Be An Example

Alright. Amen. First Timothy chapter four. First Timothy chapter four. So I was thinking about the message on Ruth last week.

I this passage came to mind and I think it would do us some good to spend a few weeks considering what it means all of us to be a good example as, Paul lays it out here so precisely, in this particular verse. First Timothy four twelve. Let no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example of the believers in word, in conversation, or conduct, in charity, which is the same as love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. Let's go to the Lord in prayer once more. Lord, thank you for this day that you've given us for those that are here.

We pray, Lord, that you would bless our time here today, that we would honor your name, that you would your word would not return void, but would do a mighty work in our hearts and lives to draw us closer to Christ our savior, to strengthen us and challenge us in your service, to bring conviction of sin where needed, and to draw the lost to salvation in Christ. We do pray in Jesus name, amen. First Timothy four twelve, be an example. Let no man despise thy youth. It's important important to make sure we do not misuse a passage to support our view of things or justify our behavior when the passage in context does not.

And so we're gonna take a little time this morning to look at what this passage is not saying this morning in contrast to what it is saying because it has sometimes been a bit misconstrued in its interpretation. Paul is writing Timothy. Timothy is a young protege of Paul's. He was he grew up in a town in what is now Turkey called Lystra. There, he came to know the Lord Jesus Christ, and eventually, he became an assistant to Paul and on Paul's second missionary journey, he came back as he came back through Lystra.

Timothy joined him and then traveled with him on his second missionary journey and some on his third and following. A matter of fact, the apostle Paul as Timothy grew in the ministry, the apostle Paul sent him out on errands. He sent him with letters to different churches. He sent him to check up on those churches and eventually, he sent him to Ephesus or left him in Ephesus where he became the pastor there at the church in Ephesus for a time and that is where it seems Timothy is when Paul is writing this letter to Timothy. So, just a little bit of background there.

Timothy still a young man relatively speaking, not a teenager or probably in his twenties, probably more likely in his thirties or so by this time in his life, but still relatively young. So, this verse and of course the rest of this letter all written to Timothy, he reminds them here, let no man despise thy youth. The first misconception when it comes to this verse is the addressee. Who is Paul addressing in this verse? He is addressing who?

Timothy. It is Timothy to whom he is giving advice. It is not the church at this point that he is giving advice to. It's not other people outside the church. It is to Timothy.

It is Timothy that he is addressing when he says, let no man despise thy youth, but be thou an example. This is direct address, directly addressed to Timothy. The burden is not placed upon the no man, but the responsibility is placed on who? Timothy. Okay?

It is Timothy that Paul is placing this responsibility upon when he says, let no man despise thy youth. Sometimes this statement is misconstrued to pass blame upon whoever is doing the despising. Okay? So oftentimes, at first reading, somebody might take this and go, well, don't let them despise you. In other words, the problem is not with Timothy.

The problem was the people that is that are despising him. And that is sometimes the conclusion that's jumped to. I don't let them despise you. They shouldn't despise you. That's that's terrible and wrong.

That's not what Paul is addressing here. He's not addressing the people doing the despising. He's addressing who? He's addressing Timothy. Okay?

The issue is not with the people doing the despising particularly. The issue Paul is dealing with here is Timothy's issue. Okay? It is natural to look upon new ideas and younger, less experienced people was some doubt and skepticism. Okay?

Now, if you're younger, you might not understand that so much but as you get older, you'll, you know, it is just natural and as you look around the out in the world around us and you see what some young people are doing, it is somewhat natural to be a little bit skeptic and concerned about what some of the things that's coming out of the next generation. And some of it is really sad and some of it is on display on our news every night right now. The young are often easily deceived. They don't have as much knowledge and life experience to work from, and so sometimes they get caught up in causes and things that they really haven't thought through. And when someone interviews them and says, why are you doing this?

Why are you protesting this or doing that? They look at them and go, I don't know. Everybody else is doing it. My friend's doing it. It must be a good thing.

Sometimes that happens with with youth, maybe sometimes more often than it does with older people. And so it it is natural to be kind of cautious with new ideas and and younger people. It is foolhardy to foolhardy to categorically blame the despiser without taking a look at the actions and character of the despised. So it is foolhardy to jump to conclusions and always blame the despiser and not consider the actions of the one who is being despised. Did they do something that is worthy of being despised?

Sometimes that's the case. Sometimes there's a reason that someone may not want to listen to what they have to say. Maybe there's a reason why one is despised in the sight of others. There can be several reasons. Personal responsibility must be assumed by all parties.

