Just Do It

Summary: A sermon admonishing young people to set an example with their lives

A sermon on 1st Timothy 4:12

Topic: Just Do IT

Apostle Paul was writing to young Timothy. And he wrote, ‘Don’t let anyone look down on you

because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith

and in purity.’

Timothy was being criticized for being too young to be in leadership

Now the context of these words, the reason the Apostle Paul wrote these lines to Timothy, was

that Timothy was being criticized for his leadership. [1] There wasn’t anything wrong with

Timothy’s leadership per se, with the things the young man was doing as a leader. Rather,

Timothy was being criticized for being too young to be a leader, - too young to hold the level of

responsibility that a leader in the church finds himself or herself in. [2] Now that wasn’t the

only root of the problem. Timothy’s teachings were at odds with his critics’. [3] But here,

Timothy was taking flak for being too young to have the kinds of responsibilities he held in life.

How should we handle criticism?

And what was Timothy suppose to do about that? How was he supposed to handle this

criticism? ‘Well, we learn to handle criticism in different ways. Sometimes we leave.

Sometimes we go quiet. Sometimes we lash back in anger.’ But the Apostle Paul’s advice [5]

to Timothy as to how he should handle criticism was, ‘Don’t give those peoples any grounds

for criticism’.

‘Set an example!’ Paul told him, ‘Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young,

but set an example for the believers!’ ‘What comes to mind when you think of: Richard Nixon,

or Monica Lewinsky, Pete Rose, Jimmy Swaggart? [6]’ What kind of ‘example’ did those people

set for us with their lives? What sort of example did they leave us? Paul tells young Timothy to

‘set an example’.

But an example in what? Well, Paul here sites five areas where this young man, or any of us for

that matter, might set an example with our lives. [7] He lists: ‘speech, conduct, love, faith and

purity.’ Two of them, speech and behavior, refer to our public life, what other people are saying

about us. And three of them, love, faith, and purity, - they are more inner qualities. They have to

do with our inner selves, the life of our spirit, our hearts. They are inner qualities. But our inner

qualities, they have a way of coming out, manifesting themselves, in our public lives. People

see them in our daily walk. But Paul sites these five areas

where young Timothy

might ‘set an example’ to those around him: ‘speech, behavior, love, faith and purity.’

1. Set an example in Speech

He begins by telling Timothy to, ‘set an example in speech’. And it is not surprising that

speech is the first thing Paul mentions. Because, our speech has such an impact on the world

around us! How do you feel when you’re criticized? Contrast that with how you feel when

you’re honored! Our speech has a huge impact on the people around us! [8] Paul reminds us

first and foremost to, ‘Set an example with our speech’. And whether that be through tone of

voice or the words we choose, we should, as Christians, ‘Set the world an example with our

speech’.

2. Set an example in Behavior

Paul also tells us to ‘set an example…with our life.’ The word there in the Greek is literally,

‘behavior’ or ‘conduct’. We should ‘set an example with our conduct

. ‘A while back there was an incident at a Passion Play, in the

scene where Jesus carries the cross. As the play was proceeding, a man in the audience

started heckling the actor playing Jesus, with taunts and dares. At first the actor just ignored

it. But the guy kept going on and on. Finally the actor playing Jesus he gets really mad and he

blows up. He throws down his cross. He charges out into the audience. And he hauls off and

punches the guy. The two were broken apart. And Jesus started apologizing profusely. But the

director said to him, ‘Look I don’t care if you’re the real Jesus! You ever pull a stunt like that

again and you’re fired! The next night the same heckler was back doing the same thing. At first

Jesus just ignored it. But as the heckler kept going on and on, Jesus got madder and madder.

He started trembling. Finally, the man playing Jesus throws down his cross and shouts at the

heckler, "I’ll deal with you!

We say we’re Christians. ‘Set an example in your behavior!’ The Christ in you is the only Christ

a lot of people in this world are ever going to see! ‘Set an example in your behavior!’ People are

watching: ‘The way we treat others, How we react when we are wronged, The way we spend

our time.’ ‘Set an example in your behavior!’ Be gentle and godly. ‘Set an example in your

behavior!’

Paul also told Timothy, ‘Set an example in your love!’ This is easier with some folks than

others. And like Jesus in that Passion Play it can be hard to love people who are openly

criticizing us. [9] [10] But ‘set an example with your love’ Paul says.

‘A group of salesmen attended a convention in Chicago.

They were rushing to catch their plane back home. And in their rush, one of the salesmen

inadvertently kicked over a table that held

a display of apples that this young woman was selling. Apples flew everywhere. But they were

late. So without stopping or looking back, they all kept running and just managed to reach

their plane in time for boarding. All but one! He felt guilty. He paused, took a deep breath, got in

touch with his inner guilt, and told his buddies to go on without him. He’d catch the next flight.

