Right and Wrong

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Introduction:

I remember when i first started driving. In 1998. Gas was $.85 a gallon in the town I lived at a little gas station on the corner that didn’t have credit card readers at the pump.

But perhaps the strangest thing to remember is how did we know how to get places without GPS on our phones.

Can any of you over 40 remember those days? Maybe you had a map…that wasn’t too old to have the correct roads.

Maybe you stopped to ask for directions at a gas station.

But what’s crazy is we figured it out. it’s hard to imagine how we ever figured out how to know the way to go.

Even as a kid riding in the car with my parents, I wondered, how do they know where they are going?

In our lives, we face a same thing with regard to right and wrong. How do we know what is right and wrong?

Parents?

Teachers?

Coaches?

Culture?

Social Media?

Pastors?

Some of these things can have positive influences but they are all flawed.

We need something better.

We need a sure foundation.

Transition to the Text: Turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Timothy 1:1-11. Over the course of the next 2 months we’ll be going through 1 Timothy. There are 2 themes that permeate 1 Timothy that deal both with the importance of an older Christian passing on the faith to the next generation…showing that the faith is passed from Generation to Generation. The second part is about the service we offer to God as part of His Church.

Paul has a lot to teach the young man Timothy about following Jesus and how to lead others to do the same.

Introduce:

Authentic Principle: The older generation must teach the next generation right from wrong.

Read:

1 Timothy 1:1–11 (ESV)

1 Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by command of God our Savior and of Christ Jesus our hope,

2 To Timothy, my true child in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus our Lord.

3 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,

4 nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith.

5 The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith.

6 Certain persons, by swerving from these, have wandered away into vain discussion,

7 desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.

8 Now we know that the law is good, if one uses it lawfully,

9 understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers,

10 the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine,

11 in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

Transformational Principle:

Main Point #1: Be leary of myths and pure speculation. (1 Timothy 1:1-4)

Explanation: Paul starts off by establishing who he is. This isn’t necessarily for Timothy’s benefit as Timothy no doubt knows who it is that’s writing to him. But these letters weren’t just meant to be read by a lot of other people. Paul’s words as an Apostle carry the weight of one who writes the Words of God.

So this is for others…including us.

Because when it comes down to it you and I have to decide who we will trust. There are so many people out there trying to tell us what to believe and especially that we can’t or shouldn’t trust the Bible.

Now as Followers of Jesus it might be pretty easy to disregard those who are atheists or or aggressive skeptics.

We understand that apart from the Holy Spirit no one can understand the Bible. We can say they just don’t understand or they haven’t experienced Jesus’s love the way we have.

But what do we do when people who claim to be Christians are trying to convince you that what you believe is wrong or incomplete. Essentially what do you do with a person who is making a big deal out of a secondary issues....or even issues that aren’t issues at all.

I mean it’s one thing to make a big deal about Calvinism vs. arminianism; spiritual gifts; End-time prophecy. These are all incredibly important discussions to be had and to be thought through, but you should never make them the main thing in your faith.

But then there are purely speculative questions that have no business being asked by Christians.

How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?

What was Jesus’s childhood like? Nothing outside of speculation will answer that question. We have nothing.

There are also things like numerology and Kabbala? Where people try to find secret meanings in the words apart from the context.

We might expect these things 2000 years after the fact, but Paul, an Apostle was writing to correct bad things 30 or 40 years after the events of the Gospels.

Why? Because people are always trying to build a name for themselves.

Illustration:

Application: We would do well to be cautious of anyone teaches doctrines different from the plain teaching of the Bible. People who devote themselves to endless speculation about what they think something means instead of what it probably means. They are focused on myths.

Think of how many well meaning Christians took the “Divinci Code” hook, line and sinker.

There are still endless discussions about genealogies. We still talk about this with regard to the “Lost 10 Tribes of Israel.” Those who supposedly didn’t return after the Babylonian exile. Except many did return. Some argue they are Europeans, while the Mormons claim that’s them.

They only thing we have to stand on is the firm foundation of the truth of God word which has stood the test of a few thousand years.

Main Point #2: Be leery of those who claim to have special knowledge apart from God’s Word. (1 Timothy 1:5-7)

Explanation: Paul goes on to say that his and others like him’s motivation is love. Authentic love from a pure heart and a good conscience and sincere faith.’

Others, on the other hand, these false teachers, do what they do with a desire to be seen as teachers of the law.

