Servants in the House of God – 1 Timothy 6:1-5

1 Timothy verse by verse. This lesson looks at the teaching on servants in the church and the first of the final exhortations of the Book.

1. This section: Instructions concerning servants in the church (Vs. 1-2) and final exhortations to Timothy (Vs. 3-21)
2. This Lesson: Paul deals with servants, the final group in the church. Paul then begins his final exhortations to Timothy by unmasking the true character of those who oppose the teachings of the Epistle (Vs. 3-5)

Exhortation to Submissive Conduct (Vs. 1)

Respect your masters (1a)

1. “under the yoke” = slavery term
2. ‘master’ = despot, one with absolute control and unrestricted power (Hiebert)
3. ‘honour’ = “They are to have an inner attitude of genuine respect for their masters which finds outward expression in word, manner and conduct.” (Hiebert)

Remember your testimony (1b)

1. ‘that’ = indicates goal of the command
2. He doesn’t want to bring dishonour upon the Name of God or the Gospel message

Application to Saved Masters (Vs. 2)

A tendency to be avoided (2a)

1. ‘despise’ = to think down on, to disdain
2. ‘brethren’ = fellow believers
3. Having a Christian boss presents an employee with a unique temptation. If not careful, he can try and use this to his own advantage or seek to take liberties he wouldn’t attempt to take otherwise.

A quality to be pursued (2b)

1. “but rather” = “the negative sinful attitude must be replaced by positive, holy action (Gromacki). The fact one has a Christian boss should actually be an additional motivator to render quality service.
2. “partakers of the benefit” = they share the same blessings of salvation
3. “teach and exhort” = Timothy’s responsibility to these truths. He is to teach (instruction & explanation) and exhort (encouragement to put it into practice).

Opposition to Sound Doctrine (Vs. 3-5)

Their Error (Vs. 3)

1. They teach falsely (what he does) (3a)
   1. ‘teach’ = active in spreading their ideas
   2. ‘otherwise’ = diverse, contrary to true doctrine
2. They refuse stubbornly (what he refuses to do) (3b)
   1. ‘consent’ = literally means “to come to”. He refuses to approach the truth. An un-submissive spirit.
   2. ‘wholesome’ = sound (S. 1:10). English word ‘hygiene’ is based on this word
   3. “words of our Lord Jesus Christ”
      1. Christ is the source of truth.
      2. Refers not just to words spoken by Christ as recorded in the Gospels but the words of Christ given through the Biblical writers.
   4. “doctrine according to godliness” = doctrine in accord with and tending to godliness. “True doctrine is inseparable from and conducive to godliness.” (Hiebert) We need to ask, what is the fruit of their teaching in practical, everyday living?

Their Character (Vs. 4-5)

1. Proud (Vs. 4a)
   1. Means inflated, puffed up, high-minded
   2. Illustration: Hot air balloon
   3. Ignorant – “knowing nothing” (4b) “He who knows not and knows not that he knows not: he is a fool, shun him.” (Arabian Proverb)
   4. Obsessed (4c)
      1. ‘doting’
         1. lit. to be sick. Noun form translated ‘sickness’, ‘disease’, and ‘infirmities’
         2. “To be taken with such an interest in a thing as amounts to a disease” (Strongs)
         3. English word means “regarding with excessive fondness” (Websters 1828)
      2. “questions and strifes of words” = word wars. Beware of the blogosphere! Beware of fleshly agitation over Bible words.
2. Divisive – “whereof cometh” (4d-5a) These 5 things come as a fruit of the questions and strifes:
   1. ‘envy’ = jealousy about the success of others
   2. ‘strife’ = division
   3. ‘railings’ = viscous, attacking words, blasphemous concepts
   4. “evil surmisings” = malicious suspicions
   5. “perverse disputings” = irritation or friction caused by constant rubbing (Gromacki)
3. Corrupt (5b)
   1. Poisoned minds – “corrupt minds”
   2. Empty minds – “destitute of the truth”
   3. “When meeting ‘the truth’ the corrupted mind sees and seeks only objections, when meeting what differs from this truth it sees and seeks reasons for accepting this difference.” (Lenski) (Hiebert’s commentary)
4. Temporal (5c)
   1. They use their false doctrine as a means for financial gain.
      1. ‘gain’ = They define godliness in terms of material wealth

Timothy’s Response (Vs. 5d)

1. Separation is God’s method for dealing with this type of error.
2. Titus 3:10 “A man that is an heretick after the first and second admonition reject;”

Conclusion:

1. How is our witness at work?
2. How firm are we on the sound words of Scripture?
3. What is our response to false teaching? Does it line up with Scripture?

Sermon 24 of 27 in 1 Timothy Series

Sermon Audio Id: 212174841