Too often in our society, one group seems to bear all the responsibility and blame for what air division or contention or inequities between groups or individuals exist. I've heard it said it takes two to tango. I don't know personally because I have never tangoed. But in other words, if there's two people involved, then there's two people involved, then usually the problem lies not solely with one but with what? With both.

And it is foolish to always blame one and not at least consider that there might be issues with the other. There are cases where one is clearly in the right and the other is clearly in the wrong. That does happen. But sometimes things aren't quite so clear cut. On Thursdays, we've been going through the book of first Corinthians.

You get to first Corinthians and you start the book and it starts with this. Paul's saying, there is division among you. One says, I am of Paul and the other one says, I am Cephas. The other one says, I'm of Apollos. The other says, I'm of Christ.

They should all be of who? Of Christ, not Apollos, not Paul, not Peter. Cephas is Peter. There was divisions in the church and Paul rebukes them strongly for that. He goes on to be in chapter eight and he gets to chapter eight and the Corinthians had this this odd issue.

It's an issue we don't have today. But in their pagan society, they sacrificed things regularly at these multiple temples to pagan gods or deities to idols. And oftentimes, they would sacrifice these animals upon these altars to these idols and then there would be meat left over. And they would sell the meat at the temple or they would take the meat to the marketplace and they would sell it in the market, sometimes for a reduced rate. And some people particularly couldn't afford the better meat.

Well, they would just get whatever was, you know, on sale. I'm sure none of us do that, do we? And so the meat was cheaper, so they get the cheaper meat. It had been sacrificed in front of an idol. But Paul said, goes on in first Corinthians to say, to say the idol doesn't change the meat.

The meat is meat. It doesn't change the meat if the meat was put in front of a piece of a rock that somebody formed into an idol, that didn't change the meat. So that's not really the issue here. What was the issue? The issue is these two groups of people were at each other over something that wasn't vitally important.

Whether to eat meat that had been sacrificed before what? Before an idol. They weren't worshiping the idol. That would be a problem. Would it not?

Certainly, it would be. But to eat meat that was sold in the marketplace, Paul said, this doesn't change the meat. It shouldn't be a problem. The one group was was at the other group saying, well, you're you're, don't you know better? You're eating meat sacrificed to an idol.

That that was done in an idol's temple and you're a heathen because you're eating that meat. The other group was saying, well, that's foolish. It's just meat. Who cares where it was sacrificing from? And it became a cause of contention.

Paul didn't just rebuke the one side and ignore the other. Paul dealt with what? With both sides because both sides were being judgmental, unkind rather than wanting to lift up the other and help them. They were condemning and condescending. So Paul dealt with both sides of the issue.

Don't don't condemn those and rush to judgment on those that are eating the meat and those that won't eat the meat will consider the fact maybe they were saved out of paganism and in their mind when they eat the meat, it's still associated with the what? With the idol. So be considerate. The problem wasn't just with one side, the problem was with both and that is often that was often the case. Sometimes hurts and bad feelings take time and a good deal of humility to heal.

It often takes both parties to recognize their wrongs and work together to fix them. Romans fourteen thirteen says, let us not therefore judge, what's the next two words, one another anymore. But judge this rather, that no man put a stumbling block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way. In other words, would you quit judging everybody else and examine who? Yourself.

You know, there may be that part of the problem that you have with somebody else is yours. So don't just go around looking at everybody else's problems. Consider the one that you can really do something about, and that's you. So Paul is telling Timothy, before you spend your time trying to fix everybody else, make sure you start with who? Make sure you start with yourself.

Make sure you start with yourself. Anybody that's worth their salt in ministry in the home, in the church, in the world, on the mission field starts first with them before they go trying to fix everybody else. If you let God change your life, you're gonna shine brighter and it's going to affect others. That's what he's telling Timothy. Marital problems, for instance, are most often the fault of both parties and it takes both parties taking responsibility for fixing things before marriage can be fixed.

A lot of times, however, one party pushes all the blame on the other and so little gets accomplished. And the problem just gets what? Gets bigger. When young people act in a brash or overconfident or self centered or self indulgent manner, it is no wonder that sometimes others despise them. By the way, that's not only young people that act that way, that's possible with you at 50 or 80 or a 110.

Even if they themselves are not like this, they must understand that many others in their ranks are like that. Now, we get real upset because people prejudge us based upon the age we are or where we come from or what language we speak or but usually there's some sometimes dumb reason, but there's a reason. How can we help to fix that? Well, here's how you felt to fix that. You do not give them a reason to despise who?