He returned to where the apples were all over the floor. And looking, he saw that the young

woman selling the apples was blind! She was crying in frustration as she groped around on

the floor for her produce. In the busy terminal the crowd was swirling about her. And no one

had stopped to help her. The salesman said nothing as he knelt on the floor with her and

helped her gather up the apples. He helped put them back on her display. As he did so, he

noticed that several of them had become bruised. “Are you okay?" he asked. She nodded

through the tears. And he pulled out his wallet and said, "Here, I’ll buy all these bruised ones”.

As the salesman started to walk away to catch the next flight, the bewildered blind girl, she

called out to him, "Mister..." He looked back. "Are you Jesus?" As he walked away to catch the

next flight home that question kept bouncing about in his mind, "Are you Jesus?"’ The Christ in

you is the only Christ a lot of people in this world will ever see! ‘Set an example with your love’

Paul writes.

Paul also counseled Timothy to ‘Set an example in faith.’ Probably ‘One of the greatest lies we

churches tell ourselves is that, "Young people are the church of tomorrow." You are the church

of today!’ You are his witnesses in this world! With a lot of people you’re his only witness! ‘Do

other people know that Christ is first place in your life? Do they know that you live your life to

honor Christ?’ ‘Set an example in faith’ Paul tells us.

5.

And then lastly, Paul concludes, ‘Set an example in purity’. The word here in the Greek is

literally ‘chastity’. Timothy was young. And Timothy was single. And Paul tells him, ‘Set an

example in purity’. What is Paul saying? Well, ‘purity’ means: that if we’re single we wait for

our intended, ‘if we are married, we focus our desire on our spouse, and married or not, ‘purity’

means we don’t allow impure thoughts to control our minds’. ‘Set an example in purity’, Paul

tells us. But now, ‘the ‘purity’ refereed to here is not just saying ‘no’ to relations at the wrong

time and wrong place in life, although that’s a piece of it.’ The word there in the Greek is

literally ‘chastity’. But here the more general meaning of the word is intended, ‘purity’. And that

is the way most Bibles translate it. ‘Set an example in purity’. And what exactly is that? Well,

‘Purity is the undiluted life’: purity of action, purity of motives, purity of intentions. As they say,

‘Following Christ is more than Christianity is a consecration of our heart. Everyone makes

mistakes. But on the deepest level, ‘purity’ in the Christian life is a consecration of the heart. It

is an orientation of our lives. We all make mistakes. But ‘purity’ in the Christian life is the

giving of our hearts, to Christ, and to Christ alone. The Apostle Paul wrote us, ‘Set an example

for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.’

[1] It is easy to be a fault finder

[2] People have a tendency to look down on people younger than themselves.

[5] In contrast, the World the Flesh, and the Devil, always try to lead us in ungodly ways.

[8] Jesus taught that we will one day have to give an account for every word we have spoken in

this life, ‘Every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day

of judgment.’ (Matthew 12:36), which is a scary thought. On one level our speech simply

reflects what is in our heart. Jesus also said, ‘The mouth speaks out of that which fills the

heart. The good man out of his mouth good treasure brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of

his mouth evil treasure brings forth what is evil.’ (Matthew 12:34b–35)

[9] Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27, 6:35

[10] It is said, ‘Oftentimes criticism can be dispelled by words of love given in exchange for

unkind words.’

[11] Again, Paul’ point to Timothy was along the lines of, ‘live a life of purity and you give your

critics no grounds to condemn your ministry’. Timothy is to do these things on one level to

gain more respect in the church visa vie the false teachers. And if you read on Paul goes to

reminds Timothy

not to neglect his gifts (vs. 14).

[12] ‘Purity is also a focused and real life, not hiding behind masks and doors, not pretending

to be someone we are not. It is being genuine with our selves, and God, and neighbors.’

[13] And Honor the Lord with your life and He’ll bless you (See Psalm 119:1). Young people

Just

do it live a godly life. Just do it because its the right thing to do. Just do it because the bible

says do it . As i close live a

Life where Jesus will some day say to you well done my good and faithful servent you have

Been faithful over a few things i will make you ruler over many things. Live a life that will

Make your parents proud to say thats my child. Live a life that you one day can look back and

Say to your children i live a godly life it was not easy but i did it and i am proud of the outcome

Of my life. Jesus lived that kind of life and even on the cross as He hang their He had a

moment

To look back over His life and see all He had done and once He did that He said It Is Finished

He died EST..............