Outlines of 1 Timothy for Bible study

Paul' Guidelines to the ministers in the Church

lesson 1

1 Timothy 1:1-10
1. The Right Message
Vs. 3-4 “Command certain people not to teach other doctrine or to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies.”

Don’t Teach False Doctrine
“Command certain people not to teach other doctrine”

Don’t Pay Attention to False Doctrine
“Or to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies”

When someone takes one minor truth of Scripture and builds their whole belief structure around it or…

When an outside source is used as the authoritative basis for interpreting the Bible.

2. The Right Results
Vs. 4 “…These promote empty speculations rather than God’s plan, which operates by faith.”

NLT: “Don’t let people waste time in endless speculation over myths and spiritual pedigrees. For these things only cause arguments; they don’t help people live a life of faith in God.”

Vs. 6 “Some have deviated from these and turned aside to fruitless discussion.”
Amplified: “Have wandered away into vain arguments and discussions and purposeless talk”

The Choice: Human Speculation or Divine Revelation

The Results: Human Fascination or Divine Transformation

The Danger of Distraction
Vs. 4 “Rather than God’s plan which operates by faith”
Plan: God’s economy or administration, His way of having things work.
Everything in God’s system works by faith

Vs. 6 “Fruitless discussion”
Pointless and useless; it doesn’t lead to holy living.

3. The Right Motivations
Vs. 5 “Now the goal of our instruction is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith”
Vs. 7 “They want to be teachers of the law, although they don’t understand what they are saying or what they are insisting on.”

The Contrast:
“Now the goal of our instruction”
“They want to be teachers” – they have a desire to be “somebody”

“Out of” – springing as from a fountain What’s inside inevitably comes out

Love from a pure heart

Free from mixed motives

Love from a good conscience

Unburdened by guilt

Not desensitized by hardness
1st Timothy 4:2 “Having their own conscience seared with a hot iron”

Love from a sincere faith
Not just mental agreement or saying we believe something

Operative in our lives

4. The Right Use of the Law
Vs. 8 “Now we know that the law is good, provided one uses it legitimately.”
NKJV: “But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully”

That is, for its intended purpose

3 Proper Purposes of the Law:

To restrain people from their natural evil desires

To show us in practical terms how to love God and our neighbor

To awaken people to their need of Christ


Vs. 9-10 “We know that the law is not meant for a righteous person, but for the lawless and rebellious, for the ungodly and sinful, for the unholy and irreverent, for those who kill their fathers and mothers, for murderers, for the sexually immoral and homosexuals, for kidnappers, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching”

The Word of God Rightly Used Leads to Spiritual Health
Vs. 10 “Whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching”
Amplified: “wholesome teaching and sound doctrine”

Sound = to be well, to be in good health

Short Explanation on Psalm 5

Psalms 5 -
Title - “To the Chief Musician upon Nehiloth, a Psalm of David.” The Hebrew word Nehiloth is taken from another word, signifying “to perforate, to bore through,” whence it comes to mean a pipe or a flute; so that this song was probably intended to be sung with an accompaniment of wind instruments, such as the horn, the, trumpet, flute, or cornet. However, it is proper to remark that we are not sure of the interpretation of these ancient titles, for the Septuagint translates it, “For him who shall obtain inheritance,” and Aben Ezra thinks it denotes some old and well-known melody to which this Psalm was to be played. The best scholars confess that great darkness hangs over the precise interpretation of the titles; nor is this much to be regretted, for it furnishes an internal evidence of the great antiquity of the Book. Throughout the Psa_1:1-6, Psa_2:1-12, Psa_3:1-8, and Psa_4:1-8, you will have noticed that the subject is a contrast between the position, the character, and the prospects of the righteous and of the wicked. In this Psalm you will note the same. The Psalmist carries out a contrast between himself made righteous by God's grace, and the wicked who opposed him. To the devout mind there is here presented a precious view of the Lord Jesus, of whom it is said that in the days of his flesh, he offered up prayers and supplication with strong crying and tears.
Division - The Psalm should be divided into two parts, from the first to the seventh verse, and then from the eighth to the twelfth. In the first part of the Psalm David most vehemently beseeches the Lord to hearken to his prayer, and in the second part he retraces the same ground.
Hints to Preachers
Psa_5:1, Psa_5:2 - Prayer in its threefold form. “Words, meditation, cry.” Showing how utterance is of no avail without heart, but that fervent longings and silent desires are accepted, even when unexpressed.
Psa_5:3 - The excellence of morning devotion.
Psa_5:3 (last two clauses).
1. Prayer directed.
2. Answers expected.
Psa_5:4 - God's hatred of sin an example to his people.
Psa_5:5 - “The foolish.” Show why sinners are justly called fools.
Psa_5:7 - “Multitude of thy mercy.” Dwell upon the varied grace and goodness of God.
Psa_5:7 - The devout resolution.
Psa_5:7
I. Observe the singularity of the resolution.
II. Mark the object of the resolution. It regards the service of God in the sanctuary. “I will come into thine house.... in thy fear will I worship towards thy holy temple.”
III. The manner in which he would accomplish the resolution.
(1) Impressed with a sense of the divine goodness: “I will come into thy house in the multitude of thy mercy.”
(2) Filled with holy veneration: “And in thy fear will I worship.”
- William Jay, 1842.
Psa_5:8 - God's guidance needed always, and especially when enemies are watching us.
Psa_5:10 - Viewed as a threatening. The sentence, “Cast them out in the multitude of their transgressions,” is specially fitted to be the groundwork of a very solemn discourse.
Psa_5:11
I. The character of the righteous: faith and love.
II. The privileges of the righteous.
(1) Joy - great, pure, satisfying, triumphant (shout), constant (ever).
(2) Defence - by power, providence, angels, grace, etc.
Psa_5:11 - Joy in the Lord both a duty and a privilege.
Psa_5:12 (first clause) - The divine blessing upon the righteous. It is ancient effectual, constant, extensive, irreversible, surpassing, eternal, infinite.
Psa_5:12 (second clause) - A sense of divine favour a defence to the soul

