The Man of God – part 1
1 Timothy 6:11-16 (11-12)
July 11, 2010
As you know, we are starting to sort of close down this book of 1 Timothy.
It was a unique letter written to Timothy with tremendous emphasis
Placed upon God’s expectation for the church.
And as Paul brings this letter to a close he has done so
With a very important exhortation to the church’s young pastor.
In verse 3 Paul began warning Timothy
Of a dangerous type of teacher in the church.
We called them “Those who Disagree”
In reality they are Conceited, Ignorant, Irrelevant, Divisive, Corrupt men
Who cause more harm to the body than they do good.
They were called “Those who Disagree” because they “[Advocate] a different doctrine and [do] not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness,”
They are those who don’t think godliness is important,
And only see it as a means to achieve worldly gain.
In other words, their religion is all a sham.
They only conform to the truths of Scripture
Enough to be able to make material gain from their sacrifice.
And Paul warned Timothy about them.
Following that warning, Paul then encouraged Timothy
In regard to the true value of godliness.
Godliness is not to be used or corrupted to fund one’s selfish desires, “BUT godliness actually is a means of great gain when accompanied by contentment.”
While our goal is not the gain, there is gain involved in being godly.
Paul wanted to make sure that Timothy knew that godliness was not the problem. In fact godliness is the aim.
Corruption is the problem, and men who are corrupt “fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction.”
And we saw that two weeks ago.
And so now Paul has sort of prefaced what he really wanted to say to Timothy.
And what we see here is the heart of the text.
Paul is about to issue a command and a charge to Timothy.
And as we study it, we are enlightened to the truths about
“The Man of God”
And this is precisely what Paul calls Timothy.
(11) “But flee from these things you man of God,”
And that is an interesting title.
In fact, Timothy is the only person in the New Testament to receive that title.
(Frequently used in the Old Testament to speak of prophets)
And here Paul uses it for two reasons.
1) Because that is what he believes Timothy to be
2) Because that is what he wants Timothy to remain
So we study this passage with much interest,
For it is the desire for every man in this place to be a “Man of God”.
Well tonight, in our text, we will see four attributes about “The Man of God” and so we should be easily able to evaluate our lives as well as receive a clear blue-print for the direction in which we need to go.
#1 WHAT HE FLEES FROM
1 Timothy 6:11a
“But flee from these things, you man of God”
Now obviously the context of this passage must be understood,
For we must identify what “these things” are.
Paul has been talking about one sin primarily above all others.
GREED (or at the very least discontentment)
(9) “those who want to get rich”
(10) “longing for [money]”
And so it is clear that the things Paul wants Timothy to flee from
Are the feelings of greed and discontentment.
(SIDE NOTE: it is amazing how small the Bible can get at times. As we talk about Jesus focusing on spiritual things over bread, we again hear the same encouragement tonight – makes you wonder if God is trying to tell us something)
But none the less, Paul tells Timothy if he desires to be a “man of God”
Then he must “flee from these things”
The reason is because “these things” [greed] will bring you (9-10) “into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs.”
At the very least greed opens you up for temptation,
And the very worst greed can lead you to apostasy.
And so it is obvious why Paul warns Timothy to “flee” from it
If he desires to remain a “man of God”
And let me for a moment talk about what it means to “flee”.
Incidentally greed is not the only thing Christians are told to flee from.
1 Corinthians 6:18 “Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.”
1 Corinthians 10:14 “Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry.”
2 Timothy 2:22 “Now flee from youthful lusts and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”
And so there are other things we must flee.
BUT WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
Let me give you another place that same Greek word is used.
Matthew 2:13 “Now when they had gone, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “Get up! Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt, and remain there until I tell you; for Herod is going to search for the Child to destroy Him.”
Of course that is in reference to Joseph and Mary having to leave Israel
And flee to Egypt because of the wrath of Herod.
If that was your child, how would you flee?
That is the same concept here.
In our society we have seemed to have forgotten the danger of sin.
Somehow we have seemed to have forgotten just how attractive it can be
And just what it can do to us if it snares us.
We don’t see sin as that big of a threat, but this is a mistake.
Paul told Timothy that not only could it snare you, but this sin in particular
Had actually made other men leave the faith altogether.
Remember Gehazi and the leprosy he received?
Remember the Rich Young Ruler and the salvation he forfeited?
Remember Judas and the condemnation he received?
Remember Demas?
2 Timothy 4:9-10a “Make every effort to come to me soon; for Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica…”
We aren’t just messing around here.
That is like saying, “Don’t eat lead paint chips” or “Don’t breathe asbestos” or “Don’t stick your face in a fan”
IT IS DANGEROUS AND YOU SHOULD FLEE FROM IT.
