Let's turn in our Bibles to 1st Timothy, chapter 6. Paul wrote to Timothy, there was a lot of trouble in the church in Ephesus. with false teachers and unqualified elders and sin in the church and all kinds of problems, Paul wanted to let Timothy know that his calling to the position of pastor was from God. In spite of all these troubles, he was called to this position. He must not retreat or resign when faced with all these serious problems. That was his calling. And God not only would be with him, Paul told Timothy, but he would hold Timothy accountable to perform the duties of his position before the Almighty God. He must not back off. And Timothy was a shy man, a timid man, so he might have that tendency. Paul's going to say, no, you just stay in there in the fight. Keep fighting. So we'll start at verse 11. where Paul says to Timothy, but you, oh man of God, flee these things and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith. They hold on eternal life unto which you are called and has professed a good profession before many witnesses. I command you in the sight of God who makes all things alive, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession, that you keep this commandment without staying unrebukeable until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which in his times he shall show who is the blessed and only sovereign, the King of kings and the Lord of lords. who alone has immortality, dwelling in light which no man can approach unto, whom no man hath seen nor can see, to whom be honor and power everlasting, amen. So we're gonna look at these verses this afternoon. And just start with verse 11, where he says, O man of God, In the Old Testament, that title, man of God, was used to describe a man who was chosen by God to proclaim the word of God. And technically, all Christians could be called man of God, since each believer proclaims the word of God to his family, to his friends, to his neighbors. But the title man of God holds special significance for pastors. since only certain men are gifted and qualified to hold that office. So Timothy gets this title because he's called and qualified to hold this office. Verse 11 says, but thou, O man of God, flee these things. God-called pastors must flee the desire to be wealthy like these false teachers desired. because that was the context prior to verse 11. Warnings about being rich and putting your hope in riches, and that's what the false teachers did. God-called pastors must not have that desire. They can't be greedy of money. They can't be in it for money. They must be an example to the flock of all these other qualities that we read in verse 11. righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. They must demonstrate them to the flock of God on a regular basis. And then he says to Timothy in verse 12, fight the good fight of faith. Pastors have to fight the good fight of faith, not personal faith. You have to keep your personal faith, of course, but in this context, it's the fight to defend the scriptures. That's what a pastor's called for. You've got to contend earnestly for the faith once delivered to the saints. Timothy was called to protect the scriptures, to guard it. He was called to be saved. And now as a pastor, he's called to preach the word, to think about things above. and to focus on the eternal, not get caught up in all the things that are around him that could distract him, to preach the word, feed the flock, and be an example to the flock. Because God is watching the pastors. And they have to give an answer to him one day. So now in verse 13, Paul gives Timothy a command. A charge, if you will. I command you in the sight of God who makes all things alive and before Christ Jesus who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession. He'll get to the command in verse 14 but let's just take a look at what he says here in verse 13. This is a charge that Paul gives Timothy This is something Timothy must do as a pastor. And the importance of this charge, which he'll describe in verse 14, it's emphasized in verse 13 by stating that God and Jesus are both witnesses to what Timothy's going to be doing in his position as pastor. God the Father is described here as the one who gives life to all things. King James says, who makes all things alive. It means he gives life to all things. Timothy is carrying out his duties before the God who gives life to all things. Every living person, animal, insect, vegetable, vegetation, they're all made alive by God. and they're kept alive by God until he says that's the end. It's God's will. He's sovereign. And Timothy stands in the presence of Almighty God who gives life and takes away life. So Timothy can carry out his ministry with that truth in mind. He must always seek to please God and not man. And since God controls who lives and who dies and the timing of that, Timothy can have confidence when he preaches that no man can harm me as long as God wants me to preach. It doesn't matter what comes my way, persecution, they want to try to kill me, they will not be able to touch me unless God allows it. So I have confidence because God gave me life. He'll take my life when he wants to, but until then, I must preach the word. And that's for everybody. You don't have to worry about death. You will die one day, but not until God says so. So just carry out your Christian ministry, whatever it is, until God calls you home. But what if a driver falls asleep and the car comes across the lane? Don't worry about it. Just carry on what you're supposed to do. Press on to serve the Lord. Even if Timothy dies in the course of his duties as a pastor, let's say somebody persecuted him to death, he didn't have to worry. God's gonna raise his dead body to life one day. It's all been taken care of through