SETTING AN EXAMPLE FOR BELIEVERS
(I Tim. 4:12)
OVERVIEW OF I TIMOTHY 1:1 to 4:12
1:1-2 – Overview of Christian Faith based on His names and blessings.
1:3-4a False teaching in Ephesus and how humanistic philosophy effects us today.
1:4b-6 – Commanded to love. (Loving God, fellow Christians, the non-Christian world)
1:7-8 – 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’s Life
3:8-13 The Ministry of Deacons in the Early Church
3:9 Keeping Hold of the Deep Truths of the Faith
3:11 An Official Deaconesses in the NT Church?
3:14 Results That are Better Than Answered Prayer
3:15 God’s New Community – The Church of the Living God
3:15 God’s New Community – God’s Household
3:15 God’s New Community – The Pillar & Foundation of the Truth
3:16a Introduction to the Hymn in I Tim. 3:15 – The Mystery of Godliness
3:16a The Mystery of Godliness – A Life Focused on Christ
3:16b The Incarnation – He Appeared in a Body
4:1-2 How False Teaching Enters the Church
4:3-5 Common Grace
4:6 Word of God in Life of the Believer
4:7a Godliness – Divine / Human Role
4:7b Train Yourself to be Godly
4:7c Spiritual Disciplines (The Word of God)
4:7d Spiritual Disciplines (Devotions, Worship)
4.7e Spiritual Disciplines (Church Attendance, Journaling, Practicing Presence of God)
4:8-9 Why Godliness Has Great Value
4:10 Putting Our Hope in the Living God
4:12 Setting an Example for Believers
12Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 13Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
15Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.
1Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity (I Tim. 4:12-5:2).
INTRODUCTION:
A. Breakdown of I Tim. 4:11-5:2
Vs. 11 refers back … command and teach these things.
Vs. 12 – The need to be a good example.
Vs. 13 – The key components of Timothy’s public ministry
Vs. 14 – The importance of using his spiritual gifts
Vs. 15,16 – The need of focus for success.
Vs. 5:1-2 – How to treat members of God’s family (Belongs with 4:12-16. I Tim. 5:3 starts a new section dealing with widows)
B. Timothy’s youthfulness
1. Timothy probably in his thirties.
2. His youthfulness could be the hidden agenda why Paul wrote. From the PE you get the idea that Timothy was timid, a bit weak and hesitant to stand firm for the truth.
3. His responsibility to command and teach is being undermined by his youthfulness.
4. The elders were all probably older than Timothy and in fact had set under Paul’s teaching and leadership for several years. Paul was around 60, now they must learn from a younger man.
5. Paul’s challenge applies to us all: 12Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are_______ (young, old, uneducated, white, black, male, female) , but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.
I. THE EMPHASIS ON “EXAMPLE” IN THE NT
I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you (John 13:15).
Follow my example, as I follow the example of Christ (I Cor. 11:1).
Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you (Phil 3:17).
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. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia (I Thes. 1:6-7).
For you yourselves know how you ought to follow our example. We were not idle when we were with you, … 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 (II Thes. 3:7,9).
What you heard from me, keep as the pattern of sound teaching, with faith and love in Christ Jesus (II Tim. 1:13).
Not lording it over those entrusted to you, but being examples to the flock (I Pt 5:3).
A. The word example in the Greek is “typos” from which we get type, mold.
B. When you are trying to communicate a new idea, one of the best ways is by example.
ILLUSTRATION: Jesus introduced to the world a new style of servant-leadership through example.
C. Timothy’s problem was building credibility and adding weight to his words as he challenged false teaching, and shepherded probably dozens of small cell groups and house churches in Ephesus.
What must a Christian do to help his testimony be accepted by his contacts, friends and detractors? This problem faces all Christians.
He was to be a model of how a Christian should live. In other words he was to be on display and model character like women model clothes. People were to look at him and say that is the way a Christian speaks, conducts himself, loves, believes, relates to the opposite sex etc.
The Christian must first of all lead by example and not by command.
“Preach the Gospel wherever you go and, when necessary, use words” (Francis of Assissi)
D. QUESTION: If we look back and/or around us, what has had the greatest impact on us, words or manner of life, conduct, example of another individual?
