A Good Servant

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Introduction: What a powerful story of serving in spite of things that would cause others to not step up.

Transition to the Text: Turn with me in your Bibles 1 Timothy 4:6.

We’re continuing our study of 1st Timothy.

This letter started out with Paul instructing Timothy on how he is to lead the church at Ephesus. How to deal with difficult people in difficult times.

Now, Paul turns his attention to Timothy personally. How he is to live and act in the church.

Introduce: And really what Paul wants Timothy to do is:

Authentic Principle: Serve out of Pure Heart.

Read:

1 Timothy 4:6–16 (ESV)

6 If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.

7 Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;

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.

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.

11 Command and teach these things.

12 Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.

13 Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.

14 Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.

15 Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.

16 Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Authentic Principle: Serve out of a pure Heart.

1. Right belief is essential to effective service. (1 Timothy 4:6-8)

Explanation: Paul begins to articulate what it means for Timothy to be a good servant. What his role is in all of this.

For Timothy it all comes down to teaching people what they must believe, while combatting incorrect teaching and doctrine.

The source of Timothy’s effective service is the same as for all of us. Right belief.

Timothy was training in the words of faith and of the good doctrine that he was following. And he is charged to put these thing before others so that they too can be effective.

Right belief has a way of easing our mind.

Illustration: There is a peanuts cartoon that humorously shows this. [Read the cartoon]. Charles Shultz was a Christian who would often allow his faith to come through in his comics. Often it was subtle. Other times it was not so subtle.

But really that’s what Paul’s getting at.

Wrong belief distracts us.

This can be as overt as a failure to understand that God is in control.

But at the same time think about the differences between believe you can or cannot lose your salvation.

Or about whether the church will be present or raptured out of the great tribulation.

Or as Paul says, these people have a fundamental misunderstanding of the interpretation and application of the OT law. One that Paul instructs Timothy to correct.

Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths because they distract you from being a good servant.

Application: I think that one of the things that is so difficult in the world we live in is the the assault on truth. And if there is no absolute truth, that’s going to mess with our anxiety.

The first thing we have to figure out is who and what are we going to believe?

Paul tells us that you can truth God’s word. But can we take Paul’s word for it?

And here is the foundation of our faith? If you reject the Bible which ironically so many so-called Christians do, on what will you base your faith.

But what do you have to believe? What are the essentials? For me, I’ve come with 10.

The Trinity: God exists eternally as 3 persons; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

God is creator of the heavens and the earth and He is actively and intimately involved in His creation.

The Bible (OT and NT) is the authoritative Word of God and records God’s story of creation, fall, redemption and final restoration. The Bible must be read by Christians seeking know and serve God.

Through man was created innocent, we are now plagued by sin (originating with Adam and Eve) which separates us from God. Therefore we need a savior.

In fulfillment of prophecy, Jesus was born of virgin, lived a perfect life, and though He was without sin, died on the cross as a substitute to pay the penalty of our sin. He died, was buried and on the third day was bodily resurrected and ascended into heaven.

Faith in Jesus is the only way to heaven and to a relationship with God. We cannot earn it.

Salvation is by Grace through Faith.

Heaven and Hell are real places.

The Church is God’s family and primary means of taking the Gospel to the nations. And we must be a part of it with all of it’s imperfections.

Jesus is coming back. And all people will stand before His throne and will either receive eternal life or cast into eternal death.

These are the teaching and doctrines that make all of us Christians.

These are our convictions.

Added to this, are a few commitments we make in accordance with what it means to be a baptist.

Believers baptism by immersion.

2 offices of pastors and deacons. With pastor reserved for qualified men.

And part of being here means you’ll also affirm our commitments without causing division. If you disagree with these, that’s ok, but know that this might cause barriers to community here at North Hills.

Now, right belief is important, but we all know that actions speak louder than words.

So...

2. Right living is essential to effective service. (1 Timothy 4:9-12)

Explanation: The biggest hindrance to our ministry and witness is ourselves. This is where we have to be super easy to make our salvation about works. But we need to remember that we aren’t saved by living right, but are saved in order that we might live right.

Sin plagues us all and keeps us from being able to live right. That’s why the Bible says that no one is good, not even one.

It is only through the grace and power of Jesus that right living is even possible.

That’s why we can’t earn our salvation. And also why we can’t lose it.

But right living is still important. The way that we act in the church and the world tells the world about Jesus.

And of course, for Timothy, the way that he carried himself as a young man was incredibly important if he was to have any credibility with the church.

Young people carry a stigma, regardless of how they act. Young people are seen as immature, lazy, disorganized, not driven. Which if I do say so myself, is not often true, at least not in the general way people like to think.

Young people are just young. And they need time to grow up.

But older people can be imature, lazy disorganized and not driven as well. And when it comes to being a Christian, maturity is more than just age. I’ve seen 6th graders with more spiritual maturity that people in their 60s.

For Timothy in the Church at Ephesus. Though he was perhaps one of the younger people in the room, he was tasked with being the adult to a lot of immature older people.

Illustration: There comes a time in many a young person’s life that they realize they are an adult. In our culture, no one really tells you you are an adult. Plenty of people will tell you when you are not and when to grow up.

I was 21 or 22 years old as a leader on a youth retreat. A middle school boy was playing tag and ran into a ditch and hurt his leg.

Now my whole life, I had been told that whenever something bad happens, you find an adult. So what did I do, I looked around for an adult. Amidst a sea of middle schoolers, no adult could be found. A little bit of panic set in until I realized....oh wait. I’m the adult. I’m the one who needs to act in this situation.

Paul was telling young Timothy, you are the adult. Set the example.

In conduct. The way you live should model Jesus.

In love. How you love others.

