1st Timothy 4:6-16

We are going into 1 Timothy 4, 6 through 16. Handouts over here. And last week's, if you didn't get it, is available. Don't be spooked by the fact that it's orange. Your glasses don't need adjustment. You don't need to go see the eye doctor. It is orange.

So anyway, we are in 1 Timothy 4, 6 through 16. Paul is continuing his directions to Timothy who's been assigned to Ephesus and It's interesting Paul Paul sent him there to deal with false teachers. He addresses several different issues in this letter and so we'll Begin with first Timothy 4 6 and pointing out these things to the brethren. You will be a good servant of Christ Jesus constantly nourished literally nourished but figuratively brought up and on the words of the faith and of the sound literally good as in good servant doctrine which you have been following. This is one of the many verses that have the word pair the faith which is the set of teachings of the Apostles.

So We have an inset there where we list a number of passages that have the faith as a set of teachings. It is not exhaustive. That is, in spite of the fact that there are quite a number of references there, there are still more. And it also does not include passages that have the truth.

The gospel, not just in the sense of here's what you need to believe to be saved, but the gospel in the larger sense of here is what we are teaching as apostles. So, some questions for you. Why does Paul explain the outcome of his warnings and pointing out error? Why doesn't he just say it and leave it and move on? What's the reason for making the connection to the outcome? Why doesn't he just kind of hit them with the facts and move?

Okay, it's reinforcement. I think you're right. Can you expand on that? It is reinforcement. Okay. Okay. All right. Yeah, Stan? The same experience as a good teacher. I also know how to do a lot of things. A lot of things. Yes. Okay. All right. So, Paige is a good teacher. Yeah.

Why are we doing this? Why are we doing this is often a good question. Excuse me. Why are we doing this? What are we aiming for? And you're right, experience is a good teacher. Paul gets the full context. You ever been through something and people didn't know why they did things? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, so people just go through the motions and why do we do this?

I think Nancy was telling me once about, you know, I think they always cut the ends off the ham or something like that. But why do you always cut the ends off the ham? Well, you really don't need to. It's just my pan was too short and so I always cut it off. And so making the practice of cutting the ends off the ham was always just to fit the pan, not because there's any real good reason to do it otherwise.

Okay. Yeah, it's explaining here's what we're aiming for. Here is the result. Here is the outcome. And it's connecting things. Here's cause and effect. This results in this. And understanding, okay, here's why we're doing it. Here is the character that goes along with this behavior and this outcome and this activity, right? So it's putting those connections together. So does being nourished or brought up point to anything about the character of the Word of God or the process that God is carrying out among us? Okay, so does being nourished or brought up point to anything about the character of the Word of God or the process that God is carrying out in and among us.

Yeah, Stan? Okay. Okay. All right. Nourishing, this nourishing creates growth. Is growth a good thing? Yeah, spiritual growth is a good thing. In the physical realm, we say, oh, isn't that a cute baby? Well, after 10 years, if it still looks the same, you'd say, well, it really was a cute baby, but we're looking for some maturity here, right? So we would probably go into the doctor well before 10 years have passed if the baby still looks like a baby. So maturity is a good thing.

Matter of fact, it is to be expected. It should be the norm. And it also points to the fact that God is carrying out a process among us. We're not just, okay, now I'm saved and I just wait until the Lord takes me home, however long that takes. But there is a process that God has in mind for us. Okay, let's look at the last bullet.

Why is doctrine good or bad? Why not just stay away from doctrine since it can be divisive and just focus our attention upon Christ himself? My wife was talking to a Christian lady recently who just, you know, she mentioned the word doctrine and she just kind of shuddered. So, is doctrine good or bad? Yes. Yeah, any doctrine? Just any old doctrine will do, right? Sound doctrine, good doctrine, yes. Okay. Oh, yes. Yes. Oh, yeah.

Messed up street signs are really bad. Every once in a while, you'll see pictures where they'll have, you know, here's a sign, and it's got one way going both directions. Oh, no. You know? So this is a problem, right? And so we need good directions. We need to have a clear understanding of where things are, of definitions of things, and where we're headed, right? Yes. Pardon?

