Stewardship of Personal Discipline

Pastor Viars began Stewardship Month reminding us of our mission. We heard how one of our members, a Purdue professor, seeks to live out that mission in his work.

• - After church last Sunday I saw he had a group of 25 or so students in church to hear his testimony.

• - Wow! That speaks to Matthew’s relationship with his students that they would do that.

• - What a great picture of mission.

Last week you received the Stewardship Devotional. It explains 4 stewardship principles that have been part of our church for the last 45 years. I hope you are working to memorize them.

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 and it might be today.

This is a lifestyle … a way to think and behave. We encourage you to memorize those principles and actively apply them in different areas.

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.

I have explained before that the preaching plan and schedule is a joint effort. I usually do not pay much attention to it until I need to know. I looked at this one … the stewardship of personal discipline and thought to myself – you have got to be kidding me.

• - Obviously, the Lord wanted me to think about this subject and let you in on the conversation.

When I think about disciplined people, I think about those who started writing their school papers weeks before they were due? They seem to be on top of everything.

• - My papers were still warm from being printed when I submitted them.

• - I once gave a presentation in a seminar from notes I made on a napkin at 1am before my morning presentation.

• - I run my life on a quarter size sheet of a legal pad. If something does not fit on that quarter size piece of paper, then it does not fit in my life!

• - I usually work best when my hind parts are literally on fire. Anyone relate?

When I saw the Stewardship of Personal Discipline … I thought … oh boy. This will be convicting. 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. Amid that instruction the Lord provides 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. I would like us to consider 3 steps to be a good steward of your personal discipline.

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

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.

It helps to know our target. What are we trying to achieve? The second phrase of v. 6 is powerful … you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus. Now that would be a great way to end our life. Here lies _______ a good servant of Christ Jesus.

It is extremely difficult to be a good steward of personal discipline if our discipline does not result in the proper goal being accomplished. This text gives us a bit more detail. We must …

Reject False Teaching (vv. 6a, 7)

We have spoken about false teaching a lot over the past few months. The “things” in the first phrase which goes back to vv. 1-5 and the “worldly fables fit only for old women” highlight the temptation to focus on the wrong teaching.

Inevitably, when we are focused on the wrong teaching, we will then pursue goals other than being a good servant of Christ Jesus. Instead, we must…

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

This is not surprising. When Paul trained his protégés he pointed them again and again to the Word. What does the Word say? What chapter and verse could be used to help us make that decision? What concept or theology could help us evaluate our options?

• - He knows that to navigate through life, they would need a life giving and unchanging source of truth. He uses two phrases to emphasize two aspects of the Word.

1. Words of Faith = Meaning of individual passages

This is the content found in Scripture. To be a good servant of Christ Jesus we must know individual passages of Scripture. Every parent of young children has memorized Phil 2:14. It says, “Do everything without complaining or arguing.” Good servants of Christ Jesus do not follow in Eeyore’s path. They are Tiggers!

• - Tigger seems excited about everything and Eeyore seems to find at least one thing wrong with every idea.

Hebrews 10:24 says let us stimulate one another to love and good deeds. We must do that in our homes as married couples and then set an example for our children to follow.

• - We need a workplace full of people who want to encourage one another rather than gossip behind each other’s back.

These are individual passages that make a difference in what living with us and around us is like.

• - Being a good servant of Christ involves knowing individual passages that God will use to change us to be more like him.

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

Bible study not only involves the individual passages, but how they go together.

• - For example, when a person speaks about worry or anxiety they often talk about circumstances. There are certain things in life that are hard and they are worried about them.

Good servants of Jesus know that part of the answer is prayer.

• - We cast our cares on him because he cares for us. Rather than figure out everything on our own, we seek the Lord and tell him about our concerns.

• - We ask him to work in our hearts through his Spirit using his Word to give us wisdom for the challenge.

We do not stop there.

• - We also trust that the Lord will help us through the challenge. We pray, we trust, and we obey while we wait for the Lord to make our path clear.

When life seems completely overwhelming, I learned a statement that combined several biblical truths together … “do the next right thing.”

• - Do not worry about tomorrow. Trust the Lord for the results. Give Jesus first place in everything today. Believe that the Lord cares and will provide the grace needed. Just do the next right thing.

