Recognize Madness

How are we supposed to live in a world gone mad?

With people saying crazy things on television,

People posting insane things on social media.

What do we do with that?

The voices get louder and louder, the reactions are more and more extreme?

Have you noticed, every time you turn around someone is comparing someone to Hitler?

In this insane environment, how do Christians, what are we supposed to do?

Do we have to see their madness and raise them one insanity?

Do we need to be louder?

Do we need to be more shocking so we get their attention?

What do we do?

If you have wondered like I have how to live in this world gone mad, we have the answer.

There is a YouTube channel I would recommend to you called Red Pen Logic.

The host of the videos is a guy named Tim Barnett and Mr. B. as he calls himself, addresses issues raised by people who teach things that are not Biblically correct.

And he does it all in about 2 - 3 minutes.

One of his latest videos addresses a progressive Pastor who preached that we have misunderstood John 3:16.

You’ve probably heard that verse at least once - John 3:16 ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.”

And this progressive Pastor said that we’ve pretty much missed the mark on that one.

He states that this verse does not mean that you must trust Jesus to be saved.

When I heard that I said, “What?”

John 3:16 says that you don’t have to trust Jesus in order to be saved?

Who is this guy?

Shouldn’t someone mean tweet him at least once?

Shouldn’t someone blast this guy on Facebook helping him understand that people of his ilk are destroying this country?

Shouldn’t someone get an award for the snarkiest meme helping this guy realize that he is the imbecile he is?

Well, how does Dr. B. handle him?

Dr. B. very calmly directs us back to text - in context.

He reads John 3:16-18 ““For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.”

Dr. B. ends with this statement: “John 3:16 is the gospel. Anyone who denies it is a false teacher promoting a false gospel.”

With that he puts his red pen in his empty coffee mug and is done.

That’s Red Pen Logic with Mr. B.

Now, here is the point of the story.

Dr. B uploaded that video 8 days ago.

The pastor he had the clip of was wearing modern - very modern - vestments.

That pastor is a modern false teacher.

Quick background - people in Timothy’s day were experiencing an explosion of knowledge which isn’t different from today.

They had the Pax Romana - this peace that Rome has installed all across Europe and the Middle East.

Trade routes opened up - people traveled, businesses expanded.

And these traveling people carried with them their ideas and beliefs.

There was a lot for inquisitive, curious people to learn.

People brought with them a lot of ideas that challenged the conventional thinking of the church.

You know the drill - you hear something that sounds reasonable and you think - I’ve thought this all of my life - maybe I’m wrong.

The same thing has happened to us except in a miniaturized way - the iPhone was introduced January 9, 2007.

15 years ago, Steve Jobs placed the world at our fingertips.

Every good idea that has ever lived, every bad idea, every crazy idea found it’s home on the internet.

Suddenly, everyone alive with access to a phone had an international voice.

People expressing their ideas and beliefs to listening ears around the globe.

People teaching, like Dr. B’s preacher, things about Jesus that simply aren’t true.

How do we deal with this?

Our text for today - 1 Timothy 4:6-5:2, tells Timothy and us how to deal with false teachers.

But more importantly, Paul is teaching us how to handle ourselves in a world gone mad so we don’t put Jesus in a bad light.

The Bible is an ancient text but it has everyday relevance.

1 Timothy 4:6–5:2 ESV

If you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance. For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe. Command and teach these things. Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity. Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, to teaching. Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you. Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress. Keep a close watch on yourself and on the teaching. Persist in this, for by so doing you will save both yourself and your hearers. Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.

Three things to consider.

Recognize madness and don’t get sucked into a fight

1 Timothy 4:7 “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness;”

So here we are watching a clip of a young pastor wearing very modern vestments preaching to an eager congregation that for 2,000 years, everyone but him has gotten John 3:16 wrong.

Doesn’t that kind of smack of a little bit of crazy?

Here he is, this one guy among billions of people that have lived in the last 2,000 years and he’s the only dude that gets it right?

Kind of makes you want to blow a gasket - but what does Paul say?

You know he’s wrong - don’t argue with him.

The word silly could have been translated prattle.

It’s senseless words - it’s meaningless - don’t argue about it.

Listen - you aren’t going to change their minds.

Leave. It. Alone.

Now if you are sitting face to face with someone who is inquisitive and wants to dialog, cool, have a discussion.

The Holy Spirit will be in the moment.

Have a calm, reasoned discussion.

But that guy or gal that lights you up?

You know the truth - walk away.

Jesus said the same thing in a bit more colorful way.

Matthew 7:6 ESV

“Do not give dogs what is holy, and do not throw your pearls before pigs, lest they trample them underfoot and turn to attack you.

They are wrong.

If you are involved, simply state the truth like Dr. B did, then leave.

As hard as it feels to you, walk away - don’t argue - you will not get the result you are looking for.

Walk away and let the Holy Spirit deal with them.

Train yourself to recognize madness when you see it

1 Timothy 4:7-8 “Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness; for while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”

One of the few words I remember from my Greek classes is the word for train yourself.

The word is gumnaze.

It is the root word of a word most high schoolers and athletes uses every day.

Gumnaze - gymnasium.

In Greece the gymnasium wasn’t only a place for physical training, it was essentially a school.

You learned how to conduct yourself, you learned academics, and you learned to discipline your body.

That’s not an illustration for Paul, it’s what we do.

Training to know godliness requires discipline just like it does be a great ball player.

