BEING A PERSON OF GOD (1Timothy 4)
Nearly 20 years ago, after nine years of ministry in country NSW, Jenni and I moved to our third parish, in suburban Sydney, NSW. After we had been there a short while, I discovered that there were two retired ministers in my congregation. I discovered that one of them, the older one, was chair of the elder’s council, while the younger one had been the minister over that congregation for nearly 10 years, and all the while had lived in the manse where we lived at that time.
To see these two retired ministers sitting in Church, listening to me preach every Sunday made me feel inadequate for the task ahead. Often my early days of ministry in that place were crippled by me feeling intimidated by their presence. In those days I lacked a great deal of confidence, and would have done well to listen to these words of Paul to Timothy.
1Tim 4:12 Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
I have since learned that if I feel intimidated, it is a choice I have made. But, I do not have to feel intimidated. If I am feeling intimidated, it is because I am allowing my own mind to react to my circumstances.
Here in our passage today, Paul encourages Timothy in some practical matters Q. how can you be God’s person, confident, gifted and willing to serve? There are 3 ways: sharing the word, practising the word and progressing in the word.
V 1-6. In the first section, Paul deals with sharing God’s word. If we follow the narrative of what took place at Ephesus in Acts 20, we discover there that Paul had warned the Ephesian elders that false teachers would invade the church. It appears that these false teachers had arrived and now Paul shows Timothy what he has to do.
V1. The false teachers were energised by Satan. There are 5 things the Bible teaches us about Satan. Satan is a liar (or deceiver) and the Father of all lies, he is an imitator (he poses as an angel of light), he is a thief (anything he has he has stolen from God), he is an accuser of the elect (he instigates bad feeling among the believers and causes division), and he is a murderer from the beginning (Jesus came to bring life, but Satan is a murderer).
Also in V1 Paul writes … “the Spirit clearly says …”. We may well ask how does the Spirit clearly say things? It is most probable that Paul is hinting this word came by direct revelation from God in this case. In my experience, direct revelation does not happen all that often. The other ways that God chooses to speak to us include: through God’s Word, through prayer, through opportunities that open before us, through the sermon, or through the wisdom from one or more godly people you respect.
These false teachers were not only energised by Satan, they were leading the people astray (v1b), they are hypocrites (they are just acting a role with a mask) (v2) and they deny God’s word (v3-5).
V6. So the emphasis in a godly person’s life is to be “brought up (or nourished) in the truths of the faith”. Paul pointed out that this was Timothy’s responsibility, especially as people were being led astray in the Ephesian church. Be nourished in the truth! So, a preacher should not overly emphasise the errors people fall into, but should not ignore the false doctrines.
For example, when we go for a drive in the car, there are two sorts of road signs: those that give instructions about where we are heading (Sydney 1380 km; Melbourne 800km; Mount Barker 30 km), and those that warn us of possible dangers (road work ahead, delays expected, temporary speed 25kph). In the same way, preachers need to teach positive doctrine and give direction so people know what they believe; and they also need to warn us by exposing false teaching so the people will not be led astray.
V7-12. In the second section Paul deals with practising the word. From verse 7, Paul shifts to the illustration of an athlete. While physical training is only of value to our physical bodies (God’s temple), spiritual training is of value to our whole beings, our spirits, souls and bodies. Paul did not ask Timothy to choose between the two. I think God wants us to practice both. Just like an athlete refuses certain foods, certain drinks, and does the correct exercises, so a Christian is encouraged to practice “spiritual exercises”. Friends, if we were as disciplined in our spiritual lives as athletes are in their games, we would grow much faster and accomplish much more for God. We Christians are not the athletes of the gymnasium or the arena; we are the athletes of God. So friends, let us be self disciplined in both physical & spiritual disciplines and prove to be men and women of God.
What are the disciplines of the Spirit? I think there are 9.
prayer as intimacy with God,
meditation on the word,
self examination which leads to repentance,
sacrificial service or sacrificial giving,
submission to a chosen discipline,
commitment to be part of a church fellowship,
remaining in an attitude of worship,
sharing your faith with non-believers, and
sharing your faith with other believers.
There is a cost to each of these disciplines, and also each of these requires humility and courage. However, they can help us to be a godlier person. These disciplines are not easy. As Paul says in v10, “for this we labour and strive”. This word translated “strive” is a word from track and field stadium, from which we get the word “agonise”. We get the picture of athletes straining hard to win the prize. A Christian who wants to be strong in the Lord must really be self disciplined and make sure that God gets all the credit, because maturity comes by God’s grace.
Our godly living not only helps us and other believers grow to maturity, it also helps the lost be found. Paul tells Timothy (v10) that Jesus is the only Saviour. When Paul says “Jesus is the Saviour of all” he is not saying that everybody will be saved, or that God saves people who do not want to be saved. It is only through faith that people are saved by grace. So, Paul is saying that any lost sinner can trust Christ and be saved. He is the Saviour of all, so no one ever needs to worry if they ask God to save them.
Do not be controlled by fear, or intimidation (v12). Do not let anyone look down on you (especially if you appear inferior), but rather let the maturity of your behaviour and confidence speak louder than your words.
Last week in chapter 3, Paul identified the characteristics of those who are qualified to be leaders in the church. I do not know if he intended to, but he described the Christian life. It unfolded that he was describing the kind of life every Christian is called to live. When you look at the list of attributes for leaders, it becomes clear that this is the way all Christians are to behave. Today we find further instructions, saying again what Paul said last week. In verse 12 we find another list seeking to set an example of how to behave by:
being concerned about your conversations;
being concerned about how you live your daily life;
being concerned about loving other people;
being concerned about your faithfulness; and
being concerned about having integrity.
v 13-16. In the third section, Paul deals with progressing in the Word. The key thought here is that of progress. In v15 the word translated “progress” is a Greek military term meaning “pioneering advance”, and was used to describe soldiers who went ahead of the rest of the troops as scouts, to clear away any obstacles and make it safe for others to follow. As a godly pastor, Timothy was to grow spiritually so that the whole church could see his spiritual progress and begin to imitate him. Unfortunately today, we are seeing Christian people who bring the name of Christ into disrepute. They do not practice what they reckon they believe. Moral problems, shameful conduct, and the flawed character have destroyed the witness of many people. We are to keep focussed on the purposes of what we are called to do for God’s glory. So friends, we must cooperate and allow God to work in us before he can effectively work through us.
What are the factors that make spiritual progress possible?
devotion to God’s Word (v13)
use of your spiritual gifts (v14)
devotion of yourself fully to Christ (v15)
make yourself accountable to spiritual self examination (v16)
In his victory we overcome fear and feelings of intimidation. We are not to feel intimidated by our circumstances, but rather, as godly ministers, each of us is called to share the Word, practise the Word and progress in the Word.
