A Good Minister Illustrates - Part 3 (1 Timothy 4:12) 

Well, it's so good to be with you if you

have your Bibles turning with me the First Timothy, First Timothy,

Chapter four. This morning, we continue in our series through Timothy.

Over the last few weeks, as we've been working through Timothy,

we've been looking at Paul's instructions to a young pastor.

Timothy is a young pastor at a church called Ephesus,

and in this church, he's been ministering there. And so

Paul writes to Timothy, this young pastor, to instruct him,

as a young pastor, how to be a good minister,

How Timothy is to be a good minister as a

young pastor. And we've looked over this over the last

few weeks. We looked at how to be a good minister.

Paul instructs Timothy to be a good minister, a good

minister guards. We looked at that how in his personal

walk with the Lord, he was the guard in truth.

He was guard in his heart and knowing truth, he

was guard against false teaching in his own life has

a good ministry, was also train. He was a train

in godliness. He was not only to know truth, but

he's a live truth personal in his walk with the Lord,

he was to practice how to not only know truth

about how to live truth in godliness. The last time

we were together we looked at the next part. Was

was really Paul looking at then Timothy's professional life, what

Timothy did as a pastor, and one of the roles

that he did in order to be a good minister

was to be a good teacher, and a good minister

commands and teaches. And so this morning we come to

Paul's final instruction to Timothy. And in One Timothy chapter four,

we see that we're going to look at verses six

through sixteen see the whole thing together. But I think

as important as we come to this this morning and

look at this passage, I think his support for you, Underson.

There was a problem with Timothy.

Paul knew that there was something that Timothy struggled with

as a young pastor that was unique to Ephesus, that

maybe one other pastor was struggling with.

It was Timothy's age. Timothy was a young Timothy was

probably his thirties.

It was Paul's habit as he placed elders and pastors

and different churches to place older pastors and older leaders.

But Timothy was young. He was thirty. Another pastor was Titus.

Titus was put into the church in Cree and he

was also young, and because of their age that became

a hindrance to the church. We even see this that

Paul as he writes to corinth he sent Timothy there

for a brief moment, and in one Corinthian sixteen ten

he's really commending Timothy because he knows his age is

going to be an issue, and he kind of gives

him kind of a word of approval. He says, when

Timothy comes, see that you put him at ease among you,

for he's doing the work of the Lord. As I am,

letting no one despise him, help him on his way

in peace, that here he may return to me. For

I'm expecting him with the brothers. So here's the issue.

He knows them, because of his age, may despise him.

So he's instructing the church don't look down upon him.

We also see this with Titus and Titus two fifteen.

To clear these things, exorbed rebuke with all authority, let

no one dish regard you. So this struggle for Timothy

as a young pastor was that people were looking down

upon him because he was a because he was young.

Was anyone ever looked down upon you?

Maybe it was you were as a young man, Maybe

when you were in school and you were a young

a freshman, and they looked down upon you because you're

a freshman.

Maybe because you were young. And you go to a business.

And they look down upon you because of your age.

Maybe you've been looked down upon because you're new to

a job. You're the new blood at the business that

you're working at. Maybe you've been looked down upon as

maybe a new Christian in the church that you don't

know the Bible like others do. Maybe you're a mom

today and you're a new mom, and maybe some of

the older moms look at you and how you lead

your children or care for your children.

Have you ever been looked down upon? I tell you.

As a pastor, I remember I was thirty one, but

I became a first senior pastor.

I'd been ministering as a youth pastor, and.

I got a church reached out to me about becoming

their pastor, and I remember I came and I did

the trial sermon at the church and I preached, and

then the very next week at that church, they would

vote on me, and so I remember we had to

wait a week before we found out whether ours we

become the pastor. About the next Sunday, we were on

pins and needles all afternoon and we thought they were

voting at eleven, so we thought, you.

Know, one o'clock or so we would hear.

Well, time went on, Time went on, time went on.

It was about four or five o'clock and I was

sweating bullets, and finally the chairman of the search committee

called me and says, Jonathan, we want.

To talk to you about we've gotten the vote, and

we want you to know that a corner our constitution

you have to get I think seventy five percent, and

he said, and you got seventy.

Nine, he says, and we want you to know that

you got it. You could become our pastor.

But I don't.

We're worried that it's not a higher enough affirmation for you.

And I said, no, no, you know, I believe if

it's the majority, I'll come. You know what, the may

your apprehension with me becoming the pastor there he's too young.

