“What is a Pastor to Look Like?”
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Welcome Everyone:
Start with Prayer:
Brief Intro:
Last semester we began our study through this short book of 1 Timothy. It is important to keep in mind that both 1 and 2 Timothy as well as Titus are often referred to as the Pastor Epistles. Why are they called this? These letters are called this because they say a lot about the responsibilities of pastors and elders in leading and shepherding God’s people. First Timothy was written by Paul to his true son in the faith young Timothy. Timothy has been charged to lead the church and be faithful to it in a number of ways as Paul finds himself in jail. Paul has warned Timothy to watch out for the wolves or false teachers that have crept in with their false teaching. We have also looked at the importance of qualified leaders within the church wether that be deacon or elders, there is an importance of having godly leaders who can lead the church. With that we now come to the end of chapter 4 and we will just look at these last 6 verses before we jump to chapter 5 next week.
11 Command and teach these things. 12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. 13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. 14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. 15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. 16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.
(Verse 11)
These things here that Paul has in mind are what Paul is dealing with back in verse 6 which are the instructions in response to the false teaching which has caused some to fall away from the faith. The first thing that I want to say here is that Paul commands Timothy to teach these things to his people so that they will know truth from that which are the lies of Satan. This is much different than just a casual conversation or teaching moment. This is so much different than what we see today in many contemporary seeker-sensitive churches and their catchy/relevant/contemporary preaching if you would even call it that. Preaching today can be catchy but it has no command. What i mean by that is that it is often very entertaining but it has no conviction behind it, no power behind it. So what Paul has in mind here is that Timothy is not to just throw out some good and encouraging suggestions to his congregation but that he preach and command the truth of God’s Word with a call to obedience behind it. This was a serious matter for Paul and he wanted Timothy to understand this. A faithful servant of God will be loving and yet bold as he confronts sin, unbelief, and disobedience. We are to speak truth in love. So, it is important to keep all of this in mind as we now look to the main part of this text.
(Verse 12)
It can be easy for us today to look down upon someone who is young and has not had time or years to be a more mature or a solid believer. And the same was true here of young Timothy as he was know by. Because Timothy did not have a long record to establish his credibility among the church he would have to earn the respect of his people. Paul refers to Timothy being young or being youthful although we know that Timothy was well into his thirties by now. However the point here is not to be labor the fact that Timothy was still young but that Timothy would be an example to those who believe. Paul wanted Timothy to set the bar or standard so that others could follow his godly example. Paul lists 5 areas that Timothy was to be an example to the church. Let’s take a look at these examples.
1. Speech. Through the preaching and teaching of Timothy the people would hear the truth of who God is and what He has done for them. But even more so just Timothy’s everyday conversations. Matthew chapter 12 tells us that a man’s speech reflects what is in his heart. We much watch out for untrue statements or lies. We must be on guard against angry speech or impure speech. We must also watch out for slanderous words that could hurt others. All of these areas concern the things that come out of our mouth.
2. The second area was Timothy’s conduct. Timothy’s life must not be separated from his teaching and preaching. He was to watch his life closely. A ministers life is his most powerful message. Thomas Brooks the famous Puritan once said, “Example is the most powerful rhetoric.” Setting a godly example that others can follow is one of the most important things in ministry. A godly life brings power and authority to a pastor’s message.
3. A Third area that Paul mentions is love. One of the main Christian virtues is love. I think that often times many leaders and pastors within the church can become prideful, competitive, opinionated and selfish. Love gets tossed aside in this and we see anger and even fighting. A leader who shows love and compassion is concerned about the well-being of others and deals kindly and with forgiveness towards those who are his opponents.
4. Another area that Paul mentions here is faith. The type of faith that Paul has in mind here is not a hypocritical faith but a genuine and sincere faith. This faith is also real and not just words but is backed up by how we actually live and talk and think. The false teachers during this time had shipwrecked whatever faith was theirs and had even abandoned the faith and walked away from God. Here, faith is linked with that of having a good conscience.
5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.
5. And finally, Timothy was to be an example in purity. This refers to purity in the area of sexuality, both in the actions and intentions of his heart. In the qualifications of elder or overseer Paul says that we are to be pure.
2 Therefore an overseer must be above reproach, the husband of one wife, sober-minded, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach,
There are standards for an overseer/elder/pastor or leader. And leaders can be very vulnerable in this area because often times this is where Satan attacks so hard. So what are we to do?
