Sound Doctrine

Introduction

For the next six Wednesdays or so we are going to study the book of 1 Timothy

All six messages will have to do with church ministry

Sound doctrine

Public Worship

Church Leaders

Church Morality

Church Social Responsibilities

The Churches attitude towards possessions

In doing so I hope that I will become a better pastor

I hope our deacons will become better deacons

I hope our church members will become better church members

I hope our church will become a better church!

This book is written to a young pastor named Timothy

Timothy is the pastor of the church in Ephesus

Listen to what kind of man Timothy was:

He was young 1 Tim. 4:12 “Let no one look down on your youthfulness”

Possibly 20’s or early 30’s

He was also a shy man 1 Cor. 16:10 “Now if Timothy comes, see that he is with you without cause to be afraid, for he is doing the Lord’s work, as I also am”

He was timid, quiet, he was a shy guy

He had some physical ailments 1 Tim 5:23 “No longer drink water exclusively, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments”

You could say he was a sickly guy

A young, shy, sickly guy was called to pastor the church of a messed up church

You would think God would call an experienced pastor

You would think Paul would send an experienced Pastor

Listen to what Paul tells him

2 Tim 2:1 “You therefore, my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus”

How many times have you been called to do something and felt insufficient?

How many times has the load felt overwhelming?

How many times when you look at the current circumstances you see no hope?

How many times do you feel like God has called you to an impossible task?

Or God has called the wrong person

Remember these words of the Lord to Paul:

2 Corinthians 12:9 NASB95

And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me.

The weaker the vessel, the more evident the power of God

If you identify with Timothy, you are the kind of person God likes to use

God called Timothy to preach so His power would be evident through him

God doesn’t call the qualified, He qualifies the called

God uses people who are the most unlikely candidate to carry out His purposes

He is not looking for skill, for knowledge, or power, might

God is looking for a willingness and someone He can trust

Timothy was that man

v3 “As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge (command) some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith”

Stay in Ephesus

Why did he tell Timothy to stay in Ephesus?

Because it was so difficult!

Can you imagine being in Timothy’s shoes?

Young

Inexperienced

Sickly

And dealing with false teachers

Timothy said I have had enough of this!

I’m leaving this mess!

Send me to another church!

Take me out of here!

This is much more difficult than I expected!

But there was a task God called Timothy to carry out there:

What is that task?

1 tim 1:3-4 “.....that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies”

The reason the church was in such a mess is because it was not being taught sound doctrine

People had risen up from within this church teaching false doctrines

Look down in verse 18

1 Timothy 1:18–20 “This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight, keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith. Among these are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, so that they will be taught not to blaspheme”

These were people evidently within the church of Ephesus

Paul names them by name and describes them by name and says they have “shipwrecked” their faith

What did the false teachers look like in this church?

v4: They devoted themselves to myths

A very simple definition of myth: a widely held or false idea

I have created my own definition: Myths are anything that is not biblical that is substituted for biblical truth

They were teaching things that were not biblical in origin but had come from their imagination or pagan material

And myths are still alive within many churches today

I want to give you a few of the more destructive myths that I have heard:

Anyone who says a sinners prayer and gets baptized is saved regardless of the change in their lives

Though this is not verbalized many still hold this belief and it is taught

I was told when I was a young man if I prayed the prayer then I am good

JD Greer has written a book called, “Stop asking Jesus into your heart”

Many people truly believe that as long as the ritual is done then salvation takes place.

Scripture teaches: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny himself and take up their cross daily”

The more people in a church the healthier a church is

There is some truth to this but not all truth

There are mega churches full of people who are very unbiblical

Jesus was not interested in fans but followers

In fact, He told the people that unless they eat His flesh and drink His blood they could not be His disciple

Though numbers are important, they are not a defining mark of health

So the church can fall into this pattern of seeking numbers

It will then begin to bend on issues if it keeps people from leaving the church

It begins to let sin slide

It will overlook things that should be dealt with to keep people in the church

Numbers are a good thing but numbers alone are not the life

Spiritual life is when disciples begin making disciples

Ephesians 4:12 NASB95

for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ;

Here is one that I believe the church has bought over the last 20 years

The church is where lost people come to get saved

There is not one Scripture that says lost people will come to the church

But the Bible says over an over that the saved are to go to the lost

Evangelism is the heartbeat of the church

Having events do not substitute for personal evangelism

And from what I have experienced they simply are not effective

I believe we have placed far too much emphasis on events and worldly means to attract people and have not relied enough upon the gospel

Our door to door ministry has produced far more fruit than any of our events

And by the way I plan on beginning this again soon and very soon

Myths still haunt the church today

Myths are again anything that is not biblical that substitutes biblical truth

Why are myths dangerous to the church?

v4 “which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith”

The NIV says “such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith”

The reason myths are so destructive is because they distract the church from what it ought to be doing

Myths, traditions, and false teaching cause Christians to ignore what they ought to be doing

They promote questions and controversies

They take the focus off the true calling and nature of the church

They highjack the direction and focus of the church and distort the mission that God had given it

Myths are a form of false teachings

False teachings can be marked by UNFRUITFULNESS

The Results of Sound Doctrine: The Church Manifests biblical Love

V5 “The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience, and sincere faith”

In other words the reason Timothy was to put an end to the false teaching was so love would manifest in the church!

Love

Love is a Christian virtue

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love”

When you get saved love is imputed into your DNA by the blood of Jesu Christ

If you are not a loving person but your saved say Amen

Love is the fulfillment of the Law

Rom 13:10 “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law”

The entire Law is summed up as love

Love the Lord God

Love your neighbor

What does this kind of love look like?

IT COMES FROM A PURE HEART

Pure: which means unmixed

A pure heart is not two sided

It does not act one way and feel another

It is does not contradict itself in what it says or does

The manifestation of the heart match the desires of the heart

The people in the church will be exactly the same in the grocery store

They will be the same at home when they are watching TV

They do not change when they are around other people

There is not a secret life of sin that they think they are hiding

They have a pure heart!

They are headed one direction!

A GOOD CONSCIOUS

This is simply knowing right from wrong

When the church is taught sound doctrine there is a clear line between what is right and what is wrong

There is no question of what is right and wrong

This is a major problem in our churches right now

The church today is in major trouble because of a blurring of the line

The blame is false teaching

The Bible is very clear in the lines of truth

I heard a sermon one time on Abraham and Issac

SINCERE FAITH

That just means having the real thing.

Have you ever seen someone who came into the church and got saved and looked like they were doing great?

They buy a bible

They are faithful to services

They seem on fire for the Lord

Then one day they stop coming and they fall back into their old life?

It’s because they possessed a faith that was not the real thing

1 Peter 1:3-5 “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time

We do not stay saved by our own might

We stay saved by the power of God

Those who fall away never had the real thing

Verses 6-11

Marks of a false teacher

“from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm”

How do you spot a false teacher?

Their love is not the real thing

It doesn’t flow from a pure heart

It does not come from a good conscience

His faith is not genuine

They are self-appointed “desiring to be teachers of the law”

Paul tells us the gospel was committed to his trust (v 11)

But these teachers were following their own desire

They incorrectly use the Law

They incorrectly apply the Scriptures or the Law

Gal 2:4 “But it was because of the false brethren secretly brought in, who had sneaked in to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, in order to bring us into bondage”

Gal 5:1 “It was for freedom that Christ set us free; therefore keep standing firm and do not be subject again to a yoke of slavery”

~PRAYER~