I will never forget this. One lady is our church

and she was a sweet lady. But every time I

see her, she would say to.

Me, you are so young.

You know yours I have children older than you, and

you're my pastor. And I remember struggling with this issue

as a young pastor of people looking down upon me

because of my age.

And I remember, you know, there is this.

Tendency for all of us, and someone looks down upon us,

we have this tendency we want to prove right they

they're looking down.

Upon us because of our age, or because our ability.

Because we're young in a position, or whatever it may be.

And we have this idea that we want to prove

that we are not what they think we are. So

we maybe we prove it and buy our performance what

we do, how good we do at our job, how

good I would do at as being a pastor, or

maybe at times there's temptation as the young pastor at

the Spring Branch Baptist Church that I was going to

prove myself because I am pastor.

You know, I am the pastor of the church, and.

So therefore, because of my position, you should respect me,

should look to me. Or maybe it's prestige, or you know,

if they find out who I know and who I

have relationships with the bigger folks. Maybe they'll be impressed

by the other people that I know or the other

things that I do. But in this passive scripture, Paul

has tengu Timothy that I don't want anyone to look

down upon you. And how you overcome people looking down

upon you? It's actually for them to look up to you.

If you think about just this idea of someone looking

down upon you, it's really the idea that they feel

like maybe they're in a higher position, maybe age, or

maybe experience, whatever, and they're looking down upon you. Right,

Paul says the way to overcome that is for them

to look up to you. And in this passage this Morning,

he demonstrates how for Timothy how they do not look

down upon him, but in turn, how they should look

up to him this morning. Is there someone in your

life that you feel looks down upon you. Do they

look down upon you for your age, your faith, or

maybe your experience or something else. Do you believe this

morning that you can change their perspective by being a

godly example that they.

Look up to.

What godly examples do you have in your life, and

what godly examples in your life today that you need

to grow in. Let's read God's Word together, and let's

look at Paul's instructions to Timothy how to be a

good minister, which your instructions for us today?

Would you stand?

Let's read God's Word together. We're gonna read the whole

passage together. We're really gonna focus only in verse twelve,

But won't you see the whole together? The Bible says

the First Timothy, chapter four, starting verse six. Here's the

entire instructions. If you put these things before the brothers,

you'll be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained

in the words of faith and good doctrine that have followed,

and having nothing to do with relevant silly miss Rather

train yourselves for godliness.

For why bodly training is some value.

Godliness is value in every way, as it holds promise

for the present life and also for the life to come.

The saying is trustworthy and deserving full acceptance. To this end,

we toil and we strive because we have our hopes

set on the Living God, who is the savior of

all people, especially for those who believe, command and teach

these things.

Let no one.

Despise you for your youth but set the believers an

example and speech and conduct, and love and faith and

impurity until I come. Devote yourself to the public reading

of scripture, to our exhortation to teaching. Do not neglect

the gifts that you have, which was given to you

by the Prophecy when the Council of Elders laid their

hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourselves in them,

so that all may see your progress. Verse sixteen says,

keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching

persists in this for by doing so you will save both.

Yourself and your hearers.

Let's pray together, Father, we thank you Lord for your

word today. God, we thank you Lord that is Lord,

your word, that that moves in us. Lord, your spirit

that's at work here today. And Lord, I declare, and

I pray Lord that today this congregation doesn't need my words.

They need your word, God, they need the working of

your spirit. So Lord, I ask for what I cannot

create or develop, or plan or prepare, and that is

a movement of your spirit. Today. Lord, may I decrease

in you increase, and may the words of my mouth

and the meditatishs of my heart be pleasing Lord to you,

and may you use this broken man, Lord for your

glory and for our good Lord. We love you, We

thank you Lord for today and your name.

We pray Amen, you may be seated.

If you think about this entire passage Scripture one Timothy

one through sixteen, and you think about Paul's instruction to Timothy,

you really can divide this passage in sections or two sections.

You kind of see this first part of the instructions

for Paul as he's talking to Timothy about being a

good minister about privately, how important it is that in

Paul's personal life that he's living for God. His personal life,

he's growing in doctrine, he's growing in truth, he's training

in truth, and he's he's guarding his own heart and

understanding God's word.

And you see this.

Other private part of for Paul and a responsibility in

order to be a good minister knowingly as he's the

guard and no truth. But there's another part for him privately,

for for Timothy, he really also needs a guard. He

needs to I mean, he needs to train in godliness.

