Sermon on 27 December 2020 by Ps Gaius
1 Timothy 4:1-16 - “Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons. These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead. They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanks by faithful people who know the truth. Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks. For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and prayer. If you explain these things to the brothers and sisters, Timothy, you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed. Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly. “Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.” This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it. This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers. Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them. Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity. Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them. Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you. Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress. Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.”
On Friday, many of us were here in church. We were celebrating Christmas together. Every year, we have the Christmas Skit and I am very blessed by the topics - parables by Jesus that have big impacts in our lives. Our topics are usually simple but yet takes a lifetime to learn. Always going forward is a very simple topic and yet there are many things I am still struggling with.
We always want to progress, but how do we progress in the Lord? I would like to talk about the background of 1 Timothy. It is one of the letters written by Paul the Apostle to Timothy. Paul is an apostle of Jesus and has gone through many challenges just to bring the gospel to more people. Timothy is a young person and is called to pastor a church. He is inexperienced and there will be many people who might not respect him. Imagine we are in a new work environment where we are the youngest and the most inexperienced. Everyone seems to be an expert. Even if you have a good idea, it is difficult to find support. Timothy was probably in such a situation. In the letter that Paul wrote, he knew Timothy was going through some difficulties. He didn’t want him to be brought down by them. The topic is to always go forward and hold firm to the faith he has. We will learn about what situation Timothy went through and what should we depend on to go through it. I have gone through many challenges in life. Everytime a challenge comes, you find yourself struggling and have to totally surrender to God. The only one to come and bring you forward is Jesus.
1 Timothy 4:1-5 (Some will depart from the Faith)
Instead of turning to God, they turned away to human traditions and odd teachings. Timothy has a church to take care of but people are not coming to God. Their hearts are not with God. Sometimes, we come across such people in some churches in Singapore too. Some go to church for social gatherings. Being a Singaporean, we can be kiasu. I am in for free gifts. Some churches, during Chinese New Year, will give out goody bags. As LFC used to have afternoon services, I went to these churches to take the free gifts in the morning first. I went to church not for the right intentions. In the church of Ephesus, some also didn’t go to church for the right reasons. They strayed further away from God.
1 Timothy 4:1 - “Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly that in the last times some will turn away from the true faith; they will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.”
If someone is preaching a lie here, it is easy to tell, like God doesn’t exist. If I tell you that God allows you to gamble and I quote some verses, it is very dangerous. When the serpent tempted Eve, he told Eve half truths and not total lies. That’s how they believed him. Half truths and 99% truths and 1% lies are the most difficult to pick out, especially when we don’t know Him well. Someone can quote a few verses but not tell you the minor verses. The whole Bible prophecies that there will be many deceitful spirits going around. Even the smartest can be deceived. If we go to church because of a certain preacher, we have to be very careful. Even the smartest can be deceived. If our compass is only on humans, we are on the wrong track. When we come to church, our only reasons should be Jesus. I’m only a mouthpiece for God.
1 Timothy 4:2 - “These people are hypocrites and liars, and their consciences are dead.”
There are people that come to church but do not have the right motives. These are things that we have to be careful about.
1 Timothy 4:3 - “They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods. But God created those foods to be eaten with thanks by faithful people who know the truth.”
There are some wrong doctrines and these can be seen in this verse. They don’t allow you to get married and can’t eat certain food. These things aren’t really from the Bible. Long ago, Jews were not allowed to eat a certain type of food. God gave Peter a vision, that what I have cleansed is clean enough to be eaten. Let us not follow any human tradition that we miss the point that God wants. God is an inclusive God. When everyone comes to church, we are to come and fellowship together. He doesn’t not look at our talents and grades us. Jesus is inclusive. Jesus came to earth to die on the cross for us.
John 3:16 - ““For this is how God loved the world: He gave his one and only Son, so that everyone who believes in him will not perish but have eternal life.”
God loves everyone. God let the rain fall on everyone, even sinners. Don’t use the Word to crucify others.
