THE EVER PRESENT DANGER OF AN “ETHICAL DISCONNECT” IN A CHRISTIANS LIFE
(I Tim. 3:8-13)
OVERVIEW OF I TIMOTHY 1:1-20 to 3:13
1:1-2 – Overview of Christian Faith based on names for God and the blessings He bestows on His people.
1:3-4a False teaching in Ephesus and how humanistic philosophy effects us today.
1:4b-6 – The goal of the command is love. (Loving God, fellow Christians, the non-Christian world)
1:7-8 – The law is good if used properly. (The law’s deterrent, punitive and educative purposes)
1:8-11 – “Whatever else …” The Gospel Ethic. (Law-Philia University)
1:11 – Our Relationship with “The Blessed God.” (Causing God pain or joy)
1:12-16 Why Paul considered himself the worst of sinners.
1:12-16 Conversion of the apostle Paul.
1:12-16 Paul’s call to ministry.
1:17 Paul’s doxology of praise for his conversion.
1:18-20 How to avoid shipwrecking our faith.
2:1-3 The Christian is to pray for all men.
2:4,6 Comparison of Calvinism & Armenianism.
2:5-6 The man, Christ Jesus, the only mediator.
2:1-7 The vision, the message, the means.
2:8-15 Treatment of women in the ancient world, the early church and the Bible.
2:8-15 Three key hermeneutic principles to follow when studying the Bible.
2:8 Praying Men with Peaceful Hearts
2:9-10 A First-Century Christian Woman’s Dress and Deeds
2:11-12 Does Submission Demand Silence?
2:13-15 Paul’s Logic for Requiring Women to Be Silent in The Ephesian House Churches.
3:1 Why Aspiring to Church Leadership Can Be a Good Thing.
3:2 Spiritual Gifting Required of an Ephesian Elder – Teaching
3:2 Spiritual Gifting Required of an Ephesian Elder – Hospitality
3:4-5 Spiritual Gifting Required of an Ephesian Elder –Leadership
3:2-7 Ethical Demands of the NT and the Ethics Tests for Elders
3:2-7 Ethical Qualities Required of an Ephesian Elder
3:8-13 The Ever Present Danger of Ethical Disconnect in a Christian’ Life
3:9 Keeping Hold of the Deep Truths of the Faith
REVIEW OF STUDIES IN I TIM. 3:8-13:
1. Deacons and all believers must hold the deep truths, that is “Mysteries of the Faith.” One
of those revealed “mysteries” often passed over by the church in history is the winning of
the Unreached People Groups of the world.
2. All Christians must hold to the high ethical standards of the NT yet it is quite easy for Christians in every generation to develop and “ethical disconnect” between what the Scripture teaches and what the moral/ethical climate of the culture finds acceptable.
THE EVER PRESENT DANGER OF AN “ETHICAL DISCONNECT” IN A CHRISTIANS LIFE
(I Tim. 3:8-13)
8Deacons, likewise, are to be men worthy of respect, sincere, not indulging in much wine, and not pursuing dishonest gain. 9They must keep hold of the deep truths of the faith with a clear conscience. 10They must first be tested; and then if there is nothing against them, let them serve as deacons. 11In the same way, their wives are to be women worthy of respect, not malicious talkers but temperate and trustworthy in everything. 12A deacon must be the husband of but one wife and must manage his children and his household well. 13Those who have served well gain an excellent standing and great assurance in their faith in Christ Jesus.
POETRY OF BERNHARD OF CLAIRVAUX
JESUS, THE VERY THOUGHT OF THEE
Jesus, the very thought of Thee
With sweetness fills my breast;
But sweeter far Thy face to see,
And in the presence rest.
Nor voice can sing, nor heart can frame,
Nor can the memory find
A sweeter sound than Thy blest Name,
O Saviour of mankind!
O Hope of every contrite heart,
O Joy of all the meek,
To those who fall, how kind Thou art!
How good to those who seek.
But what to those who find? Ah, this
Nor tongue nor pen can show:
The love of Jesus, what it is
None but His loved ones know.
Jesus, my only Joy be Thou,
As Thou my Prize wilt be;
Jesus, be Thou my Glory now,
And through eternity.
JESUS, KING MOST WONDERFUL
O Jesus, King most wonderful,
Thou Conqueror renowned,
Thou Sweetness most ineffable,
In whom all joys are found!
When once You come into the heart,
Then truth begins to shine,
Then earthly vanities depart,
Then kindles love divine.
Jesus! Thy mercies are untold,
Through each returning day;
Thy love exceeds a thousand-fold
Whatever we can say.
O Jesus, Light of all below!
Thou Fount of life and fire!
Surpassing all the joys we know,
And all we can desire, —
May every heart confess Thy Name,
And ever Thee adore,
And seeking Thee, itself inflame
To seek Thee more and more.
Thee may our tongues forever bless,
Thee may we love alone,
And ever in our lives express
No image but Thine own.
Grant us, while here on earth we stay,
Thy love to feel and know;
And when from hence we pass away
To us Thy glory show.
