1 Timothy chapter 5, we're down to about verse 20, where in regards to the issues with elders, Paul tells Timothy to not even accept an accusation against an elder, except uh it
comes from two or three witnesses, that those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.
Paul is making it clear there is no position in the body of Christ that is above the law.
uh One of the things that was somewhat unique in Old Testament times under the Medo-Persian Empire is that even the king had to follow the law.
And that once the law was written, as we read in the text of Daniel, the law was written.
And the king even himself had to abide by the law because the law was higher than the king.
Now that was not normal in monarchy periods or in times uh in the Old Testament or New Testament.
And yet here in the church, Paul is also emphasizing that the person is not higher than the law.
So if you have an individual who is an elder, that elder is not
above the law of Christ.
That elder, if he is outside of the law of Christ, if he is behaving and acting in a way that is improper in view of the law of Christ, is to be rebuked by the law because the law
is higher than he is.
As you consider this, Paul is emphasizing the necessity for the church to evaluate to
to guide and to judge all those who are inside the body by the same standard.
You know, one of the things that we should understand and hopefully do understand is that as a person's responsibility grows, as their authority grows, their accountability grows.
And so there are things that an elder would be held accountable to
know and to practice and to live that maybe a brand new Christian wouldn't be held to the same standard that that elder is.
And quite often in the world we see it the other way.
We see that the more someone grows in power and authority, maybe the less they're held to the same standard of the lowliest person.
Not in the church.
Jesus emphasized that the one who would be the
ruler, the one who would be, the one with authority would be servant of all, not ruler over all.
Now, as we close that discussion out, Paul writes in chapter 5 verse 21, I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things
without prejudice
and with doing nothing with partiality.
Paul emphasizes to Timothy, I've written to you about qualifications of elders.
I've written to you about the qualifications of deacons.
I've written to you about false teachers.
I've written to you about widows.
I've written to you about those who qualify as widows that the church can support.
I've written to you about elders and the qualification for them to receive support.
All of these things, Paul says, I charge you, I commission you as a soldier.
Timothy, because it's the idea of the term charge, that you do these things and you don't show partiality.
When you act, you do not act in favor of someone because they are your friend.
You do not act in opposition to someone because you don't get along with them.
You rather act without partiality.
You show righteous judgment.
He says, not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people's sins.
Keep yourself pure.
Have you ever noticed that there's a tendency when someone, if we were to use kind of an older term, gets a burr under their saddle?
that they go around and try and get person after person after person on their side to complain about the same thing that they're complaining about or to have the same stance or
the same position that they have.
Paul warns Timothy, don't be hasty in these actions.
He's not telling Timothy, take these actions.
As matter of fact, he's just commanded him to take these actions, but he says, do not take them in haste.
Now, are there times in matters of judgment, even within the body of Christ, where
The long suffering, the waiting for someone to change has run out.
Yeah!
But there should be a recognition that there's the term long at the front of long suffering.
That Paul tells Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter four to reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine.
Paul emphasizes to Timothy,
as he's a young preacher, as he's going out into this work, as he's working with the Ephesian brethren, he said, do not be hasty in these matters.
We need to recognize and apply within our own lives what Paul is telling to Timothy that we need to be careful.
We need to be thoughtful.
We need to be patient in these matters.
Now, Paul will write, as we just examined last week, concerning, in 1 Corinthians chapter 5, concerning the man who had his father's wife, Paul says, I'm judging in this matter and
I'm not even present.
because the circumstance was clear not only to them, not only to him, but to all the people who were Gentiles and Pagans around them what was going on and that it needed to be
put to a stop.
The scenario was clear and the circumstance demanded immediate action.
But most times in life and most circumstances in the body of Christ are not that type of scenario.
So Paul cautions Timothy.
Number one, you act without partiality.
Number two, you act without haste.
And number three, do not share in other people's sins.
What people is he talking about here?
Alright, anyone that's sinning, do you think context-wise he's talking about people outside the church or inside the church?
Both, but I think predominantly inside.
There's a reminder that is important, something that uh Brother Wesley Simons, who was one of the directors of the school when Eddie and I were there, he emphasized to us, he said,
guys, you need to remember and you need to talk to your family and your children.
