Unshakeable Faith: Standing Strong in Spiritual Warfare - 1 Timothy 4:1-5

Introduction:

In the 1930s & 40s, Dietrich Bonhoeffer exemplified unwavering faith. While many theologians and friends yielded to false teachings, he stood firm in truth, courageously confronting the godlessness of his era.

Surrounded by destructive ideologies, Bonhoeffer remained firm in opposing a godless government. His voice resounded with clarity and conviction, condemning ungodliness.

Despite pressure to compromise and the risk to his life, Bonhoeffer, continued to preach and live the Gospel's truth, offering a remarkable example of steadfastness amidst prevailing godlessness and pressure to fall in line.

Standing Firm in Faith When Others Falter:

Paul, continues the theme of godliness throughout the rest of 1 Timothy 4:7, 6:3, 6:5, 6:6, 6:11. Showing that godliness is a major theme of the Christian life. What Paul seek to flesh out for us is the distinction between godliness and ungodliness. The heart of Paul’s statement in our passage is not merely ungodliness as a lack of a moral attribute but the absence of God in ones life.

As Paul will explain throughout the rest of 1 Timothy the idea of remaining faithful in the household of God, while dwelling in a world filled with the godless.

The whole story line of the Bible revolves around God the Father qualifying people for eternal life through the work of the Son, Jesus Christ. As first promised in Genesis 3:15 “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and her offspring; he shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise his heel.””

And then this promise was manifested in the flesh of Jesus Christ, as a historical event. Which is expressed beautifully in Colossians 1:12–14 “giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”

Thus the tale of the two cities is not the Christian and unchristian, but instead, the godly and the godless. Paul explains in our passage that the godless ones are those who depart from the faith. Where as the godly ones are those who by faith remain steadfastly faithful in Christ Jesus.

To “depart” can be understood as those who according to Hebrews 6:4-6 have tasted of things of the Spirit, participating in the activities of the church, lived among the people of God, but yet lack the root of faith. And thus when difficult times come they turn back to their old lives.

Therefore, in the later times, when their faith grows cold because they lack the nourishing root of life in Christ, they will depart from the faith, being seduced by false teachings.

Paul’s aim is to ensure that Christians, who are walking the true religion, remain faithful even while their friends or family members abandon the faith and step back into the kingdom of darkness. And that those who do not yet know the saving work of Jesus might take it serious today, repent of their sins by abandoning the world and walk in obediences to Jesus Christ.

We read in Matthew 24:12–13 “And because lawlessness will be increased, the love of many will grow cold. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.”

This is a race of endurance, and we must run the race with the mindset of winning. There are many in the church who comfortably ride the bench. They are 4th string players who never touch the field, but because they have a jersey with their name on it and equipment they believe they are valuable members of the team. All the while not realizing they are one step from being cut.

Hebrews 3:12 Encourages us, “Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God.”

Romans 10:8-9 “But what does it say? “The word is near you, in your mouth and in your heart” (that is, the word of faith that we proclaim); because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”

To remain faithful, to ensure that we do not have an evil unbelieving heart, means we must hold firm to the confession of the Word of God, so that we can recognize the work of the Spirit of God and the work of the enemy.

Recognizing the Work of the Enemy:

Paul states in our passage, 1 Timothy 4:1 “Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,”

The abandonment of faith occurs when we commit ourselves to false teachings. People are easily enticed by false teachings and teachers because they in general have turned away from the truth.

2 Timothy 4:3–4 “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.”

Ideas are shifting away from clear distinctions of right and wrong, increasingly leaning toward the notion of "that's your opinion." Opinions, being relative, lack an inherent truth applicable to everyone. What might be true for one person does not necessarily hold true for another.

Yet, it's vital to recognize that all ideas fundamentally originate from either God's character or the character of evil. This is highlighted in the question the serpent poses to Eve in Genesis 3:1, subtly casting doubt by asking, "Did God truly say, 'You shall not eat from any tree in the garden'?"

Before the serpent's question, Eve only knew the truth of what God, the creator, had said. His word was the ultimate truth, not just one truth among many. However, when the serpent, influenced by Satan, planted doubt in Eve's mind regarding the goodness of God, falsehoods emerged.

This illustrates that in God's perfect creation, His truth was the only reality. But with the introduction of sin into the world, falsehoods spread. Paul makes it clear that false teachings originate from the Serpent.

Thus Paul’s words in Ephesians 6:12 “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.”

The false teachers serve as instruments used by deceitful spirits and demons to assault the church. This is the great warning that Paul voices here, that the false teachings are ultimately driven by the demonic forces. Therefore, when we give ourselves over to false teachings we are actually giving ourselves over to the worship of demons.

