Doctrine Matters
Notes
Transcript
Turn in your bibles to 1 Timothy 1…
Let’s read 1 Timothy 1:1-7
Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,
To Timothy, my true child in the faith:
Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.
As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.
I gave you some background to the author of this letter last week so I won’t go over it much more. So, he says to Timothy that he is Paul’s true child in the faith. The vantage point from which Paul writes is both authoritative in his apostolic postion in Jesus Christ and by the command of God, and yet father like… Paul descibes Timothy in this way because he has had the opportunity to grow and disciple Timothy and walk along side him into maturity of his faith in a close realtionship.
Up until now Timothy has joined Paul in his mission through various tasks. You see timothy’s name in the book of Acts and in Paul’s various letters. Timothy Served the Lord as one who reminds the church of Paul’s teaching in Corinth, and Thessolonica. As an observer in the churches such as phillipi, and a reporter back to Paul about the health of the church and how things are going. Timothy travled a lot with Paul. However, now he has been commanded to stay in Ephesus.
At this point in history Paul had been released form his first imprisionment and was revisiting churches to admonish them. We can deduce from the opening of this letter that Paul had been with Timothy in Ephesus. Verse 19 tells us that while Paul was there it seems that Paul had excommunicated two of the false teaching ring leaders in the church name Alexander and Hymeneus. Yet, Paul could not stay. He was headed to Macedonia and needed someone to stay and gaurd the flock in Ephesus.
What can we say about Ephesus? It was a very pagan city. Given to idolatray and prone to all sorts of false teachers. A demonic spirit was welcomed to the city through the worship of Diana. The very theme of this city was one of corruption and impurity, especially when it comes to doctrine.
Now, our understanding of this draws out the importance of the charge Paul gives Timothy in verse 3. Paul uses the word (parangello), it means command or Charge. It is not a suggestive word... In other words, Paul gives Timothy a pastoral authority in the church. In other words, Paul expected Timothy to command these things, hold people accountable to them, and expected the church to obey him.
Verse 3, Paul says, charge or command certain persons not to teach any different, what? Doctrine. Paul, in his letter to Timothy is concerned about doctrine. He is concerned about doctrine because (write this down) doctrine is life. What you believe is how you believe. Decisons are deduced from your doctrine...Meaning, what you know to be true affects the decisions you make.
And this is Paul’s concern. That false doctrine was creeping into the church.
Charge them, Timothy, not to teach any different doctrine… Different than what? The answer is the Apostles teaching. The Apostles teaching was the bar to which all other teaching was judged as far as Christianity goes. They were commissioned by Jesus, they were ones given the authority to be the bar. But instead of teaching apostolic doctrine these false teachers, false elders, were teaching doctrine from outside the word of God.
I want to show you three things about false doctrine this morning, and on the flip side three things about true doctrine that I hope will give you pause, and cause you to leave here this morning with a desire for true doctrine.
False doctrine comes from speculation (v4)
John Stott reveals that there were documents, or teachings similar to them, that scholars believe Paul was refering to as far as jewish perspective goes here.
The first is called the book of jubilees which is dated between 135 to 105 BC. It tells the old testament story from a pharisaic perspective. Which was one of power and authority in being a teacher of the law. It asserts as it’s central message the uniquness of Israel among the nations. It gives names to ALL of the children of Adam and Eve, Enochs family, Noahs predecessors and the seventy people who went down into egypt etc.
The Second book is a little bit older in date, somewhere around 70ad after the destruction of the temple, but it is called the “biblical antiquities of philo”. This finished work in an of itself is not what Paul is referencing, for Paul wrote to timothy around 63-64 AD. However, it gives us a glimpse of the belifes, the doctrines that were held at this time. This book of antiquities embellishes the story of Israel with as Stott says, “fanciful additions and geneologies”… It seems as though judiazers who were combating Christians by using these “antiquities” speculate about traditions and make up rules for people. They used the law as a place to derive their theories rather than expound the truth. Paul describes these people with a desire to be a teacher of the law, but instead were mere speculators without understanding.
But then there was another perspective, a second camp if you will called gnosticism. Gnostics calimed to have an inside scoop of supernatural knowledge that only certain people could have… 1 Timothy Chapter 4 verse three tells us that they forbid marriage and required abstinence from certain foods that didn’t need to be abstained from. At the core of Gnosticism they believed that matter, physical matter was evil. Which means, they did not believe that God was the creator of the world. World is bad, God is good, thus, He didn’t make it. There are many more. But you get the point. Ephesus, was a breeding ground for false doctrine, in mythology, judaism, and gnosticism.
These doctrines dont’ come from truth, but traditions and myths. They don’t start with God, these come from delusions and speculations.
False doctrine causes division (v6, 19)
Verse 6 tells us that certain persons have swerved from the charge and aim of the Apostles and have landed themsleves in vain discussion. In chapter 6 verse 20 he calls their talk godless and empty chatter that is merely called knowledge…
Speculation, worldly doctrine always leads to disunity not unity because it is from a fleshly evil spirit. Judeizers and Gnostics claimed to have “special knowledge”. Where as true doctrine from the Apostles asserts that we all, all who have been born of the water and the spirit in Jesus Christ have access to the father through one Spirit (Ephesians 2:18).
False wordly doctrine is anxious because speculation is from the lands of ifs ands or buts… It is poor judgment without proper facts. It is sandy shore rather than solid ground. It leads us away from what is true, and the further away from truth we get the further away from peace with God and peace with each other we get.
Paul says the false teaches have done this, they have veared from what truely matters and devoted themselves to vain and empty discussion and are leading people astray rather than together for Christ.