He said, because we would tell our children, you're going to hear things.
because you're in the preacher's house and sometimes people come over and have a discussion.
You're, as children, going to hear things and you can't say a word.
You have to be able to operate as though you don't know that because you're hearing and you're not part of it.
But at the same time, as those who are elders, those who are deacons, those who are ministers, those individuals in that family,
they're going to be aware things are going on that other people aren't aware of.
And sometimes they have to quietly, patiently just keep their mouth shut.
and say nothing and wait.
Paul is emphasizing to Timothy that you're going to be aware of problems and you have to not only make sure you stand against those things that you can stand against, you have to
make sure you don't participate in the problems other people create.
You go back to earlier on in the chapter, and he discusses the problem with widows who are younger widows who eventually become wanton and they turn to gossip and to backbiting and
to telling things about people.
Paul says, Timothy, you don't share in other people's sins.
One of the other things that we were reminded about, and
You you say this and you think, well, that's kind of disappointing, but let's face it, humans are disappointing, right?
People are disappointing.
One of the things that was discussed in our house growing up as the son of a preacher is every sin that's outside the church is inside the church.
Why?
Because there are people outside the church and inside the church.
And sometimes you have to realize that when you walk into an assembly of God's people, you are not walking into a group of perfect people.
You are walking into a group of people who are perfected by the blood of Christ.
Through grace, mercy, and forgiveness, they stand justified.
Not because they're flawless.
And so sometimes within the body of Christ you're going to have people who have turned around from going the right direction and they're still in the assembly but they're going
the wrong direction.
Paul's cautioning Timothy, you be careful who you spend your time with, you be careful how you judge, and you be careful that you don't get drawn away by the sins of others.
Turn back to chapter one.
You might remember that Paul already wrote to Timothy in chapter one, verse 18, this charge, commit to you, son Timothy.
according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected." Now, he's
talking about some teachers within the church in the first century.
He says, "...which some having rejected concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck, of whom are Hymenaeus."
and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme." Paul warns Timothy about teachers who have fallen away from the faith, who have pursued that which is
opposite to the doctrine and the truth of Jesus Christ, and he says, you hold the doctrine with a good conscience.
You do so out of faith and you do not shipwreck your faith or the faith of others.
If you turn over to 2 Timothy.
2 Timothy chapter 1, beginning in verse 13, says, hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.
That good thing which was committed to you keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.
This you know that all those who in Asia who have turned...
I'm gonna get my words out in just a minute.
This you know that all those in Asia have turned away from me among whom are phygellous...
and Hermogenes.
The Lord grant mercy to the household of one Cypherus, for he often refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain.
But when he arrived in Rome, he sought me out very zealously and found me.
The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that day.
And you know very well how many ways he ministered to me in Ephesus." Paul writes about some who have left him, departed from him, some who have continued
with him, but you read over in 2 Timothy chapter 4 where we read in verse 9, "'Be diligent to come to me quickly, for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has
departed for Thessalonica.'" Paul emphasizes as he writes to Timothy that some of those same people that Timothy would have traveled with
that Timothy would have known in his earliest days traveling with Paul are now no longer faithful.
They're no longer doing what they ought to do.
And Paul cautions Timothy not to be hasty and not to share in other people's sins.
Rather, he says, keep yourself pure.
But then we read verse 23, no longer drink
only water, but use a little wine for your stomach's sake and your frequent infirmities.
Paul here introduces to us a problem that Timothy had.
What was Timothy's problem?
Well, what was his physical problem?
He was frequently sick.
And Paul is telling Timothy that part of his problem is that he is frequently sick as a result of what?
Likely.
Say again.
Contaminated water.
Even today, if you travel much outside the US, especially to third world countries, you're going to be cautioned, reasonably so, don't drink the water.
Because it's not purified, it's not filtered, the contaminants are not removed from it, that we often do in the water plants and things here in America.
Now, Paul is going to tell Timothy, know concerning your condition, and here's what you need to do about it.
What does he give him by way of an instruction to do?
All right, drink a little wine instead of water what?
What's the word that comes there?
Only.
