for who you are. Thank you that feeble though we are, great and mighty are you. Lord, we turn our minds now to your word. I pray that you would get me out of your way so that your word is clear, so that your desires for your people are known, so that we can implement it. and live a changed life because of who you are. Lord, help us to have that firm foundation of knowing that no matter what happens in this life, what you have done on the cross changes everything. So Lord, help us to keep that as our focus. Lord, we rely on you. Thank you that you are trustworthy. Amen. So when I was talking to Jim about the songs that we would sing and this idea of adding that extra song, he did warn me. that it would eat into the sermon time and that I would have to be careful, so. 1.45 is a good time to be done, right? I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Nope, I don't blame ya. Well, this was a good opportunity for me because sometimes I have big, long introductions, and we're gonna try and keep it really, really short. I've got one picture. I suppose it's two, maybe. There it is. How many of you have ever been to a gym and you walk in and you see either of these and you're like, I know I need to get strong, how do I do it? Grab the biggest ones. Well, last week I mentioned the basic idea is find something heavy and move it. That's the idea. Well, I think what we had last week in Timothy, Paul was giving him some, this overriding, this big idea of get strong, of dedicate yourself, of be disciplined, of focus on strengthening yourself. But it's like one of these, you walk in and you're like, yes, that's a great idea, but what do I do? How do I go about doing that? And this section that comes next in Timothy, 1 Timothy chapter four, I think really shows us how, what are those exercises? What are those specific things that we need to do to become strong, to be what it is that God wants us to be? And as we go through this, you're gonna see a bunch of imperatives or a bunch of commands. And Paul is telling Timothy, really 10 specific things do this. And it's a lot like, lifting weights. You go in one time and you lift it once and you're done, right? Then you're strong. No, not at all. It's a constant, continuous thing. Those of you who do go to the gym, how often do you go? five times a week, three times a week, somewhere in that range, every single day maybe, depending on how strong you want to be. Well, when we get into these commands that Paul gives, they are a constant, continuous, we call them present active imperatives. not all of them, but for the most part, which means it's a command. You must do these things constantly, not just once and then you're good, but in a regular, normal fashion of what your life is. So, last week I mentioned that there is a lot in verses nine and 10 that I kind of skimmed over, so I do want to go back and pick those up because there's some really good stuff there. And I think that that, although structurally it fits with last week's, it's a connector that flows through both. And so it can go, we can draw from it this week as well to understand certain things. So, let's go ahead and read the full section and then we'll start digging into it. In 1 Timothy chapter 4, starting off in verse 9, it says, 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. 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 public reading of scripture, to exhortation, and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed upon you through prophetic utterance, with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things, be absorbed in them, so that your progress may be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and your teaching, persevere in these things, for as you do this, you will ensure salvation, both for yourself and for those who hear you. Now, I'll admit there are some tough things in this. There are some challenging things in it. There are some items in there that, because of my background or history, I read and I'm like, oh, wait a minute, how does that work? Or because I know of other theological positions, I'm like, wait a minute, what's this? we're gonna try and deal with a lot of those. And some of those are pretty tough, and others, they're actually really simple, unless you let yourself start bringing other things in and trying to figure it out based on these other ideas and not based on what Scripture itself says. So, We're going to start off in verse 9. It is a trustworthy statement. Now, Paul's used this phrase several times in other places. Back in chapter 1, verse 15, he used it. In 3, verse 1. And he'll use it again in 2 Timothy, chapter 2, verse 11. And each time that he uses this phrase, he wants to highlight something. He wants to make sure that you understand or that you notice what comes next. So the first one in chapter 1 verse 15, he wants us to recognize that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners. That's a big deal, right? That's something that we need to pay attention to. The next time that he uses it is in chapter 3 verse 1. If any man aspires to the office of overseer, it is a fine work that he desires. That's challenging, that's difficult, and yet it's a good thing. And Paul wants it to be known. A man who desires that or aspires to it, that's something good that they are wanting to do. And then again, in 2 Timothy 2, he says, if we died with him, with Christ, we will also live with him. Now that's a pretty major idea, right? That if our life is tied to Christ's, then the life that he has, he gives to us. So when Paul uses this phrase, he wants to highlight something. Well, he's about to highlight something here. In verse 10, he says, it is for this that we labor and strive. Now, I've been using the example of lifting weights, which is difficult. It's challenging, right? It is a labor. It's something that you put