He needs to really grow in becoming a godly man.

The next part is really starting a verse eleven, we

kind of see, now, really what is Timothy's like responsibilities

as a pastor's what would say professional responsibilities. What he

is to do privately, He's to grow in God's.

Word, and he's to live God's word.

Publicly and professionally in his in his role, he's to

lead in that, and he's to teach God's word.

He's the command. He's a rich.

Scripture this morning, it sees that we see the kind

of the second part of Paul Timothy's professional responsibility, and

that's in regards to how he lives out God's word

before the people. I think it's important for you understand.

Paul uses a term in this passage of scripture. In

verse six. He says, if you put these things before

the brothers and be a good servant of Christ Jesus,

being trained in the words of faith and of good doctrine.

He used this thought in verse six of the importance

of Timothy personally privately growing in doctrine.

You know what doctrine is.

When Grudem says, this doctrine is, doctrine is what the

whole Bible teaches us today about some particular topic. Timothy

had responsibility privately he was going to grow in doctrine,

but know is he to grow in knowing what to

the Bible says about indigiven topic. He was to also

grow in living out what the Bible says.

That is a term we call ethics. Ethics?

Is this ethics, when Gruedom also says, is what does

the whole Bible teaches us about which acts, attitudes, personal

character traits receive God's approval and which do not. Very simply,

when Greedom describes it this way, doctrine is what God

wants us to believe in. Know ethics is what God

wants us to do. I think it's important, as you

just examined this past description, you think about what Paul

is instructing Timothy. He's saying, Timothy, very simply, privately, you

have a doctrinal responsibility in growing and knowing what the

Bible says, and probably you have a personal responsibility that

you grow and live out what God's word says, and

that you grow in in godliness. But I also think

you have to understand that the latter part of this

pastor of scripture, he's also explaining that Timothy has a

doctrinal and ethical responsibility professionally and professionally, he's to lead

the church in growing in truth by teaching the Word

of God, commanding the word of God, by reading scripture.

That's his role is to shepherd the church in the

word of God, to know what the Bible is says.

That's part of my role, right, is to teach you

the Word of God. I was thinking about this and

thinking about this idea, and sometimes if you would think,

if you would say, let's write a job description for

a pastor Jonathan, what is his job as senior pastor

of Bethesda, you would say, you know his job.

He's to preach the Word of God. That's one of

his jobs, right.

He's to lead the elders, He's to lead the deacons.

He's to lead in evangelism and sharing the Gospel. These

are jobs responsibilities that I have. I think it's important

for you to understand. For Paul, it doesn't end there.

For Timothy, not only is a professional responsibility to teach

the word, teach doctrine to the church, but he has

a professional responsibility to show you by example how to

live the Word of God. Now I'm one of my

job responsibility, that's not all. Well, my job description is

to show you, by my example, how to live for God,

not only what the Bible says, but how to live it.

And that's where we come to as a good minister

today as we look at one Timothy four twelve, Paul

is telling Timothy, Timothy, you have a professional responsibility, and

a good minister guards, trains and teaches. But a good

minister illustrates how to lift for God. That's the fourth

thing that we're looking at today. A good minister illustrates,

a good minister illustrates how to live for Christ, how

to live the truth of good doctrine, how it lives

the truth of the Bible.

Let's look at that with me.

In verse twelve, he says this, letting no one despise

you for your youth, but set of believers an example

in speech and conduct and love and faith and impurity.

The word their example is the word two pause it.

It's Paul uses and its pastoral epistles and peter uses

in one Peter times in the New Testament, and it's

used for this idea.

As an example of an example of faith.

You know, from time to time I wear bow ties,

you know if you've been here, But that you see

me wear a bow tie, and I wear the bow

ties you tie yourself, not the ones that you clip on.

And because of that, every once in a while someone

will because they know where bow ties, they'll call me

and says, hey, pastor Jonathan, I'm doing this event, going

to some can you help me tie bow tie? And

I can always say to them, you know what, I

can tell you how to do it, but it's best

for you to bring the tie to me and let

me show you how to do it. That's what Paul is.

Saying to Timothy here, Timothy, you're you're.

To tell them what God's word says, but you're to

show them how you should live for God. And that's

what he says in this passive scripture. And here's examples

that Paul is showing Timothy how he is to live.

