Take Heed

Text: I Timothy 4:6-16

 

I.         The books of I and II Timothy and Titus are instruction manuals for preachers

            A.        If you think a moment, there isn’t another role in the church that is discussed at such length

                        1.         And this is besides the numerous comments regarding preaching that appears in the other books

            B.        God chose preaching as the means of saving people - I Corinthians 1:21

            C.        It is important to that everyone understands what a preacher does

                        1.         Even if you haven’t chosen to serve as a preacher

                        2.         Many of the instructions to preachers applies to all teachers of God’s word, and we all should teach - Hebrews 5:12

                        3.         There will be times when someone needs to be taught and you realize that there is no one else available.

            D.        Romans 10:14-15

II.        Insuring Salvation - I Timothy 4:16

            A.        Take heed to yourself

                        1.         It might seem strange that when discussing what needs to be done in teaching others, the first item on the agenda is to pay attention to yourself.

                        2.         It is possible to preach and lose yourself - I Corinthians 9:23-27

                        3.         But a great deal of preaching and teaching is done without words - I Timothy 4:12

                                    a.         We all have to be careful how we walk - Ephesians 5:15-16

                                    b.         What we claim will be compared to how we act - Matthew 7:15-20

                                    c.         Our example sets a pattern for others - Philippians 3:17

                                    d.         This is not just about preachers - Titus 2:6-8

            B.        Take heed to the doctrine

                        1.         Living the life of a Christian is insufficient if one isn’t teaching others the truth.

                        2.         To take heed of the doctrine requires

                                    a.         A knowledge of the truth

                                                (1)       Truth makes a person free - John 8:32

                                                (2)       Jesus wants people to know the truth - I Timothy 2:3-4

                                    b.         A loyalty to truth - I Timothy 1:3-4

                                    c.         Instructing in the truth - I Timothy 4:6

            C.        Continue in them

                        1.         There is no vacation from taking heed to oneself or the doctrine

                        2.         There is a tendency toward drifting - Ephesians 4:14-15

                        3.         People don’t like “stick in the muds” - II Timothy 4:1-5

                        4.         But preachers are to continue in what they learned - II Timothy 3:13-14

                        5.         Christianity is not about chasing after the latest trends, but about steadfastness - I Corinthians 15:58

            D.        In doing this

                        1.         It isn’t theory, but practice - James 1:22-25

            E.        You will save yourself

                        1.         The watchman’s duty is to warn, regardless of the response - Ezekiel 3:17-21

                        2.         Paul talked of building the church with the material at hand (people). How they endured depended on them, but the builder is still saved - I Corinthians 3:10-15

                        3.         Paul taught the full gospel and fulfilled his duty - Acts 20:26-27

            F.        You will save those who hear you

                        1.         God’s word, delivered purely, does what God designed it to do - Isaiah 55:6-11

                        2.         Saving others is what a preacher lives for - II Timothy 2:10

                        3.         To see others saved is his joy - I Thessalonians 2:19-20

III.       It takes both proper living and sound teaching

            A.        Homer Hailey wrote, “Gospel preaching is balanced preaching and balanced living. It is well founded, grounded, bounded, and sounded. No person can be strong on one point and weak on the other and wield the influence he should over the world and before the church.”

            B.        It is by sound doctrine that those who contradict the truth are brought down - Titus 1:9

                        1.         We must contend for the faith - Jude 3

                        2.         We fight the battle of words - II Corinthians 10:3-5

            C.        But if we don’t also live it, we won’t succeed

            D.        It must be a lifetime commitment to both - Revelation 2:10