1 Corinthians 10:20 “No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.”

The danger is that we do not see ideas and theories of life as having their origin in God or demons. But two theories need our attention this morning.

Moralism:

Moralism is an ethical approach that focuses on following moral rules without delving into the underlying reasons. It places excessive importance on outward moral behavior rather than fostering a true understanding and inner transformation of a person's heart.

This means we tends to prioritize compliance with moral standards while neglecting internal attitudes and personal growth. It often leads to a focus on outward appearances rather than genuine transformation.

Furthermore, moralism often results in a legalistic mindset, focusing on strict adherence to rules to make one right or godly. Many moralists have a tendency to pass judgment on others based on their adherence to man made moral standards, and often lacking grace or empathy in the process.

The ones who promote these things do so due to their "seared consciences" (meaning their insensitivity to the Spirit of God), promote a religion centered on moral works rather than faith. They advocate that genuine godliness results from rigidly following their man-made laws, including imposing restrictions on marriage and specific dietary practices.

This type of Moralism, has a destructive impact on churches and communities. Often support for moralism is found with immature Christians because it creates an appearance of godliness. But despite its semblance of godliness, moralism, embitters the people, causing great fights and disunity.

By frequently enforces strict dress codes, such as requiring men to wear suits and women to wear dresses in church, and imposes additional rules not derived from the Bible, and presenting them as essential for righteous living.

This is explain well in Colossians 2:20–23 “If with Christ you died to the elemental spirits of the world, why, as if you were still alive in the world, do you submit to regulations— “Do not handle, Do not taste, Do not touch” (referring to things that all perish as they are used)—according to human precepts and teachings? These have indeed an appearance of wisdom in promoting self-made religion and asceticism and severity to the body, but they are of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh.”

Hedonism:

The second misleading doctrine is Hedonism, a philosophy centered on seeking pleasure and avoiding pain as the primary goals of human life. Hedonism asserts that pleasure and happiness are the ultimate pursuits for human existence.

One particular form, Ethical Hedonism, places pleasure as the highest good or intrinsic value. It promotes making ethical decisions based on maximizing pleasure and minimizing pain or suffering. According to this perspective, actions leading to pleasure are deemed morally right, while those causing pain are considered morally wrong.

This philosophy often leads to the notion that if an action feels good, it must be right. Additionally, it contributes to an overemphasis on feelings and the belief that language itself can be considered a form of violence. This thinking places subjective human experiences as the arbiters of truth, erasing the idea of objective reality and truth.

The origin of this idea can be traced back to Eve in the Garden of Eden. In Genesis 3:6, we read how Eve, after believing the serpent's lies, saw that the forbidden tree looked appealing, promising wisdom, and she decided to eat its fruit, it would bring pleasure therefore its right.

Her desire for the fruit made her believe it was the right choice. This resembles the way our world operates today with it's a peculiar blend of moralism and hedonism. An example of this is how some individuals are attempting to moralize terrorism.

We've witnessed people who, just a few months ago, were busy crafting moral laws about issues like race, gender, and sexuality. Who now are advocating for the genocide of the Jewish people. Not able to see the contradictions in their thinking because of what they made the compass of their lives.

Conclusion: Staying Rooted in the Truth:

The responsibility for Christians is to avoid being swayed by false teachings that could lead them away from their faith. The key to this is remaining firmly rooted in the truth. To achieve this, we must understand God's teachings. Paul countered the false teachings on marriage and food by emphasizing that God intended these things to be received with gratitude by those who have faith.

Therefore, it's crucial for believers to grasp that prioritizing godliness over the fleeting pleasures of the flesh is essential. This is because godliness is a result of knowing God.

1 Timothy 4:8 “godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

We pursue godliness rather than godlessness by walking in the Spirit.

Paul says in Galatians 5:16–17 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do.”

God hasn't abandoned or left us adrift without guidance. When we're in Christ and He resides in us, we are apart of God's family, supported by the Holy Spirit's presence within us.

Finally, while God is actively at work within us, we are also engaged in working out our salvation. This active participation provides us with the assurance of the promised eternal life. With this assurance, we can walk confidently, depending on Jesus's work and trusting in the truth revealed in God's Word.

Colossians 1:21–23 “And you, who once were alienated and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his body of flesh by his death, in order to present you holy and blameless and above reproach before him, if indeed you continue in the faith, stable and steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed in all creation under heaven, and of which I, Paul, became a minister.”

Prayer:

Lords Supper:

Benediction: