E.P.I.C. Word of Truth

War a Good Warfare (I Timothy 1:18-20)

This is our fourth message in I Timothy and we have seen a charge, its purpose, and why it was necessary in 1:1-7. Paul introduces his letter to Timothy with a command: “charge some that they teach no other doctrine, Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do” (vs.3-4).  
The charge is a command to not teach things that undermine, mute, or contradict the gospel or engage in needless debates or questions that do not edify.
Its aim is love from a pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith. The implication is that true doctrine creates and sustains a pure heart, good conscience, and sincere faith, and in so doing produces love.
Paul is saying that everything he teaches, and every command he gives to be rid of false doctrine is for the sake of faith that produces love.   
It was necessary because some men who wanted to be teachers of the law were misusing it and in so doing undermining the gospel. This leads Paul to an explanation of the law and its proper use in verses 8-11.
Paul then spends 6 verses explaining how he came to have this ministry of ensuring that truth was being taught in the local church; and how God transformed him from a blasphemer into a faithful gospel teacher (1:12-17).  
And then there is a hard stop at the end of verse 17.  A very strong, “enough about me.” A point at which I think a summary is appropriate.
Like Paul, Timothy is to call others to believe and teach “sound doctrine; According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God” (vs.10-11). Or another way to word it or look at it:
Timothy is to call the church, the local church to right faith and right teaching, which flows from and agrees with the gospel.
He is to ensure that the faith and teaching in the local church fits with the gospel. He is to protect and promote true doctrine.
This leads us to our current text, which can be summarized this way: War a good warfare for the sake of your faith.

Jesus Saves, Jesus Enables & Jesus Uses Sinners (I Timothy 1:12-17)

“This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.”
The apostle Paul is so straightforward and simple here. He is intending to give us something that he wants us to hold onto. He is telling us something here that he wants us to never forget. And this is it — that Christ Jesus came into this world to save sinners.
That is the main message of this passage, and therefore it is the main message of this sermon. It is also the main message of this church. This is the reason why any of us are here right now. Its because Jesus saves sinners. 

Sound Doctrine: According to the Glorious Gospel (I Timohty 1:8-11)

When Paul refers to “the law,” what does he have in mind? Is it laws in general and how they work, or the commands of Christ specifically, or the Old Testament law in particular? And what does it mean for how we as Christians read and teach about “the law” today?
But before we get to the question about law, there is another we need to tackle first. So let’s approach  I Timothy 1:8–11 by asking (and answering) three questions.
What is “sound doctrine” (v.10)
How do Christians use the Old Testament Properly? (vs.8-10)
Why is the “Glorious Gospel” so Good? (v.11)
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Doctrine in for Love (I Timothy 1:1-7)

The epistle opens with words that demand our attention, setting before us a foundation so steadfast that it has weathered the scrutiny and storms of time, "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope; Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord" (I Timothy 1:1-2).
In these verses, we find a declaration as firm as the apostle’s calling, and as broad in scope as the eternal purposes of God Himself.
There is a power, a divine authority that flows through Paul’s words here, tracing its origins to the very command of God—a command that is not a mere suggestion but an edict of heaven itself.
Paul calls himself an apostle not by choice, nor by chance, but by the commandment of "God our Saviour." We are called to serve by the commandment of "God our Saviour."
Paul knows that his purpose is not self-willed but divinely mandated, pointing us toward the infinite grace and boundless mercy of God, who has orchestrated history to bring forth His Son as the beacon of hope for a broken humanity.
As we reflect on this greeting, it is not just an ancient salutation; it is an invitation to consider the weight of this commission. Timothy is called “my own son in the faith,” a reminder of the relational fabric of Christian discipleship and community that binds us to Christ and each other.

Something About the Risen Life: Part 3 (Colossians 3:16-25)

We live in a world saturated with distractions. Every day, we are bombarded by messages, advertisements, and noise that pull us away from the most vital, most soul-sustaining, most life-giving truth available—the Word of Christ.
The question for us today is not whether we are being influenced, but by what are we being influenced? What is shaping your mind, your heart, your decisions?
If you are not allowing the Word of God to dwell in you richly, something else is. And the stakes could not be higher.
Paul commands us in Colossians 3:16 to “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” This is not just a suggestion or an option for those who have extra time. It is an urgent and vital command for every believer.
If the Word of God is not filling your mind and saturating your soul, you will be starved spiritually, and you will begin to drift. There is no middle ground here.
Either the Word of God is dwelling richly in you, transforming your mind, and guiding your steps (Romans 12:2), or the world is creeping in, filling the void with its own empty promises.
But Paul does not stop with the command to dwell on the Word. He emphasizes the richness of it—“dwell in you richly in all wisdom.” This is not a shallow, surface-level engagement with Scripture. What Paul is talking about is a deep, transformative, life-changing relationship with the Word.

