Father’s Day 2009
I See What You’re Saying
1 Timothy 6:11-16
June 21, 2009
Happy Father’s Day to everyone but especially to all the fathers. This week we will take a break from our series on The Parables of Jesus to hear a special message for fathers but also for everyone who might be seeking to learn about the ways of Jesus. Our text is 1 Timothy 6:11-16. As you find your place…
Three old men were at the doctor for a memory test. The doctor said to the first old man, "What is one plus one?"
"Two hundred seventy-four," he replied.
The doctor said to the second man, "It’s your turn. What is one plus one?"
"Tuesday," replied the second man.
The doctor said to the third man, "Okay, your turn. What’s one plus one?"
"Two," said the third man.
"That’s great!" said the doctor. "How did you get that?"
"Simple," said the third man. "I subtracted 274 from Tuesday."
But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called when you made your good confession in the presence of many witnesses. In the sight of God, who gives life to everything, and of Christ Jesus, who while testifying before Pontius Pilate made the good confession, I charge you to keep this command without spot or blame until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ, which God will bring about in his own time—God, the blessed and only Ruler, the King of kings and Lord of lords, who alone is immortal and who lives in unapproachable light, whom no one has seen or can see. To him be honor and might forever. Amen.
This morning the message is entitled, “I See What You’re Saying.” What I believe we need to focus this morning is on consistency between our walk and our talk. Specifically as men and perhaps men of God and more broadly as people. People are watching. If you are a father, then little eyes are watching. Often what we do speaks much more loudly than our voices. How we live, out activities, how we function emotionally, our relationships all communicate messages as to who we are, what we really believe, and what are our priorities.
And speaking to this is the passage from 1 Timothy. Paul is writing to Timothy as a fellow follower of Jesus but also as a sort of adopted son. Paul considers Timothy to be a son to him. Therefore Paul has taken great pains to give him instruction (as well as to us) as to being all that God wants him to be.
I want to point out something hugely important. Paul addresses Timothy and charges him as “man of God.” Man of God! Paul desires Tim to live up to his calling as a man of God. So men, whether you have taken on the designation of man of God like Tim and Paul or whether you are still feeling things out, Paul helps us understand what it is be a man of God.
Man of God
And for Paul there are two crucial elements. The first is the confession. This means what comes out of our mouths.
• Watch your mouth
Paul reminds Tim that Tim has publicly declared his allegiance to Christ. But not only that, Tim has followed in his spiritual father’s footsteps as a preacher, teacher, evangelist, and disciple. As such Paul throughout this letter has carefully warned Tim and us about watching our conversations and dialogue. Watch our mouths. “Flee from all this,” says Paul. What is all this that Tim is to flee from. Paul has just reviewed these things in the immediately previous verses, which he actually detailed in the first chapter.
Basically, to give you a summary (read it through later), Paul is very much concerned with the words especially arguments and debates that come out of a man’s mouth especially one who claims to follow Jesus. Literally in verse 4 Paul warns against those who like to create in some morbid way a “war of words.” Apparently there are those who like to stir up controversy. They like to get into debates and arguments especially over meaningless stuff. These arguments result in jealousy, division, malicious talk which literally is the word blasphemy, and making people constantly suspicious. “Evil suspicions” literally means those who are so hurt because of arguments and what people have said that they can’t trust others. Since they can’t trust others, they are constantly suspticious of others and sow their mistrust with their words as they talk to others.
Of course, elsewhere Paul rightly condemns other sins of the mouth such as gossip, which is talking about someone negatively in their absence not having the ability to defend themselves and then one step further, slander. Slander is publicly whether in a small group or large group maligning the character of someone without proof or by distorting information sometimes by simply leaving out information that might weaken your case.
Sometimes people see what we saying not only by the words we choose but how we say them and how we use. I see what you’re saying. I guess the question is whether or not we see what we are saying.
Harriet was the supervisor of churchly morals making her the town gossip. Most people tried to steer clear of Harriet but Sundays were especially difficult because she could so easy corner people. Unfortunately no one had the courage to stand up to her.