some effort into and some sweat into. That's what the idea of labor is. The idea of strive is even to the point of combat, of fighting for. Okay, so it is for this that we put forth the effort and that we are even willing to fight over or fight for because we have fixed our hope on the living God. Now you remember that idea of the living God has come up before and we worship a God that is alive. that is capable, unlike the idols that they know, unlike all of the other gods of this world, even the gods that are worshipped today, they are not living, they have no power, they have no capability. We put our focus on the living God. Well, who is that? He is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. Now, I'll admit, this is one of those phrases that pops up, and it's like, okay, hang on, how does that work? Because some people look at this, and they use what's called universalism, or the idea that, well, everybody's gonna be saved, it's all okay, we don't need to do anything, it's just, and that's not what it's saying. That's not what it's talking about at all. This idea is that he is the savior of all men, I think has a couple of different ideas that come with it. First and foremost, the fact that God offers salvation to everyone. It is a free gift that anyone can accept. I think also, my mind went to Matthew 5, verse 45, in which it's talking about the blessings that God pours out on everyone, on the just and the unjust, and how that works and how that all fits together. I'm not positive, I'm not saying that I've got it all figured out, but somehow God is gracious and merciful to everyone. We were talking this morning in Sunday school a little bit about that idea, and even during that, we've got a little bit of stuff we've gotta dig into and figure it out. And you know, sometimes we come to scripture and we end up with questions. Don't let that scare you away. That's perfectly fine. I have all kinds of questions that I come up with along the way. But this idea that God is the savior of all men, He's saying, I think, like I said, first of all, that he offers salvation freely to anyone, and that there is some way in which he is merciful and gracious to everyone, whether they trust him or not. And as I'm thinking through that one, my mind even goes to, well, don't we deserve immediate punishment as soon as we sin? You look all the way back in the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, they take of the fruit, and what had God promised them? As soon as they eat it, they're going to die. They deserved God's immediate retribution and wrath. but God is merciful, he's long-suffering to us. And he didn't wipe them out, and he doesn't wipe us out. And so in some way, God is merciful, God is giving that option to all men. especially, more than that. And I do think that this primarily focuses on eternal salvation, but there's a level of grace and mercy as well, but especially to those who believe, to us who are believers. And so, Paul then goes into this list of commands that he has, these instructions that he wants to give. First and foremost is prescribe and teach these things. Now that word prescribe is command. It's not just to let it be known. The idea of teach is instruct or let them know about these things. But prescribe is command it, or it carries more force than just that level of instruction. And I got thinking on that one. I like trying to figure out scripture with examples and things that have happened. And I got thinking about my time in the military. I was a sergeant at one point and was tasked with training a group of soldiers in how they were going to accomplish a mission. And for the most part, they were pretty well trained. They already knew things. And so all I had to do was tell them, go do what you already know. That's command. But some things they didn't know. They were younger, they were less experienced, and so I had to teach them or instruct them in what those were. And so it conveys both of those. And sometimes, when I would, because I was an NCO, a sergeant, I had the authority to tell them what to do. Most of the time in the military, not always, but most of the time, if somebody gives a suggestion, it's recognized, yeah, I kind of need to do this. But not always. And so sometimes it would have to carry a little bit more and a little bit more, even to the point that occasionally I would have to drop a soldier or make them do push-ups. I know we've got a couple of other NCOs. Mark, did you ever have to make people do push-ups? Frequently. I tried to avoid it. I didn't really care to do that too often. But on occasion, that's what's necessary. I think that that's what's going on here, is that idea of these two things, command it and instruct it. If they know and they don't do it, that's when it really gets into this idea of you've got to give them the order, directive. But sometimes they don't understand, they don't even know it. And so Paul is telling Timothy to teach them these things. Now, what is the these things? You'll see that throughout this chapter, that phrase comes up over and over again. What are the these things? I think for the most part, it's what he's been talking about. It's what came just before that. But even beyond that, it goes to the entirety of what the book's been. And if you go back to chapter 1, verse 5, the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Throughout the entire book, Paul has been dealing with false doctrines and true doctrines, and what we're supposed to know and what we're supposed to do. And I think that when he uses this phrase, these things, that's what he's talking about. All of that, that he's been dealing with in the book of 1 Timothy. Now I don't know about you, but I have a tendency when I'm going through something and studying, I get so focused on the little details that I forget the forest for the trees. And