"How Shall They Hear?" - A Call to Missions (Romans 10:11-15)

We are indeed facing an urgent crisis in missions today. As of 2024, there are an estimated 3.4 billion people—roughly 42% of the world’s population—who live in unreached people groups. These are people with little or no access to the gospel of Jesus Christ. They reside in places where there is no viable Christian witness, no church presence, and often no Bible in their language. Most of these unreached groups are concentrated in the "10/40 Window," which stretches from West Africa across Asia, home to over 3.2 billion unreached souls​.[1]
This staggering number highlights the immense need for missions. Without intentional effort, these people will live and die without ever hearing the good news of Christ. It underscores the urgency of sending missionaries, supporting missionaries, and fervently praying for laborers to enter the harvest fields both in the world and here at home.
In Romans 10, the Apostle Paul lays out a clear and compelling message about the necessity of getting the gospel to all people. The urgency of missions is clear, and Paul’s words echo across the ages: “How shall they hear without a preacher?”
Paul, writing with passion and urgency, reminds us that "whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (v.13). But before we can see people calling on the name of Jesus, we must ask, "How will they hear?"
 
[1] (Koering, 2024)
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Something About the Risen Life: Part 2 (Colossians 3:10-15)

There is a profound and foundational truth we need to grasp as believers in Jesus Christ: When we were saved, something radical happened. We were not just given the way to heaven, no, we were made new. There’s just something about the risen life.
In our previous message, we learned that we need to:
Seek the things above with all your heart.
Slay the sins that entangle you.
Stop the old patterns of behavior that belong to your former life.
In this message we will see how we have:
Something to Start
Something to Settle
Something to Surrender
 
The Bible says in II Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.”
In Colossians 3:10, the Apostle Paul declares this transformation clearly: “And have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him.” Paul is not just giving us theology to ponder here; he is laying out a powerful challenge.
You have put on the new man—now start living like it! Start acting like the new creation God has made you to be.
This is where the battle begins, isn’t it? We know we have been made new in Christ, but too often we still live like the old person. We fall back into sinful habits, we let worldly desires dictate our decisions, and we forget that we have been given a new nature, a nature that longs to serve God in righteousness.
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Something About the Risen Life (Colossians 3:1-9)

“If ye then be risen with Christ.” What a staggering reality! Paul is not offering us a suggestion here—he is declaring a truth that changes everything.
If you are in Christ,
if you’ve truly been born again, you are not who you used to be.
You have been raised to new life!
This is not just some metaphorical language or spiritual sentiment. You have, by the power of God, been resurrected with Christ Himself! And now, this new life should govern everything about you.
If we are indeed risen with Christ, then, why do we live as if we are still buried in the old ways? Why do we grope around in the darkness, enslaved to earthly things, when we have been called to walk in newness of life, in the light of His glorious resurrection?
This is not just an abstract theological idea—it is the bedrock of our entire Christian existence. The resurrection of Christ was not just a historical event that we commemorate on Easter. No! The resurrection is a living, breathing reality that should infiltrate and transform every corner of our lives.
When Paul says, “If ye then be risen with Christ,” he is declaring that the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is now at work in you! How can we possibly remain unchanged by that? Paul follows this with a command: “Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.”
Here is the question: Are you seeking the things that are above? Are your thoughts and affections set on Christ, or are they tangled up in the trivial pursuits of this fading world?
Paul is saying, if you have been saved, “You’ve been raised from death to life—now live like it!”
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Hungering, Thirsting & Standing for Righteousness (Matthew 5:6)

We live in a time when hunger for many things dominates the world—hunger for power, influence, wealth, and pleasure. Yet, Jesus calls His people to hunger and thirst for something far greater: righteousness.
What does this mean, and how does it apply not just to our personal lives but also to the broader life of our nation? To hunger and thirst for righteousness is not simply a religious aspiration but a deep-seated, urgent desire for God's moral order to reign in every aspect of life.
The profound truth of Matthew 5:6 calls for nothing less than a total orientation of our lives toward the righteousness of God. We are not meant to nibble at the edges of righteousness or sample it like a buffet where we pick and choose what we want.
No, this hunger and thirst Jesus speaks of is intense. It is a yearning, a deep longing that can only be satisfied by the fullness of God's presence and His righteous reign. It is a desire so overwhelming that it drives every thought, every decision, and every action.
But here's the tragedy: this hunger can be dulled. As you feed your heart and mind with entertainment, comfort, and empty pleasures that do nothing to nourish your soul and, worse, dull your appetite for what truly matters.
This is Where Many in our Culture Find Themselves Today
Even Christians can fall into the trap of consuming the empty promises of a culture that denies God and His righteousness. But the hunger remains. Deep down, there is an ache—a hunger planted by God Himself—that longs for more than what the world can offer.
That hunger is meant to drive us to God, but we must be vigilant, for the distractions of the world can quickly dull our spiritual appetites.
As Christians, this hunger is not just personal. It has societal implications. Proverbs 14:34 declares, “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people.” If righteousness exalts a nation, then what logically flows from that verse is that our desire for righteousness, then, must extend beyond our own lives and our own families.  
It must influence how we engage in society.
It must influence how we vote.
It must influence how we speak and engage with the culture around us.
And it must influence how we stand for truth.
We are called to be salt and light in a world that desperately needs both (Matthew 5:13-16). But to do so, as Christians, as God’s people, we must first recover a deep hunger for the righteousness of God, not only for ourselves but for our nation.
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"Blessed Are the Meek" - Matthew 5:5

In Matthew 5:5, we encounter one of the most counter-cultural statements Jesus ever made: "Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth."
Think about that for a moment. Jesus, standing on that hillside, surrounded by the crowds, looking into the eyes of a people oppressed by the might of Rome, spoke these words: "Blessed are the meek."
Not the powerful.
Not the aggressive.
Not the influential.
The meek. “Blessed are the meek.
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