Okay, now why would Paul make this suggestion concerning wine?
And I want to discuss this from a perspective of how did, what did they do to the wine that would have allowed this to have resolved the issue of the water?
All right?
ah It could be the fact that it was fermented.
Now, was all wine fermented?
No.
Okay.
So, first thing to note is that he could have drank fresh wine, which would have been the equivalent of what?
Grape juice.
have had likely the same contamination that the water had?
No.
All right.
First thing to realize is there's nothing in the text that states this is fermented wine.
It is simply Paul saying consume this drink instead of this.
But we'll go ahead and assume it's fermented.
What happens in the fermentation process?
All right?
There's a sterilization of things because of how the process occurs.
So you have, and by the way, alcohol is in itself what?
A sterilizing agent.
It kills other things off.
Okay?
uh So as Paul introduces this, there's a number of different ways we can understand it, but.
First, we should understand Paul is dealing with a contrast between only drinking water and drinking something other than water.
Now, were there any scenarios in a Jewish circumstance, any vows or covenants or anything like that, where a Jew would be restricted from drinking wine in any form, even grape
juice?
Alright, Nazarite vow.
Was the Nazarite vow something that was designed to be uh somehow in opposition to alcohol?
What other things came along with a Nazarite vow?
Not just not drinking wine, but what else?
Cutting one's hair.
If you assumed that the Nazarite vow was in opposition to alcohol, should you also assume that
It was in opposition to the sin of short hair.
No.
What was the Nazarite vowel about?
All right?
It was about an entire life focused on God.
And these things that you did were to focus you entirely upon God.
So every morning when you looked at how you look, you were reminded that you were focused entirely upon God.
when others would see you and they would see your hair that had never been cut.
Focus on God.
So, when you look at some of the things that happened in Jewish society, there were some who would have had the position of they didn't drink any wine.
They didn't drink any grape juice.
They didn't drink any fruit of the vine in any form.
It seems as though Timothy has taken that scenario, not that he was uh taking a Nazareth battle, but that that's how he was operating in his daily life.
He was drinking water only.
That's what the text says.
Now, let's discuss this from another perspective.
Is it wrong when you go and have open heart surgery to allow the surgeons
to give you something that's going to knock you out.
Is that wrong?
Did God say that that's wrong?
No.
Which one is more debilitating in your sober-mindedness?
The medicine that's going to knock you out for surgery
or a little bit of wine.
Why?
Because you're done.
You're gone.
Hopefully, right?
Hopefully.
Is there anything that the scripture tells us that is wrong with an individual who has an infirmity or has an illness or has a need for a procedure or has a need for something
medical to be done that they could not take any medicine that will somehow affect their sober mindedness?
Is there anything in the text that indicates that medicine that affects you
mentally is in opposition to the Word of God.
No, because there's a recognition that you're doing that because of a greater problem, okay?
This is not for pleasure, this is not for convenience, this is not a discussion of, hey, you know what, I kind of like the way morphine feels.
I think I'll take a little bit every night.
This isn't a discussion of, you know what, I just kind of like the calming feeling of just a little bit of THC.
Or, you know, I understand that I need focus.
So a little bit of cocaine will get me a long way.
Is that what we're discussing in this text?
Well, how about the person who says, you know what, I understand, but I'm just a lot more relaxed in the end of the day with just a beer or two.
Is that what we're talking about in this text?
No.
What are we talking about in this text?
We're talking about medicine.
And Paul is telling Timothy in the circumstance of his medicinal need, because he is frequently getting sick, he needs to take something for it.
And what was the prescription that Paul gave?
a little wine.
Now is that like, you know, a bottle or two every night?
No.
Paul's saying your stomach needs something.
You need to give it the, whether that be the killing off of the antibodies or something, you need something for your stomach.
Take something and stop letting your conscience get in the way of taking something for your infirmities.
Okay, so is there an appropriate way to use medicine?
Yes.
Is it in opposition to the word of God to appropriately use medicine?
No.
Is there an inappropriate way to use medicine?
Is there an inappropriate way to use things that are natural but act in a medicinal way?
There are some herbs, flowers, uh natural things in the world that make great medicines.
