The Pastoral Epistles

1 Timothy 6:6-10, 17-19
“Financial crisis” are two words that have entered the table talk of people everywhere. Our world defines a financial crisis as a time when assets suddenly lose their value. They occur when the stock markets crash or financial bubbles burst. Scripture, however, defines a financial crisis in radically different terms. These passages teach us that a real financial crisis occurs when riches displace God in our lives.

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1 Timothy 6:11-16,20-21
Scripture often teaches us that the Christian life is characterized by perseverance. We see this when Paul charges Timothy to “keep the commandment unstained and free from reproach until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.” This is contrasted to those who “wandered away from the faith.” In this sermon we examine what it means to persevere and how to do it.

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1 Timothy 6:3-10
Apostasy occurs when someone intentionally turns away from Christ. This is what the false teachers did in Ephesus. Throughout First Timothy, Paul devotes a lot of ink to identifying these men, explaining how to deal with them, and how to replace them. In this text, Paul exposes some critical elements in their lives that led to their spiritual demise. All of this sets the stage for what comes when he will exhort Timothy to “fight the good fight” of the faith.

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1 Timothy 6:1-2
While slavery in the Roman Empire was different from slavery in Early American history, it was still a problem that the early church was forced to address. The result was that Paul directly addressed slaves more than any other group in his letters. In these two verses, Paul demonstrates that the heart of the church’s response is grounded in the gospel of Christ.

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1 Timothy 5:17-25
The elders’ primary task is to make the voice of the Chief Shepherd crystal clear to His people, so that they follow Him. As the elders do this, they lead, feed, and protect the church according to the word of Christ. The church’s responsibility is to hold her leaders accountable for following the Word.

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1 Timothy 5:17-18
The world has many opinions about the church and her leadership. Too often, these ideas have seeped into the church, thereby creating a crisis of leadership. If we will reflect Christ to our world, then it is necessary to recover a biblical model of leadership. In this sermon, we begin a short series that reveals what such leadership looks like.

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1 Timothy 5:3-16
God calls Himself a protector of widows. If the church will faithfully reflect the character of Christ, then we must heed Paul’s command to “honor those who are truly widows.” In our day of crumbling 401(k)s and uncertain retirements, this is a message the church desperately needs to understand.

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1 Timothy 5:1-2
In these two verses, Paul forces us to evaluate how we view the church. It is not a business, institution, or building; instead, it is a family. This family is composed of persons who are pursuing redemptive relationships that will encourage one another to become more like Christ.

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1 Timothy 4:6-16
After a bad first half of football, Vince Lombardi is said to have begun his half-time talk by holding up a football. He said, “Gentlemen, this is a football.” His point is that if you’re going to play the game right, then you must have the fundamentals down. In this passage of Scripture, Paul says much the same thing to elders, “Keep a close watch on yourself and the teaching.” God doesn’t want creativity and coolness; He only desires shepherds to be faithful in the fundamentals. This passage examines the basic components of the pastoral calling and role.

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1 Timothy 4:1-5
Paul gives a sobering warning: “some will depart from the faith.” What does he mean? and how can this happen?

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