1 Timothy 4:10-16 Admonitions for Christian Leaders

Barbara is not present due to two spots on her arm that are refusing to heal. One is in the crook of her arm and the other is halfway down her arm. She fell and took off about five and a half inches of skin up to her elbow. They will see a doctor on Tuesday and consider going to a wound center. It is important to understand the significance of the Apostle Paul's statements in 1 Timothy, 2 Timothy, and Titus. He uses the phrase "this is a faithful saying" five times, indicating something important or imperative. In the book of 1 Timothy, what follows this statement is imperative. The same is true in Titus, where what precedes is imperative. In 1 Timothy 4:10, Paul gives an imperative command to teach and command believers. It is important for Timothy to be an example to believers in word, conduct, love, spirit, faith, and purity. He must also give attention to reading, exhort Good morning. You all doing okay? Good. Well let me give you a little report on Barbara. You know she's not here today. She has two spots on her arm that are that are refusing to heal and one of them is right in the crook of her arm which makes it very difficult to heal because it's trying to grow skin back again and every time she stretches her arm out guess what happens? The skin stretches out and so that one's been giving her a real problem and then there's another one about halfway down her arm. Actually when she fell she took about five and a half inches of skin off her arm all the way up to her elbow and so that one of her elbows giving her a little bit of trouble. So we're going to see the doctor Tuesday and Lulu's been telling us to ask the doctor who is a wonderful lady her name is Dr. Jones about the wound center and maybe we can get Barbara to the wound center and see if we can't get that spot. If we could get that spot well she'd be fine but if she came today and one of you accidentally walked up to her and said how are you doing and grabbed her arm you would hear an African banshee yell and she would yell out ah so it's better just for her to stay at home and not have the arm grabbed. Thank you all for praying for her continue to pray. Donna's answered a lot of prayers we've had a lot of good healing if we can just get those two healed we'll be in good shape so thank you all for praying for her we appreciate it pray for Tuesday when we go to see the doctor and see what he says about it. Now did you do your homework? You're just like my class at Hardin-Simmons. They were the same way you give them a homework assignment they wouldn't do it and the homework assignment as you remember was for you to read the five very special expressions of the Apostle Paul in Timothy 1 Timothy 2 and Titus where he says and this is a faithful saying and he says it five times and let me as I said to you all in the past I want to help you read this book better so anytime you're reading through some material and it's by the same person and that person does something five times you need to stop and see why he said it five times you know we used to say a lot if you come to a therefore in the scripture you need to stop and see what it is there for and so this is the same way when you see something reappearing over several books and these little letters were just little handwritten letters to Timothy and to Titus and in them five times he says and this is a faithful saying now what that was was the rabbinical antecedent is what it was and when he was when he was a rabbi and when he was studying rabbinical studies in Jerusalem many of his rabbinical teachers would use this and every time a rabbinical teacher said this it meant that something very important or something very imperative is about to be said or about to be known now generally there were two parts and that's why I wanted you to try to read it if you'd read it and I'm glad to agree if you did read it on each side of these exclamations of this is a faithful saying there is an important part and on the other side there is an imperative part and the imperative part is always better than the important part and what he said on the important side was definitely important it's not that you ignore it but it's not as important as it is on the imperative side and if he says something on the imperative side then you really want to sit down and take notice of what he's saying and it just so happens that in in one and two in the book of first Timothy what was imperative is what followed and it's also interesting in the book of Titus what preceded was what was imperative so it's not it doesn't always follow the same pattern just because he says that statement it doesn't mean that what follows is going to be the imperative part however on four occasions it is and it is in this part in fact what he's getting ready to say today is the imperative part that follows this first 10 in chapter 4 this is a faithful saying and worthy of acceptance now what's going to follow is very imperative that Timothy listened to it and that Timothy began to practice it and what Paul is saying is what I said from verse 1 through verse 8 is important it's important to know about heresy it's important to know how to fight against heresy it's important to know that you need to instruct all of this is important but it's not nearly as imperative as what I'm getting ready to show you right now and so what he's getting ready to tell us now beginning in verse verse 10 is very imperative to the ministry of this young man Timothy now I'm gonna read I'm gonna read these seven verses and then we're going to go back and talk about it because there's some things in here that really are interestingly accurate in the key in the Word of God at the same time very much interesting so let's read and see what he says now verse 10 and following down to 16 6 or 7 verses for to this end we both labor and suffer reproach because we trust in the living God who is the Savior of all men especially of those who believe underline the word believe and then underline the word especially and when we get there we're going to talk about that some people think that this is a universal statement that God saves all men that's not true you all know that's not true it's not universal that God is going to save all men God's going to save all men who trust in him and therefore Paul concludes this first verse by saying all the believer those who believe these things command and teach now this is where he's getting imperative he says the last thing I just told you a minute ago about believing and believers you want to teach it I'm going to command you to command and teach let no one despise your youth but be an example to the believers mark that word please be an example to the believers in word in conduct and love in spirit and faith and purity till I come you give attention to reading exhortation and doctrine actually what Paul is telling him these are imperative things to do if you're going to be a good minister this is imperative now what was on the other side is important but it's not near like what this is on this side do not neglect the gift that is in you by which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of hands of the presbytery meditate on these things give yourself entirely to them that your progress may be evident to all that your success in being a minister young minister is evident to all and take heed to yourself and continue and to doctrine continue in them for by doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you now all of these verses are imperative and if Timothy is going to be the adequate young minister that Paul wants him to be and if Timothy is going to produce the kind of product that God would like to see you going to have to practice these things so basically what he said was on the other side was important you needed to know about the but on this side is very imperative so we begin with our stand to this and we both labor suffer reproach and we trust in the living God who is the Savior of all men especially all of those who believe and so the Apostle Paul make certain that Timothy understands and that Timothy is able to teach the understanding to the church at Ephesus that you do not come into the kingdom of God because you are a child of God by human birth just because God is your father by birth doesn't mean that Christ is your Redeemer and so the Apostle here is going to be certain that Timothy understands that this process is not simply if I like God if I want to be his friend guess what I'm saved no you really aren't and so the Apostle Paul comes with a an addendum to this verse by saying and of all those who believe so he makes it very clear to Timothy that salvation does not come by simply liking God wanting to be a friend of God think that God is already your Redeemer God is not your Redeemer God is the father of all creation but he is not your Redeemer your Redeemer is in the sacrifice and blood offering of the Lord Jesus Christ and by doing so you become a believer that's kind of interesting I want to ask you a question there are two important words in the Bible and I just mentioned one of believers believers and the other very important word is disciples now I want you to guess how many times do you think that the word believers is actually what we become when we come in to Jesus Christ and personal faith we are believers that is a noun it's a person place or thing you are a believer believers how many times do you think that the word believer or believers appears in the New Testament tell me I mean a thousand okay anybody else got a hunch come on help me teach with me 30 okay you know all of y'all thinking well come on yell out what do you think 78 that's an interesting number okay anybody else got a number you want to throw in the pot 57 77 77 oh good you're all wrong actually ladies and gentlemen the noun believers appears twice in the New Testament now the noun appears twice not the verb now understand the verb is different he that believeth in the way he that believeth in the Lord Jesus Christ shall be saved that's the verb he that believe it believed that appears hundreds of times but the word believers appear twice it appears once in the fifth chapter of the book of Acts where they have had 2,000 saved and 5,000 saved and many many others saved until finally in chapter 5 of the book of Acts the writer Luke says and both men and women believers were being saved that's one place it appears here's where it appears the second time in in this particular chapter in the book of Timothy where he talks about believers and he talks about the believers who are believing they have believed believed believers and he