Sermon or Lesson:  1 Timothy 5:24-25, with Galatians 6:7-9 (NIV based)
[Lesson Questions included]

TITLE:  The Surety That Actions Will Be Exposed
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READ:  1 Timothy 5:24-25, with vv.17,20,22 for context

BACKGROUND:
- - In the performing of their ministry duties, elders, pastors, and ministry leaders are not to "share in the sins of others".  (v.22)
- - Now in verse 24, the discussion branches from that concept, stating 2 principles and realities in regard to "the sins of others".
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v.24 - READ

[Lesson Question:  How do the principles in this verse 24 relate to the contextual topic that in their conducting of ministry, leaders are not to participate in the sins of others?  (vv.17,22)]

SECTION POINT:  Ministry leaders (and members) need to stay aware and cautioned that God will indeed actively cause adverse consequences to come upon them individually for sins they commit within the functioning of their church or ministry.

"The sins of some men are obvious, reaching the place of judgment ahead of them;"
- - One reality being highlighted here is that when people sin, some of their sins are obvious to other people around them, being easy to identify.  (Strong's #4271)
- - And because these sins are obvious and easily identified by people around them, their sins go before them or ahead of them, preceding them because their sins become embedded in their reputation.  (Strong's #4254)
- - Through verbal chatter, a person's reputation gets passed along in advance of the person's physical arrival.
- - And because this kind of reputation is dominated by sinfulness, the person in effect is pre-judged by other people who hear about his/her reputation before they even physically meet that person.
- - So, through the spreading of reputations, the sins of some men arrive ahead of them to incite judgment of them by those people who hear about their reputation.

"the sins of others trail behind them."
- - Another reality being highlighted here is that when people sin, some of their sins are not obvious and perhaps not even identifiable by anyone around them.
- - These sins are well-hidden, or well-disguised, or so covertly and craftily executed that no one around them becomes aware or alerted to the sin they have committed.
- - Despite this seeming success at evading detection, "but" "indeed" their sins nevertheless "accompany" them in the manner of "trailing behind them".  (Strong's #1161 and #2532 (omitted in the NIV); #1872)
- - The main reason these undetected sins nevertheless trail behind people is because God takes action to cause this to happen.

Galatians 6:7-8a - READ  (cf. Numbers 32:23)

- - God deliberately and distinctly causes people to reap the consequences of their actions - to "reap what they sow".  (v.7)
- - Using a variety of His divine all-powerful abilities, He ensures that every person individually incurs consequences that correspond to their actions.
- - If a person engages in sinful actions, then God ensures that sooner or later the consequences of those sinful actions come back upon that person.
- - God holds this principle of "a man reaps what he sows" in such high regard and priority that He actively and consistently implements it upon every human being.
- - And because He is by far the most powerful Being in the universe, no person can escape their due corresponding consequences, nor stop Him, nor hinder Him from implementing their corresponding consequences upon them.
- - Of course, observations of life clearly indicate that when and how God implements this incurring of corresponding consequences varies from person to person because the whole process is totally at His discretion, being the Almighty Creator.
- - But to be clear, God does implement this upon every individual human being.
- - Therefore, thinking or claiming or betting that God cannot or will not implement corresponding consequences upon oneself is futile, foolish, blatantly wrong, and self-deceiving (v.7).  God's determination, abilities, and actions in this regard cannot be successfully "mocked", ridiculed, or taunted.  (v.7)

- - In the context of this section of verses in 1 Timothy chapter 5, the point can be made that people who sin within the directing of the affairs of the church or ministry (vv.17,22) will certainly either be readily exposed in their sinning, or they will temporarily succeed in concealing their sinning but nevertheless they will indeed in some manner at some time incur adverse consequences from God for their sinning.
- - So for example, a pastor who colludes with the church treasurer to successfully pilfer or embezzle money from their church without ever being detected will nevertheless incur and suffer adverse consequences from God for this sinning.
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v.25 - READ

[Lesson Question:  How do the principles in this verse 25 relate to the contextual topic that in their conducting of ministry, leaders are not to participate in the sins of others?  (vv.17,22)]

SECTION POINT:  Ministry leaders (and members) also need to stay aware and assured that God will indeed actively cause blessing consequences to come upon them individually for good deeds they do within the functioning of their church or ministry.

- - The dynamics for the 2 principles in verse 24 about the committing of sin are likewise the "same" for the doing of "good deeds".
- - The doing of some good deeds "are obvious" to other people around them, being easy to identify.
- - And the doing of some good deeds in an excellently anonymous or concealed manner become exposed and visible to other people around them.

