1 Timothy 4
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Handout
How not to desert Christ
How not to desert Christ
If we were to go from member to member and ask, “Why are you at LVC?” I can hazard a guess at the answers we would get.
I like the style of music.
I like the children’s ministry.
The people were friendly when I joined.
The pastor is handsome. (Perhaps more likely: The pastor remembered my name.)
There were lots of eligible bachelors or bachelorettes.
We live in consumerist world, a world in which consumerism has gone mad. We are spoiled by excessive choice and we believe that we need to have just the right set of variables for our unique needs. (I have news for you: you’re not as unique as you think.)
Example 1: Buying jeans. There are a million options … skinny, tight, with holes, without holes, normal cut, and so on.
Example 2: Cell phones. Again, infinite options.
The problem is that we choose our churches the same we choose our clothes—we have a list of personal preferences that we think will make us happy or comfortable, and we shop for the church that checks the most boxes. This would not be bad if the things on our lists reflected God’s priorities, i.e. our eternal well-being, but sadly they tend to reflect little more than our self-serving preferences.
This morning I am going to teach you some of the things that should be on “your list.” The wisdom we need come from 1 Timothy 4.
Play the video clip, “Church Hunters 2.”
This morning I am going to teach you some of the things that should be on “your list.” The wisdom we need come from 1 Timothy 4.
A. THE REALITY: You are in danger of deception and desertion
A. THE REALITY: You are in danger of deception and desertion
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
1 Timothy
You need to note three things Paul says that have direct and eternal significance for you.
1. The Spirit says that some [of you] will abandon the faith under the influence of false teachers.
1. The Spirit says that some [of you] will abandon the faith under the influence of false teachers.
The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.
The Holy Spirit clearly cautions that some believers (people just like you) will abandon the faith (the truth about Christ). What will cause them to abandon the faith? They will follow deceiving spirits and demonic doctrines. Some of you will abandon the faith, the truth about Christ, because you will be deceived by demons. This is what the Spirit of God has clearly cautioned.
We note two things about the false teachings that cause people to desert the truth faith about Christ:
Demons are the source of the false teachings (v. 1).
Deceivers are the agents of the false teachings (v. 2).
The devil is not against doctrine. He is only against true doctrine.
2. The majority of false teachings merge Christian beliefs with the cultural philosophies of the day.
2. The majority of false teachings merge Christian beliefs with the cultural philosophies of the day.
They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.
Paul was cautioning Timothy against a dangerous error that was popular in the church in Ephesus. No less a scholar than Prof. Gordon Fee argues that it was the elders of the church who were spreading it. Here we see that the error had two elements:
They forbid people to marry. This idea had its roots in one of the emerging pagan philosophies that saw the body as evil and the spirit as good. Therefore, marriage (including sex) was bad.
They espouse food laws. This was classical Jewish tradition, a return to Torah. Faulty appropriation of the OT is a common source of errors.
I need to give some contemporary examples.
3. The errors are exposed if we evaluate them in the light of God’s major revelations.
3. The errors are exposed if we evaluate them in the light of God’s major revelations.
They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
Paul briefly corrects the one error, namely, the introduction of Jewish food laws into the church. He points out that (1) God created everything good, (2) the Word of God—referring to the NT revelation of how Christ had made all foods clean—had pronounced all food holy, and (3) they are holy to believers who receive them with prayer, i.e. gratitude to God as the Giver.
I need to talk about testing everything biblically and especially christocentrically.
The devil uses such deceptive teachers to lure believers away from the faith. You are in danger of being deceived and deserting the Lord, with dire and eternal consequences. In verses 6–16, Paul presents what he considers to be the antidote to this disease. He was talking to a pastor, telling him what to do to protect his people against abandoning the faith. You need to approach it from the other side, from the vantage point of a church member. To protect yourself, you need to find and follow pastors who do what Paul told Timothy to practise.
II. THE RESPONSE: The surest safeguard is to commit to a church in which the pastors consistently prioritise the basics of being a good minister of Christ Jesus.
