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SPIRITUAL EXERCISE
I TIMOTHY 4:6-10

(April 3, 2022 – SUN p.m. – MBC baesa)

Introduction:
     Paul was telling Timothy to not let the brethren forget some things in verse 6a If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ,” Then Paul continues reminding Timothy in verse 7b “and exercise thyself unto godliness.”
     In our passage, Paul talks about physical exercise and spiritual exercise. Thus, we should not forget to exercise spiritually to get strong in the Lord.
     To give us a little light on our subject, Paul writes in Ephesians 6:10-11 “Ephesians 6:10-11 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. 11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.
     What we are going to talk about is that, we can only defeat the Devil if we are strong in the Lord.
     To start our message, let us notice several factors:

I – THE FAITH OF THE SAVING GRACE – v.10b

I Timothy 4:10b because we trust in the living God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe.”
I Timoteo 4:10bsapagkat nakalagak ang aming pag-asa sa Diyos na buháy, na siyang Tagapagligtas ng lahat ng tao, lalo na ng mga nananampalataya.” FILIPINO VERSION
     In this verse we notice that there is a sequence of salvation, service, and suffering which we must follow in that order.
     The first sequence is:
     A. Sequence Commence with the Salvation
          1. Statement "the Savior of all Men" doesn't mean – v.10c
I Timothy 10cwho is the Savior of all men
I Timoteo 4:10cna siyang Tagapagligtas ng lahat ng tao.” FILIPINO VERSION
     This verse does not teach universal salvation.
-  Some false leaders teach a universal salvation which they claim everybody in this world will go to heaven when they die. They deceitfully teach that God is the Father of all mankind. Cults said that God would not send anybody to an awful place like hell because God is a God of love.
- Actually, God does want everybody to be saved. Yes, God has a desire for every one being saved.
- II Peter 3:9b “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.”
          2. Statement “the Savior of all Men” Does mean – v.10b, v.10c
I Timothy 10b, 10c “because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, specially of those that believe.”
I Timoteo 10b, 10csapagkat nakalagak ang aming pag-asa sa Diyos na buháy, na siyang Tagapagligtas ng lahat ng tao, lalo na ng mga nananampalataya.” FILIPINO VERSION
Notice, there were 2 key words in our text, one was trust and the other is believe.
-  Paul emphasized that God is the Saviour of all men that trust and believe in His Son as their personal Saviour.
John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
Romans 10:9, 11 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.”
Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.”
- There are lots of bible passages that talks about faith, depending, trusting and believing Christ redemptive works for salvation. There is only one way to get saved, is by repenting from your sins or changing your mind toward self, sin, and Savior, simultaneously by believing the gospel of Christ that He died, buried and after three days, Jesus was risen from the dead, then the Lord Jesus will save you.
- Again, God is the Savior of all men that trust in His Son Jesus Christ as their personal Saviour. Salvation is by belief, not by behavior. Salvation is by Grace (God’s unmerited favor). Salvation is not meriting, but by believing in Jesus Christ as your Saviour.
     B. Sequence continue with the Service – v.10a
I Timothy 4:10a "For therefore we both labour
I Timoteo 4:10aSapagkat dahil dito ay nagpapagal kami.” FILIPINO VERSION
     Ok, now that we are saved already! Question: What is now the next thing that we need to do? What does a saved person or a Saint start doing after they get saved?
     Answer: v.10a “For therefore we both labor”
     Let us stop right here before move on.
- After we get saved, the first thing we start doing is to start laboring or serving the Lord. We all become saints the moment we get saved in order for us to serve the Lord while we still in this world. Our Lord Jesus is in Heaven and when Christ saved us, he left us in this darkened sinful blinded world purposely to serve and labor for the Lord. Saved to serve.  
- We Believers in Christ, saved by God’s grace through the gospel of Christ, should not forget that we are the Lord’s eyes, feet, hands, and mouth in this world.
     C. Sequence close with the Suffering
I Timothy 4:10a “For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach”
I Timoteo 4:10a Sapagkat dahil dito ay nagpapagal kami at nagsisikap.” FILIPINO VERSION
- Remember that after we get saved, and start to serve, then comes the suffering.
 - Satan does not want you to get saved. However, if the Devil can not stop you from getting saved and serving God, the Devil now will do his very best tactics to try to cause you to quit when you face and experienced suffering that comes your way.
II Timothy 3:12  "Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution." 
I Peter 4:12-13 “Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: 13 But rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy.”

