Fighting the Noble War, Part 2 B

Watch out for people who have something new.

Jesus gave a trust of truth to Paul and Paul gave a trust to Timothy and Timothy give it to faithful men will give it to others. Also in that same deposit of truth has come down to us when you hear somebody come along with the reality that no one ever heard of one the other direction, athletic event where no one is hurt me in. It's a picture of a life-and-death struggle. And though you can't see your photo's attacks are real and more clever than you might imagine. Thankfully, God's word provides you with both the defensive and offensive strategies you need to face spiritual warfare and come out victorious. John MacArthur is covering those principles in detail in his current study on grace to you based on first Timothy chapter 1. It's titled simply spiritual warfare.

Now with the message here's John in first Timothy chapter 1, I want to read those verses for you beginning at verse 18. This command I commit unto the son Timothy, according to the prophecies which pointed to the that thou by them might fight a good warfare holding faith in the good conscience which, some having put away have made shipwreck of the faith of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander whom I have delivered him to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

The key phrase that we noted is at the end of verse 18. Fight a good warfare or fight unknowable warfare.

Paul is calling Timothy to the awareness that he is engaged in a war and install calling Timothy to that sensitivity he calls the rest of us as well.

Now in the midst of this fiery conflict. What is it the Timothy has to understand. Well, he has to understand his responsibility and his accountability to three sources the church the Lord and then to the blasphemers or enemies themselves in order to win.

In order to fight the noble fight the way it ought to be thought we have to first understand our responsibility and accountability to the church. Paul as an apostle in the church commands Timothy to carry out a commission given to him by that same apostle and confirmed by those who had the gift of prophecy in the church has a responsibility to those within the church were led by the Spirit of God to call him into the ministry to fulfill that ministry.

The command to Timothy was very simple. The command is to fight the noble war against the foes identify with Satan that's going to be using the word of God, and that's why all the way through the epistle.

He says you gotta nourish up in sound doctrine. So you have a command. Second thing, the first one was a command. The second thing in his relationship to the church was a commission. The commission look what he says in this second main verb here this command I give the really the first verse of the first one is a scissor substantive. It's a noun.

This command I entrust or commit to you.

Now here is get takes another dimension of this and he says not only do you have a command but you have a commission I entrust you with this. The word participant me is a word for deposit. You put in the bank.

It's a valued deposit. Paul gave to Timothy, a valued deposit valuable deposit was was a deposit of truth. It was a deposit of truth, which is more valuable than anything. Second Timothy two to the things which you have heard from me among many witnesses, the same in trust to faithful men.

I entrusted to you, you keep it and entrusted to others. He repeatedly told Timothy to keep care of that sacred trust. Back in chapter 1 verse 11. He says the glorious gospel of the blessed God was committed to my trust and he got it from Jesus read Galatians 1 Paul got it from Jesus. Paul then took that trust that he had from Jesus of sound doctrine that gospel that local truth and passed it on to Timothy and he says Timothy hang onto that and don't let it be adulterated and don't let it be varied and don't change it the end of the epistle. Chapter 6 verse 20 oh Timothy, keep that thing which was committed your trust. Second Timothy 114 look at this verse 13.

Hold the form of sound words verse 14.

The good thing committed to the keep it by the Holy Spirit to let go of it.

So Timothy had a command and had a commission.

He had a military command to fulfill his calling and the commission of doctrine with which to fulfill that calling. We must be true to the historic faith. Watch out for people who have something new. Jesus gave a trust of truth to Paul and Paul gave a trust to Timothy and Timothy gave it to faithful men will give it to others.

Also, and that same deposit of truth has come down to us and when you hear somebody come along as got a theology that no one ever heard. Run the other direction. This is an ancient trust to be preserved.

Watch out for those who have new truths. Thirdly, there is not only a command to obey in a commission to fulfill. But there is a confirmation to live up to. He says this command I entrust or commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which pointed me to you.

Now this command and this commission. This calling of Timothy was confirmed through prophecies prophecy the gift of prophecy or the New Testament prophet mentioned so often the book of acts.

The New Testament prophet and the gift of prophecy. You can read about that in first Corinthians 12 that gift and that profit were used by God to speak the will and the word of God in the early church. The gift itself is a gift. The proclamation I feel I have the gift of prophecy that is I speak forth the word of God. When I use that gift. I don't speak revelation from God not getting direct revelation I speak revelation from the word of God, but not from God directly.

Now the apostles spoke doctrine, usually that's why Dr. was called the apostles doctrine next to 42 they spoke primarily doctrine, whereas the prophets would speak the practical issues of the church. Now these prophets. We don't know who they were there plural. The prophecies are plural. We don't know where this happened, but he says the prophecies menus is an interesting verb means leading the way to you out of the fact that he says prophecies leading the way to you indicates to us that there probably were more than one and they were sequential along the path of time that Directing attention to Timothy and finally they culminated in chapter 4 of first Timothy in verse 14 neglect, not the gift that sinew given you by prophecy. In other words, God gave that gift to Timothy and then articulated that gift through the prophecies and then confirmed by the laying on of hands on Timothy is an active confirmation by the elders so the elders laid their hands confirming Timothy to the ministry because God himself through the voice of the prophets through prophecies that articulated Timothy's ministry.

Now we don't know what he said but Paul says to Timothy in one place to the work of an evangelist in another place, preach the word so those prophecies must've been those that call Timothy to be a preacher and evangelist of the teacher of the word of God, so he not only had a command from Paul in this verse.

He has a commission and entrusted set of truth a deposit of truth, but he also has a confirmation as New Testament prophets have articulated that this indeed is a man called the pre-and I cannot wish that was the way it was going the day when a be great if we came together on the Lord's day, in the spirit of God spoke through one of us directly and pointed out in the congregation who was called to preach what would be great.

It would simplify so much this you say doesn't the Lord do that.

Yes, the Lord still calls in the heart.

But we can hear his voice is a will and how do we know whether guys called are not the only way we know is to watch is what is life. The watch is life but it would be so much simpler if the Lord just told us we get so excited about that. We don't know the content of those prophecies. We don't really know when they occurred but we know they culminated in the elders of the church, laying their hands on Timothy because those prophecies set him apart to preach beloved me. I say to you that I think we need to re-grip the thought that anyone who serves the Lord Jesus Christ and the role of an elderly pastor. Anyone who serves in terms of leadership, articulating the truth of God is under command commission and should be under confirmation of the church is so important, so important, so that we are affirmed and assure that they represent the Lord and they should be those who understand that they are called to do their spiritual duty that they are entrusted with biblical truth. They are entrusted with the word of the living God and the word is sufficient in the church comes along side and says yes this is so this was Timothy's responsibility and accountability to the church. He was commanded to the apostle. He was commissioned through the apostles doctrine and he was confirmed by prophets who gave prophecies and the laying on of hands of the elders.

He had responsibility and accountability to the church to use his gift and wore the noble war and I find myself in the same position, though in a different way called I'm under mandate by God to do my duty. I had been given a tremendous trust through generations of people before me who gave me the truth of God and I am confirmed by the church. I remember well my ordination time.

I remember facing 200 some pastors and answering questions for hours and hours.

I remember the result confirmation that my call indeed was legitimate to the ministry and off I went to fulfill that responsibility as affirmed by the church and there are times beloved in the distress of battle, that that's all you had to hang onto the times when you say I'm not happy with the way it's going. I'm not happy with a lot of things I'm weary in the battle and tired of the fight. I'm tired of people to come and listen and do nothing about it. I just want a vacation I want to get out and all you got to fall back on is the fact that your called your commission you're commanded, and you confirm that you have no choice.

William Barclay writes about John Knox, the great Scottish preacher he was teaching in St. Andrews is teaching was supposed to be private teaching, but many people came because he was so gifted he was a man with a message so the people urged him and and we read this. People urged him that he would take the preaching place upon him, but he utterly refused, alleging that he would not run where God is not called him, whereupon they privately among themselves, advising, having with them and counsel Sir David Lindsay. They concluded that they would give a charge or a command to the said John Knox, and that publicly by the mouth of their preacher.

