The Mayflower Pulpit

In this week’s message from 1 Timothy 6, we hear Paul charge Timothy to flee worldliness, pursue godliness, fight the good fight of faith and keep God’s Word without compromise. Christ, who made the good confession before Pilate, gives us courage. He is the blessed and only Sovereign, who dwells in unapproachable light, alone can satisfy our souls.

In this week's message from 1 Timothy 6, we see that false teaching leaves people spiritually sick and treats godliness as a means of gain. But godliness with contentment is great gain. Everything we have is a gift of God's grace, and Christ, who became poor for our sakes, frees us from the love of money to treasure what is eternal.

In this week's message from 1 Timothy 6, we see why Christian slaves were to honor their masters and how that speaks to us at work. Our dignity is bestowed by God, and Christ became a slave for us. So we give honor and hard work to every boss, adorning the gospel and guarding the name of God.

In this week's message from 1 Timothy 5, we learn how a healthy church honors Christ: by supporting faithful elders, confronting sinning elders, and carefully qualifying future elders. Christ gives his church shepherds to equip every member for the work of the ministry, and he calls us to give double honor to those who labor hard in preaching and teaching.

In this week's message from 1 Timothy 5, we examine Paul's instructions on how the local church should practically reflect God's love by honoring destitute widows, while also affirming that families have the primary moral duty to provide for their aging parents. This compassionate care is deeply rooted in the gospel and modeled by Jesus Christ, who secured our salvation by bearing the agonizing ju...

In this week's message from 2 Kings 22, we see a young king hear the forgotten Book of the Law and tear his clothes in repentance. After the dark years of Manasseh, God's Word brought a moment of grace. We have access to the Scriptures, God has entrusted them to us, and through them comes salvation, so we must treasure them.

In this week's message from Jeremiah 23, we see God's word set against the dreams of false prophets. His word is like a hammer which shatters a rock and like a fire that burns in the believer's heart. Through stories of lives changed by Scripture, we are called to treasure God's Word and wield it faithfully.

In this week's message from 1 Timothy 5, we see that the church is God's family, and spirit is thicker than blood. Paul tells Timothy to treat older men as fathers, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers and younger women as sisters, in all purity. Love moves us to care for and gently correct one another as a precious family.

In this week's message from 1 Timothy 4, we see Paul tell Timothy to pay close attention to himself and his teaching and to persevere in them. True saving faith continues to the end. Our perseverance is not the means of our salvation, but its fruit, and our assurance rests in the keeping power of Jesus Christ, who completes the work he began.

In this week's message from 1 Timothy 4, we see that God, not our preferences, decides how his church worships. Christ saved us to worship, so we gather as believer priests and give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. We read, preach, pray, sing and see the Word of God together.

In this week's message from 1 Timothy 4, we see Paul charge young Timothy to let no one look down on his youthfulness, but to be an example in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity. Godliness grows as we are confronted with a holy God and receive his mercy in Christ, who came into the world to save sinners.

In this week's message from 1 Timothy 4, we learn what keeps a servant of God spiritually healthy. A good servant is nourished on the words of the faith and sound doctrine, throws out spiritual junk food, and trains for a godliness that lasts for eternity. We labor and strive because our hope is fixed on the living God.

In this week's message from 1 Timothy 4, we see how a seared conscience and counterfeit holiness pull people away from the faith. Rules about food and marriage cannot cleanse the heart; only Christ can. God created everything good, and he calls us to receive his gifts with thanksgiving, turning ordinary days into worship and joy in him.

In this week's message from 1 Timothy 3, we contrast the empty worship of Artemis with the true mystery of godliness. We cannot make ourselves godly, but Jesus Christ took on human flesh to save us. His perfect righteousness now calls us to trust Him and reflect His grace together as a church.

In this week's message from 1 Timothy 3, we learn that the church is not a global organization, but a local family of called-out believers. Just as Jesus called Lazarus from the tomb, He calls us out of darkness to be the pillar and support of His truth. Together, we must faithfully uphold the Word of God.

In this week's message from 1 Timothy 3, we examine the character qualifications for deacons who serve the church. Christ's perfect sacrifice motivates our genuine service, and this passage calls the church to test and recognize faithful leaders whose lives stand apart from counterfeits.

In this week's message from 1 Timothy 3, we ask who the women of verse 11 are, whether deacons' wives or women serving the church. Whatever their title, Paul calls those who serve to be dignified, not malicious gossips, temperate and faithful in all things. God measures ministry by integrity, and we are called to be a church of servants.

In this week's message from 1 Timothy 3, we see what a deacon is: a servant who waits on tables and meets the needs of God's people. Deacons must first be tested, holding the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience, because their integrity shows the gospel is real. Following Jesus, who washed his disciples' feet, every one of us is called to serve.

In this week's message from 1 Timothy 3, we see that an overseer must not be a new convert, so that he will not become conceited and fall into the condemnation incurred by the devil. He must be spiritually mature, like a tree that has felt the storm, and have a good reputation with those outside, submitting humbly to God's will.

In this week's message from 1 Timothy 3, we see that an overseer must be governed by discretion, not addicted to wine or pugnacious but gentle, peaceable and free from the love of money. He must manage his own household well, because the way a man leads his family shows how he will take care of the church of God.

In this week's message from 1 Timothy 3, we see that an overseer must be able to teach. A pastor's primary duty is to guard the church with sound doctrine by knowing the Word, communicating it skillfully and patiently enduring wrong. Every believer shares in this calling as we open our homes to share our lives and our Bibles to share God's truth.

In this week's message from 1 Timothy 3, we see that an overseer must be hospitable, a lover of strangers who opens his home and table. Hospitality was vital to the early church and is commanded of every believer. When grace and truth come together around a table, God changes lives, and we serve Christ himself.

In this week's message from 1 Timothy 3, we see that an overseer must be above reproach, a man whose life gives no handhold for accusation. Paul's first brushstrokes are a faithful husband who is self-controlled, prudent and orderly. None of us lives up to these perfectly, so we look to Jesus Christ, the supreme Overseer, and grow in his likeness.

In this week's message from 1 Timothy 3, we see that an overseer is one who watches over and guards the church. Overseer, elder and pastor name one office, given by Christ to keep His people healthy in sound doctrine. It is a fine work, and its character is something every one of us should aspire to.

In this week's message from 1 Timothy 2, we wrestle with the hard promise that women will be saved through childbearing. Weighing three views, we find good hope: the curse is not God's final word, and the seed of the woman brought forth the Savior. We are called to honor the ways women uniquely serve the Lord and to keep studying His Word.