Essential Truths for the Church

It's good to see all of you. I would encourage you to open up your Bibles to 1 Timothy chapter 1.

1 Timothy 1 · chapter mention

! We'll begin our time in these next several weeks.

Over the next 11 weeks, the plan is to move through this little letter, letter to Timothy,

and to do it about two messages for each chapter.

So it's going to be more of an overview than kind of a deep dive into this.

But I think as we work our way through this letter, we'll be encouraged to see the things that really matter.

And the things that will help us, you see the subtitle there, the things that will help us to have habits of a healthy church.

What are those marks of a healthy church?

Those characteristics, those features that will help us to be the kind of people that God wants us to be.

You know, we live in a day and age where the world feels very unsettled.

We live in a day and age where things seem to be topsy-turvy.

Where things seem to be wonky, for lack of a better word.

Where things are being, that we once believed were right, are being turned upside down,

and are being painted in the light of being wrong.

But even when it comes to the church, there seems to be confusion over things that we would call basic Christian doctrine.

Let me give you some examples.

Almost three out of four.

Seventy-three percent.

And by the way, this is evangelicals.

People that go to churches like Maranatha across the country.

Seventy-three percent claim that Jesus is the first and greatest created being.

Now, I don't know about you, but that is problematic for us.

For those who believe in Jesus as God, and especially in some of the readings that we had this morning about Colossians,

where not only is he the head of the church, but he is the one who created all things.

That by him, all things were created in heaven and earth.

Fifty-eight percent believe that God accepts the worship of all religions, including Judaism and Islam.

More than half, about 56 percent, agree that worshiping alone or with one's family is a valid replacement for regularly attending church.

Now, again, when we think about the church and the makeup of the church,

and as we're going to make our way through this study,

Jesus as being the head of the church, having unified his people together and making us one body,

in Christ we recognize the significance of our togetherness.

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as the manner of some is.

And so much the more, as you see the day approaching.

More than half, about 55 percent, of evangelicals believe that the Holy Spirit is a force,

but not a personal being.

55 percent believe that everyone might sin a little,

but that we are all basically good by nature.

Almost half, about 44 percent,

believe that Jesus was a great teacher,

but was not God.

These are some of the doctrines

that we would say would be essential,

foundational,

not just for Christian living,

but foundational for true,

saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

And yet somehow,

those so-called evangelicals,

even in this day and age,

as an evangelical world,

we are caught up with the philosophies of this world,

and captured away.

And so this letter to Timothy becomes

that much more significant and important for us

as we begin to understand the significance

of truth as it relates to the Word of God,

and the essential pieces that God has put in place

to help us to be the kind of people that God has called us to be.

It's possible,

and maybe even likely,

that in hearing these statistics,

it creates a measure of alarm in us.

What are we to do?

How are we to respond?

What resources has God given to us

in order to be the kinds of people that He has called us to be?

As we make our way through this little letter of 1 Timothy,

we're going to see that preeminently,

God has given Himself.

God has given Himself to the church

that He will build the church,

and the gates of hell will not prevail against it.

But God has also given us the resources

of the Word of God,

and the Spirit of God,

and the people of God.

That these beautiful privileges,

and these beautiful gifts of God

are given to us as His people

to help us to understand

who God is,

and to be preserved in such times

as we're living in today.

As we think about the writing

and the time of this little letter,

1 Timothy,

we come to see some things

in the beginning parts of this letter

that will help us to understand

that whatever Paul is writing about

and whatever situation he's addressing,

it is not the kind of situation

that would have been true

until after what we find in Acts chapter 20.

Acts 20 · chapter mention

There, Paul had warned the church

about a potential of heresy,

a potential of doctrinal drift,

but it hadn't yet happened.

Acts chapter 20, verses 29 to 31 says,

Acts 20:29–31

I know, and he's speaking by the way,

the Apostle Paul has gathered together

the pastors,

the elders of the church in Ephesus.

He's meeting with them

to kind of give them

one last final pep talk, as it were,

these parting words to encourage

and challenge them

in relation to their responsibility

with the church.

