1 Timothy 4:11-16
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Job Description.
“My job is to: Spend most of the day looking out the window.” Pilot
“Run away and call the police.” Security guard
— Pilot
Teach these things.
Teach these things.
— Security guard
“My job is to ensure that stupid people stay in the gene pool.” lifeguard
“My job is to copy and paste things from the internet.” Student
“My job is to shoot couples on their wedding day.” Photographer
My personal favorite:
“My job is to talk in other people’s sleep.”
Pastor or University professor.
People are funny and they find funny ways of describing their jobs.
A job description is helpful. Most of us when we are hired, we are told the expectations of us up front.
Now those expectation maybe more or less the longer you work there, but they normally tell you whats expected.
In this passage today, what we have is more or less a job description of what Paul expects of Timothy as he serves the church of Ephesus.
His job description is
Teach.
Set the example.
Teach some more.
Repeat.
Teach these things.
Teach these things.
Prescribe and teach these things.
I think we see from this verse that The public ministry of the pastor is most often seen as a teaching or preaching ministry.
Some of you even refer to me in this way.
You call me Preacher. And that is absolutely fine with me.
The task of preaching and teaching is so tied to the office of pastor that it makes sense. The pastor’s main job is to teach and preach.
That is how the church grows and is strengthened, through the regular and faithful preaching of God’s Word.
This is why we see Paul here command Timothy: Prescribe and teach. The KJV says “Command and Teach.”
I want you to know here that Both of these words here are imperatives. They are commands. They aren’t suggestions to Timothy.
This isn’t Paul giving Timothy some take it or leave it advice.
To which Timothy might say, I hear what you are saying, but I’m going to try and do ministry another way.
No.
He’s commanding Timothy here.
And Timothy, recognizing Paul’s apostolic authority, the fact that Paul is an apostle of Christ, he would have took these commands from Paul to be a message from Christ Himself.
And you should know, that these commands are written as active and on going commands that would form the basis of Timothy’s ministry.
In fact, you could translate this verse.
You continuously prescribe and you continuously teach these things.
These are active and ongoing commands. These are things that Timothy can never stop doing.
So long as Timothy is serving the church in this capacity, he is expected and required to be about the business of teaching and commanding “THESE THINGS.”
These things I believe is best understood if we reference back to verse 6.
In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.
The things that Timothy is to be constantly nourished on are the things he is to be teaching.
The Words of Faith and Sound Doctrine.
Timothy is to take those words and doctrine and he is to boldly command them and boldly teach them.
Preaching and teaching is to be authoritative in its nature.
What I mean by that is, that when I get up here to preach, it shouldn’t come off as some suggestions and thought to consider.
Preaching and teaching is to be bold and authoritative.
Its to proclaim a truth of God that is to be obeyed. Its to be unapologetic about what God says we are to do. That’s the nature of preaching.
Richard Baxter said that the preacher of God’s Word “is to screw the truth into men’s minds.” Its a forceful and authoritative practice.
But This doesn’t mean that I get to be unkind. It doesn’t mean that I get to say what I want to say or do what i want to do.
The preaching and teaching is bound
I’ve heard it b
Timothy’s ministry and authority is bound and tethered to “These things.”
This is what Paul tells him. He binds Timothy to the ministry of the Word. The Words of faith and sound doctrine.
Those are what he is to command and teach.
For Timothy to have a faithful ministry, he is to be bold in his proclamation of truth.
But there is more than the public aspect of ministry.
There’s the private. The good minister must also live these things.
Set the Example.
Set the Example.
Look at verse 12
Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe.
His command here to Timothy to let not one look down on you is probably for a few reasons.
Paul desires Timothy to avoid disqualifying Himself from boldly proclaiming truth. Timothy may have been timid. Paul is saying: Don’t shrink back from proclaiming the Word. Be bold.
Timothy is believed to have been in his thirties, and there would have been many in the congregation who would have no doubt been older than Timothy.
