1 Timothy 1:1-4 "No Other Doctrine"

first Timothy what we're going to be looking at is we're going to be looking at a letter that was written to a pastor and instructions that he's receiving from the Apostle Paul and so I'll begin reading to you in first Timothy chapter one at verse one I'll read to verse four I'm going to give to you an introduction that's going to take some time to lay the foundation for you so that you'll understand the purpose of the book and all of that and then we're going to move into practical application of some of the things that we'll we'll be reading here in 1st Timothy so let's begin reading in 1st Timothy chapter 1 at verse 1 I'll read to verse 4 and we're only going to cover four verses today and so we'll begin here by looking at 1st Timothy chapter 1 beginning at verse 1 reading 2 verse 4 Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ our hope 2 Timothy a true son in the faith grace mercy and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord as I urged you when I went into Macedonia remain in Ephesus that you may charge 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 for those of you who are visiting here perhaps this is your first time attending let me share a couple of things that say lay a foundation and then I'll explain how we do things in terms of the way I teach and all so that you'll be prepared for the study as we give it today what we do normally is we lay a foundation and what I want to do is I want to lay a foundation so that you know the direction of this particular book and so in every Bible study I give to you I give to you a foundation and then I try to build upon it and I do so in in layers and so here what we have is an introduction an introduction to a book that is called the First Epistle of Paul to a young pastor by the name of Timothy what I want to do is I wanna I want to highlight certain things once again as introductory comments I'll give you some things concerning the purpose of the book the time of its writing and all but I'm doing that and given this explanation because I'm aware of the conditions culturally that the church today is living in and this one of the reasons why I think Timothy is such an important book for us to look at together you see today we live in an age when the message of the gospel or Bible teaching per se is regarded by many as simply being irrelevant it that that it's not something that that really applies to me today how do you take some ancient words and how do you practically apply those things and so for many people the gospel is irrelevant to real life when you speak to them concerning the message of the gospel and although they'll say to you that it's it's a message that's true but it's it's one message among many similar messages so that means in essence that they don't consider it to be interesting they don't consider the message of the gospel exciting it most certainly isn't important and pastors are aware of this pastors are very aware of the way people think today and as a matter of fact many of the pastors have adjusted their entire style of ministry to accommodate the age that they're attempting to reach and so what has happened is they have developed different teaching styles that basically are our attempts to to communicate to people and to relate to people so that the people will actually come back the next week because there are many people who don't listen more than five or 10 minutes at a time and if they don't like what they're hearing within the first 10 minutes they get up and they walk out and we pastors know that I've been ministering for a long time I taught my very first Bible study first formal Bible study in September of 1973 I have been teaching this month 44 years so I have some experience in what I'm saying and there was a time when people would actually come and listen to an entire Bible study if they didn't agree they didn't come back but that time is far gone that that doesn't happen anymore it within the four five to ten minutes if somebody does not relate does not connect they find it easy to get up and walk out which is really unheard of when I first got saved when I first got saved I I went to a place called Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa and Pastor Chuck Smith was the pastor of that church at that time and one of my cousin's his name was Ray needed the Lord so I invited him to come to church and so ray my sister Madeline and I went to Calvary and we went early because you had to be early to get a seat because if you came late you'd be sitting in the aisle you'd actually be sitting around the base of the platform you some were even sitting on the platform it was that crowded it was a small church it only said about 300 people in it but there were hundreds of kids you'd have 500 kids coming to a church building that's at 300 so he came in early and so I took my my cousin ray early and we got a seat there and as we're seated the worship happened in and then Chuck my pastor comes out to speak and as I'm seated there my cousin ray whispers to me I've got to go he said you don't no no no we don't know we're in a Bible study ray he says they have I have an appointment I have to go I said rain no we can't get up and go I was three or four rows away from Pastor Chuck Chuck was right here there I am and and I'm talking like this and nothing no he says I've gotta go so I stand up and raised ends up and my sister stands up and we have to thread our way between all these people who are seated on the aisles Pastor Chuck looks at me my first conversation with Chuck Smith young man that's how Chuck would speak to you young man if you knew that you weren't going to stay for the Bible study why did you sit in that Pew taking a place of somebody who's going to sit here to hear the word of God he says it to me my first conversation and I got my crazy cousin with me it was his fault you know what my cousin does he puts up the one-way and he lets just take you home put you back in the institution that was my first conversation I spoke to Pastor Chuck years years later I said Chuck I remember you saying this is the first time you spoke to me and you asked me why I took the seat of somebody and I said and you just let me know in front