1 Timothy 4:6

If you instruct the Brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed. Reject profane old wives' fables and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance. For to this end, we both labor and suffer reproach because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. These things command and teach.

Father, as we come before the Scriptures today, we pray that you would continue to open our ears, our hearts, and our minds to receive from you your implanted word that we trust is able to transform us. Holy Spirit, you would do that work of sanctification in our lives. The time that we spend together studying your word here on a Sunday would have impact; it would have effect in our lives this week.

So, God, we come before you and we pray that you'd make us more like you, Jesus, and that the work of transformation would be clear to us. It would be evident to our families and to the people that we interact with on a daily basis at school or at work. People would see your transforming power at work in us. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those who agree said, "Amen." You can be seated.

If you have ever taken the time to go on the journey through the whole of the Bible, which I highly encourage you to do if you never have, you may have planned on doing a "through the Bible in a year" program. If you have read from Genesis to Revelation, then of course you've come across that great Old Testament Hebrew poetic epic called the Book of Job. The Book of Job is a challenging book. It's challenging because it deals with some topics that every single person in this room, in this world, deals with: the reality of suffering and the reality...

Of hardship, trial, and difficulty, the opening of the Book of Job is very striking. In the first three chapters, we watch as the central figure of the book, a man named Job, who was one of the wealthiest men of his time, 4,000 years ago, faces unimaginable loss.

In the first chapter, he receives news from four servants, each coming to him in a series of ways. The first servant reports that raiders from among the Sabians have stolen 1,000 of his oxen and 500 of his female donkeys. All of Job's wealth was measured in the flocks and herds he owned, so this news is devastating. The second messenger arrives and says that fire came down from heaven and consumed 7,000 of his sheep, just like that.

Then a third messenger comes and informs him that not only did the Sabians steal his donkeys and oxen, but also the Chaldean thieves have taken away 3,000 of his camels. All of his other messengers have been killed except for these three. To add to the tragedy, a fourth messenger arrives and tells him that his seven sons and three daughters were gathered together having a party in the oldest son's house when a great wind, probably a tornado, struck the house. The roof collapsed, and all of his children have been killed. That was day one.

On day two, we read in chapter two of Job that not only was his wealth and family taken from him, but now his health is also gone. He is struck with a terrible disaster. The chapter ends with Job, once the wealthiest man of his day, who had the great blessing of seven sons and three daughters, now seated on the ground in the dust with a piece of broken pottery in his hand, scraping the pus from the boils on his body. His wife comes to him and says, "Curse God and die." It is a terrible situation.

In chapter three, Job begins to speak to the situation he is going through. It is the lament of Job, as he laments the day he was born.

He laments all the circumstances and situations he's going through. Chapter three ends with this statement: "That thing that I greatly feared has come upon me, and what I dreaded has happened to me. That which I feared the worst has come upon me."

I think that the Apostle Paul, when he visited the church in Ephesus with Timothy in about the year 64 AD, had similar words going through his mind as he looked at the condition of the church that he had planted and invested so much of his energy and life into. During the two to three years that Paul was in the city of Ephesus planting that church, he encountered all kinds of personal adversarial trials against him.

To the Corinthians, he wrote a letter while he was there in Ephesus, stating, "A great and effective door has been opened to me here in Ephesus, but there are many adversaries." He almost lost his life on several occasions in the city of Ephesus because he preached the gospel. He had dedicated so much of his energy to seeing a church established there.

In his last meeting with the Ephesian elders, the leaders he would leave behind to pastor that church, he expressed his concern to them. This is recorded in the book of Acts, specifically Acts chapter 20. In verse 27, Paul says to the Ephesian leaders, "I have not shunned to declare to you the whole counsel of God. Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock among you, which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers to shepherd the church of God, which he has purchased with his own blood."

He warns the Ephesian leaders, saying, "For I know this, that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock." There will be false teachers, savage wolves, he says—wolves in sheep's clothing—that will come into the church to disrupt and destroy. He also warns that from among themselves, the leaders of the church at Ephesus whom Paul had invested in and raised up, men will rise up speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after themselves.

