How the Gospel Shapes Our Relationships with Those in Christ: 1 Timothy 5:1-2

We have called this series, Molded by the Gospel: How the Gospel is to Shape the Life of the Church because Timothy was written to charge Timothy to confront false teachers and teaching by allowing the truth of the gospel to shape the life of the church and her members.  There is a certain shape, or mold, that the truth of the gospel is supposed to give to the life of the church.  The shape that Paul has in mind is found in 1 Timothy 3:15, where he calls the church “a pillar and buttress of the truth,” meaning that God desires for the church to uphold and support the truth of the gospel.

In 1 Timothy 5:1-2, Paul instructed Timothy on how the gospel should shape various relationships within the church.  As a matter of fact, 1 Timothy 5:1-6:2 gives us several different relationships that are affected by the truth of the gospel.  What we learn from this is that the gospel should radically shape our relationships with others, especially those in the church.  May prayer today is that God would move us and enable us to relate to one another in ways that are not only shaped by the gospel but are also a testimony to its power.  How does this passage reveal the way the gospel should shape our relationships? 

[5:1] Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, [2] older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity. (1 Timothy 5:1-2 ESV)

     I.         The Gospel Makes Us Family (5:1-2)

Paul begins this chapter by describing how Timothy is to relate to people of different ages and genders within the church.  He tells him to “not rebuke” older men, but to encourage them as he would a “father.”  He is also to encourage younger men “as brothers,” older women “as mothers,” and younger women “as sisters, in all purity.”   

What point Paul is making?  It is that Timothy is to relate to all the people of different ages and genders in the church as family.  The gospel creates a radical new family dynamic for those who are in Christ.  It makes us FAMILY.  Paul has already mentioned this family dynamic in calling the church, “the household of God” (3:15).  This is why an overseer and a deacon had to manage their own household’s well, because managing a person’s own family well is a prerequisite for managing God’s family (3:4-5). 

In Mark 3:31-35, Jesus spoke of this new family dynamic that would be present among His people: [31] And his mother and his brothers came, and standing outside they sent to him and called him. [32] And a crowd was sitting around him, and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers are outside, seeking you.” [33] And he answered them, “Who are my mother and my brothers?” [34] And looking about at those who sat around him, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers! [35] For whoever does the will of God, he is my brother and sister and mother.”

Being born again is being born into the family of God.  Do you think about the church this way?  Do you relate to older men and women with respect, encouraging them, as you should your own father or mother?  Do you view the younger men and women in this fellowship as brothers and sisters that you are responsible to look after and encourage?  The gospel of Jesus Christ makes us part of the only family that will last forever, the family of God.  But the gospel not only makes us family, it also calls us to live like family. 

   II.         The Gospel Calls Us to Live Like Family (5:1-2)

What does it mean to be family?  At a bear minimum this passage shows us two things that it means to be family: that we (1) respect one another and that we (2) encourage on another. We see the charge to respect one another in both the command not to rebuke an older man and also in the command to relate to younger women with all purity.  The instruction concerning older men is not a total prohibition from correcting older men, but rather speaks to the manner in which Timothy should relate to older men and correct them if needed.  He should to do so respectfully.  Respect is also implicit in the additional instruction concerning relating to younger women.  In other words, this is what it means to relate to younger women in the church in all purity: to respect them in thought, word, and deed.  Now men, let’s be honest.  The temptation to view younger women (women younger than older women) as objects of sexual gratification is as much or more a temptation in our day as it was in Timothy’s.  We must love and respect our sisters more than this!  Ask God to help you view the younger women in our church as sisters.  Any brother worth his salt would want to guard his sister’s purity, not take advantage of her. 

But being family also means we are called to encourage one another.  John MacArthur says “This Greek word, which is related to a title for the Holy Spirit (paracletos; cf. John 14:16, 26; 15:26; 16:7), refers to coming alongside someone to help. It may best be translated strengthen.”  Encouraging one another has to do with speaking to and caring for one another in such a way that it strengthens them where they are.  How are you doing with encouraging one another?

