1 Timothy 4

Bible study with Pastor Terry Gray

WE NEED TO BE PREPARED FOR THE END OF DAYS 

As Paul wrote to Timothy, the Holy Spirit is clear about the coming of the end of days, and we need to be ready.

The closer we get to the second coming of Jesus, the worse things will become.

In Matthew 24, Jesus described the end times as birthing pains. Any mom would concur that those are some of the worst imaginable pains. There will also be wars, rumors of wars, famine, deception, etc. In our time, we have already witnessed these events. As we get closer to the end times, these events will increase in intensity and frequency -- just like labor pains.

Great apostasy is coming (1 Timothy 4:1)
In the end times, many will depart from the faith. 

1 John 2:19
"They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us."

According to John, apostasy occurs to those never "belonged to us," aka, those who were never real Christians in the first place. These could be people who often hang out around the Church and may even speak "Christianese." However, their heart does not belong to Jesus. They come to Church not for the glory of God or to glorify God but for ulterior motives, such as fulfilling their own selfish needs or glorifying themselves.

Satan, on the other hand, uses this to his advantage. When we see people leave the Church, especially great leaders, we are confused. How can such a great leader leave? And for many, such instances can put their own faith into question. They might start asking themselves, Do I have the right faith? And things just go spiraling down from there. This type of manipulation will only get worse in the end times.

What are we to do? Stand strong in our faith. How do we make sure we can stand strong? Study the Bible. REALLY KNOW THE WORD OF GOD. Move beyond milk and start digesting solid foods. The only way we can combat Satan's mind games is with a solid understanding of the Word of God.

All false teaching comes from Satan
Ephesians 6:12 
"Our struggle is not against flesh and flood... but against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

False teaching coming from demonically led false teachers cause apostasy. 

Salvation by works is a false teaching (1 Timothy 4:3-5)
Paul used an example here to illustrate the difference between works and heart: There were numerous false teachings back then -- Those that forbade people to marry certain people or to eat certain food. (These are some of the same false teachings we have to deal with today as well!) And what is Paul's response?

1 Timothy 4:4-5
"For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the Word of God and prayer."

The key to salvation is humbling of the heart, not nursing the pride of ego. There is nothing we can do to earn God's favor or to earn salvation. God knows us -- He knows we are of sinful nature, and that on our own, we would kill ourselves. God also loves us -- And because we cannot save ourselves, God has made a way for us to be saved, through Jesus Christ.

And that is the bottom line: There is only ONE way to God -- through Jesus Christ and Jesus Christ ALONE.

If we want to eat only vegetables, great. But that's not going to save us. If we want to stay single and never get married, great. But again, that's not going to save us. We can do whatever we think is "godly," but unless that ONE thing is putting our trust and our heart in Jesus Christ, NOTHING else we do would save us! Salvation is not about what we do; it is about what Jesus has ALREADY DONE.

Be aware of false teachings that pull us away from Jesus. Have our faith be based on the Word of God, not on the empty promises of false teachers. God teaches us, through the Bible, that Jesus is our only way. What do we do when someone else comes along and say, well, hey, all roads lead to God! Counter false teachings with the truth, God's Truth. If God says the path to Him is narrow, that there is only one way to Him, then THERE IS ONLY ONE WAY TO HIM. If all roads lead to God, then where is the value in the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ? Do not let false teachings diminish the Holiness of God.

Be nourished on the words of faith (1 Timothy 4:6)
By standing on the Truth of God, we can stand strong in our faith. And when we can stand strong, we can also instruct others in the Truth, and help others come to God.

Being a disciple requires dedicated discipline and training (1 Timothy 4:7-10)
We are to stay away from myths and tales -- things like mysticism and legends. Why? Because it's not based on God's Truth. Truth is easy to find. It is tangible, it is testable, it is security. There is no guessing. There is no feeling it to be right. Truth is backed by evidence. Unfortunately, many of us today are infatuated with myths and legends. We like the mystery. We like the unknown. We like to feel the force. We want to be one with the world. None of that is about having the Truth. It's all about feeding the selfish wants of the self. It's all about making the self feel good. Friends, what is that going to get us at the end? What are good feelings going to do for us? Good feelings are not going to feel that great in the Lake of Fire. Seek the Truth, love God, and receive what is ETERNAL and REAL.