I think, as important as you think about this, just

a few things. Who was Timothy's example? Who was Timothy

living after Timothy example? Was Paul? I think you see

that in one Corinthians four seventeen. This is why I said, you, Timothy,

my beloved faithful child in the Lord, and remind you

of my ways in Christ. For Timothy his father and

the faith was Paul, and he had learned by example

from Paul. I think it's also important for you to

understand this is not just example. God doesn't just call

pastors of the example called calls all of us to

be examples. In Thessalonians Chapter one, Paul's talking to a

church of Thessalonika there and he's talking about how this

church has become an example of faith to all the.

Churches in the area. This is what he says.

You became imitators of us and of the Lord, and

you receive the word of much affliction with the joy

of the spirits, that you became an example to all

believers in Macedonia and Ikaia. The Bible says that the

church became example to all the churches of faith. And

can I tell you today who is your example today?

Who are you looking up to faith? I pray you

this is me. I hope I'm setting the example for you,

but also encourage you today as you follow the example

that God has me lead you, and I pray that

you are also leading others and how to live for Christ.

And this passage, Paul gives five examples to look up to,

and let's look at these.

You see the passage.

He says, let no one look down upon you for

your youth, but set the believers.

An example, be an example of faith.

And then he gives five things, and I want to

look at these five things this morning. Five examples that

Timothy was the set that people would look up to him.

I believe if we are the examples that God calls

us to be, and when people look down upon us,

if we set these examples, that's how we change their

perspective by living the example that God calls us to be.

He gives five things here. The first thing GO want

you to see is five examples that look up to

first speech. He says, he look at this word, let

no one look down upon you despite you for your youth,

but set the believers an example, an example in speech.

I think as we looked at in the contexts first Timothy,

we know, as we've been studying that one of the

issues within in the church in Ephesus.

Was false teaching. And one of the things the false teachers.

Were doing it was spinning up some people in the

church that were creating controversy within the church and division.

And who were these well, we know these were some.

The Bible describes them as idlers. In one Timothy five thirteen,

he says this beside this, they learned to be idlers

going about from house to house. Not only only idlers,

but also gossips and busybodies saying what they ought not

to say. Paul says, Hey, Timothy, there are people in

the church that are gossiping, and they're being busy, and

they're saying some things in the church they should not say.

And some people are looking down upon you because your youth.

But how are you to change their effective instead of

looking down upon you, instead they look up to you.

You to do that first, and how you.

Speak in your speech.

You ever watch youth sports, maybe children's sports, orra murals

or upward or maybe recreation, or maybe even high school

teams or middle school teams. You know, one thing's really

interesting is you watch young athletes that they a lot

of times they learn from people they watch, right, they

watch someone on TV, and they learn from on TV

different moves and that they make, and they try to

do that. I remember I played basketball in high school

and I idolized Michael Jordan And so when Michael Jordans

did his moves, I tried to do my moves.

You know, he dunk, he stunk out his.

Tongue, and I did my layup and I tried to

stuck stuck out my tongue.

But you know, there's some good things that you can.

Learn from professional athletes, of good examples of how to

proper swing, proper.

Forms, proper slides. But you really don't want to an.

Eight year old like sticking his tongue out right when

he's doing a layup. Right, you don't really want them

like doing the little small man as they're running down

the court, or doing the threes with their eyes.

As they're going out to court.

That's not really what you want your child or your

youth to do. So there's some good things you can learn,

but there's also bad things you can learn, right Paul

in this first in Ephesus five, he tells the church

who he wants them to imitate, who's the example that

they are to imitate with their life, And don' want

you to see that passage if you can turned with

me there. At Phesians five, verse one, he says, this

be imitators of God, as beloved children, walk in love,

as Christ loved us and gave himself for us. A

fragrant offering and sacrifice to God. You know, the Bible

says we are to set an example, and the example

that we are to imitate is God. But in this

passage he says, not only we to imitate in our

life that the right example, and that's by looking to God.

But in this passage he also describes to us things

we are not to do.

And what is the things that we're not doing.

Phesians five to four says, let there be no filthy

or foolish talk or crew joking, which are out of place.

But instead of let there be thanksgiving, he says in

Corinthian Classians three eight, but now you must put away

all anger, wrath, malice, slander.

Of scene talk from your mouth.

See, the Bible tells us we have an example to watch,

and we're to imitate God.

But there's things that we should not do. And one

of the things that we should not do.