Short commentary on Psalm 4

Psalms 4 -
Title - This Psalm is apparently intended to accompany the third, and make a pair with it.
The inspired title runs thus: “To the chief Musician on Neginoth, a Psalm of David.” The chief musician was the master or director of the sacred music of the sanctuary. Concerning this person carefully read 1Ch_6:31, 1Ch_6:32; 1Ch_15:16-22; 1Ch_25:1, 1Ch_25:7. In these passages will be found much that is interesting to the lover of sacred song, and very much that will throw a light upon the mode of praising God in the temple. Some of the titles of the Psalms are, we doubt not, derived from the names of certain renowned singers, who composed the music to which they were set.
On Neginoth, that is, on stringed instruments, or hand instruments, which were played on with the hand alone, as harps and cymbals. The icy of the Jewish church was so great that they needed music to set forth the delightful feelings of their souls, our holy mirth is none the less overflowing because we prefer to express it in a more spiritual manner, as becometh a more spiritual dispensation. In allusion to these instruments to be played on with the hand, Nazianzen says. “Lord I am an instrument for thee to touch.” Let us lay ourselves open to the Spirit's touch, so shall we make melody. May we be full of faith and love, and we shall be living instruments of music.
Hawker says “The Septuagint read the word which we have rendered in our translation chief musician Lamenetz, instead of Lamenetzoth, the meaning of which is unto the end.” From whence the Greek and Latin fathers imagined, that all psalms which bear this inscription refer to the Messiah the great end. If so, this Psalm is addressed to Christ; and well it may, for it is all of Christ, and spoken by Christ, and hath respect only to his people as being one with Christ. The Lord the Spirit give the reader to see this, and he will find it most blessed.
Division - In the Psa_4:1David pleads with God for help. In the second he expostulates with his enemies, and continues to address them to the end of Psa_4:5. Then from Psa_4:6 to the close he delightfully contrasts his own satisfaction and safety with the disquietude of the ungodly in their best estate. The Psalm was most probably written upon the same occasion as the preceding, and is another choice flower from the garden of affliction. Happy is it lot us that David was tired, or probably we should never have heard these sweet sonnets of faith.
Hints to Preachers
Psa_4:1 - Is full of matter for a sermon upon, past mercies a plea for present help. The first sentence shows that believers desire, expect, and believe in a God that heareth prayer. The title - God of my righteousness, may furnish a text (see exposition), and the last sentence may suggest a sermon upon, “The best of saints must still appeal to God's mercy and sovereign grace.”
Psa_4:2 - Depravity of man as evinced
(1) by continuance in despising Christ,
(2) loving vanity in his heart, and
(3) seeking lies in his daily life.
Psa_4:2 - The length of the sinner's sin. “How long?” May be bounded by repentance, shall be by death, and yet shall continue in eternity.
Psa_4:3 - Election - Its aspects towards God, our enemies, and ourselves.
Psa_4:3 - “The Lord will hear when I call unto him.” Answers to prayer certain to special persons. Mark out those who can claim the favour.
Psa_4:3 - The gracious Separatist. Who is he? Who separated him? With what end? How to make men know it?
Psa_4:4 - The sinner directed to review himself, that he may be convinced of sin - Andrew Fuller, 1754-1815.
Psa_4:4 - “Be still.” Advice - good, practical, but hard to follow. Times when seasonable. Graces needed to enable one to be still. Results of quietness. Persons who most need the advice. Instances of its practice. Here is much material for a sermon.
Psa_4:5 - The nature of those sacrifices of righteousness which the Lord's people are expected to offer - William Ford Vance, 1827.
Psa_4:6 - The cry of the world and the church contrasted. Vox populi not always Vox Dei.
Psa_4:6 - The cravings of the soul all satisfied in God.
Psa_4:6, Psa_4:7 - An assurance of the Saviour's love, the source of unrivalled joy.
Psa_4:7 - The believer's joys.
(1) Their source, “Thou;”
(2) their season - even now - “Thou hast;”
(3) their position, “in my heart;”
(4) their excellence, “more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.”
Another excellent theme suggests itself - “The superiority of the joys of grace to the joys of earth;” or, “Two sort of prosperity - which is to be the more desired?”
Psa_4:8 - The peace and safety of the good man - Joseph Lathtop, D.D., 1805.
Psa_4:8 - A bedchamber for believers, a vesper song to sing in it, and a guard to keep the door.
Psa_4:8 - The Christian's good-night.
Psa_4:2 - The means which a believer should use: to win the ungodly to Christ.
(1). Expostulation, Psa_4:2.
(2) Instruction, Psa_4:2.
(3) Exhortation, Psa_4:4, Psa_4:5.
(4) Testimony to the blessedness of true religion, as in Psa_4:6, Psa_4:7.
(5) Exemplification of that testimony by the peace of faith, Psa_4:8.