Sept. 17, 2017 PM Service The Man of God by Pastor Josh Sheldon

1 Timothy 6:11 and the Context of Godliness, Contentment, and the Love of Money

We continue our study of 1st Timothy in this afternoon preaching, this afternoon service. And for this afternoon, we have but one verse to attend to as we come close to the close of 1st Timothy as a book.

If you would be there in chapter six of 1st Timothy and verse 11, and actually, I think better of that, and I will begin reading at verse, what is that? The last part of verse two. Just to get us the context and to remind ourselves of the flow of 1st Timothy and how we got to where we are with just this one verse.

So teach and urge these things. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing.

He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world and we cannot take anything out of the world. But if we have food and clothing, with these we will be content. But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction.

For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs. And finally, just this verse is our text for this afternoon.

But as for you, oh man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. This is the word of God to us. You know, the followers of Jesus Christ have been known by a pretty wide variety of titles.

Christian, Disciple, Believer, Saint, and Brother

One of the earliest is that of Christian. Christian became widespread a long time ago, roughly 2 ,000 years ago, though we gladly accept it for us today, 2 ,000 years later as a bekeithment from those who first heard and accepted it.

Now Christian as a title, as a name for what was then just a sect, a minor unimportant slice of what was Judaism. It was probably meant sarcastically. Maybe it was even meant as an insult. Yet today we gladly accept this mantle that makes us what?

The refuse, the off-scouring, to use Paul's terms, of the world. And that is fine if by it, no matter what disgrace may be attributed to it, if by it we are associated with our Lord, our Savior, Jesus Christ.

What might have begun as a joke has been turned into our great joy. As by this we are marked, I am a Christ one. I am a Christian. I own him and he owns me. And no greater honor is there for any of us to say than this, that I follow the Nazarene.

I am a Christian. It's Christian that has endured since the church was formed. Before they were Christians, though long before that, they were called disciples. That was a title. They were disciples. This was the earliest and was used as the most general term for those who were adhering to the Lord Jesus Christ, following him.

Though most were not true disciples. They were just enthusiasts, as it turned out. They were just getting behind a movement that looked interesting. Disciple, though in the most general sense of it, a disciple is the title given to one who learns from a revered teacher.

Nicodemus, when he met Jesus at night, he called Jesus a teacher come from God. There are many men have had disciples in the world. We could even name Plato, Socrates, Buddha, even Cephusius or Mohammed.

They're all teachers of sort and they all had disciples of sort who sat under their feet. But these in no way can aspire to the grandeur of our Lord, whose disciples we are, whose students we are, whose teacher is ours.

The others might revel in the truths that they find useful. Plato and Socrates defined rhetoric and logic and ethics for generations to follow. Confucius's pithy statements still titillate many people, but our Jesus, our teacher, whose disciples we are is so much higher.

He came as our teacher to reveal to us God, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has seen God at any time, says the Apostle John, but Jesus, but the Christ, he has revealed him. He has made him manifest.

He has taught us who God the Father is and so we're his disciples on this lifelong journey of learning who God is. On this lifelong journey of reveling in what he has done for us in his son, Jesus. So we give not just assent to his teaching, as disciples of any teacher could do, but we believe in him as Lord and Savior.

And by that, we can transition from the title of disciple to believer, those who have faith, the faithful of Jesus Christ. One who doesn't just believe that he spoke truly, but believe, we have faith that he is God from God.

That he is the sin-bearing lamb who takes, who took away the sin of the world and took it on his own shoulders at the cross. We are believers, we are faithful and as such, all our hope, all our trust, all our confidence in the life to come is in him and what he has done on the cross.

Belief, faith though, does something and that leads to another title. One of Apostle Paul's favorites, which was saints. The word derives from the same word as holy. It denotes consecration, complete devotion to our Lord Jesus Christ.

One more title, we have many titles, we're brethren. It's a description of our adoption together as Christ's own family, our relationship with each other. We are brethren together because of him and he is not ashamed to call us his brethren.

So we are brethren, these are great titles that we carry. Each one carries a different load. As disciples we learn, as believers we trust, as saints we surrender, as brethren we worship and love and bear each other's burdens and in every way fulfill the law of Christ, which is to love one another.

The Title Man of God and Its Old Testament Background

All that to say, in the verse before us this morning, in 1 Timothy 6 .11, Timothy received a title. He was called man of God. It's used again and only one other place where Paul uses it in 2 Timothy 3 .17 and actually if you start at 3 .16, all scripture is breathed out by God, is profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, ever training in righteousness and here's verse 17, that the man of God may be competent, equipped for every good work.

So in 1 Timothy 6 .11, we have a description of the characteristics that make this an appropriate title for any man or for that matter any woman who professes faith in Jesus Christ. What does it mean to be a man of God?

A person of God, one redeemed from this world and brought into the family of God? For whom this title is appropriate? Well, the first thing this title relates to us is the relationship that this one has to God.

This was a favorite title of back in the Old Testament, Elijah and his successor, Elisha. I think Paul might have even had this in mind when he wrote this, Israel in those prophets' days was a spiritual wasteland, desolate of any but a few pockets of faithful followers of Yahweh.

But the title is not to be a tool for elitists. It's describing every disciple, every believer, every saint, every brethren. And again, describing for us this relationship to God, living near God by prayer, an essential mark of the Christian life without which there's no communion with our Father who's in heaven, the one who made us Jesus' brethren.

The God who is of the title man of God by prayer, the perplexities we face are resolved and the fiery darts of our adversary are quenched. More than quenched, they're rendered impotent and harmless. Man of God describes someone of prayer, someone whose faith is in Jesus Christ and therefore find themselves on their knees and seeking the Father's face.

We rise from prayer in better knowledge of him and so we're better representatives of him. We can only reflect light that is in our proximity. The apostle James says, draw near to God and he will draw near to you.

A weak or a nonexistent prayer life means that we're not near to him and no light escapes from a dark closet with the door closed. Remember Moses, when he met with God and he came out of the tent and how, do you look, his face was glowing.

Having met and communed with God in such intimacy, in such closeness, so glowing and so much holiness being exuded, being reflected by him that the people of Israel were scared, they're frightened of it, which God's holiness should well do.

Moses put a veil over his face so that we would be men and women of God who pray so much that when we exit our prayer closet, there's a light reflecting us or from us. That is scary. Though someone would say to me, there is a holiness exuding from me, even if they don't know it's holiness, there's something coming from you that I cannot be around.

Please, put a veil over your face. To extend the analogy a little bit, please stop telling me about this holy Lord Jesus whom you worship, the one who gave you this reflection as you went to him in prayer.

Veil this for me. Oh, that we need to be men of God. If this title is to be one that we have, we're disciples, saints, believers, brethren, man of God, a closeness, a proximity to the holiest God that must reflect from us.

We need to rise from prayer, knowing him better, reflecting him more, doing his will all the closer and all the more consistently. Paul says, Ephesians 5a, you were one time darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.

Walk as children of the light, light from prayer. Light reflecting from God onto us by proximity to him as we go to him in prayer. The psalmist says, your word, O Lord, is a lamp to my feet. We need to put feet to this gospel.

We need to not just speak holy words, but do holy things if we are to be appropriately named by this title, man of God. Man of God, it also denotes, if not, as well as our relationship to God, it's our relationship to sin.

Flee Sin and Pursue Righteousness

It's our relationship to that which is not God. Everywhere in the New Testament, even this one that I read from Ephesians 5a, we are called to be more and more like God. We talked last week about loving the things that God loves, hating the things that God hates, pursuing those things that God loves and fleeing away from those things that he hates.

That was last week's message. You were once darkness, but now you are light. And what do we do with that light? Walk, live, order your life as children of light, which means, as this next point said, to run away from, to not be in sin, to recognize it, to repent.