Those of you who are dedicated to becoming a really good ball player, you spend hours and hours doing the same things.

You run and you run conditioning yourself.

You lift weights building your strength.

You run drills, the same drills, over and over, increasing your agility.

So that you truly know how to play the game.

You don’t have to think about it - you know.

Paul’s not making a value judgement when he says, “bodily training is of some value.”

He’s not saying do it or don’t do it.

What he is saying is this, to know godliness takes that same kind of dedication and it’s the most valuable thing you can do.

Remember Jesus saying this?

Mark 8:36 ESV

For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?

So just like you run wind sprints until you can’t stand it, you read the same scriptures over and over.

Just like you listen to your coach, you listen to teachers wiser than you.

You take advice, you practice.

So you know Jesus when you hear Jesus.

And we you hear something else, you know that’s not Jesus.

How do you know truth from error?

That’s easy.

Know truth - everything else is error.

1 Timothy 4:10 “For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.”

I have a trophy in my office that has a John Maxwell quote on it.

“A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”

We know the way.

Remember Paul saying this back in chapter 1 1 Timothy 1:15 “... Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners...”

Of this we are sure.

He is the only way - offering salvation to all.

But giving salvation only to those who believe.

But now we must go the way and show the way, and we can’t do that if we are a part of the madness.

Conduct yourself so when people look at you, they don’t see madness

You might remember us saying this a few weeks back.

Paul told Timothy, we have to be at least as good in the church as the people are outside the church.

Otherwise no one will listen to us.

For that matter, if that’s the case, they shouldn’t listen to us.

1 Timothy 4:12 “Let no one despise you for your youth, but set the believers an example in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.”

Paul tells Timothy, “Yes you are young, but you can still set an example

Is this example right just because it’s for a young person?

No, this example is right because it’s for all people.

You Christians, set an example in the way you speak.

You Christians, set an example in the way you conduct yourself.

You Christians, set an example in the way you love people.

You Christians, set an example by your faith in Jesus.

You Christians, set an example by the way you resist sexual temptation.

That’s a lot.

How am I going to juggle all of those balls?

1 Timothy 4:15 “Practice these things, immerse yourself in them, so that all may see your progress.”

You’re going to practice them.

You’re going to toil and strive.

You are going to immerse yourself.

You persist.

You don’t give up.

You keep striving, you keep working.

And people start to notice.

That you are different.

And you are a safe space.

And you listen without eating people alive.

And when you do fail, you apologize and ask forgiveness.

And people notice - and people hear Jesus.

1 Timothy 5:1-2 “Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, in all purity.”

Do not rebuke - anybody used that word lately?

I suspect not.

Replying to a tweet with, “you’re an idiot,” that’s a rebuke.

Replying to something you know isn’t right by saying, “Boomer.”

Or "millennials.”

I guarantee, if you approach me saying, “Listen old man...” I’m not going to hear anything else you’ve got to say.

I suspect when you young guys hear, “All of you young people...” - you probably don’t hear a word after that either.

Paul says treat every older man and woman like you’d treat you mom and dad.

Treat every younger man and woman like you would your brother and sister.

And be careful about younger women - remember Timothy is a younger man - not that they are temptresses and will lead you astray.

But you are a man and you need to keep a reign on your own passions.

Don’t think for a skinny minute that you are immune to temptation.

Back in verse 16 Paul tells Timothy to “Keep a close watch on yourself.

Many a good person has had their lives irrevocably changed by a momentary lapse in judgement.

It can happen to you just like anyone else and if you huff and puff, “not me!”

Remember Peter.

“I’ll kick anyone’s kiester that messes with you Jesus.”

And then there was this rooster.

You’d better know it can happen to you.

I know it sounds like no fun.

Mean tweets, blasting people who say or do dumb things - it’s the new national past time.

But we don’t get to play.

We have a different mission.

Christians are called to be the sanity in an insane world.

If you’ve ever wondered how to live in a world gone mad, well, you have the answer.

So much around us is crazy - so much defies common sense.

What you hear makes you wonder - it makes me wonder.

Just in the last few weeks, I had to make a decision about something that I knew the answer to.

But I spent about an hour digging through resources to make sure that I was remembering correctly.

So many people say so many things that sound right.

But we have to ask - is it?

Here is something to consider from Mr. B.

The Gospel stands in stark contrast to cancel culture.

Cancel culture says you are unforgivable, the gospel says you are forgiven.

Cancel culture says you are irredeemable, the gospel says you are redeemed.

Cancel culture remembers your sins, the gospel remembers your sin no more.

Cancel culture says “You pay,” the gospel says “He paid.”

Cancel culture says you cannot change, the gospel says you are a new creation.

Cancel culture is motivated by hate, the gospel is motivated by love.

Cancel culture offers contempt, the gospel offers grace.

Cancel culture comes to destroy, the gospel comes to save.

Let me encourage you to follow Jesus.

He’s the only person who can truly give you hope - regardless of your circumstances.

If you aren’t a Christ follower, that’s all I ask you to think about this morning.

Who is the only person who can give you hope?

If you are a Christian ball player or business person or teacher or nurse,

We aren’t being challenged to give those things up to study the Bible 24/7/365.

But we are being challenged to be just as intense about Jesus as we are about the proper rotation on a curve ball.

More and more we are being asked to take a stand.

Don’t be a part of the madness.

Pursue and know the truth.

Let us pray.