Yes, the word doctrine basically means the teaching. It points to content. Notice that we have this listing on the front page, The Faith, and there's no S at the end of it. It is not The Faiths. You know, we have miscellaneous Christian teachings. Pick one. Some years ago, I was in a position of looking for a church, and I called up one church, and I just kind of wanted to get a sense of where their doctrine was. And I said, well, what do you believe about future things? And he says, well, I'm a pan-millennialist. We believe it'll all just pan out at the end. I said, thank you. And I didn't go there. Anyway.

Christians are often given the viewpoint that I have to choose between love and truth. That choosing between love and truth, well obviously it's love, you've got to go for that. Because the truth thing, well you can't make that work. But scripture puts those together.

Ephesians 4, truthing in love. It says speaking the truth in love, but in fact he takes the word truth, which is an abstract noun, and he makes a verb out of it. Truthing in love. Or 1 Corinthians 13, love rejoices in the truth. So truth and love are not two things to be chosen between, but two things that go together.

So let's look at 1 Timothy 4, 7, and 8. "...but have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourselves for the purpose of godliness. 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."

We have in here the bullet, C Titus 2.2, "...is Paul being demeaning to older women?" Why am I not? What? The pews are not on fire! Is he being demeaning to older women here? He couldn't be, yeah. And why do you say that? Okay, yeah. In Titus 2-2, in other words, we're going to be studying this book Titus in just a few months here.

And Titus 2.2 points out the particular role and value of the older women in the church body.

Let me look culturally at what would typically take place. Wives were there to raise children and to manage the household. Once the children were old enough to leave home, in the culture Many older women got to a place of lacking usefulness. And so they would do one of two things. They'd go around being busybodies, nosing and gossiping into everybody's business. And oftentimes, that was the beginning of a time of longstanding drunkenness and uselessness. In the comedies of the day, They would oftentimes picture older women as, you know, these are the punchlines because they would be the ones who would be going around nosing in everybody's business and getting people upset and saying ridiculous things.

That's certainly what he's pointing out here, but what he's not trying to communicate is this punchline idea, but instead he's saying, especially in view of Titus 2.2, that older women have a much better and higher role than falling into kind of the cultural trap where they're not useful. He's saying instead they ought to have a good and healthy and wholesome role and a necessary input into the body of Christ. Yeah? Yes, you avoid the yentas. Ultimately, looking at the big picture, the older women do have a biblical and godly and righteous role in the body of Christ.

He's saying, don't follow the cultural pattern, is really what he's looking for. So what does it mean by discipline yourself? What does Paul mean by discipline yourself? Should Timothy discipline himself, for example, by deliberately avoiding marriage and abstaining from certain foods? No? Yes? Yeah, yeah. Last week, what did we say?

Avoiding marriage and abstaining from certain foods was called what? The doctrines of Demons, right? And so that's not what Paul means by disciplining oneself. What does he mean by disciplining oneself? Okay, that would certainly be a part of it. Yeah, Stan? Ah, yes. There is an assessment of, you know, How are things?

And if I don't do that, then God will be the one disciplining me. Why is disciplining oneself, why is that a spiritual thing? What is the fruit of the Spirit? It includes self-control. It includes self-control. So it means that as an outcome of walking by means of the Spirit, there will be an aspect of self-control, of disciplining oneself. And what's the reason for disciplining oneself? It's to have a particular pattern or direction or outcome in one's life, as opposed to just, I just do whatever I want whenever I want it. Right? The consequences of lack of discipline. Okay. In verse 8 it says, for bodily discipline is only of little profit. So does that mean that we should avoid bodily discipline? Just let it go.

Yeah, is it of value? Yes it is of value. Is it of great value? No. In the Greek culture, going through tremendous efforts in athletics was very common and medium to larger sized cities would have gymnasiums where they would have people working out with great intensity. It's kind of interesting, the Olympics has evolved over the centuries.

Olympics during biblical times involved actually only 10 sports, and married women were not allowed to attend, or certainly not be participants, but not even allowed to attend. I suppose that's because the men were running naked or whatever they were doing. But they didn't have first, second, and third place. There was only a prize for the winner. And what was often the consequence for the people who didn't win, they were beaten. So anyway, rather severe. So our Olympics have changed, and I'll let you decide whether or not that's an improvement.

