1 Timothy 4-Profitable Living

Being a Christian is Profitable

Intro:

Read Verses:

MP: Godliness is profitable for all things

I. Because You Can Focus on Truth (1-5)

Explanation: Paul is responding to Timothy and encouraging him in standing firm to respond to false teachers in and out of the Ephesian church. One of the most disheartening things is when people you think are believers leave the church, especially if they are leaving for some false religion. Even worse is when people come in trying to teach false or heretical doctrine.

There were a group of people called Judiazers, who were coming behind Paul and saw Christianity as just a Jewish sect, so they had to still adhere to the law and all the restrictions of diet and behavior that would make you more holy or closer to God than someone who did not follow the rules. These were the outsider threat as it were

A lot of damage can be done by people who are trying to work their way into a church, but even more damage can be done by people trying to tear down the church from the inside.

In verse 1, Paul is warning Timothy about this internal threat to the church that either want to incorporate certain other teachings. These are the people that Paul is most likely referencing here because he uses the term some will depart from the faith.

These specific false teachers were deceiving the listeners Paul calls them “liars that had their conscience seared” in verse 2 and it is up to Timothy to teach correct doctrine so everyone can recognize and refute when people are teaching something completely contrary to the gospel message.

People deceive others for various reasons, financial gain, building a following, power, and as Paul points out in verse 1 it may be demonic influence, like in the case of Judas being enlisted by Satan to do his will. However, Satan did not realize that he was really working toward the end that God had already planned from the beginning.

How do we fight the lies that people may bring with them into the church or develop them along the way?

Among modern movements, Roman Catholics forbid marriage for their priests and nuns, and several groups, including Seventh Day Adventists, teach the importance of abstaining from certain foods.

Starting in verse 3 Paul says that who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

In short, Knowing and having the proper perspective that everything created by God is good. Paul is talking about food and diet restrictions and this coincides with when Peter is commanded to “kill and eat” the various animals that were shown to him and when Peter protests, trying to adhere to the Law, “But the voice answered a second time from heaven, ‘What God has made clean, do not call common.’ 10 This happened three times, and all was drawn up again into heaven.

Illustration:

Jim Jones, a self-ordained Christian minister who was born in Indiana in 1931, founded what became the Peoples Temple church in his home state in the 1950s then relocated his congregation to California in the 1960s. He eventually set up headquarters in San Francisco, where he had a large, racially diverse following and ingratiated himself with a number of political leaders by offering Peoples Temple members as campaign volunteers. In 1976, San Francisco’s mayor appointed the charismatic, power-hungry Jones, who traveled with bodyguards, to the city’s Housing Authority and he soon became its chairman. However, in 1977, following a slew of negative publicity about Temple members being physically and mentally abused by Jones, he relocated with some 1,000 of his followers to the Guyanese jungle, where he promised they would create a utopian community. Instead, the followers were subjected to harsh living conditions and punished if they questioned Jones’ authority. After a botched visit by a US Congressperson, Jones ordered his followers to drink Cyanide laced kool aid and Jones himself died from a gunshot wound to the head.

This is a somewhat extreme illustration and Although many of the followers realized that Jones had lied to them, it was too late by that time and could not get out. They were looking for something to that was missing and they thought Jones could fulfill that hole.

Application: As we build our church on God’s True Word, we have to watch for people from the outside and also the inside.

People coming from the outside is usually a little bit easier to guard against because we have to build trust and a relationship with them. So it may be easier to ferret out the intentions and if people come here wanting to teach, we would put them under scrutiny for their doctrine and beliefs to make sure they line up Biblically. This is a little easier because we don’t have to let the become members of the church. If we are all aware, when we we are hiring people for some positions or perhaps interviewing them as members, we can head this situation off at the pass. We must ask them pertinent questions

People on the inside may be a little harder because we know them and the change may be gradual. However people’s ideas and thoughts change with regards on how they think God works and sometimes their ideas may drift to the heretical side. Once this happens, We have to either try to correct them or we may have to do what Paul says n chapter 1 and give them over to Satan. We would have to basically expel them from the church.

Transition: When You are focused on the truth of God’s word, and we put our trust in God and that trust gives us a hope for our lives now but also our eternal lives later

II. Because You Have Hope for Now and Later (6-10)

Explanation: Paul is reminding and encouraging Timothy how to lead his church. Leadership is more than telling people what to do, but it is leading by example. Jesus set the example, Paul followed it and he is now encouraging Timothy to follow Christ by working toward godliness

Paul encourages Timothy that working out is good for your body and life now, but your spiritual exercise is more important for your future life. And Paul tells us the reason why it is important to keep on persevering. In his book Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life he says “Discipline without direction is drudgery.”

And Paul gives Timothy the direction that he needs to develop the discipline.

(ESV): 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.