I know that after my departure,

he says,

fierce wolves will come in among you,

not sparing the flock.

And from among your own selves

will arise men speaking twisted things

to draw away the disciples after them.

Therefore, be alert.

Remembering that for three years,

I did not cease night or day

to admonish everyone with tears.

Now, just to pause for a moment

and to draw this out just a little bit,

I want you to recognize the significance

of what Paul is saying

to these leaders of the church,

these pastors of the church,

these elders and spiritual authorities.

He wants them to recognize,

to be alert,

because even within the midst

of those spiritual leaders,

there will become this tendency

towards spiritual and doctrinal drift.

And that's exactly what the Apostle Paul

will write to Timothy about in this letter.

The unthinkable has happened.

The unimaginable is about to unfold.

And the Apostle Paul is going to bring

a strong word to Timothy

to try to help to address this issue

that the Apostle Paul had touched on

with the elders many years before.

We find throughout this letter

this issue of doctrine and truth

and set against the backdrop

of what was being taught in the day.

We'll come to see that through our study.

And coming to 1 Timothy 3, verses 14 and 15,

1 Timothy 3:14

we begin to recognize

that what God has given to the church

to safeguard it from these kinds of things

is the church itself.

Notice in verses 14 and 15 of chapter 3,

just kind of provides a brief purpose statement

for this letter.

Paul says to Timothy,

I hope to come to you soon,

but I'm writing these things to you

so that if I delay,

you may know how one ought to behave

in the household of God,

which is the church of the living God,

a pillar and buttress of the truth.

In other words, Timothy,

I want you to know how to lead God's church

so that it points to the living God.

I want you, Timothy,

to know the significance of the truth,

that the church is the pillar

and buttress of the truth.

If it fails there,

it fails everywhere.

In the battleground,

or the war for your faith,

the war for salvation

will be fought

on the battleground of truth.

And so,

as we come to understand

and recognize the significance

of the church,

we come to recognize

the seriousness of truth

and how that truth

is meant to preserve

and protect

and help

and guide

its people.

And what Paul will do

at the very beginning

of this little letter

is to draw out

some of those foundational truths

that will help to orient Timothy

and orient this listening church

as they're listening to Timothy

read this letter

that Paul had given to him.

Timothy will be reading this letter

to the church

and instructing both Timothy

and this church

on the things that matter.

Paul will begin

with those foundational truths

right out of the gate

and we'll see the first one

in verse one.

Remember the head of the church.

Remember the head of the church.

And who is the head of the church?

Church family?

Who is the head?

Christ is the head of the church.

Notice,

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus,

by the command of God,

our Savior,

and of Christ Jesus,

our hope.

To Timothy,

my true child in the faith,

grace and mercy

and peace

from God the Father

and Christ Jesus,

our Lord.

The apostle Paul,

as an apostle,

wants Timothy

to understand and recognize

that he is a sent one.

Paul is sent by Christ.

Jesus is not only

the head of the church,

Jesus is the one

who sends out

his representatives

and all the ministry

that we do in the church

is meant to be directed

to Christ,

governed by Christ,

and oriented

to the worship

and glory

of God in Christ.

Paul,

as a sent one,

orients his entire

life and being

under the banner

of sent one

from Christ.

first.

And as Paul's pattern,

he consistently

orients his readers

to recognize

that while he may be

the mouthpiece

of the word of God

to these churches,

he wants them

to understand

where this word

is coming from

and who this word

speaks about.

So that in Romans

Romans 1:1

chapter 1,

verse 1,

Paul,

a servant of Christ Jesus,

called to be an apostle,

set apart for the gospel

of God.

In 1 Corinthians 1.11,

he says,

Paul,

called by the will

of God

to be an apostle

of Christ Jesus.

Galatians 1.1,

Paul,

an apostle,

not from man

nor through man,

but through Jesus Christ

and God the Father

who raised him

from the dead.