Okay, second to last bullet on the first page there, so in what ways does godliness hold promise for this present life and also for the life to come? Does he mean that we can take anything with us into the life to come? So present life and the life to come, in which ways is godliness a benefit for both? Pardon? Yes, and which ways is it a benefit for both? How is godliness a benefit for both the present and the future? Spiritual growth is intended now, right? And the spiritual growth is sort of a hobby that just doesn't have any eternal consequence, but you just kind of do it because it's kind of cool and God likes it. Yeah? Okay. Okay. All right. Okay. Yeah, and that matters forever.

Can you imagine the Sadducees perspective where they believe there was no afterlife? We just kind of, we live here and we do whatever we're going to do after that doesn't matter. Because you're dead. Pretty wild, huh? So in contrast to that, Paul's perspective here is that there are things to be gained now and there are things to be gained for eternity by a godly life.

There are benefits for both because the relationship, because the character has eternal outcome and consequences. And our relationship and fellowship with the Lord continues on. It's unlike the Sadducees where all you do whatever you do and then you're done. Instead, it was indeed a matter of you do the things here and that has benefit here in fellowship and relationship with the Lord and in relationship with others. But it also has good consequence forever and relationships that continue on forever. Now, okay. Last bullet there. How is Paul so sure about these things? Is Paul just kind of speaking off the top of his head? Which is a weird figure of speech, isn't it? What's that?

Yes. He spent personal time with Christ. learning directly from the Lord Jesus Christ and therefore was quite certain of the things he was teaching. He wasn't saying, you know, hey I heard this is kind of a rumor but I think it's pretty good. But instead he learned it personally and directly from the Lord himself. I In reading the progression of what Paul reveals, it's my personal belief that Paul very likely continued to spend some personal time with the Lord.

And one of my reasons for saying that is earlier during the book of Acts, Paul's writings and what he says in Acts does not reveal the full heavenly perspective. But When by the time Paul reached Rome and had begun to write books like Ephesians and Philippians and Colossians, it was there that he began writing about, you're seated with Christ in the heavenlies. You have a heavenly citizenship. Set your mind on things above. And did he write that at first? No. Here's Romans, the flagship of the epistles. 16 chapters long, phenomenal things in it. It does not place us in the heavenlies. Isn't that interesting?

So as I look at it, I'm strongly inclined to think that Paul was actually taught progressively after that initial time. You're quite correct. But since additional things seem to be revealed in later stages, I get the impression that he continued to spend time with Christ. Yes? Yeah, the Holy Spirit would reveal things to them. Paul may have had continuing communication with the Lord, and it's quite possible both of those are true. You're correct, yeah. Yes.

You see, I think it's one of the things to me is exciting is the faith starts in Acts chapter 6, but that doesn't mean that they're done learning. The apostles themselves were going through continual aha moments. I wouldn't call them light bulb moments because they didn't have those, but aha moments, right? Aha moments.

And you can imagine them going Oh, oh, because you can picture yourself, okay, here are the apostles, most of whom, when Christ was on the cross, ran. Let's hide because this is scary. Only to find out later that they were crucified with him. You ran, but guess what? You were there anyway. Right? This was quite a revelation. What all was going on at the cross? Was it that Christ ended up being this victim? Or was this amazing set of things taking place?

Yeah. He couldn't speak of it. Very interesting, here's Paul who spent time with the Lord, even reveals that he went to heaven, but he says, I can't talk about it. And then John is told, you must talk about it. 150 verses worth. Right? Okay. Let's turn to page 2.

For the third time, Paul uses the phrase, this is a trustworthy statement. We brought that out earlier in our study, back on July 3rd. He only says this set of words, this is a trustworthy statement, or this is a faithful saying, it's sometimes translated. He only says that to Timothy and Titus and no one else.

Very interesting, huh? It is roughly equivalent to Jesus saying, truly, truly, I say to you. We would say, you can hang your hat on that, right? Okay. So 1st Timothy 4, 9, and 10 goes this way. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance.