Don't give them a reason to despise you. You can't fix everybody else. You not may not be able to fix what they think, but you can fix by God's grace you So that you are part of the solution and not part of the what and not part of the problem. This is Paul's challenge to Timothy. Paul in his letter is not speaking to the congregation.

If he were, he would probably give them similar advice. He might say to the congregation, don't prejudge your pastor due to his youth. Don't underestimate him or the God whom he serves. But in this verse, he's not talking to the congregation, he's talking to who? He's talking to Timothy.

And he says, Timothy, you do your best to live in such a manner that they have no reason to despise who? Despise you because you're young. How do you help to to dispel that? Be an example. Be an example to the older folks.

Be an example to the younger folks. Be an example to the congregation. Be an example to the lost in your community. Be an example. Let your light shine.

And that will change hearts and lives. It will as they see Jesus in who? As they see Jesus in us. That is what will change people. Not not arguments and protests, but being that light that others need to see.

Misconception number two is the imperative. Let no man despise thy youth. In other words, some say might read this and say, well, that means make everyone like or respect you. Make everyone like or respect you. Now, is that a plausible goal to make everyone like and respect you?

The answer to that is no. You are never going to make everyone like and respect you. That is not what Paul is saying to Timothy. This is neither possible nor preferable. If everybody likes you, then probably you're pandering to everybody and you stand for nothing.

Because if you stand for something, somebody is gonna what? Somebody's gonna despise you because somebody's not gonna like what you stand for. Okay? So Paul isn't telling Timothy, oh, you make everybody like and respect you. No.

That's not what he's saying. If we serve Christ, some will certainly despise us. Jesus said so. If the world hates you, you know that it hated me before it hated you. If he were of the world, the world would hate, the world would love his own.

But because you are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. So Jesus told his very own disciples, if the world doesn't like you, they don't pat you on the back, if they don't willingly receive and and cheer when you give them the gospel, don't be surprised. They don't want to hear that. People don't want to hear about hell, do they? No, they don't.

People don't want to hear about sin and that they're sinners. People don't like being rebuked. Do you like being rebuked? Probably not. People don't like that.

It bothers them. They have a defense mechanism and often times, out of the hardness of their heart, they won't love you. They won't pat you on the back. They'll despise you. Jesus said to his disciples, don't get upset.

Don't throw in the towel. Don't give up. Don't think, oh no, I'm doing it wrong because the world doesn't like me. Don't measure yourself by how the world responds to you. Measure yourself by how well you're doing at following who?

The Lord Jesus Christ. You know, God told Jeremiah when he called him into the ministry in the book of Jeremiah, he said, Jeremiah, I want you to go and give them my message. And you know what? They're gonna hate you. They're not gonna listen to you.

They're gonna do the very opposite that I tell them to do. That's okay. I'm with you. You're on my side. Your reward is coming.

Just do what I've asked you to do. Sometimes, even Christians aren't going to respond all that well to you. Sometimes, we have things in our life that cause us to, I mean, we don't like to be rebuked either, do we? We know. Sometimes, we don't like it when other people are doing the right thing because it makes us guilty because we're doing the what?

The wrong thing. Sometimes, we don't like our toes being stepped on from the pulpit or in the classroom. Sometimes, people just rub us the wrong way. It happens. You can't make everybody like you.

That's not the purpose of the ministry. But be an example. Don't give them an undue reason to despise you. Don't give them and Paul Peter talks about this in first Peter. We were studying in Sunday school.

If you're going to be persecuted, be persecuted for the cause of Christ for doing the right thing. Don't be persecuted for doing the wrong thing. Don't go, oh, woe is me. You know, I I stole my neighbor's dog and now my neighbor sent me to jail. Well, guess what?

You're not going to jail because you're a Christian, you're going to jail because you stole your neighbor's dog. So don't whine about it. But if you're persecuted for righteousness sake, well, that's not a bad thing. That's a good thing. Great is your reward where?

In heaven for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you. If we serve Christ, some will despise us. We are not supposed to live to please men, but to please who? To please God. For I do now for do I now persuade men or God or do I seek to please men?

For if I yet please men, I should not be the servant of Christ. Paul said, I don't walk on eggshells all the time trying to please men. One, it it's not possible. You're not going to please everybody. Number two, I don't serve men.

I serve who? I serve God. We serve God. We serve the Lord Jesus Christ. We minister to men in his behalf but our master are not men.

Our master is our God in heaven. So, Paul's not telling Timothy, now make sure you do everything to make everybody happy and please everyone. That's not the ministry and that's not what God expects of us. He just expects of us to be an example in pleasing the Lord. Do your best.

Sometimes we're gonna fall a little bit short. Yes. Even pastors. Yes. But do your best, Timothy, to not give them a reason to despise you.

First Corinthians ten thirty one says, whether therefore ye eat or drink or what or ever you do, do all to the glory of God. Just do it all to the good. Do what you think honors who? God. Be faithful.

That's what he asks. If we do try to please everyone, we'll destroy ourselves and we'll destroy our ministries. That's not what Paul is asking Timothy to do. You have one master, the Lord Jesus Christ. Serve him.

Do it his way. You may not always get a pat on the back. You may not always have the biggest congregation. You may not be the most popular person. That's okay.

Because we're here to serve the Lord and do our best to bring glory to him. So what does this mean? The correct message is here is this, to Timothy, be an example. While you cannot please everyone, it is assumed that genuine believers who want to learn and serve Christ will honor those God has given them to minister and teach them the word. This we should be able to assume that most Christians who want to know the Lord will honor those that God has placed in their lives to help them.

And sometimes that's not a minister preaching from the pulpit. Sometimes that's a friend that says, you know, brother or sister, I'm praying for you. I noticed that that you're struggling. Don't if you if you really wanna serve the Lord, you won't just get mad at them. You'll think, you know, maybe God put them in my life to help me.

There is such a thing as positive criticism as long as that criticism is encouragement. Paul's concern was that Timothy live in a manner worthy of that honor, that the ministry of the Lord be not hindered by youthful antics or or foolish words or actions. Paul's concerned to Timothy. What he's saying to Timothy is this, don't let your youth, your naivety, your your antics, your youthful lust, don't let them come to the surface. Grow close to the Lord and follow him and be an example despite your youth.

You be an example to everyone of what it means to be a Christian. Don't give others, especially in your church, reasons to despise your youthfulness. In another passage, he tells Timothy to flee youthful lusts. Don't toy with them. Don't excuse them.

I think that's does that happen in our society a lot? Young people excusing their behavior because they're what? They're young. Or is it only young people that despise their behavior that that that not despise, that excuse their behavior because they're young? Or is it often older people that excuse their behavior because they're young?

I think a lot of the problem with the youth of our country is the older people are saying, hey, you're young. It's okay. You know, so you're wild oats. You'll get over it. You'll grow up.

And they're saying that to people that are 30 years old. They're not saying it to eight year olds. Maybe that's the reason a lot of you think that way. It's because we've given them reason to think that way. Paul says that's not the right way.

Flee youthful lusts. Don't give in to them. Don't excuse them. There's no excuse for them. Sin is sin.

Don't do it. Grow up. Be an example. Don't give them undue unnecessary ammunition to say, well, that's young people for you. Don't give them a frivolous or real reason to become your critic, but live in such a manner to give them every reason to be your supporter and follower.

One of the qualifications for a pastor and deacon is that they be blameless. Blameless. What does that mean? Does that mean that they have never sinned or will never sin? The answer to that is obviously not because preachers and teachers, prophets and apostles, they all still sin.

What that means is this, don't let your reputation be marred and your ministry hindered by involving yourself in sinful activities that give others a reason to question your genuineness, to question your faithfulness. Sad to say that happens a lot. And oftentimes, again, like youth get a pass, so preachers do too. And that that should be, especially what happens two and three and four times. There's a problem.

Fix the problem because it's going to hinder your ministry. This is the answer. Be an example. Not griping about those who despise you or getting upset or bowing up to it, not ignoring it or trying to please everyone, but be an example, a pattern or model for others to follow. Paul was challenging Timothy to continue to become a better and better role model for those to whom he ministered that they could follow by seeking to please God and not men.

Don't just tell them what's right. Show them. Practice what you preach. If you don't practice what you preach, guess what? People probably aren't gonna listen to what you say.

For some people, that's okay. They don't mind sitting in a pew and not listening to what you say. Don't give them that reason. Be an example. Be a model that others can follow.

Your walk talks louder than your talk talks. Your walk talks louder than your talk talks. Paul made similar statements to another young protege, his name was Titus. He left Titus in charge of establishing churches and appointing leadership on the island of Crete. He says this to Titus in Titus chapter two, young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.