In Paul's letter

to the church

of Ephesus,

Ephesians 1.1,

Paul,

an apostle

of Christ Jesus

by the will of God.

than in Philippians 1.1,

Paul and Timothy,

servants of Christ Jesus.

Do you get the sense

that the apostle Paul

has come to recognize

who really matters

in his ministry?

He has come to a place

of recognizing

that every part

of his ministry

is meant

to please the Lord.

That who he is

as a person

is because of the work

of Christ

in his life

and so that the direction

of his life

and everything

that Paul intends

to accomplish in life

is meant to point

to the glory

of Jesus Christ.

I remember

several years ago

when I was asked

to teach

along with

some people

in Russia

and there we were

introducing ourselves

and as was

the custom,

we tend to introduce

ourselves by

things about us,

you know,

my name is Andrew,

I'm a pastor

of Maranatha Baptist,

I have six kids,

I've been married

for X number of years,

I went to a certain,

it was X number of years

then it's different now,

27 years,

27 years,

thank you,

get that right.

I can't do

what Andy does,

he does the months

and days and hours,

I don't have it factored,

I'm good enough

to get close enough

to the years.

but assigning

certain qualities

to who we are,

designating ourselves

by what we do

rather than

designating ourselves

like what

Paul does here

and so we introduced

ourselves as teachers

and then

we went around the room

and each of the students

introduced themselves,

hi,

my name is Andre

and I'm a son

of the living God,

hi,

my name is Vadim

and I have been

bought by the blood

of Christ

around and around

and around the room.

Their identity

was directed

to Jesus

and what Christ

has accomplished

for them.

Paul does the same

thing here,

Paul wants

Timothy to know

that the reason

why he has ministry

in the first place

is because of what

Christ has accomplished

in his life

and so that everything

he does in ministry

needs to be directed

towards the glory

of God.

Why does Paul do this?

Well,

because the church

belongs to Christ.

It points to Christ.

It's meant to obey Christ,

to please Christ,

to preach the message

of Christ,

to represent Christ

in the world

so that others

can enjoy

that same relationship

through faith in Christ

and forgiveness

of Christ.

The church

is preeminently

belongs to Christ.

It's his body.

as Paul will tell

the church of Ephesus

in Ephesians chapter 1

Ephesians 1:22

verses 22 and 23.

He put all things

under his feet.

He gave him,

speaking of Christ,

as head over all things

to the church,

which is his body,

the fullness of him

who fills all in all.

We could spend

the rest of our time

speaking about

the beauty

of Jesus Christ

and unpacking

the words

that the apostle Paul

puts here

by the command

of God

our Savior,

he says there

in verse 1,

and of Christ Jesus.

Our hope,

we could speak

the rest of our time

about those two

words alone,

the beauty

of Christ

and what he's accomplished

for his church

and for Paul.

But I want to just

press in a bit

and unpack

this word

by the command

of Christ,

the command

of Christ.

This will become

a continuing theme

as we work our way

through this letter

of 1 Timothy.

Thirteen times

the apostle Paul

will use words

that point to command

or urge

or encourage

or charge.

These words

that are laden

with authority,

laden with power,

laden with direction

and exhortation.

These are the kinds

of words

that the apostle Paul

will use for Timothy.

This word here

in verse 1

is meant

to describe authority,

the authority

that has been given

by the apostle Paul

through direct command

of Christ

and now delegated

to Paul

and to Timothy now

to exert

that same authority

on behalf of Christ

for his church.

This word

refers to a royal command

that is not negotiable

but is mandatory.

Paul was following

this non-negotiable

command of God.

This command of God

to carry out ministry

to the church

as a sent one.

We're going to see

these kinds of words

throughout our study

in 1 Timothy.

I've placed

in your outline

this morning

a list of all

of those examples,

those places

throughout this letter

where these words

are being used.

Urge, command, charge.

I want to briefly

just walk through them

so you get a sense

of the authority,

spiritual authority

and leadership

that Paul is exercising

over Timothy

and the kind of leadership

and authority

that Timothy

is to exert

over this church.

