"Waging the Good Warfare" 1 Timothy 1:18-20 September 15, 2024

First Baptist Church Leominster

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sea voyage in the ancient world. It is highly regarded and recognized even among secularists for its detail.

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Of course, God had promised Paul that he would get to Rome and even those with Paul received mercy for his sake.

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And so the Lord preserved them through all of the hardship and difficulty that they encountered.

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Acts 27 And when it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they delivered

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Paul and some other prisoners to one named Julius, a centurion of the Augustan regiment.

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So entering a ship of Adamidium, we put to sea meaning to sail along the coast of Asia.

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Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, was with us. And the next day we landed at Sidon and Julius treated

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Paul kindly and gave him liberty to go to his friends and receive care. When we had put to sea from there, we sailed under the shelter of Cyprus because the winds were contrary.

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And when we had sailed over the sea, which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia, we came to Myra, a city of Lycia.

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And there the centurion found an Alexandrian ship sailing to Italy and he put us on a board.

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And when we had sailed slowly many days and arrived with difficulty off Nidus, the wind not permitting us to proceed, we sailed under the shelter of Crete, off Salmoni.

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Passing it with difficulty, we came to a place called Fairhavens near the city of Lazia.

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Now when much time had been spent and sailing was now dangerous because the east, the fast, was already over,

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Paul advised them saying, men, I perceive that this voyage will end with disaster and much loss, not only of the cargo and ship, but also our lives.

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Nevertheless, the centurion was more persuaded by the helmsman and the owner of the ship than by the things spoken by Paul.

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And because the harbor was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised to set sail from there also.

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If by any means they could reach Phoenix, a harbor of Crete, opening toward the southwest and northwest and wintered there.

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When the south wind blew softly, supposing they had obtained their desire, putting out to sea, they sailed close to Crete.

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But not long after a tempestuous headwind arose called

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Eurocliden. So when the ship was caught and could not head into the wind, we let her drive.

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And running under the shelter of an island called Clauda, we secured the skiff with difficulty.

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And when they had taken it on board, they used cables to undergird the ship, fearing, and fearing lest they should run aground on the

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Syrtis sands, they struck sail and so were driven. And because we were exceedingly tempest -tossed, the next day they lightened the ship.

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On the third day, we threw the ship's tackle overboard with our own hands. And now when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and no small tempest beat on us, all hope that we would be saved was finally given up.

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But after long abstinence from food, then Paul stood in the midst of them and said, men, you should have listened to me and not have sailed from Crete and incurred this disaster and loss.

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And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.

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For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve.

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Say, do not be afraid, Paul. You must be brought before Caesar. And indeed,

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God has granted you all those who sail with you. Therefore, take heart, men, for I believe that God, that it will be just as it was told me.

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However, we must run aground on a certain island. Now, when the 14th night had come, as we were driven up and down in the

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Adriatic Sea, about midnight, the sailors sensed that they were drawing near some land. And they took soundings and found it to be 20 fathoms.

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And when they had gone a little farther, they took soundings again and found it to be 15 fathoms. And then, fearing lest we should run aground on the rocks, they dropped four anchors from the stern and prayed for day to come.

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And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, when they let down the skiff into the sea, under pretense of putting out anchors from the prow,

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Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved.

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And then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the skiff, and they let it fall off. And as day was about to dawn,

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Paul implored them all to take food, saying, today is the 14th day you've waited and continued without food and eaten nothing.

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Therefore, I urge you to take nourishment, for this is for your survival, since not a hair will fall from the head of any of you.

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And when he had said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all.

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And when he had broken it, he began to eat. Then they were all encouraged and also took food themselves.

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And in all, we were 276 persons on the ship. So when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship and threw out the wheat into the sea.

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And when it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they observed a bay with a beach onto which they planned to run the ship if possible.

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And they let go the anchors and let them in the sea. And meanwhile, loosing the rudder ropes, they hoisted the mainsail to the wind and made for shore.

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Striking a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground. And the prow stuck fast and remained immovable.

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But the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves. And the soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners lest any of them should swim away and escape.

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But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land.

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And the rest, some on boards and some on parts of the ship. And so it was that they all escaped safely to land.

