Amen. We turn then to continue our series started just two weeks ago in First Timothy, working through, we come now to the remainder of chapter one. And in the chapter divisions are not inspired, they were added later. But this is one place where it's a very appropriate chapter division. The false teachers, which the charge for Timothy to stand against them was a major theme of the beginning verses that we looked at two weeks ago. The false teachers remain in view and come back at the end of these verses and so really that's part of what ties chapter one together is the charge for Timothy to stand against the false teachers and then A new thought, we might say, begins with chapter two. It's an appropriate chapter division. And so we go from verse 12 to the end of chapter one to verse 20. That's page 1,262 in the blue ESV Bibles. Near the end of the letters of the Apostle Paul, 1 Timothy 1, we're looking at verses 12 to 20. Let us hear, then, the Word of God. 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, of 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 entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, Some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme." So far the reading, the grass withers, the flower fades, the word of our Lord endures forever. Dear congregation, of our Lord Jesus Christ. When we speak about the mercy and the grace of God, language cannot keep up. And so there are attempts in the prophets and in the New Testament writings to capture the glories of God's mercy and grace and so we have all kinds of metaphors and illustrations and and different words to try to get towards capturing the fullness of the wonder and beauty of the grace and mercy of God. And so in an attempt to get towards that and towards the critical nature of speaking about salvation and what it means to come to God and have faith in Him. The Apostle speaks with illustrations of life and death circumstances. He does that twice in this text. He uses the illustration, the metaphor of Timothy as a soldier, a soldier called to wage the good warfare at the end of verse 18. And then in the next lines he speaks about those who are false teachers as being those who are Shipwrecked. Well, what is a shipwrecked? What is a war? These are life and death situations. Some survive a shipwreck, as Paul the Apostle did. He knew firsthand about those. But that was not a common thing. A shipwreck is dangerous. It's a perilous place. It's a place of death. And what is it to wage good warfare? It's a situation of life and death. It's a situation of high consequences. And so these are pictures that the Apostle uses in speaking about matters of salvation, of matters about faith and trust in Jesus Christ, because those are matters which go beyond consequences of life and death on this earth. These are matters which relate to eternal life and eternal death. And so, Word pictures get us toward the depths of the riches of the wisdom and the love of God, who saves sinners even as language cannot capture what God has done. And so we use also word pictures in our theme this morning, brothers and sisters. Our theme, which uses words from our text, is this. Stand firm on God's overflowing grace. And if you're taking notes, our first point is overflowing grace, verses 12 to 15, taking that phrase from verse 14, the grace of our Lord overflowed for me. And then our second point is eternal grace, verses 16 and 17. And then our third point is defended grace, as we'll look at the last few verses of this chapter. So we begin with this overflowing, grace having mentioned the gospel in verse 11 the apostle now turns to the gospel as it has worked out in his own life in verses 12 and following and so he and speaks again about who he is. He is an apostle. He's one appointed directly by Christ. And he speaks also about who he was before he was saved and appointed by Christ. And he gives a brief detailing of his former sins in verse 13. And then at the end of that verse, after a brief explanation of his former sins, he says this, that I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly and in unbelief. Now, what does that mean? Brothers and sisters, this is one of the times when we especially need to go to other scriptures in order to better understand what is going on in this one verse. You see, the Apostle Paul is using terms, categories, that relate to both Old Testament and New Testament teaching. And so, a first distinction which is important to keep in mind is the distinction in the Old Testament sacrifices between unintentional sins and sins by which one despises the Lord. That's language which comes directly from Numbers chapter 15. Now, sin is sin. And so unintentional sins, as they are called in Numbers 15, required a sacrifice for sin. Sin is sin. But they were not seen or judged in the same way as those who sinned by despising the Lord and His commandments. So if you wanted to review that, you could read Numbers 15, but just know that that these are some of the categories used to describe sin in the Old Testament. Sin is always