1 Timothy 4:4 - “Since everything God created is good, we should not reject any of it but receive it with thanks.”
If we have some superstition in our heart, this verse says everything. As a young Christian, we still struggle to understand the true meaning of Jesus. There was a period that my family was a little extreme. In my house, there was no television. It was like an idol so we had to remove it. There were no photos. In a place in India, people can’t wear spectacles when they drive as it shows that they don’t have faith in God. However, everything is created by God. The key thing is how we use them. Like a phone, it is good. However, if it causes us to depart from God, it isn’t good. This year, everyone didn’t travel and we are in Singapore. My children use the phone too often. Every 2 nights, this handphone is my message to them. When it overtakes your life and God in your life, it isn’t good. We shouldn’t be too superstitious and should use His blessings well. As a young pastor, is Timothy going to condemn everyone else and how is he going to handle it?
1 Timothy 4:5 - “For we know it is made acceptable by the word of God and prayer.”
Whenever there’s a challenge, don’t use your own wisdom to overcome it. You will try to find reasons as to why you are right and the other person is wrong. I received texts that made me feel uncomfortable, accused and wronged. I will start typing messages for 10 minutes. At the end of the day, I was about to press send. Suddenly, my conscience will be pricked. Will Jesus be glorified? It’s easy to explain ourselves when we are wronged. It is our tendency to do it. The moment we do this, we walk into the trap of the devil. By typing the message, I was already entertaining the devil. God wants us to overcome the world, which is to win over our mind. Rather than thinking of a good explanation, we should pray. So many times, God made that problem just disappear without me doing anything. Recently, my car expired after 10 years and as the parts were not available, I had to change a car. We had to bid for a COE and after bidding, we failed. At the end of the day, I bought a guaranteed COE. However, on that evening, the salesmen informed us that we didn’t get the car. I was so angry and felt cheated. I wanted to search for my legal rights. Before sending the message, I felt uneasy and deleted the whole thing and went on with my evening with my wife. I told her about my disappointment. We prayed together and forgot about it. After 2 hours, we were informed that we got the car. Everytime when we want to use our own wisdom, we will feel bitter in our hearts. It’s like we are entertaining the devil. God will do the rest when we pray and come back to him. When the test comes, there will still be moments when we want to go back to our own ways. It’s part of growing. We might fall down but we must go back to God.
Pointers to note:
1. Pray for Holiness
Whenever we are faced with a difficult situation, like Timothy in the church of Ephesus, we must come and pray. Pray that God’s holiness is in my mind and in the hearts of people. In our daily lives if we have challenges, before we start to think about how to answer, go to prayer. The answer will come quickly, and will be beyond our expectations.
1 Timothy 4:6-16 (A Good Servant of Christ Jesus)
1 Timothy 4:6 - “If you explain these things to the brothers and sisters, Timothy, you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed.”
1 Timothy 4:7 - “Do not waste time arguing over godless ideas and old wives’ tales. Instead, train yourself to be godly.”
In our daily conversations, we often listen to news that sounds interesting but might not be true. They are silly myths. Do not let any idle word come out of your mouth. By your words, you will be condemned. Don’t let anything come out without thinking through it. We have to guard and watch our tongue. If you don’t know the truth, it is ok to remain silent. Godliness is to behave and speak and think like how God does, like obeying His commandments and having humility.
1 Timothy 4:8 - ““Physical training is good, but training for godliness is much better, promising benefits in this life and in the life to come.””
We have to train for godliness. Our new year message is to run the race. We have been training and it is of some value. However, it is better to train our godliness. It doesn’t appear all of a sudden. We have to set our mind to it. It doesn’t come naturally. Preaching the gospel doesn’t come naturally. Purposefully look and talk to people. God has already sent everyone there. It is ripe already. We have to depend on God. We have to behave in a way that’s godly. One thing that isn’t godly is our anger. The anger we have is usually because of pride. We think we are right and we feel that we have to teach others. I was a very impatient person in the past. As I grew in the Lord, all these started to be suppressed. My partner is someone who won’t respond to my nonsense. I thank God for that silence. It is that calmness that God’s voice comes to my head. When things are heated up, come back to the Lord. We have to reflect the nature of God. When Jesus was on the cross, people didn’t thank him but they even mocked at him. If we are to be godly, we should forgive others like how Jesus did when others mocked him. We feel that we want to advise someone and we use our human wisdom. A lot of times, people’s heart don’t change this way. You will change when we see that person having a good testimony and walk the talk. In this church, we have many examples. Let’s surround ourselves with godly people. Let us train up our godliness.
