Let’s Talk About the Pastor (1 Timothy 1:1-6)

Big Idea: A pastor should stay committed to their location, trust their calling to uphold biblical truth, and focus on promoting love throughout the congregation through pure hearts, good consciences, and sincere faith.

“Talking about people,” one pastor has said, “is a great sport. It’s a popular sport because you can play and be the umpire at the same time. You can even make your own rules if you like. Just mind whose field you’re on when you play. Your rules on someone else’s home field make for an ugly game.”

When Sir Winston Churchill was in the twilight of his career, he attended an official function. A couple of rows behind him, two people whispered to each other: “There’s Churchill. They say he’s failing badly.” “So I’ve heard. They also say he’s becoming quite senile.” As Churchill was leaving the session, he leaned over to his two critics and said, “They also say he’s hard of hearing.”

People also talk about the pastor. I think I’ve told you about the pastor who visited a home for lunch and asked the little boy what’s for lunch. The son replied, “Goat.” The pastor said, “Are you sure?” And the little boy replied, “Yep. I heard Dad say, 'Let's have the old goat for dinner today.'"

Tonight, we'll discuss the pastor as we start exploring 1 Timothy, one of the pastoral epistles. The pastoral epistles are addressed to church pastors: Timothy in Ephesus and Titus in Crete. Timothy as we set the stage for this epistle.

The author is the apostle Paul. (1 Timothy 1:1) Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope. Paul sets an example of assertiveness in verse one. He says he is an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and Christ our hope. Paul, chosen by God as His ambassador, confidently states his credentials, aware that some readers may doubt his authority.

Right away, Paul seems to be telling Timothy, "People oppose me. They're going to oppose you. But I'm here by God's command, and so are you. Regardless of what they say about me, I'm here as an apostle of Christ by the command of God." “Expect detractors to criticize you, – but keep on obeying your commander.” Most likely, Paul wrote this letter from Macedonia after the events in the book of Acts. It was likely written sometime between AD 62-66.

The church was in Ephesus, some 400 miles from Macedonia. It was a city devoted to the worship of Diana, the patroness of sexuality. Paul founded this church, as we read in Acts 19. And we read about this church in Revelation 2 some thirty years later. By that time, it wasn't a healthy church.

The recipient is Timothy. We first meet Timothy in Acts 16. Paul was impressed by Timothy, and made him an intern on his missionary journeys. He seems to have been impressed by this young man, and sent him to Ephesus to lead the church there while he moved on to Macedonia. Timothy was a talented man close to the apostle Paul, but he likely faced physical issues and struggled with discouragement.

And the purpose of this book is to encourage and charge Timothy in his role as a church leader. Timothy was likely there as an apostolic representative rather than as a pastor, but many of the principles are applicable to pastors and church leaders. Paul wrote this book to encourage Timothy, but also to explain how a church should be managed. It is a book that re-enforces his authority as a servant of God. It outlines, as we will see, the main responsibilities of those who provide oversight in the church.

Specifically, it outlines these two:

• First, that leaders defend Christian truth from distortion or perversion.
• Second, that leaders maintain spiritual discipline, so that Christians mature in their faith and become obedient disciples of our Lord.

An advertisement appeared in a London newspaper: Men wanted for hazardous journey, small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success. Thousands of men responded because the ad was signed by the noted Arctic explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton.

Warren Wiersbe says that if Jesus Christ had advertised for workers, his announcement might have read something like this: Men and women needed for difficult task of helping to build my church. You will often be misunderstood, even by those working with you. You will face constant attack from an invisible enemy. You may not see the results of your labor, and your full reward will not come till after your work is completed. It may cost you your home, your ambitions, even your life.

And yet there's not a better way to spend your life than serving God, and you'll never find a better master. Why are we studying this book? Because it's crucial for us to know how the church should be managed. Since everyone here is involved in church leadership, it's essential to understand the role of a church leader. What pastors and deacons will look like, and how they should act.

Three Essential Qualities

This book covers important topics, including prayer, gender in church leadership, the care and protection of pastors, and Christianity in the workplace. But for the rest of this evening, let's talk about the pastor. Paul outlines three essential characteristics for pastors in 1 Timothy 1:3-7.

Certainty of Location

"As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine..." (1 Timothy 1:3)

In verse 3, Paul seems to indicate that he had been with Timothy in Ephesus, but had left him. There is a hint in verse 3, when Paul says "stay on", that Timothy might have wanted to move. But Paul tells him to stay where he is until his calling there is done. Timothy has a job to do there – to command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer.

A few years ago, there were wildfires in Riverside, California, that destroyed many acres of trees, including some homes. After the fires were put out, the firefighters were searching through the rubble for victims. They found a man – deceased, of course – who seemed to have broken every bone in his body. The strange thing was that this man was completely outfitted in scuba diving gear. A scuba diver in the midst of a deadly fire? It was a mystery.

Here's what happened. The forestry department uses specially equipped planes to collect thousands of gallons of water from lakes and drop it on wildfires. They're called superscoopers. This poor man was in the wrong place at the wrong time. He surfaced from his dive just as a plane came and scooped up water with him in it, and took him miles away and dumped him onto a burning house.

A pastor must be sure that he is not at the wrong place at the wrong time. Paul writes to Timothy, "Stay there so that you can teach..." Rather than being a pastor-at-large, Paul encouraged Timothy to stay where he was so that he could fulfill his task.