The man of God will run from what God hates, will flee to what he loves. As for you, oh man of God, flee these things, pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness. Flee what God hates, pursue to attain the character that he loves.

The balance is in two psalms. Psalm 139, verses 21, 22. Do I not hate those who hate you, oh Lord? And do I not loathe those who rise up against you? Do I hate them with complete hatred? I count them my enemies.

I'm very consistent with what Paul tells Timothy about getting himself detached from and away from and out of proximity of those things which God would despise. And then Psalm 37, four, the balancing.

Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Delight yourself in the Lord through prayer, through communion, through intimacy with him. And why would he give you the desires of your heart?

Because as we pray, as we look to the scripture, as we surrender to his spirit, our heart is more and more aligned with his. And what we ask for is what would please him most. The word flee is in the form of a continual command.

Always, in every circumstance, flee. It doesn't mean to resist. It means turn tail and run. Flee as though your life depended on it. You're no match for this foe. Get out of there. First John 4, four says little children, you are from God and have overcome them.

For he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world. So where is the victory? The victory is in Christ Jesus. He won the victory. He won the victory, but consider the cost. God's only son went to the cross because of sin, because of our sin.

And think of the trial he endured in 40 days of temptation. It wasn't just at the end of Matthew four that Jesus was tempted. He was tempted during the entire time. Why did God send his son for this? Well, there's many reasons.

In a lifetime spent pondering just that one subject, I think would be a lifetime well spent, but consider just this. God sent his son to deal with sin because you and I cannot. It is deeper, it is darker, it is more malignant, it is uglier than any mortal can ever imagine.

And even with the new heart, the heart of flesh implanted by God at our rebirth, remember that this new heart is surrounded by the old flesh and those old desires crop up at the most unexpected times.

The power they exert is tremendous. Remember Peter, he fell to man-fearing pride and he had to feel the sting of Paul's rebuke. Remember when he distanced himself from that slice of God's people that he wanted to eat with until another group of God's people showed up and also he distanced himself from these because he feared those.

And Peter had to rebuke him and say, what you're doing is not right. The gospel is at stake. Ananias and Sapphira, I think they were believers and they both fell to greed and pride. Remember that sin is much more deadly, much more powerful, much more ugly in God's sight than you and I will ever know.

We're no match for it. Jesus is, we're not. Jesus tempted in all ways as we are, yet without sin, we're tempted in all ways as we are and yet how often do we stumble, stay away, flee, get out of there like a snippering coward.

Turntail, run as fast as you can. That's the answer, flee, run away. Don't stop and pray, retreat. Don't ask a brother to help you, just get out. Then pray a prayer of thanksgiving and pray a prayer of thanksgiving, not of rescue of thanksgiving because you fled like a coward and you didn't need rescue.

Thank God for his deliverance, for having saved you from needing to repent. Then never return to that battleground. The battle was won by Jesus. If you and I could have prevailed, if you or I were any match for sin, then God might as well have sent you or me.

But we're not, he didn't. First Corinthians 10 .31 famously promises a way of escape and that provision might actually, might well be this command, which is to flee to run from that old sin and flee to the cross.

That is the way of escape. One writer I read says it depends on circumstance, how we handle this sin, this temptation. If the temptation is one that we must face daily, let's say something at our jobs and it's there constantly.

We're always having to be around it for practical reasons. Well, then we fight it. Ephesians 6 .10 and the rest of that with the shield and the sword and the helm of the salvation and the feet prepared with the gospel of salvation.

That equips us for it. Sometimes the temptation is severe, but it's unusual. It's a momentary thing. James tells us what to do. He says, resist the devil and he shall flee for you. His word is stand fast, which sometimes we must.

When fleeing the premises, when getting out of there isn't possible in that way, then stand, yes, we must stand, but stand in prayer and supplication, pleading that he keep you strong. Do not pretend for a moment that you are a match for it.

Experience tells us, though, that too often, too often we just don't even notice it creeping in on us. It's so insidious. It's so sneaky a thing. But the man of God, we whose title this is, is one ever vigilant.

Peter admonishes us, be sober minded, be watchful. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. And then there's the relationship of the man of God with virtue, with just doing what's right.

Pursue Faith, Love, Steadfastness, and Gentleness

More than just turning from old pleasures and entertainments we turn positively and determinedly towards the other, towards godly and virtuous ways. The word pursue here is the same word we had this morning in Romans 9, 30 to 33, where Gentiles attained what they did not pursue, the righteousness of God, but Israel that did pursue it did not attain to it.

It's that same word, it means to persecute. It means to engage all your energy, all focused like a laser beam on this one goal. And here's what Timothy is saying. Here's what the man of God is told. To pursue the positive, to pursue the ways of God.

It's a continual, an intensive determination to grab hold of what pleases him. He speaks of righteousness and godliness. That's all conduct towards God. It's our obedience to Christ's commands that we have in scripture.

Things that are meant for our good. He says, pursue faith and love. Without the one faith, God is never pleased. For without faith, it is impossible to please God. Without the other, love, we cannot fulfill the law of Christ.

What is the law of Christ? That you love one another. That you love your neighbor as yourself. This fulfills the law and the prophets. Pursue, persecute, if you will, yourself after faith and love, steadfastness and gentleness.

This is about how we deal with our fellow man. My friend, Mike Kelly's first wife, Marsha. She used to speak of regs, R-E-G. Those who require extra grace. Those people who test our patience. Those people who just need a little bit more encouragement to be a little bit more like grand moi.

You know what I'm saying. We're to pursue, we're to persecute ourselves after steadfastness and gentleness. This steadfast faithfulness to Christ with patience is demanded from someone who would have this title, man of God.

Even when, we should say especially when, it's hard. And I think that when it's hard for us to show that patience, we need to think first how hard it is for us to show patience to us. What this really means, this is what the famous hymn says.

Turn your eyes upon Jesus. Look full in his wonderful face. And the things of this world, its evils, its temptations, its attractions, our pride in ourselves will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace.

As for you, oh man of God, flee these things. These things that came just before. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness. We all have our various temptations. One thing might attract me, which would repel you.

Another might cause you to fixate day and night, which would elicit from me no more than a shrug. One person can't get their mind off that idea, even knowing it is sin, which another person might not even notice.

We're all different in what attracts us. We're all the same in our weakness to resist. And we're the same in our need to do what a man of God must. Two-fold strategy first. Flee, always. Do not test the water.

Do not think because you resisted once, you will again. Don't stick your little toe in the swimming pool to see how cold or how hot it is. Get, that's all there is to it. Turn around, go. And the second half is when you go, you turn the opposite way, pursue sins opposite.

The righteousness of God revealed in his son, Jesus. With a determined commitment of a persecutor, seek after the good. You see, if you're a believer, if your faith is in the Lord Jesus Christ, I speak of the second person of the Trinity, I speak of the eternal Son of God, who never was not.

I speak of the Son of God who came from heaven, who became man, was fully man and fully God. If your faith is in this one, sent by the Father, returned to heaven, who sent his Spirit, Father, Son, Holy Spirit, I think you speak of the triune God.

If your faith is in him, then this title, then all these titles are yours. You're a disciple, you are a learner. Jesus said, take my yoke upon you and learn from me. Your title is believer by the faith that he gave you.

Your title is saint, consecrated to his holy use by our fleeing the unclean and pursuing what is right. You are Christ's brethren, a title he gives us in Hebrews chapter two, verse 11. For he who sanctifies and those who are sanctified all have one origin, and that is why he is not ashamed to call us brethren.

And all of this culminates in this one title, a title, the honor of which we all must continually work ourselves into. But as for you, oh man of God, amen?