sin, but unintentional sin does not come with the same punishment as those who despise the Lord. Or we can think in terms of the unpardonable sin, which is mentioned a few times in the New Testament. Hebrews 10 verse 26 is likely referring to that unpardonable sin where we read Hebrews 10 verse 26, For if we go on sinning deliberately, after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins. See, brothers and sisters, as dangerous as the sins of the Apostle Paul were, they were not committed in this way. As gross as the sins of the Apostle Paul were, seeking out and murdering Christians and being a severe persecutor of the early church, it was not a sin of despising the Lord in that numbers 15 way, it was not the unpardonable sin. Looking back upon his former sins and persecutions, the Apostle Paul said this in Acts 26 verse 9, I myself was convinced that I ought to do many things in opposing the name of Jesus of Nazareth. So the sins of Paul were especially visible and horrible, but they were not sins against the Holy Spirit. It was not the unpardonable sin. Now we've looked at that phrase, which is maybe a little unusual at first glance. Now let's step back and think about what this means for us. Let us know that even terrible outward sins may not be the unpardonable sin. In fact, remember this. While the unpardonable sin is mentioned a few times in the New Testament, we're never given a specific example of it. We are given examples, both in the historical narrative of the life of the Apostle Paul and in the form of parables of terrible sins which are not unpardonable sins. God forgives sinners. God forgives the murderous Apostle Paul. God forgives and has open arms to welcome home the prodigal son. And so it is that even when we're thinking about very visible sins, and even when we're thinking about especially grievous sins, the mercy of God is sufficient to cover those sins. That's the language of verse 14. The mercy of God overflowed for Paul. That's the same mercy we all need. The overflowing mercy of God. The Greek word there has the prefix uper, which sounds a lot and has a meaning very much like our English word super. The grace of God super flowed for me. I am a sinner, but God's grace is greater than my sin. And so we stand firm on the grace of God. Whatever your stumblings have been, do not drown in guilt, but take your guilt and confession of sin to your Father in heaven. He welcomes the prodigal son and daughter with open arms. He forgives even those who have committed grievous sins. And for all of us who stand in sin, His mercy super flows over us. This is the very reason why Christ came for us. Jesus Christ came to save sinners. That is the faithful and trustworthy saying. One of the first creeds of the Christian church. So this is the mercy, the grace that overflows upon which we stand firm. Forgiven sinners saved by Christ. Well, this grace is not only sufficient to save us here and now, it is sufficient for eternal salvation. So we come to our second point, eternal grace. And so the Apostle Paul, who used the language of having received mercy in verse 13, now uses those words again, received mercy in verse 16, and he gives the reason why he received mercy. It's not because Paul was worthy in and of himself. Indeed, it is because Paul was so visibly and obviously unworthy that Christ particularly chose to save him. Now think about this. The sins that the Apostle Paul committed, they were especially visible and heinous crimes. He participated in the stoning of Stephen, and the implication is that he may have been involved in other murders, seeking out, imprisoning, harming the early Christians. These are visible, grievous sins. They are also the kind of sin which the early church should have talked about. It's kind of a distinction we think about all the time, but consider this. In Corinthians, when dealing with certain kinds of sins, the Apostle Paul talks about how you should stop talking about these former sins. There are times when a person commits a sin of a certain nature, and even when it's public, we shouldn't talk about it. That would be gossiping. But what about the sins of the Apostle Paul? Would it be gossiping to tell your neighbor that this man, Paul of Tarsus, before he became the Apostle Paul, would it be gossiping to tell your neighbor that Paul of Tarsus is going around and persecuting Christians? That would not be gossiping. That would be protecting. In other words, as an example of God's grace for sinners. God chooses a man, Paul of Tarsus, who has committed especially grievous sins, especially heinous sins, especially public sins, and the kind of sin that the early Christians should have been telling each other about because it's not gossiping to talk about a sin like this, it's protecting. And so in every way, the Lord is choosing one whose sins are known, who should be known, and were known. And so, for example, in Acts 9 verse 13, you know, when Paul was on his way to Damascus, there's a faithful disciple there named Ananias, and God tells Ananias, Paul is now my servant