Stewardship of Personal Discipline

Last week we launched Stewardship Month, with Pastor Viars teaching us about stewarding our mission to make disciples..

Last week we also provided the Stewardship Devotional Booklet. It explains 4 factors of stewardship which have been an emphasis in our church for the last 45 years.

1. God owns everything and you own nothing.

2. God entrusts you with everything you have.

3. You can increase or diminish what God has given. God wants you to increase it.

4. God can call you into account at any time.

This is how we live faithfully as stewards. We have responsibility from God with accountability by God. We encourage you to memorize these principles and actively apply them in different areas of your life.

Pastor Viars explained that stewardship is a broad idea in the Bible. It is not a money thing only.

- It is responsibility with accountability of our abilities, health, relationships, work, time, mission, and discipline.

- If you looked at the sermon notes then you know that today’s message is called the Stewardship of Personal Discipline.

With that in mind I invite you to turn in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 4:1. That is on page _____ of the back section of the Bible under the chair in front of you.

- If you need a Bible please write your name in it and take it with you.

Paul is nearing the end of his life and ministry. Timothy is his most trusted disciple. He gives him some important and difficult assignments of fixing some problems in the churches.

Not surprising given our study in 2 Peter this year, some followed false teachers. In this context God gives a wonderful picture of what the Stewardship of Personal Discipline looks like.

Please follow along as I read. I am going to start in v. 1 for context, but our primary text is vv. 6-10. This is the Word of the Lord. Read 1 Timothy 4:1-10. [READ]

I would like us to consider 3 steps to be a good steward of your personal discipline.

How can we be good stewards of Christ Jesus? This is the question that Paul is seeking to explain to Timothy and how he can be a model of a good stewardship to the believers as a church leader.

We must first have the right goal. To be a good servant of Christ Jesus.

I. Have the Right Goal: Be a Good Servant of Christ Jesus (v. 6-7a)

When you know your goal, it helps you to take the steps to accomplish that goal.

For example, project managers constantly keep the goal of the agreed deliverable from the customer of a service or product in front of them evaluating every decision, resource, personnel allocation considering will this accomplish the goal. This guards against scope creep and ensures good stewardship of resources.

Teachers consider the learning objectives or goals to plan curriculum and consider the daily, weekly, and monthly discipline needed for the students to meet their learning goals.

In every sport, trainers and athletes think about the end goal first to determine the necessary discipline required to reach the goal. Sprinters for example discipline themselves in a particular way for explosive speed and they discipline their bodies to be finely tune toward this purpose different than a swimmer or a heavy weightlifter.

Similarly, wise stewards for Jesus Christ focus on the goal to be a good servant of Christ Jesus. This goal keeps you focused in evaluating every decision and resource through the lens of: Will that help me accomplish the goal?

1 Timothy 4:6-7a In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following. 7 But have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women.

So first we focus on having the right goal.

God teaches us how to accomplish this goal to be a good servant in your personal discipline. One aspect of personal discipline is to…

Reject False Teaching (vv. 6a, 7)

What! You may be thinking here we go again…we just went through all of 2 Peter…and it was filled with warnings about false teaching…why is this such an emphasis in the New Testament?

Because false teaching gives you a different goal. And our faithfulness as stewards is evaluated based on the goal of being a good servant of Christ Jesus pleasing him in all respects.

Following false teaching is totally opposed to faithful stewardship. Since you have a different goal that is what then you will pay attention to and you will discipline yourself and squander your time and resources toward a goal that is contrary to God’s goal. Paul mentions a few examples of the false teaching in verses 1-5 of ch.4

Based on verse 3 it seems false teaching like the goal of self-denial of marriage or certain foods to be more spiritual in some form of asceticism, this was seeking to subvert the better goal of being a good servant of Christ Jesus with the good things that God provides us to accomplish the goal.

• - If everyone followed the goal of not being married and having children, their would-be significant issues of accomplishing the mission and being good stewards of the gift of marriage that God has entrusted for the flourishing and spread of God’s image bearers. Singleness is also a gift but whether single or married God gives a better goal of being a good servant of Christ Jesus.

• - Consider embracing the goal of eating only certain foods…This goal would lead to personal discipline that might squander opportunities for hospitality or to show Christian love to others with different consciences related to food. Food is a gift, but the goal is not to eat only certain foods whether Pastor Brent’s brisket, Pastor Viars’ pizza, or a Kale salad. A better goal is whatever we eat or drink we are doing it to glorify God as a good servant of Christ Jesus.