the Lord Jesus Christ. And Paul also calls on Jesus to be a witness to Timothy. He says, before Jesus Christ, who gave a great confession before Pontius Pilate. What a model Jesus left for pastors and all Christians, amen? Nobody was tested more than Jesus. Nobody had more persecution against him. And Jesus remained faithful to the word of God even under all those extreme pressures and unjust trials and circumstances. He never budged. He trusted in his father's plan for his life, and he just carried it out. That's what we can do, amen? Just go with God's plan. If he loved us enough to send his son, didn't even spare his own son, why is some little thing gonna interfere with our life when God is for us? Who can be against us? Who can bring a charge against us? Who can hurt us? Nobody. We can live with confidence. And this world is dangerous, and you never know what's gonna happen next. Drive-by shootings and carjackings and all kinds of weird things, don't have to worry about it. Be wise, but just carry on. Just like Jesus, he never compromised. He kept his witness even in the face of death. And Timothy must do the same. All believers can stand strong because Jesus has saved us. He has a plan for our life. He's not going to let anything happen to you that is not part of his plan and for your good. Keep serving. So now Paul gets to what this commandment is, what this charge is. Verse 14, he says, that you keep this commandment without stain, without reproach, unrebukable until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. Paul is charging Timothy to keep the commandment. This is not a reference to one of the Ten Commandments or even all the Ten Commandments. It's a charge to keep or guard the Word of God, the whole Word of God. That's a pastor's duty. Preach the word and guard the word. And with all these problems in the church, false teachers and people who weren't qualified, the word was at risk. And Timothy is being told, I command you, keep this commandment. Protect the word. Guard the word. Timothy's not only to proclaim the whole counsel of God, regardless of the opposition, but to contend for it, preserve it from anyone who would twist it, add to it, subtract from it, or deny the truth of scripture. Timothy is to put an end to that right away. Whoever he comes in contact with that's trying to change the word of God in any way, teach a false doctrine, he's to protect the word of God and guard it. And then Paul tells Timothy how. to keep the commandment in verse 14. Without staying or without spot, without reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus. Without staying, without reproach. So the man of God, Pastor Timothy, must do all his pastoral duties as well as his daily living without sin. and in such a godly way that no one could bring a charge against Timothy and make it stick. As he's doing his duties, defending the word, preaching the word, he's to live his life in a way that never brings reproach upon him in the ministry. Somebody might bring a charge, For a pastor, they must never be able to prove that that's true of the pastor, above reproach. That's why Timothy was to keep this commandment without spot, without reproach. That includes his preaching, his shepherding, and his daily living when nobody's watching, above reproach. How long must he do this? Until Jesus comes. or until Timothy dies, whichever comes first, he's to preach the word and contend for the faith and keep that commandment to guard the word without spot or blemish. His entire life, in other words, to be called by God, to be a pastor, to preach, and teach God's most holy word to feed the flock, to shepherd the sheep. It's an unspeakable privilege, but it comes with divine scrutiny and accountability that no other position in the church has. And that's why James told everybody, do not, any of you be teachers, for you will incur a stricter judgment. Nobody has an impact on the people in the church like the pastor. His life influences everybody, either for good or for evil. And so God is watching the pastors, scrutinizing them, and it's a great privilege to be able to preach and teach the word of God, but it's an awesome responsibility because God demands much. for those who handle his word. Well, Timothy's God is great. Amen? Timothy's God is great. And verses 15 and 16 are like a doxology, like a hymn of praise. Let's look at these wonderful words. Verse 15. which in his times he shall show who is the blessed and only sovereign, the king of kings and the lord of lords, who only has immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto, whom no man has seen nor can see, to whom be honor and power everlasting. Amen. If you follow the immediate context from the end of verse 14 where it says, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ into the beginning of verse 15, which in his time shall show, who's the blessed and only sovereign, it appears that the he, the word he, in verse 15, he shall show, appears to be Jesus, But the rest of the context shows that the He, in verse 15, is God the Father. Because only the Father knows when He will send Jesus back. Jesus doesn't even know that. Not only that, but nobody has seen the Father, but somebody has seen Jesus. All the events of history are known to God. He planned them all in eternity past. One of the events that God planned was to reveal himself in all his glorious attributes in a way never done before. That will happen when Jesus returns. There will be a resurrection of all believers from all ages. There will be a rapture of the church. Jesus will destroy his enemies and set up his millennial kingdom. Never been done before. And in Jesus dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, according to Colossians 2.9. Jesus is God and He'll reveal everything the