1 Timothy 4:12 – What Would Jesus Say? (revised) – Bible study

1Timothy 4:12 What Would Jesus Say? In 1896, Charles Sheldon, a pastor, thought to write a story week by-week to illustrate to his Sunday night congregation what Jesus might do in when facing decisions of everyday life. Soon he was preaching to a packed church. After the series was completed, all of the stories were bound in a book entitled In His Steps, which sold over 100,000 copies. Approximately 100 years, the book was reprinted and in all sold more than 30 million copies. It sparked a many sermons, a movie, and the production of bracelets with the letters What Would Jesus Do. Tonight, I would like us to consider WWJS, What would Jesus say. What might Jesus day today if He were here. I dont think it would be anything new to us. He has already given us His Word in the Bible, but what thoughts might He present to us if He were tonight. I. To the Youth: Despise not your youth. 1Tim 4:12 Let no man despise thy youth; but be thou an example of the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, in purity. A. The older Paul was writing to younger Timothy and, in Christs stead, he gave him this counsel. B. Do not despise your youth means dont live your life in such a way that you and others will hate those days. C. Essentially, Pauls message to Timothy was dont live your youth so that you will regret it. 1. Some people call old age the "golden years." a. Old age is not our golden years. b. Our young days are. 2. Old days are days of rust and dust. Ecc 12:1 Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them; 2 While the sun, or the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain: 3 In the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out of the windows be darkened, 4 And the doors shall be shut in the streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, and all the daughters of musick shall be brought low; 5 Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high, and fears shall be in the way, and the almond tree shall flourish, and the grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall fail: because man goeth to his long home, and the mourners go about the streets: 6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. 7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it. 3. Young years are the golden years. a. You have all your life ahead of you. b. You have fewer responsibilities than you will ever have. c. You are probably more loved and protected than you will ever be. d. And you are more in control of your destiny than you will ever be. D. There are many ways to waste your youth: 1. Dont waste your youth in foolishness. a. A foolish person is one who does not think properly. b. A foolish person lacks the tools needed to make sound decisions or he opts not use them. c. What tools? Proverbs 1:2 To know WISDOM and INSTRUCTION; to PERCEIVE the words of UNDERSTANDING; 3 To receive the instruction of wisdom, justice, and judgment, and equity; 4 To give subtilty to the simple, to the young man knowledge and DISCRETION. d. A foolish person is not a person who is having fun. e. A foolish person has at least three vision problems. (1) He is short-sighted, choosing the temporal over the eternal and now over tomorrow. (a) This short-sightedness may reveal itself in several different ways. (b) Some can only see right under their nose. (c) Others can see as far out as 40, 60, 70 years. (d) But for eternal beings, 70 years is still extremely short-sighted. (2) He seeks pleasure. (3) He cannot see God. f. Those who live a foolish life always ruin their future life. 2. Dont waste your life in selfishness. a. A selfish life is one where everything is about you. b. The Bible tells us that such selfishness will characterize people in the end times. 2Timothy 3:1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. c. Many of us may be familiar with the list, but have you noticed the cause of the behavior as listed in verse 1? (1) It is because men are lovers of their own selves that they become covetous, boasters, proud. (2) When a person loves self more than any other, they will become incapable of doing anything that doesnt benefit them. (3) Nobility, sacrifice, duty, devotion, patriotism, love: all of the god-like characteristics to which mankind can strife to become will be removed from their personalities. d. Those who live the selfish life live the low life. They sacrifice lifes highest qualities. 3. Dont waste your life is worldliness. 1John 2:15 Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. a. Worldliness is the pursuit or the preoccupation of things that you cant take to heaven with you. b. The list is long and we normally list those things which preoccupy our adults – money, fame, earthly power. c. But our young people our certainly susceptible to worldliness: sports, cars, hunting, fishing, shopping, fashion, cosmetics, hair styles, clothing. d. NOTE – You do not have to be ugly, unkempt, or dress in a bean bag to be godly, but when you are preoccupied with things only of this world, you cut yourself off from God, His power, and His purposes. e. Those who live worldly lives live the limited life. They can only live for this world. E. Instead, God has something far better. 1. God created you in His image. Genesis 1:26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. 2. Most people will only attain the level of life they seek. a. If you think you were created to be an animal, you will never live beyond being an animal. b. But if you think, as the Bible teaches, that you were created to be like God, then through Christ, you can developed god-like character and qualities. F. How? 1. You must be saved. 2. Use your life to learn to walk with God. 3. Get busy doing something for God now. 4. Prepare yourself to do great things for God. a. Keep yourself pure. b. Sharpen your mind. c. Increase in wisdom. d. Grow in virtue, holiness, faith, mercy. II. To the Adults: No person can serve two masters. Matthew 6:24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. A. Wisdom is learning without having to experience the lesson. 1. Here God says no one can serve two masters. 2. It is not possible to serve God and serve Satan, God and the world, or God and your own self. 3. In this Bible verse, most think mammon is a reference to wealth or money. 4. If so Jesus is telling us you cannot live to make money and serve God at the same time. B. As a wise Christian, you can either accept this truth from the Bible or you can waste your life only to realize at some point in the future that God was correct. 1. God says the reason you cant serve two masters is because you cant split your love between the two. 2. God says you will end up loving one and hating the other. 3. God is saying that you cannot have two sweethearts at the same time. a. Why? b. Because every minute you are with or thinking about one, you are betraying the other. c. Like it or not, betrayal is a hateful things to do. 4. Every minute a Christian is fawning over the things of this world, God says we are hating Him. C. To those who are stubbornly trying to love this world and God, why? 1. Do you think God is not able to provide for you? Matt 6:28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: 29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 2. Do you think that God will fail you? Matt 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. a. If you seek God first, He will probably tell you to go to work in the morning, work hard, and save your money. That seems to be what most people hear Him say. b. But if He told you to walk away from you job tomorrow, the plan that He has for you would be so much better than you will ever create for yourself. III. To the Church: Have faith in God. Mark 11:22 And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. A. Sadly, America has turned further and further away from God. 1. By that, I mean with each new generation, fewer seem to have a meaningful relationship with God. 2. Instead, cults, Satanism, and atheism are on the rise. 3. That is not only outside of the church, it is in the church. B. That is not the fault of the youth. 1. That is the fault of faithless adults. 2. Some are just plain lost (maybe religious but lost). 3. Some just do not believe God can anymore. C. Church, have faith in God. 1. He can save. 2. He can change. 3. He can draw people to the true gospel, not the water- downed, repentless, world-loving, soul-damning stuff that many are espousing today. 4. Believe Him. Believe His Book. Believe His promises.