Sermons

Sunday, 26 November 2017

…for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. 1 Timothy 2:7

“For which” is speaking of that which he just stated in verses 5 & 6 – there is one God; there is one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus; and Christ Jesus gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. This explains Paul’s “For which.” It is these things for which he then acknowledges that “I was appointed a preacher.”

The word “preacher” here is literally “a herald” or a “town crier.” In essence, he was one who proclaimed critical news to the public, such as at a town gathering. This is exactly what he did as is recorded in Acts. At times, the entire town would show up at a synagogue to hear his words. When in Athens, he spoke at the public meeting at the Areopagus. Paul also states that he was appointed “an apostle.”

Paul’s calling is recorded in Acts 9, he was called personally by the risen Christ, and he is specifically said to be designated as the apostle to the Gentiles on several occasions in the New Testament. In Galatians 2, he is contrasted to Peter, whose apostolic ministry was specifically to the Jews –

“But on the contrary, when they saw that the gospel for the uncircumcised had been committed to me, as the gospel for the circumcised was to Peter ⁸ (for He who worked effectively in Peter for the apostleship to the circumcised also worked effectively in me toward the Gentiles)…” Galatians 2:7, 8

After making his claims of authority concerning his ministry, he then adds in, “I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying.” This is a claim similar to the one he makes in Romans 9:1. He is herein making a solemn oath, and a resounding declaration, that what he says is the truth. This statement actually shows us that this letter is more than a personal letter to Timothy, but one which was intended to be read by all in the church.

Timothy was already aware of these things: but those in the church at Ephesus, where Timothy was, were probably arguing against his apostolic authority, saying that he was converted after Christ’s death. Because of this, it would be argued that he couldn’t have been called by Christ. But Paul’s call was supernatural. His ministry as an apostle was, as he says in 1 Corinthians 15:8, “as one born out of due time.” The need for stating this apostolic authority openly in this letter probably finds its source in the Judaizers & false teachers referred to early in chapter 1. They had a beef against Paul and worked to diminish his authority in the eyes of others.

Paul then continues with the words, “a teacher of the Gentiles.” This is probably what irritated the Judaizers the most. Paul was teaching the Gentiles their freedom in Christ. They wanted the Gentiles to look to all things Jewish through “fables and endless genealogies” which were intended to highlight them as a superior line, deserving of emulation. Paul completely refutes this nonsense throughout his letters. What the Gentiles have to offer is equal to that of the Jews. In fact, throughout the church age, it has been the Gentiles who have faithfully carried the untainted gospel of freedom from works of the law. It is they who have sent missionaries and established churches throughout the world. It is they who have, for 2000 years, searched out the word, faithfully translated it to almost all languages on the planet, and have held it in the highest of esteem as the true and undefiled word of God. This is the legacy of Paul, who here defends his apostolic ministry in the presence of God with a firm and sure vow. He then finishes that his teaching is “in faith and truth.”

This combination of words concerning his teaching is found only here. Vincent’s Word Studies says about it that, “The phrase must not be explained in true faith, nor faithfully and truly. It means that faith and truth are the element or sphere in which the apostolic function is discharged: that he preaches with a sincere faith in the gospel, and with a truthful representation of the gospel which he believes.” Paul has completely contrasted himself to the false teachers of Chapter 1, and he has set the example for all pastors to follow in the future.

Life application: The closer one sticks to the word in their teaching and preaching, the finer of a teacher and preacher of the word they are. Superfluous words of oration do very little to build up and edify others in proper instruction of the word of God.

Lord God, Your word is given and it is a marvelous gift of love and instruction. How sad it is to go to a church and hear a sermon which has lovely oration, but which doesn’t really bear on what Your word says. The closer a preacher sticks to the word in their message, the more competent the congregation will be in their own walk with You. Help each of us to reject flowery sermons which edify for a moment, and to search out a word which analyzes and explains Your word carefully and competently. Amen.

Saturday, 25 November 2017

…who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, 1 Timothy 2:6

This is a wonderful verse which builds upon the words of the previous verse. Taken together, they read, “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time…” Paul says that “the Man Christ Jesus” is He who “gave Himself a ransom for all.” The word “ransom” here signifies the act, not the means of the redemption.

The first thought that must be understood is that a ransom was required for man. In other words, without that, there can be no mediation between God and man. That is obvious on the surface. Therefore, if one is not ransomed by the Lord Jesus, then there can be no access to God. That becomes obvious based on the first thought. Further, as only Christ is the satisfactory ransom for man, then there can be no vicarious mediation by any other. Only He was qualified to give Himself up to death as the price of redemption for fallen man.

Stated explicitly, what this means is that personal prayer to God is not acceptable to Him apart from being “in Christ.” It also means that apart from Christ Jesus, no other person can mediate for another. The doctrine of priestly mediation within the church is as far from biblical truth as east is from west. One can only come to God through Jesus Christ. And yet, he (meaning any in Christ) can freely come to God through Him. There are no restrictions when one is in Christ. Being in Christ means that access to the throne of grace is ever available.

The words, “for all” must be kept in their proper context here. Christ died for all potentially. The issue is not one of efficacy, but of sufficiency. His death was sufficient to redeem all, but not all are necessarily redeemed. His life was given to redeem fallen man, and any and all who come to Him are ransomed. There are none who will be excluded when they come to God through faith in Christ, and there are none who are accepted who do not come to God through faith in Christ. This is the reason why Paul exhorted in verse 1 that prayers, intercessions, and etc., be made “for all men.”

Again, as noted in a previous verse, this is completely contrary to the doctrine of Calvinism. If God elected those for salvation apart from free will, none of these things would have been stated by Paul. That doctrine is likewise as far from the truth as the east is from the west. One is saved by faith, and that is an expression which proceeds from the man by a volitional act of the free will. The entire thought thus far is a resounding proof that God desires the salvation of all, and that it is our job to share this message, pray for the lost, and that the lost must then choose.

Finally, the words, “to be testified in due time” are literally rendered “the testimony in its own times.” The word “times” is plural, and it is thus shows that “the gift of Christ as a ransom was to be the substance or import of the testimony which was to be set forth in its proper seasons” (Vincent’s Word Studies). Jesus Christ was determined in the eternal counsels of God’s mind to give Himself as a ransom at a particular time in redemptive history. When that moment came, Christ entered into the stream of humanity and fulfilled the work which was set forth for Him to accomplish.

Life application: Doctrine matters. Who we pray to (or through) matters. How we pray to God matters. The decisions we make, or fail to make, matter. Each of these things must be fleshed out of what is said in Scripture. When we begin to veer off of what is sound and reasonable, we eventually come to a point where we are completely apart from God, even though we think we are near to Him. This is why we must continue to search the word and evaluate its truths with care and contemplation.

Most gracious heavenly Father, Your word tells us that Christ came to give Himself a ransom for all. But it also tells us that not all are saved. Christ is sufficient to redeem all mankind, but we have a part of the responsibility. We must first believe by faith that He has done this for us. And then we are to get out and share this as well. Unless we act, the Gift has no value. Help us to be wise, and to do our part. And thank You that the Gift is available to us still. Thank You for Jesus. Amen.

Friday, 24 November 2017

For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, 1 Timothy 2:5

Wow! So much for prayers to Mary or the saints. So much for a separate and elevated priestly class within the church! So much for a pope exalted upon his stool! Such notions not only rob Christ of His authority and position, they are idolatry – granting to the created that which belongs to the Creator alone.

Paul begins with “For.” The words to come are based upon that which has been written. He just said that God “desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” This is what the “for” is alluding to. Because this applies to all men, and because God desires their salvation, a way has been opened for this to occur, but it is an extremely limited way – a narrow path. It is through the giving of His Son. To set the stage for this, he says, “For there is one God.” This truth eliminates all religions on earth except those which are monotheistic. But he is not finished. This is the first necessary qualifier.

Any religion which does not accept the premise of there being one God is noted as false. Further, as there is one God, then “all men” of the earlier verse are accountable to this one God. Understanding this, Paul then further refines the matter by saying, “and one Mediator between God and men.” That there is a God is established, but that mediation between God and men is also necessary is now established as well. We cannot go directly to God, but we must go through a mediator. But more to the point, we must go through one Mediator. Paul has limited the truth of who God is to one narrow path. Any path which is followed apart from this one path is a false path, and thus it is a false religion which is incapable of finding peace and harmony with God. And next, Paul clearly and completely defines which path that is by saying that the one Mediator between God and man is “the Man Christ Jesus.”

As closed, limiting, politically incorrect, and intolerant as it might seem, this is what Paul shows us defines true religion – the Christian faith. But even some who claim the title are excluded. Refer to those (and those like them) who attempt to go to God through other “mediators” in the first paragraph. They have no Mediator, and they are excluded from His mediation. They have cut themselves off from God by refusing God’s appointed Mediator. A church cannot save, and the mediators chosen by a church are incapable of filling the role assigned by the church. Mediation comes solely through Jesus Christ who Paul highlights as “the Man.”

This is the only time Paul uses this phrase, but he chooses this point in his letters to do so for a reason. He is highlighting the humanity of Christ in order to refute the doctrine of Docetism which was already creeping into the church. This teaches that Christ’s body was not human, but rather it was some type of phantasm. Or, if real substance, that His sufferings were not actual but only apparent. Paul will refute this in the coming verse, but his highlighting of Christ’s manhood is a theological necessity. God is infinite, we are finite. Because of our sin, without a human Mediator, we are infinitely fallen. Christ Jesus came into the world to live perfectly and then offer that perfect life for those He came to save. Without the stain of sin, He could pay our sin debt, and then He could become our acceptable Mediator between God and men.

In His divine nature, He can mediate to His infinite Father, and in His human nature, He can do so for finite beings. The Bridge is restored; the path is made; restoration with God is possible. Believers can intercede only by means petition, praise, and giving thanks as an expression of good will towards others, but Christ Jesus intercedes for others because He has merited what He asks for on our behalf. The difference is infinite in scope and in acceptability. The author of Hebrews explains both scope and acceptability in one verse –

“And for this reason He is the Mediator of the new covenant, by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions under the first covenant, that those who are called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance.” Hebrews 9:15

The scope is “the eternal inheritance,” and the acceptability is “by means of death.” Jesus Christ is both capable and qualified to mediate for those who are His.

Life application: For mediation between yourself and God, you need Jesus. If you are reading this today, and believe that God hears your prayers apart from Jesus Christ, you are mistaken. But even Christ cannot mediate for you unless you come to Him by faith. The Bible gives the gospel message by saying, “that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Corinthians 15:3, 4). It then tells how to appropriate that by saying, “that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved.” Until you, by faith, receive Jesus Christ – meaning His work on your behalf – you stand condemned before God, having no Mediator. Call on Christ today, and be reconciled, completely and eternally, to the God who loves you enough to make this one, narrow, path available.

Lord God, Your word tells us that there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus. If that is so, then it is very limiting indeed. It means that no other religious expression is acceptable to restore us to You. Hear our prayer for those who are not yet included in this offer of peace – that their eyes would be opened, that their hearts would be softened, and that their souls would be saved – through the shed blood, death, burial, and resurrection of Christ Jesus the Lord. May it be so. Amen.

Thursday, 23 November 2017

…who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:4

Paul’s words of this verse continue to be based on what he said in verse 1. There he exhorted Timothy to pray “for all men.” It is this which is on his mind. The fact that prayers are to be made immediately excludes the doctrine of universal salvation. Some will use this verse, torn out of its full context, and state that if “God our Savior” of verse 3 “desires all men to be saved,” and if nothing can thwart His will, then all must be saved. That is an abuse of the immediate context, and it completely denies numerous passages in Scripture which clearly refute such a false claim.

There is a difference between God actually saving all men and Him potentially saving all men. God’s desire is that all be saved, but His nature demands that all must be saved in a certain way. Even God cannot violate one of His own intrinsic traits. God is merciful, but He cannot violate His righteousness in order to grant mercy, or He would then be unrighteous. The plan of redemption includes (in fact it necessitates) the free will of man. The fact that God sent His Son into the world to die as a payment for man’s sin shows that He desires that all be saved. However, if man does not accept the payment, he remains unsaved. Therefore, Jesus died potentially for all, but He actually only died for those who receive the offer of His atoning death.

Jesus’ work is fully sufficient to pay for every sin ever committed, but not every sin will be paid for because the payment is not received. Thus the doctrine of “universal salvation” is false. On the other side of the same coin, the doctrine of “regeneration in order to believe,” which is taught by Calvinism, is also false. It excludes free-will as well, but instead of claiming that all are saved, it instead claims that only those God predestines, and then regenerates in order to believe, will be saved – the doctrine of “limited atonement.”

In this, the claim is that God regenerates a person in order that they may believe, they then believe, and they are then saved. In other words, they are saved before they are saved. There are several logical arguments against this, chief among them is that the Bible never teaches this. It is convoluted and denies the unlimited scope of God’s atoning sacrifice of Christ Jesus – something implied in Paul’s words here, and in Peter’s words of 2 Peter 3:9 (and elsewhere). Again, one must look at what is potential and what is actual. Christ’s death can potentially save all; it does not actually save all.

The salvation of man is then tied up in Paul’s final words of the verse, “and come to the knowledge of the truth.” In order to be saved, one must “come to the knowledge” which will allow this to happen. Like praying for “all men,” it is the responsibility of believers to share the gospel to all men as well. Paul’s implication is that one cannot be saved unless they come to the knowledge of how to be saved. This statement dispels both universalism (all are saved) and Calvinism (God regenerates a person in order to believe/limited atonement). Logically, without the knowledge of the truth, salvation will not occur, and logically if God actively does something to change the heart of man before he receives God’s offer, then there is actually no need to evangelize anyone. Instead, He would simply instill in the one He has chosen this knowledge and be done with it. But even Paul said that he could have resisted the truth. In Acts 26:19, he stated that he was “not disobedient to the heavenly vision” that was given to him. This implies that he could have rejected it. He was not regenerated in order to believe, and neither is anyone else. It is a false doctrine.

Albert Barnes gives three points on this matter – 1) That salvation is provided for all; 2) That salvation should be offered to all people; 3) That people are to blame if they are not saved. Score 1 for right thinking. Albert Barnes is correct.

Life application: It is too bad that people feel the need to rip verses out of their intended context in order to justify bad doctrine. Even when shown to be wrong, they will allow pride to step in and override what is painfully obvious. May we never presume to do this. Instead, let us search the Scriptures with a desire to teach what God has submitted in this magnificent book of clear doctrine and right thinking. Let us teach in accord with the offer of salvation to all who will but come.

Lord God, it is more than glorious that You have offered Jesus as an atoning sacrifice for the sins of man. And it is more than incredible that You have allowed us the choice of accepting or rejecting this offer. In the end, You are shown gracious and merciful, and yet You are shown holy and righteous. If we fail to accept Your offer, we only have ourselves to blame. It is a magnificent display of love and wisdom, and one which displays Your infinite glory. Great are You, O God, and greatly are You to be praised. Amen.

Wednesday, 22 November 2017

For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 1 Timothy 2:3

“For this is good and acceptable,” ties the verse to what was just stated –

“Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ² for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.”

It is “good and acceptable” to pray as stated, including “for all men.” This included “kings and all who are in authority.” What is apparent from these words of Paul is that God desires that all would be saved, and that our prayers are a part of that process. Otherwise, Paul could not write these things. In fact, he would simply say, “Don’t bother with prayer. God has sovereignly chosen those who will be saved, and has predetermined all that will occur. Your prayers are a waste of time.” This is never hinted at in the Bible. Instead, we are given the high honor of praying for others, and for receiving what God offers. That is great stuff. And the reason why it is great stuff is because it isn’t just good and acceptable in a general sense, but that it is “good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior.”

God is well pleased when we pray for others in the ways he described. And it is good and acceptable that these are given “for all men” including “for kings and all who are in authority.” God looks at our prayers in these situations and finds them acceptable because we are not just praying for ourselves and our own needs, but we are praying for others, even some who may not currently be favorably disposed towards us. This is a truly noble thing.

Life application: Let us do our best to follow through with the words of this verse, even if those appointed over us are really crummy people. They too need Jesus, and so we should do our utmost to pray for them in hopes that they will come to God through Christ and be saved.

Lord God, today we lift up those who are appointed over us at all levels of life. We have bosses, mayors, governors, congressmen, and presidents, kings, or prime ministers that we are accountable to. Hear our prayers for them, guide them to right decisions which will honor You, and if they don’t yet know Christ Jesus, we pray for them to come humbly to the throne of grace for salvation. Wouldn’t that be great to have faithful believers making godly decisions in this world. Yes, we pray for our leaders today. Amen.