Introduction

On my phone the voice for Siri is a woman with an English accent. She pronounces 99%+ of words correctly but once in a while she will say something humorous:

She also occasionally will use a phrase we’re not accustomed to:

• Car park.
• When you’re getting on an interstate: For the next 50 miles go straight on.

Brothers, that’s what we are called to do as Christian men: Go Straight on! For the next 50 years or for some of you 30 or for some of us 10 or maybe even less straight on! Straight on in following Jesus. For this is what a disciple does, he follows his master straight on.

Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God. Hebrews 12:1-2

Proverbs 4: Ponder the path of your feet; then all your ways will be sure. Do not swerve to the right or to the left; turn your foot away from evil. Go straight on.

So the question is how do we do that? How do we keep following the Lord “straight on”? This is the call of the Christian man and for every disciple of Jesus. Though this is the clear call for us, we must admit that it is a challenging call to keep going straight on after the Lord. How can we be find strength today so that we can run with endurance the race that is set before us?

And how can we gather strength and grace to help mentor or disciple others?

Well I Timothy tells us how to do so. There’s lots of things we could say concerning that question. This book is chock full of God’s empowering grace.

But what I want to focus on today is that a disciple of Jesus (a follower) is primarily known by his commitment to God’s word. Jesus said in John 8:31 and this speaks to our life as a disciple and to discipling others;

So Jesus said to the Jews who had believed him, “If you abide in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” John 8:31-32

There are many evidences/indications that a person is a genuine follower of Christ. But one of the clearest indicators that a man is following Christ is that he is one who abides in God’s word. When we do so It will help keep us to go straight on and not get off and into the weeds. You know it’s possible to be a disciple and get into the weeds. Paul speaks of two men in chapter one who did: some have made shipwreck of their faith,

When one builds their life on hearing and doing the word of God their life will not be a shipwreck but built on a firm foundation. Let’s pray and ask the Lord to help us concerning what I Timothy tells us about continuing on as Christ’s disciple by continuing in his word.

6 For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. 7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing. 2 Timothy 4:6-8

I. Read The Word (Immerse Yourself in Sound Doctrine)

Study The Word/Cherish The Word.

In the Spring I taught on being a Spirit filled man which is one of our core values and one of the things God has called us to. Another of our core values is Doctrine and one of the things God has called you and me to is being men of the Word. (All C men)

Paul especially stresses this to Timothy in this letter. A good summary of this is found in chapter 4 when he tells his child in the faith:

if you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. I Timothy 4:6

Four times in this letter and two times in his second letter to Timothy, Paul uses this description of sound doctrine or sound words or good doctrine. In other verses it is referred to as “the faith” What is this sound doctrine or sound words that he is talking about?

The verb heterodidaskaleo which Paul uses both in 1:3 and in 6:3 clearly indicates that there is a norm of doctrine from which the false teachers had deviated. It is called “the faith”, “the truth”, “the sound doctrine”, “the teaching”, and “the good deposit”. In nearly every one of these expressions the noun is preceded by the definite article, indicating that already a body of doctrine existed which was an agreed standard by which all teaching could be tested and judged. It was the teaching of Christ and of his apostles. John Stott

What was happening in the church in Ephesus was that it was being affected by those who were or wanted to teach unsound or unhealthy doctrine.

so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. I Timothy 1:3-4

Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons. I Timothy 4:1

So we can get into the weeds a little bit or a lot!

All of us we must be on guard against doctrine which is not sound or healthy. We must watch that we don’t get caught up in controversies that consume us but that are not really in accordance with sound doctrine. Connie and I were at the beach a few weeks ago. When we went into the ocean to swim it was great but there was a rip tide pulling us down the beach (you don’t really realize it). My sister-in-law who was with us was sitting in a beach chair right at the water’s edge. And before we knew it we were way down from where she was sitting.

We can all be tempted to get caught up in things that are not straight on and drift far away from healthy and sound doctrine.

He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain I Timothy 6:4

We must have our lives centered in sound doctrine. What is sound doctrine?

Gospel centered truth. It’s centered in and around the life, death, resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. Sound doctrine is centered in the words of our Savior and the Apostles who wrote about Him.

If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. I Timothy 6:3-4

And it leads to godliness, humility, love and service.

5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

Now you may be thinking well Mike, I agree with you but what’s the big deal. The big deal is that if you don’t practically have your life centered on sound doctrine you may drift away by unsound or unhealthy doctrine or emphasis. Something other than Jesus Christ and him crucified.

Have you ever seen those insurance commercials that go, “We know a thing or two because we’ve seen a thing or two.” I’ve been a Christian for almost 50 years and I can say I know a thing or two because I’ve seen a thing or two. If your life is not centered in sound doctrine you can end up drifting away from following the Lord straight on. It may not happen overnight but usually it occurs over time. It may not be that you are embroiled in some heretical belief or practice but it may be that your focus becomes some spiritual issue that is not central to the Christian life. It may be that your lukewarmness or passivity to the spiritual disciplines results in a heart that has drifted far from God.

Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me Isaiah 29:13,

So how do we not drift down the beach away from the Lord?