I think the “one another” commands that we find in Scripture are also an excellent illustration of what it means to live like family as a church.  Granted, the list is long, but I would like you to get the imagery of coming alongside someone to help them and strengthen them as I read through this list.  Here are the commands that I found: 

·      Serve one another (John 13:14; Gal. 5:13; 1 Peter 4:9-10)

·      Love one another (John 13:34-35; 15:12,17; Rom. 12:10; 1 Thess. 4:9; 1 Peter 1:22; 4:8, 1 John 3:11,23; 4:7, 11-12, 2 John 5)

·      Live in harmony/peace with one another (Mark 9:50; Rom. 12:16; 15:5)

·      Outdo one another in showing honor (Rom. 12:10)

·      Do not pass judgment on one another in matters of Christian liberty (Rom. 14:13)

·      Welcome/Greet one another (Rom. 15:7; 16:16; 1 Cor. 16:20; 2 Cor. 13:12, 1 Peter 5:14)

·      Do not have lawsuits against one another (1 Cor. 6:7)

·      Do not defraud one another sexually as husbands and wives (1 Cor. 7:5)

·      Wait upon one another in taking the Lord’s supper (1 Cor. 11:33)

·      Have mutual care for one another (1 Cor. 12:25)

·      Do not measure yourselves against one another or compare yourselves to one another (2 Cor. 10:12)

·      Comfort one another (2 Cor. 13:11)

·      Agree with one another (2 Cor. 13:11)

·      Do not sinfully provoke or envy one another (Gal. 5:26)

·      Bear one another’s burdens (Gal. 6:2)

·      Bear with one another (Eph. 4:2, Col. 3:13)

·      Do not lie to one another/Speak truth with one another (Eph. 4:25, Col. 3:9)

·      Be kind to one another (Eph. 4:32)

·      Address/Admonish one another in psalms, hymns, & spiritual songs (Eph. 5:19, Col. 3:16)

·      Submit to one another (Eph. 5:21)

·      Encourage one another (1 Thess. 4:18; 5:11, Heb. 10:24-25)

·      Build one another up (1 Thess. 5:11)

·      Do good to one another (1 Thess. 5:15)

·      Exhort one another (Heb. 3:13)

·      Stir up one another to love and good works (Heb. 10:24-25)

·      Do not speak evil of one another (James 4:11)

·      Do not grumble against one another (James 5:9)

·      Confess your sins to one another (James 5:16)

·      Pray for one another (James 5:16)

·      Show hospitality to one another (1 Peter 4:9-10)

·      Clothe yourself with humility towards one another (1 Peter 5:5)

As we think through applying what it means encourage one another as family, I feel like I’ll be walking a tightrope in what I encourage you to do.  On the one hand, I need to say a few things that may be hard for you to hear.  But on the other hand, my fear in saying some of those things is that there will be some people who take what I have to say as an excuse to complain about this church.  So hear these applications as things that you need to do to others but not things that you need to get your feelings hurt over if they are not done to you. 

I never want to foster an environment where we keep score of everyone who speaks to us or checks on us if we miss, but I do think there is something that can be said about the need to encourage “family members” who we begin to notice missing.  Look around today.  Who’s missing?  Will you make it a point this week to check in on them? 

Also, as our church grows, we need to be every mindful of the need to get to know people that we don’t know that well.  As loving a church as I believe this is, one critique that I have often heard against us is that we can come across as “clickish” and be so tight-knit sometimes that we make others feel left out.  We must be proactive in guarding against this.  Let me give you a challenge that I hope you will take me up on over the next month.  I challenge you to choose one other person or family in our church that you don’t know very well and spend the next month getting to know them.  And stretch yourself here.  Don’t pick another person or family who is just like you.  And don’t wait on someone to try to get to know you; YOU take the initiative!  Don’t be the person who keeps score.  In order to become a healthy family, it takes everyone doing their part to be a faithful part of the family for the good of the family. 

Ultimately, we must ask God for the enabling to live this way through the power of the gospel.  We are not by nature people who give ourselves to honoring, encouraging, and respecting others.  We don’t want to give these things; we want everyone to give them to us!  Jesus died to pay for such selfishness in His people and to give them new hearts and the presence of His Holy Spirit to begin to show the world a radically different way of relating to each other.  [34] A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. [35] By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” (John 13:34-35 ESV)

How the Gospel Shapes Our Spiritual Growth (Part 2): 1 Timothy 4:6-16

Last week, we began looking at 1 Timothy 4:6-16, where Paul charged Timothy to “train,” or discipline himself for godliness in order to work out his salvation and to protect his hearers.  We saw in verses 6-10 how important spiritual discipline is to a Christian’s growth.  They are infinitely more important to our spiritual lives than physical discipline and training are to an athlete.

1 Timothy 4:10 shows us that for a believer, the gospel awakens a deep passion to know God and to make Him known.  It sets our “hearts on fire.”  This is what I mean when I say that the gospel shapes our spiritual growth.  My prayer again today is that God would so kindle a passion for Himself in your hearts that you would give yourself over to the spiritual disciplines.  Last week, verses 6-10 charged us to answer the call to spiritual discipline, and today we’ll see verses 11-16 charges us to apply the practice of spiritual disciplines:

 [6] If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. [7] Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; [8] for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. [9] The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. [10] For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.

