The Proper Handling of the Truth

The Proper Handling of the Truth 

1 Timothy 6:20-21

A young couple got married and was on their way to the honeymoon. A tractor trailer pulled out in front of them suddenly and the young groom swerved to avoid it. The car went into a tailspin and crashed. The groom was okay, but his new bride was bleeding profusely. He knew if he didn’t get his new wife to a doctor, she was going to die. He got out of the car and saw a sign just a little ways away: “the office of Dr, Rufus Jones internal medicine.” He picked up his beloved and struggled up the hill toward the doctors home. ———— He began knocking on the door. An old man came to the door and the groom said “Dr. Jones? The man said Yes, he said my wife is bleeding She’s dying. Please save her!”———- Much to this young man’s surprise. Dr. Jones said “I’m sorry, son, I can’t help you I stopped practicing medicine many years ago. I don't any equipment here. I don’t have medical supplies. I stopped practicing medicine a long time ago. ——- Distraught with frustration and grief, the young man said, “Dr. Jones if you can no longer help hurting people, then please take down the sign.   

We have a world out there bleeding to death. We tell people to come to the church where we offer Dr. Jesus, the medicine of the Holy Spirit, and the healing power of the word of God. We have a sign that says church but If were not properly handing the word of God right then we have failed in what we are called to do. We need to take the sign down. The take home truth I want you to leave with today is The church is to protect the truth of God’s Word, standing firm against false doctrine that threatens to derail our faith.————— The book of 1 Timothy provides guiding principles for local churches, including rules for public worship and qualifications for elders, pastors, deacons, and widows. Paul told the church leaders to correct incorrect doctrine and deal lovingly and fairly with all people. This is the first of three pastorals letters wrote by Paul. These letters are written by a mature pastor to and younger pastor in training. Paul wrote this book to it his protégé Timothy who was his son the the faith. He had been training Timothy since Timothy was a boy. Timothy was Paul’s most trusted helper. He was a faithful servant of Christ. ———- The key to understanding what Paul’s main point in 1 Timothy  is found in 3:15 and 4:12. 3:15 says if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth. —-  4:12 says Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. ———-  He wants his spiritual son to measure up to his responsibilities as a church leader and to set an example to other followers of Jesus who looked up to him. ———- After Paul was released from a roman prison the first time. Paul revisited several of the churches which he had planted and mistered at. He has Timothy with him and he leaves Timothy in Ephesus to deal with the problems that had arisen in the ephesian church. The biggest problem that the ephesian church was dealing with was false teachers, which is the dominating theme of 1 timothy. Paul begins by telling Timothy how to handle the false teachers, then in the middle of this book he comes back to the importance of not falling for the tactics of false teachers and then he concludes with another warning about false teachers and false doctrine. It is as if Paul is saying to Timothy that dealing with false teachers and doctrine is unsettling and annoying, but it has has to be done, so get on with your job. In a sense this is Paul telling Timothy to get ready for battle. The battle for truth. Paul ends his first letter to Timothy with words of warning and encouragement. ———- No matter how influential false teachers become we have to remain the guardian of the truth. We have to teach without wavering and without compromise. This morning I want to ask the question How do we properly handle the truth? Our text this morning give us the answer. 1 Timothy 6:20-21 teaches two ways to to properly handle the truth. Then gives us the results of missing the mark and a powerful blessing. 

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Guard The Truth v. 20a

The first way to handle the truth is to guard the truth. Look at what verse 20 says O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,”————— Normally Paul would end his letter with a few verses of personal greetings and they usually express a cheerful tone. But not this time. This time its different. He ends this book with a deep sense of gravity. He says “O” this is an expression of deep emotion. “O” here reflects Paul’s emotional appeal to his beloved son in the faith. Paul wants Timothy to know this is personal and heartfelt. This is a serious tone, it is solemn earnestness. ——- he goes a step further the “O” is not by itself he says O Timothy. This is not to be looked past, we know the letter is written to Timothy because in verse 2 he tells us and mentions his name. Paul normally tells up front who the letter is for but he never ends the letter repeating their name. But thats exactly what he does here. Paul does it here to send a message and the message is found in the meaning of Timothy’s name. Timothy name means he who honors God. ———— Paul is putting emphasis on his name because he is urging him to be true to it. He saying live up to your name. If you want to honor God do as I have inducted you to do. Guard the truth if you want to honor God. Do you want to honor God? Properly handle the truth. The most faithful way to honor God is to make sure you handle His Word correctly. Yes, God desires for you to attend church regularly, to give generously, and to serve faithfully. But none of that will be done rightly if you are not grounded in the truth of His Word. Mark it down if your foundation is the word of God in everything you do then you will be one who honors God. 