In other words, these people said this man should be preaching should not be holding a private Bible study in St. Andrews, you should be preaching and he wouldn't he wouldn't force himself. He wouldn't do it on his own and so the church got together and they said we will publicly command them to do that by the voice of our own preacher, William Barclay says John Knox was a man chosen and yet a man who hesitated to take the tremendous responsibility upon himself. So Sunday came and Knox was in church doesn't know anything about this because sitting in church and John Rowe. The preacher was preaching the said John Rowe, preacher directed his words to the said John Knox. He just identifies them in the congregation and speaks directly to brother you shall not be offended, albeit that I speak unto you, that which I have in charge even from all those that are here present, which is this in the name of God and of his son Jesus Christ and in the name of these that presently call you by my mouth. I command you, that you refuse not this holy vocation, but that you take upon you the public office in charge of preaching even as you look to avoid God's heavy displeasure and desire that he shall multiply his grace with you will. That's it is a strange thing to happen to you when you're just innocently sitting in church to be commanded to avoid the displeasure of God and get on with the matter of preaching and after saying that John Rose said to the people. Was not this your charge to me and do you not approve this vocation and they answered it wasn't we approve it. The whole congregation confirmed it, whereat said John Knox abashed burst forth in most abundant tears and withdrew himself to his chamber, his countenance and behavior from that date of the day he was compelled to present himself in the public place of preaching.

Did sufficiently declare the grief and trouble of his heart for no man saw any sign of joy in him. Neither, yet had he pleasure to accompany any man many days together. He wanted to isolation and sorrow so overwhelmed with the duty so overwhelmed with the commission so overwhelmed with her confirmation of the people. John Knox was chosen, says Barclay.

John Knox did not want to answer the call, but John Knox had to because the choice came from God in years afterward, the region Morton uttered his famous epitaph by John Knox. Graveside quote in respect that he bore God's message to whom he must make account for the same key albeit he was weak and an unworthy creature and a fearful man feared not the faces of men."

That is, that is a more modern call to Timothy's. You have to understand your responsibility. The church when you're calling, commissioned and confirmed to breach and then just briefly look at that second point, in order for us to win the war. The noble war we have to know our responsibility and accountability to the Lord not only to the church with the Lord. Look at verse 19 holding faith and a good conscience stop at that and there were back to the same two things faith in the good conscience we saw them in verse five of chapter 1. A good conscience and unfeigned faith, faith and a good conscience, we see them in verse nine of chapter 3 faith in a pure conscience and Paul puts these two things together throughout this epistle.

The first one having faith means believing in the truth, believing in the truth holding faith in the faith, the faith being the content of truth and faith being believing in that so we say believing in the faith.

In other words, true doctrine, holding faith, holding the content of true belief and believing in it, we could say it means commitment to believing the truth of God Timothy this is your responsibility to the Lord, you got to hold to the faith hold to the faith. You can't let go of the faith throughout this epistle. He talks about those who have aired concerning the fate of chapter 1. Those who swerved, turned aside from the faith.

Chapter 6, verse 21. Those who have aired concerning the faith.

Chapter 6, verse 10, they have aired from the faith, he says you can't do that you can't swerve from the truth.

You can't abandoned the truth of God and so our obligation to the Lord in the fulfillment of our ministry is to say to stay true to the word of God and then to have a good conscience and a good conscience simply means a conscience that is pure conscience that is undefiled and mentally said that the conscience is the self judging faculty that is in everyone that tells you whether your life is right or wrong.

And when you have a good conscience are constant, saying good good good doing well, that's fine. It's a conscience 2416 that is void of offense toward God. It's a satisfied conscience a conscience at rest, a conscience that says all things are well all things are right.

So what we send your obligation to God, then, is to hold the truth and a pure life.

Sore back to the two key words in these epistles. Doctrine and godliness member. I told her that we first started to study the two keywords would be doctrine and godliness. Truth and purity faith in the good conscience same thing just different ways to say the same. Timothy is called to the truth. Sound doctrine.

He says it all over and over again sound doctrine charge. Those people chapter 1 verse really don't teach any other doctrine.

They need to teach the true doctrine emphasizes that in chapter 4 verse six good doctrine, words of faith sound.and then of course the emphasis on godliness. He calls for godliness. Chapter 2 verse 10 the women instead of caring for the outside should be adorned with godliness that is purity moral character godliness. Chapter 4 verse seven.

Exercise yourself to godliness verse eight godliness is profitable. Chapter 6 godliness verse six with contentment is great gain.

The call is ever and always to holiness, godliness, purity as well as sound doctrine that is the character of one who wins the spiritual victory only say something as we draw this together sound teaching and pure living go together.

