Sunday,
August 16, 2026
THE SHIPWRECK OF FAITHLESSNESS!
1 Tim 1:18-19
18 This charge I commit unto
thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that
thou by them mightest war a good warfare;
19 Holding faith, and a good
conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
In Paul’s day travel by ship was the most
common mode of transportation over large distances and could be considered luxurious
by their standards. But travel by ship was subject to the dangers of weather
and poor navigation and Paul chose the word “shipwreck” in verse 19 because the
wreck of a ship at sea was one of the greatest disasters known at that time and
perhaps because he had personally fallen victim to it.
The 27th chapter of
Acts is an
exciting story of sea danger and, while it is hard to cut a few verses out of
such a story, the following will give you a taste of the drama.
Acts 27:40-41
40 And when they had taken up
the anchors, they committed themselves unto the sea, and loosed the rudder
bands, and hoised up the mainsail to the wind, and made toward shore.
41 And falling into a place
where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the forepart stuck fast, and
remained unmoveable, but the hinder part was broken with the violence of the
waves.
1. HOLD ON TO FAITH!
Faith offers no substance nor evidence, yet Paul says to hold on! The
conflict of the present and the confusion of the future whip us as surely as
the winds, yet faith provides the sure passage to the far shore. Faith is the
persuasion of the mind that a certain thing is true. It is of no practical use
without trust. Believing will do no good unless we commit ourselves by trusting
to the foam of the sea of trouble. Without trust we stand as observers on the
near shore. With a firm reliance on a God we believe is real and trust in His
providence we commit ourselves to the sea of circumstance.
2. HOLD ON TO A GOOD
CONSCIENCE!
Mr. Vine says that “conscience” is “a
knowing with.” It is counsel with oneself, and it is the faculty with which we
discern the will of God. Conscience produces guilt when we violate a law or
decide against reason. This same conscience assures us that a chosen way is
right by condemning the bad and commending the good. By developing a sense of
the presence of God we gain moral control of our actions. Hold on to a good
conscience!
Titus 1:15-16
15 Unto the pure all things
are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even
their mind and conscience is defiled.
16 They profess that they know
God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto
every good work reprobate.
Dear Lord, let me hold
steadfastly to my faith and listen carefully to my conscience that I may be
safely carried to the far shore. AMEN
