Charge them that are rich in this world, that they be not highminded, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; That they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.  1 Timothy 6:17-19

Once again we see the Apostle Paul giving us a warning about obsession with money. In fact as you read through the New Testament Jesus spends a great deal of time warning about the dangers of money and letting it become your idol. As Jesus said “It will be easier for a camel to enter the eye of a needle than a rich person to enter the Kingdom ofHeaven” (Mark 10:25) Why will it be impossible according to Jesus for a rich person to enter Heaven? 

Consider what the Apostle Paul says under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit “don’t trust or hope in the uncertainty of riches or wealth, but trust in the living God” If someone is rich, typically they didn’t become rich by accident. Money has become an idol for this person, they labor and slave to this wealth all day. Instead of focusing on God they are continually forced on their wealth, which is all temporary and will eventually fade away.

Secondly they put all their trust and hope in their bank account instead of God our provider. While its Biblical we should work and provide for our family, we shouldn’t rely on our wealth to be our god. When disaster strikes , the rich person believes they will just buy their way our of it, or if a health issue occurs, they believe I’ll just hire the best doctors to cure me. They never turn to Christ as their Lord, money actually has become their Lord

The Apostle Paul here makes another profound statement “ God who gives us all things richly to enjoy” We as fallen humans like to believe we are in total control of everything, this is one of the illusions wealth creates. Buts its God who gives us all things, as Jesus taught us in Matthew 6 “Look at the birds of the air, they never sow nor reap, nor gather in barns, yet your Heavenly Father feeds them” (Matthew 6:26)The rich man will take credit for providing for his family, when actually it was God who provides for us and our family. Yes its a difficult concept for our minds to grasp, the sovereignty of God, yet this is what our Lord reveals to us.

Now with that being said , its not that the birds don’t do anything. The birds don’t sit in their nest all day and wait for food to fall in their mouths. No they go out and build nests and gather food and take care of their young, however God is the source of their provision. Jesus is telling us the same things, go out and work and provide for your family but keep God first and nothing above him!

I want to just end with more wisdom by the Apostle Paul “storing or laying up for themselves a good foundation for the time to come” Are you building a good foundation for eternity? Or do you have a carnal and temporal perspective on life? Prepare for the Kingdom of God , which is at hand. Don’t worry about this temporal world which is fading away, put your faith and trust in The Lord Jesus Christ, our true Provider, Amen

I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. 1 Timothy 6:13-16

It’s amazing to me nowadays when you see all the false teachers that have infiltrated the pulpit. People who have no fear of God, that don’t preach the Word of God, in fact not only do they not preach the truth, but they preach blasphemy against Christ. The pulpit should be one of the most feared places on earth, let’s meditate on what the Apostle Paul says here to Timothy under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit

“I give you charge or urge you in the sight of God” this is a command in the presence of God, does anyone understand the seriousness of being a preacher of Christ. You are entering into a covenant under God, in the sight of God and before The Lord Jesus Christ. What is this commitment? “To keep this command without spot or blame” The modern Church would say Paul is being a legalist! Preach the Word of God without corruption! Preach the Word of God without fault or error. Many false teachers twist and corrupt the Word of God today with no conscience.

How long shall we keep preaching the Word of God? As the Apostle Paul says here “until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ” Preach the gospel until the end of the age, until our Lord tells you to stop, keep preaching the Word of God that has been given to you by the Holy Spirit through the prophets and apostles. Churches don’t need self help sermons and social issue sermons, Churches need to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ until the day of His return!

When will Christ return? As the Apostle says “which He (God) will manifest in His own time” as Jesus said “Nobody knows the day or hour” (Matthew 24:36) Instead of spending your time trying to figure out the rapture, spend your time saving souls by preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ! The Lord will return when He wants to return, you are His faithful servant, obey the commands of The Lord Jesus Christ

Why should we obey The Lord? Because as the Apostle Paul says  “He (Christ) who is the blessed and only Potentate (Sovereign) King of all Kings and the Lord of All Lords” If you are a Christian, Jesus Christ is your Lord (Master) everything is in submission to Jesus Christ, the King of all Kings and Lord of all Lords, who is sovereign over ALL things. Every knee will bow and tongue will confess Jesus Christ is Lord, preach the Word of God, to serve your Lord and King, Amen!

