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TIMOTHY - OUR GOD IS A GOD WHO SEES!
You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town
He's making a list
And checking it twice
Gonna find out
Who's naughty and nice
Santa Claus is coming to town
He sees when you are sleeping
He knows when you're awake
He knows when you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake
You better watch out
You better not cry
You better not pout
I'm telling you why
Santa Claus is coming to town1
We know that Santa is the second-leading distributor
of toys, games, jewelry, perfume, and obnoxious ties; second only to Wal-Mart. We
know he has a large work force of elves; probably underpaid. We know
he flies around the world in one night, a complicated journey that involves
getting air clearance from the FAA and every other air-control organization
around the world. And we know, like everyone else, that he has to take
his shoes off every time he goes through airport security.
But how does he know who has been naughty and
who has been nice? It's clear from the song that Santa is well-informed. I
mean as a kid you and I didn't have to hear the song twice to get the message. We
knew that he knew way too much about our activities during the year.
But as an adult I'm rethinking the unmistakable
message of this Christmas Carol. How much does Santa really know? And
how does he get his information? Does he have spies embedded within
communities all over the world that send quarterly reports to the North Pole? Or,
does he simply have access to our FBI file?2
Well, I don't know whether Santa knows everything
or not. But I do know that Scripture makes it abundantly clear that our
God is a God who sees and hears everything. As early as the first few
verses in Genesis we're introduced to a God who not only creates but sees and
evaluates what he has brought into being. For in Genesis 1:1 - 3 we
read:
In the beginning God created the heavens and
the earth. 2 The earth was empty, a formless mass cloaked in darkness.
And the Spirit of God was hovering over its surface. 3 Then God said, "Let
there be light," and there was light. 4 And God saw that it was
good. Then he separated the light from the darkness.
Then in the days of Noah, in Genesis 6:5 - 8
we read:
Now the LORD observed the extent of the people's
wickedness, and he saw that all their thoughts were consistently and totally
evil. 6 So the LORD was sorry he had ever made them. It broke his heart. 7
And the LORD said, "I will completely wipe out this human race that I
have created. Yes, and I will destroy all the animals and birds, too. I am
sorry I ever made them." 8 But Noah found favor with the LORD.
While God was grieved by the thoughts and actions
of just about everyone, regardless of age or gender, he saw something different
in Noah. In Noah he saw someone who kept short accounts. He saw
someone who enjoyed walking and talking with the God of the universe. He
saw someone who loved God enough to do what he commanded.
Years later when Hagar, Sarai's maidservant,
fled from her mistress she discovered that the God of Abraham was a God who
sees. In Genesis 16:7 - 14 we read:3
The angel of the LORD found Hagar beside a desert
spring along the road to Shur. 8 The angel said to her, "Hagar,
Sarai's servant, where have you come from, and where are you going?" "I
am running away from my mistress," she replied.
Then the angel of the LORD said, "Return
to your mistress and submit to her authority." 10 The angel added, "I
will give you more descendants than you can count." 11 And the
angel also said, "You are now pregnant and will give birth to a son. You
are to name him Ishmael, for the LORD has heard about your misery. 12
This son of yours will be a wild one-free and untamed as a wild donkey! He
will be against everyone, and everyone will be against him. Yes, he will live
at odds with the rest of his brothers."
Thereafter, Hagar referred to the LORD, who
had spoken to her, as "the God who sees me," for she said, "I
have seen the One who sees me!" 14 Later that well was named Beer-lahairoi,
and it can still be found between Kadesh and Bered.
Years and years later, Moses was dramatically
reminded that Our God is a God who sees. As a shepherd on the backside
of the desert he was drawn to a burning bush. As he approached the bush
God said, in Exodus 3:5 - 8:
"Do not come any closer," God told
him. "Take off your sandals, for you are standing on holy ground." 6
Then he said, "I am the God of your ancestors-the God of Abraham, the
God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob." When Moses heard this, he hid his
face in his hands because he was afraid to look at God.
Then the LORD told him, "You can be sure
I have seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard their cries for
deliverance from their harsh slave drivers. Yes, I am aware of their suffering. 8
So I have come to rescue them from the Egyptians and lead them out of Egypt
into their own good and spacious land. It is a land flowing with milk and honey-the
land where the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites, and Jebusites
live.
To which Moses replied, "Oh good! Someone
needs to rescue them. I'm glad it's you and not me."
Then, years and years later we have a minor
prophet confronting King Asa with these words in II Chronicles 16:7 - 10:
At that time Hanani the seer came to King Asa
and told him, "Because you have put your trust in the king of Aram instead
of in the LORD your God, you missed your chance to destroy the army of the
king of Aram. 8 Don't you remember what happened to the Ethiopians and
Libyans and their vast army, with all of their chariots and horsemen? At that
time you relied on the LORD, and he handed them all over to you. 9 The
eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose
hearts are fully committed to him. What a fool you have been! From now on,
you will be at war." 10 Asa became so angry with Hanani for saying
this that he threw him into prison. At that time, Asa also began to oppress
some of his people.
If you're looking for a good verse to memorize
II Chronicles 16:9 is a great verse. It reminds us that it is God who
see when were naughty and nice. It also encourages us with the knowledge
that He exercises his mighty power on behalf of those who love him.
