1 Timothy 4:11-16

Introduction

Somebody says, “Boy, I’m sure glad all these pastors are hearing this, it doesn’t apply to me.” Yes, it does. Does apply to you. I’ll tell you why it applies to you. It applies to you, my friend, because we are to be what we are to be in order that you can see what you ought to be. You got that? We are to be what we are to be in order to be patterns for what you ought to be so you can be what we are so someone else can see what you are and follow that. Not off the hook. This is simply modeling for you, for those who follow you. What a marvelous standard.

Be an example

1 Timothy 4:12 “Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.”

This verse has 2 parts that are connected by the conjunction “but.”

The first part of the verse is critical for the second part of the verse to have meaning and value.

If the first part is ignored the second part will have little impact.

Let no man despise your youth

The word youth in the ancient Greek was “Used of grown-up military age, extending to the 40th year” (Lock, cited in Earle). It seems that Timothy was about 30 years old at this time; but Paul was around 70, and youth is a relative thing.

“Let no man” - is a command to "Let no one despise, scorn, treat contemptuously, "make fun of" or think lightly of the fact that you are so youthful."

Despise - there are 2 positions people connect this phrase to.

The apostle's sense is, either that Timothy, being in office, should not suffer any man to use him contemptuously; but exert his power and authority, and magnify his office, and not allow men to trample upon him, or use him ill, though he was a young man; which sense suits with the preceding words:

Think down upon you becasue of your youth.

Albert Barnes: “do not act in such a manner that any shall despise you on account of your youth. Act as becomes a minister of the gospel in all things, and in such a way that people will respect you as such, though you are young.

Why was this so important for Paul to say?

The position Timothy had in the church.

He was the senior pastor or lead elder within the church.

His position warranted Paul to command and teach that people did not despise his youth.

Timothy’s priorities within the church.

Acts 20:28 “Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.”

1 Timothy 1:3–4 “As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.”

1 Timothy 3:1-13 - Establish qualifications for pastors and deacons

1 Timothy 3:15 “But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

“Let no man” - not one single person.

Galatians 5:9 “A little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.”

The proverb is true which says that a little leaven leavens the whole mass of dough. And so, in your case, the malcontents may be few, but they will soon ruin the whole Church.

Be an example

If people respect you and your position then you can be an example

Puritan Thomas Brooks said that "Example is the most powerful rhetoric… (In The Privy Key of Heaven Brooks writes) A Christian's whole life should be nothing but a visible representation of Christ. It is not only our liberty—but our duty and glory, to follow Christ inviolably in all His moral virtues. Other patterns are imperfect and defective—but Christ is a perfect pattern! Of all His children, they are the happiest, who come nearest to this perfect pattern.

Thomas Fuller, the Puritan, had a great idea. He said, “Teaching is like putting nails in the wood. Example is like hammering them deep.”

The pastor sets the tone but he is the example to those who believe.

In word - Everyday language

To speak intelligently.

Rational content

Inward thoughts made known.

Ephesians 4:25–30 “Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour: for we are members one of another. Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath: Neither give place to the devil. Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour, working with his hands the thing which is good, that he may have to give to him that needeth. Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers. And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”

First of all, no speech that is less than true. Secondly, no speech that is less than loving. Thirdly, no speech that is less than pure.

Ephesians 4:31 “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamour, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:”

What you say matters.

In conversation - Lifestyle

Daily behavior

Paul's point is that as Christians, we have not simply changed our minds. We have totally changed our citizenship. We belong to God’s “new creation” in Christ, and therefore, the ideas and desires of the old creation no longer should control our lives.

James 3:13 “Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.”

1 Peter 2:12 “Having your conversation honest among the Gentiles: that, whereas they speak against you as evildoers, they may by your good works, which they shall behold, glorify God in the day of visitation.”

What you do matters.

In charity - Latin Vulgate

"costliness; esteem, affection,"

"to esteem highly, to love"

Your love must be selfless, affectionate, valuing others greater than yourself.

Biblical agape love is the love of choice, the love of serving with humility, the highest kind of love, the noblest kind of devotion, the love of the will (intentional, a conscious choice) and not motivated by superficial appearance, emotional attraction, or sentimental relationship.

F. B. Meyer - Wherever there is true love, there must be giving, and giving to the point of sacrifice. Love is not satisfied with giving trinkets; it must give at the cost of sacrifice: it must give blood, life, all. And it was so with the love of God. "He so loved the world, that He gave his only-begotten Son." "Christ also loved and gave Himself up, an offering and a sacrifice to God."

