THESE THINGS
1 TIMOTHY 3:14-15
SERMON #1
INTRODUCTION:
I’VE BEEN STUDYING THE BOOK OF 1ST TIMOTHY LATELY, AND IN MY STUDY, I’VE NOTICED A PHRASE THAT PAUL KEEPS USING OVER AND OVER AS HE WRITES TO THIS YOUNG MINISTER, TIMOTHY.
THE PHRASE IS “THESE THINGS”.
NOW I DON’T KNOW ABOUT YOU, BUT WHEN SOMETHING IN SCRIPTURE IS REPEATED, IT CATCHES MY ATTENTION.
I’M THE INQUISITIVE TYPE.
I WANT TO KNOW WHAT THE WRITER WAS TRYING TO GET ACROSS TO THE READERS WHEN HE WROTE SOMETHING.
SO I LIKE TO DIG DEEPER WHEN I FIND THESE REPETITIVE PHRASES.
AND AS I HAVE BEGUN TO STUDY THROUGH THIS PHRASE, I HAVE FOUND THAT THERE IS SOME DEEP SIGNIFICANCE FOR GOD’S PEOPLE.
OF COURSE, THAT’S THE CASE THROUGH THE ENTIRE BIBLE, BUT AGAIN, IT’S THE REPETITION THAT CAUSES ME TO BELIEVE THAT THERE IS MORE HERE FOR US.
YOU MAY SAY, PREACHER, WHAT IN THE WORLD DOES REPETITION HAVE TO DO WITH ANYTHING?
DOES GOD REALLY REPEAT THINGS FOR A REASON?
WELL, REPEATING A PERSON’S NAME IS A FORM OF INTIMACY.
WHEN GOD SPEAKS TO ABRAHAM AT MOUNT MORIAH, AS HE IS ABOUT TO PLUNGE THE KNIFE INTO THE BREAST OF ISAAC, HE SAYS, "ABRAHAM, ABRAHAM." OR WHEN GOD ENCOURAGES JACOB IN HIS OLD AGE TO TAKE THE TRIP TO EGYPT, HE SAYS, "JACOB, JACOB" (GENESIS 22:11, 46:2). COMPARE THE CALL OF MOSES FROM THE BURNING BUSH: "MOSES, MOSES," OR THE CALL OF SAMUEL IN THE NIGHT, "SAMUEL, SAMUEL" (EXODUS 3:4; 1 SAM 3:10).
WE DO THE SAME THING WITH OUR CHILDREN.
WHEN WE WANT TO EXPRESS OUR INTIMACY TO THEM, WE WILL OFTEN REPEAT THEIR NAME.
SO REPETITION IS AN IMPORTANT FACTOR IN SCRIPTURE.
WE OFTEN TALK ABOUT HOW WE WILL FIND THE SAME WORD USED MANY TIMES IN THE BIBLE, AND WE UNDERSTAND THAT GOD CONSIDERED IT IMPORTANT FOR HIS CHILDREN, BECAUSE HE REPEATED IT SO OFTEN.
THE SAME PRINCIPLE IS AT WORK WITH THE PHRASE “THESE THINGS”.
JUST IN THE NEW TESTAMENT, YOU CAN FIND THIS PHRASE AROUND SIXTY TIMES.
SO NATURALLY, THE QUESTION IS, WHAT ARE “THESE THINGS”?
TAKE YOUR BIBLE AND TURN WITH ME TO THE BOOK OF 1ST TIMOTHY, CHAPTER 3.
LET’S READ VERSES 14 AND 15.
STAND – READ – PRAY
THIS SERIES OF MESSAGES WILL BE ESPECIALLY VALUABLE TO OUR YOUNG PEOPLE, SO I WANT YOU TO PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO “THESE THINGS”.
BUT THEY ALSO HAVE GREAT VALUE FOR THOSE OF US THAT ARE NOT SO YOUNG, BECAUSE PAUL SHARES WITH US “HOW CHURCH SHOULD BE DONE”.
HOW PEOPLE OUGHT TO ACT IN GOD’S HOUSEHOLD, IN THE CHURCH OF THE LIVING GOD.
SO IT’S IMPORTANT FOR US TO PAY SPECIAL ATTENTION TO THESE THINGS, BECAUSE THE CHURCH HAS THE RESPONSIBILITY TO BE SALT AND LIGHT IN THE WORLD.
TO FLAVOR AND ILLUMINATE THE CULTURE.
BUT TOO OFTEN, WE HAVE ALLOWED THE CULTURE TO FLAVOR THE CHURCH.
1. WHY PAUL WROTE “THESE THINGS”.
2. FOR FRONT-LINE FIGHTING
a. IFYOU LOOK BACK IN CHAPTER 1, PAUL SAID THAT HIS REASON FOR HIS INSTRUCTION WAS SO THAT TIMOTHY COULD STRONGLY ENGAGE IN BATTLE.
b. THAT PHRASE “STRONGLY ENGAGED IN BATTLE” MEANS TO “COMPLETELY EXECUTE YOUR SERVICE.”
c. PAUL WANTED TIMOTHY TO HAVE ALL THE TOOLS THAT HE NEEDED TO DO WHAT GOD WANTED HIM TO DO.
d. ONE OF THE PROBLEMS WITH MANY CHRISTIANS TODAY IS THAT THEY ARE NOT “ENGAGED”.
e. AS A MATTER OF FACT, MANY BELIEVERS HAVE SEEN THE WAR THAT RAGES AROUND THEM, AND HAVE MADE A CONSCIOUS DECISION TO REMAIN “DISENGAGED”.