sometimes it's good to step back and read through all of 1 Timothy. And I would encourage you at some point in this upcoming week, step back, read through all of 1 Timothy, and try to pick up some of those key themes and those key ideas that he's been dealing with. Those are the things that Paul wants Timothy to be teaching, to be instructing, to be commanding that people do. But then there's a little bit of a challenge that comes up in verse 12. See, we know that Timothy was a young man. He didn't necessarily have a lot of experience. He traveled with Paul, but this appears to be one of his earlier churches where Paul leaves him and has him be the pastor there. And that can be an intimidating thing. I mean, personally, I know that, and I'm in my late 30s, and I'm sometimes intimidated by, well, how do I teach? How do I instruct? I mean, some of these guys, you can look around you, and they're much wiser than I am, much more years of experience. And I think that Timothy probably was dealing with some of that, of like, how do I be the leader when I'm just a young man? And Paul gives him this instruction. He says, let no one look down on your youthfulness. I find that phrase fascinating. The word itself is the same idea that's used back in the instructions on overseers in verse 6 of chapter 3. the overseers are not to be youthful. They're not to be new converts or young in the faith. And here Paul is saying, don't let your youthfulness be a problem. Now I think what Paul's doing here, he's not saying that you have to that you can't be young. He's saying don't allow the youthfulness or the lack of maturity and experience be a problem or cause you to not be able to do things. Instead, show your maturity. So it's not a number of years. That's the point. That's what's coming up. It's not the number of years that Timothy had that matters. It's the maturity level that he has. And so when we were looking at the overseers, No, they shouldn't be brand new Christians, not because number of years matters, but because maturity in Christ matters. Now some of that, it's going to take years to have experience. Don't misunderstand me. I'm not trying to say that, oh yeah, just a brand new Christian can automatically be in leadership. Not at all. But the age, the number of years, isn't nearly as important as the maturity level. Well, what designates that maturity level? That's what Paul's about to get into in verse 12. Rather, or instead of that, by your speech, by your conduct, by your love, by your faith, and by your purity, set the example, or show yourself an example. So that's five different things. How are we to show that we are spiritually mature? The point is not an age, but a maturity level that is desirable. And not just desirable, it's required. That's what has to be a maturity level. So Paul expects Timothy to overcome his lack of years by setting an example of what it is to be a believer. And that's one of the things, as I was digging into this, I found it interesting. It's not just set an example to everyone else, though that's part of this idea conveyed in an example of those who believe. It is set an example to everybody else, but in addition to that, it's set an example of what it is to be a believer. And so what Paul's giving here is not just for pastors. It's not just for young men who want to step into leadership. It's not just for individuals who want to have positions within the church. This is what's expected of all believers. This is the example that Timothy sets of what it is to be a believer. What is that, though? How do we understand what that is? Rather, in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity. Speech, that one's pretty easy to understand, right? The things that we say. But not just the words that come out of our mouths, but the way that we say them matters. That has an effect on people, and it shows, are we mature followers of Christ? Yeah, you can say the right words, but if you say them in the wrong way, what impact does that have on the hearer, on the listener? or by our conduct, by what we do, the things that we do both in public and in private. And that was one of those I got thinking about, okay, our conduct before others sets an example, and yet there's an idea in which our character is what we do when no one else is watching, right? You guys have heard that before, haven't you? Okay, all right. So our conduct isn't just our public display of action, but also our private lives. Are we setting an example in those things as well? By your love. This is one of those, I've said it before, I'm sure I'm gonna say it again, love doesn't mean what the world tends to try and make it mean. We know that. When we study God's word, when we look at what God talks about as love, it is vastly different. It is so different than what the world has in mind. The short or brief example of this is what do you give your attention to? What do you focus on? What do you give of yourself to? That's the idea of love, but we've seen love come up over and over in this. How are you focusing your life and giving yourself, giving of your attention to something. I use the definition of love, that love is sacrificial giving of yourself for the benefit of someone else or something else. So if you sacrifice your time, you give up your time to watch football, You give of your time to go to a concert. You give of your time to do certain things, to work on a car. I'm just, I notice you, I'm not picking on you, but those are the things that you are willing to give up and give yourself your attention to. I think that's part of what's being conveyed here. And so what do we do? What are we saying? How are we living? And what do we focus on? And those things are indicative of what we believe about Christ. And they set the example towards others. Beyond that, he says, of your faith. So what do you