There's also some that will kill you.
There are some that can be used the wrong way.
There's some that if you have access to more of it than just a little bit, you're gonna end up in a very bad state.
By the way, which one's natural?
Something that was created by God,
and changed by man or something that was created by man and changed by man using only the things that God created.
They're both natural by the way.
They both originate with what God created.
uh The fact that something grows in the ground and the fact that something's manufactured from the components uh of biology and the DNA and the mRNA and all the other things that
God created doesn't make either one of them unnatural.
The question is what are we doing?
Now, let's turn this around.
Would it be wrong?
for a young person to take medicine just to feel good.
Would that be a bad idea?
Would it be a bad idea because it's an irresponsible use of medicine?
It would be a bad idea because it's an irresponsible use of medicine and because they're doing damage long-term to their ability to function.
What if
An older person takes medicine just to feel good.
Same thing.
You know, sometimes we talk about the drug problem in America.
The drug problem in America is not a uniquely young person problem.
The difference between the young people and the older people is that the older people can get the prescription with no problem.
And the younger person has to steal it from somebody else or buy it.
But the drug problem, ask anybody in law enforcement.
The drug problem in America is not a uniquely young person problem.
The problem with illicit drugs is typically a young person problem, but it's a problem that starts in the medical industry, from the pharmaceutical companies all the way down.
Now, Paul, in this text, let's note a few things he does not do.
Paul does not endorse the use
of alcoholic wine to the point of drunkenness, does he?
No.
Second thing Paul does not do, Paul does not use a term that would necessitate that there was anything alcoholic even in the use of the wine he discusses in the text.
Thirdly, Paul does not authorize Timothy to consume wine in a large quantity.
in the text.
Fourthly, because I think I'm on number four, Paul does not authorize the use of wine in Timothy's scenario for anything other than medicinal use.
Those four things are not in this text.
And any use of this text to argue for any of those four things would be fallacious because it's not in the text.
Paul is addressing
a problem that Timothy has and a solution that is readily available for the problem.
The problem was his stomach.
The solution was a little bit, specifically in the text, of wine in addition to the water which he drank.
One of the things that they would do quite often with the wine uh is instead of fermenting it and making
actual full wine, they would actually uh dry it and get it down to basically a uh solid and then they'd put the water into the wine and reconstitute it, but you wouldn't have a
fully fermented environment there.
You would just have water remixed with those uh dried grapes and they would drink that.
That's another scenario where you have something that's not fermented.
it's simply dried, almost like a raisin or mashed uh raisin would be.
You also have scenarios where the term wine is referencing a vinegar-like substance that would not be intoxicating either, uh but could have potentially been part of this.
uh Now, you go down to verse 24, he says, some men's sins are clearly evident.
Now want to connect something that Paul just did.
In verse 22 he said, not share in other people's what?
Sins.
Then he jumps out of that discussion into Timothy's stomach and then reverses direction to discuss what?
some men sins.
Almost like he didn't change topics at all.
So what sin might Paul have in mind when he discussed wine and Timothy's very limited use of it right in the middle of discussing some men's sins and participating in them and then
some men's sins and not participating in them?
Folks, when we're dishonest with the Word of God and with the context of passages so that we can argue for participating in activities which the Bible never promotes, never
suggests are good, always describes in a negative fashion, and clearly condemns in an extreme fashion, we're being incredibly dishonest with the text.
Paul says, don't participate in other people's sins.
Timothy, take some wine for your stomach's sake.
Now let's talk about other people's sins.
He says, some men's sins are clearly evident, proceeding them to judgment.
But those of some men follow later.
Paul is telling Timothy, there are going to be some things you're gonna see and you're going to be able to judge immediately by their fruit.
You're going to see someone doing something and you're going to know immediately that's a sin, that's wrong, it has to be stood against immediately.
Name an example in Paul's life where Paul saw a sin
happening and in the very midst of it happening addressed it immediately.
Alright, Galatians chapter 2, Paul describes the event, or chapter 1, where he was with the Gentiles, Barnabas was with the Gentiles, Peter was with the Gentiles, and some
brothers from Jerusalem and Judea came, and when those Jews arrived, Peter withdrew himself from those Gentiles.
