Cling to the Faith (1 Timothy 1) – EP56
1 Timothy 1:18-19
The Charge to Timothy Renewed
"Timothy, my son, I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you, so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and so have suffered shipwreck with regard to the faith."
Hello welcome back to the One Thing Podcast...reading a scripture from the book of first Timothy today. It's first Timothy chapter one verses 18 or 19 and this is Paul speaking to Timothy who he considered to be a son in the faith. Timothy was his right side man, he was a man who loved Paul and really love the Lord. And Paul is speaking to Timothy, he's giving him instruction....
Timothy being a young man in such a defiled world, a world that comes against everything about the message of the gospel but here we find this man Timothy who many of us can relate to being in a place where we want to stand for the Lord. We want to do what He has called us to do and Paul is giving him a command, he's giving him this more than just advice but really command from God that we can all partake in today and follow. And find ourselves being trained by him.
And it says here, Timothy my son I am giving you this command in keeping with the prophecies once made about you so that by recalling them you may fight the battle well, holding on to faith and a good conscience. And I wanted to focus on really what Paul first is saying here. He says listen Timothy I'm giving you this command in terms of the prophecies made over you recall what God has spoken to you.
Now these prophecies to Timothy, we could speculate that it could have been numerous things it could have been a prophecy of Timothy being a man of God and leading a people of God closer to Him in the pastoral ministry. Whatever it may be God we can relate to today has spoken many things into our lives. Maybe He says and has prophesied or spoken His word you know that you would stand in your family that your family would serve Him. Maybe he prophesied that you would simply be a person of powerful prayer that God is going to use to touch the nations...whatever it may be. We find that it can be a weapon in our battle against the darkness of this world.
"we've got to recall what God has already given"He says Timothy recall them recall them so you would fight this battle well. We have to recall the words that God has given us even if it takes us going back in our journal to certain points of life where God had spoken clear and we knew it was a word for the Lord. Sometimes we've got to just go back we've got to recall what God has already given. And in those things we remember God's power we remember who He is. And I love this because Paul says holding on to the faith in other words cling to the faith to make the claim to the faith John cling to the faith Suzanne whoever it may be listening right now, he's saying recall the words that God has giving you and cling to the faith and don't let go.
"...and what is our faith? Our faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ"When I think of clinging to the faith holding to the faith I think of a a small child where we've all seen at some point a young child where we approach them and say hello and maybe they're shy maybe they're a little frightened and what do they do? They hold on to their mom to their dad they cling to them and it's no different for the Christian. We want to cling to our faith and what is our faith? Our faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ. That all the things that He spoke and all the things that He's called us to do for His will and for His kingdom, it's all rooted in clinging to the faith, never forgetting that it is the Lord Jesus who works in and through us.
So we go back over and over knowing that it is Christ who pleases God knowing that every work that is in faith in Christ is pleasing to the Father. And with out Him there is nothing without Him we cannot do the work God has called us to do.
May we recall the things God has given us todayWithout Him we cannot please our Father in heaven but through Christ we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us so may we recall. The things that God has given us today may we recall the prophecies maybe recall the words the many things that He has done so that we would fight this battle well and cling to the faith never forgetting today that we can trust that Jesus will always lead us to the Father. Never forgetting today that we can claim in faith in the one and only Son of God who has made a way.
Now is the time and now is the season may we rise may there be a Timothy out there, may there be a John, may there be a Karen may there be a Caitlin whoever you may be may you rise in the command of God today and cling to the faith.