believe? Specifically, what do you believe? And I kind of got thinking about that, and you know, that idea of faith, obviously, my first thought is religion. You know, what doctrines do you believe? And I got thinking a little bit further on it and kind of looking it up and trying to figure this out. I think in our lives it conveys a little bit more than that as well, of what do you accept to be true? You listen to the news, and who are you listening to? What are you listening to? You hear, I mean, there's always conspiracy theories coming up. What are you believing about those things? So what do you believe to be true, not just scripturally, though that is very, very important, what do you believe to be true across all aspects of your life? And that has an impact on the example that you set for others. So what you say, what you do, what you focus on, what you believe, all point towards those things. And then the last one is set yourself an example by your purity. Now, when we say the word purity, at least, again, this is one of those, I grew up in kind of the purity culture revolution area where I kiss dating goodbye, I'm not gonna have premarital things, I'm not, you know, all of that, is the idea that pops to my mind first when I read purity. I don't know if that's true for anyone else, but that's part of the idea. And that is contained in this, but it's more than that. This word is actually used in the Greek Old Testament, the Septuagint, to understand what a Nazirite was. You guys remember a Nazirite vow? Anybody? Okay, John's shaking his head, thank you. Anybody else know what a Nazirite vow is from the Old Testament? Okay, it was a specific vow in which people set themselves aside for a particular amount of time. And it could be a short term or a very long term. And they say, I'm not going to cut my hair. I'm not going to drink anything or eat anything that comes from the vine. Those were two of the big ones. We see John the Baptist was set apart from birth as a Nazirite. We see Samson was set apart from birth as a Nazirite. But it was a vow that any individual could take and say, I'm not going to do these things. Not just things that were bad and wicked. Obviously we need to not do those things. But even sometimes things that are okay. We set ourselves apart from so that we can devote ourselves and live specifically for Jesus. And the way that we do that sets an example of what it is to be a believer. So what are some things in our lives that aren't necessarily bad? that maybe we need to not say or not do so that we can set an example for others. What are things that, you know, with the Nazirite vow, they weren't going to eat anything that came from the vine? Well, the grapes were a normal, regular part of food, and yet they're saying, I'm not going to do that for a specific amount of time so that I can devote myself to God. That's what the Nazirite vow was all about. What are things in our lives that we can be careful about on how we live a mature life following Christ? Something to think about for a little bit. In the next section, Paul goes on to say, until I come, give attention to certain things. And that phrase, until I come, kind of caught me. I'm like, okay, is Paul saying that only from now until I arrive is this important? And I'm like, wait, no, that doesn't make sense. That doesn't work. And I got to thinking about, you know, I've been using the weightlifting and the sports analogies, so I'm going to continue with that one. You ever have a coach tell you you need to work on, we'll say your free throw, okay? You need to work on your free throw. Until the next game, I want you to practice your free throw. Are they saying don't practice dribbling or don't practice running or don't practice any other shooting? No, obviously not. Are they saying that after the next game you no longer need to work on that? No, obviously not. He's saying right now, in this interim, between the moment that you receive the letter and until Paul arrives, which we've already seen he wants to, he intends to, he's making plans to, but he might be hindered from. Until that point, this is what I want you to focus on. This is the key for you to be developing and working on until I arrive. Give your attention or put your focus on these things. Well, what are they? The public reading of scripture. Now, technically, the phrase is just the reading, but that word is used throughout the New Testament to refer to a reading in public. And I got digging into that, as you guys have probably figured out, I like history, I like trying to understand things. Until the 1400s, when Johann Gutenberg invented the printing press, it was very hard to get a copy of scriptures. Even after that, it became challenging. But think back to early Christianity. How many copies were there? Not very many. What was the literacy rate? Well, I kind of pick on my kids a little bit. They love to just read and read and read and read. And I think that's really cool. As a dad, I'm proud of that. But at this time, most people couldn't read. I was doing a little bit of research, and it's like less than 10% of people could read. So what Paul is telling Timothy here is, hey, make sure that people can hear the Word of God. At that time, they didn't have their own copy, their own individual copy. So what would they do? Well, we see in Scripture that somebody would take a scroll and read from it. Paul goes into the synagogues, and they have a reading from Scripture, and then someone stands up and talks about it. And I think I had a couple of verses that mention that. I don't remember if they're up there or not. But there are a couple of times in Acts, I believe it's chapter 13, where we see the Old Testament publicly read and then somebody talks about it. We also see that happen with Jesus a couple of times. He goes into a synagogue and a section of scripture is