1 Timothy 4:1-16

A GOOD MINISTER OF CHRIST

1 Timothy 4:1–16 10/2/11
Key Verse: 4:6

“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.”

In chapter 3, Paul taught, Timothy, that the most noble of vocations is that of overseeing the flock of God as an overseer or a deacon. In our UBF terms it would be like becoming a director of a chapter and a regional coordinator. He also wrote down the simple characteristics of a true Christian leader. The paramount virtue must be that he “keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience” and consequently be “tested” and approved as a true Christian leader through his willingness to “serve” (3:9-13). Paul made it clear to Timothy that the false teachings, which had sprung up in those days, must be extinguished, and those who were spreading the false teachings should be stopped. The best way to purify the fellowship from all ungodly influences was to raise up true Christian leaders and maintain the fellowship by the grace and truth of our Lord Jesus and the devotion of its members.

Part l: Guard Your Heart From Deceiving Spirits (1-5)

Paul begins this chapter with a lamentation. Read verses 1-2. “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.” In later times, there would be some who will abandon the true Christian faith and will end up following deceiving spirits and demonic teachings. Once, such Christians had received the life-giving gospel with joy. They had found the amazing grace of God. They had found forgiveness for their sins and healing for their souls. They had studied the Bible and had discovered the love of God. Through the Word of life they had met the most gracious Jesus who gave them assurances and promises beyond the human ability to comprehend. At the time, they knew that they had nothing to hold on to except the grace of our Lord and faith in him.

Once they had been promising young Christians who were destined for spiritual greatness in Christ. Surprisingly, however, now they had abandoned the faith. Now they were following deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. They were becoming immersed in unholy doctrine. What happened to them?

Paul tells us that they were deceived. To become deceived, they had to allow themselves to be influenced by wayward and unholy teachings. They could be influenced by false teachings when they made no effort to personally remain rooted in the word of God. Our Lord Jesus once said: “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me….If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” (John 15:4-7) Christians who have been touched by the grace of Jesus must know that it is crucial to remain in Jesus, and to remain in his words. They must continue listening to Jesus’ words day after day and cherish his words. Otherwise, the unthinkable will happen! The world soon enters in and the devil’s teachings overwhelm them until it drains them of all truth.

Some Christians at Ephesus experienced this tragedy first hand. After their conversion, they did not remain steadfast in the word of God. They did not take their Christian life and walk seriously. Finally, when a false teaching tested their hearts, it found an open door and little resistance. So it entered in and took its place amid the truth. One by one, demon teachings entered in until the original truth was driven out and what remained in the end were only lies. Of course, Paul did not leave them the blame alone. Paul pointed out that religious pretenders had found dulled hearts to spread their lies. They took advantage of the unwary and vulnerable flock and had taken as many captives from among them as they could.

What were some of the lies these hypocrites were teaching? Read verses 3-5. “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. For 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.” These false teachers could have been Gnostics. They were teaching that the body was evil and that the soul alone was holy and good. They were teaching that a Christian must not engage any physical appetites. They taught that for a man or woman to be acceptable to God, they must deprive their bodies and appease their souls only. In that way, they nullified Jesus’ sacrifice to bring forgiveness and healing, and to recreate a new heart for the believer.

Amazingly, we see that they were not teaching outright evil things. Rather they were teaching that people ought to refrain from marriage, and they ought to stay away from certain foods. To the ears of those who did not study the Bible for themselves, the teachings of these hypocritical liars sounded harsh but gospel-like. These false teachings sounded even more holy than what they were learning from Timothy. But because they did not give priority to the word of God and gospel faith, they were easily deceived to believe the lie.

There was not one but many teachings which sprang up in Paul’s time, and in our own time as well, whose origins comes from man’s philosophy and man made religion. No Christian who has tasted the goodness of God wants to be taken captive again by the lies of the devil. But such things happen. But those who study the word of God from their hearts and who remain bound to Jesus in prayer, faith and obedience, are not easily deceived by demon teachings. They know how to hold on to the grace of our Lord Jesus. They know how to remain alert. They know how to fight the good fight of faith every day.

Some false teachings have swept across our own generation. They have brought about the demise of the potential of so many good Christians. Let’s think of some modern day false teachings that have infiltrated the ranks of our Christian youth. Modern day false teachings are that the visible, organized, church means nothing. What is truly important is our own personal relationship with Jesus. And so promising young Christians are not committed to building up a particular church body or becoming part of a body of believers. Another teaching is that as long as a person is a sincere person then that person will be destined to go to heaven. There are many ways to climb a mountain to get to the top. As a result there are many promising young Christians who don’t think it is necessary to preach the Gospel to anyone, thinking it is only disrupting their lives. They questions the lost-ness of this world and they lose their missionary zeal. Another teaching states that Christians don’t have to cross cultural and language barriers to go and make disciples of all nations. After all, there is enough need here in America, with the Indian reservations, the inner city, the poor everywhere, and the poor people in Appalachia for example. As a result our young people rationalize that they don’t have to obey Jesus’ world mission command to go to the ends of the earth. What about other teachings like, “It is better to live together before marriage?”; “It is OK to have physical relationships as long as you love each other. After all we are fiancés.”; “People don’t have to repent of their sins, they are born that way. It is in their DNA.” As a result some young Christians don’t feel that there is a need to repent. According to Paul, it is not a small thing for a promising Christian to abandon their faith to run after teachings that run contrary to the gospel. It is a tragedy that bleeds the hand and feet heart of our Savior again and again. We must guard our hearts from false teachings and mature in our faith in Christ.