Is we should not use our mouths for foolish talk,

for crew joking, which the Bible says are out of place.

For filthy talk. The Bible says that is out of place.

That we are to avoid those things we avoid of

scene talk from our mouth and only Paul talks about

what we should not say, he also says what we

should say. In Phesians four twenty nine, he says, let

no corrupting talk come out of your mouth, but only

what you what is good for the building up as

fits the occasion that it may give gray So those

are here, you know, the Bible says we you should not.

I should not use my speech for filtering us foolish talk,

crew joking, or for slander for gossips have seen talk.

But we should use.

Our words to uplift others, the Bible says in Colossians

four or five six, walking wisdom towards outsiders, making the

best use of your time, Let your speech always be gracious,

seasoned with salts, so that you may know know.

How you ought to answer each person.

I wonder today people are looking at you either up

or down. Does people look up to you because your speech?

Or they look down upon you because of your speech?

You say you're a child of God and that you

are studying example for others. Does people look up to

how you use your mouth?

Yeah?

We all have a person in our family, right, we

all have that one person in our family that don't

know really know how to troll their mouth, right, And

it's that one person. And when they're around, you're like

kind of like cringing inside, like what are they're gonna say,

or they're gonna say something inappropriate, They're gonna say.

Something that embarrass me. That was my grandpa.

My grandpa just just no filter, and I remember thinking

when we would get around, we get in public, I

was like, please, don't say anything that he's gonna embarrass me.

I remember one time he was in the hospital and

I was there visiting with him, and the little nurse

came up and she was trying to help him, and

he said, whoo, lord, lady, what did you eat?

Did you eat a whole bag of onions? You what's something?

Crawl up and you die?

And I thought I died and crawled underneath his bed.

I was so embarrassed how he talked with her.

But you know, we all have.

That person in our life that that we you know,

they say things that we they shouldn't say.

And I'm going to be frank with you.

Not only then are they in every family, but they're

also in every church. We have people who say things

they should not say. And I remember there was a

church I was at one time and we had a

church member who was saying some things that he should

not say. And I went to him and said, brother,

this is just not of God.

Well, you don't understand where I grew up.

That's just how I grew up. That's how I grew

up with saying stuff like that.

Nothing. And listen, here's the thing.

When we say that, we say I can understand truth

and I can believe in truth.

But don't tell me how I should use my mouth.

Don't tell me how I should live my life. And

we separate doctrine from ethics what we know about God

and how we should live for God. And Paul says Timothy,

if you're gonna be a good minister, you're only gonna

love truth, preach the truth, but you're to live truth

and that also includes your mouth.

And so can I just encourage you today?

How does your speech lift up others? How does your

speech give grace to others? Are you accetting the example

for godly speech at your home or at your church? Husbands?

Does your wives look up to your speech? Fathers? Just

children's look up to your speech? Mothers? How are you

setting the example for your children of how you speak

students here today, how are you setting example of how

you use your speech for our younger students here at church?

We are to set the example of how we use

our speech in a way that people look up to

us in our example, I want you to see. Secondly,

in this passage, he says conduct here. Look, he said,

let no one despise you for your youth, but set

the believers in example.

In speech and conduct. And conduct here is translated as life.

It's it's people will look up how he faithfully lives

his life.

He ever been falsely accused of something?

Everyone said something that you did something? And you ever

been accused and you're trying to defend yourself from the accusation.

And first, I mean first Peter. Peter talks about this idea,

and he talks about believers being accused by unbelievers and

falsely of.

Doing something false.

And he explains how it's the best way to defend

yourself against false accusation. He says this, and first one Peter,

two twelve, keep your conduct among the gentiles honorable, so

that when they speak evil as you, I mean evil,

speak you as evil doers, they may see your good

deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. And

one Peter three sixteen he says, having a good conscience,

so that when you're slandered, those who revile your good behavior.

In Christ may be put to shame. You know what

he's saying.

He says, we should live such lives that honor God

and our conduct and our actions and our behavior, that

when unbelievers accuse us of things, they should see how

we live and it should put the accusations to shame.

I remember I was working in college and I was

at time I started working at Target and I was

a cashier and I had a supervisor who was over

the cashiers at the time, and I'm not sure, to

be honest with you, she.

Was a believer, but she knew I was a believer.

And I tried to, you know, act like I should

in front of her, in front of others, because I

knew that was important. And one day, back in the day,

I know the students, this is you know, I'm dating myself.