John MacArthur - “when you talk about love you have to use the biblical definition. We’re not talking about spiritual goosebumps and emotions and feelings and the fuzzies and the warm and fuzzy kind of feelings that sometimes you get in a fellowship environment. What we’re talking about in biblical love is self-sacrificing service in the lives of others.”

John 15:13 “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”

2 Timothy 3:2 “For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,”

2 Timothy 3:4 “Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;”

In spirit - In the government of your passions.

Paul governed his passions so that people saw Jesus.

1 Corinthians 2:2 “For I determined not to know any thing among you, save Jesus Christ, and him crucified.”

Philippians 3:10 “That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;”

In faith - At all times, and in all trials show to believers by your example, how they ought to maintain unshaken confidence in God.

This refers to Timothy's trust and confidence in God and His Son Christ Jesus as shown in the faithfulness of his attitudes and actions in the many situations he would find himself in.

“Faith” really could be translated faithfulness or trustworthiness or loyalty, fidelity, unswerving commitment, consistency.

In purity - Living a chaste and morally clean life.

If you are a preacher, teacher, elder or leader in any spiritual capacity, pay special attention to your hagneia. As a leader you are especially vulnerable in this area, since it is a priority area of qualification (or disqualification), and is a frequent point of attack by our adversary the Devil.

Moral chastity and heart motivation.

David Guzik - These are the criteria by which to assess a pastor. If he is smart, if he is funny, if he is cool, if he dresses well, if he is popular, or if he is any number of other things matter little. You must look for a pastor who is an example in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

Give attendance to:

1 Timothy 4:13 “Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.”

Give attendance

The verb indicates it is more than the activity to the preparation.

Hebrews 7:13 “For he of whom these things are spoken pertaineth to another tribe, of which no man gave attendance at the altar.”

The priest who goes to the altar and is fully absorbed at the altar. All of his thought and all of his energy is devoted to the work of the altar. And that’s what he is saying here. Your whole attention, center and circumference of ministry, is to be involved in the reading, the exhortation and the teaching. That is the embodiment of your ministry.

The central theme in each of these 3 items is God’s word

God’s word should be read

In the Greek there is a “the” in from of reading. The idea is “the reading.”

Not much different than how things were done in the synagogue: Acts 13:14–15 “But when they departed from Perga, they came to Antioch in Pisidia, and went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and sat down. And after the reading of the law and the prophets the rulers of the synagogue sent unto them, saying, Ye men and brethren, if ye have any word of exhortation for the people, say on.”

You will give attendance to a correct text and a correct exposition.

After God’s word is read, it should be exhorted (preached.)

Wuest on paraklesis - The word has various meanings; “a calling near, a summons, imploration, supplication, entreaty, exhortation, admonition, encouragement, consolation, solace.” The well-rounded all-inclusive idea is that of encouragement, of aid given the needy person, whether it be consolation, exhortation, or supplication.

This is to call the people to apply the text.

And, the preaching needs to be doctrinally (teaching) sound.

We need to systematically teach God’s word.

Justin Martyr, taking you all the way back to the middle of the second century, a hundred years after the church was born, Justin Martyr has written for us a typical early worship service a hundred years after the church was born, and this is what he says. “On the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in the country gather together to one place. And the writings of the apostles or the writings of the prophets are read as long as time permits. Then when the reader has ceased, the presider verbally instructs and exhorts to the imitation of these good things.”

Be all in

1 Timothy 4:14–16 “Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”

Neglect not the gift that is in thee.

Or stop neglecting

Timothy is where a lot of people in the ministry have been, a point of departure. The place where you say, “That’s enough, I’m getting out, I can’t handle the pressure externally, I can’t handle the pressure internally, I don’t need this, I’m not cutting it, it’s not happening, it’s not fulfilling me, it’s not what I want.” And there is Timothy on the edge of that kind of thing, whether he’s actually begun to neglect or about to neglect, he’s close to that, therefore comes the warning.

Spiritual gifts come form God.

The purpose of spiritual gifts is to edify the body.

The spiritual gift is in you.

You can neglect the spiritual gift.

Meditate upon these things

Be diligent

An excellent minister is a one-minded man, he’s not a double-minded man who is unstable and vacillating in all his ways, as James 1:8 says, but he is more like the apostle Paul that said, “This one thing I do.” He is really a single-minded person. Ministry is all-consuming.

Give ourselves wholly to them.

To be them.

To be totally absorbed.

Profiting - speaks of growing or progressing in the things you are giving yourselves wholly to.

Conclusion