I Timothy 1:12-20

1. the testimony of Paul - 1:12-17
1. Paul's present life was the result of grace & mercy – 12
1. he never forgot what Christ did for him - "I thank Christ"
1. thankfulness was a constant attitude of Paul's
2. there was no arrogance in Paul
3. he did not take his privilege for granted
2. Christ enabled Paul
1. Christ had placed within Paul the supernatural ability to perform his service to God
2. this power for service was an ever-present supply
3. Paul's confession is the admission of all honest servants
4. the believers responsibility is to yield their mind & body
3. Christ counted Paul faithful
1. the basic requirement for stewardship is faithfulness
2. what counts is not ability, but availability and dependability
3. human evaluation may stress intelligence and appearance
4. God looks at the motivation of the heart
5. when did God deem Paul to be such a faithful person
1. between his conversion and his call into missions (9 yr.)
2. these were years of isolation, subordination and cooperation
3. during these years Paul demonstrated his faithfulness and obedience
4. this divine scrutiny is an ongoing process
4. Christ put Paul into the ministry
1. Paul had various types of ministry in his early years
2. his call into missions constituted a formal placement into a distinctive ministry
2. grace and mercy were abundant in Paul's past - 13-14
1. Paul's sinful behavior – 13
1. here he focuses on his relationship to Christ & His church
2. he firmly believed that he was doing service to God
3. the obstacle to his salvation was not some great moral sin or rebellion
4. the obstacle to his salvation was his self righteousness
2. Paul's conversion - 13-14
1. he obtained mercy and received an abundance of grace
2. why God spared him - "I did it ignorantly in unbelief"
1. ignorance is not the reason why God bestows mercy
2. it is the reason why they are not excluded from mercy
3. it shows why people so guilty are not beyond hope
4. Paul is not trying to make an excuse for his sin
5. his sin was not the unpardonable sin (didn't know that Christ was the Messiah)
3. his conversion was to be a pattern for future believers - 15-16
1. Paul's saying – 15
1. "faithful" - the content is trustworthy
2. "worthy of all acceptation"
1. should receive the approval of all people in all situations
2. no rational reason for rejection
3. he expected Timothy and the Ephesian church to accept it
2. Paul's statement of truth – 15
1. he identifies the Savior
2. he speaks of the incarnation - "came into the world"
1. in order to come into the world, He had to be outside of it
2. He was not a mere man, born of two parent within the world
3. he stated the purpose of the incarnation - "to save sinners
1. Paul saw himself as a needy sinner - "I am chief"
2. he still regarded himself as the chief sinner – "I am"
3. when a sinner sees God in all His holiness, he will view himself as an undeserving wretch
4. the grace of God had changed the proud Pharisee into a humble apostle
3. Paul is a pattern of God's long-suffering – 16
1. God saves undeserving sinners
2. God's long-suffering is an expression of His willingness to save
3. after all the hatred that Paul showed toward Christ, it's a wonder he wasn't executed on the Damascus road
4. Paul was an example for the encouragement of sinners
5. it is forever settled: the greatest sinners can be saved
4. the means of salvation - "believe"
5. the result of salvation - "life everlasting"
4. Paul's praise - 17
1. Paul was so overwhelmed by what he had just written that he had to praise God
2. when he thought about what he was and what God had done, the natural and logical response was worship
3. notice the honor ascribed to God
4. giving honor and praise to God is the duty of a Christian
2. the responsibility of Timothy - 1:18-20 ("this charge I commit unto thee")
1. "war a good warfare" – 18
1. the war must be conducted in the realm of spiritual truth
2. we must engage in the war with the proper weapons
3. we must contend without being contentious
4. it would mean wounds and bruises, but there are medals of honor
5. this type of ministry was something that was foretold to him
2. maintain his faith & keep a good conscience – 19
1. a servant must be concerned about his own spiritual state
2. he must keep his own faith in good condition
3. he must be uncompromising in all matters of doctrine
4. the servant must be concerned that his actions are in accord with God's Word - "good conscience"
1. to ignore or override the conscience will lead to shipwreck
2. a willful disregard of the conscience will lead to heresy
3. some that have made shipwreck of their faith – 20
1. Paul had delivered them unto Satan (excommunication)
1. out of the church and back to the world (Satan's domain)
2. a Christian in the world will be ruffed-up by Satan
2. the purpose of deliverance was correction, not punishment
1. the false teachers could not be allowed to continue
2. if they were truly saved, the buffeting by Satan would cause them to see their error, and forsake their sin