Timothy may have struggled with this. Whatever the case, the ever abiding principle is this:
Regardless of how old someone is that is teaching it and preaching it, the truth is the truth.
Age should not determine one’s boldness or lack there of when it comes to proclaiming the truth.
But the reality was in Timothy’s day and in our day, that age does mean something.
People attribute things to people based upon age.
We have age categorizations in the United States.
1900 to 1924: G.I. Generation
1925 to 1945: Silent Generation
1946 to 1964: Baby Boomers.
1965 to 1979: Thirteeners or Generation X.
1980 to 2000: Millennials or Generation Y.
2000 to present: New Silent Generation or Generation Z. (AKA The Tide Pod Eaters) I’m just kidding teenagers. Unless of course you have eaten any laundry detergent, then we need to have a serious talk.
1965 to 1979: Thirteeners or Generation X.
1946 to 1964: Baby Boomers.
1900 to 1924: G.I. Generation
People associate ages with knowledge, and give respect based upon that.
But there is something Timtohy
That being said, Timothy would have to earn his respect.
John Macarthur says this and I quote it because I don’t think it could be said any better.
“The single greatest tool of leadership is the power of an exemplary life. A minister’s life is his most powerful message, and must reinforce what he says or he may as well not say it. Authoritative preaching is undermined is there is not a virtuous life backing it up.”
Paul tells Timothy, You must live it.
Show yourself an example of those who believe.
In other words, show the church of Ephesus what it means to believe in Christ.
He gives five categories where Timothy must be faithful. I would add again, these things are for all of us. Not just for me.
Timothy is to be faithful in:
1. His Speech.
“The good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth what is good; and the evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth what is evil; for his mouth speaks from that which fills his heart.
I don’t know of anything that is more revealing about a man’s heart than what and how he speaks.
Timothy could be the most powerful preacher and teacher and say some extremely meaningful and wonderful and then call into question his integrity by speaking something ELSE.
Brothers and sisters, this isn’t a command in isolation to a young pastor.
It is part of being a Christian to control your tongue.
That would include all manners of speech. In today’s world it take on an entirely new dimension with social media. Regardless of new inventions and new ways to speak the biblical principle on speech is the same.
Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification according to the need of the moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.
but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ,
Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person.
A gentle answer turns away wrath, But a harsh word stirs up anger. The tongue of the wise makes knowledge acceptable, But the mouth of fools spouts folly.
and there must be no filthiness and silly talk, or coarse jesting, which are not fitting, but rather giving of thanks.
He who guards his mouth and his tongue, Guards his soul from troubles.
But no one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not to be this way.
And perhaps the most sobering.
“But I tell you that every careless word that people speak, they shall give an accounting for it in the day of judgment.
Paul wisely tells a young man in ministry. Set the example with your words.
But Paul doesn’t there. Our speech is only one aspect of our.
Not only what we say but also what we do.
2. Set the example with your conduct.
John Macarthur says this and I quote it because I don’t think it could be said any better.
“The single greatest tool of leadership is the power of an exemplary life. A minister’s life is his most powerful message, and must reinforce what he says or he may as well not say it. Authoritative preaching is undermined is there is not a virtuous life backing it up.”
And we’ve all seen this tragically play out.
Where a preacher or pastor preaches maybe faithfully for years, and then gets caught up in a scandal. Often sexual or financial.
But the tragedy there is that when that happens, every sermon he’s ever preached. Every person he’s ever counseled. Every believer he has ever baptized will question not only him but the content of his ministry even if what he preached was true.
Thats the tragedy. And this is why we must guard our conducrt
This doesn’t mean that a pastor will be or even can be perfect.
But he is strive to live an exemplary life.
He is “just a man” but he is a man that is standing regularly to speak God’s Word.
And if that strikes a nerve with a man, he shouldn’t be a pastor.
James was clear on this.
Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we will incur a stricter judgment.