Notice in chapter 1

verse 3,

I urged you,

that is the first

one of these words,

I urged you

when I was going

to Macedonia,

remain at Ephesus

so that you may charge

certain persons,

that's the word command,

certain persons

not to teach

any other doctrine.

Then in verse 5,

the aim of our command

is love

that issues

from a pure heart.

In verse 18,

this command

or this charge,

he says,

I entrust to you,

Timothy,

my child

in accordance

with the prophecies

previously made

about you.

In chapter 2,

verse 1,

he says,

first of all,

then I urge

or I command

that supplications,

prayers,

intercessions,

and thanksgivings

be made for all people.

In chapter 4,

verse 11,

he says,

command and teach

these things.

Then in chapter 5,

verse 1,

he says,

do not rebuke

an older man

but encourage him,

that's the same word

he's been using

throughout,

for urge

or command them

as you would a father.

In chapter 5,

verse 7,

command these things

as well

so that you may

be without reproach.

In chapter 5,

verse 21,

in the presence

of God

and of Christ Jesus

and of the elect angels,

I charge you

or I command you

to keep these rules

without prejudging.

In chapter 6,

verse 2,

at the very end

of that verse,

it says,

teach and urge

or command

these things.

In chapter 6,

verse 13,

I charge you

or I command you

in the presence of God.

And then finally,

in chapter 6,

verse 17,

as for the rich

in this present age,

charge them

or command them

not to be haughty.

You get the sense

that the apostle Paul

is exercising authority.

This delegated authority

that is issued

from the command

of God

for the apostle Paul

and the same authority

exercised

under the operation

and instruction

of God

from his word

to command

the same things

in the church.

Paul's life

and ministry

pointed

to the Lord Jesus

and the life

and ministry

that we are all having

wherever that ministry

takes you.

If that ministry

takes you

into the school,

if that ministry

takes you

into the workplace,

if that ministry

takes you

into your community,

your neighborhood,

wherever that ministry

takes you,

you must be

a representative

of Christ.

How does the world

see Christ

in you?

Paul was sent

by Christ.

In verse 2,

we see that Timothy

will be sustained

by Christ.

So while Paul

is sent by Christ,

he wants to encourage

Timothy

to understand

that whatever

strengthening,

motivating,

preserving power

that Timothy

will enjoy,

it will come

from one source

and one source only,

from Jesus Christ

himself.

Notice,

to Timothy,

my true child

in the faith,

grace,

mercy,

and peace

from where?

From God,

the Father,

and Christ Jesus

our Lord.

There's so much

we could say

about the relationship

of the Apostle Paul

to Timothy

and how that all

came about

and how young

Timothy was

when he was

kind of commissioned

by his church

and kind of given

over to the Apostle Paul

for the work

of ministry

and growing

and learning

and being established

and the work

of his,

Timothy's mother

and grandmother,

Lois and Eunice

and the work

that they did

to train up

and raise Timothy

in the right things.

2 Timothy 3.15

says,

and from a child,

Timothy,

you've known

the Holy Scriptures.

Well,

who did that?

Well,

his mom and grandma

did that.

Lois and Eunice

did that.

From a child,

you've known

the Holy Scriptures

that have made you

wise to salvation

through faith

in the Lord Jesus Christ.

But in a very real sense,

as a young man,

Timothy was handed over

to Paul

to do ministry

and to learn ministry

from him

and as a result

of the investment

of the Apostle Paul,

there was this

deep affection

that happens

between these two men

and Timothy

becomes useful

for ministry

so the Apostle Paul

writes,

in Philippians 2,

Philippians 2:19–23

verses 19-23,

speaking and describing

his usefulness.

I hope in the Lord Jesus

to send Timothy

to you soon

so that I too

may be cheered

by the news of you

for I have no one

like him

who will be genuinely

concerned for your welfare.

No one like him

who will care for you

like Timothy

for they all seek

their own interests,

not those of Jesus Christ,

but you know

Timothy's proven character,

his proven worth.

