1tim6v11-14

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READ 1 TIMOTHY 6:1-16 PASSAGE: v9-14 [Series: 22]

These verses here show us that Timothy is to the NT what righteous Lot whose soul was vexed is to the OT
When we think of Lot – that just man (as Peter calls him) – we think of the angels/God grabbing him/hand and urging him:
Escape for thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in all the plain; escape to the mountain, lest thou be consumed. (19:17)
Thankfully, Lot (albeit imperfectly) did so and he was saved from the utter destruction that fell upon that Sodomite city

It is with no less authority even than an angel/God that Paul urges Timothy to flee in our passage
I remind you that Paul said that the Galatians had once received Paul was an angel of God (4:14) even indeed as Jesus Christ
Meaning (of course) that since he spoke by inspiration of God, then it was not so much Paul speaking, but Heaven itself

Young Timothy could not lightly regard these words
Neither, of course, can we
It is thought that the title “man of God” relates to the those who are called to the ministrations of the pulpit
Part of the double honour referred to in 5:17
If so, then without compromising that viewpoint, let us say that in a lesser sense all Christians are “men/women of God”
Jesus told the Pharisees that the phrase “of God” relates to all who hear His voice and respond positively to it:
He that is of God heareth God's words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God. (John 8:47)
Therefore these words to flee are as directed to us as individual Christians as they were originally
These words yield us 4 main thoughts:

1) WHAT IT IS THAT WE ARE TO FLEE FROM:
“Flee from these things…”

A/ Immediate context demand that we flee from greed and the various harvests that such vice bring in its wake
I remind you again that greed brings with it:

[i] Temptation (v9)
When we are dissatisfied with what we have, then we begin to covet what other people have
Such covetousness is a sin against the 10th Commandment
Such covetous can lead to theft (8th Command) or, as in the case of Ahab who coveted Naboth’s vineyard, murder (6th Command)
Temptations are not to parleyed with – but fled from
This is more than suggested in that key verse/temptation:
There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it. (1 Corinthians 10:13)
Way to escape is to flee
A fire exit has been provided so that people may flee a burning building – fire exits don’t have hoses and breathing apparatus
They are generally wide doors with good strong steel stairs and the word “Exit” clearly displayed with a representation of a man running way – that’s the spirit of this text

[ii] Another thing/flee from associated/greed: A snare (v9)
A lot of cruel snares out there – if they do not actually kill the animal/intended to trap, then they leave them badly injured
Again: No one should parley with the snare
Take a little mouse trap – cheese and spring variety
Fool around that and you get badly bruised fingers/fright
Easily get over it after an hour of so
But the Devil’s traps aren’t designed for field mice
Designed to entrap forever the souls of men
Greed is a snare that is not easily broken
Especially living as we do in a consumer driven world
Consider how greed had infiltrated the very courts/temple causing Christ to drive it out with a whip of small cords

[iii] Another thing/must flee: many foolish/hurtful lusts: (v9)
Notice their multitude – their name is Legion for they are many
Notice their magnitude They are decidedly foolish and hurtful
They are poisons in the very bloodstream of the soul
Foolish i.e. they are worth desires
What profit is there if a man did gain his coveted world?
None – especially if he loses his own soul/conquest and this loss makes the lusts most hurtful
The soul is overrun with these lusts and can hardly resist
Indeed – resistance is not being urged here, but flight
It is not cowardice to run from hurtful and foolish lusts
It is to win the war on the easiest of terms
Keep saying “No!” and refusing to fight and there is precious little that can be done – we just keep saying “No!” and fleeing

[iv] Flee also: being drowned/destruction and perdition (v9)
Those who cannot swim or even swim sufficiently strong do well to stay away from dangerous water spots
Stay well away from the edge of the pool or the river
One slip and you are gone!
Likewise – stay away from those things that lead to greed
Discontentment – covetousness etc.,
Flee from them like you would back away from a cliff edge

