Sermon for Saturday
These things command and teach. 1 Timothy 4:11
The Prussian king known as Frederick the Great once observed, ‘The more I see of men, the more I like my dog’. The good king undoubtedly noticed some valuable traits in dogs that are not so common in men. It is not only for their keen senses of smell and sight that dogs are appreciated. No, men loved their dogs because of their uncomplaining readiness to obey and lavish affection on their masters. A good dog is loyal, loving, and lovable even when their masters are not. To a well-trained working dog such as a retriever or a sheep herding dog, no greater reward for a job well done exceeds a pat on the head from its master. Dogs seem to naturally want to serve and obey. Although those attributes do not come so naturally to people, they should be the mindset of the Christian toward our Heavenly Master.
In our text, Paul is referring to the things that he has been passing on to Timothy in connection with his responsibilities toward the Assembly in Ephesus. He is instructed to present these things as the commandments of the Lord. These are the things that the Lord wants His people to do, the things that he will appreciate in their character and behaviour, and the things for which He will give a reward. There is service that we are to render to our King if we are to be found ready, waiting, and watching when He returns. He has given us our marching orders, and we are to follow them. And the leaders among us are responsible for presenting us with what God expects of us in His service.
These leaders are not only to command; they are also to teach. There is much to be learned from the Word of God, and the Lord’s people need to be taught these things. Firstly, we need to be taught how we are to conduct ourselves as Christians, how to be honest and fair and compassionate toward the world, to be faithful and devoted to our families, and to be loving and serving to our fellow believers. Secondly, we need to be taught how to access the blessings of God and to dispense God’s loving kindness in the Gospel. Thirdly, we need to be taught the great truths of the faith, those things most surely believed among us, the pillars of our testimony, our gatherings, and our beliefs. Fourthly, we need to be taught about our God that in our appreciation of Who He is, what He has done, and what He has promised will produce in our souls that worship and praise to which He is due. It is the responsibility of the leaders among us to make sure that we know these things.
God desires that His people obey Him and know Him. That is why Assembly leaders must command and teach His Word -Jim MacIntosh