Some of these leaders will think that the church is all about them, leading some of the people in the church away to follow after them instead of following after Jesus. They will draw away disciples after themselves. Therefore, Paul urges them to watch and remember that for three years he did not cease to warn everyone night and day with tears.

He concludes by commending them to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build them up and to give an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.

So Paul, after he had planted the church in Ephesus, gathered the leaders together and said, "I'm committing this work of the church here in Ephesus to you. But I have this great fear that after I leave, there will be wolves who come in and disrupt and destroy." He had already seen that. He witnessed it when he planted churches in the region called Galatia and when he planted churches in Greece, particularly in the city of Corinth. Now he knew that there would be opposition against the church.

After he left, he was gone for about six years, and when he returned, the very thing he had feared had happened. The church was off course; they were not where they should be in their walk with Jesus. As we have already considered while going through First Timothy, he looked to his associate Timothy, a disciple of the Apostle Paul, and said, "Listen, you're going to stay here. I'm going to leave you here to try and set in order the things that are out of order, to get this church that is off course back on course."

In First Timothy chapter one, verse three, he says, "As I urged you, Timothy, when I went into Macedonia, remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables, nor endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification, which is in faith." He instructed Timothy to stay and get the church back on track with right, sound, good doctrine. That was his call to Timothy.

Now he continues that instruction to Timothy and begins with an encouragement. In First Timothy chapter four, verse six, his encouragement to Timothy is this: "If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ."

I went back this last week and looked at my previous notes on this passage of Scripture. The first time I taught this passage of Scripture, First Timothy chapter four, was on October 24th, 1999—18 years, three months, and 11 days ago. For 954 Sundays, I calculated on my computer, this is basically what I've done every Sunday, whether it has been here at Cross Connection Church or wherever the Lord has taken me. I have had the privilege of speaking forth the Word of God to the people of God for the growth of the church in the Philippines, in Africa, in Germany, and in various places throughout Europe.

But for the last 954 Sundays, effectively, this is what I've done: give forth the word of God to the people of God for the equipping of the church and for the building up of the body of Christ. I've dedicated my life to doing that work. Until Jesus calls me home, that's what I plan to do. My hope is to continue to do these things. When He does call me home, my hope is that I will hear Him say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into that which is prepared for you." That's what I want to hear Him say. I want to be a good minister of Jesus Christ.

I remember saying the same thing back in October of 1999 to the junior hires that were just about 50 feet that way. As I was going through this passage, I said, "If you instruct the brethren in these things, you'll be a good minister of Jesus Christ." I look back in my notes, and sure enough, I had written, "I want to be a good minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I want to do what He's called me to do."

Sadly, we see in the church at Ephesus, in the Scriptures, and throughout church history that there have been those we would count as bad ministers. Paul is calling Timothy to be a good minister, but it's in contrast to those who were bad ministers—those who had come into the church at Ephesus and have come into every church since, causing division and calling people to follow after them instead of following after Christ.

From history and Scripture, we know there are those who would be called bad ministers. These are people who have given heed to fables and endless genealogies, those who were teaching what Paul labels as doctrines of demons in 1 Timothy 4:1-5. They were speaking lies in hypocrisy; they were wolves in sheep's clothing.

So, there are bad ministers, but we should be those who are endeavoring to be good ministers. Paul calls upon Timothy in 1 Timothy, and we will see it again when we get into 2 Timothy at the end of this year. He calls upon Timothy to fight the good fight of faith, to do the work of an evangelist, and to preach the word.

In 2 Timothy 4:1, Paul instructs him to "preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; convince, rebuke, and exhort with all long suffering and doctrine." Why? Because there will come a time when people will reject sound doctrine and will heap up for themselves teachers who will tickle their ears, as Paul says.

So, there will be bad ministers, but Timothy, you commit yourself to preaching the word, to being ready in season and out of season, so that you may be commended on that day.