[v] Flee away from erring from the faith (v10)
The faith here is the great body/doctrine which we believe
What brought us into the faith in the first place?
We saw its necessity and worth
Described the Book upon which we glean our faith
As more precious than fine gold (Psalm 19:10)
We testify to its worth in that we have ventured our soul upon it
That in itself argues of the greater worth/the faith
Therefore to err from this faith is an unmitigated disaster
Is this what we are prepared to risk by indulging in greed?
If not – then flee from it
Let a look of abject horror register on your face and run away from it as you would a ravenous beast/field

[vi] Flee from being pierced through by many sorrows (v10)
Note: It is self inflicted: pierce themselves through
Bible always puts the responsibility unto the sinner
O Israel – thou hast destroyed thyself (Hosea 13:9)

Again, the emphasis is on our responsibility
We are to flee these things
Exhortation at this point is very curt and to the point
Flee these things – get out and get out quick

2) WHERE IT IS THAT WE ARE TO FLEE TO:

A/ Nature abhors a vacuum…
…Such do not exist either in the spiritual world
If we flee (as it were) from the Sodom/greed (and every other sin) then we must flee/the mountain as Lot was summonsed to do

B/ Look where we are to flee: Righteousness and godliness (v11)
Perhaps there is a difference in there, but I suggest to you that it is slight and we should not contemplate dropping one
Seems to me that there is more warmth in the word “godliness”
"Righteousness", although a noble word, is like the word “duty”
Godliness (to my mind) embraces the idea of desire to do it
But both are necessary to convey the sense to us
An outward righteousness without godliness will not help us escape from these things we are to flee from -
Neither will a floppy, swarmy godliness (so called) without righteousness

C/ The fruit of such godly righteousness are listed:
Faith/love/patience and meekness
These virtues are totally incompatible with greed

[i] What faith has a greedy man?
Certainly not content/his daily bread from a Heavenly Father

[ii] What love has a greedy grasping man?
He loves none but himself – and that isn’t love but selfishness

[iii] What patience does a greedy man possess?
Patience bears up under all kinds of difficulties
Patience flows from temperance and leads to godliness (2 Peter)
A greedy man possess none of it
Instead of waiting patiently, he is busy lusting after the hard won and deserved goods of others
[iv] What meekness does a greedy man possess?
If he did not restrict his greed, then he would grab what he could and stash it away for himself
He is not so meek as to give up what he has, or even his surplus

C/ If we flee to these things, then greed will be dealt a serious blow and the associated dangers/greed will subside
Word for “follow after” = “pursue” or “eagerly seek after”

Greek word translated here “follow after” is translated in many different ways/NT – each giving a strong insight into/command:
Like him seek peace and ensue it (1 Peter 3:11)
I press towards the mark (Philippians 3:14)
Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? (Acts 9:5)
Given to hospitality. (Romans 12:13)
So this is no quick fix solution
You would probably know that from what we know about this foe

This is where we are to flee if we would be safe
Failure to press towards and ensue etc., leaves us exposed
When the Devil, as a roaring lion going about seeking whom he may devour, comes our way…we have nothing with which he prevent him from doing his deadly work

3) HOW SUCH FLIGHT IS TO BE ACHIEVED:

We have seen already why we must flee and to where
Let us now see how this can be done

A/ Fight the good fight of faith (v12)
As seen in the various verbs used to translate “follow after” – this is a tough, ongoing, battle indeed
I remind you: Ephesians 6 where we read of the many and varied battle implements that make up the armour/God
We are not to pick and choose which parts we want/like
Put on the whole armour/God (6:11)

B/ There is no disgrace in fighting this good fight
Mere street brawlers have much to be ashamed about
There is a mob culture out there that does no good
But this is a good fight – a just war that ought to be fought
Standing still and doing nothing is not an option
Many foolish and hurtful lusts are on our tail

OBJECT: How can we fight and flee at the same time?
ANSWER: We flee in that we do not go looking for a fight
No one can/should go to the places/temptation with the belief that he can withstand the wiles/Devil