everybody and he says and you deserved it I said that's true that's true see there was a time when you actually respected what was being said even if you disagreed that day is long gone within five to ten minutes today if someone doesn't like what they're here and they just get up and walk out and they don't care if they're interrupting your Bible say they don't care that it's God's Word they don't care it's God's people they don't care they just get up and go we understand that pastors understand that has happened so many times it happens all the time it's happened so many times you have to preach around that because that's the way the world is I understand that but pastors today are adjusting to the way people respond and so they're changing their style of communication and what has happened is some have become entertainers and so what they do is they polish their presentation and they emphasize personality and they're very careful to entertain those goats they want the goats to remain they're not feeding sheep they're entertaining goats and what they're trying to do is they're trying to keep them there so they can finish their sentence before the person gets up rudely and walks out and what happens is they change their whole style of teaching so that they don't say things that discourage or offend and I've said this many times it's like this old song I heard when I was a kid home on the range and the church becomes like home on the range you know where never has heard a discouraging word so they won't say anything to cause somebody to actually examine their own hearts to see whether or not they're right with God so they have a group of people who show up because they want them there but they're not being fed because they've changed the style of teaching to the agree that it becomes something that's more entertainment others have become great storytellers they'll begin their message with the story and they have story after story after story and the people come for the stories because it's exciting or you had this great adventure and you did this and you learned that and you did it oh wow and they like the stories one story after another after another after another but what that does is it produces a dull minded sheep who just wants to hear stories and not the Word of God some have become like magicians you remember those magicians who had the big top hat and they'd stick their hand in and pull a rabbit out of it they do that to the Bible they'll stick their hand in the Bible and pull something out it's not even there it's an illusion but people think it's great I remember somebody saying to me oh I was listening to so-and-so and he was saying this and that and I didn't even know that it was in the Bible and I said that's because it's not that's because it's not that's because they gave you some kind of illusion to make you think that it is but it's not at all there a magician and then you have others you like to write their hobbyhorse it doesn't matter what that passage says they're going to get back to what is the thing that intrigues them the most or causes them to think about it the most it happens all the time and people like the hobbyhorse so you have entertainers you have storytellers you have magicians you have the hobbyhorse writer and pastors are aware of that passes are aware of that nobody nobody starts a Bible study with the hope that people just get up and walk out nobody plants a church where they want people to not come back and so what we do is we adjust and that's what it's taking place in these days but the bottom line is is we don't that the Bible is the Word of God and it's by here's a word that we want to live and that's why we teach through books of the Bible and that's what we're going to do today we're going to begin a series in first Timothy and I want you to know what the book is and that that means I give to you introductions that means that gift to you foundations that gives to you information so that as you're going through Timothy and reading it on your own you can say all that's why this was written no I can see that and that's where this introduction is actually leading as you look at first Timothy I'll give you a few things a few facts about it this book was written around the Year 63 ad it was written from a place called Macedonia you see that in verse 3 where Paul says I urged you when I went into Macedonia the letter was written from Macedonia when you're looking at a map you've got Greece you have northern Greece and it's connected to southern Greece a little isthmus that connects you to southern Greece Macedonia would be the northern portion by what is called you was Yugoslavia so that's the northern region of Greece it was written as a letter of encouragement and instruction to a young man by the name of Timothy who was the pastor of the church there in the city of Ephesus when you look at Timothy Timothy was a young man who had been one to Jesus Christ through the Ministry of the Apostle Paul as we've been going through the book of Acts some of you have journeyed with me through accent when we got to chapter 16 we were introduced to this man Timothy and we saw how he was converted under Paul's ministry in the city of Lystra we saw that he has a mother who was Jewish and a father who was a Gentile who was Greek and yet Paul had brought him to faith in Christ and that's why he would say in verse 2 that Timothy is what he called a true son in the faith this man had been converted to faith in Christ through his ministry as we read our Bible we discovered that his grandmother's name was Lois that his mother's name was Eunice and according to 2nd Timothy chapter 1 verse 5 they had to become believers in Christ and it was it was Lois and Eunice that prepared Timothy to become a man of faith Paul speaks about that in 2nd Timothy 3 verse 15 when he says to Timothy from childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus and so one application we get right from the beginning is this what had happened is grandmother and mother Jewesses who had a love for the old testament had raised this young man who was mix of Jewish and Gentile and brought him up in the faith of Israel and thus they gave to him the Old Testament and prepared his heart and