The goal that you pay attention to affects your discipline.

• - False teaching: “have the goal to please people” will affect how you discipline your time to be around people who will only say what you want to hear, discipline your mind to think a lot about what others will say or think instead first about what Christ will say or think. Better goal of one to please, Jesus.

• - False teaching: “have the goal of making money” will affect how you discipline your time around work, relationships, and any opportunity to make a financial profit, foregoing opportunities for spiritual profit with your children, your church etc. Better goal of an imperishable treasure in Christ.

Does your personal discipline reflect that you are paying attention to the right goal? We must put the right goal before our face and to other Christians.

This morning God might be working in your heart to realize that you have been living your life for the wrong goal. Your personal choices and decisions are not based on a goal to love God and glorify him. Instead of making it your goal to please God, your goal in life has been living to please yourself and others. Listening and paying attention most to what will make you successful, what will make you liked by your friends, what will make you feel good and comfortable, what will just make your spouse happy or your kids happy.

God offers you forgiveness for your sin. Trust in Jesus Christ is the only way to be right with God and living by faith in him is the only way that it is possible to please him. Return to Jesus and trust in him. He died on the cross in your place for your sins, and his resurrection makes it possible to have new life in his name.

“For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God.” 1 Peter 3:15

Apart from Christ, you are an unfaithful steward who can do nothing to please him. With Christ, you can be a good steward of his abundant kindness.

• - [Share encouraging example of personal discipline in the stewardship example video testimony].

If you have the right goal, you reject the other goals presented in false teaching that are not as good. Then, you are going to invest your time, energy, and resources on nourishing yourself on what is needed to accomplish the goal. And Paul says good servants of Christ Jesus…

Invest in Studying the Scripture (vv. 6b-c)

When you are practicing personal discipline, you need an investment in certain resources to nourish you for the goal.

I remember my senior year of Track. While at the track competition I had just been training and then had just ran the 110 high hurdles, in just a few minutes I had to run the 300 hurdles, but I knew that to accomplish the goal of setting my best personal record for time I needed to make an investment.

So I went to food stand a purchased a hot dog…My coach comes to see me sitting in the stands stuffing my face with this hot dog…what are you doing your race heat is about to start?...I said, coach “I just needed some nourishment.” And I ran the best time of my life.

Christians who want to be good stewards, God says are nourished on two things…spoiler alert neither one of them is a hot dog, so you can cancel your Sam’s Club lunch appointment.

• - “nourished on the words of faith and of sound doctrine which you have been following.”

1. Words of Faith = Meaning of individual passages

1. Sound Doctrine = Coordinating several passages for a way to live

Being a good steward of the Word of God in my life by growing as a student of the Word so that I know how to interpret and be nourished by what an individual passage says like what does Genesis 1:26-28 teach about marriage and sexuality, but also I am nourished by what the whole of what the bible teaches on a particular area to address a present-day concern or question like what does the bible teach about anxiety?

Some personal application to grow in your personal ministry of the Word might be:

• - Join a Faith Group if you are a member of the church where you will learn and grow in the Word.

• - Faith Biblical Counseling Training In Person or Online

• - Faith Bible Seminary Invitation – Seminary Banquet Nov. 30^th at 6pm “A Workman Not Who Does Not Need to Be Ashamed”

• - Faith Community Institute Class

• Pastor Wetterlin the Storyline of Scripture

• 1 Samuel by Deacon Sol Green

• Bible Studies in Daniel and 1 Timothy

• - Share some encouraging examples of recent members seeking to do this.

• Member with unbelieving spouse

• College student considering what is excellent.

So when we have the right goal of being a good servant of Christ Jesus, this clarifies the means or way that we need to pursue to achieve that goal.

II. Pursue the Correct Means: Godliness (vv. 7b-9)

J. Oswald Sanders wrote, “Spiritual ends can be achieved only by spiritual men who employ spiritual methods” (Spiritual Leadership, 40).^[1] It is the spiritual methods or means that Paul focuses on with godliness.

1 Timothy 4:7b-9 On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness; 8 for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 9 It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance.

Paul uses training or gym/workout language to make a key point about being a good steward.

Paul is not “anti-body.” Our good God made each of our physical bodies and they are gift from God. At other points in the Bible, he describes our bodies as instrumental in offering pleasing worship, commands us to glorify God in our bodies, or the temple in which God’s Spirit dwells. However, God also reminds us that we need to be…

Recognizing the limited value of bodily discipline (v. 8a)

Paul says physical training through personal discipline of the body is of some value…but is slight in comparison to the value of personal discipline in godliness.