Father is when He returns. He did that when He first came. Remember His disciples said, show us the Father? Philip, have I been so long with you? But you don't know that if you've seen me, you've seen the Father. When Jesus returns, raptures His church, and starts pouring out His wrath on the earth, you're gonna see the Father in Jesus. You're gonna see His glory. Notice Paul says that, in verse 15, God is blessed. Verse 15, which in his times he shall show who is the blessed and only sovereign. Blessed here means God is content or fulfilled. Did you ever think about that? God is perfectly content. Even though he's angry and all kinds of sin is going on before his very eyes, he's content. Why? Because all the sins of men cannot cause God to lose his joy or contentment because he controls everything and everything is always working out according to his plan and purpose. He cannot be dissatisfied with his own plan. He's totally content. We should be too with this plan. We're disappointed that some of our loved ones aren't saved and they don't do things we hoped they would do as Christians. But we're content in this way. God's plan is perfect. He's content, we're content. He's the only sovereign. King James says he's the only potentate. I like potentate. It conveys the idea of potency, doesn't it? But it means sovereign. He alone is God. He has all power to make his plan work out perfectly all the time. There's never been a time and there never will be a time when any part of God's plan didn't work out exactly as he eternally prescribed it to do. It is just immutable, unstoppable, unchangeable, the plan of God. It's grinding along slowly. You wake up in the morning and you turn on the news or you look on the internet and you see the news and you say, oh no, that happened? Oh no, they're killing people over there. You're looking at God's plan coming to pass as determined way back in eternity. I would never want to live in a world where I didn't know who was in charge. And maybe the devil's getting some of his plan in, and God gets a little bit of his, and the president gets a little bit of his, and the Congress gets a little bit of theirs. I'd be terrified. My God is on his throne, and he's controlling everything, and for my good, because he's always loved me. I have confidence. I'm not saying I never worry or get anxious about some things, but I just have to go back to this. My God is the potentate, 100% powerful, and nobody can stop his perfect plan. Nobody gave God his power. He's been sovereign and omnipotent for eternity. And what he always was in eternity, he is now and always will be. Never change. He has no equal. No one could challenge him, not man, not Satan, not all the demons put together. Does that give you confidence? Amen. Our God reigns. Now, the next is interesting because he calls God the King of kings and the Lord of lords in verse 15. A title we usually associate with Jesus. Amen? Okay? And it's true. Revelation 17, 14 says, These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them, for He is the Lord of lords and King of kings. And they that are with Him are the called and chosen and faithful. So it is a title for Jesus Christ. But in this context, it refers to God the Father. When Jesus returns, He will show that both He and His Father are King of kings and Lord of lords. They both are King of kings and Lord of lords. There's not a more encouraging doctrine than the sovereignty of God and His kingship and lordship overall. Nobody pushes God around and tells Him what to do. They try to. They want to. But they can't because he's the King of Kings and Lord of Lords overall. So Pastor Timothy doesn't have to worry or be afraid about anything. Because Paul has not only given him a charge, but he's given him this little doxology to say, this is who you're serving, Timothy. The omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God. You're gonna be okay, Timothy. Same for us, we're gonna be okay. We serve a mighty God. He created all things out of nothing. And he directs every function in the world, everything. There's nothing too small. There's nothing outside his sovereign control. Think about it. There's so many things that we can't see, like the viruses. And you can see them under a microscope. But there's probably stuff that they can't even find with the microscope now, little tiny things. They don't even have names yet, but they'll discover them maybe someday. Every one of those little molecules and atoms and viruses and pathogens that got in me the other day made me sick. God controlled them. He said, pathogens, you see Bob Dennis over there? Jump off his wife and get on him. for about five or six days, and then you're gonna be out of his system. That's our God. There's no accident. So the pastor knows that the success of his ministry is not dependent on his skills, or his abilities, or his clever techniques, or his innovative ideas. Praise God. I'm so not innovative. He knows that the salvation of lost souls does not depend on how articulate or persuasive he is. It depends on the power and grace of God. And when you go out and you witness the people, you must have the same perspective. You can't talk anybody into the kingdom of God. You can't talk anybody out of the kingdom of God. You just preach the word in a loving and articulate way that you can, God must get the results with that person. The burden is off you. If you're an Arminian and you thought that everybody's eternal soul depended on how many people you got to and how well you convinced them, I'd be a wreck. I haven't convinced anybody in my whole life to go to heaven. I've told them about it. It depends on God, his power and his grace and his will. Preach the word. When God says in verse 16 that he has immortality, this is what Paul told