Training In Godliness

Introduction:

‌As we continue with our Worship of the Lord this morning, I want to invite you to turn with me to 1 Timothy 4:6-16.

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I want you to remember, as we open up the Word of God this morning, that is exactly what this is. The God of the universe has made Himself known to us, yes through general revelation in the world, but through special revelation as well, through this written Word and through The Word that became flesh- Jesus Christ. That is why, as a Church, we do not want to take the message of this word lightly. God himself has revealed these truths to us. We would do well to listen and pay attention to what is said.

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Hear the Word of God this morning‌...

6 If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 9 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. 10 For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe. 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 (1 Ti 4:1–16).

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Let’s pray together asking the Lord to speak to our hearts this morning so that we can become more like Jesus Christ.

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Let’s pray together.

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The driving question for us as we have walked through our series on 1 Timothy has been...

What Is a Healthy Church?

This is what we want to see. We know that the American church is not healthy. We know that we face some real problems- problems like churches closing down, disunity in our midst, fighting and bickering back and forth, false teaching, to name a few. And we know that all of these things are not new problems. As I have said before, these things are things that the early church faced too. And it is because they are not new that we don’t have to think about some creative way to deal with them. Instead, we can turn to the Word and seek God’s answers for these types of problems because they have been addressed already. That is good news. That means that we are not dependent upon the clever ingenuity of me, Phil, the deacons, the church boards, the church growth gurus, or anyone else. We get to see how God dealt with these problems as He worked through His apostles in the early church. It is a beautiful picture really.

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I don’t want to take a whole lot of time rehashing what we have already said, but I do want us to keep these things in mind.

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Here is what we have seen from our study thus far...

‌A Healthy Church Must Understand the Gospel Rightly.

A Healthy Church Has Members Who Are Committed to Prayer

A Healthy Church Has Members Who Respect and Honor Their Roles in the Local Church.

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A Healthy Church Has Godly Leaders.

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The Gospel Is the Foundation of the Church.

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A Healthy Church Is a Church That Avoids Legalism.

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These are the things that we are wanting to make sure stay at the forefront of how we do ministry here at Berean. If we want to pursue to be a healthy congregation in the sight of God, then these things MUST be at the forefront. It is our human nature to run in the opposite direction of these things. As we said last week, the very idea of Christianity runs counter to how we naturally think. We like to be at the very center of our own little worlds. We naturally think that we can save ourselves. We naturally think that we can handle all of life’s problems. We naturally think, as Americans, we don’t need anyone else in our lives. We got this. We don’t need people watching over us. If we just do enough right things, then everything will be just fine.... both in this life and in the one that is to come. This is the philosophy of our day and age.... and it flies in the Face of God and the Gospel. We need God’s special revelation to show us another way because man-made religion will NEVER save us.

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That is the issue with legalism. Legalism, which we ALL are prone to, basically says- If you do enough good, stop doing bad, eat the right foods, wear the right clothing, listen to the right music, hang out with the right people, give enough time, money, and energy.... then God will have to let you in. You earned it. And those are dangerous words for sure.

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But the opposite side of legalism is also just as dangerous to our souls as well. The opposite side is not caring at all. The opposite side of legalism is believing that God does not care about your holiness at all. He is fine with everything that you are doing, and He doesn't want you to change one bit. Who cares if you sin? And this brings up an interesting question: Does God Care About Personal Godliness?

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What we are going to see in our passage this morning is a truth that flies right in the face of the legalism that is being taught by the False teachers. Verses 6-16 stand in a stark contrast to verses 1-5. For the Christian, what we are going to see, is that we do not practice godliness to earn something from God but rather we pursue godliness because of who God is.

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Body:

‌That is what we are going to see in this passage this morning. Let me put the main point on the screen and then we will work through this text.  Here is how this passage adds to our understanding of what is a healthy church....

‌Main Point: A Healthy Church is a Church That Pursues Godliness Through Spiritual Disciplines.

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Let’s look at this text together. State there with me in verse 6.

‌If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed (1 Ti 4:6).