read. Well, what Paul is saying to Timothy here is devote yourself or give attention to, give focus on making sure that the word of God is read. Now that's a cultural setting in which they didn't have copies. What about today? How do we use that today? I don't think that there's as much need for an individual to stand up here and read from it because you have your own copy, right? Each one of you right now can pick up the Bible and read for yourself. And so, Instead of being less, I think this is actually more so for us in that we need to devote ourselves to the reading of God's word. And we are blessed in such a way that each and every one of us has direct access to scripture at any time. We don't have to go to someone else to have it read for us. That makes it even more of a burden on us. How often Maybe I'm asking a tough question for you, but how often do you find yourself not reading scripture? You lay it aside and you're like, well, I'll get to it later. I'll do it some other time. Personally, I find I struggle. And I mean, I know I want to read it, not just to study for preaching, because I mean, that's technically my job, but individually, do I have a love and a passion for the reading of God's word? Just for studying it, for digging into it. And that can be tough. And yet, Paul says, until I come, focus on the reading of scripture. And in this context, the public reading of scripture. That's why it's mostly translated that way. Make sure that people are able to be in God's word. That's the key, that's what you focus on, that's what you give your attention to. To public reading of scripture, to exhortation. Okay, what is exhortation? To encourage, to comfort, to appeal. I think really the idea is to take that scripture that you've read and apply it, put it into practice to use it. to encourage others to do the same, to put it into practice, to use it. It does contain the idea of command, but more than command, it's like bringing them alongside. It's not like that military idea where we have a lower enlisted individual and command them to do push-ups, it's the idea of getting down and saying, hey, you need to be strong and I need to be strong so that we can be mission capable. Therefore, together, let's do push-ups. That's the idea that's contained here. Exhort them, encourage them, enjoin or persuade them in these things. Beyond that, then, is the third one there in verse 13, and teaching. So Paul says, until I come, give attention to the public reading of scripture, the exhortation, and the teaching. The teaching in this is the doctrines. That's the idea, not just, I lost my place, sorry. Not just the specific words, but the doctrines that you are helping them to understand from that scripture that you read, from those things that you're encouraging them to do. Give attention, give focus to your teaching. Focus on the doctrine and the content of what you're teaching. The next verse, verse 14 then says, do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed upon you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Now, this is one of those verses that gave me pause and was challenging. And I don't know about anybody else, but I come from a fairly fundamental Baptistic background. And so any idea of spiritual gifts or the Holy Spirit doing things was kinda, you tuck that into the closet and you don't admit to that too much. My wife comes from a assembly of God background, which is a lot more embracing of the idea of spiritual gifts and the Holy Spirit doing things and all of that, which means, honestly, when we come to scripture, we bring some of that background and some of that baggage. And so this verse was a little bit challenging when I first began looking at it and trying to figure it out because of that. And I think we have to be very careful in doing that. And it's so easy. It's so easy for that to happen when you start thinking through those ideas and trying to bring your background into Scripture, it'll mess you up very, very quickly. And so I want to encourage you, step back just a moment, re-examine what is being talked about. I had a, oh. It's making noise, I'm sorry. I get distracted easily. I had a professor who would often say, when you come across something, ask what kind of? And so the question comes up, what kind of spiritual gift are we talking about? Well, I don't think that this just stands by itself. I think we have to understand this word charisma. And there's your Strong's number, it's 5486. So I would encourage you, take some time, step back, study that. Start looking up. I've got a couple of places where it's listed for us to look at, but there are many, many more in scripture. And so when we come to a verse like this, that says, do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, because of my background and because of my wife's background and because of, I know this church has dealt with some arguments and issues over spiritual gifts and what is the Holy Spirit doing and all of that. Pause, step back, dig into it. What does the word mean? What does scripture say about these things? The first one that I think comes up is 1 Peter 4 10. So I want to pause just a little bit and dig into this one just briefly. I'll try not to get too far on the rabbit trail. 