Christ is a good minister of the gospel. You may never stand before even a small group of people and preach a Bible study, and for some of you, that might be your worst fear. Though you may never do that, you should desire, just as Timothy did and just as I do, to be a good minister of Jesus. If you're a follower of Jesus, you should desire to be a good minister because that word "minister" can also be translated as "servant." It's the Greek word "diakonos," from which we get the English word "deacon."

All Christians, if you're a follower of Jesus today, should have the desire to hear Jesus one day say, "Well done, good and faithful servant." Even if you're not in a ministry overseeing people, this should be a desire of your heart. Why should it be your desire? I can think of at least three reasons why this should be a desire for you as a follower of Jesus.

First, you should desire to be a good servant of Jesus Christ because God called you, saved you, and has commissioned you to this task. Jesus has called you to be His follower, to be His servant, and He has commissioned you and me to that task. We have several commissioning statements of Jesus in the Gospels, and they are always given to disciples—followers. A disciple is a follower and imitator of Jesus.

If you're a Christian today, you're a disciple, and the commissions of Jesus are not for a select few. Therefore, all Christians are called to go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, to baptize them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, and to teach them to observe all things that Jesus commanded us (Matthew 28:19-20). That commission is for all Christians, not just for the select few identified as pastors or elders.

In addition to the commission in Matthew 28, there is also the commission in Mark 16:15, which instructs us to go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. Luke 24:46-47 tells us to go and preach this gospel, this good news of repentance, to all people, beginning where you are and going out from there. John 20:21 states, "As the Father has sent me, so I send you."

So, Jesus has commissioned us to be His servants. You should want to be a good servant, a good minister of Jesus, because God has commissioned you to it.

Secondly, you should want to be a good minister of Jesus Christ, a good servant of Jesus, because you have been given gifts by God to do so. He has equipped you with what we call spiritual gifts to be a good minister of His name, a good servant of Christ. As Peter says in First Peter, chapter four, verse ten, "As each one of you has received a gift, minister it, serve it, minister it to one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God." This is to show God your gratitude and gratefulness for the gifts that He has given to you. We should be good stewards of the gifts that He has given to us.

Therefore, we should endeavor to be good servants of Jesus because He has commissioned us to that task and has gifted us for it. In showing Him our gratitude, we strive to be good ministers.

A third reason I think we should desire to be good ministers of Jesus Christ is that He will reward good ministers. There are some within the church who teach that it is wrong for us to be good ministers and good servants of Jesus in order to receive a reward. However, we need to understand that Jesus didn't teach that. Some churches might teach that, but Jesus actually taught the exact opposite. He said we should desire to serve Him for a reward.

On a number of occasions, He appeals to our desire for reward. Virtually everything you and I do on a daily basis is for some sort of reward. We are ultimately rather self-seeking, and Jesus knows this reality about us. He even calls us to serve Him in part to receive a reward. In Matthew, chapter 25, verse 21, He gives this great story about those who serve for His namesake. The Lord will say to that servant who has done well, "Well done, good and faithful servant. I will make you ruler over many things; enter into the joy of the Lord."

So, He appeals to our desire for reward and says you should desire to be a good servant because I will reward good servants.

Point number one on your outline: All Christians have been saved, called, commissioned, and gifted for service, not just those who have titles or positions within the structure.

Of the church, all Christians have been saved, called, commissioned, and gifted for service. We should desire to be good servants, to hear Him say one day, "Well done, good and faithful servant."

If this is the case, if you and I should desire to be good ministers and servants of Jesus, how can we be good servants? I think that Paul, in First Timothy chapter four, verses six through eleven, gives us some indications and ideas about how we can be good servants.

Look at it again. First Timothy four, six, he says, "If you instruct the brethren, the church, in these things, you will be a good minister, a good servant of Jesus Christ." Good servants of Jesus Christ are nourished in the words of faith and of good doctrine.

Point number two on your outline: good ministers are nurtured by a good diet of God's Word. You will never grow to be a strong servant of Christ without a well-balanced diet of God's Word. When I say a well-balanced diet of God's Word, I mean more than just hearing the good Word of God taught for forty minutes on a Sunday morning. That's good, but not sufficient. If you had one good meal a week, you would be malnourished. You'd also be rather cranky, to be quite honest with you.

