Watch Your Life and Doctrine
1 Timothy 4:1-16
The opening verses about asceticism (abstaining from
God-given pleasures for religious purposes) in this text
made me think of the Amish people. The Amish are
known for their extreme separation from the modern
world.... The Amish have a tradition called
rumspringa, which literally means, “running around.”
When an Amish youth turns 16, they are given the
freedom and encouragement to go out and investigate
all of the forbidden pleasures of the modern world.
Here’s how Josh Harris describes rumspringa:
It’s a season of doing anything and everything you
want with zero rules. During this time—which can
last from a few months to several years—all the
restrictions of the Amish church are lifted. Teens
are free to shop at malls, have sex, wear makeup,
play video games, do drugs, use cell phones, dress
however they want, and buy and drive cars. But
what they seem to enjoy most during rumspringa is
gathering at someone’s barn, blasting music, and
then drinking themselves into the ground.1
I was shocked when I first heard about this tradition.
But I was even more shocked when I learned that 8090% of Amish teens return to the Amish church and
life after rumspringa.2
Three observations from this story (not a statement
about all Amish people) and the biblical text to set up
our study.
• A life of self-denial and separation can't change
the human heart. Only the Gospel does that (Read
Col 2:20-23). You might cage the animal of your
passions up for a little while, but your heart still
wants rumspringa. You can live without cable, a cell
phone, or indoor plumbing but that won't make you a
Christian. We don't believe in justification by indoor
plumbing.
• If you are not a Christian, maybe this is a new
experience for you. Maybe this is a painful
experience for you -- sitting with all these "happy
clappy" Christians, but we are glad you're here and
want you to know that there are three ways to live,
1
Joshua Harris, Dug Down Deep: Unearthing What I Believe and Why It Matters (Colorado Springs, CO: Multonomah, 2010), p. 2. I'm indebted
to Josh Wredberg for passing along this illustration.
2
Ibid., p. 3.
not two. You can be irreligious, religious, or you
can be a new creation. We aren't calling you to
religion -- keeping a list of rules, or irreligion, but to
Jesus. There's a third way: not going to a temple,
saying an incantation, making a sacrifice. It's about
Jesus.
• A life of asceticism fosters self-righteousness, and
lack of assurance and joylessness. None of which
are products of heart transformation.
• We really need to study the Bible to help us grasp
how we should relate to things like food and
drink, sex and marriage. People are really confused
about these things.
One of my favorite phrases is: “Theology leads to
biography.” “Your beliefs drive your behavior.” In
this passage, we see two competing sets of
beliefs, two sets of teachers, and consequently,
two different ways to live.
Paul concluded chapter 3 saying that the truth is
“the pillar and buttress of truth.” Then he stated
the central truth the church confesses, namely, the
Gospel.
Now, Paul opens up chapter 4 by saying that the
false teachers deny the truth, and reject the church’s
confession.3
Some people in Ephesus were “departing from the
faith” (1a) and replacing it with asceticism. The
word for “depart” is the word from which we get
the word “apostatize.” This is a big deal.
Paul says this was predicted by the Spirit in “The
last times” – a reference either to something the
Spirit showed him (Acts 20:29), or the general
teaching of passages like Mark 13:22. The “last
days” refer to the days between the ascension and
return of Jesus (cf., 2 Tim 3:1).
Others were questioning Timothy’s teaching
because of his youthfulness. They may not have
abandoned the faith, but some were probably
considering it, or not taking the young guy
seriously. This same thing happens today.
The concluding exhortation summarizes the
application for Timothy and us: “Watch our life
and doctrine closely.” Why? “Because you will save
yourself and your hearers.” What you believe, really
3 For more on this text see Christ-Centered Exposition commentary, and chapter 10 of Faithful Preaching
matters! How should we watch our life and doctrine
closely?
THREE EXHORTATIONS
#1: REJECT FALSE DOCTRINE (1-5)
The problem mentioned here is asceticism, that is,
abstaining from various pleasures for some
religious goal (contrasted to hedonism, “the pursuit
of pleasure,” as illustrated in 2 Timothy 3:1-9).
While the Christian is called to abstain from sin,
they aren’t called to live as ascetics, who abstain
from gifts of God. We're called to rejoice in the
goodness of the Creator and his gifts.
1. Asceticism: The Problem (1-3). Here’s the
fundamental problem: Ascetics deny God’s
good gifts, and they undercut the sufficiency of
Christ. The overwhelming attitude of such an
approach to religion is self-righteousness.
Ascetics are on their own self-salvation project.
• Ascetics see everything in creation negatively.
And they see Christ as insufficient – they need to
somehow add to Jesus’ work through selfdenial.
• We can’t add to Jesus’ work. And we view
creation positively (though we admit it has
been affected by the fall.
• Spirituality is not kill-joy; it involves true joy.
It involves true joy because God is good, and he
cares for his creation, and we rejoice in Him; and
it involves great joy because Jesus has paid it all.
2. Asceticism: The Origin (1-3). Where does it come
from? It has a demonic origin, and gets spread
through human wickedness.
a. Diabolical in Nature It sounds like the
garden, “What’s so bad about self-denial?”
“Did God really say this about food and
marriage?”
• False teachers are under the influence of the
devil. Satan is a liar, and a deceiver, and that’s
what false teachers do: lie and deceive.
• Why is it that intelligent people can join a
cult? New Age paganism, Scientology, or
Mormonism? It’s not simply the human logic
of the teacher. Something more is happening.
Satan is a master. Paul told the Galatians they
were “bewitched.”
• People say, “It feels so good” in certain cults.
Satan can make things feel good. Or, “these
people are so moral.” That was going on in
Ephesus. Satan can use morality.
• What would happen if Satan took over a city?
(Horton)
b. Human instrumentality. Satan uses people.
• Look at this phrase: “Hypocritical liars.”
Hypocrisy is deliberate pretense. Lying is a
deliberate falsehood (Stott, 111). So here is
what Paul is saying: They deliberately deceive
people, and don’t believe what they are
teaching.
• How different this is from true
Christian teaching. It’s not
characterized by hypocritical lying,
but authentic truth-telling.
•
Walter Peyton: Wheaties. "Make
sure you’re buying what you’re
selling" (Lorits)
• Notice this next phrase: “Seared Conscious.”
They have no feeling or guilt. Their conscious
has been seared with “a hot iron” (NIV). The
word “Kausteriazo” only appears here in the
NT. It was used for the branding of cattle and
slaves. The false teachers were branded by
their owner, Satan, and they had no moral
feeling left.
• Remember Paul said that he handed
over Hymenaeus and Alexander to
Satan. Why? He owned them; they had
shipwrecked their faith.
3. Asceticism: The Particulars (1-3). What exactly
where they telling people to abstain from? Two
basic appetites: hunger and sex. Food and
marriage.
•
The false teachers thought that you were more
holy if you were celibate.
•
What about food?
•
•
•
They may have viewed the Mosaic Law
wrongly, calling some food unclean,
despite the fact that the Lord told Peter
that such a view is unwarranted (Acts
10; cf., Mark 7:21).
Or they could have simply believed that
all passions are evil. “The body is a
nasty thing” they say. Since you can’t go
without food completely, they avoid
meat.
So this is the plan for holiness: say no to
marriage and meat. No thanks.
• This teaching could have also been the
result of what we read in 2 Timothy 2:18.
Some were teaching that we are already in
the resurrected age. We have returned to
Eden, and so we shouldn’t eat meat; and since
there is no marriage in heaven, then we
shouldn’t marry.
•
People have adopted ascetic lifestyles
throughout history, calling it superior virtue:
•
•
•
•
•
Qumran community. “rejected pleasures
as evil” and “neglected marriage”
(Josephus)
Greek Dualism. The Gnostics despised the
material creation.
Church Fathers. All sorts of examples.
Tertullian regarded virginity is superior
to marriage. Some castrated themselves.
Some thought sex was only for
procreation not pleasure in marriage.
Puritans to the rescue!
Most believed this belief dominated Ephesus,
more than Paul’s teaching.
While singleness is an option, Paul says that
it’s not the general plan. While vegetarianism
is an option; it isn’t superior.
4. Asceticism: The Application (4-5)
a. Recognize it and reject it.
• Don’t trade complete standing in Christ, and
the recognition of God’s good gifts for
asceticism
•
Why do people go for it?