22 So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
All of these areas are qualities that leaders are to be an example to the rest of the church.
(Verse 13)
Clearly we see here that Paul desired to be with Timothy and to once again visit him and the church there in Ephesus. So, until this may happen Timothy must continue on with the task at hand. Here we see again several things that stand out to us that Paul desired for Timothy to do.
1. First, Paul says to devote yourself to the public reading of the Scripture. During this time no one had a Bible just laying around on the old coffee table so the public reading of Scripture was so vital and helpful to the body of Christ. Part of every worship service in the synagogue was the reading an explanation of the Old Testament Scriptures. Anything that needed to really be clarified would then be explained by Timothy to the church.
2. The second thing that Paul mentions here is for Timothy to exhort his people. What in the world does this mean??? Exhortation would help the people apply the truths that they were being taught from Scripture. It would also warn the people to obey what they were hearing taught and the judgment that would come if they continued in sinful things. Exhortation was a form of rebuke, warning, counsel and comfort.
3. A final thing that Paul mentions here is teaching. Teaching was just this continual task of helping the church to understand the truth of God’s Word and sound doctrinal instruction. Whoever stood to teach God’s people was to verbally instruct and exhort these good things from Scripture.
(Verse 14)
Here in verse 14 we really see how Paul is urging Timothy to remain faithful to his calling. I say this because being a pastor, being an elder is truly a calling from God. If you are not called you will not last long in ministry. In fact over the years I have seen many of my friends leave ministry or even tell me that they were never truly called. There are many discouraging days. There are many times where we will council someone and they don’t listen to biblical counsel and walk away from God and the church and this hurts. Maybe it is even a harsh word or gossip that can effect the pastor.
Here we see that not even Timothy was beyond the temptation to leave the ministry, that is why we see the encouragement from Paul to stay the course and not give up or neglect the gift he had been given. Timothy was just a man like everyone else and he too had his enemies.
-The false teachers.
-Satan.
-Worldly Pressures.
It was only a few years after this letter that Paul again reaches out to Timothy and exhorts him to be strong.
1 You then, my child, be strengthened by the grace that is in Christ Jesus,
Here in verse 14 Paul gives Timothy several reasons to stay the course and remain faithful.
1. First of all Timothy has been given a spiritual gift.
Each believer at salvation receives a God-given gift to help them minister to others. Timothy’s gifts included his desire to teach and help others know about Jesus.
2. The second reason Paul shares here with young Timothy to remain faithful was the gift he had by prophecy. This would have been a public affirmation of his gift through a direct revelation from God. Just like Paul was given so to do we see the same for young Timothy.
2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”
In our day and age we no longer see a special revelation but we do see God’s providence. If God is calling a man into ministry, He will give him that calling and desire and will open the door for him to serve in the church.
3. Finally, we see that Timothy’s gift would have been confirmed by those within the church. As we get to know and build relationships with those in the church we see the gifts that God has given them. People who were in the church saw the gift that God had given too God and confirmed that calling by laying hands on Timothy to say yes we know this to be true.
(Verse 15)
In verse 15 we now see Paul’s desire for Timothy to be diligent by practicing these things that he has laid out for him. Paul wants Timothy to give himself wholly to them. What we see here is that Paul is concerned for Timothy’s personal progress. Timothy could progress in the wrong direction like those false teachers of his time or he could continue to follow the Lord and persevere in the right direction. This would be both his life and in his doctrine. As we think about the leader that Timothy was Paul knew this and wanted Timothy to continue in the faith so that he could be an example and help lead others to faith in Christ.
(Verse 16)
We now come to the final verse of chapter 4. Paul wraps this up by telling Timothy to pay close attention to himself and his teaching. Why is this so important???
-Life. A Godly man will see the importance of personal holiness.
-Teaching. When it comes to teaching we should have a high regards for the truth of God’s Word and a low view on what we as men think to be catchy or culturally relevant. Now of course there should be personal application or take away, but there should always be an importance of truth.
These two areas are beneficial for several reasons. First, Paul says for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. Now clearly none of us can save ourselves. Here is what the Lord said about this matter in John chapter 8.
31 So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples,
Scripture helps us see here that persevering faith is a mark of genuine salvation. If we love the Lord and continue to follow or persevere through the power of God we will be saved. This will also bring about salvation to those who see Timothy’s life and who hear his message. In other words, the faithful teaching of the Word of God will have a saving impact on those who hear him.
(Pray and dismiss)