Timothy, only God has immortality. Immortality means deathless. Remember that, deathless. God cannot die. Timothy doesn't have to fear if somebody would take God away from him. No, God can never die or be moved. He'll always be with Timothy. He'll always be with us. He'll always be on your side. Nobody's able to box out God and say, I'm not gonna let you get near that brother, no. He's in you, he's around you, he's above you, he's below you. He cannot die, he lives forever. He's always been alive. He says in verse 16, after, who only has immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto. God is so holy, he dwells in pure light, and that no mortal man can approach into God's light and live. You just can't look upon God in your mortal condition. God is light, Jesus is light, When Jesus came into the world, he was the light of the world, amen? The father is light, the son is light. And Jesus is the only one who has ever seen God. Because our scripture here, verse 16 says, he's not only in the light, which no man can approach unto, but no man hath seen him, nor can see him. The apostle John said this about Jesus and God. No man hath seen God at any time. The only begotten Son, who is in the bosom of the Father, He has declared Him. No man has seen God. Jesus has seen God. And He's declared Him to us. He's described Him to us. He's brought the Word to us. The only way for sinners to approach the sovereign, holy God is through Jesus. Come to the light. If you want to see God the Father, come to Jesus. Trust in him, for he is the way to the Father. Didn't he say that? He told his disciples, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No man comes to the Father but by me. By God's grace, when you believe in Jesus for salvation, He will take you by the hand and take you to the Father. And you'll be accepted by the Father because His Son paid for your sins and now you're acceptable to the Father. It's got to be by the assistance of the one who came to bear our sins on the cross. What an encouragement to Timothy. The God who called him to salvation and to the pastorate is all powerful, all light, Never dies. He's Lord of all. He never makes a mistake. Timothy can concentrate on preaching the word of God and let God do his mighty work. We can do the same. Carry out whatever ministry God has given you. You never have to worry. You never have to be anxious. God is with you. He's light. He'll never die. He'll never go away from you. And then Paul ends this section to whom be honor and power everlasting, amen. Praising God. God should get all this praise. God should be reverenced both now and throughout eternity. We'll be praising him because of how great he is, because he's worthy, because he didn't spare his son, He saved us from what we deserve, condemnation and punishment in the lake of fire for all eternity. He delivered us from all of that. And when Timothy gets discharged from Paul, it's designed to pump him up, to encourage him, to carry out his ministry and his duties and his life with all confidence in the living God. and his Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. And just by way of application, that's what he wants for us, too, as Christians, to know that we serve a mighty God, that our Savior is all-powerful. He's praying for us. He's watching over us. Nobody can thwart his purpose. His purpose is for us to be used throughout our Christian lives to bear fruit. to let our light shine before men so that they see our good works and glorify our Father who is in heaven, and you don't have to worry about sickness, death, persecution, or anything else. Put your confidence in God. Protect the scriptures. Preach the scriptures. Live the scriptures. Give praise to God day in and day out. Praise Him. He's worthy. Honor. and power everlasting to our God. What a great God we serve, amen? Let's go out this week and make him known. Know him better in our own lives, make him known to others, share the gospel, come back on Sunday with tales, high tales, of what God did when you opened your mouth and shared the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is the power of God unto salvation. We have a message, amen? That message is inerrant, infallible, and it carries the power to change a sinner's life and make him a saint. That's what God did to us. Let's take it out to the world. Amen. Shall we pray? Father, thank you so much for your word. God, help us to love your word, to dig into it, to understand it. And most importantly, Lord, take these truths, apply them to our lives, and live them out every day. Be with the saints, Lord. Be with the parents. May they live for Christ. May their children see Christ in them. Take our young people. Help them to live for Christ. Help them to talk of Christ. Minister to one another. Be a blessing to those who are in their area of influence. Thank you, dear Lord, for this Lord's Day. Thank you for thy people, Lord. Forgive us where we have fallen short. Forgive us for not loving you more. We pray nothing would come between us and the Savior, that our hearts would be filled with such love and gratitude that we'd want to do everything you want us to do with all our hearts, putting everything else aside that has no eternal value. Don't let anything distract us from serving you, Lord. We walk in the confidence that you are the sovereign, potentate, the great God of all gods, and that you love us and you're going to bring us into situations and trials and circumstances that will be for our good. Whatever comes our way this week, Lord, help us to praise you and thank you and fall back on these great truths. that nobody can change your plans for us. Thank you for saving us. Dismiss us with your blessing, with safe travel, and hearts full of love for you. In Jesus' name, I pray. Amen.