1 Timothy 4:6-16
SS Lesson for 03/20/11
Devotional Scripture: Matt 25:1-13
The concept of the outline of the lesson came from the Bible Expositor and Illuminator and the detail came from a previous SS Lesson dated 01/22/2006. This week's lesson teaches us about how to Prepare for Leadership. The study's aim is to know that effective spiritual leaders are aware of what is truly important and watch their lives and teaching. The study's application is to understand that for effective leadership in the church, one must prepare with care and caution.
Aiming at Nothing
There is an old story about a man who passed by a curious looking barn. On the side of the barn were painted several targets, each with an arrow exactly in the center of the bull’s-eye. The man saw the farmer standing nearby and remarked, “Someone must be a very good archer, to have hit all those bull’s-eyes.” The farmer replied, “Well, not really. My son shoots those arrows in the barn and then paints a target around each of them, wherever they strike.” Many people live that way. They aim at no special target in life; they simply accept whatever happens. They aim at nothing, they hit it every time, and pretend that what they end up with is just fine. Followers of Jesus cannot afford to live aimless lives. Our Lord became a man and died for us to achieve a goal: to make us his forgiven people, now and forever. His goal is now our goal. Having received salvation in Christ, we should want our lives to reflect that salvation, to be conformed to his will. And we should want others to enjoy the same kind of life.
Lesson Background
The background for today’s lesson is the same as that of our two previous lessons, thus that information need not be repeated here. One item that can receive additional attention, however, is the presence of the so-called mystery religions in the area around Ephesus, the city where Timothy ministered. Such religions taught that one can have an exalted spiritual status by learning secret knowledge and observing special rules about abstaining from certain foods and from marriage. Apparently, some of this thinking had infected the church at Ephesus. In response, Paul discussed the revealed nature of the Christian “mystery” extensively in his letter to the Ephesians (see Ephesians 1:9; 3:2–11; 5:32; 6:19). Further, Paul specifically gave Timothy instructions to pass on to that church regarding how to live together and choose leaders in ways that reflect the true gospel of Jesus Christ. In the passage just prior to today’s text, Paul warned that the kind of false teaching the church confronted was exactly characteristic of “the latter times.” From the perspective of the gospel, such times began with the resurrection of Jesus. So the struggle with false teaching was serious. It represents the battle of the end times. That description of false teaching raises questions. What should the church’s leaders do to counter such teaching? What strategy should leaders employ in this battle? The answer is to focus our aim on the right target and understand the right means of hitting that target.
How does one prepare for leadership? There is no single answer to this question because different types of leadership are needed in different fields of work. In addition, different personalities respond to different kinds of challenges. So the path to leadership takes varying routes. There are, however, certain themes common to preparing for leadership. One is the mastery of the knowledge and skills required in one's vocation. For some this comes through formal education in college or training in technical schools and programs. For others it takes the form of apprenticeships or training on the job. The Bible contains many examples of those who learned well and used their challenges as upward steps. Joshua, Samuel, David, Elisha, and Daniel became outstanding leaders, as did many of Jesus' disciples. The Apostle Paul also trained a number of younger men and gave them increasing responsibilities to develop their leadership potential. One of them was Timothy. In this week's lesson we glimpse the principles through which he became a leader. We have heard of church leaders who have fallen into sin and let the church down. Because of such situations, it is important to take seriously the instructions Paul gave to Timothy. Good leaders do not just happen. Paul has shown us the steps we need to take to prepare good leaders. We do not have to have disasters in our leadership. Paul wrote to young pastor Timothy to train his church in the right path. Church leadership is crucial in following the pattern for church life given to us in Scripture. Good leadership contributes to a fully functional church. Bad leadership fosters a dysfunctional atmosphere among Christians. In our lesson this week, Paul shows us the steps we are to take as a church to experience spiritual leadership.
(Scriptural Text from the New King James Version; cross-references from the NIV)
6 If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.
7 But reject profane and old wives' fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.
8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.
9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.
10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe.