The same is true in our walk with Jesus. As good servants of Jesus Christ, we will not be strong servants if we are only receiving nourishment from His Word just one time a week. We need to be those who are seeking to be fed by the Scriptures, to grow by the Scriptures every single day.

This is why Paul, in this passage, will go on to say in First Timothy chapter four, at the end of the passage, "Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine." Throughout First and Second Timothy, Paul keeps hammering home this concept to Timothy and to the church at Ephesus that they need to be committed to taking in the Word of God.

"Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine." Skip down to verse fifteen: "Meditate on these things. Give yourself entirely to them." Skip down to verse sixteen: "Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine."

Continue in them. I already quoted it, but in 1 Timothy, chapters three and four, it says that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and it is useful in our lives for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that the man or woman of God would be thoroughly equipped, ready for every good work. Therefore, preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; convince, rebuke, and exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine.

So, Paul is calling Timothy, as the pastor of the church at Ephesus, and thereby calling the church at Ephesus to be committed to taking in the Scriptures, the word of God, consistently and with regularity. Why is a well-balanced diet of God's word so important? We could go endlessly through the Scriptures to build the case, but one of the passages that I find really helpful and important in giving us some insight into why the word of God is so important is found in the Psalms.

Turn to about the middle of your Bible; you'll probably find yourself around the middle of the Psalms, because the very middle of the Bible is, I believe, Psalm 117. So, turn to the middle of your Bible and find Psalm 19. Psalm 19, a Psalm of David from 3,000 years ago, the great king of Israel and the great Psalmist of Israel, speaks about God's word in a very poetic but beautiful manner.

He says in Psalm 19, verse seven, "The law of the Lord"—that's another synonym for the word of God—"is perfect, converting the soul. The testimony of the Lord," another synonym for the word of God, "is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart. The commandments of the Lord are pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever. The judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yes, than much fine gold; sweeter also than honey in the honeycomb. For by them, by the word of God, is your servant warned, and in keeping of them, there is great reward."

So, God's word converts the soul, makes wise the simple, and rejoices the heart. Do you have a heavy heart today? There are a lot of heavy things going on in the church this last week. My brother-in-law was diagnosed with throat cancer, and a friend who has been a solid part of our church for many years, Tad D'Ambrosio, has been serving in the children's ministry and was injured very badly at work. He is still in a coma over at Palomar Hospital. There are lots of heavy things.

Tad's wife called me the other day and talked with me. She said, "Listen, you have to focus on what's right before your eyes and make sure the word of God is right before your eyes." It rejoices the heart; it's pure, enlightening the eyes and opening eyes that have been blinded. The word of God is important. It is essential to our growth. Good ministers, those who will hear Jesus one day say, "Well done, good and faithful servant," are those who are nurtured by a good diet of God's word.

In Matthew chapter four, Jesus is tempted by the devil, a scenario we call the temptation of Christ. The first temptation has to do with food. Jesus had been fasting for 40 days and was hungry. The enemy comes to him and says, "Command these stones to be turned into bread." Certainly, that would be a temptation when you're hungry. Jesus has the power, the authority, and the ability, as God incarnate, to command stones to be turned into bread. That would be a fun trick if I could do it.

What was Jesus's response to the temptation of the devil in Matthew chapter four? He responds using the word of God from Deuteronomy chapter eight, verse three. He says, "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God." So, God's word is food for us, especially for our souls. The good servant of God will be one who is thoroughly nourished by the good word of God.

I am grateful that many of you are committed to taking in the word of God daily on a regular basis. It's a part of your life because you know that 40 minutes on a Sunday is not sufficient. It's good, but not sufficient. We try to make it something you can work with every single day. One of the tools we make available is the listening plan. Every single morning, a passage of scripture will be sent to you, whether through the podcast app or in your email, where you can listen to the word of God. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God, so that God's word can be a part of your life.

