The Church, Part Five – 1 Timothy 5:23-25

The Church, Part Five – 1 Timothy 5:23-25
By Pastor Lee Hemen
July 13, 2008 AM

Recently, on one of the web blogs, someone asked what people thought about Christians drinking alcohol. After reading comment after comment that tried to make all kinds of excuses as to why some thought it was perfectly okay to drink as a believer but not get drunk, most failed to address the real issue: If you have to make excuses as to why you should be able to partake in something of the world, as a believer in Christ, then what does that tell you about it? This is exactly what Paul is trying to convey to Timothy. Evidently Timothy had made some mediocre choices as a young pastor and he needed to rethink his Christian witness before he continued in his ministry. Timothy, like all Christians do, needed to realize that Christ comes first in life, not making excuses as to why you as a Christian should be able to join in the world’s activities. It is Paul’s continued instruction on how the church should be the church.

While the Scriptures were written during a time when alcohol was seen as a part of the meal, today it is seen in our society as a part of having "fun," of being fashionable, or a way to “relax.” Why does a Christian need to relax, have fun, or be fashionable this way? Paul addresses these areas in the lives of early Christians that can also help us in our day be the church we are supposed to be in a sin-fallen world. Let’s discover what Paul wrote Timothy about Christian living for the church…

READ: 1 Timothy 5:23-25

When I read Paul writing to the church at Corinth he writes that “’Everything is permissible for me’—but not everything is beneficial. ‘Everything is permissible for me’—but I will not be mastered by anything.” (1 Corinthians 6:12) He is relating that just because something seems innocuous as a believer in Christ, that does not give the Christian the excuse they need to participate in it. He continues by asking, “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?” (v. 6:15) He is writing about sexual promiscuity with Christians, but his admonishment is just fine for any area of the believer’s life. In fact, for Timothy and for Jesus’ church today we discover that…

I. There is a time and place for everything! (1 Timothy 5:23)

1. Christians need to watch themselves! Timothy should have been taking care of his own health in a proper way. He must have been prone to indigestion or was having problems with the tainted water of the time. Paul therefore cautions Timothy by telling him to “Stop drinking only water, and use a little wine because of your stomach and your frequent illnesses.” (v. 5:23) The water of that day was usually infested with bacteria. It often created stomach problems for people. However, we cannot make the mistake in thinking that this is an encouragement by Paul for Timothy to drink booze anytime he wanted! In fact, public intoxication was seen as ungodly for the Hebrew and this is why the Priest Eli rebukes Hannah because he thought she was publically drunk! (1 Samuel 1:14-15) Historically, the Hebrews saw wine as a crop and blessing of God. It was never to be abused. Isaiah the prophet related that people who claim to know God should be ashamed at considering themselves “heroes at drinking wine and champions at mixing drinks.” (Isaiah 5:22) Why? Because it leads to the contemptuous pride of, “Let us eat and drink, for tomorrow we die!” (Isaiah 22:13) Pleasing oneself for a moment’s pleasure is not a Christian lifestyle. This is why it is convoluted thinking that because Jesus drank wine, Christians can too! This is juvenile reasoning like a child who declares, “Billy does it!” They forget that Jesus never drank alcohol to relax or be in vogue. In fact when people incorrectly called Him a “drunkard” Jesus angrily retorted that “The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Here is a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and “sinners.”’ But wisdom is proved right by her actions.” (Matthew 11:19) What did He mean? Jesus compared that generation to a group of selfish little children sitting in the marketplaces who could not be pleased by anything. They derisively tried to say He was a drunk, when He was not. Jesus came to witness to those in need of a Savior and went to whoever would listen, and while He was willing to eat with tax-collectors and prostitutes, He never joined in their sin. So, they falsely tried to say Jesus was a “glutton and drunkard” in order to throw suspicion on Him instead of their own ungodly actions. Timothy was to take care of his health in a godly way, not as an excuse for him to drink wine anytime he saw fit. There is a time and place for everything, but it should always give glory to God!

