Word.  How we can help people.  How we can continue the outreach.  That once again, men and women will have a right to hear the Word and say yes or no.  To this God who has called us and to this Ministry we are dedicated.  And I thank God that he is raising up among us a group of people who love His Word, who have the God-given ability to rightly divided it.  And who are so dedicated that nothing shall in any way deter them in this life from doing all that they can to make that Word of God living and real.

 

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