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. Okay, we got some questions for you. If Paul's talking about laboring and striving, does that mean that Paul is not resting in the Lord and trusting Him? And that Paul is relying on his own works and human accomplishment and encouraging others to do the same? Stan's shaking his head but saying quietly, no. Yeah? So how is it that Paul can talk about laboring and striving and then tell people to trust? and rest in the Lord and depend upon him.

Those are those in conflict. Yeah? Well, since this is football, so... Yeah. The answer would be the fact that he had coaching and the coach's advice on himself and thought that he was doing the right thing relative to the team. Yeah. You don't just go out there and make things happen. Because Coach is out there pushing you. He's out there making you practice, make you work, do the things that he tells you to do, and basically are good servants. You're listening and doing it.

Well, wasn't he physically taking care of himself? The physical needs to have to work out. Okay. Yeah. The other thing is that there is nothing wrong with physical labor. It is within the will of God's direction. The funny thing is that when I get on the elliptical machine and when I go out and do some kind of physical labor, the fact that I'm doing the physical labor is not sinful. Because I'm sweating.

In Colossians 1.28 Paul talks about teaching every man and admonishing and he uses every man and it's not man and you know meaning male but every person he says to this end I labor and he uses a word that means I labor to exhaustion so here's the amazing thing is he's carrying out his ministry and he puts forth, on the outside you look at it and you say, man this guy is really working at it. This guy is just working himself to exhaustion.

On the inside is Paul doing it of his own effort. He is working very hard in dependence upon the Lord. He is working very hard being completely in fellowship with the Lord as he does so. He's working hard as he rests and depends upon the Lord for the Lord's resources.

Yes. Yes. Yeah. Yes. Yep. Yeah. Yes. He's got to do it. Yeah, I think your point's well taken. Paul does himself talk about his own efforts. He does use analogies about soldiers and farmers and athletes. And these are all active kinds of roles in society. And he uses those illustrations to illustrate how the believer is to operate.

So he says, and he doesn't see that at all in conflict with Walk in the Spirit. He doesn't see that at all in conflict with resting and depending upon the Lord. So it isn't a matter of all of a sudden I'm just laid out and relaxed all the time and don't do anything. But it is a matter of depending on the Lord as we do things by His strength and empowering and energizing. in fellowship with him, not just, thanks Lord, I got the assignment, I'll take care of it now and I'll do it myself.

No. How about, is it safe to fix one's hope on God? If that doesn't work out, isn't this setting oneself and others up for a huge disappointment? Should you really put all your eggs in one basket and really fix your hope on the Lord? Is that kind of a risky approach? I see head shaking and I see grins, I see heads tilting. What are you thinking? Yeah, in other words, depending on the Lord, ah, yeah, it is possible for us to be disappointed, stunned, if we have expectations about what God is supposed to do that don't fit with reality.

If God is supposed to make my life just a smooth, unbroken highway to heaven, I'm headed for trouble, right? Because that's not a good expectation. As a matter of fact, Should we look at having difficulties and bumps on the road as something that God's supposed to clear out of the way? Or should we look at those as, no, that's something that's there and it's there for a purpose? The other thing is we could say, what about fixing our hope in God? Is God sort of an iffy kind of deal? No. We don't need a plan B. As a matter of fact, that's not a good idea. Right? We don't need a plan B. Okay. Third bullet.

Oh, no. If God is the Savior of all men, does that mean that everybody is going to be saved? That nobody was going to hell after all? Is everybody saved and then believers are especially saved? Is that what he means? He did die for all. Yes, he did die for all, contrary to the Calvinists. He paid the price for every person on the planet for the sins we and you and they know about and even the ones they don't. Even the ones they don't even recognize as that. He paid the price for every single person, for every single sin on the planet. So in that way, He is the offered Savior to all men. But does that mean that everybody is saved?

What's the requirement? I mean, do you have to be able to stand on one leg for 15 seconds? Or what's the requirement that that payment applies to you? Pardon? There is a choice, yes. And what is the choice? I picked this brand over that one. What's that?

