1 Timothy 1:1–2 | The Hope of the Church

First Irving Sermons

The why” of 1 Timothy. (1 Tim 3:14–15) 14 I hope to come to you soon, but I am writing these things to you so that, 15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. Driving Question. What is the foundation of the Church of the Living God? Main Point. The Church is established on God our Savior’s command and the hope we have in Christ. 1. The Church is Rooted in God our Savior’s Command [1–2a] (John 16:13): 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. (John 14:25–26): 25 “These things I have spoken to you while I am still with you. 26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you. (1 Cor 15:7–9): 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. Paul’s purpose in apostleship: (2 Tim 2:10): Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory. What does God save us from? (1 Thess 1:9–10): 9 For they themselves report concerning us the kind of reception we had among you, and how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, 10 and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus who delivers us from the wrath to come. Application: The church’s identity is rooted in the God who saves. The church is a place of hope and salvation. The Church is Resourced by God our Father through Christ [2b] Application. Don’t pass over the meaning of biblical words. Live in the abundance of God’s grace, mercy, and peace. Takeaways. Be certain you know God our Savior. Be convinced of the authority of Scripture. Be committed to God our Savior’s Church. Be a true child of the faith.