Be Faithful 1 Timothy 4 By Warren W. Wiersbe

Paul emphasized the character and work of the minister himself * A Good Minister, preaching the Word (4:1-6) * False teachers * They are energized by Satan (1a) * Mystery of iniquity surrounding Satan and his works (2 Thess. 2:7) * Satan is an imitator (2Cor 11:13-15) * Satan seeks to deceive God’s people (2Cor. 11:3) * Satan use professed Christians in the church to accomplish his work * Peter (Matt. 16:21-23); Ananias and Sapphira (Acts 5)

* They led people astray (1b) * Goal to seduce and get them to depart from faith * Apostasy: a willful turning away from the truth of the Christian faith * The will not build up or relate people to the Lord * They get disciples to follow, join, and promote their program * A difference between a true church and a religion cult: a true church seeking to win converts to Christ and build them up while a cult proselytizes, steal them from others and make them servants of the leaders of the cult * Apostates can be in the church and pulpits

* They are hypocrites (2) * You shall know them by their fruits (Matt. 7:15-20) * They preach one thing but practice another * They tell them what to do, but they do not do themselves * Satan works “by means of hypocrisy of liars” (2) * One of the true marks of a true servant of God is his honesty and integrity * Seared mean “cauterized” * A person’s conscience becomes deadened * Apostate is wrong doctrinally and wrong morally * His personal life became wrong before his doctrine were changed * Teachings were changed so they can continue sinful living * Believing and behaving go together

* They deny God’s Word (3-5) * Combined Jewish legalism with eastern asceticism * Colossians * Unmarried life more spiritual * Any teaching that tampers with God’s creation * Food * Those who “believe and know the truth” are not impressed with do’s and don'ts * Food are clean (Mark 7:14-23); Peter (Acts 10); Paul (1Cor. 10:23-33) * Beware of our freedom to eat and drink concerning weaker Christians (Rom. 14:13-23)

* Food is sanctified (1 Cor. 10:31) * The emphasis in a minister’s life: the Word of God and prayer (1 Tim. 4:5) * A good minister must be “nourished up in the Words of faith (4:6) * Teach the Church the truth (6a) * Warning about the false doctrine and religious apostasy * Minister is obligated to teach “all counsel of God” (Acts 20:27) * Minister shouldn’t ignore the false teaching * He must nourish himself in the Word (6b) * He must preach the Word that he feeds on daily basis, but he must also practice it.

A Godly Minister, Practicing the Word (7-12) * The bad – “profane and old wives’ fables” (7a) * No basis in the Scriptures; contradiction to God’s Word * Fables in Titus and 2 Timothy * The temporary – “bodily exercises”(7-8) * Athletic term * Benefit during this life; godly exercise for now and eternity

* The eternal – “godliness” (7-12) * “the great purpose of life-the shaping of character by truth” ~Phillips Brooks * Devoted to godliness as athletes to sport * Disciplines necessary for godly living * Prayer, meditation, self-examination, fellowship, service, submission to the will of others, witness * “Labor and suffer reproach” (10a) * Strive (NIV) – agonize * Exercising is profitable for Christians as well as for others (11-12); enabling so to be good examples.

* “in Word” – speech should be honest and loving (Eph. 4:15) * “In conduct” – our lives are controlled by God’s Word; walk, not talk * “In love” – motivation of our lives * “In spirit” – not in most manuscripts, inner enthusiasm and excitement of a child of God * “In faith” – we trust God and are faithful to Him; faith and love go together; faith leads to faithfulness * “In purity” – we live in evil world; Ephesus was the center for sexual impurity. Godly living (exercise) his influence on the lost * “Savior of all men” – not universalism nor force to believe in spite of themselves * “A faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation (9) * Timothy was to “command” * Local church is an unit in God’s Spiritual army and leaders are to pass God’s orders along to the people with authority and discipline

* Give attendance to; devote yourself to reading; public reading in the local assembly * Exhortations (13) encouragement; applying of God’s Word to the lives of the people * Doctrine: teaching 22 times in pastoral letters * Apt to teach is apt to learn A Growing Minister, Progressing in the Word (13-16) * “That thy profiting (progress, NIV)” meaning pioneer advance * Not growing, going backward * Evidence of spiritual growth in living, teaching, preaching and leading * Emphasize God’s Word (13)

* Use Your Spiritual Gifts (14) * Gift meaning charisma, a gracious gift of God * Everyone has a gift from God (Rom. 8:9) * Timothy to cultivate the gift necessary to his spiritual progress and ministry * Stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands (2 Tim. 1:6) * God who call us will also equip us * We must cultivate God’s gift; use them, and develop them in the ministry * Devote Yourself Fully to Christ (15) * Meditate: give yourself totally to them; sidelines * “This one thing I do” (Phil. 3:13) * “Double-minded man is unstable in all his ways” (James 1:8)

* Take spiritual inventory (16) * Examine your own heart based on God’s Word * Thyself instead of doctrine * Take heed therefore unto yourselves (Acts 20:28) * Let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall (I Cor 10:12) * Building up of the saved and winning the lost are the main purpose for our ministry, but God must work in us before He can effectively work through us (Phil )