MARCH
17, 2013
1.
BEHAVING
BLAMELESSLY (1 TIMOTHY 3:8-13)
1 Timothy 3:8-13
8 Deacons likewise must be men of
dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain, 9
but holding to the mystery of the faith with a clear conscience. 10 And let
these also first be tested; then let them serve as deacons if they are beyond
reproach. 11 Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but
temperate, faithful in all things. 12 Let deacons be husbands of only one wife,
and good managers of their children and their own households. 13 For those who
have served well as deacons obtain for themselves a high standing and great
confidence in the faith that is in Christ Jesus.
NASB
Verse 8:
·
Deacon
or minister is a general term for a servant or a worker.
·
The
task of the "deacon" was and is a glorious task.
·
It
is based on Christ's loving concern for His people.
·
Christ
regards what is done to the least of His children as if it had been done to
Himself.
·
A
deacon, although he deals with the material matters of the church should be a
spiritual man.
·
Now
in order to carry out so worthy a task, the deacons, as well as the elders,
must be men full of faith and of the Holy Spirit.
·
A
deacon should not be two-faced. A man's word should amount to something.
Matthew 5:37
37 "But let your statement be, 'Yes, yes'
or 'No, no'; and anything beyond these is of evil.
NASB
James 5:12
12 But above all, my brethren, do not
swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath; but let your yes be
yes, and your no, no; so that you may not fall under judgment.
NASB
Verse 9:
·
It
is referred to as a "mystery of the faith" because
it was not revealed in the Old Testament.
·
Deacons
watch themselves scrupulously, doing all in their power to remain in the
closest possible union with Christ.
Verse 10:
·
A
man should not be shoved into office a month after he joins a church and before
he has proved that he is the type of man that Scripture has described here.
·
A
deacon proves by a consecrated life that he has Christian character. He must be
able to sustain the test before the whole church (plus outsiders) being focused
on him.
Verse 11:
·
Women
are viewed here as rendering special service in the church, as do the elders
and deacons.
·
They
are a group by themselves, not just the wives of the deacons nor all the women
who belong to the church.
·
They
should be serious, able to be calm and cool.
·
All
that is said of this trait as related to the deacons and elders also apply
here.
·
They
are not to be gossips.
·
To
be sober minded
·
She
should be faithful to her husband, to Christ Himself, and to His cause.
Verse 12:
·
The
deacons are to meet the same personal and family requirements that were given
to the elders.
Verse 13:
·
Let
no one be misled - it is the deacon's task to serve and not (like the elders)
to rule.
·
Deacons
should not think highly of themselves and of their office.
·
For
those deacons who serve well, they will secure for themselves a "high
standing."
·
A
deacon who serves well will become known as a man who is to be trusted.
2.
TRAINING FOR
SERVICE (1 TIMOTHY 4:6-10)
1 Timothy 4:6-10
6 In pointing out these things to the
brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on
the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following.
7 But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other
hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; 8 for bodily discipline
is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it
holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 9 It is a
trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance. 10 For it is for this we labor
and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior
of all men, especially of believers.
NASB
Verse 6:
·
Timothy
is to warn the believers about "these things," which refers to
the subject of V.1-5.
·
He
must make plain to the leaders and to the people at Ephesus what the Spirit has
revealed as to the nature of the approaching falsehood and as to the way in
which it should be combated.
·
"you
will be a good servant of Christ Jesus." Every believer is a minister,
but here Paul has in mind Timothy as a teacher of the Word of God.
·
A
"good servant " is one who, in loving devotion to his task,
to his people, and above all to his God, warns against departures from the
Truth and shows how to deal with spiritual error.
Verse 7:
·
Many
believe that this refers to the "endless myths and genealogies"
mentioned in 1 Tim 1:4.
·
It
is similar to traditions that pass on from generation to generation which can
sidetrack us from our main purpose of worshiping and serving God.
·
Timothy
should refuse to be bothered with them, and so should we.
·
We
must be constantly aiming at our spiritual objective, namely, that of complete
self-dedication to God in Christ.
Verse 8:
·
There
are those who believe that Paul is downgrading physical exercise.
·
Paul
uses the figure of the race and makes a comparison to the Christian life and
walk in 1 Corinthians.
1 Corinthians
9:24-27
4 Do you not know that those who run in
a race all run, but only one receives the prize? Run in such a way that you may
win. 25 And everyone who competes in the games exercises self-control in all
things. They then do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.
26 Therefore I run in such a way, as not without aim; I box in such a way, as
not beating the air; 27 but I buffet my body and make it my slave, lest
possibly, after I have preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.
NASB
·
It
took a rugged individual, such as Paul to cover the ground that he covered
throughout the Roman Empire.
·
There
are adults who carry physical activity to extremes without the slightest
attention to God's Word.
·
When
Paul said that "bodily exercise profits little," he did not say it
does not profit at all.