•
•
•
•
•
Self-salvation plan – default mode of the
heart. We want to earn merit before God
by making rules.
Religious people often have a tendency to
be negative toward material things.
Grace is hard to believe. If you don’t
grasp grace and Christian, you are a
target for ascetic teachers. Your result is
despair or you just give up.
It’s hard to believe in the Holy Spirit.
He makes us holy.
People think they only have two
options: God and misery, or happiness
and hell. If they don like option 2, they
might try to explain God away. But
there’s a third – there’s happiness in
knowing God and following His Word.
b. Live with joyful thankfulness before your
Creator and Redeemer (4-5)
Verse 4 – “For everything God created is good, and
nothing is to be rejected if it is received with
Thanksgiving.”
The principle is plain: How could marriage be bad
if God instituted it? It is God’s good design!
Rejoice in it!
•
Christians are notorious for not knowing how to
celebrate. Thanksgiving and celebration are
spiritual disciplines like fasting and prayer.
•
More grateful celebration there should be
among us, uninhibited by our lingering
evangelical asceticism. (Stott)
Legalism makes you mad and sad, but grace
makes you glad.
•
•
Jesus performed his first miracle at a wedding!
He was not a cosmic-kill joy!
•
Recognize God’s goodness in creation (Gen 1:31,
Mark 7:19).
•
Be thankful for his gifts, and let them lead you to
worship. Hear Piper:
“Sexual relations in marriage are not worship, but
may become worship. Smelling toast and bacon
early in the morning is not worship, but may
become worship. Feeling fall breezes on the skin,
and fall sunshine on the face, and fall colors in the
eyes, and fall fragrances in the nose, are not
worship, but they may become worship. Tasting
and enjoying the pleasures of this world is not
worshiping or honoring or loving or supremely
treasuring God, but may become that.”
Verse 5 – “for it is made holy by the word of God
and prayer”
• When he says “the word of God” he may be
(1) referencing Genesis 1. God’s pronouncement
over creation as “good” consecrates it for
consumption. And later, the texts in the NT.
(2) he may refer to incorporating biblical verses
into your prayer time.
(3) “word of God” may refer to the Gospel message
specifically. This view says Paul is addressing their
false views about food laws, saying that we no
longer have to live under these (cf., Col 2:20-23).
I think all of them are true.
•
Give thanks with prayer. Prayer doesn’t
consecrate it; it acknowledges truth and serves
as a way to worship; it puts creation in proper
perspective.
o Biblical examples of praying before meals:
Mark 6:41; 8:6; 14:22-23; Luke 24:30; Acts
27:35; Rom 14:6; 1 Cor 10.
But joyful celebration shouldn’t just be before meals
– it should be in all of life.
You say grace before meals.
All right.
But I say grace before the concert and pantomime
And grace before I open a book,
And grace before sketching and painting,
Swimming, fencing, boxing, walking, playing,
dancing;
And grace before I dip the pen in the ink.
- Chesterton
•
Let us be a people who give thanks! Let us thank
the Creator today that we have taste buds to
enjoy honey, and coffee, and guacamole, and
chocolate, and Fall weather, and books, and art;
and let us give thanks that he has instituted
marriage and sex, and let us thank Jesus – that
he did the heavy lifting! Let us thank Jesus that
we are saved not by our rule keeping, but by His
precious blood.
#2: NOURISH YOURSELF WITH SOUND
DOCTRINE (6-10)
Interestingly, Paul goes in the next section to
talk about “training for godliness.” So there is
discipline in the Christian life, but it’s not
asceticism.
Spiritual discipline isn’t about meriting
salvation by self-denial, and when we do deny
certain things, we don’t deny what God called
good; we deny sin.
Paul calls us to “godliness” in this section. The
word for godliness (eusebeia) and godly (eusebes)
occurs fifteen times in the NT. Thirteen of these
occurrences are in the Pastoral Epistles. Nine of the
thirteen are occurrences are in 1 Timothy.
1. The Person of Godliness: Jesus is the picture and
wellspring of all godliness (3:16). Jesus
exemplifies and enables us to pursue godliness.
•
•
•
•
•
If you want to know what godliness looks like,
look to Jesus.
Did Jesus eat? Yes. He was called a drunkard
and a glutton.
