Sound Doctrine Builds Sound Lives

Foundations of a Healthy Church

Opening: Sound Doctrine Builds Sound Lives.

The church has recieved a few black eyes over the years for being to dogmatic, legalistic, irrelevant, abusive, insensitive, even mysogonistic

because of what people have claimed the word of God to say.

Society loves a faith that is rooted in whimsical feelings, optimistic sayings, feel good idea, and motivational- cliche statements.

The world wants you to only hold loosely to any bible teachings and to see it more as a self-hlep-guide rather than what the Bible its self claims to be.

Why?

Because as long as your faith remains at the cute, admirable, or playful, and as long as your Bible doesn't insist anything from me I have no need to bend my life its teaching.

That is maybe fine for most people that is until they encounter hard times.

I mean real hard times

You have lost both your parents in same year, and to make matters worse you get laid off.

Like Teresa Dittman you are fight everyday for life against a cancer that is seeking to take her. Your body is full of sores and pain to the vey bone, while you feel trapped isolation.

Or When no matter how hard you try to put on a good face depression is so heavy in your stomach there aren’t words to even describe the feelings you have and the thoughts that accompany those feels have you very afraid for you safety.

You see, its in those times where knowing what hope truly is and how to find means everything.

sending good vibes, or churchy feel-good one liners mean nothing in that moment.

You need real, facts, real guidance and real assurance. that is why Doctrine matters.

A working definition of the word doctrine can be found in Bobby Jameson's book entitled Sound Doctrine as,

“sound doctrine as a summary of the Bible teaching that is both faithful to the Bible and useful for life. Doctrine should not consist of imposing our ideas on the Bible, rather it should be nothing more or less than a summary of what the Bible says on a topic.”

Doctrine Found in 1 Timothy include:

Bibliology

Attributes of God

Ecclesiology (the church)

How we are to love

How we handle the Law

How to live by faith.

The Person of Christ

His Second coming

The Work of Christ

Election

Salvation

Christian maturity

It is not enough to know these truths, we are commanded to live them out in our daily lives.

The Word “sound” is a medical term for healthy.

The healthier our doctrines, the healthier our lives.

Like healthy foods and vitamins, they only work if they are ingested. Sound Doctrine only makes you healthy when consumed beyond just knowledge but it is lived out in the body.

Stand with me, please

1 Timothy 1:1–11 CSB

Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope: To Timothy, my true son in the faith. Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord. As I urged you when I went to Macedonia, remain in Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach false doctrine or to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies. These promote empty speculations rather than God’s plan, which operates by faith. Now the goal of our instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. Some have departed from these and turned aside to fruitless discussion. They want to be teachers of the law, although they don’t understand what they are saying or what they are insisting on. But we know that the law is good, provided one uses it legitimately. 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 males who have sex with males, for slave traders, liars, perjurers, and for whatever else is contrary to the sound teaching that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which was entrusted to me.

Prayer

Sound Doctrine Leads to a True Calling

Explanation

Paul is an apostle meaning an ambassador or a delegate of God; not by his own command but by God, is writing a letter to Timothy which has become known as the Pastoral Epistle(s).

Paul’s calling on his life, lead him to be a missionary, make disciples plant churches, guard against false teaching, and promote right living through salvation in Christ Jesus.

The location of this church is in Ephesus. They have wandered from sound teaching, so to restore the Word of God to its proper place within the church he sends Timothy

Ephesus was a

Wealthy city on a trade root where eastern religions ran rampant. Artemis the goddess of fertility was worshiped there and trinkets were sold in her honor.

Sexual immorality was an expression of their worship

As was public perversions and orgies

Whatever was impure that was what the culture there wanted.

When Paul and Timothy first started visited Ephesus they were met with great opposition.

As people were hearing and accepting their teaching ans getting saved, brothers and sisters in Christ were getting persecuted.

Riots took place, arrests on Christians were made.

The city did not favor the firm monotheistic religion that, at that time was known as “The Way.”

Some of these pagan worshippers and their philosophies trickled into the church- as did Jewish myths and genealogies.

Paul knows that this is a big task so he sends Timothy, his best man for the job!

Paul knows that Timothy will face very difficult problems. So Paul sends him out praying that God will grant Timothy

Grace, Mercy, and Peace as He serves in His calling as a Pastor.

Paul is not acting on His own according he acting on behalf of God. He is to keep the wolves at bay from devouring the sheep entrusted to his care.

Illustration

This opening greeting reminds us that Paul did not approach church lightly.

God is a God of order and structure as seen in his creation.

The church should also function as a body where we are built up to accomplish a good work.

Argumentation

Paul does not ask Timothy.

Nor does he take a relaxed position.

“If it’s true for you it’s true for you” or

“believe what you want just believe in something.”