We fight in that getting the strength/wherewithal to flee these things does not come either naturally or easily to the child/God
We must fight through the and encircling and enclosing lusts
We will either fight or we will be taken
Nothing more the hounds/hell love to do than to circle the child/God and tear at his flesh and separate him from his God
Although Psalm 22 has a clear Messianic import/Calvary yet the original writer was David and his battles too:
Many bulls have compassed me: strong bulls of Bashan have beset me round. They gaped upon me with their mouths, as a ravening and a roaring lion. (Psalm 22:12-13)
So if we are going to flee as commanded hereto do, then we must do so through a good, hard fight

C/ Note that this good fight is the fight of faith
Let none of us think that it can fought on any other principle
You may have an undying hatred of sin (good!) but such will not carry you far into this battle on its own
You might have an undying love for the things/God (good!): ditto
What energises this fight is the fact that it is in faith
We fight with faith in the power/God to bring us the victory
We plead the victory of the Cross as hell surrounds us
This beats a way through the dark hosts and so we escape
Here is the truth on which we sharpen our sword:
For this cause was the Son/God manifested that He might destroy the works/Devil (1 John 3:8)

If you believe that – plead its truth in faith as you fight
Do you believe that when Christ died/rose again, that
He spoiled principalities and powers, and made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them? (Colossians 2:15) .
Then let faith use it in its good fight
The Devil will back off and you can escape and flee in safety

The raging streams, with their proud swelling waves,
Had then our soul o'erwhelmed in the deep.
But bless'd be God, who doth us safely keep,
And hath not giv'n us for a living prey
Unto their teeth, and bloody cruelty

Ev'n as a bird out of the fowler's snare
Escapes away, so is our soul set free:
Broke are their nets, and thus escaped we.
Therefore our help is in the Lord's great name,
Who heav'n and earth by his great pow'r did frame (Psalm 124:5-8)

D/ We do more: Lay hold on eternal life (v12)
Apt to think of eternal life as being heaven when we die
We think of unending years/glory
But the idea here is not mere quantity but quality
Eternal life is begun here below
It manifests itself in the fruits of the Spirit:
Faith etc.,
So, it is practically saying the same thing:
We cannot flee in our own strength
We need every spiritual grace which our salvation gives to us
And we can have it, if we really want to have it

4) SEVERAL MOTIVATIONS TO FLEE:

A/ Obvious one already: escape “these things” listed
Almost be enough in itself – but there are more
As said before: The mere negative will not sustain this
This issue is not about us –it is about God
It is about God being glorified in keeping His saints even in the midst of the most fiercest battle
That ought to be our desire in all these things
Here’s a few more:

[i] We have been called unto this fight of faith (v12)
Called by the Spirit/God in an effectual call unto salvation
Holiness is part of our salvation:
For God hath not called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. (1 Thessalonians 4:7)
So, let’s remember and respond positively to this very basic call

[ii] Remember what we have professed before to be (v12)
Having nailed our colours to the mast, let us not flee from them
Many witnesses can bear testimony to this
We should ever encourage ourselves that we have persevered thus far in faith on this matter
Of course, we lament our many failures (Psalm 51)
But we are still “hanging in there” – are we not?
Why should we allow the next battle to be decisive against us
Each victory will help you, some other to win
Some folk dispute this truth, but I don’t agree
Doesn’t say that each victory is sufficient for the next
Each victory is a help – an encouragement to fight on

[iii] For the sake of the Lord Jesus who witnessed a good profession before Pontius Pilate (v13)
Did He turn back in the day of trouble? Did He cave in?
No – he didn’t
Whatever the cost - He came to do and did the will/God
Can we do anything less?
What a powerful motivation we find here
Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all

[iv] In view of the coming day when our Saviour will appear (v14)
What a day that will be!
Really do want to be kept without spot/unrebukable unto then
It is a day of reward for His faithful people
It is a day that will mark the last shot fired in this great battle
That day will be for us “the sin no more” day
No more hurtful lusts to snap at our heels and cause us grief
May God keep us faithful until then

THE END

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