goes on to say down in here in verse 12 let no one despise your youth but be thou an example and here's the word to the believers that's number two now if one appears in Acts which it does in chapter 5 and one appears in first Timothy which it does in chapter 4 verse 12 then what is the difference or what should we really become do we just want to become believers or do we want to become disciples how many times do you think the word disciples appears in the New Testament now you can get beyond a hundred but you can't be I get beyond three hundred good for you CD 244 anybody else I think you get beyond a hundred can't get beyond 300 I mean you think well a general count and there may have been missed some of them I didn't do the count so don't blame me for the count but they say generally there are 261 times when the word disciple appears believers are right in the beginning of the kingdom of God when you were saved you and I began became a noun believer but Jesus and his father eternal God who is our who is our heir and joint heir with Christ does not want you to stay in believerness he wants you to go on into what discipleship and so that's why we see the word disciple appearing 261 times or give or take a few and the word believers or believer appearing to us you know I think David now we give a lot of joke today that we accuse David of all God David love God he loved God there's no doubt about that now he's not perfect aren't you glad you are so David wasn't perfect but the scripture does say he was a man after God's own heart he was after God's heart and he wrote a beautiful psalm that gives his identification of believer and disciple did you know that 100 make a joyful noise unto the Lord all you land serve the Lord with gladness come before his presence with singing know that the Lord he is God it is he who has made us and not we ourselves we are his people and the sheep of his pasture watch the next two phrases enter into his gate with Thanksgiving and into his courts with praise what were you the day you were saved were you thankful did you enter into the gates of the kingdom of God as a believer in Thanksgiving see David's telling us we enter into the gates with Thanksgiving but God doesn't plan for us to live in the gate God doesn't plan for you live outside the palace God intends for you to come inside you are joint heir with Jesus Christ now you have a room in the in the palace of the King he doesn't want you to stay out in the garden the cute little story about when David was a little boy he was playing out in the palace and little kid was playing with him and he said Johnny come inside with me I said oh I can't go inside mama told me stay out here in the garden he said I want you to come inside with me and so the little boy went inside and from that day on they never played in the garden again they always played in the palace and that's what he thought is with us you see the gate we're thankful to get in the gate right but we are marvelously blessed to get in to the courts and we get into the courts with praise and that's the difference between discipleship and believers the difference is where you live eternally for the Lord is good his mercy is everlasting and his truth endures to all generations you see you are a believer that's how you came into the kingdom of God you don't want to stay there that's out in the that's out in the playground that's out in the dust in the dirt that's near the palace but it's not inside you want to enter in to the courts with praise thank him for coming in praise him inside for who he is and that's what Paul is talking about here he's talking about these believers he said now Timothy I want you to be an example to the believers these believers are those who are in the process of becoming disciples and I want you to be a friend of these believers and he says for to visit for these things I command you let no one despise your youth but be you an example to the believers and as you are an example to the believers then they can move from the relationship of believer into that relationship where God desires all of us to live and that is the relationship of discipleship and so we move from believer to discipleship that's kind of interesting what he says here you need to be an example to the believers he was young Timothy because of his age now we don't know really how old Timothy was when this is written three when Paul calls him youth he gives us an idea of a space you see in these days you were a youth until you were 40 hello young people some of you are still in your part some of you still 40 hello youth you see these people were called youth until they were 40 and they were not even identified as older until they passed 40 and Paul is giving us an indication that Paul said that Timothy's not yet 40 he calls him a youth and since he calls him a youth he's somewhere between there and 40 and we don't know where we don't know how old he was but we know he's not 40 because he's called a youth and he calls him a youth because he says I want you to be an example to these people that they will not look down on your immaturity you have to show them that you're not immature you have to show them that you really have the stuff and that you are an adequate available prosperous productive minister in the kingdom of God you want to show him that and as