But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. 1 Timothy 6:11-12

If anyone thinks being a Christian is easy, they have never truly been a Christian. Jesus warned us to “count the costs” (Luke 14:28-29) Also Jesus warned “if anyone wants to be my disciple, they must deny themselves, carry their cross, and followJesus” (Matthew 16:24) So setting the context of this walk, lets dive into the instructions by the Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit

Paul says “Man of God, flee these things” this was in regard to our previous post about “Money being the root of all evil” which also leads to many other sins, greed, envy, lust, and you can go down a rabbit hole of depravity when your fully engrossed with the world. We have all probably seen it before, when people open the door to the world of its pleasures and traps, it will destroy your soul. That’s why the Apostle Paul is warning us, “Feel from these things!”.  Flee from sin, don’t hold hands with the devil, its not going to end well for your soul

But going back to Jesus instructions, if you truly are a Christian, a disciple of Christ, then you must deny yourself first. This is a very hard teaching for carnally minded creatures. This is why we need to be Born Again by the Holy Spirit. Your flesh and your spirit will war with one another on a daily basis (Romans 6) Be led by the Holy Spirit, Flee from these things and follow Jesus Christ your Lord

So what should we do? The Apostle Paul says “follow or pursue these things, righteousness, godliness, faith , love, patience, meekness” How can we possibly do this? By the blood of Christ, by the regeneration of the Holy Spirit, by the sovereignty of our Heavenly Father. 

And this is when the war begins, when the scales are removed from your eyes, you realize you are in a spiritual warfare (Ephesians 6) as the Apostle Paul instructs us “Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life” Jesus and Paul never said this would be an easy walk, they said the opposite, you must fight the good fight!

Most people who claim to be Christians are being consumed by the sins of this world, FIght the good fight of faith, put on the Armor of God so you can stand against the schemes of the devil, Amen!

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. 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 6:1-2

Here again we see the Apostle Paul addressing the relationship between a bondservant and their master. I covered the commentary on Pauls teaching in Ephesians 6 on basically the same topic called Slaves and Masters. The original Greek word here is “Doulos” this word can be translated as slave but also translated a “bondservant” which is the way the NKJV translated it “Bondservants” Which I believe is the more accurate English translation of the word. This relationship between a bondservant and master is more like an employee and employer relationship of today. This is not the same type of slavery that is known by the Western culture, which by reading these scriptures of out of context brings you the incorrect interpretation.

The Apostle Paul , under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit is telling “bondservants” to treat your Master with honor. In this context a Master could be anyone in authority over you. It could be your boss at work, it could be your teacher at school, it could be your Pastor at Church. One of the values of a Christian is to live in obedience to authority and demonstrate respect. 

As the Apostle Paul states here “So that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed” When you are obedient and respectful to authority, you are actually giving glory to God. Think about at work, there is a lazy employee who never listens to their boss, never shows up to work on time, never gets their job done, would this person be a good representation of Christ? Now I understand not all situations fit , however this is the basic principle. Now on the flipside, lets say you have a corrupted Master, you have a bad boss or teacher, does that mean you should join in when they dishonor God? No, the Bible says “We must obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29) While we strive to “live in peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18) We also don’t want to corrupt ourselves with wicked leaders.

Now this whole concept of being a bondservant is a Biblical principle, as Jesus tells us “If anyone wants to be my disciple, they must deny themselves , carry their cross, and follow Him” (Matthew 16:24) Jesus Christ made himself a bondservant to God the Father, and was obedient even to the point of death on the cross (Philippians 2:7-8) Amen

I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels, that thou observe these things without preferring one before another, doing nothing by partiality. Lay hands suddenly on no man, neither be partaker of other men’s sins: keep thyself pure.Drink no longer water, but use a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities. Some men’s sins are open beforehand, going before to judgment; and some men they follow after. Likewise also the good works of some are manifest beforehand; and they that are otherwise cannot be hid. 1 Timothy 5:21-25

