1tim4v13-16

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Read: 1 Timothy 4:1-16 Text: v13-16 [Series 16]

Paul continues his words of exhortation/encouragement to young Timothy who is not only his son/faith but his colleague/ministry
To some this may seem to limit the usefulness/epistle
This is something we need to fight/have been fighting against
Why did the Holy Spirit have these words recorded in the Bible as part of the faith once delivered unto the saints?
Is there nothing here for pew sitting Christians?

Not only can we say that there is – but also: There must be
Elsewhere (1 Peter 5:3: where those/authority are addressed) we read: they must not lord it over God’s heritage
Power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely
Unfortunately this is not limited to the corruption/Popes
It happens even in Evangelical Protestant pulpits because it is a product of a corrupt human nature which needs to be restrained (indeed mortified) by the sanctifying power/God
But it does happen and it needs to be identified and dealt with

How can the man/pew identify it and deal with corruption that is possible in the ministry except he be aware of the standard?
IOW: He ought to know what God requires/church officers etc.,
He knows because he has excess to the very same inspired manual as the church officer has – and is expected to ensure that the instructions are being followed as given

Furthermore, the pew sitter is required himself to take what spiritual principles he can from these epistles and live by them
If he himself cannot preach the word (2:4:2) i.e. in the pulpit then at least let him spread the word in what capacity he can
Let him in whatever service be instant in /out of season etc.,
With this secondary (though real) application/mind: 4 thoughts:

1) THE URGENCY IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE:
Till I come… (v13)

A/ Immediate reference is to the coming/Paul to Timothy
Paul’s intention was to be at Ephesus
In the event, he did not go but went to Miletus and sent for the elders to come to him (Acts 20) – a very emotional experience
But in his absence – he wanted Timothy to be busy/certain areas

B/ Idea here is not to be busy until Paul came and then no more
There is nothing of a temporary nature in his instructions
Most (if not all) these instructions are given anyway to others in different circumstances and in different time frames
So even if this epistle was never written – Timothy would still be required to read, exhort, meditate etc.,

C/ The idea is rather to animate Timothy in the doing of them
Timothy! You are on my list of “must visits” and until I drop by and see you, let there be no slacking whatsoever - Let it be that when I come, I will have found you busy in these things
As seen, Paul was unable to visit and other plans took place
Yet Paul’s failure/come should not have negated the exhortations
They would certainly have animated/excited Timothy

D/ Here is something to animate us in our day/age:
We may say: A greater than Paul is coming to us
The Lord Jesus is saying to us: Occupy…till I come (Luke 19:13)
This is the visit that spurs us on in our service/God
We will want to be busy and found busy in that great Day/coming
Blessed is that servant, whom his lord when he cometh shall find so doing. (Luke 12:43)

E/ Furthermore (to continue the parallel) we read that Paul expected to come shortly to Timothy (3:14)
I might remind you of the opening words of Revelation (1:1)
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John:

The night is coming when no man can work (John 9:4)
Soon - a little while (comparatively speaking) – our Lord will have returned to earth and our labours here for Him will be over
Greatly benefit us to live/work in the expectancy of his return
Time really is fleeting – year after year not only shortens the waiting time, but (more importantly) the working time
Therefore we should (v13) Give attendance…
Leads us nicely to our second point:

2) THE REQUIREMENTS IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE:
There are quite a number of positive “must do’s” in this passage:

A/ We are to give attendance to reading: (v13)
I feel this must mean a lot more than reading the Bible
(Not that the Bible was not a sufficient rule/faith and morals)
However, it is good for the Christian to read widely good books
Paul himself was widely read – he quoted the poets (Acts 17:28)
Such reading (subject ever to the judgement/Bible) broadens the outlook and gives us an insight into the way others think
We may gain much from commentaries and Christian biographies
A reading spirit is a disciplined spirit
Of course, we may read too much and be practically useless
We should avoid the wrong kind/books that profit little (novels)
We should avoid books that tend: corrupt/soul (heretical books)
But extremes should not prevent the balanced from taking place

B/ Give attendance to exhortation (v13)
This concerns the duties of the Christian – How to live
Evidently this is a strong matter for the pulpit
Perhaps it is the cause of more trouble even than doctrine
No one likes to be told what to do or what they cannot do
Natural tendency of the heart is to pick/choose in the Bible
We thus subject the Bible to our standards and live comfortably
But when we are exhorted otherwise – tendency is to resist

No real advantage in being the exhorter rather than the exhorted
It is assumed that the exhorter himself is being consistent
Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal? (Romans 2:21)

Exhortation is not recognised/NT as a purely pulpit matter
But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin (Hebrews 3:13)
This is something which we all can do

C/ Give attendance to doctrine (v13)
This concerns the doctrine of the Christian – What to believe
This is the root that provides/ sap for the fruit/Christian living
All the exhorting/world will not provide an impetus like doctrine
Seen very clearly in the various arguments Paul used in Romans
Epistle/Romans is a theological treatise setting out our doctrines
But interwoven even into/heaviest doctrine are words like these:
How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? (Romans 6:2)
This but follows the whole thrust of the Psalmist:
Through thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way. (Psalm 119:104) Doctrine dictating to practice
So we must, as a Christian people, be strong in our doctrine
Let us not be mushy about it or embarrassingly vague
Such shows in the lifestyle – it leads to a harmful frivolousness
It does nothing to forward the spiritual work/church
It means that onlookers (even sympathetic) cannot hardly tell the difference between the church/world
A non doctrinal church is like a weak baby fighting for life
It cannot wield the sword/Spirit which is the word/God and therefore it cannot survive any battle when it comes
Let us therefore be a noted doctrinal people

