1 Timothy 4:6-10

B2 Remind brethren

C1 These instructions are primarily for the pastors/leaders but should be applied to all brothers and sisters. Most pastors/leaders do not.

D1 Timothy must remind them, that is, bring them up occasionally to refresh their memory.

D2 Good teachers do not teach something one time. They review it from time to time as necessary.

D3 Timothy must nourish himself as well. We need to be nourished in

E1 Words of faith, that is,

F1 Matthew 4:4 NLT But Jesus told him, "No! The Scriptures say, 'People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.

F2 Psalm 1:1-3 NLT Oh, the joys of those who do not follow the advice of the wicked, or stand around with sinners, or join in with mockers. 2 But they delight in the law of the LORD, meditating on it day and night. 3 They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season. Their leaves never wither, and they prosper in all they do.

E2 Good teaching

F1 Luke 24:27 NLT Then Jesus took them through the writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the things concerning himself.

F2 God is the Teacher of all teachers, the greatest, the best. This verse prophesies but the character trait is reality: Isaiah 2:3 NLT People from many nations will come and say, "Come, let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of Jacob's God. There he will teach us his ways, and we will walk in his paths." For the LORD's teaching will go out from Zion; his word will go out from Jerusalem.

E3 Consistently

F1 Hebrews 13:8 NLT Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

F2 Malachi 3:6 NLT I am the LORD, and I do not change. That is why you descendants of Jacob are not already destroyed.

F3 Attitude—I need to do this. I will do this.

F4 Dedication—I will do this every day.

F5 Habit—I will do this as a habit without fail, except in an emergency.

F6 Help—I will seek God’s help and wisdom.

F7 Others—I will teach and be taught by others.

F8 Expect—I expect God to teach me through Scriptures.

F9 Application—I will live what I’m taught.

E4 Barclay writes: It tells us how to face the task of teaching. Timothy is told that he must feed his life on the words of faith. No man can give out without taking in. He who would teach must be continually learning. It is the reverse of the truth that when a man becomes a teacher he ceases to be a learner; he must daily know Jesus Christ better before he can bring him to others.

C2 In doing so, we are being pleasing servants of the Lord Jesus.

D1 We remind ourselves and our fellow believers of these things. W

D2 We must not do the things of verse 7.

D3 The method is to remind ourselves through Bible reading, Bible study, prayer, and fellowship (with God and believers).

D4 We have to be open and listen when our fellow believers remind us.

C3 We have to be nourished in the faith. This is knowing the Gospel and Biblical doctrine.

C4 We have to follow them carefully. We do not follow them to be saved or to be better Christians than someone else. We do follow them because we want to be good servants of Jesus Christ.

C5 We are not to follow crude myths or old wives’ stories. These are not doctrine. They are religious myths and stories. None of them are something Christians need to believe.

C6 We need to be in training for living a godly life.

D1 We must know the Bible.

D2 We must know what we believe.

D3 We must know how to live a Christian life.

D4 We must be able to answer questions challenging our faith (apologetics).

C7 Physical exercise is OK but will not enhance our faith. Some of the same points of being a better athlete can be applied to learning God’s ways.

C8 We need to be ready for living tomorrow with God’s standards stronger in us then today.

C9 Believing that Jesus is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe is offensive to many people. The Gospel is offensive. Jesus is offensive. A Christian life is offensive to many. God’s standards are offensive to many. See also 1 John 4:14, Isaiah 45:22, 1 Timothy 2:4, Acts 2:21, 2 Peter 3:9.

B3 Applications

C1 Christians are different. Saving faith is different. Jesus is different. Jesus suffered, so will we.

C2 God gives us grace and strength for whatever we face.

C3 We need to be taught and to teach each other.

C4 We need to encourage each other in the faith.

C5 We need to pray for each other.

B4 Questions

C1 What is the relationship between being a great athlete and a great Christian?

C2 Why does the pastor/leader have to learn and teach?

C3 What is the importance of consistency in the Christian faith?

C4 Why do we have to emphasize knowing the Bible, knowing what we believe, knowing what the Christian life and worldview is, and knowing how to defend the faith (apologetics)?