How as a son

with a father

he has served

with me in the gospel.

I hope therefore

to send him

just as soon

as I see

how it will go

with me.

The Apostle Paul

in sending Timothy

to Philippi

and sending Timothy

here to Ephesus

and not only

a representative

of the Apostle Paul

but especially

as a representative

of Jesus Christ

in helping

to convey

the doctrines

that will preserve

this church.

But in all

of the foray

and all of the distress

and all of the frustration

that happens

with spiritual leadership

and all the conflict

that Timothy

is about to experience

in following through

with the commands

that Paul

is about to give,

all of the hardship

he's going to face,

the only answer,

the only help

that he will ever give

will be help

that will come from God.

grace,

mercy,

and peace

from God the Father

and the Lord Jesus Christ.

Timothy,

look to God

for your help.

Look to God

for your help

and salvation

and encouragement

and strength.

So we need to remember,

we need to remember

that Christ

is the head

of the church.

We need to understand

that he is preeminent

over his church.

In verses 3 to 4

we come to see

the foundation

of the church.

Remember,

the foundation

of the church.

Not only the head

of the church

but the foundation.

And here we're going

to see in verses 3 and 4

that foundation

is the foundation

of truth.

The foundation

of truth.

He says,

as I urged you

when I was going

to Macedonia,

remain at Ephesus

so that you may charge

certain persons

not to teach

any different doctrine.

Any different doctrine.

Now you may

or may not know

that the church

of Ephesus

was established

on the apostle Paul's

third missionary journey.

You might remember

that the apostle Paul

on his second missionary journey

had tried to go

to Asia

but God closed the door.

He tried to go

to Bithynia

but God closed the door.

So he gets this

Macedonian call

in a vision.

He ends up going

to Philippi

and the ministry

will happen there.

On his return trip

to Jerusalem

he stops in

to Ephesus

and would love

to have stayed

but he's unable.

He comes back now

on the third missionary journey

and we find

the effects

of that work.

By the way

it was a port city

in Asia.

Now finally

Paul is in Asia

and here's what happens

in his ministry

in Ephesus.

In Acts chapter 19

Acts 19:8–10

verses 8 to 10

it says this,

And he entered

the synagogues

and for three months

spoke boldly

reasoning and persuading them

about the kingdom of God.

But when some

became stubborn

and continued

in unbelief

speaking evil

of the way

before the congregation

he withdrew from them

and took the disciples

with him

reasoning daily

in the hall of Tyranus.

This continued

for two years

so that all

the residents of Asia

heard the word

of the Lord

both Jews

and Greeks.

This was a church

that was established

on the truth.

A truth

that the apostle Paul

like no other city

had spent

significant time

investing

in the leaders

and the people

of this church

so they were

full up

with the doctrine

of God.

The apostle Paul

was dealing

with the leaders

in Ephesus

in such a way

that unlike

any other church

that I'm familiar

with in the book

of Acts

in particular

had access

to one of the

preeminent scholars

of the day

the apostle Paul.

And this ministry

in Ephesus

flourished

to such a degree

that we find

in Acts chapter 19

Acts 19:20

verse 20

that the word

of the Lord

continued to increase

and prevail

mightily.

And so while God

may have shut

the door

to the apostle Paul's

ministry

to Asia at large

here he is

in this port city

of Ephesus

and a result

of his ministry

there

in teaching

the word of God

it says

all of Asia

heard the word.

Jews and Gentiles.

God had a better plan.

God's better plan

was to send

the

to mobilize

his people

to make disciples

in that place.

God

allowed

the apostle Paul

to help them

understand

the

excuse me

the significance

of doctrine

and so Ephesus

becomes the center

of Christian activity.

Not only

would Timothy

remain here

but will

church history

will tell us

that the apostle John

also spent

a great deal

of time

in this city.

But notice

in verse 3

what the apostle Paul

says.

He says

charge some

that they teach

no other

doctrine.

This word

other doctrine

is a word

that the apostle Paul

kind of invents

for his purposes.