You know, serious, just frivolous all the time. In all things showing thyself, Titus, who was also a young man, a pattern of good works. What does that mean? Be an example. In doctrine, showing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, sound speech that cannot be condemned, that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.

Be an example. Be be be serious. Be be unselfish. Be true, be be diligent so that when others wanna find something to despise you about, they'll have a hard time finding it. That's what Paul is telling Titus.

You you preach the word with sincerity, with diligence, with accuracy. You be an example in your behavior. Don't give them a reason. Being an example is the most effective way to teach others and show them you are not to be despised but looked up to. We are compelled in scripture to be disciples and followers of Christ who is our great role model.

You wanna know how to be a good example? You be a good example by following the example. Follow Jesus. Read his word. Get to know the Jesus of the scriptures, not the Jesus that the world throws out there, but the Jesus of the scripture of the Bible, the Jesus that died and rose again to save your soul, the Jesus who sent the Holy Spirit to live with you if you are indeed a believer and a born again Christian in the faith.

Let him do his work, read his word, get to know him, walk with him, follow him. There's no better example than the Lord Jesus Christ. And as you follow Christ, then other people can look at who can look at you. Because guess what? They can't see Christ.

If they're saved, they don't even know Christ, but they can't see you. Song I used to listen to in high school, title was You're the Only Jesus Some Will Ever See. Some will never crack open a Bible. The only knowledge of scripture they may have is some somebody holding up a John three sixteen sign at the end zone at a football game and wondering what in the world is that about. But they might rub shoulders with you.

Other Christians are watching you. Younger Christians are watching you. Older Christians are watching. Not just me, but also but also you. Sometimes your testimony is more powerful than mine.

Why is that? Well, they expect me because I'm the one. I'm the preacher. I gotta do this. I gotta live this way.

I gotta have this, you know, public reputation. So, you know, sometimes it's more powerful when they see it lived in you because they don't think you have a reason to put on heirs Follow the Lord and then you can say as Paul said, three times in his epistles, he says this, be ye followers of me even as I also am of Christ. Paul says, follow me. How could Paul say that? Well, because generally speaking, he was a good one.

He was a good example. And so he said to Timothy, Timothy, don't let them despise your youth. What does that mean? That means tell them to shut their mouth and make them fall in line. No.

No. Be an example. Be an example that they can follow. The apostle Paul exhorted those he wrote, follow his example as he followed Christ. We can do the same.

This is the very best solution to any disrespect or distrust on the part of Timothy's congregation or of others in his life. It's not a quick fix. It takes what? Takes time. You can't just demand it.

Trust is what? Earned. That's that's a true statement. You want somebody to trust you? Well, it's going to take time.

It doesn't happen overnight. Oh, I have a title. No. And their trust. This is an ongoing proposition.

Continue to be a better and better example. No point you can say I have arrived. Paul said in Philippians three, I haven't arrived. Just forgetting those things which behind, I'm pressing onward to those things which are before. To be more like who?

Be more like Jesus till the day I get to heaven and I will be just like Jesus. Until then, I'm pressing on, pressing on the upward way. This is a lesson meant not only for the young, but it's a lesson meant for all of us. To be an example of the believer in word, in what we say, in conversation, in what we do, what that means, in charity, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity. And then follow Jesus, be an example in these areas.

Now we're gonna start with the first one. No, I'm just kidding. We're gonna take the next few weeks to go a little deeper into what those those areas that God is asking Timothy to be an example in, that we might learn to be that kind of example also. Let's pray. Dear heavenly father, thank you, Lord, for your word.

Forgive us of our our tendency to wanna pass the blame to others around us, not consider our our ourselves and the instruction that that God has given us here as Paul gives to Timothy to be an example. Lord, I pray that we would be growing more like Christ every day by reading your word, by spending time in prayer talking to you, by by making right decisions in faith, trusting Lord that you know what's right and that you will not fail us. Lord, I pray if there's one here today that is yet to receive the Lord Jesus Christ as savior, that has not sure if they died today, if they would would go to heaven or not. I pray that you would convict their heart, that you would challenge them, that you would draw them to yourself. They would meet me down the front of this aisle this morning.

We can share with them how they can come to know Christ and and become a child of God. Lord, thank you for what you did for us on the cross and for what you're doing in us today, for being our risen savior who will save us to the uttermost and make us to be like more like Christ. Lord, help us to gain the victory and not get weary in the fight. And Lord, we pray our our our light would shine more brightly inside these walls and out. In Jesus' name we do pray.

Amen.