False doctrine promotes blasphemy (v7, 20)
Blasphemy means irreverance of God. It means to discredit His name. To slander God. Where worldly speculation ends is in preferences rather than objective righteousness, which is slander to God. It ends in looking more human rather than holy. What worldly speculation does is frames vanity as knowledge and that frame is aimed at puffing up the teacher rather than boasting in Christ.
These men Timothy is to charge and command are those who desire to be teachers. The point is, they aren’t made teachers by God through a calling on their life as Paul and Timothy had. They desired gain. To be seen as authoritative and prestigious. The desire to use their postion to get what looks like success in the world (riches, beauty, fame, degrees, larger crowds, larger buildings etc) and as they get more of that it becomes the greater reason people listen to them and follow them. Their “success”.
The unfolding of this very thing is happening right now...Gateway church out of Texas, “pastor” Robert Morris stepped down from his position due to his covered up molestation of a little girl being uncovered. These were things elders knew about and chose not to do anything about because of his talent for thirty years. Things that he chose to cover up, and not to bring to the light or truely repent from them because he had a good thing going and it would ruin his influence and position.
My friends, do you have a false teacher nose yet? Justin Peters, a man who is a false teacher watch dog and is very trust worthy, said men like Robert Morris are hard to detect because their teaching isn’t all that false…But has a hint of it. But my friends, measure the character of people rather than their talent. I will follow back up with this in a moment, but Remember Jesus who said “A bad tree cannot bear good fruit”.
Think about it, should a pastor be worth 150 million dollars? Words like, “largest church in america” should throw up a red flag. Should a preacher wear a suit that cost more than a decent car? Should he be judged based on how profitable he makes the organziation? Should he be judged based on how smoothly and professionally he can talk? No no , again no.... But that’s why people listened to him. Thats why they listened to these false apostles in Paul’s day. They listened to their teaching believing them to be men of God. They judged the outside of the man while in reality, he is a man of no character which had been coverd up by vainty.
This is the type of stuff Paul is talking about. Desiring to be rich, desiring to have high esteem, they led with their cunning, and not with the unvarnished word of God.
Now for the flip side.
True doctrine comes from Faith (v4)
Meaning it comes from God. Romans 10 tells us that faith comes from hearing the word of God. Its foundation is God. By faith, Paul means truth revealed to us by God himself.
For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
It is God who opens our eyes, it is God who teaches us, it is God who gives the light of Jesus. So Paul can say with certainy, God created the world and gives light to it today, and he is the one who gives you salvation and EVERY good and perfect gift. God is not found where God does not reveal.
True doctrine comes from What God reveals. True doctrine, doctrine that you can hang your hat on, doctrine that will bear good fruit and never faulter should come with chapter and verse, and thoughtful, careful, historical, and biblically tested interpretation and explaination.
Paul tells timothy in chapter 6 verse three and four....If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing.
2. True doctrine is aimed at love (v5)
The charge of Paul and Timothy to these false teachers is aimed at love. It is aimed at unity, and not swerving away, not dividing, but uniting man with God through the peace with God only found in Jesus. The aim is not telling someone what they want to hear, but what they NEED to hear.
The aim of their charge is love, the love that flows a conscience purified by the cross. God’s love. The aim is pure, it is not self seeking. They aren’t getting rich or extravagantly benefitting from their preaching. The Corinthian church even accused Paul of being a false Apostle because he couldn’t speak as eloquently as the false teachers they had chosen to follow. What did Paul say, 2 Corinthians 2:17
For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word, but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.
And the aim of the charge of Paul, and Timothy, and any teacher worthy of your time to listen to does not win you over with eloquen words. Nor their fanciful, well to do life. But with the control the love of Christ has on them. And what does it mean to love Jesus? John 14:15
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.
Paul was concerned that his followers life be more holy and Christlike. Constantly he pointed to Jesus. Constantly calling the church to live in holiness rather than to live smarter, or more profitable.
Consider this in the lives of those you listen and submit to their teaching … Does the person you submit to devote their life to Jesus? Do they carry their cross? Do they accept the word of God and the whole word of God? Can you observe them growing in holiness? In depth of prayer? In depth of love for people? If not... stop listening to and following them. Find yourself a real teacher and not a peddler of God’s word.
3. True doctrine promotes and glorifies Christ (v4, 12-17)
Paul told Timothy, that false teaching promotes speculations. It starts with speculation and thats the end, right? Opinion rather than truth, theory rather than fact, experience over faith.
True doctrine promotes stewardship… Again, from last week, that word means good order as in management. True doctrine promotes Christ, is laden with Christ. If true doctrine were a wagon it would be full only of the truth, and promises, and commands of Jesus. Doctrine worth listening to takes Christ and magnifies Him and shows His worthiness!
The probelm with much of Christian dcotrine in the 21century is that is has no depth, it is purly morality. It is a good speaker, nicely dressed, who tells good stories, and rouses up a crowd who is teaching people how to be good people. Jesus is sprinkled in, but the aim, and the charge, you’ll be ok…
If the doctrine you hold to is nothing more than morality, my friends I need you to know, hell will be filled with moral people. Good looking people who watch their tounges. People who read devotionals and go to church. People who are humanitarians and hunt down pedophiles and dig wells in africa and serve meals at the food bank. Moral doctrine alone is weak, it is wordly.
God is satisfied with Christ. Does the doctrine you hold magnify Jesus? Does it humble man? Does it crucify worldliness? God is satisfied when your life has been cleansed by the blood of Christ. The Father is satisifed when he sees the fruit of the Holy Spirit in you to look to and obey His son. God is satisifed with the man who says, have mercy on me, a sinner, nothing in my hands I bring, simply to thy cross I cling.