I bring this to your attention because in I
Timothy 5:17 - 25 this matter of serving a God who sees comes into play within
the church. It's clear, from a careful reading of the passage, that this
is a bedrock piece of theology in Paul's thinking. For he uses it to
encourage Timothy to be prudent in his conduct within the church and he uses
it to indirectly comfort Timothy. We read:
Elders who do their work well should be
paid well, especially those who work hard at both preaching and teaching. 18
For the Scripture says, "Do not keep an ox from eating as it treads out
the grain." And in another place, "Those who work deserve their pay!"
Do not listen to complaints against an elder
unless there are two or three witnesses to accuse him. 20 Anyone who
sins should be rebuked in front of the whole church so that others will have
a proper fear of God.
I solemnly command you in the presence (sight)
of God and Christ Jesus and the holy angels to obey these instructions without
taking sides or showing special favor to anyone. 22 Never be in a hurry
about appointing an elder. Do not participate in the sins of others. Keep yourself
pure.
Don't drink only water. You ought to drink a
little wine for the sake of your stomach because you are sick so often.
Remember that some people lead sinful lives,
and everyone knows they will be judged. But there are others whose sin will
not be revealed until later. 25 In the same way, everyone knows how much
good some people do, but there are others whose good deeds won't be known until
later.
You'll note in v. 7 that Paul charged Timothy
in the "sight of God and Christ Jesus and the elect angels and Santa,
to keep these instructions without partiality, and to do nothing out of favoritism." So
knowing that he serves a God who sees everything, and knowing that it isn't
just God who is keeping a close watch on things, as Paul graciously reminded
him, Timothy was not only to carry out these instructions he was to do so in
a righteous manner.
The phrase "these instructions" probably
refers to the entire chapter, if not the entire letter, but for our purposes
we will simply look at what we find in this section which primarily centers
on how a church should treat those who give themselves fully to the work. He
tells us that those who direct the affairs of a church well are to receive
double honor.
It's clear, from vv. 18 - 19 that Paul had the
idea of financial remuneration in mind. But did he have a double stipend
in mind? Probably not, it's more likely that he was saying that those
who conduct the affairs of the church well should not only be taken care of
financially but should have our respect as well.4
Too often, you and I take the attitude that
those who give themselves fully to the work should be content with the knowledge
that one day they will hear the words, "Well done good and faithful servant". But
I suspect Paul was of a different opinion. For all of us, including our
pastors and elders, are prone to discouragement and need our words of affirmation.
Where an elder fails to conduct the affairs
of the church well Timothy was to be careful in entertaining any thoughts of
wrong doing. Yes, it's entirely possible that an elder could commit a
grievous act of sin but any accusation in regards to sin is not to be entertained
unless two or three witnesses point an accusing finger at him. In other
words, while God sees everything we don't, so we need to be more careful in
our accusations - especially in the case of elders who deserve our utmost respect
and whose fall could adversely affect many within the congregation.
Then, it is always possible that there are some
wannabe elders who would not conduct the affairs of a church well, hence Timothy
is encouraged to be careful in his selection of elders. For Paul said, "Do
not be hasty in the laying on of hands, lest you end up sharing in the sins
of others."
The fact is, you and I can't see everything. Yes,
there are times where we could see some things but we end up missing them. We
don't because we don't look hard enough, long enough, or carefully enough. But
since we are not all seeing beings we need to be extra careful in our selection
of elders and pastors.
Incidently, while I'm thinking about it, the
bottled water you're drinking is probably better than what you were getting
out of the local wells but you ought to drink a little wine from time to time. It
will be good for your stomach and your frequent illnesses. I know what
you're thinking, most people don't think of wine as being medicinal but I'm
convinced that in moderation it is good medicine.
At any rate, please be careful in the selection
of elders and pastors. It is better to take your time and select the
right people then it is to live with someone who creates more problems than
they solve. It's the old iceberg principle - namely that nine-tenths
of a person is hidden from view.
A few men, of course, are easy to read. Their
life is an open book. Most, however, are more difficult as their sins
and even their good deeds trail behind them. But if you take your time,
you will be able to see the trail well enough to know the man.
Remember, one day the Lord will come again.
He sees when you are sleeping
He knows when you're awake.
He knows when you've been bad or good
So be good for goodness sake!
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1 As near as I can figure out this song was written by
Haven Gillespie and J. Fred Coats in 1932. Evidently their parents communicated
a similar message to them so as to explain why they hadn't received any gifts
for the last few years. Then one day it occurred to them that they
could make a few bucks by communicating the same message in the form of a song. I
guess they didn't give any thought to the fact that their little make-a-few-bucks
song would put a real damper on Christmas for every boy and girl who
wasn't able to be perfect for 365 straight days!
2 Joe Posnanski, Northern Operative Knows If You've Been
Bad or Good, But How?, The Kansas City Star, December 3, 2004.
3 Hagar - the one Sarai gave to Abraham to sleep with, the
one who gave birth to Ishmael, the one who simply did what she was told to
do by her mistress and got into trouble for it. That one!
4 Though Paul reserved the right not to receive financial
support from a congregation (I Cor. 9:15 - 23; I Thes. 2:9), he clearly believed
and repeatedly taught that a congregation had an obligation to offer
it (Gal. 6:6; I Cor. 9:14).
IN STEP WITH TIMOTHY 12/11/05 1
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