The
Timothy’s
First Timothy Chapter Four (the Character of the
Minister Part #2)
1
Tim 4:1 ¶ Now the Spirit speaketh expressly (“speaking plainly”; probably through the
mouths of prophets), that in the latter times( not specific
times) some shall
depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;
2
Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
·
Speaking
lies in hypocrisy;
should read – Through the hypocrisy of those that speak lies.
·
Conscience
seared with a hot iron;
should read- Branded in their conscience.
·
Let us look
at the progression of deception;
·
When
Christians do not know and live by the truth of the gospel that is molded as a
pattern of “sound words” (healthy words) they will pay heed to doctrines
of devils.
·
We are
brought to believe the doctrines of devils when seducing spirits, which cause
the believer to wander from the truth or fall into error, deceive us.
Rom 1:18For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold(suppress) the truth in unrighteousness;
·
The wrath of
God is constantly revealed upon all the ungodliness and unrighteousness of men
and women who hold down or suppress the truth of God in the realm of
unrighteousness.
·
Unrighteous
living automatically holds back, down, or suppresses the truth concerning God.
With every act of unrighteousness there is an automatic suppression of
truth. As believers we must be very
carefully not to willfully disobey. Every willful act of disobedience on our
part suppresses God’s truth to the same measure as that of our disobedience.
Ephesians 2:2
Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world,
according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh(that is energized or activated)
in the children of disobedience(that will not be persuaded to obey
God)
·
There are believers
that draw a line in the spiritual sand to the Lord and will not be persuaded to
go further with Him. Christians that conduct their lives in such a way become
“children of disobedience.”
·
Every
willful act of disobedience activates or energizes the working of the devil.
Rom
1:19 ¶ Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath
shewed it unto them.
·
Greek: All that humanity can know about God
right now is at our disposal because God already made sure that it is all
manifested, and prepared for us. (There is no excuse for the
existence of agnostics and atheists!
20
For
the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen,
being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and
Godhead; so that they are without excuse
·
Greek: The
things that cannot be seen of Him from the creation of the world are perceived
clearly, and are likewise thoroughly seen and understood, by the things that
God made…. so that they are defenseless (in their agnosticism and
atheism)
21
Because
that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful;
but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.
·
Greek:
Having known God, they absolutely refused to glorify Him as God or were
thankful to Him. The end result of
pushing God away is that their reflections and reasonings about life became
futile and pointless, allowing them to fall into deception and make wrong
decisions. The end result is that their heart, now void of understanding,
became darkened.
22
Professing
themselves to be wise, they became fools,
·
Greek-
Professing to be wise, they became morons.
23
And
changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to
corruptible man, and to birds, and fourfooted beasts, and creeping things.
·
Greek: And exchanged the glory of the undecaying
and sinless God for the likeness of the image of decaying and sinful….
24
Wherefore
God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to
dishonour their own bodies between themselves:
·
Greek: Wherefore God handed them over by the cravings
and lusts of their hearts into uncleanness so that they would dishonor their
own bodies between themselves.
25
Who
changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature
more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.
·
Greek: Who exchanged the truth about God for falsehood, thus
religiously reverencing and serving the created thing more than Him who created
it.
26
For
this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did
change the natural use into that which is against nature:
·
Greek:
Because of this reason, God handed them over to dishonoring passions, for even
their females exchanged the things that are supposed to be governed by nature,
to do things which are against the laws of nature.
27
And
likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their
lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and
receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.
·
Greek: And in the same manner even the males
having left the instincts that nature has given them concerning females, have
their own cravings set on fire towards each other, males with males, executing
fully what is shameful, and getting what is due, as the necessary reward given
to them as compensation for their error.
28 And even as they did not like to retain
God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those
things which are not convenient;
·
Greek: In regards to things of this life that these
people make it their goal to have an accurate and full knowledge about, they
found God to have failed their test and not worthy of holding the place of one
these things. Therefore God handed them over to a rejected mind, which failed His
test, to now do these inappropriate and unfitting things.
1
Tim 4: 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.
·
Being
continuously fed on the words, which are made up of faith and find their
expression and life by a walk of faith.
·
Also the “words of faith and of good
teaching” are the words, which are in accordance with God’s truth and through
which the gospel finds its expression and life. This is our defense against
seducing spirits and doctrines of devils.
·
Whereunto
thou hast attained Should read, “which you have closely
followed.”
1Tim4:7 But refuse profane and old wives’ fables,
and exercise thyself
rather unto godliness.
·
Exercise
thyself; Comes from the
word for gymnastic which in turn comes from the word gymnos,
which is defined as “being naked.”