1 Peter 4, verse 10 says, as each one has received, a gift. It's the same word. It's a special gift. It's a spiritual gift. As each has received a gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God. Whoever serves, let him do so by the strength which God supplies, so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. So the idea here is whoever has a gift, in fact, as each one, meaning everybody has one, as each one has a gift, use it for God's glory. The focus that Peter here is having is not on what the spiritual gifts are. His focus is on why did God give these? God gave you gifts, abilities, these things for a reason, what are we supposed to be doing with them? Whether that gift is the ability to speak, make your speech as if it were utterances of God. Maybe it's in acts of service, let the service or the things that you do be empowered by God. So spiritual gifts in that context, really deals with this idea of whatever it is that you're doing, do it as service to God. The next one is Romans chapter five. I've got 15 listed up there. I actually want to read verses 12 through 17. Romans chapter five, verses 12 through 17. Again, this is one of those things I really do encourage you Look up that word, use your strongs, the word is charisma, it is 5486, there's gonna be a list of places that it comes up. And that's really all that I did, is just where does this word come up, and start digging into it, and start looking at how is this word used. Romans chapter five. Verses 12 through 17 says, therefore, just as through one man sin entered into the world and death through sin, so death spread to all men because all sinned. For until the law, sin was in the world, but sin was not imputed when there was no law. Nevertheless, death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the offense of Adam, who is a type of him who is to come. But the free gift," and that's that word there again, spiritual gift, charisma, gift from God, that free gift is not like the transgression. For if by the transgression of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of one man, Jesus Christ, abound to the many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned, For on the one hand, the judgment arose from one transgression, resulting in condemnation. But on the other hand, the free gift arose from many transgressions, resulting in justification. And if by the transgression of the one, death reigned through the one, much more those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ. In this section, this gift, this idea of a spiritual gift or a charisma, the gift that comes, is specifically focused on salvation. Not just that moment of salvation, but grace and justification, righteousness and forgiveness, all of which come through Christ. And so that idea of the spiritual gift expands beyond just what we may think of as the charismatic type spiritual gifts. And that's, like I'm saying, when we come to Scripture, we may have in our minds an idea of what is a spiritual gift. And in my head, I think of, I love the Assembly of God, they love Jesus most of the time, but their idea of spiritual gifts is not quite accurate. But at the same time, I grew up in a very fundamental Baptistic background, and their understanding of spiritual gifts was not quite accurate either. So whatever your background, whatever it is that you bring to scripture, and this is a constant challenge, and it's just like those lifting weights, it's not one thing that you just do it once and then, oh, you're good and strong. Constantly, come back to scripture, what does it actually say? Dig into it. This idea of spiritual gift is something that is divinely given and of a spiritual nature. Like I said, I'd encourage you to dig into it more, find out how it's used more, recognize that it is a real thing, not like my Baptistic background that said, well, you know, hide that in the closet, we don't want to talk about it. But it's also not this overt, out there, get attention, attention-seeking that is often used by the charismatic side either. So how do we deal with this idea of what's being talked about back in 1 Timothy chapter four? Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you. Well, if it is, as I said, a divine gift, divine thing from God given with a purpose of strengthening the church, of developing others, like we saw back in 1 Peter. If that's what it is, I think that what Paul's doing is saying, hey, this ability, this function that God has given you, don't neglect it. Don't let it atrophy. Instead, give focus to it. Give your attention to it. Develop it. And it was bestowed on you through or with, the idea there, the word is in connection to a prophetic utterance and a laying on of hands of the presbytery. Now, I'm not gonna go into as much of a side trail with both of those. I would encourage you, dig into that a little bit, understand, okay, what is this idea of the laying on of hands? You're gonna see that come up over and over again throughout scripture as not just a, Not just this idea of God coming on and laying on of hands like we see again in the charismatic realm of miraculous healing or a giving of power. It's actually a commissioning type of an idea that comes up. And then this idea of a prophetic utterance. Prophecy is not always this idea of telling what's gonna happen in the future. It's uttering the things of God. Just like we saw in 1 Peter, if your gift is related to speech, make sure that you're saying the things of God. And so I think what's happening here is not this big fancy miraculous that we often run into, like I said, with the charismatic realm, nor is it a neglecting of the fact that God gives abilities, and God calls people and strengthens them and helps them. I think what we're seeing here is that Paul is telling Timothy, you have been commissioned, ordained, set apart by God and by the leadership of a church to go out and do something. And the example that came up to my mind was in, I think it was 1 Timothy, or sorry, in chapter 13 of Acts. Acts 13. We see Paul and Barnabas. They are at work in a church. They're living and doing, and all of a sudden the Holy Spirit says, set those men apart for me. and the church comes around them, prays for them, lays hands on them, commissions them, and sends them out. I think that that's the picture that we're getting here. Now, I know I went off on a little bit of a rabbit trail about charismatic gifts and about these other things, but we'll