The Book of 1 Timothy - Step Up!, Part 1

Do you remember that one really good coach you had growing up, I mean who inspired you, challenge you gave you confidence and help you get really better at what you wanted to be.

Can you imagine having that kind of coach.

Spiritually, someone who encourages you helps you to me to be the kind of Christian belong to be stay with working to get back today. Welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with the mission of these daily programs is to intentionally disciple Christians the Bible to Drury. Thanks for joining us as we begin a brand-new series called Timothy life coaching apostle Paul for the next several programs to focus on the final pieces of godly wisdom is to our Christian walk. Also could listen to the end of each program for some additional thoughts from trip to want to miss what is sure okay let's kick off the series with chips message stuff up. If you have a Bible open it out first Timothy chapter 1, my father was a great athlete back such a great athlete. When World War II broke out the join the Marines, Guam, Iwo Jima, Purple Heart 50 caliber machine gunner.

He only opened up twice that I can remember because I would set up the machine gun. It would be like mowing grass and killing people and he said that in the midst of that my buddy's name was Ralph, but he went by Reb my buddy said grab your hit and they carried me out and he said I'm sure that was the good part, except no one of the guys with me made it out so he lived with the guilt of the survivor and you know when you're 17, 18 years old fact even if you get older I do quite a bit of work with the military people here in looking back I now that I've been with the men without arms or leg or head trauma from Iraq and Afghanistan. I will apologize to my father because the level of father that he was after what he's been through was rarest among men, and we have no idea. And so he was a good provider.

He was a functioning alcoholic.

But I grew up in a home where I had a dad that can communicate love.

I never heard him say he love me.

I know he did and so because my dad was a great athlete when your kid you want to be like your dad and so unfortunate I didn't have his size or his strength. I was pretty quick and I was pretty passionate and pretty driven and coaches filled that gap and I'll never forget a coach named Neil Lance every I mean all through junior high three years at noon time. He would play one on one with me and taught me, I mean jab step and look at your bellybutton and get your elbow and off your fingertips and and I was a gym rat junkie and service the same when I played in college is same. I played overseas and it was that drive those coaches that were there for me. My dad wasn't all there was a young guy named Timothy who had a big assignment in his life coach was the apostle Paul, the apostle Paul in the in the words of Will Durant he he wrote a history of civilization. About 26 volumes expert. He said the greatest intellect of the first century with the apostle Paul. So what he says what you believe in God or not is extraordinarily insightful. Morgan alert is Timothy's life and his job and his role in his city is a lot like what's happened in the world today is working to get us Paul coaching him and I look back at that time when coach Lance help me and then it was my high school coach and then it was my college coach and those coaches became people who I learned to become a man because of that coach I learned how to treat women because of that coach I learned what an arrogant jerk I was from fat coaching. He made it very clear so I want to do with you is to walk through life coaching in the process will be here.

What did the apostle Paul say to this young pastor who was in over his head and they were going to flip and say what's in this for us here. Step number one. Write it. It's in your notes to number one is everyone needs a coach need a coaching relationship senior coach in life needed coaching your finances in a coach for your marriage need a coach to be a dad to coast to be a single man mean everybody needs a coach coaches do two or three great things. Number one there older and have lived longer and they care about you.

Secondly, I know what's coming and there an objective lens that you're good at this.

You're not so good at this and good coaches do a couple things they put their arm around you and encourage you and you can do it and inspire you and we do little but this the kick you right in the you can figure out what that word would be to help you get where you need to be the hardest things I've ever heard from any human beings on the planet had been through coaches speaking about 1 inch from my face and they were as loud as I could possibly be, and I got the point and I needed to hear it.

We all need people who will tell us the truth we all need people to love us when we don't deserve it and we need people to give the skills and help us to understand where were added in our season to take the next steps. So here's the context of historical perspective, it's from the apostle Paul. He's going to tell this young pastor but he's left in Ephesus that there some false teaching going on and you need to address this false teaching and it's in about 62 to 64 A.D. the situation there's an emperor named Nero and Nero is a very perverted man healed. He likes to wrap Christians in wild animal skins and then turn wild dogs loose on them in the Coliseum and laugh and watch them die get shredded apart on other times he likes to impale them and put tar around them and for us cocktail parties, they would be burning to be burning to death. He's an evil, evil man.

I want you to keep in mind so Ephesus is this super metropolitan city known for sex of every kind Temple of Diana, very secular, very powerful. It's a support were people coming in from all over the world.