If you are into picturesque illustrations, try this one.
Joseph
Genesis 39:11-12 “Now it happened one day that he went into the house to do his work, and none of the men of the household was there inside. She caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me!” And he left his garment in her hand and fled, and went outside.”
Or this one: Lot
Genesis 19:15-17 “When morning dawned, the angels urged Lot, saying, “Up, take your wife and your two daughters who are here, or you will be swept away in the punishment of the city.” But he hesitated. So the men seized his hand and the hand of his wife and the hands of his two daughters, for the compassion of the LORD was upon him; and they brought him out, and put him outside the city. When they had brought them outside, one said, “Escape for your life! Do not look behind you, and do not stay anywhere in the valley; escape to the mountains, or you will be swept away.”
Sin brings the same dangers.
Paul told Timothy to FLEE from sin (especially greed)
If you want to a “man of God”
And so, we know a man of God by what he flees from.
#2 WHAT HE PURSUES
1 Timothy 6:11b
“and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance and gentleness.”
We learned again with Jesus this morning that “man shall not live by bread along, but by on every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.”
Jesus taught us that we are not to live this life focused on the temporal,
But that our focus is to be on spiritual things.
These spiritual things must also be our ambition.
Matthew 6:33 “But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.”
2 Corinthians 5:9-10 “Therefore we also have as our ambition, whether at home or absent, to be pleasing to Him. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may be recompensed for his deeds in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad.”
And so it is not just that we flee from sin and danger,
But that we also pursue the things of God.
And just as we talked about what it meant to flee,
Let me show you what it means to “pursue”
“pursue” translates DIOKO
And it is commonly translated “to persecute”
2 Corinthians 4:9 “persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed;”
So if you want imagery.
When we flee from sin, we mimic the way Joseph fled to Egypt.
When we pursue righteousness, we mimic the way Herod pursued Jesus.
In other words, we go hard after it.
We must want it bad.
This is not just a nonchalant attitude that says,
“If I get it fine, if not fine.”
6 things
1) RIGHTEOUSNESS
I think we are all aware of what this is.
We could call it moral perfection, but in reality is more than that.
It is perfection with regard to the Laws of God.
It was God who said, “Be holy for I am holy” and that should be our very desire.
That we take our lives and force them into conformity
With the commands of Scripture.
Psalms 119:24 “Your testimonies also are my delight; They are my counselors.”
And that is precisely the desire of a man of God.
He desires to take his life and bring it in line
With the revealed word of God.
2) GODLINESS
Some ask, “What is the difference between this and righteousness?”
Well certainly God is righteous, but He is also much more than that.
God is also compassionate.
God is also loving
God is also kind
God is also merciful
Furthermore God is real
The Pharisees would have made a claim to righteousness…
The Rich Young Ruler certainly thought himself to be righteous…
But they fell far short of God-like-ness.
One might say where righteousness is the outward,
Godliness is the inward.
• This is a heart that thinks like God thinks,
• The heart that acts like God acts.
• This is a heart that responds like God responds
• The heart that wants what God wants.
And the man of God pursues that.
Ephesians 5:1-2 “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma.”
A man of God pursues righteousness, godliness
3) FAITH
This could be describes as dependence on God.
Romans 14:23b “…whatever is not from faith is sin.”
We also know that:
Hebrews 11:6 “And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.”
And so naturally a man of God would seek the life of faith.
John Piper once said:
“God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him”
And the man of God wants God to be glorified.
He knows that God is most glorified when we trust Him.
Righteousness, Godliness, Faith
4) LOVE
And of course this is obvious.
“God is love” we hear it over and over again.
Furthermore love is the opposite of self.
“God so loved that He gave”
“God demonstrated His love for us”
“Greater Love hath no man than this…”
We cannot be like God if we don’t love.
FURTHERMORE TRUE LOVE IS ONLY POSSIBLE IN CHIRST.
And therefore loving others brings glory to God,
Because we can only truly do it if He is in us.
That is why Jesus said:
John 13:34-35 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
So certainly the man of God pursues love.
Righteousness, Godliness, Faith, Love
5) PERSEVERANCE
I suppose that the previous four would be futile,
If it were not for this attribute.
For the man of God does not seek to have moments of righteousness, or of godliness, or of faith, or of love.
The man of God desires to consistently show all those things.
Furthermore those attributes can’t be truly seen,
If not exhibited during the difficult times.
• If a man is righteous only at church and not at work, can he be called righteous?