9 He must hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
2:1 You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine .
17 Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
13 And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.
3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
16 So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man.
11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness.
11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. 12 It teaches us to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age, 13 while we wait for the blessed hope — the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ
14 But solid food is for the mature, who by constant use have trained themselves to distinguish good from evil.
5 For this very reason, make every effort to add to your faith goodness; and to goodness, knowledge; 6 and to knowledge, self-control; and to self-control, perseverance; and to perseverance, godliness; 7 and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, love. 8 For if you possess these qualities in increasing measure, they will keep you from being ineffective and unproductive in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
12 O LORD Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you.
2 Surely God is my salvation; I will trust and not be afraid. The LORD, the LORD, is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation."
17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.
21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God.
11 These things command and teach.
12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
13 Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.
15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.
16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
11:1 Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ.
You became imitators of us and of the Lord; in spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. 7 And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia.
7 For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, 8 nor did we eat anyone's food without paying for it. On the contrary, we worked night and day, laboring and toiling so that we would not be a burden to any of you. 9 We did this, not because we do not have the right to such help, but in order to make ourselves a model for you to follow.
7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good. In your teaching show integrity, seriousness 8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned, so that those who oppose you may be ashamed because they have nothing bad to say about us.
2 Be shepherds of God's flock that is under your care, serving as overseers — not because you must, but because you are willing, as God wants you to be; not greedy for money, but eager to serve; 3 not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock. 4 And when the Chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the crown of glory that will never fade away.
19 It is to be with him, and he is to read it all the days of his life so that he may learn to revere the LORD his God and follow carefully all the words of this law and these decrees
8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. 3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever he does prospers.
11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.
15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7 If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8 if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands.
10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.
14:1 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire spiritual gifts, especially the gift of prophecy.
14 May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.
12 I will meditate on all your works and consider all your mighty deeds.
5 I remember the days of long ago; I meditate on all your works and consider what your hands have done.
9 Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love.
8 Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.
It has been said that leading by example is not just the best way to lead, it is the only way. When the church fulfills the will of God, it is always led by those who reflect the saving gospel. They know the destination to which God has called his people, and they are moving toward that destination while they encourage others to join them. Some of us know that we are leaders in the church. We have accepted responsibilities that involve teaching, guiding, and directing others to grow in God’s Word and work. In this passage we can hear God’s call to be deliberate and diligent in pursuing godliness. Some of us think that we are not leaders. But in fact, every Christian has the position and the power to lead in some regard. You may be the only available example of a Christ-follower to some family, friends, and coworkers. The Christian faith does not have ranks. Every Christian is a sinner saved by grace, a pilgrim on the way to a destination. Living out that truth is what Christian leadership is all about.
A careful study of the letters of the Apostle Paul reveals the repetition of these themes: doctrine and duty. Romans 1 through 12 covers areas of doctrine, and chapters 13 through 16 focus on duty. Ephesians 1 through 3 deals with doctrine, and chapters 4 through 6 detail the duty of believers. The epistles of Paul to Timothy mix the two themes as Paul explained what a believer should know (doctrine) and what he should show (duty). Another way to describe the theme would be: (1) This is what you are to believe. (2) This is how you are to behave. In his exhortation to Timothy in 1 Tim. 4:16, the apostle explored the same themes, although he stated them in a different order. (1) "Take heed unto thyself." As discussed in last week's lesson, it is vital for a spiritual leader to have the character qualities of spiritual maturity. It should come as no surprise that after Paul discussed the kind of spiritual maturity leaders should have (1 Tim. 3), he told Timothy in chapter 4 that he should take a look at his own life. These are the same words Paul used with the Ephesian elders he met and encouraged at Miletus: "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood" (Acts 20:28). No matter how God may be using you in spiritual service, you need to evaluate your own standing before Him as you try to help others spiritually. In Matthew 7:3 Jesus warned about judging others without looking first at ourselves: "And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye?" Jesus was not declaring that we should not notice what is in our brother's eye. In fact, the word he used in the passage means "splinter." It is good to help a brother notice the splinter in his eye, but not if you have a two-by-four in your own! (2) "Take heed . . . unto the doctrine." The task of spiritual leadership requires a clear understanding of the teachings of the Word of God by which we intend to lead others. The saddest part of much ministry today is the irresponsibility with which those who teach the Word of God handle it. Many teachers simply do not bother to do their homework. They may be lazy at their studies, willing to pass on what they have read rather than what they have studied. It is of little use to pound the pulpit about a passage if the teacher does not really understand it. He would have been more effective to put his energy into study. What a shame it is when a Sunday school teacher spends fifteen minutes on Saturday night preparing a lesson and he or she is inadequately prepared to teach on Sunday morning! If it is cloudy in the teacher's mind, it will be an absolute fog in the hearer's ears. All teachers need to hear Paul's exhortation to Timothy that he should carefully watch himself as well as his teaching.