II – THE FOOD OF THE SPIRITUAL GROWTH – v.6b

I Timothy 4:6b nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine”
I Timoteo 4:6bna pinalusog sa mga salita ng pananampalataya at ng mabuting aral na iyong sinusunod” FILIPINO VERSION
- To get the truth that Paul is trying to get across, let us do a word study.  
- The word “nourished” means to feed or sustain with substances necessary to life and growth (Webster definition)
- The moment a person gets saved, they are babes in Christ. At the moment of salvation, no person become an adult mature Christian. There is a growing process and the most important part of the growing process is eating the right kind of food.
- We are born again by the Word of God (I Peter 1:23; James 1:18)
I Peter 1:23 “Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God…”
James 1:18 “Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth…”
     So, as a newly born babes again we need to be fed by the Word of God. - Well, the spiritual food of a Christian is the Word of God.
I Peter 2:2 “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby:”
- Are you aware that our spiritual food is not like our natural food?
- You can’t eat all the natural food you want, especially when you reach a certain age, when your metabolism changes, and lot of restriction prescribed because of illnesses that arises in your old age. However, you can eat as much as you want to from the Word of God, still you won’t gain one ounce of weight. The more spiritual food you eat from the Word of God, the better nourishment and you become more stronger and spiritually healthy.
- Our topic is “spiritual exercise.” Well, we will deal to the exercising later on, but the person has to eat well before they can exercise because food throw off energy. You have got to have energy to exercise.
- As Christians, our food is the Word of God. We get his food by having a daily bible reading and devotion quiet time, also by attending Sunday school class, and listening to the man of God proclaim the Word of God.
- Paul talks about “good doctrine.” In verse 6. There are churches that do not want to teach doctrine so they take their denomination name off.  
- Oh, my brethren, doctrine is important. Eternal Security, second coming of Christ, salvation by grace, deity of Christ, and other fundamental doctrine is very vital to our Christian belief.
III – THE FITNESS OF THE SPIRITUAL GYMNASIUM – v.7ba
     A. The Exercise which will cause you to profit a little – v.7a, 8a
I Timothy 4:7a But refuse profane and old wives' fables,”
I Timoteo 4:7aSubalit tanggihan mo ang masasama at mga walang kabuluhang katha.” FILIPINO VERSION
-  Paul here mentions what a Christian ought to avoid before he starts putting emphasis on exercise.
- Paul is simply telling Timothy, don’t let anyone get you side tracked with tricky or silly questions. For example, some questions like, where did Cain get his wife or who is Cain’s wife? Another question, if God knows that Eve and Adam will fall into sin, why did God create Eve and Adam? Now, have you encountered someone to ask you while trying to witness to them, that someone trying to get you side tracked?
- We don’t know specifically who is Cain’s wife. Some people want to argue with the 3 days and night that Jesus Was in the earth. Some say that Jesus could not have been killed and buried on Friday. Well, there are several theories and explanation of facts concerning that. But the important for us is that Jesus getting up on the third day, that is all that matters.
- As, we have notice as Paul starts off by talking about what to avoid then Paul continues by talking about what we are not to avoid. Paul emphasizes that we are not to avoid getting our spiritual exercise.
I Timothy 4:8a "For bodily exercise profiteth little:"
I Timoteo 4:8a "sapagkat ang pagsasanay sa katawan ay may kaunting pakinabang." FILIPINO VERSION
- Paul does not say that exercise is not good at all, because it is good. Our physical body needs to be exercised, but spiritual exercise is going to be much profitable here in this life and even in the world to come in Heaven.
- I used to walk on our treadmill. I walk with my wife at estimated 3 to 4 miles to get my heart rate up. This along with good diet to keeps my cholesterol down, plus it strengthens the heart, which is good and profitable for everyone. The number 1 organ in our bodies is the heart and it needs to be taken care of.
- Many young people are exercising and pumping iron to build up their muscles, and these young people love to show off their biceps.
- The point we want to drive out is that people major on physical exercise, but it is sad thing that they don’t even minor on spiritual exercise. This is true on the life of lost people and also true on the life of saved people. Many Christians don’t even value the spiritual exercise, that is why they are spiritual weak, they live like the world, they compromise with worldliness, and they easily submit to the temptation and quit when trials and sufferings comes.
- Did you notice that many of those who said they are believers of Christ who can name all the different basketball teams and even identify the players on those teams, but they can’t quote just one verse in the Bible, like John 3:16, if their life depended on it. These people love to lay on the basketball court, but actually they never get on the witness field for the Lord Jesus Christ. How can it be?

Matthew 5:37 “Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few;”

     B. The Exercise which will cause you to profit a lot – v.8b, 7b

I Timothy 4:8b “but godliness is profitable unto all things
I Timoteo 4:8bSanayin mo ang iyong sarili sa kabanalan,” FILIPINO VERSION
I Timothy 4:7b “and exercise thyself rather unto godliness”
I Timoteo 4:7bSanayin mo ang iyong sarili sa kabanalan.” FILIPINO VERSION
- The word “exercise” in Greek “gymnaze” comes from our English word “gymnasium.”
- The word “exercise” could be translated “train” (ESV) or “discipline” (NASB). It paints a picture of a strenuous workout routine.
 - Every Greek city had a gymnasium, and Ephesus was so different.
- Please be reminded: “Bodily exercise” is the EXTERNAL concern. Godliness is the ETERNAL concern, which is far more important.
- What are some good spiritual exercises that will help us build strong spiritual muscles and be strong in the Lord?
  • To exercise our prayer life daily will help us to be strong in the Lord. 
  • To exercise our Bible study daily will help us to be strong in the Lord.
  • To exercise our witnessing daily will help us to be strong in the Lord.
  • We need to exercise our faith life daily. By hiding the Word of God in our hearts, we increase our faith life.
Romans 4:19 “And being not weak in faith.”
Romans 4:20 “but was strong in faith, giving glory to God;”
Paul said in Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”
- Hearing the word of God is a good spiritual exercise. We need to exercise our faith life and trust in the Lord, and this will cause us not only to be strong in the Lord, but help us to live a victorious life.
Ephesians 6:16 “Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.” Live by faith and not by sight. The just shall live by faith.
  • We need to exercise applying God’s Word in our daily lives. Don’t just read, listen and memorize but do.
  • We need to attend public worship regularly. Never forsake assembling together with fellow believers.
  • We need to give of out time, money, and abilities to God’s service regularly. Be good stewards of God.
  • We are to exercise godliness in this world that exercise ungodliness. Have you noticed that this world is exercising un-godliness to the fullest? We need texercise godliness to the point of exhaustion, to make a difference for Christ in this world. Learn how to live in the fear of God, obey God’s Word unconditionally, forsake and hate sin. Separate from the worldly lifestyle.

Conclusion: Maintain our Spiritual Exercise

I Timothy 4:7b and exercise thyself rather unto godliness.”
- Godliness is the key word. Godliness is becoming more like God in our lives. We become more like God, when we don’t forget our spiritual exercise.”
I Timothy 4:8b but godliness is profitable unto all things,”
- Notice how the Olympic athletes trained to gain or profit a corruptible wreath.
- However, Christians will profit “a crown of righteousness” for those who live a godly life.

II Timothy 4:8 Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.”

God bless