And others were starting to be influenced by Peter withdrawing himself from those Gentiles.
And who even was being influenced?
Barnabas was.
So what does Paul say that he did?
Paul says, withstood him to the face, for he was to be blamed.
Paul is telling Timothy there are going to be some circumstances where men's sins are clearly evident.
When that's the case, you need to address it immediately.
This is in view of, he said, don't be hasty in matters.
Don't be in a hurry, but sometimes you're going to see something that is so clearly wrong you need to deal with it right then.
But then some matters, he says, follow later.
When Timothy and others and even ourselves today, when we're dealing with matters of people's lives.
We can only know.
what we can know.
Go back to an example that Wesley gave us one time when he was in school.
Wesley was also one of the elders at the congregation.
And they had three elders.
And they would sit down and talk with people.
And at times, especially, you know, new members uh that were placing membership and other uh scenarios, people who were uh new converts, and they'd have discussions with them.
And in the midst of a discussion, something might come up concerning their marriage.
and maybe that one of them's been married before maybe they're married to someone else now and Wesley made a point to say
We can only know what you tell us.
We can't know if you're telling us the truth.
We can help you discover if what you're telling us is in accordance with the word of God, but we can't know what you don't tell us.
But understand this, God knows whether you're telling the truth or not.
And there is a relief in that for someone who has to judge on a matter, has to counsel someone on a matter, has to instruct someone on a matter, that you know what?
We're accountable for what we know and we can't be accountable for what we cannot know.
If someone lies to you,
about how they live their life, and you can't ever, there's never a scenario where you're going to be able to learn the difference, you're not accountable for the fact that they
lied to you, or for judging them in that matter, because you can't know what you can't know.
But what Paul's emphasizing to Timothy is, there is a judge who knows.
And Timothy, you don't have to get everything right, and you don't have to know how to make every decision, because there is a judge who will judge.
So when the matter is clear, when the matter is evident, you need to judge, and you need to operate, and you need to do what God's Word says.
And then there will be some matters where you'll go,
I don't know how to judge that.
I don't know how to tell people what to do in this matter.
Or, I'm looking at this and it doesn't look right.
It doesn't seem like the right thing to do, but I don't have enough Scripture to say that I need to stand against it.
because God will deal with it.
He says here in verse 25, likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden.
Paul says here's one thing that you can do.
You can look at the fruit of the things that they do.
As emphasized in other passages,
It's not just the evil things that someone does, the sins that they commit that produce some sort of long-term result.
There's also the good things that they do that produce a long-term result.
And Paul here emphasizes that the good works of some are going to be clearly evident.
They need to be recognized.
And then you're gonna look behind you
and someday, and you're gonna see the results of good works that were being done in silence, that were never recognized, and you're gonna see the action of some who are
righteous, not by the fact that anyone was aware that they were doing these things, but because of the fruit that was born by those actions.
Paul is encouraging Timothy to judge in these matters, to judge cautiously with long suffering in these matters, to not be ensnared by the actions of others, to do it because,
well, brother and sister so-and-so, they're good Christians and they do it, so must be fine.
Paul says, no, that is no way to judge.
That is no way to determine whether or not something should be done.
You don't do it because somebody else does it.
You do it because it's right.
But then he also points out that there are some matters in which you will have clear evidence and it needs to be addressed immediately, and some matters that you'll just have
to let it ride because you don't know.
And then there's some matters where you'll see clear evidence of the good works of some and some where you'll never quite know all the things that they did until it comes years
later.
And you see the fruit born from all their works that they never told anyone they were busy doing.
All of those things, Paul says, are important in the life of a minister as he strives to
help a church like Ephesus grow and mature and be faithful to the Word of God.
Any comments or questions?
We've got a few minutes, but I don't want to get into chapter 6 since we've only got just a few minutes left.
Was there anything that I was not clear about or I was clear as mud?
Okay.
If not, Phil.
Yeah, no, I think that the indication of the terms themselves is that he was sickly.
He was often getting sick and it was something that could easily be addressed.
Okay?
Good question.
All right, thank you for your attention.
You're dismissed.