Part ll: How To Be A Good Minister OF Christ Jesus. (6-16)

Paul could despair thinking that he had wasted his time in ministering to the believers in Ephesus. But Paul deeply believed the truth that nothing can separate us from the love of God through the sacrifice of his Son Jesus. For this reason, Paul was willing to educate Timothy in godly matters so that Timothy might help those who have stepped out of the faith. What did he tell young Timothy?

First, Paul charged Timothy to be a good minister of Christ Jesus and showed him two ways to do so, to hold onto the grace of God and train himself to be godly. Paul had raised Timothy in the truth of God as his own son in the faith. He was a young man who had lost his father. His mother had been faithful, but she could not lead him in the way he should go in Christ Jesus. He had taken him as a son when Timothy had no one to mentor him and to serve him until he could become a servant of God. But Paul taught him the Bible until Timothy came to know Jesus personally.
Of all the things Paul taught Timothy he taught him to remain steadfast in the grace of our Lord Jesus, right from the beginning. Look at 1:2, “To Timothy my true son in the faith: Grace, mercy and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.” Paul knew that there would be times when Timothy’s faith would waver, and he would be too weak to fight. But Paul also knew that at the time, only the grace of Jesus would rescue him. So Paul taught him time and again to be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. He led him to Christ and made him his close and dear coworker in Christ. Naturally then, Paul reminded him that a good minister of Christ Jesus. Timothy had many weaknesses. But his main strength was that he listened to Paul and remained steadfast in the faith he had learned from Paul, and in the grace which he had received from his Master Jesus.
Second, Paul gave some instructions on how to be a good minister to the church in Ephesus. Read verses 6-11. Especially Paul gave Timothy an important component in how to be a good minister of Christ. Look at verse 7. “Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.” Paul knew that Timothy was faithful. He knew that Timothy loved Jesus more than anything in this life. But Paul also knew that Timothy was a young man, and like all other young men, he is easily tempted by the things which lead astray. So he urged him to train himself in godliness. What is godliness? Godliness is the way of holiness and the way of righteousness. Godliness is the way of faith and the way of obedience to Christ. Godliness is the image of God, the image of the servant Christ who came to lay down his life for the sins of the world. Godliness is the way of God, the way which God wants all his children to live.

Ungodly living is the life of ease and comfort, the wide road by which most people choose to walk. (Mtt 7:13-14) It is the way of the world, the way which leads the whole world astray from God. The ungodly way is the way in which people put their own thoughts and feelings above the words of God and are thus led astray by lies and deception. But the godly way is the way which is narrow and the way which binds a man to Christ in a holy walk of life which leads him or her to life, eternity and spiritual prosperity. We must also train ourselves in godliness. Augustine trains in soccer six days a week. He does so to become a better soccer player and an asset to the team. Just as all athletes train themselves to be better athletes, and train their bodies to endure any and all things, so also we must train ourselves in godliness.

What must we do to train ourselves to be godly? Paul teaches Timothy the way of personal training in godliness in verses 12-16. “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. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you. Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” Let’s look at each very closely.

FIRST, “Don't let anyone look down on you”. There were some in the church who looked down on Timothy because he was young. He could have questioned whether or not he was actually called to be a servant of God. Timothy needed confidence in his calling. A Christian’s conviction, that he or she is God’s servant, must not be based on others’ view. Conviction must be personal. We must have the personal conviction of Christ’s calling for us to be the ministers of his word. So, whether we are young or old, we must have conviction from God. When we have a personal conviction that God has called us to be a minister of his word, then we also will have the conviction to train ourselves to be a devoted servants of God.

SECOND, “set an example for the believers”. A good minister of Christ must also set an example of godliness through his or her life. When we are aware of the universal truth we influence others in one way or another, then we also realize the importance of setting an example. We must live our lives in a way that blesses others. We can do so when we live as if our lives do not belong to us but to Christ Jesus.