1 Timothy 4:9 - “This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it.”
1 Timothy 4:10 - “This is why we work hard and continue to struggle, for our hope is in the living God, who is the Savior of all people and particularly of all believers.”
This is the hope that God has given to us. It is a struggle. When people scold us, we have to reply in gentleness. Jesus suffered all the humiliation. However, He saw that as joy. At the end of our problems, there is Jesus. Many people look forward to the new year as they view it as hope. As we live in this world, we know that isn’t what the Bible promised. We should train ourselves for the next challenge.
(Continuation) Pointers to note:
2. Train for godliness
Jesus said to learn gentleness and humility from him. Respond meek and lowly. These 2 words will take us a whole lifetime to learn. I am thankful that God placed many wonderful brothers and sisters that show me how to be gentle and humble. Along our journey, some fall. However, we can count on our brothers and sisters to pull us up.
1 Timothy 4:11 - “Teach these things and insist that everyone learn them.”
Paul wants this young pastor to teach them over and over again. It is not a one day journey.
1 Timothy 4:12 - “Don’t let anyone think less of you because you are young. Be an example to all believers in what you say, in the way you live, in your love, your faith, and your purity.”
It is a very famous verse especially quoted for the young. Although it seems like it is for the young, while Timothy is a young pastor, he is an inexperienced person. Do not let anyone despise us because we are an inexperienced Christian. For those who are old timers, we should ensure that we are good in these areas. It is a good check for us. We all can do these together.
(Continuation) Pointers to note:
3. Set an example to believers
What would Jesus do? In everything we do, we should set ourselves as examples. We cannot afford to behave like how the world behaves. However, we shouldn’t take the extreme route and criticise everyone. When Paul preached, he didn’t put down the practices of others but lifted up God’s name. Jesus doesn’t need any other comparison to prove that he is good. He Himself is good. We don’t need to go around telling others how wrong they are. Always come back to Jesus. My main duty on this pulpit is to share the goodness of God, not to put down others.
1 Timothy 4:13 - “Until I get there, focus on reading the Scriptures to the church, encouraging the believers, and teaching them.”
Let’s devote ourselves to reading the Scripture. This is a Bible based church. We speak everything from the Bible and none from worldly wisdom. All these gurus and self help books are just worldly wisdom. Nothing beats the Bible. We always overcome the dirty thoughts we have and our wicked deeds. We are to exhort and teach.
1 Timothy 4:14 - “Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you.”
Let the gifts of God work in this place. These gifts are not to compete with others. In the same body of Christ, our gifts are to build up one another. 1 Corinthians 13 says that these gifts are useless if they are not done in love.
(Continuation) Pointers to note:
4. Practice exhortation and teaching
Exhortation has something to do with encouragement. It is to bring the word of God which brings you hope. All you need is to repent and turn back to Him. Teaching is what we have to do right. Jesus didn’t come here to sacrifice his life to just abuse His salvation. We have to live our lives right. We pray and God will give us the correct words. We will speak in gentleness. I have gone through wrong mistakes in my life and when godly brothers and sisters tell me off, I never want to argue back. Once we repent, God will send you forward. We always want to go forward instead of entertaining the devil. When we go to people, come with gentleness and good news. That is where we practice. We have to be observant and pray to God. When I’m wrong, I need that word from God to prick my conscience to tell me that I’m wrong and follow God. Practicing exhortation and teaching isn’t just the job of the pastor but is given to all of us.
Overall pointers:
1. Pray for holiness
2. Train for godliness
3. Set an example to believers
4. Practice exhortation and teaching
1 Timothy 4:16 - “Keep a close watch on how you live and on your teaching. Stay true to what is right for the sake of your own salvation and the salvation of those who hear you.”
We move and move forward together. This year, it has been exceptional. When we finish this race together, we are all crossing this line together. We never had online service before COVID-19. Our outreach was always to people we know and knocking on doors. People overseas know about us. We have to always go forward. If your mountains and valleys are going on an upward trend, you are progressing.
1 Timothy 4:15 - “Give your complete attention to these matters. Throw yourself into your tasks so that everyone will see your progress.”
Amen.
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