I sit here with Jimmy Draper sitting with me I remember when Jimmy and I were youth doing revival meetings when we were 18 19 and 20 and we thought we had the dog by the tail of a downhill drag I mean well we were doing revival meetings all over the state of Texas I was singing at every church in the state of Texas Jimmy was preaching at every church in the state of Texas I had a 12-week vacation between fall and spring semester between spring and fall semesters and I did 16 revival meetings every week during that 12 weeks I worked that one out I did 16 revival meetings in a 12-week period and Jimmy did too probably and we were used and we were like Timothy and we needed to be an example to all these young people to whom we were witnessing and ministering and sharing Christ it was a wonderful time and that's what Paul's telling me says now look you're gonna have to you're gonna have to perform Timothy because I know these Ephesian people I ministered to them for nearly three years I know what they're gonna think because of your age they're gonna think that you are immature and that you really don't have the ministerial stuff so Timothy you're going to have to prove to them that you are an adequate minister and he gives him several characteristics that he's going to have to perform in order for them to believe that he is an adequate minister and here's what he says you need to you need to help them understand in word when you speak to them on the street in conduct the way you live your life in love you have to have a great appreciation and love for the children of God in spirit now it's kind of interesting there are some versions of the scripture that leave the word spirit out of the one I have yours may have spirit in it but there's something that does your does your copy of the script you have spirit faith well actually faith is the next one because it should be love spirit in faith and so but some of the copies and the reason some of them leave it out is because the word faith is what we come we say when we are redeemed we have faith in Jesus Christ so he's saying Timothy demonstrate to them that you have the Spirit of God and you will do that by demonstrating your faith so some of the faith faith and spirit basically he has these two words their faith and spirit spirit and faith are basically the same thing when you have the Spirit of God in you you have the faith of Christ in you and so some of them leave it out some of them don't yours leaves it out usually your copy leaves it out so I just want you to know there are some that leave out the word spirit because they are simulating that they both mean basically the same thing but I want you to demonstrate faith to them not only I want you to demonstrate faith but I want you to demonstrate purity of life so Paul gives him these several characteristics as a young man if you will demonstrate these to the congregation you will be profitable you will make progress and they will believe you and then because they believe you they will believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and so actually the Apostle Paul is simply trying to help this young man get to the place where he can perform with these people who are here in the city of Ephesus he comes to verse 13 and he says till I come now Paul is in the dungeon think about that Paul's not in house arrest here the house arrest books were Ephesians Galatians Colossians and Philippians they came out of the house arrest since then Paul and probably Silas and perhaps dr. Luke not Timothy was Timothy's pastor in Ephesus have gone to Spain because we know in the latter chapters of the book of Acts and Romans Paul talks about going to Spain we don't know that he did we have no reference that he did but he talks about going to Spain now in the midst of his being in Spain Nero has set the city of Rome on fire and he's burned down about a quarter of the whole city or two quarters and when it gets done he blames Christians and Jews because he said they set the city on fire but actually he was trying to burn down the ghetto and he set it on fire he had his men to set it on fire burn it down he wanted to get rid of the ghettos where the Jews and the Christians were living then he blames them for burning down their own houses and he starts persecuting them now in the midst of this Paul and Silas dr. Luke are over somewhere and they come back to Rome and they haven't found out yet that Nero has turned his anger toward the Christians and he's putting a lot of them in jail they come back and you see your own burned in in in 64 and Paul comes back sometime late 64 65 because he died in 67 okay and so Paul comes back and now he's a he's an enemy of the state before he was a house arrest now he's in the dungeon Paul puts Paul is put in the dungeon by Nero and he has him there because he's getting ready to execute him and Paul knows it but Paul still has faith in Almighty God that he'd say to his young son till I come you talk about faith here he is all shackled down sitting in a dirty filthy dungeon in the city of Rome and he has enough faith to tell this young man till I come give attention to the following three things now he just told him in verse 12 the characters that the characteristics that he's going to have to demonstrate that his lifestyle is going to have to demonstrate these seven