There is an inseparable link between truth and morality between right belief and right behavior. Number say some I want to write it down keep it in mind theological error get this theological error has its roots in moral rather than intellectual soil theological error has its roots in moral rather than intellectual soil. The point is this. When people teach wrong doctrine is not that they do not understand is that they are at the base evil, evil, and they have a theology to accommodate their evil don't you for a moment, imagine that a false teacher, a liberal occultist in our cultist or anyone who teaches falsely or around the things of God is some kind of poor, well-meaning, nice person who went astray. They are in error because their hearts are evil and they will not submit their evil to the cleansing work of Christ in the true gospel so they invent and accommodating error and the reason these theologians come along and want a vote on what Jesus said is not because they cannot intellectually know the veracity of Scripture is because there are things in the Bible.

They will not submit to and in order to avoid unnecessary submission. They will eliminate them. That simple.

And so you have the call upon the heart of anyone was called to ministry to retain true doctrine and true purity of life. You read second Peter two and you'll see how bad theology and bad morals go together so the call to a faithful soldier is a call to understand the responsibility and accountability to the church through which we were commanded, commissioned and confirmed in the responsibility to the Lord, by whom we are called to serve him with the truth and purity of life. God save the church from error on the one hand, but not only error on the one hand, but error taught by corrupt people you know that is very common. How many do we hear about who are in the ministry.

Supposedly teaching the truth with ungodly lives and then even doubly worse. Those who teach error and ungodliness is their pattern of life as well.

So Paul says look Timothy, you go to war a good warfare in order to do that you have to know your responsibility and accountability to the church and your responsibility and accountability to the Lord as well. Let's pray, gracious father. We feel like we have stood on holy ground again we feel in a way like we been transported to another time and another place we've felt the heartbeat of Timothy as the adrenaline pumped through them is for the first time you read those verses as he sat in that room somewhere in Ephesus and someone delivered this epistle to him and said this is come quickly from the apostle Paul read it and he realized the battle that is side and he also realized the calling of God.

We understand the quickening of his heart.

The fear of confronting such a formidable foe as Satan himself and in trying to deal with false teaching and immorality at high levels of leadership in the church we understand the human fear in the human timidity and the anxiety and the sense of inadequacy little Lord God.

We know that that does not diminish the commission or the command know God. May it be that as we live out these things and bring to fruition in our lives.

The understanding of these principles that we may know great victory for the advance of the king, the glory of Christ's. This is grace to you with John MacArthur. Thanks for being with us.

John is Chancellor of the Masters University in seminary is lesson today as part of his current study, titled spiritual warfare. John, I know that as a pastor you can relate to the spiritual challenges the Timothy faced in Ephesus spiritual warfare fighting for sound doctrine, fighting to keep people from spiritual ship wreck. But for that listener, whose thinking while I'm not a pastor I'm just an average Christian trying to take care of my family and myself. I'm not trying to lead a local church. What role does a person like that have in fighting the good fight.

Well, the apostle Paul said that every believer put on the armor he assumed were all in the fight. Look it is a battle for every every believer.

When Paul said, I fought the good fight. He wasn't talking about the fight for success in ministry. He was he was talking about a fight for the truth of fight against the error false doctrine fight against good people with the bad intentions who made ministry tough for him.

So for every believer there is a battle. There is a battle between the flesh and the spirit. Romans seven right what I want to do. I don't do what I don't want to do. I find myself doing a wretched man that is in me who will deliver me from the body of this death. Paul feels like he's got a dead corpse strapped to his new life and he's is this decay is so very intimately expressed in his life in the Christian life is a battle that that's why the language of Paul is so often fighting, boxing, wrestling, running training and agonizing uses that verb Eigen Ms. Amaya. He talks about agon which is a struggle. The whole of the Christian life is a battle and that the end we want to hear the Lord say well done good and faithful servant well done is the affirmation of the Lord that you fought well and that's what Paul is saying at the end of his life. I have kept the faith. Another was I didn't give up on sound doctrine. I fought the fight. I ran the race and am now ready to meet the Lord and every believer has that responsibility.

Paul says the it to the Ephesians. Having done all, to stand. So at the end of all the smoke and all the battle. The Lord wants you to be standing firm and that's why we title this book stand firm.

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