The Great Escape (Part 1): 1 Timothy 6:11 by Dr. Rod Mattoon

Scripture

• 1 Timothy 6:11

About this sermon

* 1 Timothy 6:11- But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. There is a greater escape that is to be made consistently by all Christians. It is listed in 1 Timothy 6:11. The elements of this escape are two-fold and they include fleeing and following. When we examine the principle of fleeing we will look at some things to NOT do or to avoid. When we examine the principle of following, we will look at several things we ARE to do or follow. The jellyfish is an incredible creature made by God. Did you know it produces light inside its bell-shaped body and in its tentacles? When a predator comes close, it turns its lights off and escapes by scooting away as fast as it can. If the predator continues the chase, the jellyfish switches to plan B. It turns on the blue light in its body and the white light in its tentacles. When the attacker is very close, the jellyfish turns off the light in its body and takes off, detaching its still-glowing tentacles. The tentacles continue to writhe and wiggle in the water, distracting the predator. Fighter jets do the same thing by launching bright decoy flares in battle when missiles are fired at them. The actions of the jellyfish provide a picture of the meaning of the word “flee” in verse eleven. It is derived from the word pheugo {fyoo'-go} which means “to flee away, seek safety by flight, to shun or avoid by flight something abhorrent; to escape.” It is the word that produced our English word fugitive. Pheugo is in the present tense which indicates that Christians, especially men of God, are to constantly run, avoid, shun, or escape behavior and beliefs that are bad, brutal, blasphemous, barbaric, bogus, and beguiling. What are the things we are to flee? We talk about this in the message. Beloved, understand very clearly that the hounds of Hell are on the heels of the believer. We are to flee from the Scottish Terrier of snares, the Sheepdog of sorrow, the St. Bernard of straying from God, and the Siberian Husky of seduction. There are some things we should flee and also some things that we should follow. We take a look at this word “follow” and what it means. Paul provides a list for us of what we should follow. This first message on “The Great Escape” was preached on Sunday night, September 10, 2023, at Lincoln Land Baptist Church.