Be a good theologian! R.C. Sproul once said that all Christians are theologians. Some are bad theologians or ignorant or misled theologians but we are all theologians. We all have ideas about who God is and what he wants us to do. One of the things that will help you become a good theologian is to regularly be reading through the Bible.

I’m not saying do it in a year. If you do that’s great. But if you read 2-3 chapters a day (through the entire Bible) you will be through it a year and a half. Establish that as a regular habit. Keep doing it, make it a regular part of your life. That will lay a good foundation (not the only) for you growing as a theologian. It will also be a source of spiritual life for that keeps you alive in Christ, vitally connected to him.

Jesus said in John 15:4 Abide in me and I in you. But then in verse 7 he says If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, (in a very real and experiential). So as you are reading through the Bible it should help you grow in knowledge but also in a devotional spiritual connection to the Lord. It’s not a textbook; these are the living words of God to his people. And the Spirit within you will help connect you to the Lord as you are reading the word.

So be committed to reading Scripture everyday (or most days) and as you do make sure that New Testament truths are the main focus in your life. I want to be careful on how I say that. The Old Testament is very important. I love the Old Testament writings. (history, the narratives, wisdom literature, the prophets). But we must learn to view all things through the prism of New Testament truth. It is the creme of the creme. It reveals the glory of God in Christ Jesus in a way that is straightforward and not concealed or hidden in types and symbols as is often the case in the Old Testament.

For truly, I say to you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see, and did not see it, and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.

So always be reading through the entire Bible but let your main focus (your anchor) be the New Testament. This will help you in your pursuit of going straight on with the Lord. And it will root you in God’s eternal truths so that your discipling and influence of others will be rooted in Christ.

II. Study The Word

I want to use this point to encourage you in our Bible studies in I Timothy. Our goals for these studies are 1 Biblical fellowship through studying the Scripture together. This would include discipleship at some level. Appeal to younger guys 2. Growth in biblical manhood and godliness. 3. Encouragement to develop and practice in your own life the discipline of studying God’s word.

Reading through the Bible on a regular basis is an important step to becoming a genuinely biblical man. But it is not sufficient. You need to study God’s Word. Jerry Bridges said reading gives us breadth but study gives us depth. One of the criticisms of the charismatic movement was…

The study of God’s word is an expression of our devotion to God, to knowing him and his ways and to walk in those ways. Actually both our reading through the Scriptures and our study should be affected by that devotion. We don’t read the Bible because that’s what good Christians do. We read and study the Bible because we want to know God and know his ways and grow stronger in him.

John Piper in his book, Reading the Bible Supernaturally, writes that reading and study Enhance Our Worship; Help us to see the Supreme Worth and Beauty of God;

We want to be real and authentic Christians. It is our meat and our drink and without it we become weak and ineffective Christians.

Kobe and Michael. Improving their craft through discipline.

train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. I Timothy 4:8

It’s in study that we go deeper into the truths of Scripture. Now reading the Bible helps our study of the Bible - because as we read the Bible in a holistic way (ie knowing what is in Genesis through Revelation) will help our study of God’s word. (Big picture/whole counsel of God).

And it helps us with one of the first principles of Bible study interpretation (hermeneutics): having Scripture interpret Scripture. What does all of Scripture tell me about the verse or chapter or topic that I am studying? Our focused study of God’s word is helped by our broad understanding of it. So Scripture is to interpret Scripture. And I would add another question to be asked: what does the gospel message tell me about it? Because the gospel message is the greatest truth of the Bible.

So let’s stop and take a deep breath here. I know for myself when I hear something that I don’t think I can do or think is realistic for me I freeze up inside or just resign myself that this is not for me. If you are a Christian this is for you - this is God’s will for you and I want to assure you there’s grace from God to do it.

One of the greatest reasons people cannot mobilize themselves is that they try to accomplish great things. Most worthwhile achievements are the result of many little things done in a single direction”. Nido Qubein

Here’s a little thing concerning study: seek to do it (at least) once a week. One day maybe it’s on the weekend or day off when you devote a half hour to study. I want to try and attain a certain balance here. One is to say don’t set the bar in your mind so high you won’t be able to sustain it. But the second part is as Christian men we are called to make the effort to integrate God’s word into our lives. That’s part of “train yourselves” for godliness. Plan your work…

Handout on Bible study principles. We are not using a certain Bible study curriculum. Each week the leader of your group will send out ahead of time discussion questions on the chapter you are covering that week. The handout I gave you has a lot of good principles. Here are a few additional thoughts about Bible study.

Read and reread the chapter slowly. Part of the beauty of Bible study is having the time to read slowly.

Piper says this in his book in a chapter titled “The Power of Patience and Aggressive Attentiveness”

My aim in this chapter is to persuade you and encourage you that, as you read the Bible, you can see more than you ever thought you could. And I am going to argue that this will happen not mainly because you learn Greek and Hebrew, or get a seminary education (though these can be valuable), but rather because you form the habit, and develop the patience, to look longer and more carefully than you ever have. Most failures to see what authors intended to communicate are not owing to insufficient education or inadequate intelligence but to passive reading that is not aggressively attentive to what is there

• John Piper

Having time to slow down and read carefully will help you to develop this habit of attentiveness that Piper is speaking of.