In faith. The way your life reflects your belief in Jesus.

In purity. In a decadent culture filled with over-sexualization as well as drunkenness and debauchery.

And remember in vs. 10 we see that it all depends on our hope in Jesus. Who is the savior of the world.

And we see here in this verse that Jesus it is true that Jesus is the savior of the world, especially to those who believe. Seems kind of redundant.

But I think it’s a good reminder that the difficult people in our lives need Jesus too. People need to grow and more often than not, they need an example.

Application: We all need an example so that we can be an example. Paul reminds Timothy that his actions and must not be in response to how others act. If others mistreat him or look down on him, or revile him, this cannot cause him to act in kind. He has been called to a higher standard. A better way of living. One that is an example of right living. Paul’s actions must be rooted in his hope in God through Jesus Christ.

The people who mistreat you need Jesus. And you will never share Jesus with them if you are trying to get even.

Does that mean you have to be a doormat? No. But if being a doormat gets one more person into heaven, would you be a doormat for Jesus?

It’s worth considering how your right living might inspire someone else.

3. Serving is essential to effective service. (1 Timothy 4:13-16)

Explanation: In vs 13, Paul returns to his thought in 4:13 where he talks about his desire to come back to Ephesus and see Timothy.

Now Paul is a little more clear on what Timothy is supposed to do.

Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching.

Do not neglect the gift you have.

In other words, until Paul comes, Timothy is to use the gifts God has give Him to serve the church. These are not just things that Timothy thought he was good at. But these are things that were confirmed by God through the prophecy of others.

It’s not just about serving for the sake of serving.

There is a role in God’s church that only you can play. Like a puzzle piece in a puzzle called the church.

For Timothy, Paul acknowledges that Timothy’s greatest contribution to the church is teaching. Which means that Timothy will have to let other good things pass by or go undone in order to not neglect his greatest contribution.

And we see that in Paul’s letter. If you were to go back and read the entire book, and count all the times that Paul talked about Timothy’s teaching, it would be a lot.

Illustration: So many things in life distract us from what we are supposed to do. For Timothy it was teaching. For someone else it’s administration. For someone else it’s mercy.

Think of what Paul writes elsewhere conceptually:

1 Corinthians 12:14–27 ESV

14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.

In 1 Corinthians Paul writes merely conceptually.

In 1 Timothy he writes practically.

Timothy you are a mouth. Don’t neglect being a mouth. Don’t try to be an eye or even a foot, no matter how prestigious that role might be.

Teachers are not valued in our society nor were they necessarily valued then.

But that is what Timothy’s role was in the church. Teach.

Application: Each one of us need to find and serve in the role that God has chosen just for us.

Paul has already talked about the roles of Pastor and Deacon. Pastors must be able to teach. Deacons serve in a specific way by meeting the needs of the congregation. But while their are only 2 offices, everyone has a part to play.

Consider:

1 Corinthians 12:28–31 ESV

28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

What role do you play in God’s church?

Response: Is there anything keeping you from serving God in His church?

Summation:

Authentic Principle: SERVICE out of a pure HEART. 1. Right BELIEF is essential to effective SERVICE. (1 Timothy 4:6-8) 2. Right LIVING is essential to effective SERVICE. (1 Timothy 4:9-12) 3. Willful SERVING is essential to effective SERVICE. (1 Timothy 4:13-16) Response: Is there anything keeping you from SERVING God with a pure HEART?

Closing Illustration: Let’s make this a little personal for us today.

Perhaps we can each identify with the words of Paul to Timothy.

Believe the right things. Live Right. And serve.

Perhaps one sticks out more than the others.

Believing the right things begins with your own salvation.

Do you acknowledge that you are a sinner? Do you believe in and accept Jesus actions on the cross as payment for those sins?

If these things aren’t true, the rest really won’t matter.

The very first thing that we should do in right living is to live a life of a confession of Jesus as our Lord and Savior. This doesn’t mean you are perfect, but how we handle our failures is just as important as our successes.

Do we own up to our sin? Do we make right the wrongs we commit against others?

Do we seek to bring reconciliation?

And do we forgive others as we have been forgiven?

Let’s pray.

Week 7 of 2020-2021 Sermon Series: Authentic

Servant Hearts: A Good Servant

1 Timothy 4:6-16

Authentic Principle: SERVE out of a pure HEART. 1. Right BELIEF is essential to effective SERVICE. (1 Timothy 4:6-8) 2. Right LIVING is essential to effective SERVICE. (1 Timothy 4:9-12) 3. Willful SERVING is essential to effective SERVICE. (1 Timothy 4:13-16) Response: Is there anything keeping you from SERVING God with a pure HEART?

Opening Discussion:

Who is someone that comes to mind that epitomizes a servant heart? What makes you think of them?

Would anyone immediately think of you? Why or why not?

Sermon:

In vs. 6 Paul defining a “good servant” based on things he’s already said? What are some things you can remember from 1 Timothy 1:1-4:5 that support Paul’s idea of a good servant?

What does Paul add (or reinforce) that will help someone be a good servant? Why do you think these are so important?

What connection does Paul make between physical training and godliness? Is it possible to train to be more “godly?” Why or why not?

What saying is “trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance?” How does this compare to the other “saying” in 1 Timothy 1:15?

Application:

What are some things that might keep someone from being a good servant in the church?

Do you ever find yourself being caught up in silly myths? What does that look like?

How is your training in godliness coming? What is something you have done recently to grow in godliness?

Has anyone looked down on you because of your youth? Have you looked down on someone because of their youth? Why is it important that we not allow this happen in the church?

What are some things that Paul advises Timothy to do that might also help us as we grow into better servants of God?

What is one thing you can do this week to grow in godliness and service?