Faith. Faith in? Faith in the facts. Yeah. Who He is and what He's done. It's that simple. Faith in Christ and what Christ accomplished. Do you believe that Christ, the Son of God, died on the cross for your sins and was buried and rose again? That content. If you believe that, that is God's requirement for taking advantage of the payment that is made.

The illustration I like to use is it's like we're all in this big prison and we can't get out until we pay four trillion dollars. Good luck. Then somebody walks in with a four trillion dollar check for everybody in the prison. All you got to do is turn it over and sign it and hand it in and walk out. But some people will say, ah, it's too easy and they'll drop it and throw it on the floor. You're kidding me, right? And they tear it up. And they say, well, maybe when I get older and they fold it up and stick in their pocket.

It is only those who believe, you know, that I've got the check right here for the whole amount. It's phenomenal. There's no way I could pay it. It's all paid. It's entirely by grace. All I got to do is turn this thing over, sign it, hand it in and walk out. I'm free. Entirely at someone else's expense. A debt I could never repay. It's really that simple. Okay. Now, we have another question.

Is God the Savior? 1 Timothy 1.1. Or is Christ the Savior?

2 Timothy 1.10.

Titus 1.4 and 3.6.

Right here within the three sets of books that we're studying, there is that, quote, conflicted information. Is God the Savior or is Christ the Savior? Which one is it? Yes. Okay, explain your yes. How is it possible that God is the Savior and Christ is the Savior too? Pardon? Okay, contract between the Father and the Son. Alright, that's part one of the answer, yes. Yeah, that's a problem, isn't it?

And what's weird is they have a particularly hard problem with some parts of it. We're going to get into some verses where it says, Our God and Savior, Jesus Christ. And the Greek construction means exactly that. They have a particularly hard problem with that. You're correct. If Jesus Christ is God, And Wayne was correct as well, and that is that it was essentially an arrangement, an eternity passed between God the Father and God the Son.

It isn't like all of a sudden in the middle of history God says, oh heavens, what are we going to do? Hey, I have an idea, let's do this. This was something that was developed before God said, let there be light. This was something that was agreed upon before He made them male and female. Okay, 1 Timothy 4, 11 and 13. Prescribe and teach these things.

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. Until I come, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhortation and teaching. Keeping in mind that Timothy is likely now approaching 40 years of age, What does Paul mean by look down on your youthfulness? So and by the way, let no one look down is an imperative. I'm not particularly fond of the way they translate using the word let because it's not allow. Let doesn't mean allow in any of the New Testament epistles. Yeah.

Well, I would imagine that has to do with the fact that most teachers were ancient. I mean, if you thought about Gamaliel and a lot of Academus, the head in the sack even. I mean, it was a... Proverbs talks about the gray in the hair being a sign of wisdom. Age was a predominant criteria for teaching.

Yeah. Yeah, it's just if... What are you doing teaching and you're not 40? Right? Yeah, there was an age criteria that just said, hey, you know, you're discounted because you're just not of the right age. So approaching 40 wasn't old enough in that culture.

Yeah. Yes, that's another good point. And by the way, we call them elders. Why? Because they're older, right? Yeah, good, good point. So yeah, in the culture would be a standard that Yeah, if you're older, then yeah, you're beginning to be qualified just because of age. Okay.

So what was Timothy supposed to do about it if someone did look down at his youthfulness? How was he supposed to deal with that? By his example, okay. Anything else? With his concern for the worlds that didn't believe. With his concern for those who didn't believe?

Okay. So how is Timothy supposed to react to them? If somebody says, hey, you're not old enough to go and start barking at them and, you know, hey, shut up! You know? Stop it! Or how is he supposed to react to someone who says, well, I don't believe it. Pardon? OK, his response should be in love, but he basically should say, look, this is the truth. This is the truth I'm conveying here. And the fact that I'm not yet 40 doesn't mean that ought to be discounted. It's still the truth. Yes.

I think he had examples of Jeremiah. We had examples of Josiah in the Old Testament. There was a lot of people who were young, and yet they carried out ministry. And so those examples are in Scripture as well. What about David? David was very young when God put him out. At times the Lord will assign somebody a task. You look at it and you say, wow, Does that person have what it takes? You might wonder. When John at least started as a disciple, he was probably still in his teen years. So there are times when the Lord will in fact appoint someone who is younger to a fairly substantial task. Next one down. Timothy was to be an example.

