In these final two verses, Paul gives two commands and a closing blessing of grace. Guard the truth entrusted to you and turn away from anything and everything that distracts you from faithful obedience.

What does it mean to be rich?

The meaning of being rich is a complicated question. Though you may be rich compared to others, you may struggle to pay your bills. You may have a high income but great debt.

1 Timothy 6:2-10 instructs Christians who are poor how to live and relate to wealth. In verses 17-19, the Bible instructs wealthy Christians how to use their wealth for God's glory. In this passage, the rich are those whose wealth is such that they are not concerned with their basic needs and can afford comforts and pleasure beyond basic needs.

Christians with earthly riches are warned not to put any hope in their riches but to hope in God alone, trust in God's provisions, and use what they have for God's glory.

In the concluding words of 1 Timothy, Paul addresses Timothy as a man of God. From this passage, the Bible commands Christians to be set apart for God and called to faithful obedience because God is worthy of all the glory and honor.

1 Timothy 6:1-2 is not an endorsement of slavery, but it is an acknowledgment that slavery was part of the societal reality in which the church in Ephesus lived. Recognizing these realities, Paul instructs the church to live according to who they are in Christ, even in the brokenness of this world. In these verses, the Bible instructs Christians on how to labor for unbelieving masters and for masters who are fellow brothers in Christ.

The reality of living in a sin-filled fallen world is that you often treasure what is not worthy of honor while neglecting to honor what is a true treasure.

1 Timothy 5:3-16 commands the church to honor widows in the church who are without any means of support and who have lived a testimony of faithful devotion to the Lord and the church's work. As Paul gives instructions for this support, we learn the responsibility of the household of God to honor members in need, the reason for this honor, and some practical truths about family, devotion to the church, and the God-honoring labor of raising children.

In recent years, there has been a noticeable growth in the use of the word "family" in reference to co-workers, teammates, professional associations, and hobby groups. The rise of applying the concept of family to corporate culture has grown so common that there is now a growing awareness of the problems this creates and significant pushback.

In the context of the overuse of "family" applied to none-family connections and the corrective pushback, we come to 1 Timothy 5, where Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, instructs Timothy to labor as an overseer among the church not as a dictator, ruler, or boss but as a son and brother. While applying the family relationship to your school, work, or hobby connections may be unwise, the Bible commands that Christians should apply it to fellow church members.

Recognizing the members of the church as family testifies that the church is more than a disconnected group with no responsibilities to one another but that through saving faith and mutual submission to Christ and one another, the members of the church are related and connected to one another.

The instructions of 1 Timothy 4 are addressed to Timothy and his church pastoral leadership. At first reading, it may seem that verses 6-16 relate only to overseers' leadership, preaching, and teaching ministry of the church. Though these instructions are addressed to the overseer, they relate to the whole church in understanding proper biblical training, personal holiness, and the church's public worship. These instructions to the overseer help the church understand what should be honored and celebrated in the leadership of the overseer, the importance of personal holiness, and what should be honored in their public assemblies.

God inspired Paul to warn the church of demonic spirits that are working to deceive and lead some away from the faith. This danger remains a clear and present danger to the church today. Paul identifies the threat and then instructs the church to recognize and defeat these lies.

The sad reality of the present-day church culture is the lost understanding of the church's witness to God's truth and the hope of the gospel. Every faithful church and every church member should be living witness in their community to the truth of God and the hope of the gospel. This is the heart behind Paul's instructions in 1 Timothy 3:14-16. This passage teaches who has authority over the church, its purpose, and its message.

No church is perfectly rightly ordered; however, every church must have a heart to be as rightly ordered and faithful to scripture as possible. 1 Timothy 3 continues the teaching on the proper order of the church and the offices of overseer/ elder/ pastor and deacon. To introduce a biblical understanding of the office of overseer/ elder/ pastor, I will discuss these three areas: the problem (Where we are and how we got here), the terms (rediscovering the terms the Bible uses for those who lead the church), and the office (from 3: 1).

When lives are in danger, the first impulse is to think about how they can be rescued. The most horrifying situations are when there is no hope of saving those in danger. The gospel's good news is that God desires to rescue you and has provided a way for your salvation in Jesus.

Chapter two begins Paul's instructions to Timothy on the proper order of the church. Before addressing these issues, he lays the foundational truths of the church's call to prayer and the forgiveness of sin only in Jesus. In this sermon, I show the good gift of redemption, the desire of God to save, and man's only hope is in Jesus.

Chapter two begins Paul’s instructions to Timothy on the proper order of the church. However, before addressing these issues, he first lays the foundational truths of the church’s call to prayer and the forgiveness of sin that is only in Jesus.

You learned in elementary English class to look for the what, who, how, and why. Likewise, this sermon will focus on the what, who, how, and why of prayer.

No church is perfectly rightly ordered. However, every church must have a heart to be as rightly ordered and faithful to scripture as possible. The church must regularly examine how it is organized and functions and determine if it is most faithful to scripture. Paul's letters to Timothy deal with many of these issues, which is why it is helpful for Christians and churches to return often to these instructive letters.

These letters to the young pastor are Paul's counsel on leading the church in proper worship and establishing proper church leadership. He instructs Timothy on the required qualifications for elders/pastors/overseers and deacons and gives counsel on confronting false teachers and other congregation members.

In these opening words of Paul's first letter to Timothy, he first warns of what threatens the church and recognizes the gift of elders to the church.