Being a good steward of your personal discipline is not just how well you organize your life.

• - It has to do with the goal or target you are trying to reach – I am suggesting you strive to be a good servant of Christ Jesus by rejecting false teaching and investing in the study of the Word both of individual passages and coordinating several together.

I have a couple of possible suggestions:

1. BCTC – We spend a whole week talking about practically applying individual texts and theological concepts to the everyday issues of life. It is a whole week long. It is exhausting. In my opinion, every believe should take track 1.
   1. One of my favorite BCTC memories occurred when I was walking the halls during one of my teaching breaks. I see a man standing wiping tears from his eyes. I asked him if he was okay or needed something. He said, I came to this conference because I wanted to help other people. I just got off the phone with my wife. I told her how sorry I was and asked her to forgive me for not treating her in a way that honored Jesus. She was crying and I was crying. I had no idea that God was going to work in my heart like this.
   2. Church members receive a heavily discounted registration fee.
2. Preconference on Trauma – Trauma is a common topic today. We have a one day preconference (just Saturday before the BCTC) dedicated to studying this important topic. Maybe this would help you grow in your study of the Word and its application to modern day conversations.

My point is that being a good steward of your personal discipline will involve making time for growth in our understanding of the word to address the everyday issues of life so that we are not tricked into thinking that the world’s answers are good or wise.

A second step is …

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

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.

How are we going to be good servants of Christ Jesus? We will discipline ourselves to godliness.

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

Notice I did not say “no” value. The concept of “embodied soul” is getting a lot of attention in the biblical counseling world. We are made up of two parts – material and immaterial. The Bible clearly teaches that physical death is the separation of those two parts. However, while we are alive, they interact.

• - It is more difficult to read our Bible in the morning when our head feels like it will explode.

• - It is more difficult to be happy in Jesus when our recent chemo treatment results in getting sick every hour.

• - In 1 Timothy 5:23 Paul encouraged Timothy to take a little wine for your stomach and your frequent ailments.

• This, among other passages, is one of the reasons we value good medical care.

Positively, we know that eating appropriate amounts, forcing our bodies to move, and sleeping an appropriate amount is good for us. We are more productive, energized, and in a better position to handle trials or difficulties.

But Paul’s concern was not first Timothy’s exercise routine or diet. He valued godliness more. Why is bodily discipline of only little value?

1. In extent

It is not profitable for all things. It has a limited extent. Bodily discipline might keep you from diabetes or early heart disease, but you can be just as much of a pill as anyone.

• - Bodily discipline might make buying clothes easier or less expensive. But you can also be full of pride and idolatry.

• - You might be able to run a half marathon, but you might also be willing to send long text messages blasting those closest to you.

Bodily discipline does not fix you. I have tried to use the language of comparison rather than absolute language.

• - Paul also said that his outer man was wasting away but his inner man was being renewed day by day.

I don’t believe that our outer man, or material part, absolutely determines our inner man. My body can be broken and I still be joyful and faithful. It might be harder, but still possible.

It is also limited…

1. In duration

It is only good in this life and only for a little while. It is not determinative for our heavenly bodies. So at the very best, it only produces good results while our body and soul are one.

• - That is best case scenario. It even has diminishing returns during this life.

• - Exercising at 52 (my current age) is different than it was at 32. Those who are 72 have told me … “just wait!”

I am not suggesting that we refuse to care about our bodily discipline. I think we should. In fact, I believe it is an area of stewardship.

• - I think we ought to control our eating enjoying all that God has provided, to exercise especially if we have jobs that do not require much physical labor or bodily movement.

• - We ought to get our routine physicals and bloodwork.

However, we must remember that bodily discipline is of limited value; godliness is better …

Acknowledging the value of godliness (v. 8b)

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.

This summer when we studied 2 Peter we saw that we needed to add to our saving faith – godliness. This is an important concept. Therefore we should reflect on what the Bible means when using this term.

This is a surprisingly difficult word to understand. The more I read, the more challenging it was.

• - But I think I can say it best as a person who lives with an active awareness that God is with them and a desire to respond in a way pleasing to God.

I think a couple of other phrases help us.

The fear of the Lord.

