2020-10-25 1 Timothy 4:7-10 A GOOD SERVANT (3): LIVES OUT HIS FAITH

A GOOD SERVANT (3): LIVES OUT HIS FAITH (I Tim 4:7-10) October 25, 2020 Read I Tim 4:6-10 – One day as a child, Teddy Roosevelt informed Mom he would never set foot inside church again. When questioned, she found he was terrified of something called the “zeal”. The minister had read Jn 2:17: “His disciples remembered that it was written, ‘Zeal for your house will consume me.’” Teddy wanted no part of whatever it was that would eat him alive! But being consumed by zeal for the right thing is good. Titus 2:14: [Christ] “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.” Some think how we act after accepting Christ is of little consequence. But it’s not true. We’ve been saved from lawlessness to be zealous for good works. A true believer is in all-out pursuit of godliness. Eph 1:4: “even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him.” If you’re not pursuing godliness, you’re like not His. So, here, Paul’s telling Timothy the marks of “a good servant of CJ” – the one who will one day hear, “Well done good and faithful servant” (Mt 25:21). This is our birthright. And so far we’ve seen I. A Good Servant Warns Against Error; II. A Good Servant Feeds on the Word; and III. A Good Servant Avoids Religious Myths of which we identified a bunch last week. Some say a good servant just let’s go and let’s God. Don’t stress it. Others make good works the means of salvation. Both are wrong, so watch how Paul balances grace and works in a good servant! IV. A Good Servant Works Hard at Godliness A. Godliness Takes Hard Work – Here’s a wake-up call for those who teach the Xn life is all God and nothing of me. So dead wrong. Sure there is danger of legalism – reducing the Xn life to a series of do’s and don’t’s – mostly don’t’s –take all the color out of life. But that’s not what this is about. This is about loving Jesus so much we will do anything to become like Him. That takes discipline, but discipline with enthusiasm. How do Olympic athletes prepare to go for gold? Read up on how to do a triple axel or run the 100? No. They do 4 main things. They control their diet – no junk food; they study the mechanics of their event; they avoid distractions 1 like parties; and then practice, practice, practice – right? Every dedicated athlete follows such a regime. Why? Bc they hate parties, hate food, love to study and love to workout? Hardly. But they know that’s the way to the gold! And spiritual gold requires no less discipline. Look at it. V. 6 – “being trained [nourished] in the words of faith” – right diet; “good doctrine” – right mechanics of Xn living; V. 7 – “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths” – no distractions; V. 7b: “train yourself for godliness” – practice. You don’t do these bc you love them, but bc they produce the gold, Christlikeness. “Train yourself” – γυμναζω – gymnasticize! You don’t go to the gym to rest. You go to work out. Gymnasticize! Root word γυμνος = naked. Greek athletes competed without clothing, so their movements would not be hindered. Every Greek city of any size had a gym where people went, stripped down and trained – ran, lifted weights, exercised, sweated – all to go for the gold. They ran until their body cried for air, pumped iron until they could not do another rep, exercised until every muscle burned. That’s Paul’s word for building godliness. Holy sweat, as Kent Hughes says. V. 10: “For to this end we toil and strive” – literally labor and agonize. Paul paid the price to go for the gold. Godliness – doing things in keeping with God’s character. How would God act? Look at Jesus. That’s how. And to become like Him? Gymnaticize, train, practice until your spiritual hands are calloused and your spiritual muscles burn. Anyone says it’s easy – they lie. How do we build godliness – practice. When we fail, we get up, confess it, analyze how improve and go again. Fight with you parents? Or Kids? Or spouse? Don’t just do the same thing again. Analyze what you could have done differently and be prepared for next time. I had a piano teacher who drilled it into me. It isn’t just practice. Practice a mistake over and over and you’ll never improve. You have to slow down long enough to do it differently. That’s what practice is all about. You say, you mean I have to practice holiness? Absolutely. Turn Heb 5:14: “But solid food is for the mature, for those who have their powers of discernment (spiritual sensitivity) trained [gymnasticized] by constant [watch now. By constant] practice to distinguish good from evil.” You want to be like Christ – and if