Instead of seeking good feelings, Paul told us to train ourselves toward godliness. An athlete follows a strict exercise and diet regime in order to increase his chances of winning. That chocolate cake may look delicious, but when he is training, he has to say no. Similarly, as a disciple of Christ, we are running a race. It is a marathon. The finish line is to make it to the second coming of Christ. It is a race that we want to finish. And if we want to finish it, we need to discipline ourselves. Stay away from junk food (myths, rumors, gossips) and store up on healthy meals (Word of God). It takes a lot of work to be a top athlete. It takes a lot of work to be a good disciple.

Many people may think being a Christian is no fun at all. I think this is all a matter of perspective. What are your goals? Continuing with the example of an athlete, what is his goal? To win. To him, giving up smoking, excessive drinking, late night parties, binge eating, etc. is a matter of discipline. Does he think it's no fun at all? On the contrary, he thinks those activities are detrimental for the health of his body and could not understand why anyone would put his body through those activities.

If your goal is to do whatever you want and live however you want to, then yes, the Christian life would be nothing but rules to you. However, if your goal is to obtain for what is real, to obtain eternal value, then you will train like an Olympian who has his eyes on Gold. It's not so much about the rules as it is about goals. Once we figure out what is important to us, we can then take the necessary actions to live accordingly -- and then, be aware of the consequences and be darn okay with them before heading down that road. I pray that we all go after what is real.

Labor to the point of exhaustion (1 Timothy 4:10)
Both Paul and Timothy labored hard to get the Word out. They were serious about it. There is so much to do and not enough people to do it!

Jesus said, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few" (Matthew 9:37). Be one of Jesus' hard workers!


SET AN EXAMPLE (1 Timothy 4:11-16)

Do not stumble (1 Timothy 4:12)
In Timothy's case, his youth was a stumbling block. He was young and therefore lacked confidence to demand authority. Paul encouraged Timothy here to not let that get in the way of his mission: To preach and teach the Word. Just set an example. Be an example of what a Christian should be -- in speech (the way we speak), in conduct (the way we live; how we treat others), in love (our enthusiasm, excitement), in faith, in purity.

Continue to preach and teach the Word (1 Timothy 4:13) 
Timothy's spiritual gift was to be a pastor teacher. This gift was confirmed by the elders; otherwise, they wouldn't have voted to have Timothy be anointed. Obviously, preaching and teaching the Word is the calling of a pastor, but all Christians should preach and teach the Word. As Christ's disciples, our number one priority is to spread the Gospel. We may not speak to a congregation from the pulpit, but we can all do our part in getting God's Word out.

Do not neglect our gift (1 Timothy 4:14)
Timothy was shy and timid and lacked confidences. When faced with challenges, he would prefer to shrink back than to face them head on like Paul. Paul understood that this was a trying period for Timothy, but he did not want Timothy to shrink back. Paul thus encouraged Timothy to remember that God has given him the gift of preaching. He should not let that gift go to waste and should bravely use it.

God has given each one of us a gift. We need to first discover what it is, and then, use it to do the Will of God!

Be existing in our calling (1 Timothy 4:15)
It is one thing to study the Word. It is another to LIVE it. If all we ever do is analyze and memorize when we study the Bible, then it's nothing but academics. There is little meaning beyond the pages. It is only when we breathe it, live it can we then allow the Word of God to permeate throughout our lives. God is after our heart, not our academic achievements.

Save ourselves, save others (1 Timothy 4:16)
One of the best way to spread the Word is through action. We can stand here and talk to people all day long about Christ, but if we live a life that is completely removed from what we preach, we will convince no one. Right our heart. And with a righted heart, right our behavior. Once our heart and behavior are one, we can then effectively speak for Christ. How we live is our most convincing testimony. Before we can convince others that we have Good News, we ought to be convinced with it ourselves first. LIVE the Word. Only then can we bring others to Christ!