·
The
point here is that physical exercise without spiritual exercise "profits
little."
·
Spiritual
exercise such as prayer, meditation, Bible reading and study, ministry,
fellowship, witnessing and worship will count for all eternity.
·
Physical
exercise is important, but it is not to replace spiritual discipline.
·
"but
godliness is profitable for all things." Paul's emphasis on godliness
rather than physical exercise is because the Ephesians were a people given over
to games and athletics. Much like us in the USA.
Verse 9:
·
This
most likely refers to the statement just made about physical training verses
spiritual training.
Verse 10:
·
This
is not teaching universalism.
·
The
end or purpose for which Paul and timothy are laboring, with reproach, is that
people from all over the world, be they Jew or Gentile, shall hear the blessed
Gospel of salvation, and better still, shall accept it and obtain everlasting
life.
·
Of
all men God is the Saviour, but of some men, namely, believers, he is the
Saviour in a deeper, more glorious sense than He is of others.
·
This
clearly implies that when He is called the Saviour of all men, this cannot mean
that He imparts salvation to all men, as He does to believers.
·
The
term Saviour, then, must have a meaning which we today generally do not
immediately attach to it.
·
And
that is exactly the cause of the apparent difficulty.
·
Now
in the LXX version of the O.T. the word Soter which is used here in 1 Tim 4:10,
and which is usually rendered Saviour, is at times employed in a sense far
below that which we generally ascribe to it.
·
Having
delivered Israel from the oppression of Pharaoh, God had been the Saviour of
that entire multitude that went out of Egypt.
·
Yet,
"with most of them God was not well pleased" (1 Cor 10:5). In a
sense, therefore, he was the Saviour or Soter of all, but especially of those
who believed.
1 Corinthians 10:4-5
5 Nevertheless, with most of them God
was not well-pleased; for they were laid low in the wilderness
NASB
·
With
the latter, with them alone, he was "well pleased."
3.
CONTINUING
SPIRITUAL GROWTH (1 TIMOTHY 4:11-16)
1 Timothy 4:11-16
11 Prescribe and teach these things. 12
Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love,
faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. 13 Until I
come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and
teaching. 14 Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed
upon you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the
presbytery. 15 Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your
progress may be evident to all. 16 Pay close attention to yourself and to your
teaching; persevere in these things; for as you do this you will insure
salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.
NASB
Verse 11:
·
Timothy
must “Prescribe and teach”:
o
Apostasy
is coming (V.1-3).
o
Error
is an insult to God and to His work of creation (V.4-5).
o
An
excellent minister is one who feeds on sound doctrine which he feeds to others
(V.6)
o
The
benefit which accrues from godly living transcends that which results from that
which is physical (V.8-10).
Verse 12:
·
Timothy
is now somewhere between 34 and 39 years of age (about the year 63).
·
He
must have been considered very young for the position which he occupied:
apostolic representative and as such chief over all the officers (presbyters)
in the churches of Ephesus and surrounding area.
·
He
must see to it that he is respected because of his office, not by "acting big" or bragging about his
credentials, but by conducting himself as a man of sage counsel and
consecrated, practical wisdom in dispensing the Word of Truth.
Verse 13:
·
The
minister is to read the Scripture publicly to comfort and to teach.
·
Until
people get into the Word of God, the ministry is missing its main function.
·
Exhortation
includes warning against error in doctrine and morals, along with advice and
encouragement.
·
Teaching
because it does make a difference what one believes.
·
There
are certain facts with respect to doctrine and morals which must be taught, and
which one must accept and embrace, so that one's life is founded upon them.
·
In
the early church, when very few individuals owned private copies of the sacred
Scriptures, one can imagine how important the public reading of Scripture was.
Verse 14:
·
It
seems likely that Timothy was given the gift of discernment (the ability of discerning
between truth and error).
·
Laying
on of hands indicates partnership in the ministry. That is what it means and it
is quite meaningful.
·
The
elders were able to discern Timothy's Divine calling and affirm him by the
laying on of hands.
·
Or,
as some think, the laying on of hands on Timothy happened at Lystra on Paul's
second missionary journey.
·
The
laying on of hands symbolizes the transfer of a gift from the Giver to the
recipient.
·
In
the present instance it signifies that gracious act of the Holy Spirit whereby
He confers His special favor upon Timothy, enabling him to carry out the duties
of his important office as an apostolic representative.
Verse 15:
·
For
us today, we should be diligent in our study. There is no excuse for any
Christian not to study the Word of God.
·
“be
absorbed in them”, with your whole heart, with all your soul.
·
The
greatest compliment you could give your pastor is for others to see progress in
your spiritual growth.
Verse 16:
The first duty of a Christian worker is
to prepare their lives to be an example to others.
Practice what you preach. Holy living
and sound teaching go together.
After one has taken care of their
personal lives, the next step is to be sure to have the correct teaching or
"doctrine."
This is obtained by prayerfully studying
the Word of God. There is no other way.
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