(Bernard of Clairvaux, 1091-1153; Tr. Edward Caswall, 1814-1878)
I. MORAL QUALITIES EXPECTED OF AN EPHESIAN DEACON
QUESTION: What statements relating to ethics/morality do we find in our text?
ANSWER: Worthy of respect, not double-tongued (sincere), not drunkards, honest, free from malice, temperate, trustworthy, faithful to spouse, good and responsible parent.
The moral/ethical list for deacons in I Tim. 3:8-11 is the minimal moral requirements for deacons. The phrase “worthy of respect” probably encompasses all of the other moral qualities set forth in I Timothy.
Moral/Ethical qualities engendered on the Ephesian Church
Positive Moral/Ethical Qualities in I Timothy: Love, a pure heart, a good conscience, godliness, holiness, modest, decency, propriety, above reproach, marital faithfulness, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, gentle, good reputation, sincere, honest, trustworthy, thankful, example in speech, love, life, faith purity, responsible, steadfast, helpful, generous, content, righteous, godly, perservering.
Negative Moral/Ethical Qualities in I Timothy: lawbreaking, rebellion, ungodliness, sin, unholiness, irreligion, patricide, immodesty, indecency, greed, malice, harshness, busybodies, strife, suspicion, arrogance, murder, adultery, perversion, slavery, lying, perjury, drunkenness, violence, conceit, hypocrisy, idleness, sin, envy, friction, blashphemy, violence, persecution, unbelief, anger, disupting, quarreling, dishonesty, godlessness, gossip, favoritism, love of money, trust in wealth, godless chatter.
“The Lord’s servant … must be kind to everyone … Those who oppose him he must gently instruct, in the hope that God will grant them repentance” (II Tim. 2:24-25).
In all there are 111 verses in I Timothy with 85 references to ethics and morality.
II. MORAL/ETHICAL QUALITIES EMPHAZIED BY JESUS
A. Sermon on the Mount
“Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect” (Mt. 5:48). (Paul said we are to be conformed to the image/likeness of Christ in Rom 8:29).
B. The Second Commandment
“Love your neighbor as yourself. All the law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments” (Mt. 22:39-40).
QUESTION: What are some corollaries of the Second Command-ment? (A corollary is a proposition inferred immediately from a proved proposition with little or no additional proof; something that naturally follows.)
ANSWER: Do not repay evil for evil (I Pt. 3:9); Do good to all men (Gal 6:2); Do unto others as you would have them do unto you; bless and curse not (Rom 12:14); love your enemies (Mt. 5:44-45); visit the prisoners, take care of strangers, feed the hungry, clothe the needy, care for the sick (Mt. 25:31-45), Avoid use of the sword (Mt. 26:53).
We always emphasize that we are free from the law but we are certainly not free from ethical demands which are really sub-sets of the Second Commandment.
III. THE PERIL OF A “MORAL/ETHICAL DISCONNECT”
Thee may our tongues forever bless,
Thee may we love alone,
And ever in our lives express
No image but Thine own.
“…Whoever has my commands and obeys them, He is the one who loves me” (John 14:15,21).
Obedience is not only the ultimate proof, it is the only proof of our love for Christ.
“It’s hard to know how to characterize Bernard of Clairvaux. On the one hand, he is called the ‘honey-tongued doctor’ for his eloquent writings on the love of God. On the other hand, he rallied soldiers to kill Muslims” (Christians Everyone Should Know, Pg. 202).
“Mission and crusade had come together. This was revealed still more clearly in a celebrated letter from St. Bernard, abbot of Clairvaux … and the most potent spiritual force in the Europe of his day. Bernard had preached the Second Crusade (against Islam) to a huge and rapturous audience … in Burgundy – … Bernard’s letter of a few months later on the subject of the Crusade against the Wends (a tribal group in Central Europe) stated that the crusaders were setting out ‘to convert these nations’ and indicated that he shared some of the pope’s misgivings: ‘We expressly forbid that for any reason whatsoever they should make a truce with those peoples, whether for money or for tribute, until such time as, with God’s help, either their religion or their nation be destroyed.’” (Conversion of the Barbarians, pg. 488).
“…with all the eloquence of which he was a master, Bernard outlined the salient features [of the Knight’s Templar] of what must have seemed a contradiction in terms to some contemporaries, a way of life by which a man could achieve salvation by doing (physical) battle (warfare) with the enemies of God (Muslims, Pagans)” (Conversion of the Barbarians, pg. 497).
SO WHAT????
1. Have we fallen into the same trap that Bernard fell into,
experiencing an “ethical disconnect” between what we believe to
be the moral standards of the NT and the way we live every day?
Illustration: CT Studd, up very early in the morning. When asked what he was doing said that he was reading the Bible to see if there were any commands of Jesus he had yet to obey.
2. QUESTION: Are there moral/ethical positions we take and in fact justify today that are at odds with the moral/ethical positions in the New Testament?
a. Use/abuse of Sunday / one day in seven? Buying and selling on Sunday?
b. Tithe?
c. Developing a Christian home e.g. family worship /devotions?
d. Gambling / casinos?
e. Pornography, immoral movies, films etc.
f. Integrity in business dealings.
h. Entertainment-centered, materialistic life-style.