Did Jesus value marriage? Yes. First miracle.
The church is his bride – all marriage points to
that one!
Did Jesus go out in public? Yes.
But Jesus never sinned.
2. The Path of Godliness: Spiritual Nourishment
and Exercise (6-10)
Paul says there are two things we need to
pursue godliness: the right diet, and the right
discipline.
Diet (6-7a)
– verse 6, “trained” (ESV) is better rendered
“nourished”
Avoid “Spiritual Junk Food”
• Asceticism
• Ridiculous symbolism, myths, genealogies
• Extra-biblical rules
•
•
•
•
Speculation about end times
Appeals to the flesh
Prosperity theology
Empty ritual
Consume Nourishing Food
• “these things,” “words of faith,” “good
•
•
•
•
•
doctrine”
Apostolic doctrine, and the Gospel
Good servants are nourished by the Good
news
Psalm 119
Are you New to the Bible? Start eating.
My life: 1 Peter, Meatloaf
Discipline (7b)
Some of you have been doing Shawn T’s
“T25.” This is Paul’s “T47.”
•
Train – his word gumnazo is the word from
which we get our word gymnasium or
gymnastics. It implies sweat and effort. It
literally meant “to exercise naked” because of
•
•
•
•
the way the games used to be played. The point
is, spiritual godliness involves spiritual sweat.
Discipline is God-centered (Love)
Legalism is man-centered (Merit)
The thing we are to exercise in, from this
context, is the Scriptures. We are to exercise
in the Word. This makes sense because
everything flows from it.
o Reading
o Hearing (next passage)
o Memorizing
o You can't exercise every four years and
expect to see change.
Godliness comes from the inside out. It doesn’t
come from the outside in. That’s what religion
and asceticism tries to do. The word changes
us through and through.
•
Benefits
o Life – now and forever. Physical exercise
has some value. But godliness has value
for the life to come.
3. The Promise of God (10)
•
Who Stands behind this promise: the Living
God (10)
• The Living God gives us life to come.
• The Living God is the Savior of all people –
Jew and Gentile.
• You must believe.
• Paul said this in 2:4-5. There is One Mediator.
There is One who saves: Jesus.
“Gravity.” Sandra Bullock says, “I’m going to die.
Everyone dies, but I’m going to die today. And no
one will mourn. Will you say a prayer for me? I
would say a prayer, but I don’t know how to pray.
No one ever taught me.” How sad and common.
You will die. But many don’t know how. They don’t
know how to live forever.
• My friend, you can. The good news of the
Gospel is that Jesus defeated death. If you will
look to him, he will save you, and you can
pray any time, anywhere.
#3: TEACH OTHERS SOUND DOCTRINE (11-16)
So behind the public ministry of the word is the
private study of the word. Paul has just exhorted
Timothy to personally nourish himself. Now he
tells him to teach it publically.
Verse 11: “command and teach these things”
• This phrase introduces the ministry of the
word in the verses to follow.
• “these things” occurs eight times in this letter.
It summarizes the teaching that Paul gave to
timothy that he was to pass on to others.
• Timothy’s Responsibility – Timothy is to teach
“these things” not “his things” – The apostolic
instruction.
Situation – There was a great need for sound
doctrine, in light of the presence of false
teachers in 1-5.
• Timothy is under authority.
• There is a great need for more to teach these
things (like those in verse 16 – the gospel).
• We need an army of people to preach the
gospel.
Paul gives him four challenges:
1. Exemplify Your Teaching Personally (12)
His command to teach was apparently being
undermined by his youth. He is told to set an
example.
What made Jesus a tremendous teacher was that
he not only taught with authority but he lived
with authority. His words explained his life; his
life illustrated his words.
Paul says specifically, “Don’t let them look down on
your youth.” It had been about 15 years since they
met. Timothy was probably between 30-40 from
what I have read.
Timothy had been called to a position beyond his
years.
o
Think about what the problems people could
have had with Timothy:
o Jealousy. They could have been jealous of
Timothy being promoted to leadership.
o
o
o
o
o
o
Disrespect. Some probably looked down
their noses at this youth. “Older people have
always found it difficult to accept young
people as responsible adults in their own
right, let alone as leaders.” (Stott)
Criticism. Undoubtedly Timothy did some
things that reflected his generation, which
received criticism. Spurgeon said you need
“one blind eye, one deaf ear” as a leader.
