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Book: 1 Timothy
 Print ( PC Only )
I Timothy 4:12
Intro. As a youth leader, you are ministering to the most critical age
group in the church. This is the time when they are making the
most crucial decisions of their lives. Their career, their
mate, their choice to follow or reject Jesus Christ. 9/10ths of
the decisions to be a Christian are made in the teen years.
This is also the age when the Sunday School experiences the
greatest drop out rate. Whether they will spend eternity in
heaven or hell are being made while they are under your
tutelage.
I. Paul's exhortation to Timothy, his young son in the faith.
A. I really cannot improve on Paul's exhortation to Timothy, only
seek to amplify it.
B. He calls him to be an example of the believers.
1. Young people are looking for examples, someone that
they can admire and pattern their lives after.
2. God has called you to model Christianity for them.
C. The specific areas that Paul calls him to model for them.
1. In word.
a. This can mean your speech.
1. You must be very careful about your
language.
2. When I was a teenager, I had a minister
that I admired very highly, he had one
of the most captivating personalities
of anyone I have ever known. One night
as we were together at the Y.M.C.A. and
a sharp looking gal came in and he made
a remark, "I like pictures, especially
when they are framed like that."
Inappropriate for a minister of the
gospel.
3. Some of the Calvary Chapel pastors use
slang in in their preaching. I cringe
every time I hear it.
b. It might also refer to your understanding of
the word of God.
1. In another place he told Timothy to
study to show himself approved unto God
a workman that need not to be ashamed
rightly dividing the word of truth.
2. You need to develop an inductive way to
study the word. What does it say, what
does it mean, what does it mean to me?
What does it tell me about God, what
does it tell me about myself.
2. In conversation. This is an old English word that means
the manner of your life. Or Paul is saying be an
example in your life style. Speaking of our life style
he said to the Ephesians.
EPH 4:22 That ye put off concerning the former conversation the old man,
which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts;
EPH 4:23 And be renewed in the spirit of your mind;
EPH 4:24 And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in
righteousness and true holiness.
EPH 4:25 Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his
neighbor: for we are members one of another.
EPH 4:26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your
wrath:
EPH 4:27 Neither give place to the devil.
EPH 4:28 Let him that stole steal no more: but rather let him labour,
working with [his] hands the thing which is good, that he may
have to give to him that needeth.
EPH 4:29 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but
that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister
grace unto the hearers.
EPH 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed
unto
a. He told the Philippians to let their life style
be as that which becometh the gospel of Christ.
b. Peter speaks of our chaste manner of life, and
then in light of this world being disolved one
of these days he asks what manner of men ought
we to be in all holy manner of life.
3. In Charity. We know that the Greek word is agape. This
is a quality of love that is almost divine. It is the
supreme love of a persons life. It is an all absorbing,
all consuming love.
a. Paul defines it in I Corinthians 13
1CO 13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have
not charity, I am become [as] sounding brass, or a tinkling
cymbal.
1CO 13:2 And though I have [the gift of] prophecy, and understand all
mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith, so
that I could remove mountains, and have not charity, I am
nothing.
1CO 13:3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed [the poor], and though
I give my body to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth
me nothing.
1CO 13:4 Charity suffereth long, [and] is kind; charity envieth not;
charity vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up,
1CO 13:5 Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not
easily provoked, thinketh no evil;
1CO 13:6 Rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth;
1CO 13:7 Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things,
endureth all things.
1CO 13:8 Charity never faileth:
b. He gives its qualifying characteristics in
Gal. 5
GAL 5:22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith,
GAL 5:23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.
c. You are to model this kind of love before the
young people that God has put in your care.
4. In spirit. This is a reference to your temperament. You
have heard it said, "He has a gentle spirit." He has a
grumpy spirit, he is mean spirited. What do they say
about you?
a. Jesus has really modeled this for us. Peter
tells us,
1PE 2:21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered
for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
1PE 2:22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth:
1PE 2:23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered,
he threatened not; but committed [himself] to him that judgeth
righteously:
b. In His call to us to come to Him, He declared
that He was meek and lowly in heart.
c. How carefully the kids are watching you when
the pressure is on to see how you are going to
react.
d. Be a model to them, react as Jesus would react.
5. In faith. It is awfully hard to convince someone that
they should trust in God in the time of crisis, if you
do not trust in Him in the time of your personal
crisis.
a. Being with young people will bring you into
stressful situations. Be an example of perfect
faith and trust in God.
b. Don't panic, don't show fear. Speak of God's
strength and love. His understanding and His
promise to deliver.
c. When the disciples panicked in the midst of the
storm, Jesus rebuked them for their little
faith.
d. Faith and fear are mutually exclusive. If you
fear, you are lacking in faith. If you have
faith, you will not fear.
6. In purity. In another place Paul told Timothy to flee
youthful lusts. Run from temptation.
a. In dealing with young people, they are in the
crush stage of life. They often get crushes on
their youth leaders.
b. You stand for and represent what they are
looking for in their quest for a husband.
c. They will start hanging around you.
d. They may start massaging your back. It feels
great, but many times it means more to them
than you think.
e. If you don't allow things to get started, you
do not have to worry on how get them stopped.
f. Be above suspicion. Paul said, "Abstain from
all appearance of evil."
g. Don't denigrate your wife before them, do not
confess her failings, never put her down.
Always speak of her in the most endearing way.
Express your intense love for her. let them
know that you could never be interested in any
other. This will serve a twofold purpose, it
will establish a good example for their future
marriage and it will discourage their thinking
that they have a chance.
h. Many times they volunteer for almost anything
that will put them close to you. It is great to
have the help, but you must be careful.
i. If you suspicion that one is beginning to be
attracted to you, take special safeguards.
f. Be an example of purity of mind, purity of
heart, and purity of conversation.
The world is looking for leaders to follow. Too
many are attracted to bad examples, and are
following them to destruction. Set the example
and standard that will lead them to eternal
life.
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