EXAMPLE: Christians in America need to remember that over 5,000 young people ages 16 to 25 will be killed on our highways because of alcohol. More than in both Iraq wars. Also, “alcohol is estimated to be the cause of more than 23,000 motor vehicle deaths and is implicated in more than half of the nation's 20,000 homicides” annually! (NYT) Alcohol is the number one abused drug for elementary-aged school children. More money is spent on alcohol in one year by “Christians” than all missions, ministries, or church giving combined. Why would Christians want to participate in something that is totally unnecessary for their lives and causes so much social destruction? This is why Paul would write the Ephesians, “Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord's will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.” (Ephesians 5:17-18) There is a time and place for everything, and alcohol is not one of them for the believer.

We live in a society that brags about its individual freedoms. So much so Christians often begin to think they have certain “rights” that are guaranteed by God. This is simply not true. We have certain responsibilities. While we are free in Christ because we are set free from sin’s consequences, Christians are not free to do whatever they want, whenever they want to. Peter would remind us that as Christians we are to “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” (1 Peter 2:12) Peter, like Paul, knew that in living out our faith…

II. Our actions speak louder than words! (1 Timothy 5:24-25)

1. Your actions should match your passion for Christ! This can be a good or bad thing depending upon your actual passion for Christ! Some feel that the next two verses should be connected to verse 21, but I do not believe so. I think Paul was continuing his thoughts to Timothy about Timothy’s own personal habits. I believe Paul did not want Timothy to fall into what many in our day and age try to incorrectly deduce from these verses, that namely Paul was telling Timothy to drink wine anytime. The pagan Romans did that, why would a devout Jew who is now a devout Christian, want to teach someone who was supposed to be a pastor and leader to emulate an ungodly habit? He would not. This is why he writes, “The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them; the sins of others trail behind them.” (v. 5:24) Alcoholism does just this. So does the Christian who readily compromises their faith at a moment’s notice in order to “fit in” with the world instead of being steadfast for Christ! Paul is tacitly warning Timothy about his personal conduct. His actual witness. However, Paul notes that “In the same way, good deeds are obvious, and even those that are not cannot be hidden. (v. 5:25) This is why Paul would write the Christians at Rome, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1-2) Your actions speak louder than words!

EXAMPLE: Christians do not live in a vacuum. If we say we love Jesus, yet do not live like we do, people will know it. Being a nice person is not the same as living a holy life for the Lord. I cannot relate to you how many times I have counseled well-meaning Christians who allowed the world to dictate their actions and were now suffering the consequences of them. Children who rebelled because they watched their “pious” parents kneel in the pew and then beheld their hypocrisy at home. How a father wept because his child was killed while drinking and driving, only to discover that she got the beer from his refrigerator in the garage. Paul was telling Timothy that if you are going to be a Christian leader, live like one. Live like you love the Lord you say you follow. Your actions speak louder than your words! Vacation Bible School this year had a song entitled, “Let My Actions Match My Passion.” We sang it earlier in our worship as it was lead by our youth. Remember what it states? “Gonna let my actions match my passions for what my God has done, He’s given me salvation through Jesus Christ His Son. I believe in His authority and that He loves me, so I’ll stand on His commands and let my actions match my passions. I’ll love the Lord, my God with all my heart, my soul, and my strength; and with my mind and I will love my neighbor like I love me.” Isn’t that what a Christian is called to do? To let their actions speak louder than their words?

Conclusion:
To drink or not to drink is not the question here. What is the question to consider for the believer is what Paul was expressing to his friend Timothy. Namely, in the life of a Christian… There is a time and place for everything, and our actions should speak louder than our words.
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NOTE: This article is copyrighted by Pastor Lee Hemen © 2008 and the property of Pastor Lee Hemen. You are welcome to copy it, email it, or use it but please if you copy it, email it, or use it you must do so in its entirety.

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