Distrust. Some probably couldn’t trust the
young guy.
Misconceptions. He’s young, he doesn’t
know what its like having kids, having a
close parent die, etc.
Young Leaders: Spurgeon pastor
influential church at 20, Edwards at Yale
at 13, Perkins wrote, The Art of
Prophesying at 34, Calvin, enrolled at U
of Paris at 14… Biblical examples as
well…
Besides this, the majority of the world is
under 25.
How do we respond young leader? Not boastful or
in aggressive behavior. (See 2 Timothy 22-25).
Notice the “but” (alla). You must do something
entirely different.
Comprehensive Character:
o Speech: Sins of the tongue. Difficult as a pastor
because you know and deal with lots of things.
Sometimes you may want to go off.
o Life: don't think you will start praying later, or
being generous later. Right now! Maturity is not
equal to knowledge: it's about how you live your
life.
o Love, Faith, Purity. He was called to be a
shepherd (not a cowboy); he was to love.
i. Perhaps he wanted to go to an island
and pastor sea shells. That'd be easy.
But ministry is about people.
ii. Ephesus was a tough city, but he was
called to love it. One of the reasons we
love cities is that there's so much imago
dei per square inch. God loved people
more than trees.
People will be less likely to despise your youth,
if they admire your example.
This is Christian leadership 101. Leadership is
not lordship – leadership is setting an example
and inviting others to follow you.
Lordship is being a boss and making demands
and threats. Jesus revolutionized the world of
leadership with his model.
Peter, “not lording it over those entrusted to
you, but set an example to the flock.” (1 Peter
5:3). Jesus, “Gentiles lord it over you” (Mark 10).
2. Expose the Scriptures Publicly (13)
“This simple sentence is a landmark text in
defining the major work of the pastor and the
worship of the church” (Kent Hughes). Yes it is.
This is an issue of authority, practice, and worship.
A. Authority
Why should they listen to you, as a young guy?
You are the one with the Bible! Your authority
comes from the word of God.
•
Begg Example – high church
B: Practice
The words “public reading of Scripture” is a
single Greek noun, “anagnosis” – which often
means to reading aloud in public.
Examples of the use of anagnosis
• Reading of Wills, Petitions and Reports
• Public reading of Scripture, as when the
priests read from the law in Ezra’s day (Neh.
8:8)
• Jesus’ reading of the Scriptures from Isaiah in
Nazareth synagogue (Luke 4:16)
• The OT was regularly read aloud in
Synagogue, followed by exhortation (See Acts
13:15, 15:21)
This practice was then was taken over by
Christians from the synagogue to the church.
• This practice later involved reading the apostle’s
letters in church
• 1 Thess. 5:27
• Col. 4:16
These letters were place on the same level as OT.
Each local church would read from the Apostles,
and the OT. By the second century, these
readings were part of the accepted liturgy.
Justin Martyr – First Apology
“On the day called Sunday, all who live in cities or in
the country gather together to one place, and the
memoirs of the apostles and the writings of the
prophets are read, as long as time permits; then,
when the reader has finished, the president speaks,
instructing and exhorting the people to imitate
these things.”
Paul tells Timothy these exacts words “teaching
and exhorting” – explaining and applying.
Biblical preaching was the apostolic norm.
As Stott notes, “It was already customary in the
synagogue for the reading of Scripture to be
followed by an exposition, and this practice was
carried over into Christian assemblies, being the
origin of the sermon in worship.
He continues, “It was taken for granted from the
beginning that Christian preaching would be
expository preaching, that is, that all Christian
instruction and exhortation would be drawn
from the passage which had been read.”
Now I talk to a lot of guys about preaching. Some
of them, good friends, say “expository preaching
is not taught in the Bible.” “There is no method
for preaching… Do whatever works.”
Not according to 1 Timothy 4:13. Is this just for
Timothy? I don’t think so? This was a precedent,
and it is a command! This shows us how we are
to do 2 Timothy 4:2.
