The End Goal

The End Goal
1 Timothy 1:1-19
April 19, 2026

Whereas 1 and 2 Thessalonians where the first of Paul’s letters, 1 and 2 Timothy are the last of Paul’s letters.

We first met Timothy in Acts 16. When Paul came to Derby and Lystra on his second missionary journey he met Timothy, a young man who was well spoken of by the brethren. His mother was a Jewish believer and his father was a Greek. Paul saw the spiritual zeal and the great potential of Timothy and invited him to join them on their missionary journey. This all took place just before they planted churches in Philippi, Thessalonica and in Corinth.

Paul sent Timothy on several important missions, including delivering some of his letters to the churches. With Paul as his mentor, Timothy grew to great stature in the early church and after Paul’s death, became the bishop of the churches in the city of Ephesus.

Paul writes this first letter while Timothy was in Ephesus. Paul hoped to join him there, but wrote this letter to guide Timothy on how to deal with the problems there and how to lead the churches into greater spiritual maturity.

Paul had spent two or three years in Ephesus and while he was there a major revival broke out. It was like the early days of the Calvary Chapel movement, many thousands were coming to faith in Jesus Christ and the whole city was in turmoil because the gospel was changing so many lives that people were leaving their old lifestyle and was even making a huge impact on the local economy.

Many who practiced magic brought their books of incantations and threw them into a bonfire. Others were getting rid of their expensive statuettes of the goddess Diana. It was one of the greatest revivals of the early church.

But as the church grew and the gospel made an impact on the city, spiritual warfare also grew. First there were attacks against the church and a great riot broke out in the stadium. More than once, Paul found himself in serious danger.

Then, some Jewish elements of the church started introducing strange doctrines, trying to teach that believers must be followers of the Old Testament law if they wanted to be true followers of Jesus who, of course, was also a Jew. They tried to blend in various myths and the pursuing of endless genealogies which were so important to the Jews, but Paul saw them as fruitless debates of no lasting consequence that could cause the church to get off course.

It will take good leadership to keep the church from straying into the weeds and to keep them growing spiritually. Timothy is there right in the middle of it, given the task of being the leader that God would use to strengthen that church and to keep spiritual adversaries at bay.

Paul writes this letter to Timothy to help him confront the issues and problems in Ephesus and to strengthen him personally as a leader.

The question is: What is the end goal in the church? What are they laboring for? What is the end goal in every church, and then, closer to home, the end goal in every person that is part of the church? We find the answer in verse 5.

Verse 5 – But the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. 

This should be the goal for anyone interested in growing personally as a man or woman that God would use for His purpose.

I. Love From a Pure Heart

• We have looked at this extensively while in It is a core principle of the gospel.
• Those who have come to faith in Christ, has a heart that is transformed by the Spirit of God.

Colossians 2:11, and in Him you were also circumcised with a circumcision made without hands, in the removal of the body of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ.

• We are called to live a life of love from a pure heart. It has to do with a heart condition. There are those in the world that operate from a heart that is quite sick.
• A pure heart is a heart that is inclined towards God, a heart that has been changed by the revelation of the love of God, and then, ‘pay forward’ that love. We love, because we were loved first.
• There are things and actions, though, that do impact the heart, and then by extension, impacts love.

A. Be guided by a good conscience

• Everybody has a conscience. It is the basic moral compass that we have as a remnant from when the creator made us in his image. Everyone by default knows the basic right from wrong.
• The problem is that the heart that has not been renewed and is dead in sin, is drawn to the sin and has very little resistance. In fact, it happily runs after sin without constraint. It speaks of the rebellious nature of man.
• The problem is that the conscience can be seared. It can become calloused. It becomes “practiced” in the wrong thing and can build up an immoral muscle memory.
• This is what Paul describes in this section. (verse 9-10)
• But when the heart encounters the power of Christ and the truth of the gospel, the truth becomes like a sword that separates between spirit and soul. It shows the glaring ugliness of sin.
• The heart is shocked into realization of the brokenness, sinfulness, and evil which is man’s heart without God.
• When one repents and turns to faith in Christ, the Spirit of God cuts away that sinful nature.

Illus – It is like when you get a blister that is really sore. If it pops and you cut away the skin, what is underneath is very tender and sensitive. The hardened skin is cut away and new, sensitive,  soft skin can grow.

• This is what the Spirit of God does to the heart. The conscience again becomes tender, responsive to the nudging and direction of the Spirit. This is such a beautiful thing to behold.

Illus – It is beautiful to see when someone comes to Christ, and they want to live upright. They let go of all the things that are trying to poison or contaminate their soul. I have seen this with some young men that have decided to not allow contamination…

• This is what Happened in Ephesus. They brought their Idols and magic incantation books to be burned. They would no longer align with evil spiritual forces.