One Sunday Harriet came into the church with some new information. Apparently she had noticed that George, town handyman and recent convert, had parked his truck outside the corner bar all night. Her conclusion was that George must be a raging alcoholic and needed to get things right if he were to be the Christian that he claimed to be. When George came into the church, he noticed the stares and the whispered comments when an elder came up to talk with him. When George heard the rumor that was circulated and who had propagated, he laughed it off and explained the perfectly innocent reason.
Now George was a man of few words and wasn’t one to making a scene confrontationally. He really wasn’t worried about reputation or appearances but wanted to teach Harriet a lesson. So that evening George drove his truck over to Harriet’s house where he left it parked for the night.
• Watch what you do
As important as one’s words are, Paul is also concerned with what the man of God does. Flee from those actions and words that not dishonor God but communicate the wrong messages. Instead, pursue things like righteousness which is doing what is right in God’s eyes no matter the cost, godliness which is giving the proper reverence and respect to God through regular worship, prayer, service, and offerings as well as everything that we do, and others things such as faith, love, endurance, and gentleness.
Note the contrast between fleeing and pursuing. It is not enough to just stop doing things or at least stop the frequency of those things that do not honor God. Sometimes it is easy to think, “I just do it once in while. What’s the harm?” The problem is that people really do see what you’re saying. Sometimes actions really do speak louder than words.
Instead pursue or run after with all your strength and energy and focus those things that exhibit godly character. For Paul the man of God flees and pursues. They are opposite directions, which would be consistent with the concept of repentance meaning to turn around and go 180 degrees in the opposite direction.
When I think of the word pursue, I picture bloodhounds running in relentless pursuit of an escaped convict. Once their noses get the scent, they do not give up and rarely lose the scent. A lot of the stuff that you see in movies like running through a stream or running up a stream and exiting at a different point are simply busted myths. You can’t lose the pursuit of a bloodhound by doing those things. Check out Mythbusters for the details.
Like bloodhounds our pursuit of God’s ways and the ways of Christ needs to be characterized as relentless. It should be constant not just convenient. The man of God follows Jesus 24/7. It is not just Sundays but every day of the week. It is every second of every minute of every hour of every day of every week of every month of every year. The pursuit of righteousness doesn’t end at five o’clock nor does it end at noon on Sunday. Everything we say and everything we do reflects or at least should reflect a pursuit of godliness.
When we take shortcuts in our spiritual growth, people will be able to say, “I see what you’re saying.” When we make worship an option, people can say, “I see what you’re saing.” When we judge, criticize, or even make fun of others whether they are present or not, people will say, “I see what you’re saying.” When we limit our giving to when it’s convenient, people can say, “I see what you’re saying.”
When people look at our actions, what do they see? What are you pursuing with your life, with your free time, with your passions, with your money, with your work? What should you be fleeing from that you are not?
A young Colombian girl received a new testament in her school. She read the New Testament every day until one day her father caught her reading it…and told her not to read it anymore because it was full of lies and fantasy. But the girl kept on reading until one day her father came home unexpectedly found her with the NT. He grabbed it from her hands and put it in his pocket. The father went off to work where he was a mining engineer. Several hours later sirens went off in the community—there had been a cave in at the mine. The father was trapped in the mine. The rescue workers took 5 days to finally reach the men, but it was too late. All 31 men died including the father of this little girl Curiously, workers found the man clutching the NT between his praying hands. When they opened the front cover they read a note that said, “To my daughter, Keep reading this NT, it is true and right, and I will see you one day in heaven.” Then they turned to the back page where the father had signed the commitment card after having said the sinner’s prayer. But on the next couple of pages were also the signatures of the other 30 workers.
If Paul were writing this letter to you, would it be accurate to address you as man or woman of God? Can you accept the charge of Paul to keep the commands of God in your words and deeds? Do your words and actions give glory and honor to Christ? Not that we are perfect though God is! Do you intentionally and purposefully pursue God’s ways fleeing and forsaking all others? Maybe you wish to pursue God and God’s kingdom. But wishing for it is not actually doing it. Which way characterizes your life? What message do you send? “I see what you’re saying.” “I see what you’re are really, truly saying.” Which way do you want to be? Choose to pursue. Pursue godliness, righteous, gentleness, and love. Pursue with undying devotion the ways of Christ and God.