you really know Him, you will – then you have to work at it – practice. I was 8 when we moved from NE farm to Hutch, KS. First day, a neighbor brought over a mitt and a baseball. I’d never seen a glove before. My 1st effort was ugly, but it with practice, I got better and better – learning to hold the glove, watch the ball into the mitt and squeeze at just the right time. Jascha 2 Heifitz, greatest violinist of the 20th century, began playing at 3 and practiced every day until death at 75 – some 102,000 hours of practice, most after he was great! A lady once fawned over the pianist Paderewski, telling him what a genius he was. He said, “Madam, before I was a genius, I was a drudge.” So we all start as spiritual drudges. How do we get better? Practice. Noting when we get it wrong, confessing the sin, asking God for help, analyzing how to do better next time. Gymnasticize. Godliness is hard work. B. Godliness is Worth It -- 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.” Paul’s not saying no physical exercise. As the temple of the HS, we need to care for our body. But at best, that’s only of some value! As a boy, I sometimes watched Jack LaLanne doing an exercise show. He was ripped before it was in. Every birthday he’d do some amazing stunt. Age 41: Swam, handcuffed from Alcatraz to Fisherman’s Wharf. Age 60. Did it again, this time towing a 1,000-pound boat. Age 66 – towed 10 boats in Miami with 77 people for over a mile in less than an hour. Crazy stuff. He ate right, sold juicers into his 90’s and enjoyed great health. He died in 2011 at 96, having done his normal workout the day before. Bodily training was of some value to him. But from 2011 on, it has benefited him nothing. In his 97th year, it was no benefit at all. So was it beneficial for the first 96. Sure. But limited value. But “godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.” He’s not saying avoid physical exercise. But he’s saying, godliness is better. You train in godliness and you get value now – and later. It’s not limited to 96 years! He’s not saying neglect the physical; he’s saying prioritize the spiritual. It’s of greater value both now and later. People who obey God live longer, healthier, happier in this life. They don’t drink to excess, don’t tear apart their families, kill others in traffic accidents. Those who obey God regarding gluttony and eating properly are on average healthier. Years ago Dr. S. I. McMillen wrote a book, None of These Diseases. The title was taken from Exod 15:6 where God tells Israel, “If you will . . . give ear to [God’s] commandments and keep all his statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you that I put on the Egyptians.” The book shows medically that following God’s prescriptions leads to greater health and happiness. Stress levels are reduced. Chemical imbalances are minimized, and everything from the taste of food to one’s sex life is better. Godliness pays in this life. 3 But the benefits multiply in the life to come. What we do NOW affects who we are and what we enjoy THEN. Jesus says, Mt 6:20: “But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven.” There would be no point in doing that – godliness being one means of doing that – if it did not provide some benefit. Believers will face judgment there, not for salvation, but for rewards: I Cor 3:13: “each one’s work will become manifest, for the Day will disclose it, bc it will be revealed by fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each one has done. 14 If the work that anyone has built on the foundation survives, he will receive a reward. 15 If anyone’s work is burned up, he will suffer loss, though he himself will be saved, but only as thru fire.” So every believer has Christ as the foundation of life. But by our works we build on Him – either things that would withstand fire = gold, silver, gems, (godliness) or things that will burn up = wood, hay, straw. Every deed, word and thought falls into one category or the other. So what we do here results in eternal reward or eternal loss of reward we could have had there! II Cor 5:10: For we must all appear before the judgment seat [Bema] of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” We can be sure that whatever the rewards, they will be worth it. God never underpays, right? Queen Mary of England often took walks without escort. One day she got caught in the rain. She stopped at a nearby house and said, “I’m a ways from home. If you’ll lend me an umbrella, I’ll send it back tomorrow.” Not recognizing the queen, and reluctant to give her a good umbrella, she gave one that was pretty done in. Next day, a royal guard returned the umbrella. He said, “The Queen sent me to thank you for loaning her this.” Stunned, she said: “What a chance I missed. I didn’t give the queen my best!” There will be a lot of that at the Bema. We’ll wish then godliness had been more priority. V. A Good Servant Trusts in God Alone A. Faith is in God, Not Works – Now, Paul makes a strange remark. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God.” Logically he should have said, “We toil and strive bc that’s the only way we can make it. Gotta get it right if we’re going to be saved.” But that’s not what he says. Instead he says, “We work hard at godliness bc our hope is in God, not in the works. His point is, “We work hard at godliness not to get saved, but bc we’ve already been saved.” That difference is so critical to motivation. Why work so hard at this? Bc my hope is in God who “loved me and gave Himself for me” (Gal 2:20c). Titus 3:5: “He saved 10) 4 us, not bc of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy.” It is faith alone that saves us. Our hope is in Him, no in ourselves. This is the lesson of Abe. At age 75, God promised him descendants as numerous as the sand at the shore. At age 85, nothing had happened, so Abe took matters into his own hands, got a son by his wife’s maid and then 15 on when God renewed the promise, he pleaded with God: Gen 17:18: “Oh that Ishmael might live before you!” “God, please, let it be Ishmael!” Why? Bc he loved that boy, and he knew he was Rom 4:19 “as good as dead.” He was 100 years old and sexually unable. But he got Isaac anyway. Don’t you see God’s point. He made Abe and Sarah wait 25 years – until they were physically impotent, before He sent His own answer – Isaac – Laughter – God’s sense of humor, teaching a critical lesson. We’re saved by faith alone, not by works. B. Faith is Demonstrated by Works – Ultimately, you can’t separate the two. That’s Paul’s point in the last puzzling phrase. 10) “God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.” “Savior of all people?” So does that mean everyone will eventually be saved? Other Scripture shows that can’t be right. Jesus Himself says in Mt 7:14: “For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” He warns the Pharisees, Mt 23:33: “You serpents, you brood of vipers, who are you to escape being sentenced to hell?” Jesus Himself warns there will be many on that day who plead good works they’ve done for Him to whom He will say, “I never knew you; depart from me” (Mt 7:23b). Clearly, everyone will not be saved in the end. That’s a lie from Satan himself. So how is God “Savior of all people”? In the sense that any of us are walking around at all! Outside of Christ we all deserve hell. It is only by God’s grace that He allows opportunity after opportunity to turn to Him. He is the Savior of all men in that He does not condemn them the moment they deserve it. But He is Savior “especially of those who believe.” All are saved for the moment. Only those who believe are saved for eternity. Jn 5:24: “Truly, truly I say to you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life. He does not come into judgment, but has passed from death to life.” How do you know those? By their works. By their pursuit of godliness. The works don’t save; but they show saving faith has happened in that life. This is the message of Eph 2:8-10: “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9) not a result of works, so that no one may boast. 10) For we are his workmanship, 5 created in Christ Jesus for good works.” Do you see it? We were given new life in Christ not because of good works, but for good works. We’re saved by faith; the works just demonstrate the reality of the faith. Works are the fruit of faith, not the root. Faith and works are like dominoes lined up in a row. Topple the first one named faith – and all the rest, labeled works, also topple. You can’t move one without moving all. And you can’t have true faith without works following like night follows day. So we strive for godliness bc we want to be like Him, not to try to earn Him. Conc – A good servant – has that zeal that TR so feared – a zeal for godliness. Imagine a good father coaching his beloved son’s baseball team. Dad loves his son completely. If he strikes out, the love and acceptance do not change. And while both are disappointed, there is no loss of love, and the son knows that. Yet he longs to get that hit, not to earn Dad’s love – but bc he knows he is already loved. So a good servant of CJ longs to get it right – not to earn Him, but bc he is loved and loves in return. Let’s pray. 6