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Amen. What an account. And it can be reasoned, rightly,

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I think, that this is a really metaphorical of our course in this life, our path to glory, salvation, through many troubles and trials he's going to see us through.

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And we'll stand victorious, glorified in his presence. Those who are in Christ, let's pray.

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Thank you, Father, for your word. And we thank you, our God, for the way in which you show that even through trials and difficulties, our

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God, you had purpose to deliver these people safely to land. And we thank you for your promises in Christ, our

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God, that regardless of how difficult our lives may seem to be, no matter how difficult the way ahead appears to us to be, we are confident because you've promised that every one of us who have fled to Jesus Christ for salvation, our

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God, have the glorious certainty, the glorious hope that we will stand one day before you.

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Completely exonerated, our God, on the day of judgment from our sin, for we'll stand in the righteousness of Christ.

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Pardon for our sin because of his sacrifice on the cross on our behalf. We pray that you sustain us, our

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God, in faith through all the trials and troubles and struggles. Encourage your people, our

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God, in these matters, we pray. And now help Pastor Jason, our God, as he comes forward to open your word to us.

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May you instruct us, encourage us, our God, warn us if necessary or where applicable, our

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God, that we would be better servants of Jesus Christ as we prepare the week for the week before us, for we pray this in Jesus' name, amen.

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The Christian walk is a walk of constant and continual warfare.

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It's a lifelong battle against our sinful flesh, against the world in which we live, against the adversary and the rulers, authorities, powers, and spiritual forces of darkness in the heavenly places.

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It is an unseen, unceasing, and unrelenting war. The call to Christ is a call to arms.

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It is a call to serve the Lord Jesus Christ as a faithful and obedient soldier.

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It's a call to fight, wrestle, and strive against the enemies of the

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Lord Jesus Christ and against the enemies of his church. The call to Christ is a call to wage the good warfare.

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Indeed, the warfare that we wage is good. It is noble.

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It is excellent. It is virtuous because it is a war waged on behalf of the

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Lord God and the propagation and defense of his truth. The war that we wage is a war against error, falsehood, and the lies and deceitfulness of the adversary.

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It's a war against false teaching and false teachers and the distortion and perversion of sound doctrine.

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It is a war waged for the truth on behalf of the God of truth.

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But in order to wage the good warfare, there are certain things required of the

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Christian soldier. Please turn with me to the book of 1 Timothy. Our text this morning is 1

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Timothy chapter 1 verses 18 to 20. This charge

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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 in a good conscience.

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By rejecting this, some have made a shipwreck of their faith, among whom are

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Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

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A soldier who wages the good warfare must know their charge.

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Verse 18. Hold faith and maintain a good conscience.

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Verse 19. And learn from the mistakes of others and make hard and difficult decisions.

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Verse 20. Let's take a look at each one of these verses in greater detail.

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A soldier who wages the good warfare must know their charge. Verse 18.

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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.

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What was the charge that was entrusted to Timothy? Well, it was the same charge that was set forth in the preceding verses, verses 3 to 11.

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Paul had urged Timothy to remain in Ephesus and to charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine.

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Nor to be devoted to myths and endless genealogies, because all of these things, different doctrine, myths, and endless genealogies promoted controversy and divisions within the church, rather than the furtherance of the gospel.

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Now, in contrast to the false teachers at Ephesus, in verse 5, Paul reminded

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Timothy of the true aim or goal of Christian ministry. Love.

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Love for the Lord God and love for one another. Specifically, love that issues from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.

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The command to love is of utmost importance. It's the first and greatest commandment.

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And the second is like it. Love is the pinnacle and summary of all the other commandments.

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It is the pinnacle and summary of Christian ministry. Beloved, without love, all of our words, all of our works, and all of our efforts are meaningless.

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1 Corinthians 13, 1 through 3. If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels but have not love,

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I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers and understand all mysteries and knowledge, and if I have all faith so as to remove mountains but have not love,

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I am nothing. If I give away all I have and I deliver up my body to be burned but have not love,

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I gain nothing. To the church at Galatia, Paul wrote, the whole law is fulfilled in one word.

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You shall love your neighbor as yourself. Love was the charge entrusted to Timothy.

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And this is the same charge entrusted to the church. Love that issues from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith.

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This is the aim, purpose, goal, and end of Christian ministry.