• - The fear of the Lord is positive and negative. Positively, it is the joyful reminder to love the Lord and allow our love for him to motivate living for him.

• - It was negative in that we feared provoking him to anger and receiving his discipline.

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.

In the middle of a sinful situation, we can ask, “Where was the Lord when all this was happening?”

• - We should respond by saying I was actively thinking about the Lord being present with me and therefore it motivated me to respond in a way that honored him.

Every moment I live, I live in the presence of God. Thus, I choose to do the things that please and honor him.

• Do you think that a person would watch pornography if Jesus appeared visibly and said, “why are watching that?”?

• Do you think that a person would respond in sinful anger if Jesus appeared visibly and said, “why did you use that tone of voice or that language when you spoke to one of my children?”?

A person who pursues godliness, who recognizes that they live Coram Deo, in God’s presence takes specific and practical steps to live more consistently for him.

• - This is where personal discipline is so important. This takes structure and practice much like bodily discipline does.

Here are a few ideas to help us all live with more awareness of God’s presence that motivates us to live for him.

• - Praying in the morning, at each meal, and at bedtime

• Next level is with a rotating prayer list that keeps your prayers fresh

• On the dash of a vehicle, on a computer monitor, somewhere in your home.

• If you spoke with your friends, co-workers, and family members and Jesus did not come up in conversation within a week – you are struggling to live with an awareness that the Lord should influence everything you do.

• If you are going to continue growing then their comes a point where you must give some of what you received. There is no other way.

• Maybe you need to grow in the way you speak, or your sinful anger needs to stop, or you blame shift, or you live in constant anxiety, etc. Have something that you are, by God’s grace, growing to change.

These things all require discipline. They require routine and structure. They require a real cost of your time and energy.

2 Timothy 2:3-5 says Suffer hardship with me, as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier in active service entangles himself in the affairs of everyday life, so that he may please the one who enlisted him as a soldier. And also if anyone competes as an athlete, he does not win the prize unless he competes according to the rules.

Let me tell you a story: About a decade ago there was a triathlon buzz running through portions of Faith Church. I decided to get on that bandwagon. Swimming was my most serious problems. So I disciplined myself to train. One summer morning it was 6am on a Saturday and I was getting up for the workout.

• - I woke up Stephanie … not on purpose, but I did anyway. She says to me, “Do you think you are taking this too seriously? Do you have be up at 6am?” Without missing a beat I said, “So, you want me to drown?” What was I expecting her to say … “Yes, Rob, I have actually been praying and fasting that you would drown!”

This story is so bad wrong for many reasons, but here are a couple.

• I was doing a better job of disciplining myself to bodily exercise then I was to living before the face of God – to godliness. In that moment, ugliness came out. Discipline in one area does not necessarily translate to another. Spiritual matters require spiritual discipline.

• I had misplaced priorities. I needed more Jesus and less exercise. Therefore, sinful words came out of my mouth and I did relationship damage because I was not godly enough to control my tongue. Something had to go.

Friends, sometimes you must cut out some stuff to have time and energy for the things that matter most. Whether you use a ¼ sheet of a legal pad or some other elaborate system to control your life, what matters is what goes on it.

Why make that effort and sacrifice? Godliness is profitable …

1. For Present Circumstances

Godliness greatly reduces stress, pressures, hardships, and sufferings.

• - While it may not eliminate them completely (we do still live in a sin cursed world), at least we are not adding to the problem by making foolish decisions.

When you live with a sense that the Lord is with you at all times, you speak to your spouse differently, you resist temptation differently, you refuse to accept lies and you deal with the truth, you look for ways to make a difference, and you make decisions that are in the best interest of the Lord and all those in your inner circle.

It changes how you live and the kind of blessings you experience. Many of us would know by heart Proverbs 3:5-6.

Proverbs 3:5-6 Trust in the Lord with all your heart And do not lean on your own understanding. 6 In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He will make your paths straight.

But listen to what vv. 7-8 say, “7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and turn away from evil. 8 It will be healing to your body And refreshment to your bones

Godliness affects our physical health. It influences our spiritual and mental state and our bodies. It is good for the things present but also …

1. For things still to come

This may not only refer to the fact that Jesus’ children enjoy eternal life with him, but that they the godly stewarding of life results in rewards.