and you are to work with him and to remove the scales from his eyes. And what's the response of this faithful disciple of Christ in Damascus? He says, I've heard from many about this man and about his persecutions of the saints in Jerusalem. All sins were known. They should have been known. And now God takes this one who has committed these visible and heinous sins and says, I can save this one. And I will save this one. And I will make him the great proclaimer of my gospel in the early church. And so you see, God especially chose Paul because of his unworthiness and because of his visible sins to make an example of the fact that Jesus Christ has perfect patience. and that the mercy of Jesus Christ can save any sinner. You know, brothers and sisters, this example remains relevant to us to this day. There are those who would deny guilt. That's one roadblock of our sinful nature. Just looking ahead briefly to our third point, that is likely what is going on with Hymenaeus and Alexander. But there are also those who, instead of denying their guilt, they drown in their guilt. They think, my sins are too great, I can't be saved. What has God done? God has spoken to us about what his mercy is, and he's given us not only parable examples, but real life examples of that grace at work. So what's one specific instance in which the life of Paul would be relevant for sharing the gospel with people today? Well, the Apostle Paul, his sins were of a murderous nature. You know, many, many people in our nation have committed sins of a murderous nature. Because how common is abortion in our day? And what is that? It is nothing less than a murderous sin. And it's a sin for all those involved, the women involved and the males who are often encouraging it as they're involved and all of those things. And so what happens when one of the many men and women involved in that murderous sin comes to feel an appropriate shame and guilt for that sin? Should they drown in that guilt? By no means. By no means. And if one would even hide that sin, not confessing it because it seems so great, how could I even be forgiven? What do we say? No, do not hide it. Confess it. And God saves sinners. He saves those who are in even the visible and heinous sins like murder, just as He saved David, despite his murderous act in the Old Testament, just as he saved the Apostle Paul despite his murderous acts in the New Testament. These are relevant examples that we can use in ministering to family, friends, and to many involved in murderous acts in our nation. And brothers and sisters, it applies to other sins as well. Whatever sin that you may think drowns you. You do not need to drown in sin. Take your sin to Jesus Christ and the superflowing mercy of Christ saves you. And so, the Apostle Paul, considering how God's mercy has overflowed to him, cannot help but overflow with words of praise to God. And that's what verse 17 is. It's not where we would normally expect to see a doxology like this. It's not at the conclusion of a letter. It's not even at the conclusion of a thought. It's appropriately not the end of the chapter division here in 1 Timothy 1. It's what we might call an interlude. It just overflows spontaneously out of the apostle, even though it doesn't really directly fit the line of thought. It just comes. The Apostle Paul has been reflecting on how God has saved him, and he cannot help but have a brief pause to say words of praise to God, his Savior. To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Now it doesn't directly fit the line of thought, but it's certainly appropriate. We are saved by grace alone, by Christ alone, to the glory of God alone. So when speaking about salvation, it is more than appropriate to be brought to a word of praise to God and his honor and glory forever and ever. And to begin with this title that God is the king of the ages, it fits this chapter, which has used a number of military terms and military illustrations, including the direct language about waging the good warfare, in verse 18. And so that takes us, brothers and sisters, to our third point, defended grace. As God's soldiers, we are to defend the right teaching of God's superflowing mercy and amazing grace. We are called to defend these truths. The grace of God, when it is denied, is one of the darts of the evil one that comes against the church on this earth. Now what's, what is the Apostle Paul saying here? We might think of Ephesians 6 which is a more commonly known passage which is more directly spoken to a whole church and the Apostle Paul goes through a number of pieces of armor there and speaks in broad terms about all of the fiery darts of the evil one with which we must take up the shield of faith to extinguish them, to defend ourselves against them, to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. Well, what is going on here? Here we have this language of warfare, but we have reference to only two of the pieces of armor, holding faith and a good conscience. And we have reference to really one specific fiery dart of the evil one and that is