You may not realize this, but some of you are signed up for this. Do you realize that because that email goes out, I can actually track who opens it? I can see who clicks on it. I know there are a number of your names on there because you go and consume the word of God every single day. Don't worry; I'm not keeping an eye on it, but I could. It's like the NSA; we got you. But it doesn't matter if I know; God knows.

God knows. He sees. We will be malnourished and unable to face the trials and difficulties of the day without the Word of God transforming our minds. To be a good minister, we need to be nurtured by a good diet of God's Word.

Paul continues in First Timothy four. Look at verse six: "If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine, which you have carefully followed."

Number three on your outline: good ministers carefully follow good doctrine. A good servant of Jesus Christ is nourished in God's Word by reading it, memorizing it, meditating upon it, and studying it. We do all of this—read, study, memorize, meditate—so that we may apply it, live it out, and make it a part of our lives.

The story of the temptation of Jesus in Matthew chapter four reveals that Satan knows God's Word very well. The devils, Satan, and demons know the Bible. There are people who know the Bible intellectually; they've read it and studied it. Some have committed their entire lives to knowing the Bible. However, it is clear that you can know what the Bible says and not actually do it. To be a good minister, we need to carefully follow the good doctrines that we study and read.

How do we apply these things? By believing and doing the things that the Scriptures teach and command. What does that look like? The Bible teaches us in Second Corinthians chapter five that if you are a Christian today, if you are a follower of Jesus, anyone who is in Christ is a new creation. God completely and radically transforms those who put their trust in Him. From the inside, He begins with a new heart. Ezekiel chapter 36, verse 26 says that God would give us a new heart. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, they are a new creation; old things have passed away, and behold, all things have become new. In Colossians, we are told that we, now being in Christ, need to walk in Him.

We need to begin to live out that life-altering transformation that has taken place. It needs to work out from us. What does that look like to live it out, to apply it? Well, we need to believe the things that the Bible teaches. We need to do the things that the Bible commands by the Spirit of God, by the grace of God at work in us. We need to work these things out.

But what does that look like? If you're still in First Timothy, just turn to the left a few books to Ephesians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians. So just a little bit to the left to Ephesians chapter four. I love how practical Ephesians chapter four gets about living out what we're learning in the Bible.

Ephesians chapter four, we'll pick it up at verse 20. Paul says to the church at Ephesus, the same church that Timothy is pastoring, "But you have not so learned Christ. If indeed you have heard him and have been taught by him," have you been taught by the Word of God, by the Word of Christ? If that's you, he says this: "that you, verse 22, put off concerning your former conduct, the old man, which grows corrupt according to deceitful lusts, and be renewed in the spirit of your mind. And that you put on the new man, which is created according to God in true righteousness and holiness."

If you're a follower of Jesus, if you learn His Word, then he says, "put off the old man and put on the new man." That sounds really good and kind of spiritual, but what does that look like? Well, look at verse 25. "Therefore, putting away lying, let each one of you speak truth to his neighbor, for we are members of one another."

So here's a very simple, practical thing. If you're a Christian and you've put off the old man, you've been created anew in Christ and put on the new man, what's it look like? Don't lie. Tell the truth by God's enabling power. Stop lying and tell people the truth.

He continues and gets more practical: "Be angry and do not sin." Now, this might be a stumbling block for some of you. What in the world does that mean, "be angry and do not sin"? I would encourage you to think about it a little bit this week. What might it look like to be angry but not sin? Do you realize there are times when Christ was angry, and apparently, He didn't sin because He never sinned?

So what does it look like to be angry and not sin? I think we could probably spend a lot of time just pondering that. But then he says this: "Do not let the sun go down on your wrath." If you are angry and you sin, you mess up, make it right before the sun goes down. If you snap irritably at your spouse, which I guarantee you'll do if you're married, this is crucial.

This week, if you snap irritably at your spouse before the sun goes down, go confess your wrong to them and ask for forgiveness. Well, that's pretty practical. Not easy, but practical.