Paul opens strong

I love you like a son. I have raised you to know that

God is to be your Lord,

our only hope in this life is in Christ our Savior,

The call to follow Him is tough, but he provides

Grace, Mercy and Peace which you will need.

Sound Doctrine has a True Aim 3-7

1 Timothy 1:3–7 HCSB

As I urged you when I went to Macedonia, remain in Ephesus so that you may instruct certain people not to teach different doctrine or to pay attention to myths and endless genealogies. These promote empty speculations rather than God’s plan, which operates by faith. Now the goal of our instruction is love that comes from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. Some have deviated from these and turned aside to fruitless discussion. They want to be teachers of the law, although they don’t understand what they are saying or what they are insisting on.

Explanation

Paul urges Timothy to remain in Ephesus to charge/instruct

False Teachers

Certain People who teach false doctrine

[What was taught]

Only created speculations contrary to faith in God

Their efforts produced fruitless work in the lives of people

[False Doctrine]

Abused the Law of the Old Testament

Promoted myths and Genealogies.

[Certain People]

They had departed form love leaving them w/o

pure hearts

good consciences

sincere faith

They abandoned the aim of loving God and loving others and instead they were looking to glorify themselves and rob their listeners the chance to know find God through His word.

Illustration

The Emperor’s New Clothes: He spent most of his time convincing others to see him as he wanted to be seen and convincing others what wasn't true was true.

People don’t care what you think unless you care enough to live it out. While the emperor lived out what he believed it was what was under the close that everyone rejected.

I don’t want to buy in to anything that underneath it all leaves me feeling embarrassed, naked or ashamed.

Argumentation

Contrast that to what Timothy was to teach.

Teach what is sound doctrine,

that produces fruit

Pure heart

Good Conscience

Sincere faith

Timothy knew Paul knew, and that was what the Bible teaches leads to a radically changed life where

One’s motives go from what is impure to pure.

One’s conscience can understand God and what He wants for them

One’s faith is put in what is trusted be cause it comes with God’s seal of

Hebrews 4:12

“For the word of God is living and effective and sharper than any double-edged sword, penetrating as far as the separation of soul and spirit, joints and marrow. It is able to judge the ideas and thoughts of the heart.”

2 Timothy 3:16–17

“All Scripture is inspired by God and is profitable for teaching, for rebuking, for correcting, for training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.”

Paul also knew the aim was to do this using love.

I love that he could have said your aim is accuracy, winning but He chose love because

love leads us to repentance, ignorance

Love covers a multitude of sin not conceals it.

Application

s

Sound Doctrine Leads to True Change

1 Timothy 1:8–11 HCSB

But we know that the law is good, provided one uses it legitimately. 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 based on the glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was entrusted to me.

Explanation

The intent of the Law was always to expose us to our way of living

Romans 5:20–21 HCSB

The law came along to multiply the trespass. But where sin multiplied, grace multiplied even more so that, just as sin reigned in death, so also grace will reign through righteousness, resulting in eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Paul points out three groups of violators of the law

Lawless and rebellious: break the Law by choosing to ignore it

ungodly and sinful: Refuse to acknowledge it

unholy & irreverent: Scoff at they idea that THEY need to obey it

Illustration

“The good person test”

Paul uses several examples of crimes against God

Kill their father and mother (Honor and covetousness)

Murder

Sexual immorality and homosexual

Kidnappers

Liars,

Whatever else.

“The good person test”

Argumentation

Let me paint you a picture of Ephesus

If you were a young lady in Ephesus then you would see streets full of human trafficking for slave labor.

A city that worships sex and indoctrinated women to view their bodies as tools to get what they wanted form men.

You would have immense pressure on you from others in society women to reject traditional roles in marriage and embrace the role of an adulterer.

You would see the rich literally stepping over the poor

Jews were discriminated against by Rome and often beaten for crimes that were not even laws.

The church was taking on similar mindsets and Paul said absolutely not! those run contrary to the healthy doctrine and they will leave people feeling

Embarrassed, ashamed full of regret, like the Emperor New Clothes.

Application (Praise Team)

We are not that different than Ephesus today,

Society

Rebels against God outwardly and scoffs at the idea of obedience

Is sex craved and given over to their depravity exchanges natural

Largely rejects the institute of marriage between and man and women

Categorizes by race and discriminates in the name of justice.

propagate their ideologies and enforce their own justice based on their own rules.

And all of that is pouring into the church doors and its being allowed because those commanded by God to defend sound doctrine have allowed false teachers to speak into the church.

We need to stand for what the word says and we need to do so in love.

We need to do so because what we hold is not just truth but the solution.

It is the hope this world needs.

It is the truth you can depend on

It will expose your sin, but it will save your soul beasue it will lead you to Jesus your savior and your Hope