H.B. London writes in The Heart of a Great Pastor:

When God sends them, modern Moseses must willingly go to tough places. Check two realities we seldom discuss: There are not enough easy assignments to go around. Most desirable places were difficult until a previous pastor loved the church into greatness. Face it – few Camelots exist in the ministry. This means that ministers must sink their roots where the Father providentially places them...Pastors must commit to stay in an assignment until God gives them a genuine spiritual breakthrough or a clear-cut release. Many pastors need to become enthusiastic naturalized citizens of the place where they serve until they are used by God to establish a flourishing ministry.

Paul would say to pastors, I think, "Stay where you are. Accomplish the task given to you. Don't look for greener grass. Don't stay too long either, but don't view your current church as a stepping stone. Bloom where you're planted. Fulfill your charge where you're located."

The second indispensable characteristic of a pastor is found in verse 3 and 4:

Confidence in Vocation

As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. (1 Timothy 1:3-4)

The British are great at the patronage system. The story goes that for over twenty years, an attendant stood at the foot of a stairway leading to the House of Commons. At last, someone checked, and they discovered that the job had been held in the attendant's family for three generations. The issue started when the stairs were painted, and the grandfather was tasked with warning people not to step in the wet paint. The paint dried up, but the job didn't.

A pastor doesn't just hang around the church because he has a job there. God's Word tells a pastor what his job is. The pastor is there to guard against truth and decay entering the church. Paul writes, "Command certain men not to teach false doctrines any longer." Take a stand against the spread of erroneous teaching.

Paul views Timothy as an authority who can hold people accountable and correct any false teachings in the Ephesian congregation. Everything in the life of a church stands on biblical truth.

Someone writes:

Without gospel truth, what we call worship blurs into entertainment or emotional catharsis – a 'feel good' experience at church. Without truth, teaching/preaching becomes either ear-tickling or guilt-provoking. Ignore the truths of God's grace and teaching becomes legalistic. Instead of experiencing freedom from guilt, Christians are crushed, overwhelmed by feelings of worthlessness. Without truth, what is called evangelism/making disciples degenerates to anything that will draw a crowd.

This is serious. In an age that underplays doctrine in favor of practicality, Paul says to correct false teaching. Stop people from devoting their attention to myths and endless genealogies – speculation about things not grounded in the truth. Some Jews creatively reworked certain genealogies and stories from the Old Testament, though these were purely speculative. It is even possible that some began to view this deeper type of knowledge as necessary to their salvation.

The whole problem with these types of things, Paul says, is that they promote controversy, rather than God's work. The term used for God's work can be translated "God's saving plan – his redemptive purposes throughout history." Instead of focusing on somebody's hair-brained teaching, focus on the bedrock of truth – God's Word. Avoid trendy fads and don't base your theology on new releases from Christian bookstores or Chapters.

Open the Word of God, make it your textbook. Timothy, when you preach, keep one finger on the text and another in the air. When the finger in the air gets tired, switch them, but always have one on the text while preaching and teaching. Correct false teachers, and do it with confidence and authority – that's your job.

We read in verse five the third indispensable characteristic of a pastor:

Clarity of Vision

The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion... (1 Timothy 1:5-6)

Paul told Timothy to command certain people not to teach error. Why? Did Paul want Timothy to gloat in winning an intellectual battle? No. The goal was love in the church. Paul's command aims not just to correct mistakes but to promote love over conflict.

I've known Christians who are so zealous for truth that they have no love left. They just want to win. But remember: truth without love destroys; love without truth deceives. Love is the mark of Christians.

Jesus said:

By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. (John 13:35)

And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.” (Matthew 22:37-40)

Where does this love come from? Paul tells us: a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. Is your heart pure? Are you nursing judges? Are you longing for things that are shameful? Should you ask God to purify your heart today? Do you have a good conscience? Are you sensitive to wrong attitudes?

Paul tells us later in this letter that some people have had their consciences seared as by a hot iron. Have you become so indifferent that you don't mind putting others down, gossiping, or being dishonest? Is your faith sincere? Do you have a sincere faith – an unshakeable conviction of salvation?

If you don't have a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith, then no matter how hard you try, you won't have love. It will be a façade. Without love, the church becomes just a group of proud, spiritually empty individuals focused on appearances. And my job is to keep this goal of Christian love in view.

So pastor, be certain of your location – be sure that you're serving exactly where you're supposed to be. Don't long to be someplace else. Have confidence in your calling—be sure of what God wants you to do and pursue it. And maintain clarity of vision – be precise in your purpose. Keep the church on track, moving toward the goal given in Scripture.

Now let's talk about you. I can only do what God requires if you let the pastor be the pastor. Jesus said very clearly: (John 13:20) I tell you the truth, whoever accepts anyone I send accepts me; and whoever accepts me accepts the one who sent me." It is a serious thing to reject the messenger the Lord has sent. If you refuse to receive the instruction and guidance of a pastor, you had better be absolutely certain that the Lord didn't send him.

This isn't a ploy to give me all the power and authority. But I do want to ask you: can you accept and support what God's Word here in Timothy says about pastors and church leaders? If so, I want you to pray for me and ask God to use me as your pastor to help you in your Christian growth and obedience.

Adapted from a message by John Crocker