characteristics that he tells Paul which included faith and which included charity and which included the other now he's getting ready to tell Timothy how he's going to have to perform and he says till I come give attention to these things number one reading number two exhortation number three doctrine okay what's that well it's quite easy to determine he said Timothy you're going to have to read the Old Testament and the passages that deal with what has happened these are the the Isaiah passages and the prophetic passages and the passages in the other part the early part of the Bible that speak about the coming of a Savior you're going to have to talk about all of these passages in the Old Testament and Timothy you're going to have to read to them the Old Testament because they don't have it you have it and there is no New Testament the New Testament is being written we're reading the New Testament Timothy didn't realize it but he had the New Testament in his hand but he didn't realize that what he had in his hand was part of what was going to be called the New Testament I had the Old Testament and he had the prophecies that he had Isaiah and Jeremiah Ezekiel Daniel Hosea Joel and them all and so Paul is saying to him now Timothy you have to understand the only real copy of Scripture which is inspired by eternal God is the Old Testament so you're going to have to read the passages in the Old Testament to these people in order to help them understand that what has happened in this new quote dispensation we came out of a dispensation of the old manner of religion and came into a new dispensation of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ he said you have to tell them this is what happened in the old dispensation this is what's happening now Paul's telling me about it I got his letter oh not only you're to read this letter that I'm sending but you need to read all the other letters that I've sent that are being circulated around to all the churches so Timothy had to read to these people biblical text that they did not know and he had to help them understand that the Old Testament spoke as much about the coming of the Messiah as is now speaking the New Testament so that you need to read to them no reading to congregations was not a little it's not a thing that wasn't understood in the Old Testament there was a law that at a given day and time every day at a given time in the morning the king who was king of Israel who was king of David or Solomon or whomever was king would come out on his portico shea of the palace and he would sit down and all of the people who were in the city of Jerusalem would come and gather around him and for one hour the priest of the temple would read the Word of God to them every day a portion of the Word of God was read to the entire nation who would come and sit with the king and who would listen to the reading of the Word of God if you ever attend a Jewish synagogue they read the Old Testament every day they read a portion of the old they read the same portion of the Old Testament that these kings were having read to them and all the people of Israel so reading was not a lost art ladies and gentlemen it was a way to preach it was a way to get the word out it was a way to get information that you don't have because there is there you don't have the book there's a way to get information to these people who are not aware of what was happening in the old dispensation of how the old dispensation spoke about salvation through a redeeming Savior who would die for your sin go back and read the Old Testament he was bruised for our iniquities the chastisement of our peace was upon him and with his stripes we are healed you know these people didn't know that was in Isaiah these people didn't even know Isaiah but you had to read it to them as a reading was not unusual to them then Paul said not only are you supposed to read it to them but you need to preach it to them exhortation now believe it or not and brother Jimmy and I both know this these Timothy was an expository of the Word of God he exposed the Word of God he was an expository preacher and Jimmy and I both agree and many other people agree that the best preaching that goes on today is expository preaching where you take a word where you take a series of the Word of God you just preach that what I'm doing is exposition I'm doing expository teaching and that's what is really going to do the job in the kingdom of God and has done it and will continue to do it and so Timothy had to be an expository he had to expose the Word of God expositional preaching and not only was he to read what they didn't know oh by the way have I read something to you today you didn't know how many of you knew there were only two words in the entire New Testament that will believe her you see when brother Jimmy and I do this we tried to be sure that you understand that what we're giving you is the truth of God and that you're picking up some stuff that you don't know we want you to know how many of you knew there were these five injunctions in first second and first and second Timothy and Titus me I knew it okay see and so we help you by exposing the Word of God that you understand it better and my philosophy has always been and continue to be when I taught at Hardin-Simmons taught at Southwestern Seminary when I teach