THIRD, “devote yourself “. A good minister of Christ must devote himself to Bible study and to Bible teaching. God called Timothy to be a teacher of the gospel, and a bearer of the truth of God to the world. Timothy must therefore devote himself to studying the Scripture and to teaching it. He must train himself to study the word of God. He must train himself to live every day as a teacher of the truth. Then his life will be a beacon for truth and the devil cannot find a foothold to deceive him. He will be a good minister.

FOURTH, “Do not neglect your gift,” A good minister of Christ Jesus is one who knows the gift that God has given you and then diligently offering up those gifts to God. Timothy obviously had the gift of leadership and the gift of Bible teaching and preaching. What is your gift? Don’t neglect it. Offer it up to Jesus regularly.

FIFTH, “Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress.” Being diligent and giving yourself wholly is necessary for ministers of Christ. This is an attitude as we carry out our duties. It is the opposite of a slothful attitude or a “draggin’ it” attitude. It is also not a matter of personal opinion. Others within the church should be able to see your progress. Only those with a personal desire to be a minister of Christ can consistently procure this type of attitude. But ultimately it is all because of the grace of God.

SIXTH, “Watch your life and doctrine closely.” A good minister of Christ Jesus watches their life and doctrine closely. They care about their influence is on others. We transmit more information to others through our actions and our attitudes more than our words. That is why kids end up sounding like their one of their parents or have the mannerisms of one of their parents. These traits last a lifetime. A minister of Christ is mindful about their lifestyle and the effect it has on others. How can you watch your doctrine? Do you know how to do this? It requires disciplined Bible study and prayer. You also need to know what to think about Jesus and the Gospel and the Bible. We can begin to find correct doctrine through adopting the creeds of the Christian church, especially the Nicene Creed and the Apostles’ Creed. We can also take steps to further our spiritual education.

SEVENTH, “Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” A good minister of Christ Jesus perseveres in their life of faith because they care. They care about their own salvation and also the salvation of others. People need God’s salvation that comes from Jesus alone. People do not get to heaven by being sincere people. Jesus says, in John 14:6, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” Jesus is the narrow way that leads to eternal life. If you know that Jesus is the only way to the Father, and those who don’t believe in Jesus stand condemned already, then we must care about the salvation of the people of this world. That is one reason why we persevere in our discipleship.

EIGHT, “… because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.” Ministers of Christ Jesus know that the decisions they make today will make a difference in the salvation of others tomorrow. Sometimes we tend to think, it doesn’t matter what we do…God will save whom he wants to save. But according to this verse, it does matter. If we choose to train ourselves to be ministers of Christ Jesus then it makes a difference. Others will be saved.

Through a study of this passage we learn that it is time to make a new decision of faith to train ourselves to be godly until we make visible progress which everyone can see to the glory and honor of God our Father. We must also make a decision of faith to persevere in the grace and truth we found in Christ Jesus. According to Paul, a good minister who trains himself to be godly not only rescues himself from the deceptions of his godless and ungodly generation, but he also blesses those who listen. I pray that each one of us may become a good minister of Christ in this generation. I pray that each one of us also makes a decision of faith to make progress as a minister of Christ Jesus through personal spiritual training. This sounds like some lofty goal. It is not too lofty if we think of it this way. Decide, by faith to train yourselves every day in one thing. Choose something in your life each day which you may conquer and bring under the Lordship and sovereignty of Christ so that your life may be a source of blessing on everyone. Think about Steve’s decision to write testimonies each week. That is the way to take the first steps. Amen.

1. What did the Spirit clearly say would happen in God’s household? (1) What happens to those who abandon the faith and why is this so serious? (1b) How do false teachings get into the church? (2; Mt7:15) In what two ways were people led astray? (3a) What can we learn here about the importance of spiritual discernment for a good minister of Christ Jesus?


2. How did Paul affirm the goodness of everything created by God? (3b–4) What attitude should we have toward God’s creation? If we do so, what happens? (5)
Why is it vital to believe that God created everything for good? (Ge1:29–31; 2:24–25)


3. In addition to discerning false teachings and holding to the truth that everything God created is good, what else must a good minister do? (6a)
What should he continue to do in order to be a good minister? (6b; 1Pe2:2; 2Ti3:14–15)


4. What should a good minister not be involved in? (7a) What should he focus on instead? (7b) What is the value of physical training? (8a) How is training in godliness more valuable? (8b; 1Co9:25) What is the reason that “godliness has value for all things” is a trustworthy saying? (9–10) In terms of training, what do you learn here about being a good minister?


5. As a young minister, how could Timothy build up godly leadership? (11–12)
Especially, consider the importance of setting a good example in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity. Among many things to do, to what should Timothy devote himself? (13; Ac6:4) How did Paul encourage Timothy regarding his gift and why? (14–15)


6. How did Paul summarize his teachings to young Timothy in this chapter in regards to being a good minister of Christ Jesus? (16) In light of this passage, what is involved in watching one’s life and doctrine? What does it mean to “persevere in them”? How will this affect himself and his hearers?