1. It is a pastoral duty to warn against those who seek to impose non-biblical rules (1 Tim. 4:6)
2. A Christian teacher must not allow himself to waste time arguing about unbiblical ideas and merely human traditions (vs. 7)
3. True spiritual exercise is found in Bible study, prayer, moderation, charity, and love for others (1 Tim. 4:8-9; Gal. 5:22; Eph. 5:9)
4. God's power to save should motivate us to work and serve diligently (1 Tim. 4:10-11)
5. One is qualified to lead God's people not by his age but by his wisdom (vs. 12)
6. Reading Scripture is essential for our encouragement and instruction (vs. 13-16)
Leadership is important to life. Leadership is vital to the ongoing ministry of the church. God lays out some good points for us to absorb in this week's lesson text.
A leader is someone who leads. That much is obvious. But a leader is also someone who follows. Paul was getting Timothy to focus on good leadership through following the right person. That person is Christ. Timothy was to lead in part by instructing. His instruction was to come from the "words of faith and of good doctrine" (1 Tim. 4:6). That is the positive aspect. The negative aspect was to stay away from fables (vs. 7). Many Jewish teachings involved legends about various biblical figures. Even today, we could apply this to the matter of speculations about the Bible. Speculations are not necessarily wrong; but when they take precedence over solid interpretation, it is a problem. Paul continued with an interesting comment about physical exercise. First Timothy 4:8 could be translated "Physical exercise is of some value." It is not that it is worthless, but it is not paramount. Godliness, or piety toward God, is far more valuable. It is more valuable because it helps us not only in this life but also in the life to come. Paul referred to God as "the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe" (2 Tim. 4:10). Jesus died for all. The Bible makes it clear that the offer of salvation applies to every person. But not all will respond favorably. Those who do are saved forever. God can save all, but those who turn to Him in faith will truly be saved.
Paul encouraged Timothy to be bold despite his youth. Timothy may have been in his thirties, but he apparently was younger than many of the other elders. Age often plays a big part in perceptions of all kinds. From Paul's words, we gather that it has always been this way. There is nothing wrong with age being a consideration; for instance, you would not want a teenager in certain positions of responsibility. But it should not be the only consideration. As Paul indicated, being an example of Christlikeness is paramount. The first area Paul dealt with is being an example in speech. In America, we enjoy having freedom of speech. But what Paul meant is that we should set a proper example. In other places, Paul made it clear what he meant. Ephesians 4:31 reminds us to put away evil speaking. Colossians 4:6 tells us to season our speech with salt. God expects godly speech from His people. Paul also reminded Timothy to "neglect not the gift that is in thee" (1 Tim. 4:14). It appears that perhaps Timothy was tempted to such neglect. God had His mark on this young man. He wanted to use Timothy to reach many for Christ. We often see Christians struggling about spiritual gifts. All that is needed is a humble attitude, an attentive mind, and an open heart to God's leading. Each of us has at least one spiritual gift. Are we using our gift for God, or are we neglecting it? If you work in the area of service in which God wants to use you, He has given you the ability to glorify Him.