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Well, specifically, how was Timothy to manifest this love in his immediate context, which was the church at Ephesus?

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In love, Timothy was commissioned to charge certain persons not to teach different doctrine.

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In love, he was charged with protecting and guarding the truth, and thus protecting and safeguarding the church.

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In love, Timothy was to put down controversy, correct false doctrine, and promote the stewardship from God that is by faith.

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And, beloved, we are to do the same. For the glory of God and for the good of his people, in love, we are always to proclaim the truth, defend the truth, and speak the truth.

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Ephesians 4, 15, rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, whom the whole body joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

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Doctrinal error is an infectious and destructive disease within the church.

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It devastates our shared unity. It tears down and rips apart our fellowship with one another.

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It deceitfully boasts and makes great promises, but it retards and stunts spiritual growth.

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If you learn of doctrinal error in a fellow church member or a friend or even an acquaintance, then in love, you must seek to correct their error by speaking the truth.

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Remember that true love, agape love, demands the very best for another.

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It demands the highest good for another. True love cannot bear to see someone deceived and walking in the darkness.

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True love desires that all men and women grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ Jesus.

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True love desires that the body of Christ flourish and grow and is built up in love.

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Beloved, without loving confrontation and loving instruction in sound doctrine, these goals are impossible.

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Genuine love will expose doctrinal error. It will not avoid it. It will not excuse it.

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It will not ignore it. Genuine love looks out for others and seeks the very best for them.

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It is a cleansing, purifying, and sanctifying love. It's a love that considers the good and well -being of others, even over our own comfort and well -being.

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This love was Paul's charge to Timothy. Paul entrusted it to him.

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It's important to note the significance of the terms charge and entrust. The term charge was a military term signifying an authoritative command.

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This charge was not a suggestion, but an order to be followed promptly without prejudice or bias.

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And the term entrust referred to committing something of great value to the care and protection of another for which they will be held accountable.

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Paul gave Timothy an authoritative command to be followed. Paul committed to Timothy something of great and precious value, the truth of God, which

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Timothy was commissioned to proclaim and protect. Matthew Henry remarked, the gospel is a charge committed to the ministers of it.

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It is committed to their trust to see that it be duly applied according to the intent and meaning of it and the design of its great author.

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Paul's charge to Timothy was also in accordance with the prophecies previously made about him.

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Verse 18, 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.

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Now, there are two other passages that make reference to these prophecies. First Timothy four verses 12 to 14.

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Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

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Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation and teaching.

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Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by a prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.

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Again, in the book of Second Timothy, chapter one, verses six to seven. For this reason,

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I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.

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For God gave us a spirit, not of fear, but of power and love and self -control.

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Although we don't know the particulars of this event, we do know that a prophetic word confirmed

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Timothy's call to ministry. And this prophetic word would encourage and motivate

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Timothy to faithfully discharge his duties with eagerness and enthusiasm.

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This prophetic word would greatly assist him in the midst of great difficulties as he sought to carry out this charge.

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A soldier who wages the good warfare must know his charge. Verse 18, a soldier who wages the good warfare must also hold faith and maintain a good conscience.

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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.

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To hold faith is to know, believe, and fully trust in the objective body of revealed truth, the scriptures.

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To hold faith is to remain firmly devoted to the faith and resolutely devoted to the message and truth of the scriptures.

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If Timothy was to have any success discharging his duties at Ephesus, his priority would have to be the truth of the word of God.

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To maintain a good conscience is to possess a clear or unaccusing conscience.

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Remember, the conscience refers to our inner sense of right and wrong. It is an independent witness within us placed there by the

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Lord God that examines and passes judgment on our conduct. A good conscience is the result of a pure and obedient life.

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If you maintain a good conscience, it will tell you that all is well between you and the

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Lord God. But if you have an accusing or bad conscience, it will tell you that all is not well in your life because there is sin in your life.

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A soldier who wages the good warfare must not only believe and wholeheartedly trust in the scripture, but he must also walk in obedience to them.

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There is an enormous problem that exists within the ranks of the church today.

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Delusional Christianity. James 1 .22 in the NASB, but prove yourselves doers of the word and not merely hearers who delude themselves.

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The King James Version, the new King James, but be doers of the word and not hearers only deceiving yourselves.