[11] Command and teach these things. [12] Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. [13] Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. [14] Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. [15] Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. [16] Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. (1 Timothy 4:6-16)

From verses 6-16 we see 12 imperatives, or commands, that mostly occur in pairs.  10 of those commands occur in verses 11-16 as the specific disciplines that will lead to godliness and so “save” Timothy and his hearers.  Now, here’s how we need to think through these disciplines: we must understand that they are given to a pastor to protect himself and his congregation and then think through why these commands are being given in order to identify the specific spiritual disciplines being admonished.  For example, if public teaching (13) is a discipline that pastors are to give themselves to in order to protect their hearers, then the application for a lay person would be to make it a discipline to sit under public teaching in order to be protected.  If we approach this text that way, there are at least six spiritual disciplines that I see at work in these 12 commands. Think of these as “spiritual exercises.”

I.              The Discipline of Abstinence (7a)

Paul tells Timothy in verse 7 to “have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths” (see 1:4 too).  This is a command to have nothing to do with false teaching.  The discipline we see here is that of abstaining from anything that would be counterproductive to our growth as a Christian.  See, as a Christian, there are certain doctrines, certain teachers, and certain other things that we simply need to abstain from, much like an athlete would want to cut certain foods out of their diet when training.  They are like “spiritual junk food.”  Sometimes certain people are not good for us to be around constantly.  We live in a world full of spiritually sick people, but some of those people are contagious and aren’t good for us.  What teachings, teachers, activities, indulgences, or people to you need to make it a discipline of abstaining from?

II.            The Discipline of Teaching and Learning Scripture (11,13)

Paul charges Timothy to “command and teach these things” in verse 11.  In the context of this passage, “these things” would be the warning of 4:1-5 and the charge to so hope in God that we would train for godliness in 4:6-16.   Paul also charges Timothy in verse 13 to “devote” himself to “the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and to teaching.”  In Paul’s time this was particularly important because most believers didn’t have access to a copy of the Bible.  So when the church gathered corporately, they were to read Scripture aloud for the learning of the congregation.  But not only were the Scriptures to be read, they were also to be Scriptures taught and preached.  This is what is meant by “exhortation” and “teaching.” 

Now this charge first shows us what God’s expectation for pastors is: to devote themselves to equipping their people in the Scriptures.  Paul clearly states here that a pastor’s devotion to this discipline will train him and his people for godliness and so save them.  Commands like these are why we take teaching the Bible so seriously here at Dry Creek. 

This charge also shows us what God’s expectation for a congregation is: to learn the Scriptures.  From Paul’s charge to Timothy to teach scripture we see the need for the congregation to be learning scripture. This is why I have called this discipline teaching and learning Scripture.

Now there are a multitude of applications concerning this discipline, and honestly, we live in a place and in a time where there is simply no excuse for not learning Scripture.  There is a plethora not only of Bibles available today but also of quality resources about the Bible.  We have some of the greatest works of the greatest theologians and teachers in the history of the church available in print and electronic format.  As I said, there is no excuse for not learning Scripture. 

This text however, is dealing with one specific application of the discipline learning scripture in particular: sitting under preaching and teaching of the Bible on a consistent basis.  Let me ask you: is this a discipline for you?  Do you plan church around your week or your week around church?  This speaks volumes about your desire to learn Scripture.  I’d like to challenge you to make four contexts a reality in your life every week: that you would be learning Scripture in the context of the whole congregation (Sunday mornings), that you would be learning or teaching Scripture in the context of a small group (Sunday School, Community Group, Bible Study, etc.), that you would learning or teaching Scripture in the context of a mentoring relationship (one-on-one or small group), and that you would be learning Scripture in the context of a daily quite time with the Lord in His Word.  It really all comes down to whether or not we believe the words of Jesus in Matthew 4:4, quoting Deuteronomy 8:13, that “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.”  Beg God to give you a hunger for His Word. 

III.         The Discipline of Example (12)

Paul tells Timothy to not let anyone despise him for his youth, but to “set the believers an example.”  Stereotypes and presuppositions abound in Paul’s day just as they do in ours.  Certain behavior was and is just deemed normal for young people.  This is why we often say that young people are just “being teenagers!” 

But notice how this pair works together.  Think about it: how do you “let no one despise you” for something that they are predisposed to despise you for?  That’s like changing someone’s disposition towards a food that they despised.  That’s almost impossible!  How do you make them like it?  You have to make it taste good.