the fiery dart of false doctrine. That's what's going on here. It's more specific. We're not speaking in the broad language of Ephesians 6. We're saying, with true faith, you need to stand against the false doctrine, the false teaching that denies the grace of God, that denies that we are sinners saved by faith alone. And so, Timothy, as a soldier, must stand against this, by rejecting this. Some have made shipwreck of their faith. What is the this? Well, it's that false teaching which has been either directly or indirectly in view all throughout this chapter. It's that false and different doctrine of verse three that denies the true grace of salvation in Jesus Christ. And so, that one specific dart is what Timothy must stand against. And at this point, brothers and sisters, I want to ask you, is Ephesians 6 a familiar picture to you? I hope it is. It is a beautiful and helpful picture to us in our spiritual walk. But now I want to ask this, as you take up your shield of faith, and as you think about all the different fiery darts of the evil one and all the different angles at which they come upon us, Do you consider false doctrine to be one of those evil darts? We live in a time where thinking about doctrine is not something that people want to do. Maybe we'll think of different kinds of sins, incantations, and images. Those are the fiery darts that we need the shield of faith to extinguish. But what I'm saying is, see the focus upon one specific fiery dart in this text, and know that false doctrine is something that we all must stand against. Now, as a teacher, Timothy has a special charge to stand against false teachers, but it's something we must all be on guard against. False doctrine makes a shipwreck of the faith. Two men are then mentioned by name. We're told in a number of places throughout the New Testament that church discipline may reach a point when a person must be named if they continue in sin. We're told in 2 John that we must especially be careful in our dealings with those who are false teachers. Paraphrasing 2 John, when someone is a false teacher, do not even associate with them. And so, These men who are promoting false teachings are mentioned by name. They're named again in 2 Timothy. Hymenaeus says specifically there that he taught that the resurrection had already happened. And Alexander is mentioned in 2 Timothy 4 verses 14 and 15 as one of those who vehemently opposed the message of the Apostle Paul. And so what do we do with false teaching of this nature? We're not talking about minor disagreements on specific teachings of the Word of God. We are talking about foundational truths related to salvation in Jesus Christ. We're speaking about those things of which the denial can only be called blasphemy, as it is there at the end of verse 20. But when there is such a denial of foundational doctrinal truths about how we are saved sinners, saved only by Jesus Christ, then church discipline is what is called for. Church discipline is not only for sins of various kinds, it's also for dealing with false teaching that denies Jesus Christ. That I have handed them over to Satan. We see a phrase like that one other time in the New Testament. It's in 1 Corinthians 5, and it is very plain if you read all of 1 Corinthians 5 that the context there is church discipline and public discipline. One of the things that church discipline is called is to hand one over or to deliver one over to Satan. Why? Because to be in Christ's church is to be part of Christ's kingdom. To be disciplined and to be one whose unrepentant sins brings one out of the church, well that is to be delivered over to the realm of Satan, to the kingdom of Satan. And so here in 1 Corinthians 5, handed over, delivered over to Satan is one of the ways that the Apostle Paul describes church discipline. But now notice one more thing before we come to our conclusion. There is nothing cruel in this act, what is the purpose of it? That they may learn not to blaspheme. That they may learn. The goal of church discipline is always this, to wake up the sinner to learn of their sin so that they may confess and come to true faith in Jesus Christ. And it is no different here. They have denied essential truths and they must, as they have not repented, be named and handed over to Satan for this purpose, that they might learn, that they might repent, that they might return, and that they might no longer blaspheme. So, brothers and sisters, as we live in a time of rapidly changing views and thoughts and takes on all kinds of moral and theological matters. We are called to stand firm on the unchanging truths of the Word of God. We are called to stand firm on the unchanging Gospel. The good news that even as we are sinners, Christ came to save sinners. And so we stand firm on the truth of what sin is, but the story never ends with sin. Repentance and faith in Christ is that which has God's super flowing mercy and amazing grace. whereby we are delivered from our sins, standing firm on that promise. Amen. Let us pray. Lord, our Lord, make us to be your good soldiers