Back in the day, people use a thing called checks,

and they would write checks to pay bills, and it

was common that most people would write checks. And sometimes

people write checks a little bit more than their bill

to get cash.

Shau.

Well, this lady came through my line and she said, hey,

I want to, you know, write check a little bit

more than get twenty dollars cash or something. I said, sure,

happened all the time, and so you know, she wrote

the check. I gave her the cash. You know, we

ended about an hour. Lady, this lady came in and

she went to my supervisor and she says, I want

you to know that young man took that twenty bucks.

I wade the check for twenty bucks and I saw

him pocketed, and I want to tell you that he

stole that twenty bucks. Well, a lady defended me. My

supervisor said, there's many people here, there's work. But I

tell you Jonathan did not do that.

She defended me.

She actually she defended me just to prove the lady wrong.

She made me.

She pulled out my jewers, she counted my jewer. My

drawer was not off, but maybe a penny. I say

that to say, that's the imagery of this passage. People

accuse you of things, but your faith and how you

live for God set's the example. I just wonder today,

how are your example of how to live for Christ

to your coworkers. How are your example to how to live?

To Christ's husbands, to your wives, to your children's mothers.

How are your example to live for Christ to.

Your children students today? How are your example to your

lost believers at school? How to live for Christ at school?

He's not only set example of speech, conduct, but love?

Love is the third thing. Timothy says. Here set the

believers an example and speech and conduct and love. Timothy

is set example of the church will look up to

in his speech and his life. But third they are

look at his example on how he loves others.

He's illustrate how to love.

The Bible tells us in Matthew, Jesus is talking about

the greatest commandment, and he says, in Matthew twenty two

thirty seven, you should love the Lord your God with

all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind.

This is the great and first commandment.

And the second greatest commandment, you.

Shall love your neighbor as yourself. And all these two

commandments depends all the laws and the prophets. You know,

the Bible commands you and I to love. You know,

the Bible tells us not that we that we are

to love, but it tells us who do we love?

We love believers.

Verse John four seven says, beloved, let us love one another,

for love is from God. And whoever's a bit love

has been born of God and knows God. You know,

and you're commanded to love. But you're commanded to love God.

You're commanded love each other in this room command of

love other believers. You know, you're commanded in scripture to

love the lost, to love the unbeliever. At your work,

in your school, in your community. You know, there's a

church in Revelation that Paul writes, who I think it

is actually Ephesus, who Timothy pastored. He gives them great

things that the church was doing. And then in every

letter that Jesus wrote he tells them things that they

needed to work on. And you know what the thing

was for the Church of Ephesus that they had failed.

He says this, But I have this against you, Ephesus.

You've abandoned the love you had at first. You know,

the love that they had lost, they had loved. They

had lost the love for the lost, for the unbeliever.

Can I ask you church today, how do you have

love for others?

Are your example to.

Others of how to love others. There was just a

few weeks ago we had the Durham Rescue Mission come

in and share their love for those in the community

are hurting and broken. There was a man one time,

he was a superintendent of a rescue mission like the

Durham Rescue Mission.

He'd done it for forty years.

One day, so when asking him why did he spend

all of his life caring for the drunks, the dirties,

the profane, the broken of this world, he says, this

was his words. He says, I'm doing it to give

back to others a little love that God has shown me.

He explained. As a young man, he was a drunk.

One night he came into the mission for a bowl

of soup, a bowl of chili. The pastors preaching there

that talked about how God could save sinners inebriated at

the moment he stepped forward and received Christ as the

Lord and Savior. Not long after that moment, he began

seeing that God was calling him to go back to

the gutter, he says, and reach the people still wallowing there.

Why because God first loved.

Him, you know.

One John four, nineteen says, we love because He first

loved us. I wonder today does others look up to

you for how you love others? You love believers, how

you love the lost? How does Christ love for you

motivate you to love others? I want you see in

this the fourth thing here Paul says he's to give

example of is the examples to look up to speech, conduct, love.

Faith forth is faith.

Here faith is for Paul, they for Timothy. They were

not looked down upon him because this look but they

were looked up to him because.

Of his faith.

Faith refers to faithfulness, an unwavering commitment. When I think

of faith, I love the acronym by Adrian Rogers. Adrian

Rodgers took faith and made it into acronym. And he says,

faith is forsaking all I trust him, forsaking all I

trust him. In Hebrew's chapter eleven, we have a chapter

that's called the Hall of Fame of Faith. It's and

then this chapter it describes many who are examples of faith.