Christianity is just getting birthed and Paul has left Timothy their innocent people. Some false teaching. And here is what is going to say to and noticed the tender spirit. Good coaches understand you got it when their heart first Paul and apostle of Christ Jesus. According to the commandment of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus, and you might underline this in your Bible who is our hope. Timothy was living in a world like some of you are.

It doesn't feel like there's much hope so. He reminds of first and foremost Jesus what he's done and who he is, is our hope to Timothy and notice known as the heart, my true son in the faith. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the father in Christ Jesus our Lord. And now is going to turn his tender tone to little bit of a strong reminder like we talked about this before and I'm gonna remind you, just as I urged you upon my departure from Macedonia, which is will apply area. I urge you, when I left you in Ephesus so that he would instruct certain people not to teach strange doctrines nor pay attention to myths and endless genealogies which give rise to useless speculation rather than advance. The plan of God, which is an you might put a box around this little phrase is going to come out all throughout the book, which is by faith. So I urge you now so basically what he says is Timothy you know how much I care about you member when I left I said member to do this. I'm now urging you. You have to address this in a word, you get a step up when we know from his background these little timid. We know his mother and grandmother were believers and didn't seem like his father was so kind a group and sort of a woman, a household and Paul's inspiring to say, hey, you're the pastor now. You've been with me.

You need to address these issues in the notice the contrast he says you got all the stuff going on. This false teaching. But the goal of our instruction is threefold.

Love from a pure heart means you care about people and you extend compassion and you love them. For where there at the right motive and then secondly from a good conscience. In other words, your internal meter that tells you what's right and wrong how you're living in what's going on inside are telling the same story you're not faking it. And finally, he says from a sincere faith in the word sincere means tested by sunlight and somebody saying is there's a bunch of junk going on, but the goal of our teaching about Christ is that men and women's lives will be changed and they would love even their enemies from a pure heart a good conscience and a sincere faith and now he addresses the dual teaching is a little brief teaching about what's going on where you're at. Look at verse six. Some people have strayed from these things mean at one point time they were on track with this notice. They turned aside to fruitless discussion. They just got talk about all kind of stuff.

He begins to develop a what were they talking about wanting to be teachers of the law, ego, pride, even though they do not understand either what they are saying or the matters about which they make such competent assertions. But we know that the law is good if its use lawfully realizing the fact that the law was not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious in any kind gives his sword a laundry list of various examples of unrighteousness uses for the ungodly and for sinners the unholy for the worldly.

For those who kill their fathers and mothers for murders for the sexually immoral for homosexuals or slave traders flyers perjured whatever else is contrary to sound teaching. According to the glorious gospel of our blessed God, which I've entrusted and so basically you as you study the Scriptures and this happens in other books. There is a group of people that would kind of follow the apostle Paul and for the for the first gush 1520 years. It wasn't like Judaism and Christianity. It was Jews who believe the Messiah actually came so they were just good Jews. Following the Messiah, Jesus.

What they get alienated from that and so some they were called Judaizers.

These Jews would come along and say you know Jesus is okay right. I believe that's true but you also have to keep the law, and they started trying to pull people back away from salvation that is by the grace of God and the work of Christ to need to be circumcised and don't eat this and don't eat that in and they also had something mixed it with other stuff like you shouldn't marry and you shouldn't eat this and you can't do that you can't drink this in their all these, roles and rules that gave a lot of control apostle Paul basically saying is Timothy you can address this and you can think about what it's what it's like. I mean imagine you've been an assistant coach may be a good program and then you get a job at a pretty significant school and your young and you and you realize when you got you got issues on this team and you got issues with the boosters and you got issues over here and guess what you got to step up and make some really hard decisions.

That's the environment that's what he's dealing with so notice next he's going to give a little personal testimony. Don't coaches do that a lot. But the apostle Paul is is gonna remind Timothy that you not been there. I hope I'm not always been this confident driven apostle you know who gets beaten up and gets back up and God does miracles through me. Verse 12 he says, I think Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me because he considered me faithful, putting me into a service even though previously a blasphemer and a persecutor and a violent aggressor. How's that for I got some issues of my own Timothy yet. I was shown mercy because I acted ignorantly in unbelief and the grace of our Lord was more than abundant with the below box around again the faith and the love which are found in Christ Jesus basically saying Timothy don't look at me and think that I've always had it all together. I want to remind you where I came from God was gracious to me.