f. WHEN I WORKED IN THE SECULAR WORLD, I REMEMBER HAVING A CONVERSATION WITH MY BOSS ABOUT A PROBLEM WE WERE HAVING WITH AN EMPLOYEE.
g. HE MADE THIS STATEMENT, “I DON’T THINK HE’S GOING TO MAKE IT, BECAUSE HE’S NOT ENGAGED.”
h. WHAT HE MEANT WAS THAT THIS PERSON HAD NOT ALIGNED HIMSELF WITH WHAT WAS IMPORTANT TO THE COMPANY.
i. THERE IS A DANGER TO BEING “DISENGAGED”
j. IN THE SECULAR WORLD, IT COULD GET YOU FIRED.
k. BUT IN SPIRITUAL LIFE, IT CAN LEAD TO PAUL’S SECOND REASON FOR HIS INSTRUCTION
3. THAT IS, TO AVOID SPIRITUAL SHIPWRECKS
a. MANY PEOPLE TODAY HAVE SUFFERED SPIRITUAL SHIPWRECKS.
b. IT’S COMMONPLACE IN THE CHURCH TODAY.
c. SOME HAVE SUFFERED SPIRITUAL SHIPWRECK ON THE JAGGED ROCKS OF:
d. IMMORALITY
e. BECAUSE OF PROMISCUITY
f. THE “IF IT FEELS GOOD, DO IT” MENTALITY OF THE SIXTIES, HAS CARRIED OVER INTO THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY AND HAS BECOME THE STATUS QUO.
g. AND IT HAS LED TO A LEVEL OF PROMISCUITY THAT WE HAVE NEVER WITNESSED BEFORE IN THE HISTORY OF THE WORLD.
h. IN 1960, 440,000 COUPLES IN THE U.S. LIVED OUTSIDE THE BONDS OF MARRIAGE
i. IN 1994, ALMOST 3.7 MILLION COUPLES DID.
j. IN 1960, THERE WERE 393,000 DIVORCES GRANTED IN THE U.S.
k. IN 1994, THERE WERE NEARLY 1.2 MILLION
l. BECAUSE OF PERVERSION
m. THE POPULARITY OF THE INTERNET HAS GIVEN ACCESS TO ALL TYPES OF PERVERSION.
n. WE HEAR NEWS STORIES ALMOST DAILY OF SOME PREDATOR WHO USED THE INTERNET AS A TOOL TO TRACK HIS OR HER PREY.
o. OTHERS HAVE SUFFERED SPIRITUAL SHIPWRECK ON THE JAGGED ROCKS OF:
p. THE QUEST FOR IMMORTALITY
q. SOME HAVE TRADED THE BENEFITS OF SERVING GOD AND LIVING A USEFUL LIFE FOR THE KINGDOM
r. FOR THE LIES OF THE “AGE MANAGEMENT” INDUSTRY THAT TEACHES THAT YOU ARE YOUR OWN GOD
s. AND THAT YOU CAN REVERSE THE EFFECTS OF AGING
t. I READ A STORY ABOUT A MAN WHO INJECTS $500.00 WORTH OF HUMAN GROWTH HORMONE INTO HIS BODY EVERY MONTH TO TRY TO INCREASE HIS LONGEVITY.
u. BUT THE FUNNY THING IS THAT GOD ALREADY GAVE US THE FORMULA FOR LONG LIFE.
v. IT’S FOUND IN EXODUS, CHAPTER 20, VERSE 12 - 12 HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER SO THAT YOU MAY HAVE A LONG LIFE IN THE LAND THAT THE LORD YOUR GOD IS GIVING YOU.
w. SO MANY PEOPLE, MAYBE EVEN YOU, HAVE TRIED FOR YEARS TO DO THINGS “YOUR OWN WAY”
x. BUT IT’S BEEN A FUTILE EFFORT.
y. THE BIBLE SAYS THAT THERE IS A WAY THAT SEEMS RIGHT TO A MAN, BUT THE END OF THESE WAYS IS DESTRUCTION.
z. SO, MANY PEOPLE HAVE SUFFERED DESTRUCTION, OR SPIRITUAL SHIPWRECK, BECAUSE THEY’VE TRIED TO DO THINGS THEIR OWN WAY.
4. SO PAULS’ REASON FOR WRITING “THESE THINGS” WAS SO THAT WE COULD UNDERSTAND HOW TO BE ENGAGED IN FRONT-LINE FIGHTING, WHILE AVOIDING SPIRITUAL SHIPWRECK.
CONCLUSION:
LET ME ASK YOU A TOUGH QUESTION THIS MORNING.
ARE YOU IN THE MIDST OF A SPIRITUAL SHIPWRECK?
THE STORMS OF LIFE CAN CAUSE US TO BE THROWN INTO SOME PRETTY TURBULENT WATERS.
AND SOMETIMES WE CAN BECOME SHIPWRECKED ON THOSE JAGGED ROCKS THAT LIE JUST BELOW THE SURFACE.
I WANT YOU TO KNOW THIS MORNING THAT THERE IS AN ANSWER TO YOUR PROBLEMS.
HIS NAME IS JESUS.
HE’S THE ANSWER TO YOUR:
- PHYSICAL PROBLEMS
- MARITAL PROBLEMS
- FINANCIAL PROBLEMS
- EMOTIONAL PROBLEMS
- SPIRITUAL PROBLEMS