E. A good example is the best way to leave a “footprint on the sands of time”
Lives of great men all remind us we may make our lives Sublime / And, departing, leave behind us footprints on the sand of time. / Footprints that perhaps another, sailing oe’r life’s solemn sea, / A forlorn and shipwrecked brother, seeing shall take heart again.
(A Psalm of Life – Longfellow)
ILLUSTRATION: A godly example of Christian character is the best way to leave your ‘footprint’ With Reagan’s funeral and all of the comments, it is interesting how often the commentators came back to his character e.g. his sunny disposition, his humor, his kindness, his humility, his courage, his faith, his gentleness.
II. THE CHRISTIAN CHARACTER THAT TIMOTHY IS TO MODEL / DISPLAY
A. Speech
1. Paul makes several references to speech in the pastoral epistles. In 5:1 Timothy is told not to rebuke and older man but to “exhort” (urge) him and in 6:4 to avoid malicious talk. In II Tim. 2:16 he is told to avoid godless chatter. In II Tim. 2:23-24, to avoid foolish and stupid arguments and quarrellings and then in II Tim. 2:25 to instruct other gently.
2. In Ephesians Paul tells the Christians of Ephesus to avoid angry speech (5:26); unwholesome (crude, impure) speech (5:29); slander (5:31).
3. The problem is that just avoiding bad character does not set an example, we have to model good character.
“Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen” (Eph. 4:29).
4. ILLUSTRATION: Roosevelt demeaning Churchill in front of Stalin and for Stalin’s enjoyment in order to get on the good side of Stalin.
5. You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks. The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and the evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him. But I tell you that men will have to give account on the day of judgment for every careless word they have spoken. For by your words you will be acquitted, and by your words you will be condemned. (Mt. 12:34-37).
6. The key to improving our speech so that we can be an example is to fill our heart with good things, namely the Word of God. We are back to spiritual disciplines. If we are not reading, memorizing, meditating on the Word of God and spending much time with God’s people we will end of imitating the speech of the world rather than modeling the speech of a child of God.
7. We tend to pick up the speech of our environment. Thus we spend time listening to sitcoms with filthy and/or unwholesome language we end modeling that language.
B. Life (conduct, deportment, behavior)
1. Better translated conduct, conversation, manner of life, demeanor, the way you live, manner, behavior, deportment.
2. The NT is loaded with instructions on how to live, what to avoid doing and what to do. In I Timothy you have a good behavior check list for elders (3:2-7), for deacons (3:8-12), for women deacons (3:11), for women in general (2:9-15), for widows (5:9-14), slaves (6:1-2), the rich (6:17-19), Timothy (4:12-16) etc.
ACTIVITY: Go through the lists and separate the negatives from the positive actions.
3. A general challenge to all Christians was to: “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us” (I Peter 2:12).
4. Timothy was challenging false teaching and false teachers. He had to be above reproach to avoid being discredited.
5. One of the purposes of writing this letter was to show Timothy how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household (3:15) and in fact he explains how Timothy is to treat each member of the church in 5:1-2.
1Do not rebuke an older man harshly, but exhort him as if he were your father. Treat younger men as brothers, 2older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with absolute purity (I Tim.5:1-2).
C. Love
Often people think that “agape” is used only to describe God’s love for us or what Christian love should look like. But “agape” is also used to describe the love of those who are evil.
For they loved (agapeo) the praise of men (Jn. 12:43).
Men love (agapeo) darkness rather than light (John 3:19).
For Demas, because he loves (agapeo) this world has deserted me (II Tim. 4:10).
False prophets who love (agapeo) the wages of wickedness (II Peter 2:15).
“Agape, the Greek word for love, the greatest of Christian virtues, is largely untranslatable. (According to Vine, the characteristic word of Christianity) Its real meaning is unconquerable benevolence. If a man has agape, no matter what other people do to him or say of him, he will seek nothing but their good. He will never be bitter, never resentful, and never vengeful; he will never allow himself to hate; he will never refuse to forgive. …. Ordinary love is something which we can not help. Love our nearest and dearest is an instinctive thing. … Ordinarily love is a thing of the heart; but clearly this Christian love is a thing of the will. It is that conquest of self whereby we develop an unconquerable caring for other people. So then the first authenticating mark of the Christian …. Is that he cares for others, no matter what they do to him. (Barclay, pg. 98-99)
One author writes comparing Agape and Phileo: Agape is an abstract and spiritual love, a willful love; Phileo is a heart-felt or spontaneous love; an affectionate love.
