Steve Webb 0:00 I'm in the best shape of my life. Steve Webb 0:10 Together again with a Lifespring!, One Year Bible coming to you from Riverside, California, podcasting since 2004. I'm your OG Godcaster. Steve Webb, how are you today? It's a pistol Sunday. And we'll read First Timothy four through six, which will complete that book. And we'll have a time of praise reports And prayer requests. The website is at Lifespringmedia.com And I'll have contact information at the end of today's show. Before we get started, let's pray. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for our time together today. And I pray that You would bless us as we read, teach us Lord, touch our hearts And our minds. I pray this in Jesus name, amen. Okay, let's begin shall we? Steve Webb 0:53 First Timothy chapter four. The Spirit says clearly that in later times, some believers will desert the Christian faith. They will follow spirits that deceive And they will believe the teachings of demons. These people will speak lies disguised as truth. their consciences have been scarred as if branded by a red hot iron. They will try to stop others from getting married And from eating certain foods. God created food to be received with prayers of Thanks by those who believe And know the truth. Everything God created is good. Nothing should be rejected if it is received with prayers of Thanks, God's word And prayer, set it apart as holy. You are a good servant of Christ Jesus. When you point these things out to our brothers And sisters, then you will be nourished by the words of the Christian faith And the excellent teachings which you have followed closely. Don't have anything to do with godless myths that old women like to tell. rather train yourself to live a godly life. Training the body helps a little but godly living helps in every way. godly living has the promise of life now And in the world to come. This is a statement that can be trusted And deserves complete acceptance. Certainly, we work hard And struggle to live a godly life because we place our confidence in the living God. He is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe. Insist on these things And teach them. Don't let anyone look down on you for being young. Instead, make your speech behavior love, faith And purity And example for other believers. Until I get there. Concentrate on reading scripture in worship, giving encouraging messages And teaching people don't neglect the gift which you received through prophecy, when the spiritual leaders placed their hands on you to ordain you. Practice these things. devote your life to them so that everyone can see your progress. Focus on your life And your teaching. Continue to do what I've told you. If you do this, you will save yourself And those who hear you. Steve Webb 3:06 First Timothy chapter five. Do not rebuke an older man but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, And with all propriety the younger women as sisters, support widows who are genuinely widows. But if any widow has children or grandchildren, they must learn to practice godliness toward their own family first And to repay their parents for this pleases God. The real widow left all alone has put her hope in God And continues night And day in her petitions And prayers. However, she who is self indulgent is dead even while she lives. Command this also so they won't be blamed. But if anyone does not provide for his own that is in his own household. He has denied the faith And is worse than an unbeliever. No widow should be placed on the official support list unless she is at least 60 years old, has been the wife of one husband, And is well known for good works. That is if she has brought up children shown hospitality, washed the saints feet, helped the afflicted And devoted herself to every good work, but refuse to enroll younger widows for when they are drawn away from Christ by desire they want to marry And will therefore receive condemnation because they have renounced their original pledge. At the same time. They also learned to be idle going from house to house. They're not only idle, but are also gossips And busybodies, saying things they shouldn't say. Therefore, I want younger women to marry, have children manage their households And give the adversary no opportunity to accuse us. For some of already turned away to follow satan. If any believing woman has widows in her family, she should help them And the church should not be burdened so that it can help those who are genuinely widows. The elders who are Good leaders should be considered worthy of an ample honorarium, especially those who work hard at preaching And teaching. For the scripture says, Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain And the worker is worthy of his wages. Don't accept an accusation against an elder unless it is supported by two or three witnesses, publicly rebuke those who sin so that the rest will also be afraid. I solemnly charge you before God And Christ Jesus And the elect angels to observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing out of favoritism. Don't be too quick to appoint anyone is an elder And don't share in the sins of others. keep yourself pure. Don't continue drinking only water, but use a little wine because of your stomach And your frequent illnesses. Some people's sins are obvious going before them to judgment, but the sins of others surface later. Likewise, good works are obvious, And those that are not obvious cannot remain hidden. Steve Webb 6:01 First Timothy, chapter six. All who are under the yoke as slaves must regard their own masters to be worthy of all respect, so that God's name And his teaching will not be blasphemed. Those who have believing masters should not be disrespectful to them because they are brothers, but should serve them better, since those who benefit from their service are believers And dearly loved, teach And encourage these things. If anyone teaches other doctrine And does not agree with the sound teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ, And with a teaching that promotes godliness, he has conceded understanding nothing but has a sick interest in disputes And arguments over words. From these come envy, quarreling, slander, evil suspicions, And constant disagreement among people whose minds are depraved And deprived of the truth, who imagine that godliness is a way to material gain, but godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into the world, And we can take nothing out. But if we have food And clothing, we will be content with these. But those who want to be rich fall into temptation, a trap, And many foolish And harmful desires which plunge people into ruin And destruction. For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil And by craving it some have wandered away from the faith And pierced themselves with many pains. But you man of God, run from these things And pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance, And gentleness. Fight the good fight for the faith, take hold of eternal life that you were called to, And have made a good confession about in the presence of many witnesses. In the presence of God who gives life to all And of Christ Jesus, who gave a good confession before Pontius Pilate, I charge you to keep the command without fault or failure until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. God will bring this about in his own time. He is the blessed And only sovereign, the King of kings And the Lord of lords, the only one who has a mortality dwelling in unapproachable light, no one has seen or can see him, to Him be honored And eternal might, amen. Instruct those who are rich in the present age not to be arrogant or to set their hope on the uncertainty of wealth, but on God who richly provides us with all things to enjoy. instruct them to do what is good, to be rich in good works, to be generous, willing to share, storing up for themselves a good reserve for the age to come, so that they may take hold of life that is real. Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you avoiding irreverent empty speech And contradictions from the knowledge that falsely bears that name. By professing it, some people have deviated from the faith, Grace be with all of you. Steve Webb 9:00 Let's talk a little bit about chapter four. verses eight through 10 said training the body helps a little but godly living helps in every way. godly living has the promise of life now And in the world to come. This is a statement that can be trusted And deserves complete acceptance. Certainly, we work hard And struggle to live a godly life because we place our confidence in the living God. He is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe. Beloved, you'll probably remember that Paul was advising the younger Timothy who was pastoring, the church at Ephesus which had become infiltrated with many false teachings. In verse eight, Paul is addressing the idea that was held by many in the Greek And Roman culture that put a great deal of value in physical training. We know that taking care of our bodies a good thing to do, right, but let's face it, the benefits are strictly temporary, they don't last. Eventually, given enough time we all grow old And our bodies deteriorate. I started swimming competitively when I was about eight years old. And by the time I graduated high school, I had swum the equivalent of nearly the distance from Los Angeles to New York, I was in great shape. And then a couple of years after graduating, I was a professional ski patrolman. After that I was an apprentice carpenter. And all through these years, I maintained a very high level of fitness. But here I am in my late 60s, And my body is definitely showing signs of age. But even if I had continued to exercise at the level I did in my youth, my body would not have been able to stop the aging process. physical discipline can't stop the march of time, in one day, my body will just give up, I'll die. No one gets out of here alive, right. But on the spiritual level, I'm in the best shape of my life. My walk with God has made me better able to deal with the challenges of life here And now. And the spiritual discipline I've practiced over the years also produces eternal benefits. When my body stops, I will enjoy the eternal benefit of my faith in Christ. I like what Charles Spurgeon said, I assure you, And there are 1000s of my brethren who can affirm the same, that after having tried the ways of sin, we infinitely prefer the ways of righteousness for their own pleasure sake, even here, And we would not change with ungodly men, even if we had to die like dogs with the sorrow And care which Christian life is supposed to bring. We would prefer it to any other form of life beneath the stars. Amen. Brother Spurgeon. And then here in chapter four, verse 10, Paul said, certainly we work hard And struggle to live a godly life because we place our confidence in the living God, He is the Savior of all people, especially those who believe. well, let's go back here. What did Paul mean when he said, He's the savior of all people, there is a belief among some people that everyone will ultimately be saved. But that isn't what Paul was saying here. The second half of Paul's sentence is especially of those who believe, Bible commentator Adam Clarke said this, what God intends for all he actually gives to them that believe in Christ, who died for the sins of the world, And tasted death for every man, as all have been purchased by his blood, so all may believe, And consequently all may be saved. Those that perish perish through their own fault. Yes, beloved, all are offered forgiveness if they place their faith in Jesus, because no one who comes to Jesus will be rejected. John 316, through 18 says, God loved the world this way, he gave his only Son so that everyone who believes in him will not die, but will have eternal life. God sent His Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but to save the world. Those who believe in Him won't be condemned. But those