II. THE RESPONSE: The surest safeguard is to commit to a church in which the pastors consistently prioritise the basics of being a good minister of Christ Jesus.
If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.
1 Timothy 4:6
They key phrase in the chapter is “you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus,” here in v. 6. This is Paul’s response to the situation in which deceit causes some to abandon the faith. A good shepherd protects the sheep. He fends off wolves. He feeds them healthy food, not poison ivy.
This begs the question: What makes someone a good minister of Christ Jesus? In the rest of the chapter, Paul outlines five characteristics that will make Timothy a good minister of Christ Jesus.
1. Good ministers expose spurious teachings (v. 6a, 11).
1. Good ministers expose spurious teachings (v. 6a, 11).
If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.
1 Timothy
Command and teach these things.
1 Timothy
If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.
i. They feed on sound theology (v. 6b).
“If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus”! What are “these things”? … They are the things in verses 1–5. If Timothy exposes and refutes the dangerous errors threatening the church, he will be a good minister.
Good shepherds watch the horizons; when they see predators, they sound the alarm. Good ministers scan the environment; when they see predators and poisonous lies, they sound the alarm. A shepherd who is not alert to wolves is not a good shepherd. His sheep will become prey. A minister who does not scan the spiritual environment, discerning dangerous ideas, is not a good shepherd. The sheep will be deceived and some will abandon the faith.
LVC members: Do your teachers expose and refute spurious teachings? If we do, you are in a safe flock. If we do not, you are in grave danger … even if the music is good and the people are friendly.
They feed on sound theology (v. 6b).
They forsake speculative theologising (v. 7a).
2. Good ministers exemplify Christilike virtues (vv. 7b–9, 12).
2. Good ministers exemplify Christilike virtues (vv. 7b–9, 12).
This emphasis comes up twice in the passage and receives as much attention as does sound teaching.
Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance.
If you look at the priorities of the typical Christian, you would assume the reverse: physical exercise has eternal value and godliness has some utility.
Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.
Talk about how irrelevant age is, fashion is, etc. compared to the pursuit of Christlike character.
LVC members: Do your leaders pursue godliness and holiness? Do they exemplify being like Jesus in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity? If they do, you are in a safe place. If they do not, you are in a goat-fold.
3. Good ministers expound the Scriptures (v. 13).
3. Good ministers expound the Scriptures (v. 13).
Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching.
A stead diet of conscientious Bible teaching is not only the number one predictor of spiritual growth, but also the number one protector of spiritual health. Bear in mind that first-century Christians did not own copies of the Bible. Therefore, it was Timothy’s task to ensure that they became biblically literate. Paul tells him to do three things. Although I like the NIV translation, I do not agree with its rendering of verse 13. The three tasks are (1) the public reading of Scripture (I agree with that one), (2) preaching (don’t agree), and (3) teaching (half agree). Let’s take a look at them.
Reading: what it says. Timothy should help the church to know what the Bible says.
ii. Exhortation: what it requires
Exhortation: what it requires. The word that the NIV translates preaching is not one of the two Greek words for “preaching.” The word means exhortation. In this context, the point is that Timothy should teach them what the Bible requires them to do, how they should live.
iii. Teaching: what is means
Teaching: what is means. This does not refer to the act of teaching, but to the content of teaching.
The good minister helps his people to know what the Bible ways, to understand what it means, and to do what it requires.
How does he do this?
One of the best ways is by doing what I am attempting to do right now: selecting a passage of Scripture and walking you through what it says, what it means, and what it requires. If we do this faithfully, week in and week out, you will be more difficult to dupe. This practice has a name: expository preaching.
What the good minister does not do is to cherry pick verses to make a point. They also refuse to look for fanciful explanations of verses. They do not claim special revelation from the Spirit in which they learned something about that verse that was not revealed before. (When you hear a preacher make that claim—the Holy Spirit showed me what this means, and it’s new revelation—you can be sure that you are listening to a deceiver.)
LVC members: Do your teachers diligently expound the Scriptures, helping you to know what they say, to understand what they mean, and to do what they require? If so, you are safe. If not, you’re vulnerable.