They have wandered into “vain discussion.” What does he mean by vain discussion?

Think about this for example. After 2,000 years most of biblical interpretation is settled. All of the core doctrines are established. Even the secondary issues have been divided into only a few camps.

In other words there aren’t too many new ideas worth discussing. There probably isn’t going to be a new core doctrine on which our salvation hangs. We are in stewardship mode now. We are stewards of the doctrines passed down to us.

But old ideas don’t sell books. Agreeing with the giants of the faith on whose shoulder’s we stand don’t get you a name.

What get’s you a name is challenging the status quo and attempting to come up with something new.

But like Solomon told us: There is nothing new under the sun.

Paul talks about people who act like this:

The desire to be teachers, but they have no idea what they are talking about.

Have you ever been around someone like this that made confident assertions about things they don’t know anything about.

This usually happens with people who want to try and integrate the church with the world. They want to compromise just a little bit.

A good example of this is people will say that, “The books of the Bible were chosen by a group of men sitting in a room.” They decided what to include and what to exclude. And the things that they wanted to exclude they did so without any reason.

But again this is pure speculation. Because there is no proof that this took place at all. In fact all the evidence is to the contrary.

Illustration: Some of the most dangerous words in the English Language are “well I heard...”

When it comes to the Bible we need to think about who the source is. And we should never just take someone’s word for it just because we trust them.

I saw a book where the author footnoted something with the words, “I learned this from my father.”

That’s not exactly a scholarly source as much as you might trust your father.

When it comes to Christianity, we need a firm foundation on which to base our belief. The speculation of other people is not enough.

Application:

Start with Bible. Read it. Most of it is pretty straight forward. Everything that isn’t is secondary anyway. There are no primary doctrines of the Christian faith that are truly up for debate.

So if someone comes in offering you something new related to something established....be skeptical.

I love what Paul writes elsewhere.

Galatians 1:9 ESV

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.

I know this is somewhat hard to believe but we can’t always trust people.

Even pastors.

I have watched too many public faith deconstructions by pastors these past few years. Even seminary and bible college professors who no longer believe the things they’ve devoted their lives to teaching.

It’s sad.

And when does this happen? When they start listening to speculation instead of the Word of God.

The first rule of Christian Club is....

Main Point #3: Stand firm on the Word of God (1 Timothy 1:8-13)

Explanation: Every time the church has faced a crisis throughout church history, it’s because of people who come in with a sense of doubt in the inerrancy, authority and the sufficiency of the Word of the God.

The Bible is inerrant in that the Bible is without any mixture of error in all that it affirms in matters of science, history, morality and theology.

The Bible is authoritative in that we are called to follow it’s teaching and apply it to our life. We are not able to pick and choose what we believe or follow.

The Bible is sufficient in that it’s teachings and contents are sufficient for us to know God and live in relationship with Him. That’s not to say it’s exhaustive, but it is enough.

Timothy was dealing with people who were trying to convince people that the Bible, specifically, the Old Testament and NT books weren’t enough. They needed a secret knowledge that only they could provide. And as you probably guessed, that secret knowledge came with a price tag. Because it always does.

Now the issue that they are facing is specifically around the correct interpretation and application of the law. And throughout church history, the church has bounced back and for between 1) legalism which says, you have to earn favor with God through obedience and good works and 2) antinomianism which says because of Christ payment of our sins, past present and future, we can essentially do whatever we want.

God’s grace meets somewhere in the middle.

When Paul was writing they were struggling on the side of antinomiamism.

The licentiousness of the Greek culture resonated strongly with the grace of God.

In the next century, the pendulum would swing back towards legalism.

And it would go back and forth.

Today, in our culture, we are dealing with antinomianism. And as much as we think it will just get worse, if history has told us anything, it will swing back towards legalism in the next few generations.

So where did these false teachers get their backward view of the law?

Well, it is true that there are passages in the OT that no longer apply to Christians. These are laws specifically related to Israel as a Sovereign nation or temple worship. These things don’t apply today and the Bible tells us that they don’t apply.

But that doesn’t mean that all laws are abolished. The 10 commandments are still in effect…and practical.

So if someone says, do whatever you want. We’re covered by grace! Remember the words of Paul.

Romans 6:1–2 ESV

1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it?

There is some what of a fine line between legalism and do whatever you want.

And Paul wanted Timothy and his church to know right from wrong. And even today, we ought to know that right and wrong and not relative.