Is that the only way they were to influence others in the body of Christ? And then should we be an example to those who don't believe? Absolutely not. Absolutely not what? Should we not aim at being an example? Should we say, I'm just not going to be... Okay, in other words, it is a part of a complete message, isn't it? If I'm coming to you and I'm teaching these things, but then you say, but Vern, once you drive out of the parking lot, you're a crazy man, you know? You're absolutely nuts.

That would not be good because my life example would not match what I'm teaching, right? So the example is not to be set aside as useless, but neither is it to be the whole thing. It should back up what is being said. This is why 1 Peter 5 verses 1-4, one of the key things that Peter tells the elders is don't go lording it over the flock, but instead be an example to them. Be an example.

Is that all of what you're doing? No. But it is an important part of what you're doing. And that's, I think, the key thing. If we say it's the whole picture, that's a problem. If we say it's not to be a part at all, that's a problem. But as a part of the whole, that is what God has in mind.

Yes? I think exactly what you gave last time, you know, about the pastor that was preaching a good sermon. Yeah. Yeah. Yes, yeah, what sense does this make? Yeah, I'd given the example of Nancy and I knew of a pastor back in Nevada that was, I mean his sermons were so impressive that people just were in awe of the guy. It did happen that he was having multiple affairs with women in the church. And so that was not a good example, right? Next one here.

What is the value of public reading of scripture, exhortation, and teaching? Why not just be a good example instead and let that stand? Yeah, Stan? It says in Isaiah, God's word will not return voids. Anytime you speak it forth, you should expect some kind of action. And it's interesting, why does he focus on public reading? Why doesn't he just say, look, it's all written, here's the book, you know, and just leave it at that? Yeah? A number of people couldn't read. Stan?

It's like baptism, I mean. It's a public affirmation of the decision you had previously made. It's a public affirmation that you have faith in the gospel. Yeah. Christianity, though we have in writing what God intends, is not intended to be just a literary society. Right? It is, in fact, something, you know, read it, speak it, Write it.

Use different media. It's one of the reasons why, like when we teach, we'll sometimes have things in the overhead, things in the handouts, we'll talk about it, question and answer. We try to use different ways of getting it across, and hearing it is one of the important ones. The book of Revelation starts with, blessed is he who reads and hears. And he who reads is singular, and hears is plural. So the reading and the hearing, both of those are to take place. And the hearing of it is not to be discounted. Nancy and I will sit down and counsel with couples. A lot of times we'll get the Bibles out. And some people do better listening to it than reading it. And they can actually absorb more that way.

So yeah, go ahead and read it out loud. And go ahead and teach. Speak it. That's a good thing. Different media of communication is a good thing. 1 Timothy 4, 14 and 15, do not neglect the spiritual gift within you which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery, that is the elders. Take pains with these things, be absorbed in them so that your progress will be evident to all. All right.

So does everybody have a spiritual gift that is bestowed through prophetic utterance through the laying on of hands of the elders? Is that how it happens? No. Why is Timothy's situation special? Yeah? First of all, this was the dispensation of the apostles. Okay, yeah. This was the time of the apostles. primary apostle to the Gentiles and Timothy was part of the Gentiles.

So I think this all fits together in God's plan that this was the way that it was going to be manifest. A lot of things were manifest back then that we don't see today. Let's ask another question. Was Timothy taking on a role that would be typical in the church or a role that would be extraordinary?

Was he an apostle? No. Was he just an elder? No. He was actually an apostolic delegate. He was a person who has delegated things by an apostle and that's not an ongoing role, is it? We don't have apostles who are delegating specific things. Here, Timothy, you go here Titus, you go here and do this and do that. We don't have that role. He was taking on a very special role for a particular time and not one that exists today. Because we don't have an apostolic delegate like Timothy in today's church. So it's a very special role, not something that you would expect everybody to take on today in the church. So, should every Christian be in pain and be self-absorbed? Boy, the expressions are priceless. Is being self-absorbed what Paul's talking about then? Be absorbed in them. Yeah.