Looking around Christianity today, there are many false teachers, Pastors, Bishops and leaders of the Church. This was not uncommon in the early Church either, however instead of embracing or tolerating these people, the true Church was to rebuke these people. To be set apart from false Christians, as the Apostle Paul said “If anyone preaches another gospel, let them be accursed “ (Galatians 1:8)

Now as we worked through this epistle to Timothy, we notice the qualifications for a leader (Pastor, Elder, Bishop,ect) in the Church was very strict, however when you understand the damage a false leader of the Church does, you see why. The flock that is under these wolves are great misled and become scattered and some fall away. The damage of a false leader in the Church can’t be underestimated, in some communities it has led the entire Church community to shut down and go elsewhere.

So the Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit says to Timothy “I charge you before God, The Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels” This is a serious command Paul is giving Timothy , a command so authoritative it is by the authority of God himself and the witness of His Holy Angels. And Paul warned Timothy “Do these instructions without partiality or favoritism” In other words, adhere to the commands of God over your feelings. Isn’t this something we can learn as the Church? Often we make decisions based on feelings instead of truth. 

We may excuse someone for something they did or maybe elevate someone to a position they don’t deserve because it just feels right, but does it align with the Word of God? This is the tough calling for the Shepherds of the Church, because we live in a world based on emotions and feelings instead of truth. The Shepherd who usually sticks to the Word of God in truth, is typically the Shepherd who is hated by the world

What did Paul warn Timothy by the Holy Spirit? “Don’t be so quick to lay hands on people or you will share in their sins” That is a bit of paraphrasing on my part, under the context, typical when someone becomes the leader of a Church, the community lays hands on them, to pray for them and receive them as a leader of the Church. What Paul is warning against , is being yoked to people who are blasphemous and false teachers, as you will share in their sins. Those who continue to remain yoked to a false teacher or organization are bringing judgment upon themselves, as you are to be set apart in Christ Amen

Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee. 1 Timothy 4:15-16

The Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit instructed Timothy to “meditate upon these things” Do you meditate upon the Word of God daily? Alot of Christians when they hear the word meditate, they think of new agism, but the word meditate simply means “revolve in the mind” Do you ponder and chew on the Word of God daily? 

The BIble says “The Book of The Law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate upon it day and night , so that you may be careful to do what is written in it” (Joshua 1:8) Last night I was reading on the reformation movement, the whole core of the issue is the Church abandoned the authority of scripture , man-made doctrines and practices crept in and overtook the Church. The reformers went back to the Word of God, Christ alone, Faith alone, Scripture alone. 

Paul is teaching Timothy to meditate upon the Word of God in everything that he does. The Bible should be the foundation of your Church’s doctrine and practices. But also he instructs him to “give yourself entirely to them” If your going to talk the talk you also needs to walk the walk. This can be applied to all Christians, faith without works is dead (James 2:26)

We must submit to the authority of Christ, as Jesus said ““If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me” (Matthew 16:24) If anyone desires to be a disciple of Christ, a Christian, you must deny yourself and submit to The Lord Jesus Christ. You must submit to the authority of the Word of God, you must submit to the guidance of the Holy Spirit. 

Why? As Paul says here “That your progress may be evident for all” As the Shepherd of the Church, you must set the example for the flock. Its one thing to preach the Word in and out of season, but you must also live the Word in and out of season. You must be the Shepherd for the sheep, if you dont your just another wolf leading them to the slaughter. This is a higher calling that shouldn’t be taken lightly, again meditate upon the Word of God

A warning then is given “Take heed to yourself and your doctrine” Watch yourself and your teachings, are you being obedient to God or are you off on the broad road to destruction? (Matthew 7:13) This is why you need to meditate upon the Word of God daily and examine yourself. “In doing this will save you and those who hear you” Don’t be a stumbling block for others coming to Christ, be obedient to Christ and His calling upon your life, meditate upon the Word of God daily, Amen!

Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Till I come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. 1 Timothy 4:12-14

In most cultures, even in our Western culture today, most people view your wisdom and capabilities based on your age. This was especially how it was in the Greek and Jewish cultures, younger people were typically in subjection to their “elders”. So the Apostle Paul was preparing Timothy, as a young man, to be prepared to take on this leadership role even though many would despise him because of his young age. While life experience can bring much wisdom, the Holy Spirit brings alot more wisdom. 