The advice Paul gives to Timothy is for Timothy but it can be useful, not just for me as to the leadership expectations, but also that you know what my and other elders expectations are to lead the church. Paul’s advice, especially verses 8-10 are also instructive and encouraging to all believers.

Illustration: Have you ever scrimped and saved for a period of time? Maybe you wanted to buy a. New house or a car or anything else that you want. And you are willing to make all your meals at home or maybe eat ramen or peanut butter and jelly sandwiches to save all the money you can. Why? because you know that the brong meals you eat or the extra work you put in, will only last for a short amount of time. You know how much money you need to save or whatever your goal is and so you now that the sacrifice is temporary.

The same thing goes for your sanctification or becoming Godly. You know that this life is temporary so you don’t have to put up with everything for ever. And the forever. Partisan heaven and it is the promise of joy and being in God’s presence.

Application: Becoming more Godly, means becoming less fleshly.

When you live without certain things long enough, you realize what you really need and don’t need to live.

It requires discipline to stick to the Godly things or as Paul’s refers to it in , “But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts.” Whatever your sin is, it keeps you away from God. You must repent and you have to rely on the Holy Spirit to give you the strength to swear off or put up the barrier to keep you fenced off from the wolves that stalk around you and try to tempt you.

The psalms are a great source of encouragement for us.

says

“How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. With all my heart I have sought You; Do not let me wander from Your commandments. Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.”

However, sometimes, like all sheep, we stray from the pen occasionally and we sin. This does not mean you lose your salvation. Christ's sacrifice on the cross is not that cheap or easily thrown away or dirtied it by your sin.

God's word helps us understand what is expected of us from God and when we also violate that expectation. This discipline does not need to be legalistic or dogmatic, but it is done with hope.

Transition: Your discipline in the faith should be fueled by your hope that you are growing in your faith.

III. Because You Can Grow as You Persevere (11-16)

Explanation: Paul is now giving timothy more instruction and he starts giving out adages or little fatherly advice and he encourages Timothy to keep on going, he tells Timothy to persist, to keep teaching, dive into or immerse himself into the teaching, to keep watch out for false teachers.

Timothy is going to grow in his pastoral role and skills as he persists in his job. Paul reminds Timothy that he has been chosen to be the overseer here. Paul encourages Timothy that don’t let anyone harass you or doubt you because you are younger.

How many of you feel like you are wondering what you are doing as. A Christian. Maybe why me? What makes me special that God would adopt me?

Application: You can persist in your Christian life because God has appointed you for some purpose.

Two things come mind here:

1) You are Chosen for a purpose. Sometimes we know right away, sometimes it takes a while. Each of us is put in the places God needs us to be for the length of time he needs us there to do the job he needs done. Abraham and Sarah were chosen to be the parents of the nations.This was in the Covenant promise. They had to wait roughly 30 years or so before they had a child. Moses was trained to be a king and leader but had to wait about 80 years to do his job.

God not only chose you, but he equipped you. This is the what Paul is talking about when he says to “do not neglect the gift you have.” No role is too big or to small. Minor characters in the Bible also play key roles. It continues to our day. Some people are like Billy Graham he reaches millions of people but there are countless pastors in the cities he comes to that help minister and disciple those converts that respond to the Gospel message. It i a hand off that Paul describes as planting and watering. He does not care who does what because we each have jobs to do in building the church. The plumber is no less important than the carpenters or the drywallers.

Transition: God has everything drawn out like the great arch tech to that he is. He did not put Timothy in place as an overseer because he ran out of people. He did it because he gave Timothy a specific set of skills and gifts to led the Ephesians into their next phase.

Conclusion:

When we are working toward Godliness we are spending our resources or spiritual money wisely because becoming Godly is profitable for all things.

It is because it allows u to focus on truth of God’s word, we can have hope and we can grow In our perseverance.

Two frogs fell into a can of cream,

Or so I’ve heard it told.

The sides of the can were shiny and steep,

The cream was deep and cold.

“Oh, what’s the use?” croaked number one.

“Tis fate, no help’s around.

Good-bye, my friend!

Good-bye, sad world.”

And weeping still, he drowned.

But number two, of sterner stuff,

Dog-paddled in surprise.

The while he wiped his creamy face,

And dried his creamy eyes.

“I’ll swim awhile at least,” he said,

Or so I’ve heard he said;

“It really wouldn’t help the world,

If one more frog were dead.”

An hour or two he kicked and swam,

Not once he stopped to mutter,

But kicked and kicked and swam and kicked,

Then hopped out, via butter!

Paul is encouraging Timothy to keep going, not because he is afraid of him losing his salvation, but because Paul is all in for Jesus. And he wants Timoty to be all in as well. Because as timothy leads the church, he has to be all in so his people will be 100% on board. Some people will not be and they may leave or it may take them a while to get there.

As we build our church, we have to be all in as well. Your eternity has the highest stakes and you can trust God that He is backing you.

The question for you this week is, are you all in for God?