In verse 28, it says, "Let him who stole steal no longer." If you're a thief, stop stealing. It's as simple as that. Every act of putting off stealing has a corresponding act of putting on something good. Look at this: stop stealing, but rather let him labor, working with his hands what is good, that he may have something to give to him who is in need. So, he says, stop stealing, get a job, and give to those who are in need. That would fix it. It's pretty practical.

He goes on in verse 29: "Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth." If you have a foul mouth, stop it. By the Spirit of God, by His power, stop it and fulfill the command. Speak that which is good for necessary edification, building up, that it may impart grace to the hearers. Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. This is very practical. We apply the good doctrine and carefully walk in the good doctrine that we've been taught when we do the things that the Bible commands.

Don't lie; speak the truth. Don't steal; get a job. Give to people who are in need. Don't be angry. Don't be malicious. Don't speak evil of people. Don't be filled with wrath. Instead, have tenderheartedness and forgiveness for one another. Be kind to one another. These are the things that the Scriptures call us to do. By God's grace and power, you have the Spirit of God in you to do these things. This week, we have the ability.

Good ministers carefully follow good doctrine, and they are nurtured by a steady and rich diet of God's Word. It's found in First Timothy, chapter four, verse seven. In First Timothy, chapter four, he says in verse six, "If you instruct the brethren in these things, you'll be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the word of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed."

But in verse seven, he says to reject profane and old wives' fables. This is a much-discussed and debated proposition in the text by commentators.

Teachers, if you go and read biblical commentary on First Timothy, chapter four, verse seven, there's a lot of discussion and disagreement on exactly what it means. What are profane and old wives' fables? Paul doesn't clearly tell us what he means by profane and old wives' fables. Presumably, the doctrines of demons that he mentioned in First Timothy, chapter four, verses one through five would be accounted as profane and old wives' fables. Perhaps the teachings against marriage and calling people to abstain from certain foods, also in the previous section of First Timothy, chapter four, would be considered profane and old wives' fables.

Clearly, there were ideas and teachings circulating in the church at Ephesus that Paul and Timothy accounted as profane and old wives' fables. We don't know exactly what those things are, but I would be so bold as to say that any wisdom, teaching, or ideology that does not line up with or cannot be substantiated by the Scriptures is better rejected than received. It is better to reject such teachings than to hold onto, respect, or accept them. Teachings and ideologies within the church that do not align with the Bible—maybe you don't have an exact Scripture reference—but they need to align with the principles and teachings of the Bible. If they don't, then we should set them aside, saying they are not worth our time or attention.

On more than a few occasions, I've had well-meaning brothers and sisters come up to me and ask something like this: "Pastor Miles, what do you think about keeping kosher?" or "Pastor Miles, what do you think about observing the Sabbath?" or "Pastor Miles, what do you think about blood moons?" My response often gets a strange look from them. When they ask about keeping kosher, I say, "I don't." They look at me funny and rephrase the question. I clarify, "No, I'm not saying I don't know. I'm saying I don't think about those things. I don't spend a lot of time thinking about that sort of stuff." Why? I don't see any clear biblical call to do so. In fact, it's quite the opposite. So, I just don't think a lot about those things.

The New American Commentary on this passage states that some false teaching is best ignored rather than discussed. So, point number four: good ministers don't get distracted by dumb doctrines. That's right, I said it. Good ministers don't get distracted by dumb doctrines. I will tell you, there are a lot of Christians and a lot of churches that get caught up in these distractions.

Sidelined from the mission task that God has called them to individually and corporately, people can become distracted by a whole bunch of things that might be fun to talk about or interesting to debate over. But at the end of the day, it really is just a distraction.

It's been striking to me that this has happened on a number of occasions. Someone comes and wants to debate with me about theological issues, some side secondary theological issue, while they are living in an adulterous affair. I will just very clearly say that I don't understand why they want to argue with me about this theology when their life is a mess. Let's work on the reality that they are in sin. Maybe once they are walking in righteousness, we can discuss these issues. Clearly, this distraction has taken them away from walking in righteousness before God. Their household is a mess, their life is a mess, and they want to argue with me about whether or not the Sabbath is important. I'm not sure they are focusing on the right thing. If they want to hear Jesus say, "Well done, good and faithful servant," then maybe they should not be distracted by this thing that is clearly a distraction.

