Proper Rebuke

Paul is writing to Timothy, he is deeply concerned about the rise of false teachers within the church at Ephesus.

He says......

1 Tim 1:3-4

1 Timothy 1:3–4 (ESV)

..... charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.

1 Timothy 4:1

1 Timothy 4:1 (ESV)

.....some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,

1 Timothy 6:3-4

1 Timothy 6:3–4 (ESV)

If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing...

Paul is worried about false teaching slipping in. His concern is for proper doctrine to be taught.

We should learn from this.

We should must have a passion for right doctrine, for right teaching.

We must believe the correct things about Jesus!

Paul is warning Timothy because people will rise up, from within the church, claiming the name of Jesus. But the things that they teach about Jesus will be false and wrong.

They will claim that Jesus was a good man, but he was only a man who was anointed by the Holy Spirit to give him the strength to do what He did....that’s heresy.

Others will say that Jesus was God. Things of this world are evil. Becasue things of this world are evil, when Jesus came his body was a spiritual one. One that wasn’t made in the likeness of the things of earth. Likewise, we must focus on Spiritual and ignore the physical.

But if Jesus had a spiritual body…how did he die? How could He be one of us to know temptation as we do, yet without sin? It can’t be.

These heresy’s and many more like them were beginning to pop up. We must confront heresy! Even Jesus said Matthew 23:15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you travel across sea and land to make a single proselyte, and when he becomes a proselyte, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves.” ....that sounds like a rebuke to me!

Paul is instructing Timothy, that in the game of Theological wack a mole, trying to preserve the purity of the church, be careful on the way that he is to rebuke.

Paul is making sure Timothy doesn’t start blasting everyone with a Theological canon who you see a hint of doctrinal error in, and suspect they might be a wolf in sheep clothing.

Paul is telling Timothy to ensure he was maintaining a proper balance.

Honor Your Elders

Leviticus 19:32

Leviticus 19:32 ESV

“You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the Lord.

Matthew Henry- Those who God has honoured with the common blessing of long life we ought to honor with the distinguishing expressions of civility; and those who have aged, wise, and good are worthy of double honor.

God has seen fit to bless them with long life, treat them with respect.

Even if we don’t see them as particularly wise, give them the respect that God has given them with their life.

Psalm 90:10, years of life are 70, by reason of strength 80

Even more should we be giving honor to those who are not only advanced in years, but are wise. They deserve double honor.

There is great degeneracy in the land when the youth behave proudly against those who should be esteemed.

How unhinged from it’s roots is a society that doesn’t value the elderly.

Like a ship, untied from it’s moorings an allowed to be battered against the rocks in a storm is a society who fails to recognize those who are elderly and who’s hard work has gotten us to where we are today.

Have those who have gone before us made mistakes? Yes

Have they also done good? Yes

Did they do the best they could with the knowledge they had? I would say many of them did.

Are our kids going to look at us and wonder why we didn’t do something different? again yes

There is great wisdom in seeing history unfold.

Does this mean that the elderly can’t be wrong? No

Does it mean that it is a sin to disagree with them? No

But it does mean that they are worth of respect.

Job 32:1-12

v.1-5

Elihu is younger, therefore he is slow to address Job, Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar. He gives them time to debate, showing honor to them.

But he burned with anger.

If you burn with anger, why?

Has your pride been hurt?

Are you justified in your anger?

Elihu burns with anger for the, character of the Lord is being tarnished.

That is to say, for the glory of God. That is a righteous reason to be angry.

Righteous anger is given to us for a reason. To prompt us to fix the problem, making sure that when we deal with the problem, it isn’t an explosive reaction, but controlled.

Job wasn’t justifying God, but was only trying to justify himself at the expense of God.

The three friends are rebuking Job, but with things that Job wasn’t really wrong in, therefore they had no rebuttal to what Job was saying.

Still, Elihu had given time and honor to those who were older.

v.6-7

He held his tongue.

Out of respect for his elders he stayed out of the discussion and allowed the older and wise to debate one another with the desire that wisdom would abound.

v.8-9

Sometimes older men don’t have all the answers.

Sometimes there isn’t wisdom in their words.

v.10-12

After giving time for the older to bring words of wisdom, Elihu speaks. He brings rebuke.

But he had heard out the older men speak first, and he brings rebuke in a respectful manner.

Proper Rebuke

When Paul is saying don’t rebuke, he isn’t saying that correction won’t need to take place, he isn’t saying that you should never confront an older man.

He is saying, be careful how you do it.

Exhort

Encourage him to do what is right.

This is the first step when confronting someone, especially an elder in the faith.

Encourage them towards what is right, encourage them away from what is wrong.

Sometimes if they persist, then you need to escalate to the point of rebuke.

Familial Love

Whether you are extorting an elder for change. Or bringing rebuke upon a different brother or a sister. Remember that we are family. We are brothers and sisters in the Lord.

When we see someone going astray, how do we respond to them?

Is our first reaction to tell them that they are horrible and going to hell, or is it to rebuke and correct them through the word of God?

One thing I have seen, is sometimes Christians are more gracious to none believers, than they are to brothers and sisters in the Lord.

We will make allowances for the mistakes of sinners. But we forget that as Christians, we are still sinners. We are redeemed, and are being sanctified. But that doesn’t mean we won’t make mistakes.

What is the end we desire?

Is it to destroy someone, or to see them repent and turn to Jesus.

We don’t want to be like the older brother in the story of the prodigal son, who is bitter when he see’s his brother return and everyone celebrating that the one who was lost had been found.

Purity

This is written to Timothy, and Timothy is a man.

Paul is telling him to be careful of his conduct with women.

Remember that they are sisters in Christ and by God’s good design He has made men and women attracted to one another.

Maintain purity when dealing with women.

The flames of passion might be doused when you remember that they are sisters in the Lord.

Most boys are not into kissing their sisters, but they will die to protect them.

We need to watch out for false teaching, and when we hear it (whether is comes from outside the church or inside) we need to deal with it to maintain the purity of the church.

When dealing with situations, we must approach those who are older especially with respect.

Those who are our peers, we must remember that we are brothers and sisters in the Lord.

When you rebuke, do it in love, for the strengthening of the church, to the glory of God.