Scripture: I Timothy 3:14-15

C.I.: The Family and Its Ministers

In our series on I Timothy – we have so far seen, “God's Family and its Message; its Members, and its Management.” –
Today we will continue looking at the management in God's family – by paying very close attention to its ministers!

•  “Rick, are You Living Up to Your Job Description?” (I Timothy 4)

•  Characteristics of False Ministers, (vs. 1-5)

1. They use the wrong source for their message, (vs. 1-2)

a. ( vs. 1-2 ), “The Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith….”

1) Note the source of the message “Demons” - ( Jn. 8:44 ), “Satan does not stand in the truth, because there is
no truth in him. – Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature; for he is a liar and the father of lies.”
2) The lessons of these false ministers - are the ones about which Paul has been warning us…
a) ( I Tim. 1:3), “As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, that you remain on at Ephesus….”
b) ( 1:19 ), “Keeping faith with a good conscience, which some have rejected & have suffered shipwreck in
regard to their faith.”

b. The Believer's Response: God has been telling us that the way to counter a lie – is with the truth.
1) ( 2:4 ), “…God desires for all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth .”
2) ( 2:7 ), “ For this I was appointed a preacher and an apostle (I am telling the truth , I am not lying) as a teacher of
the Gentiles in faith and truth .”
3) ( 3:15 ), “I write so that you may know how one ought conduct themselves … the pillar and support of the truth .”

c. God's people need to determine which is more important – Satan's lies or God's truth?!
1) ( 2 Tim. 4:2f ), “Preach the word. – Be ready in season and out of season ... for the time will come….”
2) Therefore, false ministers use Satan's lies – as the source for their message!

2. They forbid what God allows (and they allow what God forbids!), (vs. 3-5 )
a. ( v. 3 ), “who forbid marriage and advocate the abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in…”
1) Jesus declared all foods clean, ( cf. Mk. 7:19 ), “He declared all foods clean.”
2) Likewise, marriage is good and has always been part of God's plan – ( Gen. 2:24; Heb. 13:4a ).
3) False ministers were forbidding marriage for various reasons…
a) Legalists taught its wrong to marry non-believers, ( I Cor. 7:13-14 ), “A woman who has an
unbelieving husband, and he consents to live with her, let her not send her husband away. – For the
unbelieving husband is sanctified through his wife, and the unbelieving wife is sanctified through her
believing husband; for otherwise your children are illegitimate, - but now they are holy.”
b) Priesthood says it's wrong to be married… period! ( vs. 7-9 ), “I wish all men were even as I
myself am. – However each man has his own gift from God, one in this matter and another in that … But
if they do not have self-control, it is better to marry.”
c) To forbid marriages that God allows – they are standing in opposition to God.

b. But it is also wrong to allow what God forbids,
1) ( Heb. 13:4b ), “Let marriage be held in honor among all and let the marriage bed be undefiled, for fornicators
and adulterers God will judge.”
2) ( I Cor. 6:9-10 ), “Do you not know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be
deceived. – Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor the effeminate, nor homosexuals , nor thieves,
nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers shall inherit the kingdom of God.”

c. The Response: God's word must be the singular standard by which all truth is determined!
1) ( vs. 4-5 ), For everything created by God is good [e.g., marriage, food] and nothing is to be rejected, - if it is
received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer.”
2) God's word keeps us from being deceived by false ministers in these situations.

B. The Characteristics of a True Minster, (vs. 6-15)

1. In their preaching (they speak about both the easy & enjoyable as well as the difficult & the hard, vs. 6-11 )
a. ( v. 6 ), “In pointing out these things [re: false ministers] to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Jesus Christ,
constantly nourished on the words of faith and of sound doctrine which you have been following.”
1) Most preachers (me too) would prefer to preach on heaven, mercy, love, and grace.
2) But “sound doctrine” requires that I also preach against “strange doctrines” ( 1:3 ), about
which “…they do not understand the law nor the things about which they make confident
assertions” ( vs. 9-10 ), they have rejected also, “faith and a good conscience,” ( v. 19 ).
3) And “sound doctrine” also means I preach about; the divinely ordained roles of men and
women in the Lord's church ( Ch. 2 ), and the various qualifications of spiritual leadership in
the Lord's church, ( Ch. 3 )!
4) And as we have just seen in this chapter, there is also the need to preach against “doctrines of
demons” - which includes forbidding what God allows (e.g., marriage & food).

b. ( v. 7 ), “ …discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness .”
1) Godliness (God-likeness) is a key word in this letter (i.e., “…how we should conduct ourselves” ).
2) Prayer - ( 2:2 ), “…that we might live tranquil & quiet lives in all godliness .”
3) Manner of Life - ( 2:9-10 ), “women adorn … by means of good works, as befits women making a
claim to godliness .”
4) Spiritual Discipline - ( 4:7-8 ), “bodily discipline is only of a little profit, but godliness is profitable….
5) Humility - ( 6:3-4 ), “If anyone advocates a different doctrine, and does not agree with sound words,
those of our Lord Jesus Christ, & with the doctrine conforming to godliness he is conceited and….”
6) Contentment - ( 6:6 ), “ Godliness is actually a means of great gain, when accompanied by contentment.

7) Goal - ( 6:11 ), “…pursue righteousness, godliness , faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.”
8) So in his preaching a true minister will, “Prescribe and teach these things [re: godliness],” ( v. 11 ).

2. In their example, ( vs. 12-15 )

a. ( v. 12 ), “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith & purity, show
yourself an example of those who believe.”
1) This is the verse for all those who say, “I would rather see a sermon than hear one any day!”
2) But not just for preachers – for God has called for all of us to live exemplary lives ( I Jn. 2:6 )!

b. ( v. 14 ), “Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed upon you through prophetic utterance
with the laying on of the hands by the presbytery.”
1) Every believer has been gifted by God – ( Rom. 12:6a ), “And since we have gifts that differ
according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly.”
2) We don't know what Timothy's gift was – but it was one that would be noted by others.
a) ( Rom. 12:6b-7 ), “…if prophecy [preaching], according to the proportion of his faith … he
who teaches in his teaching.”

c. Thus, God concludes this chapter by encouraging His minister to be diligent in these two areas…
1) ( vs. 15-16 ), “Take pains with these things [preaching & example] ; be absorbed in them, so that your
progress may be evident to all. – 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.”


CONCLUSIONS:

1. Preachers come in two varieties ( not dynamic & boring ) – but rather true or false. – How they stick to God's word is the difference!

2. While there was much about me in this chapter (and some of you will probably feel the need to talk to me about how I'm doing
after services) – there were important things for you too (primarily GODLINESS = God-likeness!).

3. In I Timothy 4:13, Paul writes, “Until I come, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching.” – Let's
do a little of all 3 right now, as we read Acts 2:36-41.