In fact, notice Kiki now is gonna sort of squeaking a little theology since it is a trustworthy statement. This happens three different times throughout the book and basically by this time the church is about 30 years old. Now they have codified some of the doctrine. Some of the most Clarion things that everyone needs to know if this is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance and you might underline this in your Bible that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

I grew up in the church forever and pretended to have it together.

I group were they said one thing and lived another way I grew up thinkable about time I was 14 or 15 would like this bunch of hypocrites. I don't need this at all.

I don't need religion. I don't need God. I don't need Jesus. He didn't come to make nice people a little bit better. This is a trustworthy statement Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, people who blown it. People have addictions people to log onto porn people that live people or stolen people would have murdered notice egos, among whom I am foremost did you get the tense of the verb, did you hear what the apostle Paul said, I didn't say among whom I was decent then you understand I killed a lot of people. This is what my dad hope and I still remember I came home I trusted Christ event Fellowship of Christian athletes Campen I didn't know anything. But I will tell you what I've never open this book, my life, I rejected Christianity and never open this book, my life and they gave me pretty easy to read. I think was good news for modern man or living Bible and and I and I returned from my sin and I prayed to receive Christ on I don't think I really even knew exactly what was all about. All I knew was in the morning.

At night I hid that under my pillow and will appears to thinking of freaked out but I couldn't put it down I read and read is reasonably like I thought someone had a tape recorder and about that. How could anyone know these things that belongs inside of me cholesterol. I wasn't one actor I was and how I posed so much and how is this guy you know when you're the All-American boy over here and sweettalk and the girls over here and it was just like it was a follower of Jesus wasn't trying to be this good person. It was actually receiving forgiveness.

That's why he came for me in the notice.

The reason yet.

For this reason, I found mercy purpose clause so that in me, as the foremost center, Christ Jesus might demonstrate his perfect patience as an example for those who believe in him for eternal life. You said you know what it Timothy.

I know it's hard. I know there's a lot of pressure. I know I'm asking to step up. I know your little timid. I know you're struggling but here's what you get, understand, here's what's at risk.

You can't let that stuff go on because this is why Jesus came, and these guys are trying to feed this garbage religion do this don't do that.

I actually grew up where the theology that I got out of my very social nonbiblical church was if it was any fun. God was against it. My image of God was like he had like this gigantic ruler, and if a thought came to your mind.

It might be halfway fine. He was just ready to lap you you always just killed you're always messed up. You never measured up his like I need that because the people were telling me they were doing the things I said I was supposed to do and you straighten him out. He sisters Jesus was the kind of love and the God of grace. He didn't minimize things became to rescue us and then you know Paul does this.

I think he just went off. I think there's times where he he remembers this is how I was and as he was rehearsing it for Timothy. He just paused and notice what he says now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God the honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

I think when he realized the first is what happened to me and he understood who God really is. He just broke out the price. I don't think this was in Paul's notes think the spirit just in the notice. He ends with a charge okay Timothy I remind you what you need to do we address what the problem is I told you I love you and for you talk about where I messed up in the past and will God's done for me not know get this. This is the fourth quarter timeout speech when you're down to and all the guys are looking to join a coach.

I'm really tired this command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you by them as you fight the good fight will how keeping my put a box around this again faith and a good conscience, then notice the bookends, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.

Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander whom I've handed over to Satan so they will be taught not to blaspheme. You know I was with a he's a good buddy.

Now I did know them all that well and he was having some marriage problems, and I were out playing golf and he played Mia in the arena league play is a tide in and just wasn't quite good enough for the NFL is playing in the arena league and came to Christ and was growing in the were playing golf and knows a couple kids and you know ones like leather 12 at the time and will daughter like seven, eight or nine then hands up like marrying this beautiful log cheerleader for the 49ers and got a great job is making a lot of money and we haven't be playing at his country club, so IP must be doing okay and you is like 35, 34, at the time and and were walking along and and he just says what I just will chip you know I just it's so hard I mean gosh I mean just when I start working my marriage and and that's really hard and it being a dad is really hard in the mornings I work out in a remote Bible when I read my Bible and I don't work out, and she is just so hard is just so hard I still think I can do it in being the soft tender loving pastor that I am I said them at Juniper two days you member, you know those quick slant routes yeah and the safety knew it was coming yeah and you you catch the ball right here in your bringing in yeah and you see his helmet come in for your helmet right here that was in the old days when you could do that. He said yeah to did hurt he's the dude, are you kidding me as a legitimate you tell me that you would go to a days you lift weights three days a week, minimum you would eat a special diet put up with unbelievable pain to catch a football and be a little bit famous but it's really too hard to be a man of God. Oh gosh I feel so sore and you know what happened, would like to challenge my manhood here little bit you. Some of us one of the reasons I rejected following Christ was everybody in the church elsewhere. Women following Jesus was for women and children. It was going to the Fellowship of Christian athletes. It was the first time I saw, grown men who were masculine. Who can love one another in masculine nonsexual ways that drew me to explore this book and so what Paul's actually coaching Timothy to do is the very thing the guy wants to coach us back in just a minute with this application. You've been listening to the first part of his message. Step up from a series.