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The Charge To Keep v. 20a

Look at the next part of verse 20 says O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. —————- we see here a charge to keep. Paul gets right to it. The opening command is simple and direct. It says guard, not can you guard or will you guard. This is a command not an option, opinion, or a suggestion. The same word here for guard is found Luke 2:8 it says And in the same region there were shepherds out in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night. ————— A shepherd protects their sheep because if they lose there sheep they would have nothing, they did what it took to stop the wolves from getting to their sheep. In other words we are to guard the word like a shepherd guards his sheep. But here in the text the word guard also has another meaning that put even more emphasis on it. This type of verb is normally used in a legal document when someone leaves behind a valued treasure in the care of another. Back then they didn’t have safety deposits boxes. When someone went on a long journey, they would leave their most valued possession with someone they could trust. Once the valuables were deposited it was up to the agent to keep them safe. To put it another way the picture is of a solder standing guard over a treasure which has been committed to him for safe keeping. He always to be alert for danger, never sleeping or napping. Paul is telling Timothy stay on your Job and don’t blow it ———— The church then just like it still Is today was under attack by false teachers. There are always spiritual robbers lurking around the doorways of the church, waiting for their appointed guardian to relax their vigil or abandon their post. We are to guard a precious treasure. This deposit is viewed as that which is to be guarded, that nothing is lost from it and nothing added to it. Watch this nobody here would like if the bank you bank with would just take money from your account without your permission. Or if the bank would just left anyone just pull money from your account, you wouldn’t like because you expect them to guard the money you deposited. This is what God expects of us.  

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B. The Word of God is the Truth v. 20a 

Ephesus was a heavily pagan city. Paul knows the city well and the obstacles the church’s faced. He spent three years there doing ministry. So Paul was aware of the pressures and temptations to compromise or abandon the truth facing the ephesian church. 

So Paul is serious in his charge to guard the truth but what is the truth? The next part of the verse says O Timothy, guard the deposit entrusted to you. ——————— The church has one asset to guard, the word. The Gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel is the church’s chief treasure. Paul ends this letter with the same theme he has been teaching this entire letter. Hold fast to the truth of the gospel. The leaders of the church must be God’s tool to promote His cause and help progress his kingdom. The church’s responsibly before God is to guard and proclaim the truth of scripture. ———- This text also shows us that The gospel belongs to God not Timothy or Paul. We have been entrusted to guard something that’s not our property. We are not the owners we are the stewards and guardians of His Word. We are to guard the divine revelation that God has commuted to our care. We have to keep it safe.  ———— The church has been entrusted the most glorious message. We have the best news. No other group on earth or another group that has ever existed has a better message than us. Our message saves. Our message is simply Jesus Christ. We have the message of hope. Do you realize what God has entrusted to us, we have the only message that can get people to God. 

A man bought an old farmhouse with a large piece of land. The house was run-down, the barn was falling apart, and the fields were overgrown. He spent years fixing things up, but one day, while digging in the backyard, he hit something solid. After some effort, he uncovered a rusted metal box. When he opened it, he was shocked to find stacks of old coins and gold bars—worth millions. ——————For years, he had been living on top of incredible treasure, struggling to make ends meet, not knowing the value of what was right beneath his feet.————-

Many Christians live the same way. We have the priceless treasure of God’s Word, the truth of the gospel, and the power of the Holy Spirit, but if we don’t recognize its value, we live spiritually weak, discouraged, and misled. The most faithful way to honor God is to make sure we handle His Word rightly—because the greatest treasure we could ever have is already in our hands.

