Biblical Manhood & Womanhood - 1 Timothy 1 - Foundations of Male Leadership Pt.1

Good morning, family.

Here we start.

Reckon the men.

That's what we're doing.

We're just warning you up front, gentlemen.

It's on you.

Today is talking about biblical manhood.

We are, as you know, we're going through this year about what it means to be a biblical

man and a biblical woman, and really excited about this opportunity.

So we are not going to get through the whole chapter I was planning to, but it's just not

going to happen.

As you know, if I don't finish over there, I'm not going to finish over here.

So either way, you're in for a good reckoning.

Women that doesn't mean that you're going to be out of the limelight.

Yours is in chapter two.

But either way, there's things in the sermon that every believer should take.

That being said, I hope you're ready for a ride.

So God's been wrecking me too.

So Father, I want to thank you so much for your word.

Thank you that it is living inactive.

Lord, that you have called us as men to rightly divide it.

Lord, as men, as ministers who stand behind the pulpits, I pray that we would rightly

divide it, that we would teach and preach the full counsel of your word, that you would

be honored and glorified, and that, Lord, that you would be high and lifted up.

Help us as men to understand the importance of what it means to be men of God, and that

we would take this responsibility, this call of the most serious, and that this responsibility

and call has been placed upon us to lead.

So to you, be honor and glory the example of how to love your bride, how to care for

your children, and how to lead and walk as not only as a servant, but as an example and

a model for others to follow.

To you be honor and glory in Jesus' name.

Amen.

So let's read.

First Timothy chapter one, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior

and of Christ Jesus our hope.

To Timothy, my true child in the faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and

Christ Jesus our Lord.

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, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless

genealogies which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and

a sincere faith.

Certain persons by swerving from these have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring

to be teachers of the law without understanding either what they are saying or the things

about which they make confident assertions.

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 sinners, for the unholy and profane, for the disobedient, for those

who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, for sexually immoral, men who practice

homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine

in accordance with the gospel of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful,

appointing me to his service.

Though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent, but I received mercy

because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief, and the grace of our Lord overflowed for me

with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.

The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into

the world to save sinners, to whom I am the foremost.

But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ might

display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal

life.

To the King of ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and

ever.

Amen.

This charge I entrusted to you, Timothy my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously

made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, upholding the faith and

a good conscience.

By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenus and

Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

There's a lot of stuff in here, so we will get through the first half.

Okay?

Here's principle number one.

Men of God are fully committed to sound doctrine and the stewardship of the gospel and are

careful to teach and proclaim the truth of God's word.

Men of God are fully committed to sound doctrine, to the stewardship of the gospel and to carefully

teach and proclaim the truth of God's word.

This is especially for pastors.

Timothy was roughly between 18, 19, some would say maybe 17 or 16, but probably no older

than 20.

If you want to know when this letter was written, easy, you just go to Acts chapter 17 to 20

Acts 17 · chapter mention

and it was during Paul's missionary journeys to Greece and to Macedonia and to Ephesus.

It's there that he meets with Timothy, a young man who has been called to the ministry who

they have taught, who he has taught personally, sound doctrine.

Can you imagine a young man younger than Owen preaching and teaching and shepherding an

entire church in the city of Ephesus?

It is quite remarkable.

That being said, because he was taught sound doctrine and he was laid on his hands and

he was given the responsibility to preach and teach the word of God, the gospel, he

had all that he needed, the Holy Spirit, the God in him, and all the work that was given

to him to do.

Now, what's interesting is as we go and you continue to read these letters, Paul does

not lay off Timothy too much.

He reminds him over and over again what a man of God looks like.

He would need that.

So that being said, this is what it says, do your best to present yourself to God as

one approved, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly handling the word of truth.

Second Timothy 2.15, do we as men of God, each and every man in this room, handle the

word of God properly?

Or do we just speak whatever we want in order to tickle the ears of our wives or our children

because we want them to know it's okay, you're amazing?

No, we want to teach them good sound truth, which interesting, Paul then clarifies even

later in this chapter of which he is the worst.

Do we really deal with the issue of the sinfulness of our being that our wonderful little ones

are innocent though not innocent, declared guilty because of our nature?

No, God reminds us of his holiness and that's what you're going to see here.

In 1 Timothy 1, 3 through 7 he says this to Timothy, I urge you, I beseech you, I am commanding

you.

When I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge, command certain persons

not to teach any different doctrine.

So I know when I preach or I teach or when men of God preach and teach it's difficult

sometimes because we have a tendency to come off very not nice, but we don't have an option

sometimes, many times actually, that when certain men or women who claim to be pastors

of God teach something that's contrary to the word.

This is Paul's command to Timothy.

You do not allow these men to teach.

You charge them not to teach any different doctrine.

That's the standard.

Theology matters, doctrine matters, truth matters.

What's interesting about this, certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, it means

to deviate from the truth.

Just a little turn away from the truth of the word of God is a complete deviation.

It doesn't matter how small you think it is.

This is not an option here.

Those men should not teach.

Instead, they devote themselves to myths and genealogies.

That's their teaching.

They come up with these myths and genealogies about who is really important in the kingdom

of God and all these other things that they teach.

You can imagine how many other gospels were coming out, the gospel of Mary and all these

other things that people were talking about at the time.

These particular men were talking about the myths and then this genealogies concerning

the law as if they knew something.

It's terrible.

Are we as men willing to say, no, you can't teach that?

At least here in this church, we do.

There's an expectation to teach sound doctrine.

It's one of the reasons why we go through the qualifications and the work of proving

out these men.

There's a reason why, for example, that Owen has been under our leadership for the past

going on a year soon.

We need to know that he handles the word of God well and that he is purposed in his life

to continue to grow in true faith and not to deviate from the gospel.

But these men that he's talking about here do.

So as men of God, are you willing to say, no?

What happens when you devote yourself to myths and endless genealogies to false doctrine?

It promotes speculations.

Zaitasis is the word here.

It means to dispute or question.

I can't help but to think how much dispute and questioning has been brought up into the

church as a result of the false gospels of the church.

Instead of teaching the full gospel of Christ, there's this drive to make Jesus more palatable.

Jesus doesn't want to be palatable to you.

He wants you to understand the truth that can save your lives.

So do we teach things that aren't sound and as a result create dispute and question?

Those myths and endless genealogies rather than the stewardship, rather than the knowledge

of the things by which God has provided for and prepared salvation, which is by faith

alone.

Do we steward the gospel and all that is contained in it?

All the doctrines that you can imagine that God has concerning salvation is solidly foundational

in the gospel.

And this particular stewardship of the gospel is from God that is by faith.

Only salvation is by faith alone, in Christ alone.

There is no other gospel.

Verse five, the aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience

and a sincere faith.

That's our aim.

That's our goal.

Our goal to command is out of love for you, is what Paul is saying to Timothy.

My heart is pure for you, Timothy.

Timothy is young.

He's a young man.

He must place his feet on the rock and not deviate.

Sincere faith.

Certain persons by swerving from these doctrines have wandered away into vain discussion.

The word here is mataiya lagia, mataiya lagia.

This word is empty talk.

They just blabber.

They talk about nonsense.

It just doesn't matter.

Why?

They're desiring to be teachers of the law without understanding either what they are

saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

It reminds me so many of these false teachers who just talk just to talk.

And we throw our money and our time at them.

What kind of men are they?

They're not men.

They're not even boys.

Men of God live obediently and purpose to walk with Christ continually.

So if we are committed to Christ, if we are living in such a way that we are holding to

sound doctrine, we are stewarding the gospel, we are careful to teach and proclaim God's

word, are you living obediently for others to see that you would be a model of that?

And do you purpose personally to continue to walk with Christ every single day or is

he just a Sunday God for you?

Are you truly a Jesus freak?

I know a modern group brought that term up, but do you love him supremely that nothing

else matters but him and him alone?

Men of God live obediently and purpose to walk with Christ continually.

Here it is, men, you ready?

Be watchful, men.

Your responsibility is to guard.

Watchful.

Pay attention.

Watch.

Listen.

Stand firm in the faith.

Do not waver from the gospel.

Do not waver from the sound doctrine of the word of God.

Notice what he says here in 1 Corinthians, chapter 16, verse 13 and 14.

1 Corinthians 16:13

You're welcome to turn there if you want, but this is what he says, be watchful, stand

firm in the faith, act like men.

You're not a woman.

You're a man.

Act like it.

Thank you.

Told you this was going to be a little hard on you guys.

That does not mean that men cannot be gentle.

Jesus was gentle and tender, but there was not a greater man.

No one took my life from me.

I lay it down of my own accord.

That's what a man does.

Act like men.

Be strong.

Let all that you do be done in love.

Act like men.

Partner in your households.

Be men in your homes.

Be men here.

Why do I say that?

I'm thankful.

Jerry, I'm going to use you as an example.

You're a man, my brother.

You are a man of God, my friend.

He gets the men to work and help, but I'm going to be honest with you, you can do a

heck of a lot more.

These women outwork you all day long, and they should not.

You shouldn't be dependent on the ladies fellowship to do everything, but thankfully our men are

starting to step up, but it requires that we act like men.

We lead.

We do.

How can I do?

How can I say that confidently?

Because I lead.

Act like men.

Be strong.

Let all that you do be done in love.

What is the motivation of every godly man?

Love for Christ, love for his people.

Act like men.

Here's the difference in this verses eight through 10.

There are two clear differences here.

Men who are men and men who are not.

Verse eight.

Now, we know that the law is good.

That's true it is.

If one uses it lawfully.

The problem is none of us can.

Only Jesus has used the law lawfully.

Only Jesus has fulfilled the law perfectly.

And as a result of Christ doing that for us on our behalf, we fulfill the law through him.

Praise God because without him it's impossible.

But understand this.

That the law is not laid down for the just.

Do you hear that?

If you're in Christ you have been justified.

In Christ you are made just.

In Christ.

But apart from Christ you are not just.

So the law has been laid down for the unjust.

For the lawless and disobedient.

For the ungodly and sinners.

For the unholy and profane.

For those who strike their fathers and mothers.

For murderers, the sexually immoral.

Men who practice homosexuality.

Enslavors.

Those men who steal men and women and children to put into service.

Liars.

Perjurers.

And whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine.

By God's grace this country still exists.

And we are a godly country.

We've enslaved children.

Or we ignored it.

That is not godly.

And nothing will change until the men of God stand firm on sound doctrine and call out

the false teachers.

Or those who claim that they know better.

But we who are the just live in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed

God with which I have been entrusted.

God has entrusted you with the most precious, most expensive, costly thing.

The gospel of his son.

That's what you have as men.

Men have been entrusted with things.

This is the responsibility that we hold.

The gospel.

There is no other gospel that Christ the God man came, put on flesh, died on the cross,

was buried and rose again on the third day to give us life and that he has commanded

us to teach all things concerning him and to be obedient.

That's what he's told us.

That's the gospel.

There is no other gospel.

And God has entrusted you men with that.

So these two very important principles.

To be committed to sound doctrine and the stewardship of the gospel.

To be careful to teach and proclaim the full truth of God's word.

To live obediently and purpose to walk with Christ continually every day.

That is the beginning and the foundations of leadership.

As men act like men.

Over the next week and the week after we'll be dealing with the rest of the chapter.

And when you look at what Paul's life was before Christ saved him.

It's quite remarkable that God, he says this.

I'll give you a little bone because I didn't do this in verse but I'm going to give you

a little something to look forward to.

Specifically in 2 Peter 3, 9.

Do you remember that?

What's 2 Peter 3, 9 say?

God is patient not willing that any should perish but all should come to repentance.

That's exactly what Paul says here Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example

to those who were to believe in him.

It is about election.

He is patient.

He was patient with Paul and he's patient with us.

His people will come and they will come through and by the gospel through faith alone in Christ

alone.

By grace alone.

There is no other way.

It is a very skinny road.

And be honest with you I think it's like a path like I don't even think it's a road I

think it's like a trail.

Not a two lane trail like one trail.

If you had a mountain bike you might be able to get through a little faster maybe.

So I hope this has been a challenge to you as men to be men.

Act like men and we'll pick up next week.

Father I want to thank you so much for your faithfulness.

Thank you Lord for your word.

Thank you Lord for this opportunity to challenge the men to come to live to to take on the

responsibility as men and to love you supremely so they can love their wives and their children.

That you reign in their hearts and in their lives as King and as God and as Savior.

We praise you and thank you in Jesus name.

Amen.