you I want you to know this book better when I get through than when I started and if you just know one or two little bitty keys that's wonderful that's what I want you to know and that's what brother Jimmy wants you to know he wants you to know these keys that help you to understand the word so you got to read it you have to expose it expositional preaching and not only that you have to be sure that it is has in its body the doctrine of faith and practice that's very important what is the doctrine of the kingdom of God what is the doctrine that we Southern Baptist teach we believe that baptism does not save we believe that baptism is only a picture of what has gone on in the heart and life of the believer who is now professing that he has been born again and by the kingdom of God through the Lord Jesus Christ and he is giving everybody a demonstration picture of what has happened in my heart through the Lord Jesus Christ that's doctrine doctrine is saved by grace through faith plus what do y'all do y'all know you just said something that many many denominations in 2024 do not believe you just said yes to something they don't believe they don't believe that you can get saved so easily they said that's too simple surely you have to work for it surely you have to do something surely in order to be a friend of God you've got to do his work so that he'll be your friend not by works of righteousness which I have done but according to his spirit he saved me okay so that's doctrine folk that's what we Southern Baptist believe we believe what saved period what part of period did you not understand okay now do you see what Paul is saying to Timothy he's got to do anything Timothy if you will do these things it will profit you it will progress your your ministry you will see how you are winning the hearts of these people you will see how they are turning from the ungodly faith of a godliness to the wonderful faith of redemption in Jesus Christ through salvation by grace you see all this Timothy if you preach it to them and if you let them have the pure doctrine of the water and the love of life amen okay so you gotta preach it to them now not only that he says Timothy you got a gift Timothy's gift was ministry Timothy's gift was many although Paul doesn't say it that's what he ended up doing he was a great minister now let me tell you tell you something every one of you whether you can sing or preach or talk or write or jump or grope or whatever you can do every one of you have received a gift from God either you did or the scriptures lie for in the fourth chapter of the book of Ephesians verse 7 it says for ever for unto everyone is given the gift of grace he didn't say to some of you it is a to a few of you he said to every one of you is given the gift of don't you dare tell me you don't have a gift maybe you can't play the piano like Linda I can't play the piano like Linda that's not my gift my gift was singing you have a gift some of your gifts are wonderful God has given you in fact have you ever really studied the two New Testament statements of the gifts of Christ Romans 10 sometime read Romans 10 and look in verses 6 through 9 and in Roman 10 6 through 9 the Apostle Paul is going to identify eight gifts let's see if you got any of these I'm gonna read them to you don't have you guys turn double read them to you number one prophecy oh by the way have anybody in here ever shared Christ with somebody put your pinky up you just did prophecy so you were prophetic when you shared Christ you were prophesying that he has come so that one of the first kids all of us should have prophecy right or maybe it was ministry this is number two in in Romans this is what Timothy had Timothy had the great gift of ministry or maybe it was teaching that's the third one I hope that's mine I've been doing it for 60 years I think it's teaching or maybe it was exhortation for the Jimmy my gift is not exhortation folks I don't do well in the pulpit I do well in the teacher's chair I'm not I'm not comfortable in the pulpit I'm comfortable here I know what I'm doing here Jim I don't know what I'm doing up there I don't know how to put a three-point sermon in a perm together you don't know how to put a three-point sermon in a perm together that's what they do you know they give you three points and they read you a poem you know I can't do that okay I'm not I'm not an exhorter okay or maybe your gift is giving some of you all have a wonderful gift of giving maybe it's not money man I love your pies I love your casseroles thank you I love what you bring us thank you Jimmy and Dan Carol and thank you also you have a gift of giving some people have a lot of money this week I got a call I'm still I know I'm retired but I still work in seminary I got a call this week from one of our wonderful donors he said brother Jack it's the end of the year again it's time for me to call my investment firm and get them to help you I will be sending you from our investment form from this week $150,000 Wow hey cool that's getting folks but let me tell you something the pie is just as good okay the pie is just as good giving or maybe yours is ruling maybe you're an administrator that's what that word means to administrate maybe you maybe you are like an Eddie Fisher you administrate this department Eddie has a great gift of administration Ed Fairchild has a great gift of administration or maybe your gift is mercy yes I've heard you call Barbara I've heard what you said to her on the phone I see her eyes when tears form yeah you have to give some mercy or maybe last you have the gift of agape love you really love people these are the eight gifts and ten of Romans now Paul repeats it later on because something has come up where somebody speaking in tongues and in 1st Corinthians in the 12th chapter 7 through 10 he gives nine more I'm not going to play with them I'm just going to introduce them to you wisdom knowledge faith healing miracles prophecy discernment tongues are interpretation now that's the other now these 17 are gifts and Timothy had a gift and Paul says to Timothy here to me don't you dare neglect the gift that's in you because the gift that's in you son is ministry and here's what you have to do with ministry you have to do what is necessary because they laid hands on you and they ordained you to the ministry in Jerusalem during the time in life of the Apostle Paul when he was still a Pharisee in order to move from one level of Pharisee ism to another level of great administration piece of a name Sanhedrin you all relate to the name Sanhedrin that group that ruled Israel in order to move from Pharisee ism into the Sanhedrin you had to be ordained by a group of elders in the Sanhedrin of the Apostle Paul had that done to him he came from the pharisaical group into the Sanhedrin he was ordained into the Sanhedrin the ordination was done by elders and it is a wonderful service when all of us have probably seen in the church where the elders of the church the deacons and the pastor and those of us who are also elders in the church we come and we lay hands on the head and we pray for them ok that's our nation Timothy was ordained Timothy was ordained in Lystra go read go read a second book of Timothy in the second book of Timothy Paul reminds Timothy when he was ordained in Lystra that's when he reminds him of who his grandma was who was his grandma's name? Lois. You just failed. Lois. What was his mother's name? Eunice. In 2nd Timothy that's where he says Timothy you're of the stock of these two wonderful women Lois your grandma and Eunice your mama they are the ones who brought you into faith son do not despise your growing up and he does that in 2nd Timothy you'll see we'll get there in a couple of weeks and so you know this is all part of it he says I want you to know you need to understand that we laid hands on you and that laying hands on you meant that the Holy Spirit of God who was already in you now through the affirmation of this wonderful group of elders who have seen in you the possibility and the activity of real live ministry we have ordained you into the ministry of the kingdom of God very important that's why Brother Jimmy was ordained that's why Brother John was ordained that's why I was ordained I did not ask to be ordained I did not feel like I needed it I had been licensed to the ministry which is a state process and being licensed to the ministry means that you are able to do weddings I didn't want to preach Jim I never felt my ministry job my ministry has always been second chair see pastors always first chair those of us who support him are second chair have you ever figured out that without a second chair you never have harmony come on God never called me to be a Jimmy Draper God never called me to be a first violinist God called me to be a second chair because with Jimmy we can play harmony see that's the way it happens and so what he's saying is he doesn't look understand son you've been ordained now when I went to Hardin Simmons I got a letter from my division chair Dr. Lyndall Harris Lyndall Harris he's a missionary to Hawaii can you think of a better deal than that that was back before Hawaii was a state it was still like like Puerto Rico and and we had four missionaries do you believe we had four missionaries in Hawaii we did and yeah Lyndall Harris and his wife were missionaries to Hawaii I always hated that I thought what a deal get to be a missionary in Hawaii anyway Lyndall called me he was my division chair and he called me and he said Jack since you are going to be teaching these young ministers who are going to be going into the pastoral ministry we feel like that you will be at a disadvantage if you are not ordained to the ministry I said Lyndall I don't need that he said I know you know you don't need that and I know that you have been licensed but do you hear me if you are ordained to the ministry these young pastors may have better respect for you okay I got your picture so Northridge Hills Baptist Church 1966 ordained me to the gospel ministry I have it on my wall I'll show it to you I have been ordained okay I did not ask for it I didn't want it I was told I had to have it so since I was told I had to have it the deacons and my pastor Hal Brooks and wonderful wonderful Christian friends of ours who are ministers John Deard and Dan Gardner all came that night and all of my dear Christian friends laid hands on me and I was ordained I am an ordained minister that won't get you anything at the grocery store all right so he's saying I look Timothy here's the gift that you have don't ignore it don't neglect it but do all the things and Timothy while you're at it meditate