God Has Not Abandoned His Creation

Has God Abandoned His Creation? 1 Timothy 4:1-10 (NIV84) 1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. 2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. 3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. 4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. 6 If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. 7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. 8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. 9 This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance 10 (and for this we labour and strive), that we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, and especially of those who believe. Sermon Friends, 4 weeks ago we focused on 1 Timothy 3:16 (NIV84) 16 Beyond all question, the mystery of godliness is great: He appeared in a body, was vindicated by the Spirit, was seen by angels, was preached among the nations, was believed on in the world, was taken up in glory. Today we continue by looking at the next ten verses of Paul’s first letter to Timothy. And in our assessment of this passage, I’d like to begin with acknowledging that we live in a broken, often horror-filled world of uncertainty and pain. We cannot escape that. Just spend one evening watching the TV news on ABC, SKY, CNN, FOX, just read the weekend Australian Herald Sun, or log into Facebook and you’re bombarded with horror stories. In Northern New South Wales and Southern Queensland, we see out of control bushfires where residents face total devastation as fires remain out of control. If we have bush fires this early in spring, how will it end, people wonder? Three Australians, Perth travel bloggers Mark Firkin and Jolie King, and University of Melbourne academic, Dr Kylie Moore-Gilbert, are jailed in Iran. Nobody knows what they have done wrong. When will they be released? Where do you run to if you’re living the Bahamas and Hurricane Dorian is on its way? And if you’ve survived that horror how would you feel about Tropical Cyclone Humberto that’s looming around the corner? The Houthi group of Yemen attacked two Saudi Arabian oil plants, including Abqaiq, the most critical facility in the world for oil supply, in a strike that impact about 5 million barrels per day of crude production. This is a pretty severe escalation of the war between Iran and Saudi Arabia. How will this end? For the past 15 weeks, millions of pro-democracy activists in Hong Kong are blocking streets, the airport and fast rail stations over weekends protesting against an extradition bill that attacks human rights demands for freedom, greater democracy and independence from mainland China. On the other side China is eager to quell the protests before the 70th anniversary on 1st of October, the founding of the People’s Republic of China. China has not yet involved its military in efforts to defeat the protests, but will it continue not to do so? In Indonesia’s Papua Provence thousands of police, soldiers and militias are clashing in Surabaya, as Papuans are protesting police brutality, the wrongful use of force and human rights violations. Are we going to see the same massacres we saw in East Timor? What is our solution to the various armed conflicts in progress around the globe? Yes, we live in a broken, often horror-filled world. And if we are sincere in our assessment it is challenging, if not impossible, to avoid this brokenness. But is this all that we should focus on? Yes, famine, poverty, corruption in government, natural disasters are a familiar lot of humankind. Yes, it is true that the experience of horrors like these can contribute to the rise of those who believe there is a God at all. But are they correct in their assessment? Is this all that we should focus on when we think about or talk about God? For many people the existence of God, let alone a good God, has become questionable because all they see and experience in life is negative. But again, do they assess viability correctly? Can we argue that if there is a God, He has abandoned His creation? Today I’d like to remind you that this way of thinking is false. And those who would teach this are false teachers. False teaching and deceptive doctrines have always plagued the church, but the closer we get to the return of Christ, the more prevalent these challenges will become. It is not enough that a teacher appears to know what he is talking about. He may be disciplined and moral, and even claim that he speaks for God. But if his words contradict the Bible, his teaching is false. Like Timothy, we must guard against any teaching that causes believers to dilute or reject any aspect of their faith. Such false teaching can be very direct or extremely subtle. We must not be unduly impressed by a teacher’s style or credentials; we must look to his teaching about Jesus Christ. His conclusions about Jesus show the source of his message. That is why we must remain vigilant. There is good news. God has not abandoned His creation. No, through Jesus, God realises His project of reclaiming creation and establishing it in peace. For those created in His image, which is caught up in the project, there is nothing less than the prospect of restoration to full personhood. The Bible provides a lens with which to view the issues of trauma and horrors. For it reminds us that although the outcome of Jesus’ restoration work has been secured through His victory over sin and death, the guerrilla warfare continues until He shall come in glory. Resistance to His love remains. And some will even depart from the faith—an act known as apostasy. This is what Paul reminds us of in 1 Timothy 4. Scripture reminds us that a good God created a good creation. Such was the rhythmic cadence of the creation story in Genesis 1 and 2. “And God saw that it was good… and God saw that it was good… indeed it was very good… and God rested.” To “throw away” (the literal meaning of “refused” in verse 4) anything in God’s creation is to deny God’s goodness. How consistently Paul stressed this, and how consistently we distort this truth. I believe it is not the Christian’s assignment to flush out everything evil in God’s creation. To do this would be to assign evil to God. It is instead our task to use everything in God’s creation wisely and well to glorify Him. Friends, it