We need to remember this within the Church today, we often dismiss the younger people or children, as if they have nothing to offer to the body of Christ. However if they are filled with the Holy Spirit, they have godly wisdom beyond their age, and gifts given from above. Don’t be so quick to dismiss the younger people in the Church. As Jesus said ““Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of heaven.” (Matthew 19:14)

So how was Timothy going to lead or win these people over? The Apostle Paul instructed him “ be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity” Be a living example for Christ, be a walking testimony, understand that all eyes are on you! Many people might not read their Bibles, but they are watching you, how you live, how you conduct yourself, what you say, walk in the spirit. 

What is one of the main jobs of the Shepherd of the Church? Create entertainment events to bring in large crowds? No, the Apostle Paul instructs Timothy what his main job is “

give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine” Preaching and teaching the Word of God is to be your main focus as the Shepherd of the Church. Todays Church has all these worldly programs for “Church growth” ect, ect But how many Christians in that Church are fed the Word of God? How many of them know how to evangelize to the local community or answer objections to the faith from opposing groups?

You need to feed people , Jesus said “Man can’t live on bread alone but every word that proceeds from God” (Matthew 4:4) The reason most Churches are dead is because they have been starved from the Word of God. You can’t build a Church on carnal things and expect a spiritual Church. The foundation of the Church must be Christ and his word revealed by the Holy Spirit in obedience to our Heavenly Father

Now being a Shepherd of the Church is not an easy calling, however as the Apostle Paul told Timothy “Do not neglect the gift that is in you,which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.” Your calling is from God and not yourself. If your Pastor appointed themself, this is a red flag, the Holy Spirit calls who He wants as the Shepherd of the Church and the elders of the Church approve by laying their hands on the Pastor. The Apostle Paul lists all the qualifications earlier in this letter, but don’t neglect this calling because you have been given a gift from the Holy Spirit, that has equipped you for service, Amen!

If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained. But refuse profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness. For bodily exercise profiteth little: but godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation. For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe. These things command and teach. 1 Timothy 4:6-11

The idea of godliness or holiness is a foreign concept to the modern day Church. Todays Christianity is more carnally minded, consumer Christianity, what can Jesus do for me? But true Christianity is a servanthood, its a submission and obedience to The Lord Jesus Christ as your Master. And during this walk of submission and obedience, we learn to live a life of godliness, as the Apostle Paul “but godliness is profitable unto all things”

However this Biblical concept of Christianity is not popular, and its never going to be popular. But to be a true shepherd/pastor of the Church, to be a faithful leader of the Church, you need to be obedient to the Word of God. As the Apostle Paul says here under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit “If you put the brethren in remembrance of these things, you shall be a good minister of Jesus Christ”. If you keep the Bible as the foundation of your Church, you will be a good Shepherd for your Church. However many false Christian groups have rejected the Word of God as their authority, or they have corrupted the Word of God to fit their carnal minded agendas.

How do we know how to discern false and good doctrine? Being filled and led by the Holy Spirit is a start, but also as the Apostle Paul says here “But refuse profane and old wives fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness” False teachers will arise daily with new false teachings, refuse and reject them which have not been given to you by the Holy Spirit. This is what happens when the Word of God is not the foundation of the Church, the Church will eventually believe anything, as many Anti-Christs have gone out into the world (1 John 2:18)

Many spend their days and hours dedicated to their physical health. This can be a good thing for your body, but what about your soul? If you can develop a workout routine to maintain your physical body, you can develop a routine to feed your soul with the Word of God and prayer. As the Apostle Paul says “for bodily exercise profits little, but godliness is profitable unto all things” Most people are more concerned about the state of their physical appearance, than the state of their soul. Discipline yourself to become a student of the Word of God. Submit your life to The Lord Jesus Christ, turn away from your sin and turn to Jesus in a life of godliness, be filled and led by the Holy Spirit, be in constant prayer with our Father who is in Heaven, Amen!