Sumas A.C. Church
Sumas, Washington ~ 
Corner of Front and Cherry
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Donate
  • Contact Us
  • Pics '20
    • PhotoFun 2019
    • PhotoFun 2018
    • PhotoFun 2017
    • PhotoFun 2016
    • PhotoFun 2015
    • PhotoFun 2014
    • PhotoFun 2013
    • PhotoFun 2012
    • PhotoFun 2011
    • PhotoFun 2010
    • PhotoFun 2009
    • Long ago pics
  • Calendar

1 Timothy 1:3-11 The Simple Truth

10/18/2010

3 Comments

 
What’s the first lesson parents teach a new baby: that they are loved. Not a profound message, yet nothing more profound.  What’s the last lesson parents teach a child as she goes off to college? 

The world needs to hear simple truths.  What message do we want the City of Sumas and the Nooksack Valley to hear/to grasp/to feel/to sense? "God loves you" is needed, so that people truly hear it, more than a good idea, a living and transforming truth.
I discovered something in Seminary that amazed me.  I expected to go to school and learn deep and wonderful things from the professors.  What I learned is that my favorite teachers were the most simple, used the shortest words, conveying simple truths that would echo in my mind, resonate back and forth, giving God a chance to shape my thinking so that the simple truth could have a chance to be practiced in my life. 

Paul writes 1 Timothy to a younger pastor Timothy, and there is fire, passion and a call for a renewed spirit.  Paul has been at this missionary business for perhaps 30 years.  This is the seasoned mentor advising the young student to regain a renewed passion.  Today there is a need for mentors and learners.  Paul’s lesson to Timothy is to reclaim the simple truth of the gospel, don’t get sidetracked by secondary issues, remain firm in a simple truth.  The simple truth of the message of Jesus Christ is not about head knowledge, nuanced beliefs, special insight into the end times or other complicated ideas, but it is a matter of focusing on that which is foundational and expressing the truth through our lives by loving our neighbors, caring about others.  The Christian who thinks they have a higher grasp of biblical knowledge, even if what they believe is true, but don’t live out the love of the gospel to others, is missing the heart of the gospel.  The simple truth: 5 The purpose of my instruction is that all believers would be filled with love that comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience, and genuine faith.  May we not get sidetracked in fighting with others, superior attitudes, but remain focused on the simple truth of the God and live out the gospel. The most profound message all of you will preach this week is the act of kindness for your neighbor. 

Timothy is struggling…1 Timothy 1:3.  Paul is urging Timothy to stick it out…whatever was going on, Timothy appears to be about to pack it in, that’s why Paul urges him to stay.  Paul senses the time is right for Timothy to stay in Ephesus.  Paul believes Timothy has what it takes, the right gift mix, the right personality.  Maybe timid Timothy felt like he could not handle those with stronger personality who were getting sidetracked in the teaching, but Paul comes alongside him and says stick it out.  There are many times when that’s what we need to hear.  Keep on keeping on.  Paul doesn’t just say to Timothy, try harder, he says, refocus yourself on the simple gospel, do not play the same game, but go back to the foundational teaching the gospel with your hands and feet. 

Here is the game the false teachers are playing: 1 Timothy 1:4, 6-7. 

Nobody knows for sure, but commonly it is thought the false teachers are not bad people/blatant heretics. probably men from the congregation who, in many ways, were good teachers, but they were beginning to introduce ideas that were from human philosophy. perhaps Jewish fables, myths and genealogies, in the church at Ephesus.  That would be like introducing extra books beyond the Bible to fill in the gaps.  Today, I fear some get caught up in speculation about the details of the end times.  The discussions are fine only if we not lose sight of the simple gospel message.  People come to know the Lord through the cross, through the love of God, not through a nuanced explanation of the 5th broken seal of revelation and the world empire of which it corresponds.  The truth is that in the Bible there are gaps in our questions.  I believe the Bible answers everything we need to know, but not every speculative question… One of my professors in Seminary once said that the most profitable three words a pastor can learn: “I Don’t Know.”  I.e.  there will be questions of which you won’t know the answer and you aren’t required to know everything. 


Studying the Bible is fascinating.  The details are wonderful.  When I was a teenager, I liked math, and I remember getting out a piece of paper and sketching out Adams age, and his lineage and figuring out how many generations were alive at the same time… you can do that, and you can answer that question, but by itself not real useful information, speculative, I doubt anyone ever came to the truth of the gospel by knowing that information… Questions are good.  But not all questions are edifying.  God lets us in on that which is important.  When you have questions, if the answer is not clear in the Bible, in all likelihood its a question that can/should remain on the back burner. Here’s two tests to know if your questions are speculative.  From the bible (1 Timothy 1:4): a) does it result in meaningless speculation?  b) is it unhelpful to living a life of faith.  The teachers were getting sidetracked…

People need to know they are loved.  I need to hear that God cares.  The simple truth of the gospel, has its highest expression in love: 1 Timothy 1:5

You know you are being sidetracked if you have endless arguments with people that really don’t make that much difference, they seem so important, but the answer somehow does not result in living a life of faith.  You know you are on the right track if you are getting to the heart of what people need to hear: love, acceptance and forgiveness.  A life of faith.  A simple truth. 

I don’t have all understanding of the details of doctrine, this is not the church for you if you want to hear a long list of detailed subtleties of teaching from ecclesiology to eschatology, Christology and soteriology (see I can use big words) but I’m going to do my best to love the people of Sumas.  That is what our church is all about.  A few years ago I sat and watched in this church, not sure about my future, struggled with the idea of being the pastor of the church where my father served for 43 years.  Undoubtedly, as a young man I could not have handled it, the pressure of being compared to a giant of a man of faith, but something changes through the years.  Many are gone, of course, who knew my father, but that wasn’t the final affirmation.  What got me really excited was when we went through the process of asking what we are about 4 years ago, and the final evalution: “Rooted in the word, focused on the cross, missioned to the world.”  I believed the holy spirit was here guiding that process, and when we as a church talked about how that meant to go into the community, give ourselves away as a church finding out what we do well and just give ourselves away without thought about our own growth, and partner with others in the community.  I remember telling Sally early on, that would fit me perfectly.  The simple truth of the gospel, rooted in the word, it’s what Paul the mentor is telling Timothy,  focused on the cross, the central symbol of our faith, God’s faith and love towards us… and missioned to our world… Paul says the gospel was committed to his trust (1 Tim. 1:11). We too have been entrusted with the gospel. It is a privilege for each one of us to have been entrusted with proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. 

Take a closer look the need to love others, as Paul tells young Timothy.  Where does sincere love come from?  1 Timothy 1:5: A pure heart, a good conscience, a sincere faith.

A pure heart… i.e. motives… I have learned to not be motivated to act in order for people to come to this church… maybe others can do it, but I am a perfectionist at heart and I have learned for the size of the congregation on Sunday morning not to be the motivating factor… I am learning to serve others for their sake and what’s best for them…not bigger numbers, not a feather in my cap, not a certain reputation, but God’s love.   The elders are like minded, we are exceptionally blessed to have others that are likeminded and supportive…Every week I tell people about the other churches in town, because even though I do it imperfectly, I am striving to be motivated by a pure heart.  May we be motivated to care more about the Kingdom than our own church.  We want people to find a church home, a local expression of the larger kingdom, but it is the kingdom that Jesus talked about, for people to become a child of God, loved by God.  I have resolved to let God take care of our little church and put together the people he wants… I am less than pure, I know that, I will still get caught up in performance, but I believe I am a smidgen closer to purity than I was 20 years ago.  When you affirm others do it out of a motivation to affirm others, to want the best for them, to lift them up.  A pure heart…

A good conscience.  That came up a couple weeks ago.  A good conscience is based not on what feels good, but rather having a standard of truth and acting according to what I know to be true.  It turned out to not be a treasure, but earlier this week I thought I’d spotted a vintage book online locally, The Wizard of Oz, and when I first asked questions, the woman obviously did not know books, I was told basically it was a first edition, which I looked up and saw that it was worth about $30,000, and the woman only wanted $100.  I was tempted to take the book and cash it in, if in fact that is what it was, but I talked it over with Leigh from the Lion’s Den and a few others, and I decided before I even knew that it wasn’t right…we are going to do wrong at times, but to strive for a good conscience, to use that as a guide to keep us on a path of love…to have standards of truth and live by those principles regardless of the consequences.

A sincere faith… go beyond outward appearance, integrity, doing what is right when others aren’t looking.  I can probably fool you for a long time with an outward show of piety, but I will never fool God.  He knows my heart. 

The simple truth expresses itself in love.  And love is tested by a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. 

I am not called to be a defender of the faith in Sumas. We are called to live the gospel with our lives.  I’m not interested in arguments or quarrels, there are too many people that need the gospel, a helping hand, a kind word, a word of assurance, a measure of hope…that’s the gospel.  The simple gospel truth is to know that God loves you, that Jesus died for your sins, and your life can be changed.  The simple gospel truth is that you can be forgiven of your sins and you know longer have to be weighed down by the bad choices, the bad circumstances…

1 Timonth8-11 describes how the law defines our sin, but as Christians, our focus is on the gospel.  Too much focus on everything we are not to do as Christians is another way to sidetrack from the simple truth.  The fullness of the Christian life is not primarily about what we don’t do, it is who we are in Christ Jesus.  The simple gospel is the truth of the new creation in Christ.  The transforming power of Christ in us.  May we strive to live out the simple gospel message by loving others with a pure heart, a good conscience and sincere faith.  Amen. 

3 Comments
Robert Fountaine
6/5/2020 09:18:31 pm

I love the meaning of this message, simple truth is what's going on to keep you from being deceived in the last days. God gave Adam a simple truth to live by but, when the devil expanded on it his wife was able to be beguile. If we are not to be tricked by Satan we must come into complying with God's basic instructions for live. Keep up the good work Pastor you have made me fight even harder for all of God's children to come into this simple understanding.

Reply
Jane Schneeman
9/10/2020 03:37:24 pm

I totally believe in all you said here...

Reply
Mary Ann Loggia link
4/27/2021 08:45:34 pm

Amazing Love!

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Picture
    Picture

    Carl Crouse, Pastor

    At SACC we believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God.  Every Sunday the worship service includes a message from the Bible. My words are an attempt to understand and apply the Bible to our daily living.  I post weekly sermons and other biblical messages on this page. May you find meaning and hope as you read through each message and seek to hear God's voice. Leave a comment to ask questions or inspire others with your insights.

    In general, the previous Sunday's sermon will be posted by Tuesday afternoon.

    Categories

    All
    1 & 2 Kings
    1 Timothy
    2 Corinthians
    A Bruised Heart
    Acts
    A Front Row Seat
    Amos
    Christmas
    Daniel
    Easter
    Ecclesiastes
    Ephesians
    Esther
    Fruit Of The Spirit
    God Without Disguise
    Gospels
    Haggai ~ Shake Up Your Life
    Isaiah
    James
    Job
    John
    Judges
    Luke
    Mark
    Marriage
    Matthew
    Messy House
    My Messy House
    Nobodies Of The Gospels
    Proverbs
    Psalms
    Romans
    Seeds Of Hope
    The Church: Some Assembly
    When I Am Weak (Samson)
    When I Am Weak (Samson)

    Archives

    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010
    January 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    September 2009

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly