I Charge You: Sunday, January 31, 2021

1 Timothy 1:18-20

• (1Ti 1:18 ESV) This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,
  • This charge is for __________ to remain at Ephesus
    • And do the hard work of righting the wrongs in the __________.
  • Part of this effort was to kick out the __________ teachers that should not have been there to begin with.
  • This too should be done in love keeping with Paul’s earlier words in verse 5
    • “The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.”
  • Keep in mind this is not the plan of Paul or of Timothy, but of __________
    • According to the plan laid out and foretold by God long ago.
    • Timothy was raised in the church
      • Trained by his mother and grandmother in the __________ (2 Timothy 5)
      • And recruited by __________ in missionary service and church planting (Acts 16:1-4)
  • Timothy is thus charged with waging __________ warfare.
    • It is good because it is in line with God’s __________
    • Good warfare, however, may not feel good at the time.
• (1Ti 1:19 ESV) holding __________ and a good __________. By rejecting this, some have made __________ of their faith,
  • Timothy was, and by extension we today are, encouraged to hold to the faith and good conscience
  • Contasted to others who had gone astray
    • The idea of __________ their faith in false doctrine and impure motives. (Jude 12)
• (1Ti 1:20 ESV) among whom are __________ and __________, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.
  • Verse 20 takes us into choppy waters introducing the idea of church discipline.
    • Two people are named as false teaches in Ephesus:
      • Hymenaeus
        • Also mentioned in 2 Timothy 2:16-18
      • Alexander
        • Possibly the same in 2 Timothy 4:14 or Act 19:33
    • Paul declares he has handed these two over to __________ – a process also called excommunication or church discipline.
      • Removing someone from the fellowship of the church for repeated behavior contrary to the __________.
      • This does not invalidate their __________
        • Nothing can do that
      • It is done in __________ and for the benefit of both the offender and the church as a body.
        • Much like you would seek surgery to remove a growth in your physical body so that you can go on living a healthy life.
    • The Bible is clear on the examples, purpose, and process of church discipline:
      • 1 Timothy 4:15-16
      • 2 Corinthians 10:1-6
      • Ephesians 6:11-20
      • Job 1:1-22
      • Matthew 4:1-11
      • John 13:1-30
      • 1 Corinthians 5:1-5
      • Matthew 18:15-17
    • The church is a body and we all function together on the purposes of God.  Keeping the body healthy and on task is paramount to our growth and development.