I Timothy 6:11-16

1. the nature of a proper walk - 11
1. it is a continual fleeing from evil - "flee these things"
1. this command is given to the "man of God"
2. "man of God" is a person whose life is centered in God & controlled by Him (real Christianity)
3. no one is immune to doing wrong, not even the "man of God"
4. there is no safe distance at which one can stop fleeing
5. the life of a believer should be marked by a deliberate flight from all forms of sin
1. a child of God must separate himself from the moral pollution of the world
2. we cannot be isolated, but we must not yield to temptation
2. a constant pursuit of godliness - "follow after"
1. `"follow after" stresses an aggressive pursuit in order to apprehend
1. this involves determination, persistence and total energy
2. this pursuit must be a daily drive
3. fleeing & following are two aspects of the same thing (flee evil by pursuing good)
2. righteousness
1. this is not the imputed righteousness of salvation
2. this is practical righteousness, produced by God through the Holy Spirit, when we yield ourselves to His control
3. godliness (piety, holy conduct, devotion to God)
4. faith
1. there is a difference between saving faith and sustaining faith
2. this faith involves the daily walk of the child of God
3. this faith is gained through knowledge of God’s Word and unquestioning obedience
4. this faith trust God for success when sight only sees defeat
5. love
1. the objects of this love must always be God, fellow believers & family
2. this love should never be for the immoral principles & practices of the world
6. patience
1. a person is patient when he remains steadfast under the difficult pressures of life
2. this is not so much a passive acceptance of the inevitable, as an active pursuit in difficulty & trials
7. meekness
1. it is not weakness, but power under control
2. meekness is the opposite if insubordination
2. the performance of a proper walk - 12
1. a continual contending for the faith - "fight"
1. refers to the difficulties that result from living for God in a secular and hostile world
2. we are to defend & propagate Bible doctrine in spite of the difficulties
3. at the end of Paul’s ministry he proudly stated "I have fought a good fight"
1. he had evangelized the lost
2. he discipled believers, and started churches
3. he defended the truth against attacks from apostate teachers
4. this effort is "the good fight" (it is what God expects His children to do)
2. lay hold of eternal life
1. this eternal life does not refer to the prize at the end of the race, Timothy was to grasp it now
2. Paul was not saying that Timothy needed to be saved ("man of God")
3. it is an exhortation to lay hold of the eternal life that he had and use it
4. he was to live in the light of that great possession & make it practical in daily life
5. the emphasis is on present enjoyment, not that which takes place after death
6. those who have laid hold of eternal life, find that earthly treasures are not so important
3. the charge to maintain a proper walk - 13-14
1. somebody is watching you - 13
1. Timothy had a good testimony before man, but Someone higher & greater is watching
2. we may be able to deceive man, but no one can fool God
3. God "who quickeneth all things" is watching
1. to quicken is to make alive
2. God is the one who gives us life, eternal life and will raise us from the dead
4. Jesus, the one who gave us an example to follow, is watching
1. Christ our Savior is interested in the ministries of His servants
2. His good confession resulted in death
3. the significance for Timothy is that if he died for the faith, God would raise him from the dead
2. nature of the charge - "keep this commandment" -14
1. before a person can keep the commandment, they must know what the commandment is
2. we are responsible for obeying all of God’s Word, but this refers to the instructions just stated
3. how the charge was to be carried out - 14
1. "without spot"
1. a responsibility to be separated from sin
2. the divine evaluation of his life
2. "unrebukable"
1. to be a role model for other men in the ministry
2. this stresses the human scrutiny of his life
4. the duration of the charge - 14 "until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ"
1. it is the return of Christ rather than the death of Timothy that is mentioned (expected Christ to return in their life time)
2. the second coming of Christ is also our incentive for the proper walk
4. basis for the charge is the very nature of the One who is returning - 15-16
1. "blessed and only Potentate"
1. "blessed"
1. both He & kingdom are marked by happiness and prosperity
2. He is blessed & He will impart His blessedness to those who meet the spiritual qualifications
2. "Potentate" – one who has the ability & power to rule
3. "only" – all human & angelic authority are nothing when compared with God
2. "King of kings, and Lord of lords"
1. God is the One who sets up & removes rulers through the course of history
2. all governments are actually ordained by Him
3. all rulers derive their authority from His sovereign control
3. "Who only hath immortality"
1. God is self-existent; He has life in Himself
2. it is impossible for God to die
1. the only reason Christ could die was because He had a human nature
2. when He died, He experienced the separation of His eternal self from the material body
4. "dwelling in the light"
1. He is morally transparent
2. as light, God is totally unapproachable
3. the brightness of His eternal being prevent all creatures from drawing close to Him
5. "no man hath seen, nor can see"
1. when man saw God in ancient times, they actually saw a manifestation of God
2. they beheld Him as He appeared, not as He is
6. God deserves honor and glory