D/ Another requirement: Give diligence to meditation (v15)
Not transcendental meditation like yoga or some other mind emptying, useless, dangerous guru led, type of meditation
But to meditating upon these things i.e. these doctrines/duties
There is a muscular type Christianity that elbows its way around
Certainly, we have already made reference to the sword/spirit
Have also spoke about being busy/enthusiastic in Christian work
But there is also room for the meditating upon the things/God
So not only are we to read the books – but think upon them
Even book reading can be done superficially
Not hard to skim pages and get through chapters
But let’s meditate upon things – let them filter through our thought processes – ask questions in our minds etc.,
Jesus said: What think ye? i.e. what thoughts have you given?
Take heed not only what you hear – but how you hear
Come to the discussion having thought out/through these things

E/ Give diligence also to abandoning yourself/these things (v15)
Similar vain is the exhortation to continue in them (v16)
Here we have both depth and endurance
Weeding out here of the idea of a half hearted commitment
Do not have a long run but with little commitment
Do not have great commitment but only a short run
While we do not want to set the bar so high here and discourage the troops – yet we want to raise it above its present place

Remember – while it may be argued that the commitment to these things from the Timothy’s ought to be greater – yet this is no green light to pull back ourselves and settle/comfort zone

3) THE DANGERS OF THE CHRISTIAN LIFE:

A/ You are never far away from a “beware” or “give heed” sign
Worth noting the order here in this passage
Before we get to the more formal Give Heed sign, we have a gentle reminder first against the problem of neglect

B/ Danger of neglecting our spiritual gifts
Timothy’s case: Perhaps his gift/preaching and pastoring/flock
Formally recognised and encouraged by the Presbytery
This act by presbytery heightened his responsibility to use it

C/ Every Christian has a spiritual gift/gifts
God doesn’t save us to a life of relative uselessness
Some are endowed with greater gifts and greater measures
But even the least has something to do and should do it

[i] Our Lord expressed His interest and admiration for the wee woman who gave her two mites into the collection plate

[ii] The wee lad had a wee lunchbox with 5 loaves/2 fishes
But they were given to the service/Christ

D/ Christ’s own parable of the talents shows that gifts can be neglected and therefore wasted
The man with the one talent buried his unceremoniously/ground
What a waste!
Not see the men with 5/10 talents use theirs to great effect?

E/ Such neglect has an impact upon the work/God:

[i] In the Christian’s own soul: Neglect soon leads to contempt
Neglect is a possible symptom of spiritual trouble
Perhaps neglect is due to being too busy at something else
If that something else is worldly/nature – obvious problem
If that something else is spiritual nature – is there imbalance?

[ii] Impacts the fellowship as a whole and even the body/whole:
1 Corinthians 14:12 teaches: the gifts are to benefit everyone
There are to be a no solo runs in the church
Even so ye, forasmuch as ye are zealous of spiritual gifts, seek that ye may excel to the edifying of the church.

Would be wrong for any to hold back in the use of a gift if they did not feel that they were getting something personal out of it
Neglect not the gift
In 2 Timothy 1:6 we have the same idea cast into the positive:
Stir up the gift that is in thee

E/ Another danger mentioned here (signalled by the “take heed”)
v16 Take heed to thyself and to thy doctrine
Summarised: Taking heed to your faith and morals
There can be no let up here – no pulling back
Where there is any weakness in these twin matters:
The Devil himself will exploit them to the full

Bible is full of take heed/beware signs
Not one of them is there needlessly
God does not cry Wolf!
Those that ignore the signs pay the price – sooner or later

4) THE REWARDS IN THE CHRISTIAN LIFE:

Already mentioned from 1 Corinthians 14 how the use/gifts benefits the whole body as well as the individual concerned
A/ Paul takes this same theme up again in this passage

[i] Timothy himself would profit when he meditated upon these things and gave himself wholly to them (v15)
Already seen (v8) that godliness is profitable unto all things
A man never loses out when he gives himself to God
Worldly men chasing riches or power etc., are running at a loss
Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. (Isaiah 55:2)
A soul delighting itself in fatness is the greatest profit/all

[ii] Others would profit in Timothy’s profiting: appear to all
If a pastor is profiting – come through in the pulpit
Even if Timothy had no pulpit ministry – still shine for God
What an encourage to others when God is profiting you
Some of the heroes/Christian church were not pastors at all
but lay people who gave themselves totally to the things/God

[iii] Taking heed to himself/his doctrine – Timothy would save himself and those who heard him
Sounds strange when we remember texts: Ephesians 2:8-9 etc.,
Can the sinner save himself and even save others?
Strictly speaking: No … but we are saved to a holy purpose
Whilst there is nothing meritorious in our obedience/Christ yet its prolonged absence is indicative of the absence of saving grace
Let not one who has no interest in obedience/God bluff himself
Quote Ephesians 2:8-9 if they will – v10 is not to be guillotined
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. (Ephesians 2:10)
We should therefore not only be thankful for a faithful ministry, but we ourselves (as God calls) exercise our own…with profit

THE END

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