The book of first Timothy wife coaching from the apostle Paul. Through this new study chip identifies six pieces of godly wisdom. Paul passed on to his prot�g� Timothy Albee's truths apply to you and me here why characteristics like humility, dedication, integrity and respect are still critical to our relationships with others and God I hope you listen to every part of the series, either through the chirping roadmap or LivingontheEdge.org.

I really think you're gonna learn a lot trips with me in studio now and chip you know I'm eager for our listeners to hear this brand-new series you taught recently from first Timothy and from what you've told me this book of the Bible has a special place in your heart.

So if you would might want to take a minute right now ensure why and a little bit about what our listeners are to learn from the series I'd love to Dave, you know, as a young man, even before I got married I was often very very lonely and I was is also broke and like once every like three weeks I've had enough money to go one of those really cheap little steakhouses we get the burger steak and a little salad and I would find a corner and I just so long you know I didn't didn't have a dad that was a Christian I just so long for what I do now with my life and was leading a little discipleship ministry and I would go there and I would eat my little steak and then I would read first Timothy over and over and over and I would pretend like the apostle Paul was just talking to me. And of course later I had the privilege of marrying trees, becoming a pastor and you not. I've learned and taught so much out of all the epistles but I never had a chance to teach right through the book of first Timothy this coach. This mentor that I mean for the last 40 years has had his arm around me.

By the power the Holy Spirit and the written word. I wanted to share this I with the Living on the Edge family.

It's made such a difference in my life and I think it Dave you know were living in a world where everyone knows you need a great coach and and whether that's a life coach, a business coach, athletic coach, musical coach and I'm just thrilled that working to get the coaching of the apostle Paul about how to be a Christian.

That really lived like a Christian.

Great set up trip. Thanks.

Will I hope you'll join us for each part of the series, but if you do have to miss a program you can catch up anytime remember the Chip Ingram map chip you ended this message with a familiar phrase that has a powerful call to action fight the good fight. If you would unpack for us how we can apply this instruction from the apostle Paul to our everyday lives.

One day the key here is to know the context Paul is writing this within about a year maybe two max of when Nero blamed the Christians for burning Rome.

And so it is very very unpopular. Paul is going to be executed in the very near future. He's writing to this young timid pastor who he spent all these years with and he loves but he knows you, even as we've kind of taught through this first chapter he goes you know you're timid, you struggle with some things and woven all the way through it is you know, don't be ashamed. Don't give up.

He gives his own example of how he thought the fight he persevered. He wouldn't give in and then he gave a couple of examples of people that flaked out in their following of Jesus and so fight the good fight is really about.

Timothy is really really hard to be a Christian in the first century to be public in bold and strong when the entire culture the government everything is against you. There's few things less popular and I don't know about everyone else but there's a little bit of that that's common today Dave were living in a world where it's really hard to be a follower of Jesus, whose honest and bold and kind and winsome and so this is a word where I would say to those people that are struggling with being faithful to the Lord.

I talked about. Step up as the name of this message, because we have to step up right now and it's hard. You need God's word. You can't do it alone. You have to persevere. This is on a journey together where we need comrades sisters teaming up with sisters and brothers teaming up with brothers and saying no matter what were you in a fight the good fight were gonna persevere. We are going to be followers of Jesus.

No matter what. And that's what we can talk about in a things can be a great time together. Thanks to before we go I want to thank those of you who regularly gives to the ministry of Living on the Edge you're making up the difference in helping Christians live like Christians that you're enjoying the benefits of Living on the Edge, but are get on the team would you do that today. You can set up a recurring donation by visiting us@livingontheedge.org, or by texting the word donate to 741 41.

It's that easy. Text the word donate to 741 41 or visit LivingontheEdge.org app listeners Donate thanks for doing whatever the Lord leads you to do join us next time. As Chip continues his newest series of the book of first Timothy. Until then, this is Dave Drury thanking you for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge