1 Timothy 1:18-20

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TALKS FOR GROWING CHRISTIANS

Dealing with the Problem of False Teaching at Ephesus

BACKGROUND NOTES



DOCTRINAL POINT(S)

  1. Motivation is provided to fight the good fight.

  2. Keeping faith and good conscience are necessary to avoid shipwreck.

  3. Excommunication is not punitive, but remedial.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION

  1. Are you involved in blasphemy right now?

QUESTIONS

  1. What is the theme that emerges from Paul’s first letter to Timothy?

  2. What important matter did Timothy have to deal with first?

  3. Was this part of waging a good warfare?

  4. See 1 Timothy 1:18. What are these prophecies concerning Timothy?

  5. What did the brethren think about Timothy?

  6. Does shipwreck mean that you lose your salvation?

ANSWERS

  1. Church order. That is, how to properly set up and organize a New Testament church, the recognition of elders and deacons in the church, and other important matters about church order.

  2. Silencing the false teachers in and around the church at Ephesus.

  3. Yes, and the same is true today. Stopping false teaching is part of fighting the good fight of faith.

  4. Certain prophecies were made about Timothy concerning his call into the ministry.

  5. He was well spoken of.

  6. No, but it means to end up on the rocks with respect to your Christian life and testimony.

DISCUSS/CONSIDER

  1. Paul encouraged Timothy to be motivated by the prophesies and to fight the good fight. Whenever Timothy was discouraged, facing burnout, or tempted to quit, he was to look back and remember these prophecies, given by the Holy Spirit. The Lord does the same for us today by giving us events to look back on to motivate us to continue on. How about you? What events in your life motivate you to continue on?

  2. Paul exhorted Timothy to keep the faith (remain orthodox and not to stray from sound teaching) and to keep a good conscience (do what he know to be right). In 1 Timothy 4:2, we read about a seared conscience. In contrast, a believer’s conscience is enlightened by the word of God. Are you keeping the faith and a good conscience? Avoid shipwreck!

  3. Paul gives examples of two believers who made shipwreck of their lives, Hymenaeus and Alexander. They were delivered over to Satan so that they might learn not to blaspheme. In other words, they were put out of fellowship and into the world. On the contrary, church fellowship is a sanctuary from Satan’s domain. If the “blasphemer” is a true believer, he will not find happiness in the world. Church discipline is remedial wants to see people return to the Lord. It promotes repentance and a return to fellowship.

CHALLENGE

  1. Blasphemy includes more than just taking the name of the Lord in vain. It includes all those things does by Christians who do not honor God (immorality, unethical business practices, lying, stealing, etc.). God is mocked when an unethical, compromising Christian is exposed, and it brings shame upon the name of the Lord.

KEY VERSES

  • “…concerning the faith some have suffered shipwreck. ” - 1 Timothy 1:19

1 Timothy, New Testament, TalksDeb Harms1 TImothy 1:18-20