seems to me that participation in God’s kingdom work becomes the way forward for a meaningful life. It’s good to remember that the underlying reason for Paul writing this letter was the need for Timothy to confront and correct some false teachers in Ephesus. Paul wrote this letter to equip Timothy better to stand firm in his faith. The closest that we get to the nature of the false teaching has been in the preceding section. Paul does not linger long on the content of the errors to be confronted. He prefers again and again to major on positive teaching and exemplary living. His letter to Colossians is an excellent example of this. And so here he now exhorts Timothy—not to develop elaborate arguments disproving the false doctrines—but to a way of teaching and living which will point clearly to Jesus Himself. How do you react when someone questions or contradicts what you have said? Our natural tendency runs toward self-defence. We do not readily agree to be wrong. But as hard as we find it to accept our errors, we would experience greater tragedy if we lost the ability to recognise a mistake. Paul’s warning to the false teachers extends to us. Persistent refusal to admit we are wrong will make us insensitive to God’s correction. One way to check yourself would be to ask three friends to tell you how well you respond to correction. Their answers may convince you to ask God for a newly sensitised heart and conscience. Christians who are convinced that they must answer every question and be familiar with every controversy will wear themselves out running down Satan’s rabbit trails. Learning Scripture and understanding spiritual principles to give better answers to others provides more benefit than mentally cataloguing issues and viewpoints. This is demonstrated by cults who use Scripture out of context to prove their point. Note, for example, how Satan tried to use Scripture in his tempting of Jesus. Jesus answered Satan’s misuse of Scripture with properly applied Scripture. We must not be ignorant of what others are teaching, but we must emphasise a thorough grasp of biblical truth and a central commitment to Jesus as our Saviour. The best way to confront the errors of those who had departed from the faith is to continue solid teaching, with the emphasis upon the goodness of everything in God’s creation when it is received with thanksgiving through the Word of God and prayer. The “words of faith” and “good doctrine” become the staples in the daily diet of the one who would be a faithful servant of Jesus Christ. This is why daily study of the Scriptures, with periods for reflection and meditation, is such an integral part of the life of the Christian. A day without intentional reflection on the Word of God is like a day without nourishment. How much more can we endure fatigue and frustration in the service of Christ if our hope is anchored in the living God? He will not disappoint us or forsake us. And in the end, we will be glorified with Him. What a payday that will be! He is “the Saviour of all men, especially of those who believe.” It is probably best to take the word “Saviour” in this informal saying in the conventional sense of “preserver.” This is consistent with the context. God’s mercy and sustenance embrace all people, and those who believe will become the full recipients of His grace and salvation. Perhaps we have drifted into the role of being mere “consumers,” using and abusing more and more for our pleasure. In contrast we find the biblical description of our role as stewards in creation. Genesis 2:15–16 describes God’s purpose in placing Adam and Eve in the Garden. He gave them three responsibilities and one privilege. They were to (1) tend the Garden; (2) care for it; and (3) refrain from eating the fruit of one tree, the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. While carrying out these responsibilities, Adam and Eve were “free to eat from any tree in the garden” (Genesis 2:16 NIV). Unfortunately, too often we make decisions from day to day as if the primary responsibilities had been annulled and our only reason for being on earth was to consume what God has made. Paul’s emphasis on “receiving” rather than consuming points us in the right direction. We are only stewards of what belongs to God. In this beautiful passage, Paul calls each of us, along with Timothy, to a life of godliness in a way that we can never forget. Godliness means correct behaviour and genuine Christian faith, first in the heart but also in visible expression according to the standard of God’s Word (1 Timothy 3:16). It takes self-control, continual work, and commitment day by day as we strive to please God despite our sinfulness and weaknesses. But as we can train our bodies for physical feats, we can approach the various aspect of our spiritual life as training in godliness. As we must exercise and be nourished to be fit for physical labour, so must we be conditioned and nurtured for our work for God. And we pursue His work in confident hope in His full salvation. Friends, in our passage, Paul reminded Timothy of critical truths that they held in common. Believers can benefit from knowing essential biblical teachings by heart. Jesus’ statement of the great commandment (Mark 12:29–31), the short gospel (John 3:16), the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9–13), along with sayings like those Paul included to Timothy, are like compass points for Christians. Having these words readily in mind helps keep believers on course. How many trustworthy sayings can you recite? How many do you live? Finally, hope grows as we remember the promise of the resurrection. Because Jesus came back to life, so will all believers. All Christians, including those living when Christ returns, will live with Christ forever. Therefore, we need not despair about the tragedies, horrors, brokenness, pain and death of our times. We know that God will change defeat to victory. Paul comforted the Thessalonians with the hope of eternal life (1 Thessalonians 4:13–18). Friends, the Christian life is not meant to be lived in the negative or focussed predominantly on the negative. No, we are called to live the positive—as Jesus showed us by example. We should be a testimony of “grace” every minute of our lives. This gives glory to God!