1 Timothy 1:1-11
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
2 To Timothy my true son in the faith:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer 4 or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. 5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. 7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.
1. Hang In There
v. 3 "urge you to stay in Ephesus"
1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
2 To Timothy my true son in the faith:
Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
3 As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer 4 or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith. 5 The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 6 Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. 7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.
1. Hang In There
v. 3 "urge you to stay in Ephesus"
With fatherly compassion (defines 'urge') .. Paul asks Timothy to "take up residence" -- to stay.
Paul testifies later that he himself stayed: "I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith..."
Paul testifies later that he himself stayed: "I have fought the good fight, I have kept the faith..."
2. Any Of Us Can Get Derailed ...
* By what we take in, such as...
a. False doctrine -- a lot of bad teaching was going on in Ephesus (v 3). Doctrine = truths of the faith, fundamentals. v 8-11 reminds us there is no 'new' doctrine "We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. 9 We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, 10 for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine 11 that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.
* Silly, trivial things (v 4 and 6) -- idle talk, minor and non-external issues
* all truth is based on God's objective, principaled truth (v 7) ... not on 'good' speakers; sincerity does not mean truth, as people can be sincerely wrong and, like concerete, mixed up thoroughly and firmly in place.
v 11 -- make sure what you hear conforms to God's truth ... is it moving God's kingdom forward? (v 4) .. people were taking in 'bad' teaching
* Good treaching causes you to love god and people more (v 5) ... the bible's bad teachers are arrogant and puffed up
b. By our lifestyle (v 19-20 -- 19 holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith. 20 Among them are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan to be taught not to blaspheme. )
Guys loosened their grip with Christ; Paul warns what happens when we start to slide and get off course a bit.
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