Sermons

Thursday, 8 February 2018

If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, 1 Timothy 6:3

Paul is referring to what he has just said about bondservants honoring their masters, especially if they are believers. However, his words are certainly not limited to this. He is using it as a springboard to identify miscreants within the greater umbrella of “Christianity.” In this, he is probably referring all the way back to his words of verse 4:1 where he speaks of people departing from the faith, giving heed to doctrines of demons, etc. Again though, the immediate context is that of the honoring of masters by bondservants. This is what brought the greater subject to mind.

With this thought fresh from his pen, he then says, “If anyone teaches otherwise.” He has shown that there is to be orderliness in master/bondservant relations, and there is to be submission by the slave to the master. To teach otherwise would be to promote insubordination and disobedience in what was an established hierarchy within the culture. Insubordination would lead to strife; strife would lead to an unhealthy situation between believers which is contrary to what the Lord expects in such matters. But instead of being obedient to the command given by Paul, there may arise someone who teaches something contrary, “and does not consent to wholesome words.”

The Greek word translated as “consent” signifies “to draw near.” In other words, such a person stays far from what is wholesome. Instead, he teaches words which divide the church, causes division between believers, and upsets the hierarchies which have been legally established within the society. His teaching then is disobedient even to “the words of our Lord Jesus Christ.” The words of Christ teach a life of harmony, peace, and patience. Insubordination, leading to rebellion cannot be found in His doctrine, nor can it be found in the writing of the apostles inspired by the Holy Spirit. This body of writings, on the contrary, contain “the doctrine which accords with godliness.”

The words of Scripture, Old Testament and New, reflect a humble attitude towards others, obedience to duly established law, and honor of God. These things are lacking in those who would teach words contrary to the precepts Paul has laid down. He will continue with this thought for the next few verses, and then, in contrast to what false doctrine produces, he will show what sound doctrine concerning godliness produces.

Life application: The words of the Bible are given to lead believers into godliness. The problem with humanity is that understanding what true godliness is has been so marred by sin, that it is literally impossible for us to pursue it apart from God’s special revelation. In our natural selves, we align godliness with all kinds of things which are completely ungodly. Some of the time, this may be intentional, sometimes it might just be because we are completely confused about the nature of God. No matter what the reason, we need to study Scripture, and apply it to our lives in order to truly live in a godly manner.

Lord God, the world has so many ideas about how to be godly that without Your word it is simply impossible to determine what is correct. But You are God, and You have shown us directly what You expect. Thank You that we don’t need to guess, we don’t need to listen to various opinions, and we don’t need to be misled by false teachers. All we need to do is pick up Your word and study it. In this, we find what it means to live a godly life. And in following Your word, we will then be pleasing to You. And as all Scripture points to Christ Jesus our Lord, then we have the ultimate example set before us to emulate! Thank You for Christ our Lord, and the word which reveals Him to us! Amen.

Wednesday, 7 February 2018

And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved. Teach and exhort these things. 1 Timothy 6:2

Paul continues with the responsibilities of bondservants. He has addressed their state in general with the previous verse, and now he specifically addresses those “who have believing masters.” A believing slave who has a believing master is under an additional obligation. The situation could seem cumbersome or illegitimate, but such is not the case. Paul specifically demonstrates this with his words. The master/slave relationship is valid, even when both are believers. And so as instruction to the slave he says, “let them not despise them because they are brethren.”

There should be no time that a slave (think the same of the employee relationships of today) should say, “Because my master (boss) is a believer, I should be treated in a new and unique way, no longer under the old way.” Rather, there is no reason why the status between the two should be changed. A master has a right to his property, and a boss has a right to be in control of those under him. The master (or employer) is to be served faithfully and without some type of questioning about his status as a Christian being addressed at all. Instead, in relation to the master, the bondservants should “rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved.”

These particular words are highly debated as to what Paul is saying. The ones “benefited” are argued by some to be the slaves – in other words, the slaves receive the kindly acts of the masters. Others say that it is the masters who are “partakers of the benefit of the labors of the servant.” Others see this as “the benefit which the gospel imparts.” Each of these is possible, but Paul’s words are directed to the bondservants, and so it is likely that the ones benefited are the masters. The onus is on the slave, and the reward is to the believing master. This is because they “are believers and are beloved.” Charles Ellicott says the thought of this is, “Every good piece of work I do will be a kindness shown to the one who my Lord loves.”

This adequately explains the entire thought. The slave (or employee) is to serve all the more faithfully because he is serving not the master, but the Lord through the master. This is supported by Paul’s words to the bondservants at Ephesus in his epistle to that church as a whole –

“Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; ⁶not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, ⁷ with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, ⁸ knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.” Ephesians 6:5-8

Paul then finishes the thought with, “Teach and exhort these things.” The words are probably not limited to the issue of bondservants, but instead cover everything from Chapter 5 through to this verse here. All of the interactions between people within the church, all of the responsibilities of those same people, and all of the things which have been exhorted by Paul are to be taught to them, and then they are to be exhorted regularly to the body.

Life application: It is our duty as those who serve under others to do so faithfully and honorably. How much more should this be the case when we are serving fellow Christians. We are honoring the Lord in following this course of action.

Lord God, help those of us who serve others to do so faithfully and with the attitude that You are being honored through our service. And for those of us who work under fellow Christians, let us be all the more willing to serve them because they are beloved by You, and so in serving them faithfully, we will be honoring you. Help us in this, O Lord. Amen.

Tuesday, 6 February 2018

Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed. 1 Timothy 6:1

Among other things, Paul has been speaking about the requirements for, and duties and responsibilities of, ministers in the church. He has then talked about the treatment of those in the church such as the “older man,” “older women,” and “younger women.” He then turned to the treatment of, and expected conduct of, the widows. After that, he mentioned the honor expected to be granted to elders. He has methodically written about these many categories, but there is yet another category which existed openly in Roman society, which has existed in societies since then, and which – though highly frowned on by the world at large – is still on-going in parts of the world today. It is the issue of “bondservants,” or “slaves.”

As there is not such a category in most of the world today, one could then say, “Well, this no longer applies, and so I can overlook this portion of Scripture.” However, this would not be wise. We may not have bonded servants in the world today, but we have employees in companies, hired hands on ranches, and on and on. Though not a one-to-one comparison, the precepts should still be applied to those who are under “masters,” whether bonded servants, or “lowly” paid employees.

Paul says, “as many bondservants are under the yoke.” This means those who are obligated to masters. The word “yoke” shows that this is a difficult, and a disagreeable position in which the bondservant finds himself. A yoke is generally considered in this light, although it can simply be a symbol of authority without difficulty as well (see Matthew 11:30). The believing slave is specifically being addressed here, but let us in our minds also consider an employee in this capacity for the moral purposes which are laid out. Paul says that they are to “count their own masters worthy of all honor.”

In our minds, a slave is one who should attempt to get his freedom from his cruel master – the one who has no right to rule over another in such an undignified way. Such a slave should be able to rebel, speak against, and vilify his owner. But Paul says otherwise. Instead of such a negative state towards his owner, he is to actually do the opposite, counting him worthy of all honor.

And in a comparable sense, today it is fashionable to rage against the employers. How unfair they are! They make more than the peon workers and are to be rebelled against, spoken against, and vilified, but Paul would argue against this as well. He would tell the employee that he owes special honor to his employer. The word “count” gives the sense of making a sure, conscious judgment concerning the matter; it is to be the leading thought in what is being considered. And there is a reason for this. It is “so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed.”

A believer is to be honoring of the master (or the employer) because he bears the name of Christ. In acting in a disobedient and disrespectful manner, it is Christ who will then be reviled by the owner (or employer). Anyone who can’t see this, doesn’t understand the nature of humanity who inevitably looks to the highest authority of a particular matter as the one who is ultimately responsible for unappreciated conduct. For example, when a nation has an argument with another nation, it is the leader who is reviled, thus he stands representative of all below him who are implicitly reviled at the same time.

And so it is to be understood that when a slave (employee) who is a believer acts in a manner which is unsuited to his position below the master (employer), it is the Lord, and the teaching of the Lord, who will receive the blame. “Oh that ‘Christian’ is such a bad slave (employee). That Jesus whom he follows is not good, and His teachings are contemptible!” This is what Paul means with his words. This should never be the case. Instead, the master (employer) should say, “Graham is such a marvelous soul. I have never had such a faithful person under my charge, and it is truly a wonderful reflection on his faith, and on Jesus. I need to find out more about this wonderful religion he believes in.”

Life application: Our actions as believers reflect directly on the Lord we serve. Let us attempt to remember this at all times, and to act in a manner which will bring Him, and His glorious gospel, much acclaim.

Lord God, help us as believers to remember that You are who we represent. Our actions will always be judged in relation to You. When we act like fools, then Christianity, and our Lord who leads the faith, will be reviled. When we act as faithful followers of Christ, then people may still hate You and our faith, but they will not be able to bring discredit upon You in the process. Grant us wisdom to remember this always. Amen.

Monday, 5 February 2018

Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden. 1 Timothy 5:25

Paul has been speaking of placing men into the ministry. In the previous verse, he spoke of those who have sins which would exclude them from ordination. Now he writes a thought which is probably intended to reassure Timothy concerning finding the right man, or passing over a qualified person. It may have been a point of concern that someone who was truly qualified might not be recognized as such. Paul says that this would hardly be the case. Just as some men’s sins are clearly evident (vs. 24), so “Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident.”

Many men who are qualified will be known as such because they simply exude good works in all they do. It is hard for a person who is always doing what is good, proper, and glorifying of God to hide himself and his deeds. What he does, even if it is done quietly and without the sounding of trumpets, is usually clearly evident. However, even if there is someone who falls into this category, but does his best to completely hide his good deeds, Paul says of such that, “those who are otherwise cannot be hidden.” This corresponds to the sins of men which “follow later” of verse 24. Just as those sins will eventually be exposed, so the good, but hidden, works of a faithful soul will eventually be brought to light as well.

Paul’s words are to be taken as true, and inspired by God. If there is a person who should not be ordained, and he is carefully investigated as should be the case, then that person’s flaws will come to light. And a person who should be ordained, but whose good deeds have remained hidden, will eventually be brought forth if the proper procedures are followed.

This is why it is so sad that there have been so many people who should never have been ordained who have still been placed into the ministry. There are faithful people who could have been selected, but because of carelessness on the part of those responsible for the process, the wrong choices are made, and churches quickly devolve into all sorts of perversions and apostasies.

Life application: It is of the utmost importance that the procedures for ordination which are outlined in Scripture be held to. That, along with prayer, are the most effective tools available to ensure that the right people are placed into the ministry, and the wrong people are given the boot before they can infect the body.

Lord God, Your word tells us that if we desire wisdom, we should ask it of You, because You give to all liberally and without finding fault. And so Lord, grant us wisdom in abundance. Help us to be people who will fear You, who will treasure Your word, who will apply the precepts of Your word to our lives, and who will seek to glorify You in all we say and do. May this be so, and may it be a sight for others to see and desire as well. Amen.