• If a man is godly only around godly friends, but not at home in front of his computer, can he be called godly?
• If a man has faith only when all is going well, but not during difficult times can he be said to truly have faith?
• If a man only loves those who first love him, can he be said to truly have love?
In reality it is only during the difficult times
That the man of God really shows his true colors.
Therefore the man of God also seeks perseverance.
He can take and willingly will apply James’ words:
James 1:2-4 “Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.”
6) GENTLENESS
It is the opposite of arrogance.
It is “strength under control”
It is the attribute to balance all the previous ones.
He is a man who manages all those things, understanding
That it is for God’s glory that he has pursued such attributes.
But none the less, you see what a man of God pursues.
“Righteousness, godliness, faith, love, perseverance, and gentleness.”
What He flees from; What He Pursues
#3 WHAT HE FIGHTS FOR
1 Timothy 6:12a
“Fight the good fight of faith”
This phrase can be a little misleading,
Many assume that he must be one who contends for the faith.
We certainly don’t deny the need for men to stand up for the truth of God,
But that is not the emphasis here.
Earlier Paul told Timothy:
1 Timothy 1:18-19 “This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.”
There Paul used the word STATEIA which is a word that means “warfare”.
And Paul was encouraging him to fight for the faith.
But here Paul doesn’t use that word.
Here Paul uses the word AGON
And it just refers to a struggle.
Hebrews 12:1-2 “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”
Colossians 2:1 “For I want you to know how great a struggle I have on your behalf and for those who are at Laodicea, and for all those who have not personally seen my face,”
Philippians 1:29-30 “For to you it has been granted for Christ’s sake, not only to believe in Him, but also to suffer for His sake, experiencing the same conflict which you saw in me, and now hear to be in me.”
And so you see that sometimes it is called “conflict” other times “struggle” and other times it is a “race”.
And so we are not talking about some battle with others over the truths of the gospel (although that is important).
The man of God must fight the fight within himself
To keep going and be what God wants him to be.
It is the inward struggle of a runner to keep going.
It is the inward struggle that a soldier faces to charge the hill.
The man of God takes the struggle head on.
He fights to become what God desires him to become.
2 Timothy 4:7 “I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith;”
What he FLEES from, What he PURSUES, What he FIGHTS for
#4 WHAT HE OBTAINS
1 Timothy 6:12b
“take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.”
Obviously we are here talking about obtaining eternal life.
But let me show you a little something that Paul adds to this concept.
1) God called Timothy to it.
“to which you were called”
2) Timothy obviously accepted the call
“and you made the good confession”
3) Others heard him accept that call
“in the presence of many witnesses.”
So we are dealing with a man who has publicly stated
That God called him and that he desires to answer that call.
Then to Timothy Paul says:
“take hold of” it.
In other words, don’t just stop at words, GO GET IT.
“take hold” translates EPILAMBANOMAI
It means to seize something.
The EPI in the front intensifies the verb.
One lexicon said this.
It is “practically appropriating all the benefits, privileges and responsibilities involved in the possession of it.”
It is to not just say you have, but to demonstrate you have it.
Don’t just claim eternal life, go out and get it!
Now, I know to us that seems strange.
We believe that Jesus paid it all, and that eternal life is from Him,
Apart from any help from us at all.
And that is true.
But this is one of those mysteries in Scripture.
While Christ chose us, we still choose Him.
While Christ saves us, we still repent and believe.
While Christ seals us, we still persevere to the end.
And while Christ gives us eternal life, we still work for it.
Listen to Paul:
Philippians 3:12-14 “Not that I have already obtained it or have already become perfect, but I press on so that I may lay hold of that for which also I was laid hold of by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I do not regard myself as having laid hold of it yet; but one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.”
WELL IF JESUS ALREADY PURCHASED IT FOR YOU, WHY ARE YOU STRIVING FOR IT?
Because that is what a man who really wants it does.
It is not a denial that eternal life only comes from Jesus.
It is simply revealing a heart that will do anything it can
In order to help it become a reality.
What you see here is that a man of God is not a passive man.
He’s not one who is complacent or apathetic.
He is concerned about spiritual things.
And while he fully trusts Jesus as His Savior,
He still strives to become all that Christ is making Him.
Philippians 2:12-13 “So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.”
“God is doing it, but you do it too”
This is the man of God.
And you can spot a man of God by:
What He Flees from
What He Pursues
What He Fights For
What He Obtains
This is a man after God’s own heart,
And this is what Paul encourages Timothy to continue to be.
1 Timothy 3:14-15 “I am writing these things to you, hoping to come to you before long; but in case I am delayed, I write so that you will know how one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth.”