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In the NIV, do not merely listen to the word and so deceive yourselves, do what it says.

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The term translated delude or deceive in some translations is a combination of two words.

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The preposition para, alongside, besides, or against, and the verb logizomai, to reason, compute, or calculate.

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Thus, paralogizomai means to reason alongside or against.

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It means to calculate alongside or against. The idea being conveyed by this term is to cheat or deceive by false reasoning or false reckoning.

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Reasoning and reckoning alongside, beside, or against the truth.

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It means to reason falsely, to reckon wrongly, to be deceived into believing that something is true when in reality it is not true.

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But prove yourselves doers of the word and not merely hearers who delude and deceive themselves, who fool, trick, and mislead themselves.

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Beloved, it's not enough to hear the word. It's not enough to read the word.

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It's not enough to study the word. It's not enough to memorize and meditate upon the word.

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It's not enough to promote, proclaim, and give testimony to the word.

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If you hear, read, study, memorize, meditate, promote, proclaim, and give testimony to the word of God, but do not do it, then you have made a serious spiritual miscalculation.

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You have deluded and deceived yourselves. Any response to the truth of God that does not result in doing, in obedience, is self -deception.

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It's delusion. The Lord Jesus Christ warned of this danger in the book of Matthew.

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Matthew 7, verses 17 through 27. So every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit.

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A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit.

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Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, you will recognize them by their fruits.

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Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but the one who does the will of my

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Father who is in heaven. On that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name?

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And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.

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Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock.

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And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall because it had been founded on the rock.

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And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand.

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And the rain fell and the floods came and the winds blew and beat against that house and it fell and great was the fall of it.

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Beloved, healthy trees will bear good and healthy fruit. Diseased trees will bear bad and unhealthy fruit.

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Trees that do not bear good and healthy fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.

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Not everyone who says to me, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my father in heaven.

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I grew up with a slightly flawed understanding of this passage, especially verses 24 to 27.

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I always thought it emphasized the importance of choosing or building upon the right foundation.

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At least that's what the song taught me in Sunday school. The wise man built his house upon the rock and the rains came tumbling down.

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The rains came down and the floods came up, but the house on the rock stood firm.

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The foolish man built his house upon the sand and the rains came tumbling down.

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The rains came down and the floods came up and the house on the sand fell flat.

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So build your life on the Lord Jesus Christ and the blessings will come down.

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The blessings come down as your prayers go up, so build your life on the

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Lord. Now, according to this song, the central idea of this passage is that if you want to withstand the storms and trials of this life, then you must build your life upon the one true foundation, the foundation of the

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Lord Jesus Christ. And indeed, the Lord Jesus Christ is the rock. He's the foundation.

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He is the capstone. He is the cornerstone. He is the foundation in whom the whole structure being joined together grows into a holy temple in the

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Lord. Acts 4 .11, this Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.

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The Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation of Christianity. There is salvation in no one else for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.

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Thus, we must build our lives upon him, the rock and foundation.

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If we build on anything else, if we build on anyone else, it will not endure.

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It will not stand. Rather, it will fall and great will be its fall.

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However, Matthew 7 .24 through 27 is not primarily speaking about the

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Lord Jesus Christ as the foundation for salvation. Yes, the song is wrong.

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Well, what is the immediate context of this passage? Obedience. The one who does the will of my

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Father who is in heaven. The immediate context is obedience. Everyone who hears these words of mine and does them.

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The obedient man is like the wise man who built his house upon the rock. The disobedient man is like the foolish man who built his house upon the sand.

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The man who hears the words of Christ, the man who hears the truth of the scripture and puts into practice what he has heard.

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He is like the man who built his house upon the rock. Not only does this man listen to the exhortation to repent, believe and live a holy and righteous life, this man does it.

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He repents. He believes. He strives to live a holy and righteous life. He ceases to do evil.

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He learns to do good. He abhors that which is sinful. He cleaves to that which is good.

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He strives to be a doer of the word. J .C.

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Ryle remarked, and what is the result? In the time of trial, his religion does not fail him.

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The floods of sickness, sorrow, poverty, disappointments, bereavements beat upon him in vain.

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His soul stands unmoved. His faith does not give away. His comforts do not utterly forsake him.