Galatians 6:8b-9 - READ

- - The reason that even excellently concealed doing of good deeds get exposed is because they are brought out of concealment through God deliberately and distinctly causing people to reap the blessings consequences of their good deeds.
- - Just like with the committing of sin, the exposure of the doing of good deeds is a process implemented by God, being totally at His discretion of when and how He does that.  ('when' > "at the proper time" (v.9); 'how' > "a harvest" (v.9) - of and from what He determines)
- - And God's determination, abilities, and surety to take action for implementing corresponding consequences are the same for the doing of good deeds as they are for the committing of sin.
- - So, whether committing a sin or doing a good deed, God causes every person to "reap what they sow".  (v.7)
- - But for "us" true believers in Jesus Christ, the blessings derived from doing good deeds goes beyond merely having our good deeds become obvious and visible to other people around them.  (v.9)
- - When doing good deeds "to please the Spirit", true believers accrue extra blessing consequences that have "eternal" effect and value.  (vv.8b,9)

- - This potential and availability to earn and accrue extra blessing consequences should significantly motivate every true believer to excel at doing good deeds both inside and outside their church or ministry.
- - In a church or ministry, the principle that God causes 'a man to reap what he sows' remains unshakably true and a reality, for both believers and unbelievers, for teachers of sound biblical doctrines and teachers of false doctrines, for good ministers of Christ Jesus and poor ministers, for ministry leaders who direct the affairs of the church well and ministry leaders who direct the affairs of the church sinfully.
- - So, being armed with this information and enlightenment, ministry leaders (and members) should be additionally motivated to "not share in the sins of others" and instead "keep themselves pure" as they direct and implement the affairs of the church and do good deeds.  (1 Timothy 5:22)
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BIG IDEA:  Leaders (and members) who direct and implement the affairs of the church or ministry should stay aware that God will surely cause their actions to be exposed, whether good or sinful.

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APPLICATIONS:

-- For those of you who are a leader or a worker in the church or a ministry, what are the motivations that drive you to make the decisions that you make and to take the actions that you take?
- - - - Are your motivations "pure" (v.22), seeking to "please the Spirit" (Galatians 6:8)?
- - - - Or in reality are your motivations self-serving, seeking to gain status, or gain power, or gain influence, or gain financial income, or gain job security, or build a lofty reputation, or improve how you look or appear to be to others?
- - - - If you have any self-serving motivations, what kind of ministry results do you think will be produced in your ministry functioning?  And do you expect God to extend any blessings on you for that ministry work when it springs forth from self-serving motivations?
- - - - In other words, can you see that if you have any self-serving motivations, then you certainly have spewed out words and actions in your ministry functioning that are impure and sinful, which God will surely expose and will cause you to incur adverse consequences for?
- - - - You ministry leaders and workers may not be able to easily identify any of your own sinful actions but you should be able to easily identify your own true motivations in being a leader or worker in ministry.  So why not take some time right now and throughout the next week to seriously and comprehensively ascertain and judge each of your own motivations in being a leader or worker in ministry, and then follow each sinful motivation into your past ministry functioning to identify sins you have committed and need to repent of.  (cf. Psalms 139:23-24)

-- For those of you true believers who are not active in helping with or doing ministry and good deeds, what is obvious about you to other people around you?  By your lifestyle, are people around you getting the message that God is satisfied with you merely trying to be a good person even though you are contributing nothing to the building of His kingdom?
- - - - And do you think the time will come when you will be deeply regretting that by failing to do good deeds, you missed so many opportunities to earn and accrue extra blessing consequences that would have eternal effect and value for you?
- - - - Furthermore, does your lackadaisical regard for doing good deeds reflect a major deficiency in your faith?

-- For those of you who are not a true believer in Jesus Christ, that He died on the cross to take the punishment for your personal sins, do you now realize that in your current state of not being a true believer, God will surely hold against you eternally all of the sins you commit during your life?  (1 Corinthians 15:2-4; John 3:16)
- - - - And do you now realize that with unwavering determination, God is already causing your sins to "reach... judgment ahead of you"?  (v.24)
- - - - And this gets even worse for you:  Do you now also realize that God is already actively preparing and/or implementing adverse corresponding consequences for the sins you commit, which will culminate ultimately in you being condemned to the eternal "destruction" of you forever paying the suffering consequences for your own sins?  (Galatians 6:8)
- - - - Why not get authentically connected with God by sincerely and fully placing your faith in Jesus Christ, and then "sow to please the Spirit" of God rather than "sow to please your sinful nature"?  (Galatians 6:8)
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Works Cited:
Bible. “The Holy Bible: New International Version.” The Bible Library CD-ROM. Oklahoma City, OK: Ellis Enterprises, 1988.

“Strong's Greek Dictionary.” The Bible Library CD-ROM. Oklahoma City, OK: Ellis Enterprises, 1988.
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File name: 1Timothy5_24-25-SermonOrLesson.___ (.htm, .doc, .pdf)
Translation used: NIV, quoted or referred to in various places within this document
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Updated:  December 4, 2017