4. Good ministers exercise their spiritual gifts (v. 14).
4. Good ministers exercise their spiritual gifts (v. 14).
Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
Why did Paul tell Timothy, “Do not neglect your gift?” We don’t know for sure what Timothy’s gift was. My best guess is an evangelist. He was facing some serious challenges in the church. It would be easy for him to be so consumed doing what must be done that he neglects to prioritise what God has primarily gifted and called him to do.
Pastors who refuse to surrender to the tyranny of the urgent so that they prioritise God’s calling are good ministers of Christ Jesus. An implication is that they may not be able to service every bleat from each sheep.
In heaven: Your cook is Italian. Your mechanic is German. Your policeman is English. Your lover is French. It is all organised by the Swiss.
Your cook is Italian.
Your mechanic is German.
Your policeman is English.
Your lover is French.
It is all organized by the Swiss.
In hell: Your cook is English. Your mechanic is French. Your policeman is German. Your lover is Swiss. It is all organised by the Italians.
Your cook is English.
Your mechanic is French.
Your policeman is German.
LVC members: Do your leaders prioritise the eternal matters of studying, praying, teaching within their God-given calling over the tyranny of every “urgent” need might draw them away from it?
Your lover is Swiss.
It is all organized by the Italians.
5. Good ministers endeavour to save all (vv. 10, 15–16).
5. Good ministers endeavour to save all (vv. 10, 15–16).
Each of the response paragraphs ends with a focus on salvation.
That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.
The good minister knows the living God, who is the Saviour of all people, especially of those who believe. You might think this is a given, but I assure you it is not. Many ministers are victims of liberal theology. They have lost the burning conviction that Jesus is the living God and the Saviour of all who believe. They have abandoned the faith and followed deceiving spirits. And it shows: they have no gospel to preach. They have no message of eternal life to offer. The passion for the lost to be save is gone, usually replace with social-justice causes like “save the rhinos,” “protect the planet,” or “feed the poor.” These are not bad, but they have no eternal value. Jesus saves people forever.
Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
What an interesting ending! The Greek phrase for “give yourself wholly to them” is literally “be in them.” The idea is to be immersed in them. As a fish is in water, so a good minister should be immersed in “these matters”? What matters? Exposing false teaching. Exemplifying Christlike character. Expounding the Word of God. Exercise their spiritual gift.
Paul says that if they are immersed in these things, “everyone will see your progress.” Say what? Why does that matter? It is a sure indicator of authenticity. Deceitful ministers usually peddle a message for profit. They are not engaged in a lifelong pursuit of truth. So if you see someone immersed in the quest for wisdom and Christlikeness, that person is probably a sincere servant of Jesus and safe to follow.
Howard Hendricks: The professor at his desk every morning at 5 a.m.
The final point is noteworthy. If Timothy perseveres in these matters, he will save himself and his hearers (his church). Did Paul really think Timothy’s eternal destiny was at stake. It seems so. Is the eternal destiny of those who follow a pastor at stake depending on how faithful he is in “these matters”? It sure is.
LVC members: Do you have leaders who labour passionately in these matters because they know Jesus Christ is the only Saviour of all? Do your teachers present a Saviour or a social-justice agenda? Are they immersed in these matters, constantly learning and growing? If so, they will “save you” (i.e. They will help you to know the Saviour). If not, be wary of following them.
Conclusion
Conclusion
The surest safeguard is to commit to a church in which the pastors consistently prioritise the basics of being a good minister of Christ Jesus
To summarise: You are at risk of being deceived and deserting Christ. Indeed, ten years from now, many of us in this room will have abandoned the faith. Even if you feel secure, you are in danger.
The antidote Paul offers is a church in which the leaders are good ministers of Christ Jesus. They should:
expose false teachings;
exemplify Christlike character;
expound the Scriptures;
exercise their spiritual gifts; and,
endeavour to save all.
These are the marks of a good minister and a healthy ministry. Do not choose your eternal influences based on music preferences, the coolness of the pastors, or the availability of marriage partners. If you choose your eternal influences based on consumerism, you may be consumed.