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Paul starts this section by pointing back to what was said in verses 1-5. He is telling Timothy that he needs to put these things (meaning the lies that the false teachers are spreading) before the brothers. If Timothy does that, he will be a good servant of Christ Jesus. And notice how this is clarified, “being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.” Timothy is not to sweep this under the rug and “just let it go.” This is a real issue that Timothy is to stand up and make sure that the church is aware of the false teaching that is going on. He is called to protect the sheep that is under his care… and part of that protection is making sure that they are not listening to false teaching from others. It is when Timothy does this, that he is considered to be a good servant of Christ Jesus. And he is a good servant because he has been trained in the words of Faith and the good doctrine, remember the Christian faith is a creedal faith. We have certain doctrines that we hold to be true and vital to our faith. Without them, Christianity is just another option in the world… but that is not what Jesus said. Timothy is to remember these doctrines and put truth out before the flock of God.

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As a side note, when you think about this, there is something to be said here about the connection between teaching others and personal growth. Paul seems to tell Timothy that if he put these things before the brothers, not only will he be considered a good servant of Christ, which is something that I think every Christian wants to here when we stand before the King, but even while Timothy is alive… his own soul will actually be nourished in the words of faith and good doctrine.

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Instead of giving in to these false teachings and their message, what we find Paul doing here is giving Timothy an alternative. Look at verses 7-8 with me.

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7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; 8 for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come (1 Ti 4:7–8).

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That is how Paul sees the false teaching. It is so irreligious and crazy, that Timothy is to have nothing to do with it. Instead, Timothy is instructed to train himself for godliness. The opposite side of legalism is antinomianism- meaning no law. The argument goes like this. Since I am forgiven in Christ, then I can live life however I want to live. If Christ has already forgiven me of my past, present, and future sins, and if when I sin, Christ’s grace is only bestowed on me further, wouldn’t it make more sense for me to sin and not worry about since God’s grace is given to me more? This is the argument in Romans 6, by the way. Antinomianism says, you are free. Live it up. God doesn’t care how you live. You are free in Christ. This too is also damning. The Bible does not say that. This is why we have to be careful when it comes to our logic, which is often flawed, and what the Bible actually says. What we find in the Bible is the truth that Christ not only forgives people of their sins, but that He gives the power to overcome sin altogether. Not that we will be sinless in this life… but we do believe that we are to put to death the deeds of the Body and to put on righteousness. This is what we see in verse 7. Paul tells Timothy, have nothing to do with those crazy ideas that you keep hearing people say.... instead, train, or exercise, yourself for godliness. Grow in your Christ likeness.

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This goes into verse 8. Paul then adds this picture for us. Bodily training is of some value. I think we can all agree with that. If we work out, there is some value in it. It is good for our bodies and mental health. Studies show that. There is nothing wrong with that. But, just as a person works out and spends time in the gym taking care of their physical body… we should also put forth some effort and work in growing in godliness because it holds promise for this life and the life to come.

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To be like Christ is the goal. That is what God is doing inside the life of a believer. God does not save us and then want us to sit around like lumps on a log waiting to be brought home. God wants us to be active in our pursuit of Him. Think about this, and this is something that I am trying to think about as I work through this text, what would it be like to go to heaven and not to know the God you are about to meet? Think about it. What if you spend no time at all getting to know Christ before leaving this earth? You are going to spend an eternity with Him… you want to him to welcome you into His home… but you are a total stranger to him. Something just does not seem right with that picture. I know that this is not how it actually works. I get that. But I am trying to think through what it means and how the pursuit of godliness holds a promise for this life, which is beautiful and grand… I mean to walk and be like Jesus in our daily pursuits would be awesome … but the text says for this life... and also for the life that is to come. Our pursuit of God and growth in Christlikeness, or godliness, holds a promise for the life to come. It prepares us for eternity. We should all be preparing for that day because one day that will be a reality for us.

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And if you think that sounds crazy or strange or forging… look at verses 9-10

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9 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance (1 Tim 4:9).

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Paul, again, says this phrase about this statement being true. I think this is the 3rd time in this letter that he has said this. It seems to me that this is pointing back to verses 7-8… that is the statement that is true. Paul wants Timothy to pursue godliness because it holds promise for this life… and for the life that is to come. And because this statement is true, it feeds into verse 10.