on these things what things verse 15 Paul is saying Timothy you're gonna have to ponder you're gonna have to think you're gonna have to meditate you're gonna have to control it you're gonna have to put it into your head Timothy these things are everything that's in verse 12 13 and 14 these are the things the things are believer word conduct love spirit faith purity teach reading exhortation teaching prophecy laying on of hands presbytery these are the things and Timothy you got to meditate on them that's what you're going to preach to these people now Timothy take heed to a very important fact and the fact that you need to take heed to is that you must continue in the doctrine now this word continue it's kind of an interesting little word basically it means to be totally unequivocally actively involved in your ministry 24-7 is a present active imperative in the Greek language present active imperative that means Timothy right now this is working you it's imperative that you continue don't let anything move your cursor don't let anything get in your way Timothy continue in the doctrine and by doing this you will save yourself and you will save others that sounds different doesn't Timothy couldn't save himself but what Paul may have had in mind was a passage that he used with Timothy that he used in one of his other letters Philippians 212 now I know you don't know what Philippians 212 is I'll help you you've seen it you've wondered about it you've worried about it but have you thought about it Philippians 212 work out your own salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who worketh in you to will and to do Paul's not telling the people of Philippi they can save themselves he's not talking about redemptive salvation what he's talking about here is potential potential Timothy how much potential do you have and if you have the right kind of continuance and if you stay in the Word of God in the doctrine of God and you demonstrate that potential to all of these people you will save them got the picture see how he's talking Paul's not saying that Timothy's going to save anybody but Paul is saying by your ministry activities and by what you're preaching you'll help the Lord Jesus Christ to save these people the potential of what you're doing will save them and Timothy it will also be to your potential as well so he said to him continue present active imperative continue in these things in doing this you will save yourself and those who hear you now which verses in this chapter 1 through 8 or 11 or 10 through 16 are important and which ones are imperative following this is a faithful statement which ones would you say the ones that preceded or the ones that follow how many vote with the ones that preceded God bless your pickin' hearts God bless your cotton pickin' hearts how many voted with the follow ok you got it now you understand Paul so when you read 2 Timothy and you come to chapter come over here to chapter 2 and in verse 11 he says this is a faithful saying there it is again is it what preceded verse 11 or what followed it I ain't gonna tell you I've already told you but you don't know it or you get to the verse in Titus verse 8 chapter 3 this is a faithful saying is it what preceded or what follows well what follows is I want you to affirm constantly that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works or would it be that he was talking about remind them to be subject to rulers speak evil of no one we ourselves were also foolish disobedient first for but when the kindness and love of God our Savior toward man appeared not by works of righteousness which we have done but according to his mercy has he saved us which one is imperative the one that precedes or the one that follows in Titus the one that precedes you got it now I just talked to you some Jewish educational history that's the way the Jewish rabbinical teachers taught they had a phrase the phrase was this is a faithful saying and what follows or precedes is very very important to our Christian law not by works of righteousness which I have done but according to his mercy have you loved God each other thank you father that you love us in such a way that you can help us to understand your work understand it's just that we don't read it and we don't spend time in it in order to understand and find some of the wonderful spiritual keys that you put in it and those spiritual keys help us understand it better and God does what we need to do just need to understand it better and now father we understand your servant Paul better we understand what he meant when he said perform ministry some of us have the gift of ministry Paul just got through telling us how to profit by doing it some of us have the gift of mercy Paul just finished telling us how to profit by doing it all of us have a gift of grace at least father we can be graceful full of grace an attitude of redemptive life born again by the blood of Jesus Christ and filled with the power of his holy presence so that as we walk down the street they see not us but they see God and Christ and the Holy Spirit walking in us thank you father for the word and bless it to our hearts that we might be beneficial to our world and we might be we might be accepted in the kingdom thank you for that in Jesus name amen brother Jimmy will be teaching next Sunday chapter 5