What Must I Preach To Be Saved?
1Timothy 4:6-16

I. I Must Preach By God’s Rules.
a. God chose preaching as the means.
i. “For after that in the wisdom of God the world by wisdom knew not God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save them that believe” (1Cor. 1:21).
b. God closely watches preachers.
i. “My brethren, be not many teachers, knowing that we shall receive the stricter judgment” (James 3:1).
c. God requires that preachers give warning.
i. “So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel; therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me. 8. When I say unto the wicked, O wicked man, thou shalt surely die; if thou dost not speak to warn the wicked from his way, that wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand. 9. Nevertheless, if thou warn the wicked of his way to turn from it; if he do not turn from his way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul” (Ezekiel 33:7-9).
d. The preacher is not accountable for how the message is received. 
i. “Also, thou son of man, the children of thy people still are talking against thee by the walls and in the doors of the houses, and speak one to another, every one to his brother, saying, Come, I pray you, and hear what is the word that cometh forth from the Lord. 31. And they come unto thee as the people cometh, and they sit before thee as my people, and they hear thy words, but they will not do them: for with their mouth they shew much love, but their heart goeth after their covetousness. 32. And, lo, thou art unto them as a very lovely song of one that hath a pleasant voice, and can play well on an instrument: for they hear thy words, but they do them not. 33. And when this cometh to pass, (lo, it will come,) then shall they know that a prophet hath been among them” (Ez. 33:30-33).
e. What must the preacher preach in order to be saved?
i. “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1Timothy 4:16).

II. I Must Preach That Humankind Needs A Savior.
a. “For therefore we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, specially of those that believe” (1Tim. 4:10).
b. Why do we need a Savior?
i. “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God” (Rom. 3:23).
ii. “For the wages of sin is death...”  (Rom. 6:23).

III. I Must Preach The Divine Plan Of Salvation For Sinners.
a. Luke 24:46-47 - “And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: 47. And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.”
b. Matt. 28:18 - “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. 19. Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.”
c. Mark 16:15-16 - “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. 16. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned.”

IV. I Must Preach The Divine Plan Of Restoration For Christians.
a. Can one who has been baptized fall out of favor with God and be lost?
i. 2Peter 2:20-22 - “For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. 21. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. 22. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, the dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.”
b. What must the Christian do to remain saved?
i. Matt. 28:20 - “Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”
ii. 2Peter 1:5 - “And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge; 6. And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness; 7. And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity. 8. For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9. But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins. 10. Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall: 11. For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”
iii. 1John 1:9 - 2:2 - “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10. If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us. 2:1. My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: 2. And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world.”

V. I Must Preach The Divine Plan Of Work And Worship.
a. Epistles to Timothy and Titus: instruction in Christian works.
i. 2Tim. 3:16-17 - “All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: 17. That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
b. The Book of Acts:  instruction in Christian worship - Acts 2:42-47.
i. Apostolic teaching
ii. Communion
iii. Prayers
iv. Giving Benevolence
v. Daily Bible study
vi. Praising God




VI. I Must Preach The Whole Word Of God, And Only The Word Of God.
a. What happens when something other than the word of God is taught?
i. 1Tim. 4:1-3 - “Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; 2. Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; 3. Forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.”
b. The Divine defense against apostasy.
i. 2Tim. 4:1 - “I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; 2. Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. 3. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; 4. And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. 5. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.”
c. God becomes very angry when a sinner or erring Christian backbites a preacher for simply declaring the whole counsel of God!
i. 1Kings 18:17-18 - “And it came to pass, when Ahab saw Elijah, that Ahab said unto him, Art thou he that troubleth Israel? 18. And he answered, I have not troubled Israel; but thou, and thy father's house, in that ye have forsaken the commandments of the Lord, and thou hast followed Baalim.”
ii. 1Kings 21:20-21 - “And Ahab said to Elijah, Hast thou found me, O mine enemy? And he answered, I have found thee: because thou hast sold thyself to work evil in the sight of the Lord. 21. Behold, I will bring evil upon thee, and will take away thy posterity.”
iii. 1Kings 16:30 - “And Ahab the son of Omri did evil in the sight of the Lord above all that were before him. 31. And it came to pass, as if it had been a light thing for him to walk in the sins of Jeroboam, that he took to wife Jezebel, and went and served Baal, and worshipped him. 33. And Ahab made a grove to Baal; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord God of Israel to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him.”

VII. I Must Preach Against Religious Errors And False Doctrines.
a. Jesus preached against false teachers - Matt. 15:6-9.
i. “...Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition. 7. Ye hypocrites, well did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying, 8. This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. 9. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.”
b. Apostle Paul preached against false teachers - 1Tim. 6:3-5.
i. “If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness; 4. He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings, 5. Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.”
c. Apostle John preached against false teachers - 2John 9-11.
i. “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. 10. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: 11. For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.”

d. Can I treat errorists with greater kindness than Christ, Paul, and John, and still expect to be saved?
i. Rom. 16:17-18 - “Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them. 18. For they that are such serve not our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly; and by good words and fair speeches deceive the hearts of the simple.”
e. I don’t have a choice if I want to be saved. I must expose liberalism, denominationalism, Pentecostalism, Premillennialism, and all of the other isms that threaten the souls of men.

VIII. I Must Preach Against Tolerating Sin.
a. Gal. 5:16-21 - “Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20. Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21. Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God.”
b. What effects did tolerating sin have on the church at Corinth?
i. 1Cor. 5:1-2,6-7 - “It is reported commonly that there is fornication among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. 2. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken away from among you. 6. Your glorying is not good. Know ye not that a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump? 7. Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened.”
c. What happens to the restauranteur who does not put out a wet floor warning sign?
i. What will happen to the preacher who does not warn his brethren of the consequences of tolerated, unconfessed sins?

IX. I Must Preach That All Persons Outside The Body Of Christ Are Lost.
a. Eph. 1:22-23 - “And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all.”
b. 4:4 - “There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; 5. One Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6. One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
c. Why is it that most folks believe in the oneness of all of these items except the church?

X. I Must Preach These Things If I Want To Be Saved.
a. 1Tim. 4:16 - “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”
b. 2Cor. 5:20 - “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God.”

XI. Conclusion:
a. But when I have preached the word of God, I have discharged my duty.
i. Your obligation has begun.
b. Just as the preacher is required to speak the word of God...
i. The hearer is required to obey it.
c. You have heard the word of God this day.
d. Will you obey it?