Good ministers don't get distracted by dumb doctrines. It's okay to flat out reject things that don't clearly line up with the Bible. Paul continues in First Timothy, chapter four, verse seven: "But reject profane old wives' fables and exercise yourself toward godliness. For bodily exercise profits little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come."

Just as there is no falling into physical health, you are not going to wake up tomorrow and suddenly realize, "Oh my goodness, I put on twelve pounds of muscle in one night." You are not going to fall into physical health, although we certainly would like to. I guarantee you there are some advertisements on Facebook that tell you it's possible.

In much the same way that you will not fall into physical health, there is no such thing as stumbling into godliness. It requires effort. It requires exercise. Exercise implies regularity; it implies routine. And here Paul says bodily exercise profits little.

Don't misunderstand. He's not saying that bodily exercise has no profit. Clearly, there is earthly profit in bodily exercise; there's physical health to be found in it. However, bodily exercise has a temporary reward. In contrast, exercising yourself towards godliness has both an earthly and a heavenly reward. Realize that this body will not go into eternity. Thank God.

Now, some people are really intent on making their bodies look like gods, but listen, it's only earthly. It won't be like this in heaven. It's an amazing thing. Americans, on average, spend $50 billion on fitness. That's almost a billion dollars a week on fitness. If we spent a tenth of our energy, effort, and assets on godliness, how radically different would the church be? I imagine it would be a little bit different.

So, what are godly exercises? Well, we've already talked about some of them. Some of these would be Bible reading, Bible memorization, Bible meditation, prayer, fasting, giving, charity, and service. Those are certainly some things. But then there are other godly exercises, such as working out to be more like Christ. This includes grace, mercy, forgiveness, love, self-control, kindness, humility, and honesty. By God's grace, we should exercise ourselves in humility and honesty, telling the truth and being kind to people. These are the things that we should give effort to.

Point number five on your outlines: good ministers exert effort to be more like God. One of my favorite passages, which I return to often, is Philippians chapter two, verse twelve. It says, "Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, knowing that it is God who is working in you to will and to do His good pleasure." So, God works, and we work in concert together. We're working this out. God saved you, transformed you, and put a new heart in you, and we need to work out that salvation with some energy involved in it.

Exerting some effort to work it out is essential because good ministers exert effort to be more like God. This is a profitable endeavor, more profitable than physical exercise. Exerting the effort to be more like Christ is what truly matters.

And so Paul says in First Timothy four and nine, "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance." A faithful saying. It is my hope to one day hear Jesus say, "Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into this reward prepared for you." That should be a desire for you as well. We all long to hear Him say, "Well done, good servant."

Good ministers are nurtured by a good diet of God's Word. They carefully follow good doctrine and apply the Scriptures. Good ministers don't get distracted by dumb doctrines. They exert effort to become more like God. By His grace, may He enable us to be good ministers this week. Amen?

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer?

Father, we need Your grace to run this race that we are in. Lord, we thank You that You have not left us orphans. You have not left us unable to do these things, these commands, these calls that You have given to us. It is not something that we, by our own strength and power, are going to try and drum up. It is not by might nor by power, but by Your Spirit. You promised that You would give us the indwelling Spirit to empower us to walk in a way that brings glory to You.

Holy Spirit, I pray that You would enable us today and this week to be humble, to be kind, to have self-control, to be gentle, to be forgiving, to be gracious, loving, and merciful. Lord, give us Your strength to look to Your Word every single day and to pattern our lives after the things that we are commanded to do in the Scriptures.

God, give us Your grace, give us Your Spirit. I pray that it would be evident to us individually, to our families, and to the people we go to school with or work with that You are at work in us. May our light so shine that people would see our good works and glorify You.

God, do a work in us, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name. And all those who agreed, say amen. Amen.