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His religion may have cost him trouble in the past. His foundation may have been obtained with much labor and many tears.

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To discover his own interest in Christ may have required many a day of earnest seeking and many an hour of wrestling in prayer, but his labor has not been thrown away.

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He now reaps a richer reward. The religion that can stand trial is the true religion.

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In contrast, the man who hears the words of Christ, the man who hears the truth of the scriptures and does not put into practice what he has heard, he is like a foolish man who built his house upon the sand.

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This man is satisfied with listening alone and he goes no further.

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This man assures himself that all is well with his soul because he is spiritual and he knows about the teachings of the scriptures.

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This man never really breaks off from his sin. He never casts aside the lusts of the flesh, the lusts of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life.

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He never genuinely lays hold of Christ. He never has really denied himself.

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He's never taken up the cross and followed after Christ. He is a hearer of the truth, but not a doer of the truth.

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Again, J .C. Ryle remarked, and what is the end of this man's religion? It breaks down entirely under the first flood of tribulation.

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It fails him completely like a summer -dried fountain when his need is the sorest.

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It leaves its possessor high and dry like a wreck on a sandbank, a scandal to the church, a byword to the infidel, a misery to himself.

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Most true is that what costs little is worth little. A religion which costs us nothing and consists in nothing but hearing sermons will always prove at last to be a useless thing.

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Beloved, this parable is a grave warning. The doers of the word, the obedient, will endure.

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The hearers of the word, those who hear only but do not do, the disobedient, will be swept away.

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Which one are you? Are you a hearer or are you a doer?

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Are you obedient or are you disobedient?

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On that day, many will say to me, Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and cast out demons in your name and do many mighty works in your name?

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And then I will declare to them, I never knew you. Depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.

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This will be the terrifying reality for many, not just a few, but many.

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Not everyone who professes to know Christ will enter the kingdom of heaven. Not everyone who confesses

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Christ will enter the kingdom of heaven. Not everyone who says, Lord, Lord, will enter the kingdom of heaven.

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Not everyone who prophesies, cast out demons, and does many mighty works in the name of Christ will enter the kingdom of heaven.

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It takes a lot more than simply calling yourself a Christian to enter the kingdom of heaven.

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It takes more than a profession of faith. It takes more than religious service.

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It takes more than right doctrine. It is not the one who claims to know

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Christ, but the one who does the will of the Lord God in heaven who is saved.

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The issue is obedience. Obedience to the word of God. You need to be a doer of the word.

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Now, please understand that obedience alone does not save you.

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Obedience alone cannot save you. Salvation is by the grace of God alone, by faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone, in the work of Jesus Christ alone.

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But what obedience does do, it verifies that your faith is indeed genuine.

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Obedience to the Lord God authenticates the truthfulness of your profession. It confirms and substantiates your confession that Jesus Christ is

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Lord. James 2 17. So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.

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But someone will say, you have faith and I have works. Show me your faith apart from your works and I will show you my faith by my works.

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Verse 26. For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead.

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Faith without works is dead. Just as works without faith is dead.

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An authentic and genuine salvation must include both faith and works.

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Salvation and obedience to the will of God are inseparable, indivisible, and unbreakable.

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You cannot have one without the other. A soldier who wages the good warfare must know their charge.

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They must hold faith and maintain a good conscience. A soldier who wages the good warfare must also learn from the mistakes of others and make hard and difficult decisions.

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First Timothy 1 19 and 20. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are

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Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

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Over the course of my life, but especially in more recent years, it has been very troubling to see how many of my past friends and acquaintances who once professed

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Christ and seem to have a love for Christ and a love for the scriptures and a love for the church and a love for theology, reformed theology, who are now living their lives far away from the

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Lord God and far away from the church. I have known many who have been swept away by the floods of complacency, error, temptation, trials, and trouble.

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I have known many who have been dashed upon the rocks and made a shipwreck of their faith.

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The church at Ephesus was no different. Paul mentions two men in particular,

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Hymenaeus and Alexander. Since Paul mentioned them by name, these men were probably very influential and prominent fixtures within the church at Ephesus, possibly elders, teachers, or preachers, or the leaders of the false teachers.

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Hymenaeus and Alexander rejected the charge to hold faith. They rejected the charge to maintain a clear conscience, and they were plunged into spiritual ruin.