·
The practice in the days of Paul was for
athletes to exercise almost naked so as to be unhindered as possible for
vigorous training.
·
Godliness is our manner of life, which makes us
pleasing unto God. For us to attain to all that the Lord has for us, we must
vigorously train in His will, spiritually naked, as to be untangled from
distractions, idols, and worldly affairs.
1
Timothy 6:19 Laying up in store for themselves
a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.
·
There is big difference between getting saved, going to church and
performing religious activities versus that of “laying a hold on eternal life.”
To lay hold on, is to grab on to, pull in, and make it our own possession The Lord is never satisfied with our simple
conversion and even our faithful attendance in church. He wants us to experience as much of the
fullness of eternal life as possible while in our earthly tent, which is to
know God through the fullness of the revelation of His Son within our lives.
John 17:3 And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.
1 Tim 4:8 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.
· Literally: “For a little (useful in a few things) is bodily exercise profitable”. Exercising in godliness is useful for everything because it has an eternal impact on the next life and this one.
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.
·
Of
the three Greek versions that are used in our English translations the
Byzantine and Textus Receptus say “labor and suffer reproach” while the Wescott
Hort says “labor and struggle”.
·
Our
word for struggle is “to agonize.”
This is
the same word that our New Testament uses for the agonizing efforts exerted in
athletic competition.
·
Labor
always implies
painful toil with wearisome effort, which sometimes ends up in exhaustion. The bottom line is that in any great work
done for the Lord, or with any believer that desires to be greatly used of the
Lord, he or she must become aware that this dual satisfaction can only be
attained through wearisome spiritual labor and an exhilarating agony in
following the Lord comparable to those exerted by Olympic athletes.
·
One
of the greatest onslaughts that Christians face in Western societies is that of
complacency, comfort, and prosperity.
These three things many times oppose and wage war against the spiritual
toil and athletic struggle, which makes Christians into great men and women of
God. Christianity in western societies
in great part tends to be mediocre at best.
·
Godliness
likewise is only developed in the confines of a spiritual gymnasium.
Some Athletic Agonizing(s) in the NT
Luke
13:24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say
unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able.
1
Corinthians 9:25 And every man that striveth for the mastery
is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but
we an incorruptible.
Colossians
1:29 Whereunto I also labour, striving according to his
working, which worketh in me mightily.
Colossians 4:12 Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
1
Tim 4:11 These things command and teach.
·
These things
transmit to others 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.
·
Despise –To think down
·
Example-
This comes from the word that means to “strike a blow which leaves a
mark.”
·
Paul here commands us to become believers who
can leave a mark for other Christians to follow. God desires every one of us to
live in such a way that we become a pattern for, or create a mold that others
can imitate.
·
Word – Different things can be inferred
from this.
§
The
words that come out of our mouths must be wholesome to the building up of
others.
§
As
Moses was mighty in “word and deed,” we must learn to hear, operate by, and
restrict our lives to the rhema word of God.
§
Our
doctrine and teaching must follow the healthy words, which make up the gospel,
and our life must conform to that doctrine.
Conversation – Behavior
Charity- Divine, self-sacrificial love.
§
Spirit – Some translations omit “spirit” in
this verse.
§
Faith – Restrict our lives to the voice
of the Lord, which is the faith of God.
§
Purity -This word in reality means “sinlessness”. It talks not only about purity in our
actions but also in our motives. We realize that it is humanly impossible to be
sinless in this life, but our goal should always be to attain this as we labor
and athletically strive in the Lord’s calling.
14 Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which
was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.
§
Greek: Do not become careless about the spiritual gift,
which was given to you by (the Holy
Spirit) through prophecy and the laying
of hands.
15 Meditate
upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear
to all.
§
Meditate- Care for, attend to, and keep
practicing “the things that we have discussed”
§
Give thyself wholly
to them – Literally “to become one with
them”.
§
Paul
tell us throw ourselves fully, or become submerged and consumed with the things
that lead to godliness, purity, charity, spiritual gifts, and so forth.
§
That thy
profiting Literally “pioneers cutting a way for an army”
§
Every
Christian is called to a blaze a new pioneer trail, through which the Lord can
effectively travel, in accordance with their unique calling. There are now pew
sitters, and no room for mediocrity in God’s kingdom.
§
May appear to all
- Will become evident to all.
16 Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.
§
Take heed unto
thyself, and unto the doctrine Fasten your attentions to, observe, and attend to yourself
first, and to your doctrine second. This doctrine is what you teach. It must be
in accordance with the truth of the scriptures and your life must line up with
it.
§
Continue in them – Be sure to remain in these
things!
God Bless You,
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