B. The lawful use of the law

• Paul then makes a strange transition, talking about the law. He says that there are those who want to be teachers of the law in the church, but they have no idea what they are talking about.
• They were trying to take people back to the law, thereby missing the whole point of the law.
• So, Paul clarifies this again. The function of the law is two-fold. First, it is to restrain those who have lawless and rebellious hearts. Can you imagine what the effect would be in this world if there was no law to restrain the wildfire of the sinful nature?
• Although society strains in the direction of sin, there is still a counterbalance of the law based on scripture. If that is gone, which in the end times it will be, lawlessness will run rampant.
• Secondly, it sets the standard of God. It shows that we can never be justified by trying to uphold the law.
• Here is the beautiful truth: Those with a tender heart and who are in Christ is no longer under the law, because the Spirit of Life is now the law governing from within them.

Illus – We see this in the famous passage of the Council in Jerusalem in Acts 15 where the Pharisees wanted to force gentile believers to be circumcised and to follow the law. But Peter gets up and declares that they are saved by faith through grace, not by the works of the law. He even said, ‘ why do you put God to the test by placing this yoke on them which neither we nor our fathers were able to bear?’ Then James said, after conferring with the apostles:

Acts 15:19-20, Therefore it is my judgment that we do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles, but that we write to them that they abstain from things contaminated by idols and from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood. 

• The law of love leads you to a higher way of living than even being led by the law. The Spirit now directs your heart through faith.

II. Have Sincere Faith

• Paul is not looking down on those who are still caught in sin. In fact, he sees himself as having been more than a sinner than all of them, needing salvation. There is hope for all. Thankfully, Christ is patient with us. In fact, in verse 16 he says, Christ has perfect patience with us.

A. God can save anyone

• V-15 – Paul describes himself as a foremost sinner. If you look at his life from the outside, it might have looked like he was on the right track. He is essentially saying, “if you look at my life, my history, I have nothing to boast about. If I was still a man thinking I am judged by works, I would have much to boast about.” But then he saw the futility of it. It is all dregs.
• Now he sees himself as an example of God’s grace. If God could save, and more than that, use someone with a murderous heart, a persecutor of the church, a violent aggressor, he can use anyone.
• Christ came into the world to save sinners, among whom, Paul says, he is foremost of all!
• Where we came from and what we were should never define us, but we should always remember and be thankful.
• We see Paul then break into song, glorifying God. A soul that is unburdened cannot help but sing. Revelation of who He really is dramatically changes you.
• By the way, worship is a barometer of your revelation of the gospel. If your soul is burdened, you struggle to sing. If your soul feels heavy and under condemnation, you will struggle to worship. If your soul is calloused, it ignores the nudging of God’s Spirit.
• But if you receive, take hold of, the truth of God’s mercy and grace, and really understand what it means for you personally, your soul will sing. The soul needs to sing.

B. Keep the faith

• V19 – Paul ends off this section with this exhortation again. Fight the good fight. Keep the faith and a good conscience.
• Some have rejected it and suffered shipwrecks in regard to their faith.
• How do you shipwreck your faith?
• We place our faith in finished work of Jesus. That is the right type of faith. That is sincere (not fake) faith.
• How did they fall from faith? By turning from faith in Jesus. What did they turn to? Faith in the self. Faith in their own works. Turning again to trying to be justified by the law. This is a fake, hypocritical faith. Focusing on concrete, measurable actions which puffs up the self, but missing the point.

Illus – Thank God I am not as bad as that person….

• Then Paul says something controversial. He says that he handed some over to Satan so that they will be taught not to blaspheme. How did they blaspheme? The rejected Jesus as Savior. They were blaspheming and rejecting the provision that God has made through the sacrifice of Jesus.
• If you trample, reject the blood of Jesus, there is nothing else that can be applied for forgiveness of sin.
• What was the end goal, though? When we think of handing over to Satan, we immediately think handed over to damnation and destruction. But that is not what Paul says. He says it happened so that they will be taught NOT to blaspheme.
• In other words, so that they will turn back to faith in Jesus!
• There is a lot to say about the story of Job, but one of the many results of the scenario was when God called Job to account when he trusted in his own wisdom and righteousness.
• Sometimes the working of the enemy has the purpose of drawing those to Christ who has rejected him. When they choose against Jesus, He will not force Himself on them. But in rejecting Him, it opens the door for their sinful nature and the destructive impact of Satan, and the results of that to run its course.
• When God steps back it gives one just a small taste of what darkness will bring. Thank God that He does not give Satan free reign, otherwise we would all be destroyed. But He does allow one’s will to be done for a season.
• The end goal is that they will see, like the prodigal son, and turn back. Because His plan and heart for you is good and life.
• This is the end goal for all. To live a life trusting in God, loving from a pure heart and a good conscience and having a sincere faith.