|
A Good
Servant
Introduction:
A servant
of Jesus Christ submits to Jesus as Lord and spends their
life serving him. Those who will hear the words “well done,
good and faithful servant” on the day of judgment will be
those who have been faithful in carrying out their duties,
Matthew 25.
Sermon
text:1 Timothy 4: 6-11
Body:
1.
Good servants are nourished in
the faith (verse 6).
“These things” in this context; some would
depart from the faith, (verses 1 and 2). In principle, this
means that they are departing from all that God's word
teaches.
A good servant warns others about false
teachers and does what he can to
prevent them from leaving the faith (2 Timothy 4:1- 5).
Good servants must be nourished in the
words of faith and good doctrine.
Servants must feed upon the word of God and be sustained by
it (Acts 20: 32). Timothy had been nourished by the truth
of scripture (2 Timothy 3: 14, 15 ). Good doctrine implies
that there is such a thing as bad doctrine. Christians who
feed upon bad doctrine become bad servants.
“Which you have carefully followed” is
extremely important. Good servants are diligent in learning
the truth and following it closely.
2.
Good servants must exercise
(versus 7- 9)
being a good servant includes rejecting
certain things:
·
Profane is any unholy
belief and does not come from God's holy word.
·
Old wives' fables are
fictitious stories or superstitions (Titus 1: 13, 14).
Instead, a good servant exercises with a view toward
godliness.
·
“Exercise” - the noun
form of the Greek verb translates gymnasium. Just as
athletes must train vigorously to attain their goals, the
good servant must strenuously exercise to attain a life of
godliness. Developing a Christian character involves
continuing, putting in the effort and practice. A life of
unending study and effort is necessary ( 2 Corinthians 7:
1).
·
“Godliness” - means
reverence and respect for God and his word. This must be The
goal of every good servant of Jesus Christ. Bodily or
physical exercise only profits the outward man and is of
short duration and limited degree. Its benefits pertain only
to our time on earth. On the other hand, godliness provides
benefits both on earth and in heaven, in both time and
eternity. It is far more important to have a healthy strong
soul that you have a healthy, strong body (Matthew 6: 33).
·
“Faithful saying” means
Dependent and worthy of acceptance by all.
3.
Good servants must labor and
suffer reproach (verses 10, 11)
to receive that reward in heaven is why Paul
labored and suffered reproach. All good servants must labor-
work to the point of exhaustion! Christians must give their
life to this effort (Romans 12:1).
To suffer reproach- all who live godly in
Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution (2 Timothy 3: 12 ).
This means suffering for doing what is right!
A life of service to Christ is a life of
trust and should be fully confident in God's promise
(Revelation 2: 10).
How is God the savior of all men?
·
Jesus is the potential
savior of all men. Jesus died so that all could be saved.
·
He is the savior of
everyone who is saved. There is no salvation anywhere else.
Saved people have an active and obedient faith (James 2 ).
(Verse 11) there is something absolute that
must be taught and obeyed.
Conclusion:
A good servant places their faith in Christ
and obeys him in all things, closely following the gospel
and trusting the promises of God.
April 26,
2020
Prepared by
Bobby Stafford
The church
of Christ at Granby, MO
Located at
516 East Pine St.
P.O. Box 664
Granby, Mo. 64844
(417) 472-7109
For more
lessons and Sermons please visit
granbychurchofchrist.org/
granbychurchofchrist.com/ |
The
church of Christ
