Christian Living

1 Timothy 4 Living Examples

by Jide Oboise
10/01/18
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1 Timothy 4:7-12

Living Examples

         As we continue in the book of 1 Timothy, after the summer break, I wanted to remind everyone of the premise for why Paul was writing to Timothy in Ephesus. There was an older group in the church who were bringing in controversial speculations and teachings and were ascribing these teachings with the same authority as the OT Scriptures. These Jewish myths contradicted the gospel and teachings of the Apostles. What was their motive or agenda? Scholars agree that these people wanted to be teachers of the law and have others in the church follow after them instead of advancing God’s work in the church. Though Timothy was a bit intimidated by these leaders, Paul pleaded with Timothy in 1 Tim 1:3, “to stay in Ephesus.”  He was saying don’t leave but continue on with them as they are going through a difficult situation: Don’t abandon them. Why was it necessary for him to stay? So, he could do everything possible to halt the negative influence of the false teachers at Ephesus and set things right in the church.

Timothy, your purpose in being at the church in Ephesus is to safeguard and proclaim the gospel of Christ and protect the flock from these ravenous wolves. In spite of your fears, feelings of inadequacy, or in spite of the nature of the problems you are facing, God has prepared you, through all that you have learned in your youth and by your time with me, to be part of the solution.

That is the challenge, isn’t it? Staying put in the place or situation God has called us to and learning from Him in it - even when it is hard and seemingly fruitless. God has a purpose for everything He has created and in everything He does and so we can be assured that if we have sought His will, whether He has brought you into a new job or position, or you are in a transitional phase of life, or you are simply in a burdensome situation, what He is accomplishing in you is for others and for your own maturity process.  When we stick it out, when we possess true grit and persevere with God and in His Word in these challenging situation it builds genuine, deep character and conviction in our lives (Rom 5:3-4; James 1:4).  Now Paul continues with his exhortation in 1 Tim 4:7.

7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 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. 9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. 10 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. (SLIDE2)

11 Command and teach these things. 12 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.

 In verse 7, Paul was imploring Timothy to take a stand against the godless myths that were being propagated. He was not referring to beliefs in some Greek gods but in falsehoods and hyper-spiritual speculations around the Word of God.  These ideas or beliefs may sound spiritual but have crossed the line of truth. Paul is advising Timothy to have nothing to do with these disputes. They are a waste of time, they are profitless pursuits. 

         This is why Paul instructed Timothy - rather than spending your mental and emotional energy disputing or arguing about things that accomplish nothing in life, train yourself to be godly!

The word train means

Train < gymnázō = exert intensely, like a pro-athlete; presumes full discipline, necessary to be in "top working condition" (full agility, skill, endurance). This is gained only from constant, rigorous training (exercise); conveys acquiring proficiency through practice – with regular exercise using graduated resistance, the physical side is also included with the spiritual of being in "God's gymnasium."

Hebrews 5:13,14 says:

 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. 14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.

Titus 3:14

Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing (by doing) what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives.

This word learn is derived from the word “disciple,” where one gains true knowledge from experience by doing / practicing what they have learned in contrast to someone who just sits, listens to and does not put it into practice right away. Just like carbs turn into sugars and starches when we sit like a couch potato after eating them and cause us put on unwanted weight, so the Word does not profit our spiritual life when we continuously receive the Word and do not exercise our faith in obedience to it.  What does it mean to be Godly? (SLIDE 5)

Godly< eusébeia = a person’s inner response to the things of God which shows itself in godly piety (reverence); a godly heart-response that naturally expresses itself in reverence for God, i.e. what He calls sacred. Godliness is to love what He loves and hate what He hates.

 Last week I talked about the things that God hates in Prov 6:16-19. This week I want to talk about the things God loves. He loves the world He created (John 3:16), His Son Jesus (Matt 3:17 & 17:5), justice (Psalm 11:7), a cheerful giver (2 Cor 9:7), the righteous (Psalm 146:8), His own (1 Jn 4:15,16; Jn 16:27), those who fear Him (Psm 103:11), and those who pursue godliness (Prov 15:9).

Anybody can focus on problems, criticize, put people down, can accuse and blame others when things go wrong. But it takes a mature, godly person - one who is trained in godliness and who fears the Lord, to pursue the things which promote peace and the building up of one another (Rom 14:19). The godly, mature person endeavors to keep the unity of the faith in the local assembly and greater Christian community, even when they disagree on certain issues. As God’s children we should think the best about each other, speak well of each other, be of one mind, united in thought and purpose because we are brothers and sisters in Christ. We are not to be divisive, to lie or slander, because these are the thing that God hates. The Psalmist said in verse 133:1, How good and pleasant it is when God's people live together in unity! When the basis of our unity is founded on the Word, there is a great blessing.

This is why Paul said, in verse 8, Physical training is beneficial in many ways for the short term, but godliness, is advantageous for everything in this life and the one to come. Living a godly life comes with a promise - a divine promise of blessing, especially with the benefits of salvation.