I once spoke on the 13 ingredients of love based on I Cor. 13 and compared it to baking a tasty cake composed of 13 ingredients. In reading the book, “The Divine Conspiracy,” the author explained that the 13 characteristics in I Cor.13 will automatically be evident when we possess Christian love, agape love.
The whole tendency of our life is to be self-centered whereas a life exhibiting “agape love” is an “other-centered” life.
ILLUSTRATION: He drew a circle that shut me out.
A heretic, a rebel, a thing to flout,
But Love and I had the wit to win–
We drew a circle that took him in. (Edwin Markham)
Agape love doesn’t come naturally. Paul says to the Colossians, “And over all these virtues put on love …” (Col. 3:14)
D. Faith
1. Pistos means “believer” and pistis means “faith.” Pistis here can mean a conviction of the truth, of God’s existence, that Christ is the Savior etc.
2. We like to say that faith “is a private matter.” Ronald Reagan’s son, at the graveside of his father, indicated that you are not to wear your faith on your sleeve. Whether you wear it on your sleeve or not you had better wear it because we are told to me an example of faith.
QUESTION: How do you model (exhibit, display) faith so that it will be an example to be imitated?
Be an example of a “Believer” … one who believes!!
3. Pistes can also mean “faithfulness.”
QUESTION: How can a person model faithfulness?
(Devotedness, consistency in spiritual matters, e.g. grace for meals, reading the Bible, praying.)
ILLUSTRATION: Henrietta Mears tells again and again of seeing her mother, on her knees, praying and reading the Bible. As a young child of 3 she imitated her mother and said that her greatest challenge is life was to follow in her mother’s footsteps. Billy Graham said of Henrietta Mears, “She is one of the greatest Christian women I ever knew.”
4. Being a model, example of faith is not a negative trait put a very positive life style. It is not what you don’t do, but what you do do.
E. Purity
* The Greek for “purity” is hagneia from the root word hagios which is translated as “holy” in the Bible, but it seems here the word is concerned with sexual purity since the same Greek word is used in 5:2, “treat younger women as sisters with absolute purity.”
1. Much of the Christian community was composed of converted Jews and in fact many of the new converts for the next three centuries came from Jewish synagogues in the Hellenistic world. The Church would not grow if the moral life of Christians was less than that of the local Jewish community.
Sexual purity was so important that Paul insisted in chapter 3 that an elder was to be a one woman man.
2. We know enough about the negative impact of impurity in a Christian’s life by what happened to Jimmy Swaggart and Jim Baker. Every time a Christian acts immorally it cancels out his verbal testimony.
3. Thus Paul tells Timothy in II Tim. 2:22 to flee youthful lusts, in I Tim. 5:2 to treat younger women as sisters with absolute purity. The King James says in I Thes. 5:22 to “Abstain from every appearance of evil.”
4. Paul reverts to the metaphor of the family to stress the need for purity.
Jesus said in Mt. 12:50 that “… whosever does the will of my Father in heaven is my … brother and sister and mother.”
In I Tim. 3:15 Paul says that he is writing Timothy “So that people will know how to conduct themselves in God’s family.”
In I Tim. 5:2 Paul tells Timothy to treat younger women with “absolute purity.”
5. Pliny, the governor of the Turkish province of Bithynia wrote to Trajan the emperor, about the Christians in his area in 112 AD: The are accustomed to bind themselves by an oath to commit neither theft, nor robbery, nor adultery; never to break their word; never to deny a pledge that has been made when summoned to answer for it.” (Barclay, 99)
SO WHAT???
1. Probably most of our acquaintances know we are a Christian. So everything we do either detracts from our adds to our verbal testimony.
Like it or not we are modeling something so what are others imitating in our lives?
2. The key to get a hearing is to so model Christian behavior so that the unbeliever world cannot decline to believe because they are put off with the way we live.
3. Christian character is not focused only on what we avoid doing but is also determined by what we do. Is our speech up-lifting? Is our conduct refreshing? Is our love other-centered? Is our faith a bright light? Is our life and example of moral uprightness?