The only way you can change a person’s perception of a demographic is by setting a godly example: in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity.  You have to make it taste good!

Young people are not the only people who are stereotyped in our culture and this discipline reminds us that our lives are not our own and that it does matter what people think about us.  By God’s grace, live in a way that earns and demands the respect of others. Young people, don’t just “be a teenager!”  By God’s grace, be an exception.  What an encouragement to know that the gospel CAN change us in such a way that we can change people’s perceptions about us!

IV.          The Discipline of Developing Spiritual Giftedness (14)

Paul charged Timothy not to neglect his “gift.”  The rest of this verse is probably a reference to Timothy’s “ordination” and that he was given this gift “by prophecy” simply means that someone who had the gift of prophecy spoke ahead of time about Timothy’s gift of preaching and teaching.  The main point here is that Timothy was not to neglect God’s gifting in his spiritual growth.  He was to cooperate with God in developing that giftedness. 

This truth is applicable to all believers.  If you are a Christian, you are a gifted member of the body of Christ.  We should all seek to discover and develop the spiritual gifts, talents, abilities that God has entrusted to us.  Believers must not neglect their gifts as part of the corporate body, for when we neglect our gifts, the whole body suffers. 

V.             The Discipline of Diligence (15)

We see in verse 15 that diligence involves two things: practice and passion.  Timothy is told to “practice these things” and to “immerse” himself in them.  Paul is referring to these very spiritual disciplines in this portion of Scripture.  Timothy is to repeatedly and wholly give himself to these disciplines. This is the way he will arrive at the example that vs. 12 called him to set.

The discipline of diligence is much like an athletic drill.  Drills utilize the principle of repetition in forming proper habits.  But drills are only as effective as the passion we bring to them.  If done whole-heartedly, they train our bodies to doing things naturally that we wouldn’t do naturally.  And this is beauty of spiritual discipline: it causes us to live in a way that we wouldn’t naturally.  The question before you today is whether or not you are willing to give yourself repeatedly and wholly to these disciplines.  They are not something you try for a week and throw in the towel because you don’t see instant results.  Diligence is required. 

VI.          The Discipline of Self-Examination (16)

Timothy was to keep a “close watch” on (1) himself and (2) his teaching; and was to “persist” doing so.  This is the discipline of self-examination and we see that it is something that is to be done persistently.  This discipline is a way of taking spiritual inventory periodically in our lives.  Now we may not like self-examination any more than we like going to the doctor, but doing so on a regular basis will save our life. 

Accountability is probably the most practical way to keep a close watch on yourself and your belief’s.  This can be done with another believer or group of trusted believers.  One way that we seek to facilitate self-examination as a church is by taking the Lord’s Supper once a month.  Ideally, this should cause every active member of our congregation to take spiritual inventory every month.

Don Whitney gives a convicting example of how George Whitfield would use his journal to examine himself on a daily basis (see pg. 204-205).  How are you keeping a close watch on yourself and your doctrine?  Please don’t be so proud as to think that you are the exception to being prone to wander.  You’re not. 

Paul tells Timothy that persistence in these disciplines will save both Timothy and hearers.  This means “save” in its normal sense: eternal rescue from God’s wrath by His justifying, sanctifying, and glorifying us.  This is not teaching a works-based salvation, but means that giving ourselves to the spiritual disciplines is part of every believer’s sanctification and that training ourselves for godliness proves that we are on our way to heaven.  The disciplines are part of how we work out our salvation with fear and trembling.  But notice they are not only how we work out our own salvation, they are a way that we impact the salvation of others.  This is specifically applicable to a pastor, but also parents and other leaders as well.  Do you want your kids to go to heaven?  Do You?  Then give yourselves to the spiritual disciplines. 

One final item that I want to point out about these disciplines is their corporate nature.  Hardly any of the disciplines that we mentioned today can be practiced alone.  How does one set an example alone?  You can’t!  Spiritual gifts are corporate gifts in nature.  They are meant to be used as part of the body as a whole.  You can’t develop them on your own.  What is the point of diligence?  So that all may see your progress!  Sure, you can learn scripture alone, but this passage charges us to do so as a body.  And finally, how does one effectively look after themselves and their teaching alone?  It can be done, but we are much more prone to miss and excuse things when we are looking at ourselves than when others are looking into and speaking into our lives as well.  So a MAJOR implication of this chapter is that we train our selves for godliness TOGETHER.  May God grant us passion both to train ourselves for godliness and to do so together.