1 Timothy 4 Lesson

PAUL’S PEP TALK

In 1 Timothy Chapter 4, Timothy received what amounted to a “pep talk” from the Apostle Paul. 

The older and more experienced Paul encouragedTimothy to do four things:   

1. To show himself as an example to those who believe ,
2. To read scripture publicly,
3. To exhort and teach ,
4. To not neglect the spiritual gifts God had blessed him with.

The basic message that Paul delivered to Timothy can be summed up in the following scripture:

• “Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you.” – 1 Timothy 4:14.

TAKING A SPIRITUAL INVENTORY

To make sure that we are not neglecting the spiritual gifts that God has blessed us with, the  first thing that we need to do is to take a “Spiritual inventory.” 

In his letter to the Galatians, Paul listed nine “fruits” that one should possess if the Holy Spirit is active in their life:

• “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.” – Galatians 5:22-23.

One way to take a Spiritual inventory of ourselves is to see which fruits of the Spirit are active in our lives, and which are not.

The fruit of the Spirit is:

1. Love,
2. Joy,
3. Peace,
4. Patience,
5. Kindness,
6. Goodness,
7. Faithfulness,
8. Gentleness,
9. And self-control.

We need to ask ourselves if we were judged today, would we be found to have been faithful Christians who possess these Godly characteristics? 

Or will we be like the many who will perish?

There are a lot of people who mistakenly believe that most of us are going to go to Heavenwhen we die.

That type of thinking is in complete disagreement with the following words spoken by Jesus during His Sermon on the Mount:

• “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. For the gate is small and the way is narrow that leads to life, and there are few who find it.” – Mathew 7:13-14.

In this scripture, Jesus warns us not to be complacent.  

Getting to Heaven is hard!

That is why MANY are going to perish, but only a FEW will be saved.

If we want to be among the few that spend eternity in Heaven, we need to prepare ourselves for the Day of Judgment.

Consider the following scripture as you take your own Spiritual inventory and determine your own preparedness for that critical day:

• “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’” – Mathew 7:21-23.

SELF-ASSESSMENT

We gain valuable perspective when we reflect on our lives and assess what we are doing well, and what we are not. 

For example, we may have a lot of love in our lives, but not much patience. 

Or we may be faithful but lack gentleness.

Taking a Spiritual inventory can be a soul-saving exercise!

It is particularly valuable, for example, to recognize that we have not been very patient lately.  After all, how can we fix something if we are not aware that there is a problem?

There is a wise saying that “You cannot manage a secret.” 

Knowing where we need to improve is an important first step towards preparing ourselves for the Day of Judgment.

Taking action is the second! 

ACTING ON OUR FAITH

We can memorize the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, but if we do not act on what we have learned, our faith is dead. 

Consider the following scripture from the Book of James:

• “What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a brother or sister is naked and destitute of daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” - James 2:14-17.

This is a powerful scripture that is worth reading and rereading to make sure we understand it and can properly apply it.  Every day God supplies us with opportunities to act on our faith. 

For example, we may notice that somebody is having a bad day, and we can simply be there for them and listen.

If it is advice that they are seeking, we can quote them a scripture to encourage them and help them.

The ways that we can act on our faith are seemingly limitless.  It is simply a matter of doing it.

If we have been blessed with the ability to help those that are hurting or in need, we should!  

And as Jesus points out in the following passage, when we help others, it is as if we are helping Jesus, Himself!

• “Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in; naked, and you clothed Me; I was sick, and you visited Me; I was in prison, and you came to Me.’ Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry, and feed You, or thirsty, and give You something to drink? And when did we see You a stranger, and invite You in, or naked, and clothe You? When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’ The King will answer and say to them, ‘Truly I say to you, to the extent that you did it to one of these brothers of Mine, even the least of them, you did it to Me.’” - Mathew 25:34-40.

There are many ways that we can act on our faith. 

Whatever talents we have been blessed with, we are to put them to work for the Lord. 

And if we have been blessed with an abundance, we need to provide for those who are less fortunate. 

CONCLUSION 

All of us need to prepare for the Day of Judgment.

One of the best ways to begin doing that is by taking a Spiritual inventory. This will allow us to recognize our strengths, as well as our weaknesses.

Checking for the fruit of the Spirit is a great way to take a Spiritual inventory of our lives. These fruits were outlined by Paul in his letter to the Galatians:

• “The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,  gentleness, self-control .” - Galatians 5:22-23.

Once we have identified the unique gifts that God has blessed us with, we need to find ways to put them to work for the Lord!

We will end today’s lesson with the following scripture taken from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians:

• “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” -1 Corinthians 12:4-7.