• - Jesus himself said in Luke 18:29-30 And He said to them, “Truly I say to you, there is no one who has left house or wife or brothers or parents or children, for the sake of the kingdom of God, 30 who will not receive many times as much at this time and in the age to come, eternal life.”

There is no amount of physical exercise that will change one’s eternal state or the rewards offered to those who faithfully follow him. Pursuing godliness also involves …

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. They are called the 5 faithful sayings. Paul wrote these letters 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 here was one of them.

• - In a culture that worshipped sport, fitness, and feats of strength (sounds like ours) they reminded themselves 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.^”

A great reminder to us that these words matter and should also be part of our communication to each other. Step 1 to the proper stewardship of personal discipline … make it your goal to be a good servant of Christ Jesus. Step 2 … pursue godliness and step 3…

III. Pay 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.

Friends, everything has a cost. We must decide which price we want to pay. The Lord clearly wants us to pay the cost associated with disciplining ourselves for the purpose of godliness. The reward is worth the high cost.

It is worth all the labor and strife that we invest. Why?

With our hope fixed on the living God

Ancient Greece was full of deities. Paul reminds his protégé that their hope is fixed on the living God.

• - The one active in our lives and our world. God is both above us and with us. Our hope is fixed on him that he will allow us to be good servants of Christ, that he will reward those who diligently seek him, and that he can help us be like him.

Who saves all believers

Verse 10 sounds strange. In what sense is God the savior of all men, especially of believers? While there are two basic ways to understand this, they both share one element:

God is the savior of believers.

• - This connects to the mission message from last week as well as our stewardship testimony today.

• - No one earns their way to heaven.

• - We are all dependent on the Lord to work in our hearts and make us alive to the message.

If you know Christ as your Lord and savior, praise him. Thank him for helping you recognize your need for Christ.

• - In the last month, I had conversations with two people. One is dying and getting things in order. The other was unsure of salvation. We spoke about the gospel.

• - Neither one was ready to confess that they were a sinner in need of a great savior. My prayer is that they respond before it is too late. My prayer is the same for you.

Marcia Beutler’s testimony today was powerful.

• - Stephanie and I met Scott and Marcia in 2002 when I was an intern here at Faith. We were moving to Frankfort where I was going to serve as the pastor at Grace Baptist Church.

• We needed a washer and dryer and they were selling an old set. Marcia faithfully attended and Scott did not. She prayed for decades.

• You know it must have been challenging from time to time to live in that situation. She lived with an unbeliever who acted like an unbeliever.

• - They attended one Christmas eve service together. At the one they attended it was Scott leading them to get there early so they could greet people.

• - What an amazing change and what an encouragement to those waiting for a loved one to respond to the gospel.

Friends, maybe you are longing for a person to trust Christ. It is hard because you want your home to be all about Jesus and it isn’t.

• - Take hope in a living God who is still saving people and transforming them through the power of the Spirit.

• - Pursue godliness so you can be a good servant to Jesus as a steward of your personal discipline.

• - Marcia heard these words in messages for 20+ years until God saved Scott.

If you have been resisting. You have heard the gospel many times, but are struggling to make it your own. I encourage you to repent of your sin and trust in the finished work of Jesus for your salvation. Talk to one of your service pastors.

Who provides common grace to the lost

Both ways of handling the statement “God, who is the savior of all men, especially of believers” say that God is the savior of all believers.

• - The only question is whether it says a second thing, namely that there is a saving or deliverance that all human beings experience regardless of whether saved or not.

In this case, it is a reminder of the theological truth called common grace. It means that in one way or another every person experiences God’s protection, care, or deliverance.

• - They may or may not recognize it, but it happens.

This is yet another reminder why we should pay the high cost. The Lord is active pouring out his grace on the just and unjust.

Friends, today emphasized the stewardship of personal discipline.

• - We can be good stewards if we remember that our discipline should result in us being good servants of Christ Jesus.

• - It will only do that if we reject false teaching and pursue godliness because godliness has benefits for this life and the one to come.

• - Just like any type of stewardship, there is also a cost. It will cost effort – labor and energy. But we do so fixing our hope on the living God who is still pouring out his common and saving grace.