I Timothy #4
(Ronnie preached #3) CHCC: May 6, 2007
Spiritual Fitness
I Timothy 4:1-16
INTRODUCTION:
For the last few weeks we’ve been studying a letter the Apostle Paul wrote to a young minister named Timothy. The church at ECC (Ephesus Christian Church) had their share of troubles, but Paul believed Timothy was up to the task. Chapter 4 is full of personal advice and encouragement from a seasoned pastor to a ministerial rookie.
It’s a great letter for any Pastor to read because it tells how to be a good minister. But it’s also good for everyone in the church because the principles apply to every Christian. You see, we’re all called to serve in Ministry. So let’s look at what Paul told Timothy about what kind of TEACHING we need to be doing in the Church.
1. Our Teaching I Timothy 4:1-7
Paul started with a kind of Compare/Contrast. He showed Timothy the RIGHT things to teach by pointing out the WRONG teachings that were making the rounds in Ephesus. The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. I Timothy 4:1-2
Let’s take a minute to understand exactly what kind of teachings the Christians at ECC were confronting. We know from church history that these teachings came to be known as Gnosticism. In case you’re thinking we don’t confront similar false teaching, the novel and movie called The DaVinci Code comes from false gospels written by the Gnostics aver 200 years after Christ. Those Gnostic gospels contain some of the same false teachings the Christians at ECC were running into.
The specific philosophy that was plaguing ECC was a form of Asceticism. Asceticism is a form of legalism that says the way to Spiritual Enlightenment is to deny the body its basic needs. Verse 3 explains: They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.
The idea that true spirituality requires someone to be single and to avoid pleasure did NOT come from Scripture. It came from the philosophies of the Greeks and from religions of the East. Unfortunately, teachings about not marrying and other forms of Asceticism wormed their way into the Church. These kind of teachings still influence what people think you have to do to be truly “spiritual.” Paul made it clear that everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. I Timothy 4:4-5
Paul didn’t have any patience for teachings that take our eyes off the simple Gospel of Jesus Christ. Look at how he described these false teachers:
· They have abandoned the faith (vs. 1): The Gospel of Salvation through faith in Jesus Christ was just too simple for these folks. How could they have power over people who put their faith in Christ alone?
So they turned away from Jesus Christ --- and when they did, they wandered off into what Paul called doctrines of demons. God has given us ONE true message, but Satan has an unlimited supply of false messages. It’s very predictable that whenever a Teacher or Preacher abandons God’s Word, they will eventually wander into some form of Occultism.
· Paul called the False Teachers hypocritical liars whose consciences have been seared. In other words, they convinced themselves that they are above any outside standard. So it’s no surprise that they themselves do NOT follow the rules they make for their followers.
We run into the same kinds of hypocricy today. I heard a lot of complaining in the Media this week about Sheryl Crow. Evidently at her Concerts she’s been encouraging everybody to save the environment by using only one square of toilet paper. But at the same time, she and her entourage were demanding a Lavish set up for themselves --- including Luxury accommodations and high-dollar alcohol. An article I read said, “Additionally, when the global warming warrior hits the road, her touring entourage travels in 3 tractor trailers, 4 buses, and 6 cars. Now that’s a carbon footprint!” (thesmokinggun.com)
I’ve heard similar complaints about Politicians and Celebrities who charter private jets and ride in limousines, then preach that everyone ELSE should save the environment by riding bicycles or walking to work. A message loses credibility if the ones who are talking the talk aren’t walking the walk. That’s the kind of Hypocrisy the folks at ECC were dealing with.
· Timothy couldn’t just ignore these False Teachers because they were determined to convince others to join them. They weren’t content to walk away from the Gospel by themselves --- they wanted to convince members of ECC to join them.
Statistics show that the vast majority of Cult members are former members of mainline Church Congregations. There are plenty of unsaved people out there, but False Teachers almost always target church folks. It makes sense that Satan would not care to Target the Lost. They are his already. His focus is on immature or uninformed Christians --- those who are not well grounded in the Word of God.
I got to thinking about what you and I come across that would be similar to what Timothy was confronting. These False Teachers were coming right into the Church at Ephesus and “confiscating the Pulpit.” That doesn’t tend to happen at CHCC the way it did at ECC 2000 years back. And here’s why: Back then, the only way anyone could spread a teaching was person-to-person. There was no other way to communicate: no TV, no Radio … not even a microphone to help people hear you in the back row. There were no printing presses. And even if something was written on a scroll, most people couldn’t read it.
False Teachers today don’t need to come into the church and shove the preacher out of the way. They can come into our homes any time we open a magazine or turn on the TV or rent a movie. As Christians we need to be on guard against teachings and philosophies that are in conflict with Scripture. Everything we hear and see should to go through the FILTER of God’s Word before we let it into our hearts and minds. We can’t afford to just “soak up” the Teachings of our Culture. That’s the way false teaching can get into the Church today. If we don’t filter it out, we bring it in with us.
Here’s what Paul told Timothy: If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. I Timothy 4:6 Then Paul went on to explain that the Christian life isn’t just about TEACHING. It’s also about TRAINING.
