1 Timothy 4
Scripture Reading:
1 Timothy 3:14-16 (KJV)
14 These things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly:
15 But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
16 And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory.
1 Timothy 4:6-12 (KJV)
6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.
7 But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.
8 For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.
9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation.
10 For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.
11 These things command and teach.
12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
Introduction
Timothy was a native of Lystra in Phrygia
His father was a Greek and mother Eunice was godly Jewish.
Timothy was incharge of church at Ephesus.
Timothy was – into ministry at a quite young age.
So Paul encourages Timothy that no one ‘kataphreneo” kata= down phren=mind so look down upon or belittle or think slightly of or despise.
(Luke 6:26 (KJV)
26 Woe unto you, when all men shall speak well of you! for so did their fathers to the false prophets.
By being and example or ensample of believers in
word (speech)
conversation ( conduct)
Love (charity)
Faith
Purity
Not to give a chance to anyone to despise.
The bible tells in
I Pet 5:8: Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
Enemy is involved in ‘devouring’ God’s people, through using people.
Enemy is not going to show up with all his fierceness showing his feline teeth.
He is subltle and cunning using the same tactic he used in the Garden of Eden.”speech”
If we have a problem of speech the enemy will capitalize on it and bring division or schism in the church and lose integrity inside and outside.
Unacceptable speech in a believing Christian’s
Empy chatter or vain chatter
1 Timothy 1:6 (KJV)
From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;
Gossip :
James 1:26-27 (KJV)
26 If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain.
James 4:11 (KJV)
11 Speak not evil one of another, brethren. He that speaketh evil of his brother, and judgeth his brother, speaketh evil of the law, and judgeth the law: but if thou judge the law, thou art not a doer of the law, but a judge.
Leviticus 19:16 (AMP)
16 You shall not go up and down as a dispenser of gossip and scandal among your people, nor shall you [secure yourself by false testimony or by silence and] endanger the life of your neighbor. I am the Lord.
I would rather play with the forked lightning, or take in my hands living wires with their fiery current, than speak a reckless word against any servant of Christ, or idly repeat the slanderous darts which thousands of Christians are hurling on others, to the hurt of their own souls and bodies.
Albert Benjamin Simpson (1843–1919)
Samy Tippit: Feather – 3 storie- building
Do not Gossip
Not involve in Gossip
Do not say anything if you donot have anything to say
Culture the habbit of speaking God’s word:
Matt. Matthew 12:34-37 (KJV)
34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.
35 A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.
36 But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment.
37 For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned.
So
Ephesians 4:29 (KJV)
29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.
The tongue is but three inches long, yet it can kill a man six feet high.
Japanese Proverb
Scandal should be treated as you treat mud on your clothes. If you try and deal with it while it is wet, you rub the mud into the texture, but if you leave it till it is dry, you can flick it off with a touch, it is gone without a trace. Leave scandal alone, never touch it.
Oswald Chambers (1874–1917)
Lord, remind us often that a gossip’s mouth is the devil’s mailbag.
Welsh Proverb
Gossips and talebearers set on fire all the houses they enter.
Gossip leads to criticism, and criticism kills love.
Corrie ten Boom (1892–1983) Jesus . . . says it’s murder when we destroy people with our words. It’s murder when we put people down and treat them as insignificant.
Rebecca Manley Pippert