We are a trustee to God’s invaluable treasure, we are charged to maintain it undamaged and to entrust it unmodified into the custody of future generations of faithful stewards. We are not just the possessors, we are the keepers of the faith. God expects us to be faithful in sharing his Good news. Colossians 1:25 says of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God that was given to me for you, to make the word of God fully known,  ———- God’s servants in each generation must guard it by faithfully proclaiming and protecting it. Notice it says Guard not change. According to ancient doctrine, a trustee was obligated to preserve a deposit unharmed and unchanged. In other words the pastor, elder or the church leaders or anyone is not free to make up their own theology. The church is to proclaim the very same message that we received. We are not to innovate but to preserve. We are to guard and defend. Watch this the word is perfect. If we was to add something to it it would fail to be perfect. ————— God's Good gifts are given to us on the condition that one day we will have to give and account of our use of them. The question we have to answer is? Have you properly handled the word of God? This is the same Gospel that Paul said that was entrusted to him in 1 Timothy 1:11 then the same idea comes up again in 2 Timothy 2:14 then we see what Timothy was supposed to do with the deposit that was entrusted to him in 2 Timothy 2:2 it says and what you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses entrust to faithful men, who will be able to teach others also.  —————- That which we received we must also hand on. Money is deposited in a bank to be kept safe and sometimes to earn interest. In the same way, God has entrusted the Gospel message to our care. We must keep it safe and to allow a return on investment. ———— The most important benchmark by which a church can be measured is not how large it is, how much the budget is, not how good the music is, not how respected it is in the community. Or how nice the building is. The most important measure of any church is how it handles the word of God. The word of God must be treated with reverence and care because it is the self revelation of God. What you preach and teach will determine your faithfulness! 

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2. Avoid False Doctrine v. 20b 

The first way to properly handle the truth is to guard the truth, the second way is to avoid false doctrine ————- there are some things you should avoid in life. If you consume to much sodium or sugar your health will fade. If drink to much alcohol your kidneys will go bad. If you do drugs there is all kinds of things that will happen. What we put in our Bodies matter. The same is true spiritually what you believe matters. In real a way its more important than what we put in our bodies because there will be people who are physically unhealthy in heaven. There will be alcoholics and drug addicts in heaven but there will not be one person in heaven who didn’t confess Jesus as their personal Lord and Savior. Your spiritual health matters. One of the most important things to do to stay spiritually healthy is to avoid false doctrine. look at the next part of verse 20 says Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” ————- once again Paul’s tone is not a joking one he is serious and straight to the point, this is another command and warning. Avoid here means to turn away or to wander away, in other words it means do not to become involved. What does Paul warn Timothy not to get involved with? He says Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” ————- 

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Don’t Get Involved in Worldly Doctrine v20b

Paul is telling Timothy to not get involved with worldly doctrine. False doctrine is to be avoided like a deadly decease. Listening to false doctrine would be like sharing needles with someone with aids. Its dangerous and deadly, it can be spiritual suicide. We are to Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions ————— Irreverent means pointless, worthless profane, Godless, irreligious, and worldly. Then babble here refers to foolish and fruitless discussion. Two things can destroy the character of the Gospel, babble and contradictions. This is just normal mumbo jumbo but this was suppose to be Godly talk and teaching. It says Avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called “knowledge,” ——— Falsely called knowledge what Paul is saying is that these people were saying things that sounded good but it was not good in sound. They portrayed themselves as truth tellers but they were the opposite. They were masquerading under a false name. False teachers label their teaching as knowledge or truth but it is not. The knowledge of these heretics included empty discussions about fables, genealogies  and asceticism. They claimed they had special inside knowledge of spiritual things. Sound familiar, this is still happing today. Just turn on your tv or scroll social media and see all these false teachers doing the same thing. These false teachers were claiming special knowledge reserved for the spiritual elite. They thought they were better than everyone because they were smart. These people may have seemed wise but they are actually fools. ————— The most severe crime against God is to mishandle His word. And everyone who does they will have to answer to God for it. We are to devote ourselves to sound and biblical doctrine. Avoid anything that is a waste of time. Anything that is supposed to be spiritual but has no basis in scripture has no spiritual benefit. We are to turn away from anything that would dilute and destroy the vital teaching of the gospel entrusted to us. You can cant take the word seriously and be caught up in irreverent babble and contradictions. John MacArthur says “ to fail to take God’s word seriously, whether by carless interpretation or by carless living, it to fail to take God himself seriously. And if the church fails to take God seriously, why should the world.” ———— Paul didn’t want Timothy to waste time refuting these erroneous ideas. He was to ignore them. Guardians of the truth should not be involved in Godless chatter or spend time talking about things that contradicts the Gospel. Let me show how important getting the word right is Galatians 1:8-9 says But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. —————- Nobody has a pass to play with the word. God doesn’t play with about his word, neither should we. These people was twisting the word for their gain. They were trying to trick people with worldly philosophies. 1 Timothy 1:6-7 describes whats false teachers are like it says Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion, 7desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.  ————-  Paul is warning us to don’t get caught in these worthless arguments and discussions that are not fruitful. However this does not mean refrain from confrontation rather this action represents the conscious decision not to become involved in or even contemplate false doctrine. We have to be careful because it can be quiet easy to become entangled with some of the problems we seek to solve. our temptation may be to argue the point beyond what is useful in order to display their error. I know someone is saying aren’t we suppose to defend the faith. Doesn’t Jude tells us to contend for the faith. Yes we are suppose to be doing that. Paul’s advise here is not to engage these false teachers on there terms. Don’t get caught up in foolish dialogue that will never go anywhere. 1 Timothy 4:7 says Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; ————don’t try to win a augment try to be holy. this is what we need to be doing not arguing on social media. Don’t waste time trying to win a augment, do you wanna be winner with man to a winner with God. 