Set the example. We need to move quickly her so we are going to deal with these three as a group.
3. In Love, Faith, and Purity.
Timothy must love well.
Which means biblically two things.
And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
And He said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ “This is the great and foremost commandment.
Timothy, your love of God is to set the example for those who you are leading.
The question i ask my self is is my love of God worth imitating?
What about people?
Am I regularly seeking God?
Jesus goes on to say there in
“The second is like it, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’
Biblical love is love of God and love of neighbor.
Timothy must set the example in both.
But not only love but also faith and purity.
Timothy’s life should be a life that is characterized by Faith.
He lives by faith. Walk by faith.
This speaks to his faithfulness.
Timothy, be faithful. Be trustworthy. Be there.
Be faithful.
Lastly, he is to set the example in purity.
He is to have his eyes and mind pure.
Unfortunately, this seems to be where men are most susceptible.
And this is where most men fall.
Timothy is commanded to set the example in these things
In all these ways, exemplary.
Ministry of the Word.
Ministry of the Word.
Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.
Paul repeats Himself here and that should tell us something about what Paul believes about ministry.
Timothy’s ministry is to be entirely centered upon the Word of God.
Reading the Word
Preaching the Word
Teaching the Word
The Word of God, simply read.
Why do we give so much of our efforts to the Word of God?
He says to give attention to this.
Becuase oi
Its enough and good enough as it is, for it to simply be read.
But also, it is to be preached also.
Exhortation. Thats what preaching is.
Its the proclamation of the Word of God to the people of God with a call to obedience.
Thats what preaching is. Its fundamentally Word centered. Its not stories. Its not opinions. Its not motivational speaking.
Hear me here. Just because someone sweats and snorts and yells and swings their Bible around doesn’t mean its good preaching.
Its not yelling about a lot of things that will get a whole lot of amens.
Its proclaiming what the Word says.
If my sermon or any preacher’s sermon doesn’t come from the text of Scripture its not preaching.
The goal of preaching is to explain the text authoritatively and call those who hear it into submission to the Word.
The same is true of teaching. Its instruction of the Word of God.
This is what Timothy was called and commissioned to do by God and the church.
Paul’s expectation is that he not shrink back from it.
Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery.
Timothy would have had a special calling into the ministry.
We aren’t told much about this else where in Scripture.
What we know is that He was called to this task supernaturally.
And a group of elders would have recognized his calling.
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We spoke of this on Thursday morning in Men’s Bible Study.
The early church would have had multiple men serving as elders or pastors.
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It would have been different than what we traditionally see around here and even in our churc.
What we normally see in a church is one pastor and numerous deacons.
We got the deacons part right, but somewhere down the line we missed the part of having multiple pastors/ or elders serving the church.
This presbytery mentioned in verse 14 is a reference to a group of pastors or elders who would have approved and commissioned Timothy in to ministry.
This is what
Timothy is urged to not neglect that. Its a serious thing to be recognized by a group of elders. He is encouraged To take it seriously.
And to continue to grow.
Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all.
The goal is to continue to grow.
To be immersed in the Word. And to progress in it.
The word is to cultivate your gift. Practice it. Perfect it.
Get better.
As believers, as a pastors, we should never stop learning, never stop improving.
Be in them. And progress.
It will show. And as you progress, those who you will lead will progress as well.
Verse 16 is really a summary of what he just said.
Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.
Pay attention to it.
Your life and your doctrine.
Both matter.
Doctrine apart from righteous life is hypocrisy.
he tells Timothy: Be about the business of personal holiness and right teaching.
Church, I need your constant prayers for both.
No man is above failure, but I pray I can strive for faithfulness and by God’s grace can that happen.
The promise of faithfulness is worth it.
Salvation is the promise.. Look at the end.
God alone saves, but uses faithful people to accomplish his purposes.
It humbling to think that my life and doctrine can have an eternal impact.
Again I need your prayers.