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10 For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe (1 Ti 4:10).

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Since that is a true statement, Paul says that to “this end”, meaning the pursuit of godliness that, he and others, are toiling and striving. This is a picture of putting forth some effort. They are sweating here. This is some crazy workout routine where they have no energy left in their bodies when it is all said and done. That is the picture here.

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But what is so amazing in this verse is the reason why Paul, and others, are chasing after God in this way. It is not so that they can earn God’s love or forgiveness… but it is because they have their hope set on God. Notice how God is described in verse 10. He is the Living God (the second time we have seen this language I think) who is the Savior of all people (3rd we have seen this) … but He is the Savior, especially of those who believe.

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There seems to be a qualifying difference here in Paul's words here in his description of God. Here is how I have understood that verse. God is the Savior of all people… meaning that God is the only one who is able to save them. Anyone and everyone are welcome to come to Him… but He is especially the Savior of those who place their faith and trust in Him. His relationship with humanity isn’t different in the fact that He is the Savior... but it is different in the fact that He is only Savior in the actual saving sense for those who believe. That is to say it only goes into effect for those who believe.

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This is not a call to universalism where everyone gets to go to heaven. NO. That idea is so Anti gospel that it is not even funny. But what we are seeing here is that God is the Savior of all People… meaning it is only by Him that people are saved. We find a similar passage over in the book of Titus. Hold your spot there in 1 Timothy and go two books over to Titus 2:11-14 real quick

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11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, 13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, 14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works (Tt 2:11–14) (GO BACK TO 1 Timothy 4:10)

We know that the Bible tells us that there is 1 name under heaven by which man can be saved, and what is that name? Jesus Christ. He is the God and Savior of the world. And He is especially or uniquely the Savior of those who have repented of their sins and placed their faith in Him.

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And what we find here in this text in 1 Timothy this morning, is that when a person does that, God opens up a path for them to pursue Him through. This is the joy of having eternal life. Jesus said in John 17:3 “And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.” Eternal life is not about just getting to heaven when you die. Eternal life is about being able to KNOW God in this life, to walk with Him, to enjoy Him, and then to spend forever with Him. Eternal life starts NOW. God awakens our hearts to HIM and we get to, to use the words of Paul, “work out our salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to both will and to work for HIS good pleasure.” This is what it means to train yourself for godliness. You have the Holy Spirit for this purpose.

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Just in case you thought that these instructions only applied to Timothy or Pastors of local churches, Paul adds this command here in verse 11. Look there with me.

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11 Command and teach these things (1 Ti 4:11). Timothy is not only to make this a practice in his life, he is to tell the church members that they are to pursue Godliness for their lives. This is what we need to hear as well.

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I want you to notice what happens next here. Picture this. You have this younger Pastor, who is going into an established church, and he is going to start instructing the members on how they are to purse Godliness. Can you imagine what could possibly go wrong here? Like, “who does this young man think that he is? We know what it is like to pursue Jesus. He doesn’t know what He is talking about. We don’t need him to come in here and start barking orders.”

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And in one sense that is correct. They don’t need someone to come in and start barking orders, but what they do need is an example. And younger people listen to these words really carefully here. Teens, young adults, kids… listen here. Look at verse 12.

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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 (1 Ti 4:12).

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Paul tells Timothy that he is not to let anyone look down on him because of his youth. This is certainly a message that we need to hear in our day and age. We want to act as if teens and young adults have a reason and a right to be a certain way… but that is not what we see from the Bible. Even though Timothy is considered to be a young man, he is charged to be an example to the flock in how he talks, how he acts, how he loves others, in how he trusts God, and in his personal conduct in purity. Young people need to see that they are charged to pursue godliness just like everyone else. There is no excuse, “well, I am just a kid or teen or young man or woman.” The Bible calls us to higher living not lower living. I want to challenge you this morning, seek to be an example in these areas. Pursue Christ in these areas. Don’t buy into the lies of the world and just go along with the crowd. Toil and strive after something greater.