In verse 10 Paul was willing to endure whatever hardships were necessary to make this truth known about the blessings associated with working out one’s salvation with reverential fear of the Lord. There are blessings that God bestows in time and eternity when we put the Word into practice. We must train ourselves to be godly! This speaks of a making deep commitment to Christ. Building our spiritual muscles by letting the Word of God shape our thinking not just by changing our mind about certain things, but by drilling down into the deepest part of who we are as human beings. This type of shaping brings a noticeable change in our hearts, which works itself out in changed values, changed thoughts, words and actions. It is then, that our lives begin to possess a greater depth of character.  

Col 2:6-7 says, So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord, continue to live your lives in him, rooted and built up in him, strengthened in the faith as you were taught, and overflowing with thankfulness.

When you and I become doers of the Word, when we put our faith into practice we discover the will of God for our lives. Which is good, pleasing and perfect. We discover the beauty in God’s multifaceted character and nature that we would never had realized if we had not trusted and obeyed Him at His Word. We begin to see God’s faithfulness and goodness and His plan unfold for our lives.  

How can we put our faith into practice in our home! What type of blessings do you think you would experience?

In Adam and Karie Stadtmiller book “Give Your Kids the Keys: Navigating Your Child to a Personal and Sustainable Faith (2010), [1] they outline a few practical ways in which parents can model Christ in the home.  

·     Pray for your children and with them

·     Engage them on every level - Help them navigate through the difficult questions and challenges of life while trusting in God's faithfulness to do what's best for your kids.

·     Call your kids to live beyond themselves. Help your kids move beyond self-centered lives to serve others as God leads them. Let them know that what they do matters in God's kingdom, even when they're very young.

·     Help your kids relate to Jesus' experiences to their own. Talk with your kids often about Jesus' life on Earth, and how He went through much of what they face themselves in this fallen world.

·     Teach your kids how to hear from God and make decisions based on His guidance. Help your kids develop spiritual disciplines such as regular prayer and Bible reading that will increase their abilities to hear what God is saying to them. Ultimately you want to...

·     Model the lifestyle you want your kids to emulate. Keep in mind that the way you choose to live powerfully influences your kids. If your top priority is making money or pursuing pleasure or personal security, your kids will likely grow up to make similar choices. But if what is most important to you is your relationship to the Lord and that is reflected in your love and care of your family, in all that God has given you, most likely they, in time, will learn by example and pursue God above all else.

What would happen if we put our faith into action in every arena of life? But Paul’s epistle to Timothy is explicitly talking about how faith is to be lived out in the church, how we are to model godly living as a congregation, as a Christ-centered, caring community to other believers and to a lost world. Can you imagine how fruitful and healthy our church would be if everyone would truly welcomed others, not only into the church, but into their lives. Would anyone want to be in a church where people modeled, discontent, negative speach, control, jealousy, anger, and selfish ambition? (James 3:16). You can be sure, if someone is gossiping to you, they are also gossiping about you. And you have to wonder what their agenda really is. We all have to make a decision when someone comes to us with hearsay or divisive words. If you listen, you are guilty of the same sin. But the godly person is one who speaks well behind people’s back and encourages people to resolve conflicts face-to-face. They set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity. In verse 11 Paul says in the imperative “Command and teach these things”

God does not teach his children to be passive, indifferent, divisive or exclusive, nor to live unproductive, unfruitful lives, but quite the contrary. God commands believers to act as He authorizes them through the revelation of His Word and He promises to empower them for good works through His Holy Spirit. Can you imagine what type of blessings we would experience as a church if we took the very words God spoke to us in His Special Revelation and put them into practice in our relationships within the church and our families? Can you imagine how fruitful our lives would be if we continued to train ourselves in godliness? This is the type of Church God desires!

 In verse 12 Paul tells Timothy, who was possibly in his late 20’s to mid 30’s, don’t let anyone treat with you with contempt or disregard your message just because you’re young but set an example for others to follow, in your speech - when dealing with situations with other people, in conduct - life, behavior, manner of life, in expressing and fostering mutual love for one another, in faith- at all times, and in all trials show to believers by your example, how they ought to maintain unshaken confidence in God, and in purity - in your motives and actions and in your relationships. What type of people would we be like if we actually modeled this type of life? If we actually lived out our faith in the church?

Jesus said: Matt 7:24 - 27

 24 “Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 “And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. 26 “Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 “The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.”

     The storms of life will come and they will touch every facet of our lives. These storms reveal the depth of our foundation and on what we have built our lives. If our lives are built upon anything temporal, for example reputation, position, status, money, the outcome will be devastating, but if our foundation is truly in the Lord and His Word, then we will not only survive the storm but will come out unscathed. We also know that unexpected tragedy and death will come to all of us one day - it is not a question of if but when. As many of you know, Sanabel’s father passed away this week. Even though this loss is deeply saddening and painful, Sanabel and Gilbert have a sure foundation. Their house has been built on Christ’s Word, their hope and comfort is found in the Lord and we thank God for their testimony during this time of loss. Having said that, we also desire to be present in their time of need, to be the loving and supportive community we should be for them.

Let’s be a people, a church that exhibits godliness and maturity. Let’s put our hope in the living God and as a church be an example in faith, in our words, in love, and in our actions.

- Sermon notes PASTOR BRIAN WILLIAMS