Well, Paul once again said that he's not responsible for any man, but he's judged by Christ and through Christ. Okay. And he's also supposed to judge himself. Okay. He says that you're supposed to be aware of, you know, basically what he's saying is you're supposed to be aware of who you are. All right. And how you're living and be focused on You have to be self-aware of it, but it doesn't have to be your primary goal.

Okay. Yes, Pat? I don't believe it says take pains. Pains doesn't mean pain like, ouch, I hit my finger with a hammer. Right. It's to be careful with. Right. Protect. Okay. Yeah. Right. You know, in life we learn that there are some things we need to pay particular attention to and some less attention to, right? It's impossible for us to be completely focused, you know, absolutely focused and aware and in control of every single thing around us. It just can't happen, right? So what do we do?

We say this is important and that's important and we focus on the important things. So that's really what he's saying here, this is important. What about the King James translation that says meditate on it? Okay, well I think the thing is that the word meditating on it means ponder it. I think that would be an aspect of what's going on, but it's also a matter of paying particular attention to something, saying this is important. It's about priorities. Yeah, it's what's my focus is really the ultimate thing. Yeah, Wayne? Yeah, yeah, yeah. What's your focus? Right.

Ever see those little manuals that are in the car? They're written by somebody, I guess, at the car manufacturers. I don't know if you ever looked through the whole thing. But do you look at everything that's in the manuals all equally important? Every morning you go up and you check the pressure on the tires, right? And you go in there and make sure the radio knob doesn't come off. Now, we look at that and say, well, no, that isn't exactly what we do. Why? Because even though it's all in there, the reality is we recognize that certain things are of more importance than others. When they're not working, they're very important.

I had a roommate once who was a really nice guy. He was a really nice fellow. But the one thing he never learned is when the little red light comes on in the car, that means something. So when this little red light came on, he kept driving. It was the oil light. It froze the engine up. And it's because he didn't realize what was important. Oh, that's nice, a little decorative red light comes on.

So isn't letting one's progress be evident to all just being a sort of a Christian growth show-off? Is that what it is? A Christian growth show-off is letting your progress be evident? So why does Timothy need this kind of encouragement? I think it goes back to what you were saying about the youthfulness and dealing with older people and I think in a situation like that you really have to be careful about who you are and how you're acting and I think if I go back to sports I think our previous coach had that bit of a problem when he was talking to veteran players where now we have an older coach who doesn't have to worry about that necessarily because he's sober. And Timothy's got to be dealing with his youthfulness and the way people are going to look at him, I think. It's a cultural thing. This has to do with, in the big picture, he needs to be effective He needs to be, if he's not kind of letting things be shown, then it'd be easy for them to just kind of superficially assess, hey, you're just a young guy, you know.

When in fact if he says, but look, I'm living this out, and I'm not doing it arrogantly, but I'm living this out, this is real, I'm teaching the truth, and laying that out as this is indeed worthy of your paying attention to and not to be dismissed. Yes, that's right. This makes it evident who I am. This supports the truth that I'm conveying. And so he would do things not just to be a show-off, not just to get people's attention to say, but he would do things like that because it testified to the validity, to the truth of what he was communicating. Yes.

Pick what's important, pay attention to what's important, figure out what's high priority and what isn't, focus on what matters, and don't sweat the small stuff. Don't sweat the petty things and don't sweat the sweaty things. It is a matter of picking what is of value. It is a matter of picking what's important, right? And not just getting all distracted and chasing rabbit trails. He does need to be careful about what he's focusing on and having others focus on.

I'll leave it to you to catch up with the last verse there, verse 16. I'll read it and then we'll call it enough for today. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching. Persevere in these things. For as you do this, you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you. I'll let you explore that on your own. Let's pray.

Lord, we do thank you for this passage. We thank you for highlighting the things that matter, the things that count. And we thank you for the care evident in Paul's writing to his spiritual son Timothy. We thank you for bringing forth the truth powerfully with strength and clarity. And we just pray by your Holy Spirit's working that we would have deeper and greater insight into these things. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.