bring it back into 1 Timothy. I think what we're seeing is Paul is telling Timothy, you have been set apart by God and by the church to be a pastor, to serve. That's your gifting. That's your commission. You've been, as it were, ordained or commissioned to do this. Don't neglect that. Don't lay it aside. Don't get sidetracked. Don't get distracted by other things. Instead, work hard, give your focus, give your attention to what God has called you to do. Moving on to 15, take pains with these things, be absorbed in them. Again, there's two commands in here. Take pains is give your attention, give your focus, set your mind on these things, on all of the instructions that he's been going through, to such an extent that it becomes who you are. Now, this idea of to be absorbed in them, it's another of those words that's like, make it who you are. I think what Paul's doing here is reminding Timothy the stuff that you've studied, it's not just head knowledge. It's not just something that you read through scripture, okay, that's really good, that's really interesting, and you leave it there. He's saying that it needs to have an impact on you. You need to put your focus on it and your intentions on it. Give your time and your efforts to understanding it to such an extent that it becomes who you are. When you study God's word and you spend time constantly in it, it should change you. It should change the way that you live. It should change what you do. There's jokes and whatnot out there of, I wanna be so full of Jesus that if a mosquito bites me, he goes off singing, there's power in the blood, right? Or that if I get cut, that I bleed scripture. Now obviously those are hyperbole, but that's the idea, is that it is so much a part of who we are that it's constantly coming out of you. I've had the opportunity of seeing some pastors and some individuals that have memorized so much scripture that it seems like every other phrase out of their mouth is a Bible verse. And then I've been around some old crusty NCOs that every other word out of their mouth is the opposite of scripture. I think you know what I'm talking about. Yeah, four-letter words. what comes out is who we are. And so I think what Paul's doing here is saying, take pains, put your effort and your focus and your attention so much on this that it becomes who you are, that these things are you, so that, or with a purpose of, so that your progress may be evident to all. I was really, really happy when I came across that one. He's still working on me, to make me what I ought to be. It took him just a week to make the moon and the stars, the earth, the sun and Jupiter and Mars. How loving and caring he must be, cause he's still working on me. Who of you have arrived? You're there. You've got it all figured out. You've studied all the scriptures. It is entirely there. It's perfect. You got it. Thank you for nobody raising your hand. I appreciate that. I was a little bit worried and asked, no, not really. Because I think you guys, you know it. You're not there yet. We have some very mature, spiritually mature individuals. I'm not saying old. I'm saying spiritually mature. And that's great. But even they recognize they're not there yet. What Paul's saying here is, Timothy, put your focus, put your attention, dedicate your life to this to such an extent it becomes who you are, so that people will see the progress. Because you're not there yet, and there's still room to grow. But I started digging into that word, and Jesus is even said to have progressed, to developed. And Paul acknowledges that he's not there yet. He develops, and he gets better, and he works hard. And so I think we shouldn't look at this and be like, well, you know, I have no hope. I've not been to Bible college. I don't know these things. I can't read Greek. Just a clue, I struggle with Greek a lot as well. Takes me a lot of time. But he's working on it. He's trying, he's developing, he's getting better and better and better. And I've been using this example of lifting weights because I think it's such an accurate picture that we can understand. You go into the gym and you lift weights and you're a little bit stronger. And then you keep going back and you get a little bit stronger and a little bit stronger. I was talking to somebody this morning about back in high school, a buddy of mine and I, our goal was to be able to bench press 300 pounds. Never got there. I got close, I got 290. He got 300 and I've hated him ever since. Not really, not really. I'm jealous of him ever since. But that's what's going on here, is a continuous progress. Give your attention to it, give your focus to it, so that you progress, so that you get better. Not just to where you see it, but to where everyone sees it, so that your progress may be evident to all. Everyone else ought to notice that you are developing. Do I have my, yeah, the picture of sanctification is up there. That's what we as believers are called to do. Now, I will admit there's a lot of argument about, okay, how do you draw out this graph of sanctification? I don't want to get into that too much right now. The basic idea is there comes a point at which we get saved, right? If you have not yet trusted Christ, you're down below this. You've never been saved, you're a slave to sin. Constantly, always. When we get saved, when we put our trust in Christ, that changes us from a slave to sin to a slave to righteousness. And we are constantly to be growing in holiness and in righteousness. But you'll notice it's not a steady stream straight up. And personally, I wish that it was just a vertical line. I got saved, now I'm perfect. That's not the way that it works. It's a constant, continuous effort. And yeah, there's gonna be some ups and downs, and it's a rocky road, but for the believer, it's a constant, continuous, upward climb. And it takes