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3. The Results of Missing the Mark v. 21a 

What happens when you don't properly handle the truth? What happens when don't guard the truth? What happens you don’t avoid false doctrine? Verse 21 shows us the results of missing the mark. It says For by professing it some have swerved from the faith. —————-  People started believing the false doctrine that these false teachers was teaching. They wasn’t just listening but they were the text says professing it. And by professing this false doctrine they swerved from the faith the key word is swerved. ——— Swerved here means to deviate and to miss the mark but on deeper level the sense here is that they were not even aiming at the right target. Picture an archer shifting their aim. They have totally hit a different object in front of them than the authorized target. This is a warning to all Christians. You can warder from the faith. We have to stay close to word of God. These people abandoned their faith that they received from God to find false truth among godless pagans. Verse 3 and 4 tells us about the person who professes this false knowledge. It says 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, 4he is puffed up with conceit and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words, which produce envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions,————— Teaching or following anything that doesn’t not align with scripture will only cause believers to deviate from the faith. This false doctrine was very dangerous. Some prominent followers of Jesus have already destroyed their faith. 1 Timothy 1:19-20 says By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, 20among whom are HIGH -MEN -AEUS and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme.  ——————— Let this be warning you will either go the world’s way or God’s way you cant go two direction at the same time. I drove our here yesterday and I could get to Samford without GPS thats about it I couldn’t get to my hotel, I needed the gps to get to my destination. The word of God our spiritual GPS to live how God wants us to live and get to where God want us to go. What direction will you go? ————- but there is some good news in this text. This does not apply a permanent condition but a dangerous and fruitless one. True believers cant lose their salvation but if they follow bad teaching, they waste valuable time in nonsense. And they could cause someone else to not find God because they might point someone to a false teacher and they will be lead down the wrong path. But the good news here is that if you get off course it doesn’t mean that you cant get back on track. You may have swerved from the faith but God will take you back. But don’t let you head get to big. We shouldn’t think to highly of ourselves as to think that this could never happen to me. Whether you are pastor, deacon, usher or just a member of this church everyone will be tempted to let go of the Gospel. No one is immune from satan attacks. This is why Paul referred to the Christian life as flight in verse 12 he says Fight the good fight of the faith. Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses. —————- Brothers and sisters living a holy life is not easy, no where in the Bible does it say it will be easy. Its hard and it’s a fight to stay pure. But you can do it when you realize where you help comes from. 

A minister was looking for some notes that he desperately needed for a sermon. He looked everywhere, multiple times, in an effort to recover the lost material. He asked around in his office, checked his car, and retraced his steps. He gradually progressed from a random search, looking any and everywhere to an organized search, taking each room, one at a time area by area. Exhausted, he grabbed his keys, and headed to his car, making his way to the event at which he was expected. ———— when it was time for him to speak, he ushered a up quick prayer and asked the Lord to give him something to say. He stood at the platform opened his bible to the passage that he wanted to preach from, there were the notes! He had been killing himself to locate something he already had. —————- One of the most frustrating things to do is to search for something you already have. As believers, the help we need we already have. 

Your help is not in your family, your education, your career, or your ability. Your help can only be found in God and if you have God you have all the help that you need. 

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4. A Powerful Blessing v. 21b

This text is not done yet he give a short benediction. He says Grace be with you. This is a powerful blessing. The you in this text is plural. It is Paul saying grace to y’all aka the church. This letter isn’t just for Timothy ears but it is to be read to all the churches in the city. So in other words Pastors and church members are to follow these mandates.  ———- Paul started this letter with grace and ends it with grace. This is the shortest of all of Pauls benedictions but it is still powerful. Blessing don't get much better than this. Grace is the greatest blessing, grace is God favor in Christ towards the underserving, transforming their hearts and lives and leading them to glory. Paul knew that Timothy and the church wouldn’t be able to the guard the Gospel and avoid false doctrine in their own strength, he knew they needed grace. When you know you have grace on your side you know you don't fight this war for victory we fight this war from victory. We already have the victory.