Bible study doesn’t require you to be a rocket scientist. Here are some examples from I Timothy of Paul’s clear intention in writing: (Clues)

• 1:15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners,
• 1:18 this charge I entrust to you
• 2:1 First of all then, I urge that v3 This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, 8 8 I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling;
• 3:14 but I am writing these things to you so that,

Keep the main thing the main thing. So one of the questions you should be asking is “what is the main thing or the main things” that the author writing about? I Timothy is full of those hints or clues.

Before we get to our last point let me recap about study. Our Bible studies hopefully are a great avenue to study alongside your brothers in Christ (in community). And I want to encourage you that you allow this study to help you build into your schedule a habit of Bible study that will become a regular part of your life.

III. Cherish The Word

In July we were in the car with some of my grandkids and we decided to stop in this little country store and get some drinks. Everyone got what they wanted and what I decided on was a Frosty Rootbeer. Now I don’t often drink soda but that day when I saw the Frosty in the cooler I decided to get it. It was a popular drink back in the day when I was growing up. And because it was only 12 ounces I didn’t guzzle that drink like you might do on a very hot day. I savored it! I took little sips and enjoyed it.

Brothers this is what we should do with God’s word. We should learn to cherish it, savor it to enjoy it. See it as it really is - a precious commodity. Psalm 19 reflects a recurring theme of Scripture about Scripture:

More to be desired are they than gold, even much fine gold; sweeter also than honey and drippings of the honeycomb.11 Moreover, by them is your servant warned; in keeping them there is great reward. Psalm 19:10-11

Jeremiah 15:16 Your words were found, and I ate them, and your words became to me a joy and the delight of my heart

How do we savor and cherish God’s word? Through reading/study but especially I think through memorization and meditation. And my emphasis is on the meditation. You can memorize Scripture but if you are not taking time to think deeply about it then you are limiting its power.

Meditation is the art of deliberate, intentional thinking and pondering (yes and even savoring) a verse or passage of Scripture or even a word of Scripture. In chapter 4 Paul says this to Timothy:

Practice these things, immerse yourself in them I Timothy 4:15

One translation says ponder these things. Others use the word meditate: King James says Meditate on these things.

If in study we are slowing down the process of reading by examining a specific passage, meditation is taking this process to the next step and zeroing on a verse or a few verses or a single word. When you meditate on a single verse it forces you to ask questions and thoroughly examine it over and over again. It includes the task of continued examination or the fact that you keep coming back to that verse and thinking of it and its impact in your life. Piper says in his book “Active reading means asking questions.”

The power of God enters our heart! ..What happens when you hide it in your heart! If you want to nourish the life of God in your soul, memorize Scripture. If you want Jesus in your heart, hide his word there. The mind of God enters our heart. Fill your brain with the word of God. It has the power to change you from the inside out.

• Neil Stewart

Remember it’s not just memorizing it… One of the main purposes of memorization is so that it’s readily available to you. The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” Joshua - Don’t allow it to depart from your mouth. Memorization allows us to pull up at our command the verses we need at that moment.

One of the goals of a Christian man is to fill up his life with the word of God. Psalm 1 says when we do that it will lead to a fruitful life and ministry. Remember this happens when we build little habits into our lives that when done consistently pay huge dividends. Don’t despise the day of small beginnings.

One of Phil’s many iconic lines or sayings was “you have to get your mind right”. It was from a line from the movie Cool Hand Luke. He used it to illustrate Romans 12:2 which tells us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. This renewing of our minds comes as we align our thinking with the truth of God’s word.

Brothers as Christian men we must get our minds right! Everyday. If you are a Christian you have been born again of the Spirit of God. Christ is in you! And yet you still battle with a fallen nature.

Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. I Peter 2:11

Therefore, preparing your minds for action, and being sober-minded, set your hope fully on the grace that will be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. I Peter 1:13

We must get our minds right regarding the passions of the flesh: anger, lust, jealousy, envy, covetousness, laziness… This is an ongoing discipline of grace and it should be rooted in what Scripture tells us about who we are in Christ and his wonderful promises of grace to fight against sin.

“The only way to dispossess it (the heart) of an old affection, is by the expulsive power of a new one.

• Thomas Chalmers

If you do not have a reservoir of Scripture that is in your mouth and in your heart. Verses that you can call upon daily before, during and after temptation comes you will be out manned against the world, the flesh and the devil.

Our Savior was not. In the wilderness when tempted by the devil after 40 days of fasting he resisted the devil with the word of God = It is written. Be gone! If you do not have verses, promises, warnings in your heart and mind and mouth then BEGIN!

Begin by just starting a list. A list that you will regularly review. A list of verses that you will begin memorizing and meditating on. And remember to start small. If you memorize one verse a week…

Another possibility is to memorize verses with the guys in your group.

Conclusion

Let’s take 2-3 minutes and for each of you write down: What is your reading plan? What is your plan for study? What is your plan to memorize and meditate on scripture?