And then that chapter it also describes faith.

And this is how the writer of Hebrews describes faith

or defines it. Now, faith is the shirts that things

hoped for and the conviction of things not seen. So

do you think about this hall of fame of faith,

It gives a list of just different people in the

Bible that that describes as people of great faith.

If you think about it. In our world, we have

different hall.

Of fames right and throughout the United States. We have

the Pro Football Hall of Fame. We have the National

Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, New York. We have

the Name Smith Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Massachusetts.

And we have the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

in Cleveland, Ohio. We have the Country Music Hall of

Fame in Nashville. And if you think about these hall

of fames, these hall of fames are made of people

who possess something that made them great.

Did you know there was an.

Artist that was inducted to the Country Music Hall of Fame. Now,

this artist was a singer, was a songwriter, was a photographer,

was a producer, and also an actor.

You know it was it was Kennedy Rogers.

But you if you think about it for a moment,

Kenney Rogers was inducted to the Hall of Fame not

for being an actor.

What made him great was his voice. I want you

to hear this today.

What makes the people great in Hebrews eleven, it's not

their ability to do something. What made them great was

their undeniable faith to the word of God and their

commitment to follow God's word. I wonder today, if someone's

looking at your life and they may see a lot

of great attributes of you.

You may be a.

Great cook, you may be a great mechanic, you may

be a great decorator, you may be a great a

lot of different things. But can people look at you

and says no, They're great because they demonstrate a great

faith in the Lord. They're unwavering in their commitment to

know God's word and obey God's word. What you see

lastly here the last example he's accept to set the

example in is purity.

The word purity.

There refers to sexual purity, both in actions and in heart.

As we looked at the qualifications of deacon and elder,

or talked about deacons and elders should be a husband

of one wife. It means a man who has eyes

only for his wife, a one woman man. Paul's talking

to Timothy about importance of treating people in the church

in purity.

Remember earlier in the sermon I talked about.

In Ephesians five, Paul says, there's an example you should

to imitate, and there's things that you should not do.

You are to imitate God. And if you imitate God.

You should not use your speech in a way that

doesn't honor God. Right.

Well, there's also something else.

Paul says in Ephesians I'll read it to you Ephesians

one through three. He says, Therefore, be imitators of God

as bloved children, walk in love, as Christ loved us

and gave himself up for us a fragrant offering and

sacrifice to God. Listen to this, But sexual morality and

all impurity and covetedness must not even be named among you,

as is proper among the saints.

I was studying for this this week.

I was trying to think of an example to share

with you, an illustration.

I was doing some research and I.

Found an old book that was written in nineteen eighty

six by a writer named Terry Mulk. He wrote a

book called Sins of the Body Ministry and the Sexual Society,

and he's talking in the book. The whole thesis of

the book is trying to protect pastors from falling in

sexual morality. And in the story, he tells a story

that one day there was a pastor and he was

going to a conference in Wisconsin and he was in

this station wagon. There were station wagons back in the day.

Kids were in the very back driving down and there's

a billboard and it was I think the billboard said

something like naughty things for nice people.

And his tip five ye eight year.

Old son says, Daddy, what's naughty things for nice people?

And then the kids in the back said, yeah, Dad,

what's that. You know, it's sad to say in nineteen

eighty six that there were sexual perversion putting on billboards,

and now thirty years later, we're still doing with perversion

being on the billboards, and now it's on your apps,

Now it's on your advertisements, on your web pages. It

consumes and is surrounded in everything we see, and it's

on the rise. And we need to be pastors, and

we need to be church people who sets the example

impurity and what we watch and what we resist and

what we avoid.

Do you know today, I think it's.

A very important for you to understand today that with

AI AI is growing at such a rapid race that

pornography has been such a huge issue among our world

today that AI is even worse as A study that

was put out by Indiana University released in twenty fifteen

twenty twenty five, and another one by Institutions of Family

Studies says thirty percent of Americans are having intimate or

romatic relationships with AI. It says roughly one in three

young men use AI to engage in weekly sexual conversations.

There was a writer who wrote a book called Sex Robots,

and she describes sex robots function like three D porn.

We need to be.

Aware of church today, that it is consuming and surrounding us,

and we have to be leaders and members who set

the example in purity, avoid such things, have nothing to

do with such things, and be pure in all things. Elders, Deacons,

how are you setting example of purity and what you watch?