He puts two words

together.

This word

other

and there are two

Greek words

for other

one is

different

of a different kind

and one is

different

of the same kind.

Here

the word

is different

of another kind.

So it's not even

close

to the original.

It's a gospel

that is totally

unrelated.

It's a gospel

that is totally

different

totally distant.

The apostle Paul

will use

the same

kind of word

for other

when he's speaking

to the church

of Galatia

and helping

to expose

the teaching

that's happening

there.

In Galatians

Galatians 1:6–8

chapter 1

verses 6

to 8

he says

I'm astounded

that you are

so quickly

deserting him

who called you

in the grace

of Christ

and are turning

to a different

gospel.

not that there

is another one

but there are

some who

would trouble

you

and want

to distort

the gospel

of Christ.

But even

if we are

an angel

from heaven

should preach

to you

a gospel

contrary

to the one

that we

preach to you

let him

be accursed.

Whatever

was taking

place

in Ephesus

whatever

the apostle

Paul

is addressing

is a different

kind

of teaching

that is totally

unrelated

to the original

and because

it was totally

unrelated

it was

totally

unnecessary

and dangerous

and risky

for those

living

in that

city

to hear.

It was going

to totally

dislodge

their hearts

the possibility

of their hearts

being diverted

and taken away

in order for the

church to remain

healthy

it needed to be

established

in the truth

but in order

for the church

to be healthy

it also needed

to be sustained

by faithful

leaders

sustained

by faithful

leaders

notice

I urged you

he says

there again

in verse 3

when I was

going to Macedonia

remain at Ephesus

so that you may

charge

certain persons

not to teach

any different

doctrine

Timothy was

exhorted

to exert

spiritual

leadership

these disputes

over secondary

matters

where the Bible

was not clear

became the subject

of conversation

and argument

what seemed

to get the most

attention

were these

myths

and genealogies

there seems

to be this

competition

that is happening

among the various

leaders in the church

whoever they were

they were

they were focused

and they concentrated

their energy

on things that

were uncertain

things that were

unhelpful

things that gathered

a following

to themselves

things that

led to disputes

things that

exposed these

teachers as being

ignorant and

unfit for the

task

as we work

our way through

the letter of

Timothy

we'll see

more of

the flavor

of this teaching

as it addresses

various areas

of life

but Timothy

notice was not

to remain

passive

Timothy

was not

to remain

on the sidelines

Timothy

was not

to stand

at a distance

Timothy

was to engage

if he was

going to help

this church

remain as a

pillar and

buttress of

the truth

he needed

to remove

these empty

talkers

Timothy

though young

was encouraged

to exercise

his spiritual

authority

to admonish

these teachers

to cease

Paul's instruction

is clear

charge

certain persons

command

certain persons

and this word

by the way

is

aggressive

it's stern

to command

to order

to direct

to give

instruction

it's a word

that's used

both in the

military

and in legal

terms

so in other

words the

apostle Paul

is telling

him to

exercise

the authority

as a general

or as a

judge

to be

strict

to be

official

to be

authoritative

to command

these teachers

to stop

this is

forceful

this is not

gentle

this is direct

and uncompromising

and strong

but this was for

the sake

of maintaining

and establishing

truth

because truth

alone would help

this church

to remain

and to stand

the test of time

demonstrates the

kind of leadership

and authority

that Timothy

was to exercise

over this

congregation

and we turn

to our next

purpose statement

remember

the purpose

of the church

why was Timothy

supposed to act

this way

what was the

motivation

for this kind

of command

this kind

of force

this kind

of pressure

we find

the purpose

of that command

in verses 5

to 7

notice

the aim

of our charge

is love

love

that issues

from a pure

heart

a good conscience

sincere faith

certain persons

by swerving

from these

have wandered

away

into vain

discussions

desiring

to be teachers

of the law

without understanding

either what

they are saying

or the things

about which

they make

confident