who don't believe are already condemned, because they don't believe in God's only son. So yes, he is the savior of all people. But then, as Paul said, especially of those who believe Jesus is the Savior of the world, but we have to accept his gift. So Paul was instructing Timothy to live a godly life And to be an example to the Ephesian church, so that no one could fault him for his youth. He said in verses 11, And 12, command And teach these things. Don't let anyone look down on you because you're young. Set an example for the believers in what you say, And in how you live. Also set an example in how you love And in what you believe, show the believers how to be pure. That is an important thing for every pastor to do, but especially a young pastor. But let's go back to the sentence that said, set an example for the believers. Many Bible scholars believe that a better translation here he is, be an example of the believers, as opposed to to or for the believers. I agree with that. Each of us not just pastors, but each of us should be an example of what it is to be a follower of Christ. That's how we become salt And light to the world. We are to be an example of what a believer is supposed to be. So the sentence still holds up. Set an example of the believers in what you say And how you live. Also send an example of how you love And in what you believe. You never know who's watching you. Let me hear from you. Would you if you have a comment or a question, the contact information will be at the end of today's show. Tomorrow will be the last Monday And will read numbers five through eight Steve Webb 15:01 Today's associate producer is Timothy LaFontaine, who came in with his monthly $20 donation. Thank you very much, Timothy. God bless you. Boost. Fountain user s Marroquin three sent in a striper donation of 777 SATs And he said ITM And God bless. well, let's mark when three right back atcha. Thank you. God bless you. Steve Webb 15:33 Praises and prayer requests. We prayed for Scott's dad who was having a heart procedure, remember? well, here's Scott's report. He said, well, praise God, my dad's procedure seems to have gone well. He got three stents this morning And was back home by supper time. They'll praise the Lord's God. Yes. Tell your dad I said welcome to The Club. I have three stents to Scott, I am so Happy that they determined that that was all he needed. If his procedure was like mine, they didn't know whether he would need stents or bypass surgery until they got started. with mine. I remember not knowing whether I would wake up with having my chest opened up or not. It was certainly a relief when I woke up with no stitches in my chest. Praise the Lord for His goodness. Right. And LeeAnn's cousin candy was in the ICU on a respirator last Tuesday when I recorded Wednesday show. I told you then that by the time you heard the show, they hoped to have her off the respirator. well, she is off it now. Here's the report from her son. He said she's talking now And out of the ICU. He doesn't know how long they plan to keep her but at least she's doing better, that great. They thought that they were going to lose her when they checked her into the hospital. So this is great news. All right, let's pray. Our heavenly Father, Lord, we love you. And we thank you for your word. Thank you, Lord, for encouraging us to live godly lives. Life is so much better when we're living for you. You give us peace And joy when we follow you. And we know that will live with you for all of eternity, which is the greatest benefit. Help us Lord to be good examples. Good representatives of Jesus to those around us. Give us the spiritual discipline we need to finish our race. well. We do want to hear you say well done good And faithful servant when we see you face to face. Father, we thank you for the good results with Scotts dad's surgery. We thank you that he did not need bypass surgery And we asked you to give him many, many more years learned. And we thank You, Lord, that candy seems to be out of the woods And we pray that you'll continue the healing. We pray that the blood clots will dissolve with no further issues And that you would strengthen her so that she can get out of the hospital soon. Bless the Lifespring family Lord, encourage them, strengthen them, hold them up when they grow weary as we all do from time to time. I pray this in Jesus name. Amen. Beloved, our next time of prayer together here on the show will be Wednesday. So if there's a praise we should know about or if there's something you'd like us to pray with you about contact information is coming up in just a moment. Steve Webb 18:12 Thank you so much for being a part of the Lifespring family. Thank you for your prayers And for being here every day. And if the show is a blessing for you, please pray about how the Lord would have you support it. This is a scriptural principle. supporting those who bring you spiritual nourishment is taught throughout God's word. If you're learning if you're challenged, if you're encouraged by the show, if you'd be willing to help bring God's word to a world that needs him. Please go to Jingle 18:41 Lifespringmedia.com/support Steve Webb 18:44 I'll thank you and I believe God will bless you. Steve Webb 18:53 Scott Snider did today show art. Thank you, Scott. And also Thanks to Sister Denise Michael Haner, Jason Paschall And sister Brittaney. God bless you guys. And if you have a comment, a question a prayer request or a praise report. Here's how to reach me. To leave a voice message call the Lifespring family Hotline at plus 1732 at 511. Or if you'd rather use your keyboard for prayer requests And praise reports, go to prayer.lifespringmedia.com. For comments or questions go to comment dot Lifespringmedia.com And also boostagram is a great And lastly My email address is steve@lifespringmedia.com. Thanks for taking me along with you today. Until tomorrow. May God bless you richly. My name is Steve Webb. Bye. Announcer 19:41 Podcasts are cool. Transcribed by https://otter.ai