What you resist? Husbands?

How are you setting example in purity in your own

personal life? Church today? How are we setting example in purity?

I want you to as we closed this morning, I

just want to finish the passage and I want you

to go to the verse sixteen. Paul brings us all

together everything personal and professionally he was to do. He

brings it all together. Why what's Paul to do? Why

is he to do it? He says, And keep close

to your watch of yourselves and on the teaching. Persist

in these things, for by doing so, you will save

both yourselves and your hears. That's the band you can

make your way, he kind of tells. As he finishes up.

He tells Paul. If Paul tells Timothy, Timothy, really, it's

really important. It's really important that you watch two things

in your life.

You to watch your life.

And your watch your doctrine. Keep close watching those things,

your doctrine and your ethics. Watch on those things. And

then he lastly he tells him why. He says, Timothy,

pay attention to those things and why the why is

listen to this. Persist in this, for by doing so

you will save what both yourself and your hearers. You

know this interesting. I have this little stamp. You ever

seen one of these.

It's a little stamp.

That I use, and I use it and to mark

my books. And if you see on the front of

this book, I have to use the stamp. And the

stamp has made an impression in this book, you know,

because of that stamp impressing on this book. This book

will never be the same. I can never do anything

to get rid of that. Unless I tear it the page.

It will always be there. The word for stamp, there

is the word two pass It's the same word for example.

You know what I believe.

Paul was saying here in this passage scripture, Timothy set

an example. And by setting example, Timothy, it might forever

change your life.

It will forever change your life.

But Timothy, it may not only change your life, but

if you set the example, it may make a mark

on someone else's life, and it might forever change.

Their life too.

Story of a man one day and he went into

the hotel and he was booking the hotel and he

came to the front desk, and there they went to

the clerk and hotel said, I'm sorry, the rooms are full.

And back behind him was a man waiting in the lobby.

And he was kind of a bigger man.

And he says, well, I'll tell you what I got

too bad in my room.

If you want to, you can stay with me. So

the man says, well, if you don't mind, I'll stay

with you.

And that night he went into his room and the

two men, and the bigger man looked at him and says, hey,

by the way, just before I go to bed tonight,

I'm gonna pray.

Hope he doesn't bother you. And he heard him pray.

Next morning, he got up and he says, hey, I

hope it doesn't bother you, but I want to I

read my Bible every morning. If you don't mind, I'll

read my Bible and pray. And he got up and

read his Bible and prayed. As they were about to leave,

he says the bigger man looked at the man who

didn't have a room. He says, hey, can I can

I tell you about Jesus? And there for just a moment,

he shared him about Jesus, and the man who was

without a room found Jesus as Lord and Savior.

You know who that man was?

That man's name, Let's see if I could find it.

Here was WILLIAMS. Jennings's brain.

He was actually the Secretary of the state at the time.

He may be a man of power and made position,

but he was a man who set an example, an

example that.

Only changed him to change the life of that man

that day. I wonder you ladies today.

You know who the example was that forever changed the

life of Timothy, his grandmother Lois and his mother Eunice.

You know, ladies, you can set an example and only

change your life. And it may change the life for

your child. It may change the life of your grandchild. It

may change a life your great grandchild. May we be

believers today, says Lord, I want to be an example

for you that it might change me and it might

change others.

Will you pray with me? Father? We thank you Lord

for this morning. We thank you Lord for this word. God.

We thank you for your colleague upon us. Lord.

May we be believers that set the example to make

an impression on the lives of others.

That they might find you Jesus or thank you Lord

for your word. Toy.

I pray that you would use what we've heard, and

not only would we be hearers of the words, but

today we'd be doers.

That would respond.

Maybe that's coming to this altar and pray, and I

pray you lead us to do that, those who you're calling,

Or I pray if this Lord, if I could pray

for someone, I pray they'd do that. Lord, pray someone

here today that doesn't know you as Lord and Savior.

A lot like that.

Man without a room. Lord, they have not found a

room with you in heaven, and today they can put

their faith in you for salvation. I pray they'd be

those today that would admit their sinners, who believe that

You came and died on a cross for them, and

today they would confess their need for You for as savior.

Today and some would pray a prayer asking You for salvation,

putting their faith in you today. Lord. While you're leading them, Lord,

may they cry out to you, Lord, we love you.

We thank you Lord for this morning.

In your name, we pray, Amen, we stand with us,