He lists a few things that are sins that they may be tempted to think are fine in the age of God’s love and grace:

Striking your parents

Murders

Sexually immoral

Homosexuality

Enslavers

Liars

perjurers

Whatever is contrary to sound doctrine.

Sometimes we need to remind people that certain things are right and wrong.

Illustration: For whatever reason, people are natural rule breakers. From the time we are little children we are testing the limits of rules. Seeing which ones will be punished and which ones will not be punished. We love to exploit loopholes.

How far can we go across the line?

As we grow into adults, we continue to test limits.

A good example of this is the speed limit. I’ve been told that you have to be going at least 10 MPH over the speed limit for a police officer to pull you over…many years ago, I learned this not to be true.

What keeps us in line are often consequences or the fear of consequences.

But God in his grace, doesn’t usually meat out consequences right away.

There are, however, a few stories in the Bible of immediate punishment.

Ananias and Saphira were punished immediately for lying to the church and the holy spirit.

Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 11, that some are weak, ill and even died because they have wrongly taken the Lord’s Supper.

John tells us that there is a sin that leads to death in 1 John 5:16.

For the most part, people aren’t afraid of sin. The consequences of sin are in the distant future. That’s God’s grace.

Application: For us as Christians, we really do need to understand the application and interpretation of the Law. No we can’t just do whatever we want. Our sin has consequences in this life and possibly the next.

The law is meant to keep us safe. There is no fear for the godly person. The law was put there to show the lawless and disobedient that they are sinner.

So that they can turn to Jesus for grace and mercy. In this way, the law is never a battering ram to browbeat people into submission to human institution, but to show them their sin to lead them to grace.

But we must never diminish the righteousness of God to a mere footnote in the Christian life.

We should be pursuing holiness.

Response: What will you passing on to the next generation?

Summation:

Authentic Principle: Authentic Principle: The older generation must teach the next generation RIGHT from WRONG. Main Point #1: Be leery of MYTHS and pure SPECULATION. (1 Timothy 1:1-4)

Main Point #2: Be leery of those who claim to have special KNOWLEDGE apart from God’s WORD. (1 Timothy 1:5-7) Main Point #3: Stand FIRM on the Word of God (1 Timothy 1:8-13) Response: What will you be PASSING on to the next generation?

Closing Illustration: I read a book that argued that we are just one generation away from the church not being in existence. And that’s supposed to scare us.

But here’s the truth.

We are always 1 generation away from the death of the church and that’s actually the way it’s supposed to be.

Every generation passed it on to the next generation.

And even if one generation failed, God works it out.

If the church survived the middle ages, it can survive today. But that doesn’t give us an excuse not to pass it on.

In fact, it’s better that way. Paul’s passing it on to Timothy’s.

So the question we need to ask?

Who is passing on to me?

Who will I pass my faith on to?

Let’s pray.

Week 3 of 2020-2021 Sermon Series: Authentic

Generation to Generation: Right or Wrong

1 Timothy 1:1-11

Authentic Principle: Authentic Principle: The older generation must teach the next generation RIGHT from WRONG. Main Point #1: Be leery of MYTHS and pure SPECULATION. (1 Timothy 1:1-4)

Main Point #2: Be leery of those who claim to have special KNOWLEDGE apart from God’s WORD. (1 Timothy 1:5-7) Main Point #3: Stand FIRM on the Word of God (1 Timothy 1:8-13) Response: What will you be PASSING on to the next generation?

Opening Discussion:

How do you determine right from wrong? What is the basis for your moral compass?

Sermon:

What gives Paul the authority to write these things to young Timothy?

How is Paul contrasted with the false teachers about whom he warns Timothy and the church of Ephesus?

What are something that Paul criticizes the false teachers about? Do you see any of these things modeled in the church today?

How does Paul model passing on the truth to the next generation?

Why are false teachers so dangerous to an impressionable church? How do these teachers lead others astray?

What is the purpose of the law in the Christian life? Why is it so important get the law right?

Application:

How would you describe Paul and Timothy’s relationship? Do you have relationships like that with people in the church?

What similarities do you see between the situation in the church at Ephesus and the church today?

What are some myths and speculation that you see in the church today?

What about the biblical law do people struggle with so much today?

Why do you think people, by nature, test the limits of right and wrong so often in our culture?

How can we effectively balance the importance of living holy lives with an understanding that we will mess up?

How can understanding God’s grace help us to follow Jesus better?