effort, and it takes work, and that's what Paul is calling Timothy to do. in all of this. And like I said, there's these 10 different imperatives that come out, and each of them is a part of it. Each of them relates to that idea of developing and growing and becoming stronger. And so, verse 16, he says, pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching. Two things to pay attention to, your personal life and your public life. because both of those really come into play. I'm not gonna sidetrack. There are a lot of pastors that fall because they don't pay attention to one or the other, and it varies, but pay attention, be careful on both of those. These things, these exercises aren't just for one or the other. They have an impact on both. Our reading of scripture isn't just for me, it's for how I live out before others. It's not just that I can live out in front of others, it's so that I personally become more like Christ. So pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching. Persevere in these things. That idea of perseverance can be challenging. Who wants to go to the gym every single day? Personally, the gym is hard, it's difficult, but the results of it is what matters. So persevere, keep working at it. at these things, for as you do, you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you." Now again, that's another of those words, those phrases that can, you go to it and you see salvation, and it's like, okay, are we talking that my works then cause my salvation? Well, no, obviously not. If you were here for Sunday school, we dealt with that. No, your works don't result in your salvation. So what is going on here? How does paying attention to these things ensure my salvation? Does that mean I can lose my salvation? Well, no, obviously not. That's not what scripture teaches. Scripture teaches that we are sealed and held by God. And so it's not dealing with that. I think this kind of goes back to what we were looking at earlier on, this idea of Christ as the savior of all. It is beneficial, it is receptive of his grace, it is receptive of his justification, it's even this idea of sanctification is part of what God is continuing to do in us, developing us, getting us better and better. In this way, you guarantee or you make better, make more solid your salvation. Not only you, but those who hear you as well. Now it does have an eternal aspect to it. I'm not trying to deny that. But these things have a value both in this life and in the life to come. We saw that back in last week. I don't remember which verse it was. Verse eight. we saw that there's a short-term and a long-term impact of these things. They're not only for temporary, but also an internal impact for you and for those who hear you. So pay attention to what you teach, pay attention to what you do, pay attention to who you are. And really, I think that Paul is summarizing and going back through all of this, and so I'm gonna read through this section again. It is a trustworthy statement, deserving of full acceptance, It is for this that we labor and we strive because we have fixed our hope on the living God, that's our motivation, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. 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. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you which was bestowed upon you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things. 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 ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you. It's not an easy thing to do. Just like going to the gym every day is not easy. But by taking these 10 commands, these 10 instructions, they're called imperatives, by taking these, it's kind of like those exercises that you can get at a gym. It takes constant repetitions over and over and over again. So I want to encourage you, go back and read through this again. And don't get so focused on the individual tree that you miss the forest. So go back and reread all through 1 Timothy. And recognize the things that Paul is encouraging this young man, Timothy, and ultimately us. I know that we've got some young men, we've got some not-so-young men. We've got ladies and we've got older ladies, and I think all of us, as we understand what is it to be an example of a believer, how do we discipline ourselves? How do we work to become more like Christ by understanding these things, by exercising ourselves in these things? By doing that, we ensure salvation for ourselves and for those who hear us. Next week, we're gonna look at, Paul goes into some organizational things, but this part, he's coaching Timothy. He's helping him understand more about who he needs to be as a young man, leading others towards Christ. Let's pray. Lord, thank you for your word. Father, it is challenging. Sometimes we come to it with preconceived notions and ideas, and it's so easy to allow those to influence how we read it. So Lord, I pray that you would help us to step back and understand your word as you desire us to know it. But Lord, even when we do understand what it says, sometimes it's very difficult to discipline ourselves or to be disciplined to the point that we do that. So Lord, help us to keep our eyes focused on you, recognizing that it's not our own power, not our own ability and not for us. It's because we have our eyes fixed on you Lord, thank you that you don't give up on us, but you continue to work on us. Help us to be moldable so that we will be challenged by you, changed by you. Help us to put into practice the things that we learn and understand from your word. Thank you that we have such easy access to it. I know personally I take that for granted so easily. I pray that you would help us to dedicate ourselves, to focus ourselves, on the scriptures and making them a part of who we are so that we can be more like your son. In Jesus' name I pray, amen.