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The term rejecting indicates a conscious and deliberate action. This was a mindful denial, a mindful refusal.

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It was a repudiation of the truth. The term rejecting implies a violent and intentional rejection.

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Hymenaeus and Alexander were not forced or coerced into their error. It was not a passive drift into error, nor was it an honest intellectual problem or a theological problem.

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It was a moral problem. It was a moral problem based upon their intense rejection of holding faith, of holding on to the truth of God, and maintaining a good conscience, walking in the truth of God.

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And by doing what their consciences told them was wrong, their faith had been wrecked, destroyed.

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There is a very close link between what you believe and what you do.

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There's a very close connection between your convictions and your conscience.

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In other words, what you think will impact what you do. Your thinking will impact your actions.

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It will impact your morality. Proverbs 23 7, for as he thinks in his heart, so he is.

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If you reject your conscience, your built -in sense of right and wrong, the law of God written upon your heart, then you will stray from the

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Lord God. You will most assuredly stray from the Lord God. John Stott, in his commentary on 1

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Timothy, remarked, if we disregard the voice of conscience, allowing sin to remain unconfessed and unforsaken, our faith will not long survive.

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Anybody whose conscience has been so manipulated as to be rendered insensitive is in a very dangerous condition.

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Wide open to the deception of the devil. Indeed, as John Calvin wrote, a bad conscience is the mother of all heresies.

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Unconfessed and unforsaken sin will result in turning away from the

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Lord God. Beloved, if you reject the charge to hold faith and refuse the charge to maintain a good conscience, the ending result will be your shipwreck.

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Your shipwrecked faith. The lives of Hymenaeus and Alexander, they are a cautionary tale.

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Their lives serve as a dire warning to each one of us. The scriptures give us many other warnings, especially in the

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Old Testament. Paul stated that the Old Testament was written for this reason. First Corinthians 10.

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Now these things took place as examples for us that we might not desire evil as they did.

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Do not be idolaters as some of them were. As it is written, the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.

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We must not indulge in sexual immorality as some of them did. And 23 ,000 fell in a single day.

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We must not put Christ to the test as some of them did and were destroyed by serpents, nor grumble as some of them did and were destroyed by the destroyer.

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Now these things happen to them as an example, but they were written down for our instruction on whom the end of the ages has come.

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Therefore, let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

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This passage is a warning to all believers. It's a warning against the flesh.

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Look at verse 6. You must not desire evil as they did. It's a warning against idolatry.

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Verse 7. After experiencing firsthand the great and awesome power of the

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Lord God in the 10 plagues that decimated Egypt and their supernatural deliverance from Egypt, the

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Israelites almost immediately fell into idolatry. The Israelites provided Aaron with the gold and he took their gold.

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He fashioned it with a graving tool and he made them an idol, a golden calf.

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Do you remember what they said? They said, these are your gods, oh Israel, who brought you up out of the land of Egypt.

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Exodus 32. They rose up early the next day and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings and the people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play.

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First Corinthians 10 is also a passage against sexual immorality. Verse 8. In the book of Numbers, in their wilderness wanderings, the

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Israelites began to whore after the daughters of Moab. Numbers 25.

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These, the daughters of Moab, invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

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So Israel yoked himself to Baal of Peor and the anger of the

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Lord was kindled against Israel. And what was the consequence of these actions?

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What was the consequence for kindling the anger of the Lord? A plague broke out and 23 ,000 fell in a single day.

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This passage is a warning against trying or tempting the Lord God. Verse 9.

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Which is in reference to an incident that also happened in the book of Numbers. Numbers 21 verse 4.

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From Mount Hor they set out by way to the Red Sea to go around the land of Edom and the people became impatient on the way and the people spoke against God and against Moses.

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Why have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness where there is no food and no water and we loathe this worthless food?

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Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people and they bit the people so that many of the people of Israel died.

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In fact the Lord God had provided the Israelites with manna to eat.

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He had provided water for them to drink. But the Israelites were not content.

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They were not satisfied with his provision. They wanted more. They wanted better.

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So they spoke out against the Lord and questioned his goodness to their own detriment.

