Untitled Sermon

Announcement (RT)

Call to Worship (RT)

Hymn 9 (RT)

Prayer of Praise and Confession (RT)

Offering (RT)

Doxology (RT)

Pastoral Prayer

Civil Realm:

The Lost of the World/Mission of the church:

Sanctification

The Sick and Afflicted

Sermon Text Introduction

Open you bibles to 1 Timothy 4 with me. This evening we continue our series in 1 Timothy and working through the churches calling. In the chapter this evening we agains deal with the false teaching in the church. This time, however, we get a better picture of what this false teaching was in Ephesus and Paul tells the church avoiding this particular false teaching is a matter of spiritual life or spiritual death.

English Standard Version Chapter 4

4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,

2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,

3 who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,

5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

Sermon Introduction

False teaching tends to develop in our lives incrementally. It may take months or years to develop, but after years of incremental changes, if you compare your new doctrine to the original doctrine that you once held dear, its as different as night and day. You may think not much has changed, because they were just little tweaks here and there, but after years of changes, the gospel you once held dear may be lost.

What is Asceticism

Proposition: Don’t let Asceticism destroy your faith

There are three ways Asceticism destroys the faith.

Asceticism departs from the faith (1-2)

English Standard Version Chapter 4

4:1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons,

2 through the insincerity of liars whose consciences are seared,

False teaching in the church does not surprise God (1a)

False teaching is devoted to deceitful spirits, demons, and liars (1b-2a)

The searing of the conscience (2b)

Proposition: Don’t let Asceticism destroy your faith

Asceticism denies the gifts of God (3)

English Standard Version Chapter 4

3 who forbid marriage and require abstinence from foods that God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

Forbids God’s gifts to the church of Christ (3a)

God’s gifts are received with thanksgiving according to the truth (3b)

Asceticism denounces the goodness of God’s Creation (4-5)

English Standard Version Chapter 4

4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,

5 for it is made holy by the word of God and prayer.

God’s creation is God (4)

Holiness in the Word of God and prayer (5)

Proposition: Don’t let Asceticism destroy your faith