1. In extent

Physical training might help give you the strength to open the pickle jar, lift your children up during play-time, give you more strength to serve others in particular ways with the strength God supplies. But it provides little value for strengthening you spiritually to respond in Christlikeness to situations that tempt you to respond with sinful anger or with complaining and sinful speech.

There are a lot physically trained people who control their bodies, but are not able to control their sinful desires. Those who are disciplined and mature physically, but whose speech is wild and unwholesome like an infant throwing a tantrum.

Physical discipline is limited in its value to help you desire to pray in moments of affliction. It holds little value for you when certain sufferings strip you of your physical strength like a disability, cancer, or aging.

The extent of bodily discipline tends to focus on our body during this early life. However, this body is wasting away, and we long to be clothed with a glorified resurrection body.

Bodily exercise is limited in its influence in changing and renewing the inner man, the desires of the heart, and renewing the inner man day by day.

1. In duration

It’s limited in its duration, because this body in its current condition is only for this earthly life. This body must be clothed imperishably as a new glorified resurrected spiritual body that is fit for eternity in the new creation to serve as good servants of Christ Jesus forever.

[Possible example with great-grandmother if time allows]

Comparing this with godliness wise stewards are…

Acknowledging the value of godliness (v. 8b)

This summer when we studied 2 Peter we saw that we needed to add to our saving faith – godliness. It is important for us, then, to reflect on what Paul means by this term.

1 Timothy 4:8b but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

A godly person lives with an active awareness that God is with them and has a desire to respond in a way pleasing to God.

The Latin phrase “Coram Deo” is another helpful way to think about godliness. It means “before God” or “in front of God.” The idea is that God is always with us and we are keenly aware of his presence so that we take actions that honor him.

1. For Present Circumstances

Godliness will help me a single person to be a good servant of Christ Jesus with my time, with relationships, to bear much spiritual fruit in my life and others. Pursuing this goal holds promise and is profitable for all things. But if I value more discipline myself physically to be attractive or desired by someone else, this has far less profit and promise in this life. You are not being as good of a steward if this is the means of discipline you pursue personally to the neglect of godliness.

[Encouragement of some singles…godliness]

Godliness will help you parents in not only the wisdom to respond in Christlikeness to your children, but also holds profit for this present life for your children to see an example every day of good servant of Jesus and will enable you to help them personally discipline themselves toward godliness and character.

[Encouragement of some young parents…godliness]

Godliness will help you show Christlikeness when you are suffering or caring for those who are suffering in your life. Your grandparents, parents, children, friends…

• - Physical training might help you be able to move your loved one when they are infirmed, but it will not comfort your inner heart in the face of death.

• - Godliness profits you with wisdom to navigate the deep struggles of life with hope and confidence in God, his promises, and purposes.

• - Godliness profits to strengthen you with courage to share the gospel in affliction.

• - Godliness profits you to respond with patience, love, and truth when sinned against and instead of contributing to problems sinfully you are a peacemaker and reconciler.

[Encouragement of those going through sufferings…godliness]

And the profit is not just here and now, but...

1. For things still to come

Wise stewards are pursuing what will last for eternity and godliness is a benefit that will bless you for all eternity and result in spiritual reward for eternity.

Appreciating the significance of this statement (v. 9)

1 Timothy 4:9 It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance.

“It is a trustworthy statement” occurs 5 times in 1 & 2 Timothy and Titus. These are pastoral letters to leaders of churches. These “trustworthy statements” are called the 5 faithful sayings.

These pastoral letters Paul wrote at the end of his life. By this time, many churches existed. No one had a completed Bible, but they had developed certain sayings that helped them live faithfully and be good stewards. This is one of them.

In a culture that worshipped sport, fitness, and feats of strength, Christians confessed and reminded themselves and one another that “bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

Stewardship of our communication matters, and we need to stir each other up by way of reminder of things that are trustworthy that produce godliness.

One take away might be to study these “faithful sayings” that help us be wise stewards and write them out and then remind yourself, your family, your friends, your small group of these sayings and evaluate each month how you are doing in stewarding that faithful saying, starting with this one.

III. Paying the High Cost (v. 10)

1 Timothy 4:10 For it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers.

With our hope fixed on the living God

Who saves all believers

Who provides common grace to the lost

^[1] John F. MacArthur Jr., 1 Timothy, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1995), 163.