2. Our Training I Timothy 4:8-12
Paul was evidently a Sports Enthusiast. (We have a few folks around here who can identify with that… Makes you wonder if Paul would’ve been rooting for A&M or UT…I’m sure I’ll hear a few opinions on that after church.) Paul told Timothy that physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. I Timothy 4:8 We’ll go with Paul’s analogy and see what we need to do if we want to stay Spiritually Fit.
· First we need to AVOID eating JUNK FOOD. Paul told Timothy, Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. I Timothy 4:7 The Greeks and Romans loved to tell tales about their gods and to explain the popular superstitions of their day. Today’s popular “JUNK FOOD” might include …
o HOROSCOPES (It’s surprising how many people like to know what “sign” you are)
o Various takes on KARMA (I’m amazed at how many people buy into some form of Reincarnation --- even though the Bible clearly says, …It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment. Hebrews 9:27
o Some extreme forms of ENVIRONMENTALISM which has become the newest form of Asceticism.
Now don’t get me wrong. There is a Biblically sound kind of Environmentalism. Scripture teaches that people have a Responsibility to care for the Earth. God created the Earth FOR us and expects us to appreciate and take appropriate care of what he Created.
But there is a form of Environmentalism where Human Beings are NOT seen as a part of God’s creation at all … Instead, people are seen as the enemy of Nature --- Human Beings are unwelcome intruders on a planet that might be better off without them. In this alternate Gospel, the command to save the SOULS of mankind is replaced with the command to save the Earth from the evils of mankind. The point is, there’s plenty of JUNK FOOD out there --- in the form of various False Teachings of the 21st century variety.
§ Paul taught that besides watching what we “EAT,” the way to be Spiritually Fit is to practice a good “WORKOUT” routine.
Paul told Timothy: 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 Timothy 4:12
Now, what does any scrawny Jr. High boy do so he won’t be “looked down on” by the bigger guys? He starts working out. And that’s what Paul told young Timothy to do.
The best kind of physical training includes strength training along with a good cardio-vascular workout. So Paul told Timothy to work his “faith muscles” … specifically in speech and in life. This is the “muscle building” part of the Spiritual Workout.
We’re not going to be Spiritually Fit if all we ever do is sit around studying God’s Word. We also need to get active! When we exercise faith in the way we TALK and LIVE --- it’s like the strength training part of a workout. We’re building spiritual muscle.
Paul also told Timothy to be an example in love, in faith, and in purity. This is the “cardio-vascular” part of the workout. The HEART is our most important muscle. The Christian life is lived from the INSIDE out. We strengthen our Heart by …
o learning how to LOVE --- especially the un-lovable –
o by “Holding fast” to our FAITH … even in hard times ---
o and by keeping our hearts PURE. That means we guard ourselves against the wrong kind of input, whether it’s in our friendship or on our TV’s or Computer Screens … we avoid the kind of things that clog our Spiritual Arteries.
No Athlete and no Coach is going to be satisfied with anything less than Victory --- and Paul and Timothy had that same attitude. So Paul ends this pep talk by reminding Timothy about the TRIUMPH that makes it worth the effort.
3. Our Triumph I Timothy 4:13-16
He says, Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers. I Timothy 4:16
What a tragedy it is when a Christian Leader who has brought thousands of others to Christ falls away himself. I’ve seen it happen too often to pretend it can’t happen to the best of us.
Paul understood that in the end, the only thing we can successfully share with others is what we ourselves possess.
In I Corinthians 9:27, he said, I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified. (TLV) It wasn’t enough for Paul to influence others for Christ. He wanted to grow closer to Christ Himself.
And Paul wanted young Timothy, to develop that same kind of authentic Christian life. He told him to be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. I Timothy 4:15
What a wonderful mentor and coach Paul turned out to be for young Timothy. And what a faithful minister Timothy turned out to be. Listen to what Paul said about Timothy in a later letter: “I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon … I have no one else like him, who takes a genuine interest in your welfare. For everyone looks out for his own interests, not those of Jesus Christ. But you know that Timothy has proved himself, because as a son with his father he has served with me in the world of the gospel. Philippians 2:19-22
What a tribute! “I have no one else like him.” The time Paul spent in mentoring Timothy was well worth the effort. His investment in Timothy paid off in a big way.
CONCLUSION:
Last week, Ronnie preached from chapter 3, where Paul wrote about what is important for Elders and Deacons in a church. This week we saw the advice Paul gave to the Pastor of the Ephesus church. This emphasis was not a sideline to what Paul said earlier. Indeed, the Pastor of a church can make it or break it.
Every Pastor need to listen to Paul’s advice:
§ to TEACH the pure, simple Gospel found in God’s Word,
§ to TRAIN himself in Christian disciplines,
§ and to guard his OWN life and doctrine closely so he can save both himself and those who hear him.
I hope you’ll all pray for me … and for Ronnie, Dallas, and Jesus … that we will be the kind of Pastors God wants us to be. And I hope all of us will take to heart the advice Paul gave to Timothy --- so that together we can be the church God wants us to be.