While we are not given a form of preaching –
that is, a method, like how to do an outline; we
are most definitely given two things:
• The substance of our sermon: thoroughly
biblical (2 Tim. 4:2)
• The pattern of the early sermon: Someone
read the Bible. Then the preacher did
instruction and exhortation from it. What do
you call that? I call that expository preaching.
• I agree with Stott, from the beginning
Christian preaching was expository preaching
– that is, the heart of preaching was the
Scriptures.
I am saddened not because we have a shortage
of excellent young expositors but by the fact that
we have thousands who don’t even try.
Preaching is explaining and applying what God
has said in His Word, and heralding what God
has done in Christ – and we find that in the Holy
Scriptures.
C: Worship
Notice that this is done in the context of public
assembly. Preaching is not after worship – it is
worship. “Expository exultation” as Piper calls
it.
Martin Luther said, “The highest worship of God is
the preaching of the Word.” As we expose the
Scriptures, the voice of God is heard.
We are take them into the arena of God’s Word –
that they may see his glory.
The goal of preaching is not simply information
but adoration. We want people to experience
Christ on the spot.
o
Rupp Arena
o
“Exegetical Escort” – Robert Smith. Take them
into God’s Word and show them their Savior.
3. Exercise Your Gift Passionately (14-15)
Notice this gifting in verse 14, and the call to be
devoted to it in 15.
A: Gifted
There are three parts to this “gift” – all are
linked together.
•
He mentions the “charimsma” (gift) that came
from God. We are not sure what that is, but it
seems to be related to the ministry of teaching in
the context of the pastorate. Calvin: “the grace
with which he has been endowed for the
building up the church.”
o God gifts people for the ministry to which he
calls them. Sometimes people ask if I can
make them a preacher if they take my class.
I tell them that I think there are about 8
things you need to be a great preacher, I
can’t give you all of them. One of them is
gifting. I can’t put in what God has left out.
•
He mentions a “prophetic message.” Not sure
what this is either but is seems to have been
uttered about him (1:18). Maybe this was
similar to Paul and Barnabas being singled out
in Acts 13:1.
•
“The body of elders laid their hands on him”
They confirmed God’s gifting and calling on
Timothy.
Here are two qualities of a preacher: Calling and
Content.
I did not send the prophets, yet they ran with a
message. I did not speak to them, yet they
prophesied” (Jer. 23:21)
Application: And Paul is reminding him of these
things so that he can “fan into flame the gift of
God.”
•
As pastors, we are to develop and use our
gifts.
As pastors, we are to seek help in discerning
our gifts, cultivating these gifts, and exercising
them passionately.
•
B: Devotion
•
“Practice these things” “Immerse yourself in
them”
o
o
o
o
•
Devote yourself to it – Be absorbed in it.
There are too many lazy pastors.
“Live and breathe these things” (Townder)
There is no success without hard work. You
can be a workaholic, and that’s no good, but
we must immerse ourselves in these things.
What you are doing is more important than
a doctor.
“So that All may see your progress”
• Let them see your progress. Set a godly
example; don’t pretend that it is a perfect
example. Let them see your grow. Don’t just set
•
an example in godliness – yes – but set them an
example of growth in godliness.
Let them see you excited over what you are
learning. They need to know that they are
drinking from a fresh brook than a stagnant pond.
#4: Examine Your Life and Teaching Persistently
(16a)
This is a summary verses for the preceding
points, as well as the entire pastorate.
o Yourself – not just the flock (Acts 20:28)
o 3 Commands actually – Watch Your Life, Watch
your doctrine – “persist in this.” Keep a
close watch on it.
o We don’t like evaluation – my first paper –
Kealthy – pen blew up.
o
Application: Your wife – where do you see
crème cheese on my face.
What’s At Stake (16b)
Obviously, we can’t save ourselves; Jesus alone does
that. But Paul is talking about Christian endurance,
“work out your salvation with fear and trembling.”
For the hearers, God has ordained that people be
saved through the preaching of the Word. (Rom 10,
1 Cor. 9, Acts 26).
Who is at the Center of the Word? Jesus Christ.
All of it points to Him.
• See him as the all-sufficient, gracious Savior
who did the heavy lifting. He says come and
rest in me.
• See him as your source of glad celebration;
• as your hope of eternal life;
• as your perfect example of godliness, and
• As the ultimate source of power to pursue
godliness and faithfulness in teaching.