assertions

this word

for aim

is the word

tell us

it's the word

end

it's the word

that points

to result

or purpose

the reason

why I'm

telling you

to do this

Timothy

is because

of love

that is the

goal

that is the

motive

that is the

destination

those are the

kinds of

people

that real

truth is

meant to

create

to help

to

engage

and nurture

individuals

who love

one another

individuals

who first

have a love

for God

and then

have a love

for one another

Paul's

directive

seems forceful

and strong

but underneath

the surface

of this

command

is a desire

for love

Paul understands

the significance

of the spiritual

drift

the doctrinal

drift

that can happen

and what

that will do

in the hearts

and minds

of individuals

who are led

astray

these individuals

who are wondering

their faith

is not sincere

and this is a

word

that is

contrasted

with hypocrisy

it's not the

kind of

hypocritical

faith

but the

kind of

sincere

faith

we find

a little more

of their

motivation

in

1st Timothy

chapter 6

verse 5

speaking about

the same

group of

individuals

talking about

constant

friction

among people

who are

depraved

in mind

and deprived

of the

truth

imagining

that godliness

is a means

of gain

under it all

was a love

for self

and especially

a love

for comfort

and money

and promoting

their own

welfare

they had

wandered away

this wandering

away comes

from a verb

that means

to be wide

of the mark

or shoot

past

the goal

any of you

who've

understood

the significance

of wandering

maybe

you've been

on a trail

and you

have gotten

lost

on this trail

how many

individuals

even over

the past

year

because of

wandering

and

hiking

out in

open spaces

especially

in places

where there's

no water

or resources

the danger

of those

kinds of

things

going back

several years

we had a

wanderer

in our

home

and one

of our

kids

who go

nameless

one of

our

children

at

age

one

and a

half

my wife

and I

we were

out

counseling

an

individual

and

this

little

person

decided

that they

were going

to explore

and wander

on their

own

and so

they

walked

out

of the

front

door

as a

little

toddler

trying

to

figure

out

and

find

where

to

go

and

they

wandered

across

our

front

lawn

they

crossed

the

street

they

wanted

to

go

to

the

park

and

there

they

were

enjoying

the

park

and

no

one

knew

where

they

were

the

wandering

that

opens

us

up

to

danger

kind

of

wandering

especially

as a

year

and a

half

year old

and

fortunately

there

was

someone

who

saw

all of

this

happen

saw

the

door

open

saw

this

little

wanderer

walk

out

and

toddle

down

the

stairs

and

across

the

street

over

the

park

saw

this

young

person

in our

home

brought

him

back

and

yes

I blew

it

didn't

I

you were

all thinking

of it

anyway

so

the danger

of wandering

and it

wasn't long

after

the same

little

wanderer

decided

to follow

after

his

mom

who

was

taking

a

dog

for

the

walk

at

two

years

old

walked

all the

way

down

the

street

about

a hundred

yards

and then

turned

the

corner

and

hey

neighbor

across

the street

is that

your

little

person

walking

down

the

street

we

understand

the

significance

of

wandering

and

if

anybody

of us

understand

the

significance

or the

danger

of

wandering

then

this

element

of

love

is

what's

going

to

bolster

our

heart

to

respond

we

cannot

be

silent

we

cannot

allow

wanderers

to have

their

way

we

cannot

as

people

who

love

stand

at a

distance

because

we're

concerned

about

the

potential

conflict

or the

potential

risk

of

relationship

we

will

engage

we'll

do

what we

have to

do

to

draw

those

wanderers

back

because

of

love

love

for

those

who

are

part

of

our

body

our

fellowship

finally

remember

the

people

of

the

church

remember

the

people

of

the

church

it

says

here

in

verse

8

now

we

know

that

the

law

is

good

if

one

uses

it

lawfully

understanding

this

the

law

is

not

laid

down

for

the

just

but

for

the

lawless

and

disobedient

for

the

ungodly

and

sinner

for

the

unholy

and

profane

for

those

who

strike

their

fathers

and

mothers

for

murderers

the

sexually

immoral

men

who

practice

homosexuality

enslavers

liars

perjurers

and whatever