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This passage is a warning against complaining and grumbling. Verse 10. All throughout the history of Israel the

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Israelites frequently as a nation groaned and grumbled against the

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Lord God. They groaned and grumbled against his dealings with them. They groaned and grumbled against his providential hand.

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And for this some of them were destroyed by the destroyer.

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Beloved, all of these things happened as an example. All of these things were written down for our own instruction.

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These passages were written for your advantage, for your benefit, so that you might learn from the errors and mistakes of others.

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The harm sustained by their error in sin should be a great caution and instruction to every one of us.

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If you respond to sin and temptation like the Israelites, then you too will suffer as they suffered.

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If you respond to sin and temptation like Hymenaeus and Alexander, then you too will suffer shipwreck.

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First Corinthians 10 .12. Therefore let anyone who thinks that he stands take heed lest he fall.

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Beloved, a surefire way to be swept away and wrecked upon the rocks is pride and overconfidence.

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Anyone who thinks he stands should not be overly confident or self -assured, but on guard, keeping alert, keeping sober -minded.

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Matthew Henry remarked, others have fallen and so may we.

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And then we are most likely to fall when we are most confident of our own strength and thereupon most apt to be secure and off guard.

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Distrust of himself, putting him at once upon vigilance and dependence on God, is the

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Christian's best security against all sin. This word of caution in 1

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Corinthians 10 .12. Therefore let anyone who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.

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This is followed by a word of comfort and encouragement. The Lord God does not want us to be presumptuous, but neither does he want us to despair.

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We must take heed lest we fall, yet we are never alone in our struggles against any of these things.

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1 Corinthians 10 .13. No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man.

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God is faithful and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with a temptation he will also provide the way of escape that you may be able to endure it.

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The Lord God is faithful. The Lord your God is faithful.

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In the midst of temptation he will always provide a way of escape that you may be able to endure.

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He will always hold you up. He will always sustain you. He will always fulfill his promises to you.

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Take heed and depend upon the faithfulness of the Lord God and your foot will not slip.

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Even in the case of Hymenaeus and Alexander we see the Lord God's great faithfulness.

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We see his patience. 1 Timothy 1 .19 through 20. By rejecting this some have made a shipwreck of their faith among whom are

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Hymenaeus and Alexander whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.

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Due to their rejection of holding faith and maintaining a good conscience

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Paul handed Hymenaeus and Alexander over to Satan.

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He removed them from the fellowship and protection of the local church and he returned them to the world over which the adversary is prince.

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As dreadful as this sounds it was not a action. It was a remedial action.

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It was a corrective action so that Hymenaeus and Alexander might learn not to blaspheme.

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The term learn means to discipline, to chastise, to correct through physical punishment.

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The term is often used to describe a parent disciplining and correcting their disobedient child.

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Paul handed Hymenaeus and Alexander over to correct, chastise, and discipline them.

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This consequence would hopefully lead them to repentance. Teach them not to blaspheme the

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Lord God and restore them to fellowship within the body of Christ. Ministering to people will often involve loving confrontation and this confrontation no matter how loving and gracious may end in formal excommunication.

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Being removed from the membership of the church and being handed over to Satan.

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This is never a pleasant or easy task but it must be done if the body of Christ is going to reflect the holiness of the

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Lord God. This is God's pattern for dealing with the disobedient.

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A soldier who wages the good warfare must know their charge. They must hold faith and maintain a good conscience.

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They must learn from the mistakes of others and make hard and difficult decisions to the glory and honor of God.

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Beloved, this is the good warfare that we are to wage. This is our charge so look to the

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Lord Jesus Christ. Look to his word and be a doer of the word not merely a hearer.

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Do not be deceived. Do not be deluded. Keep alert. Keep sober -minded.

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Take heed lest you fall and may the Lord God assist equip and encourage us in our daily fight.

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Let's pray. Our father we thank you that you are faithful.

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We thank you that you are near. That you are patient and Lord we confess sometimes we are battle wearied.

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We are tired of the fight. Lord we pray that you would renew us.

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That you would strengthen us. We pray Lord that we would take heed lest we fall. Help us

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Lord to focus on the Lord Jesus Christ and the life that he lived. Help us to keep our eyes fixed on him as we run this race that was set before us with endurance.

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We pray Lord that we would run it in your strength and in your power. Protect us. Guide us.