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And how is Timothy to do this, and how can we do this? Look at verse 13.

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13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching (1 Ti 4:13).

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Timothy charged yet again with another command. Until Paul gets there, Timothy is to give himself to three things: The public reading of scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching. The focus here is on the Word of God. And that is what Timothy needs to set his mind on, and that most certainly what we need to set our minds on. Timothy is to read to the congregation. Timothy is to exhort the congregation as well. That is, he is to take the word of the Lord and preach it to their hearts to encourage them for change. Preaching is to bring both comfort and persuasion. Timothy is also to teach them the Word of the Lord in doctrine and faith. There is to be a time of equipping the saints in the faith. This is to be a huge part of Timothy’s ministry at the church… and really it is a huge part of Pastoral ministry in general. Pastors are to give themselves to this work.

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And trust me, sometimes it is really hard work. Pastoral ministry is hard. Preaching and teaching are hard. This is why we see these words in verse 14. Look there with me.

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14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you (1 Ti 4:14).

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It is like Paul is telling Timothy, “Look, remember back when we laid hands on you. Remember when we ordained you to the ministry. I know that it is hard right now. Don’t run away from these things, run to them. Do not neglect your Pastoral gift and calling. Don’t neglect your gift as Pastor/Teacher.

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Instead, here is what we find in verse 15-16.

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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 (1 Ti 4:15–16).

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Paul tells Timothy to practice these things. What things? I believe his talking about godly living (speech, conduct, love, faith, purity) and to the public ministry (reading of Scripture, exhortation, and teaching). These things are to become the focus of this young Pastor SO THAT (here is the purpose clause) everyone can see his progress. A Pastor’s walk with the Lord is to be so visible to the congregation that they see his own growth.

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Timothy is also to keep a close watch on himself and his teaching. Pastoral ministry does not protect you from attacks of the enemy. Timothy must be on his guard with both his actions and the things coming out of his mouth. He is to persist in this. If he does these things he will save both himself and those who hear him.

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This is a call for perseverance on Timothy part. Timothy is to remain steadfast in the Lord. He is to continue to watch for the schemes of the enemy. He is to keep preaching about Christ and His love for lost sinners like us.

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Timothy is not able to save anyone in his own power, I think that we get that. But as Pastor, Timothy needs to make sure that he is caring for his own soul well enough and he needs to make sure that he is caring for the souls of others… that is both caring for the local church by preaching the Gospel to them, making sure that are grounded in the faith, and I think this applies to Timothy public ministry to preaching the Gospel to lost people so that they can be saved.

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This is what Timothy is to practice and immerse himself in. These things, the pursuit of Christ in all things, are the things that are to occupy his heart, mind, and soul.

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Conclusion:

‌Again, I think that it is really easy for us to read things like this… things that apply to Pastors and be like, “Shhhhwww. Glad that it is not me.” And remember, that is not the case. Timothy was instructed to command and teach these things. He was told to be an example… and example of what? Of what it looks like to Follow Christ. Why? So that those in the congregation could do the same thing. All of these things are things that apply to every single Christian.

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We are all called to love God with all of our Heart, Soul, Mind, and Strength.

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How do we fan into flame this type of love for God?

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Main Point: A Healthy Church is a Church That Pursues God Through Spiritual Disciplines.

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Remember, Paul told Timothy to “train” himself for godliness. There is work to be done. There are exercises to be done.

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What Are Some Spiritual Disciplines We Can Do?

‌We have been doing a whole study on this topic on Wednesday Nights, and we don’t have the time to cover all of that material there this morning but let me give you a few things.

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Read the Word

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Listen to the Word

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Memorize & Meditate on the Word

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Pray

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Practice Servanthood

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Stewardship

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Fast

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Evangelism

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All of these things are things that we can practice or train ourselves in that help up grow in our Christ likeness. Now, we don’t do it to earn favor with God, I want to make sure that you hear me clearly on this, but we do these things because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people.... especially of those who believe.

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As we close out this morning, there are two things I want to challenge your hearts with:

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1. Where Is Your Hope Set Right Now?

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2. Are You Willing To Train Yourself For Godliness?

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Let’s pray together.