that's what Paul is referring to in 2nd timothy 3:15 when he says the Holy Scriptures are able to make you wise wise for salvation in other words the seed had been planted the Word of God had been planted in young Timothy's life and thus when he heard the gospel that connected God used that his faith was placed in Christ and he became a safe man and that's why Paul can call him my genuine son in the faith here's something for us as parents you have small children or even a younger teenage young years or whatever one of the things I would encourage you to is pour into your children the Word of God have times in God's Word when my children were small from the time they were very small from the first all through all four of them Marie and I would pray with them we would pray before meals even when there is so small they didn't realize that we were praying we'd have them in their little highchair there I would take him by the wrist I just hold them lightly on the wrist because they want to eat and I would say in minute we're going to pray first to Jesus and we would pray and I'd say Jesus thank you for this food and I taught him to pray and to thank God for their meals from the time that were infants as I got older we would have home devotions we had devotions with my kids 5 out of 7 days left out of the week 5 out of 7 nights the only two nights they didn't have a devotion as they were growing up was Wednesday and Sunday night because I taught Wednesday and I taught Sunday they would come to the Bible studies all the Bible studies from the time they were small because I knew that the enemy was going to go after my children I knew that he was going to destroy them I knew that he was going to go after their life I knew that I knew that it's a war for children it's a war for their souls it's a war for their mind I know they're gonna go to a school that is not going to teach him what we're training them up and I know that and how are they going to be equipped to fight if I don't equip him I didn't expect others to do that I did it myself and yes when they got older they gave us a run for the money I have to tell you they weren't I ain't some of you know my kids you can say Amen I don't mind they weren't Saints but you know what they were secured through prayer and I said God your word says train up a child when he is young and when he is old he will not depart from it in Jesus name I'm gonna keep pouring into my kids and pouring into my kids and pouring into my kids because one day it's going to come home one day the word will find root in them and produce fruit I trust you for this and that's what we did listen Parent Teacher children don't expect the church to do that pour the Word of God into them pray for them and train them up in the ways of the Lord the world will not do that the world wants to destroy your children but God gave you the responsibility to raise them and that's what happened with Timothy that's how it worked with Timothy from an early age from infancy you knew the Holy Scriptures which are able to make you wise unto salvation that's how it works that's how it works and so that's what Paul is speaking about right now you see after he had gotten saved he became a traveling companion for the Apostle Paul Paul went on several missionary journeys there are three recorded in the book of Acts and on Paul's second missionary journey he planted a church he planted a church in Ephesus do you see that in Acts chapter 18 now when you look at Ephesus in history Ephesus was a huge City according to ancient standards and it was breathtaking in its beauty I've been to emphasis on more than one occasion and the ruins just the ruins you can tell this was an amazing city it was huge by ancient standards as it's located on the southwest coast of Turkey it was the commercial centre of what is called Asia Minor during the Roman occupation of Ephesus the city swelled to over two hundred and fifty up to three hundred thousand people it was the second largest city in the Roman Empire as well as the world it was known for its harbor but it was also known for magic as well as the Temple of Diana and the Temple of Diana when you look in ancient history was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world one source said it is estimated that the temple measured between 350 and 370 seven feet long by 175 to 180 feet wide to relate its size to modern perspective the layout of the temple was longer and wider than a standard size football field the Temple of Diana also called Artemis was considered the first Greek style temple to be made completely of marble it was built with more than 100 marble columns standing 40 feet high and the entire project took over 120 years to complete so if you're doing an addition don't complain Paul planted the church in Ephesus but he eventually left it in the hands of a young man named Timothy now to minister in such an opulent and decadent society was incredibly intimidating and so for this reason Paul wrote to encourage Timothy to remain strong and faithful there are places that are are like like demonic strongholds there are places that have an openness sometimes to the gospel this area here that we're in has an openness to the gospel it still does thank God for it but there are other places not that far from here that are strongholds of opposition I ministered for a few years in Clermont and Clermont is a stronghold it's got many mint it's got a higher education there it's got a real strong anti-christian feel to it some of you know what I'm talking about and it's kind of difficult to reach but there are other places that it seems that they're just waiting come and tell us about the Lord we want to hear Ephesus was a stronghold it's like if you go into into some of the part parts of LA or you go to some places in San Diego or you go into San Francisco there's strongholds and you go in then you try and plant a church in and they call it a graveyard of churches because pastors go in and they plan to work in and nobody wants to hear nobody comes emphasis was a stronghold and it was intimidating and yet Paul is telling this young pastor stay there and doing work for the Lord in this mighty city called Ephesus now as Paul is writing to this young man he's giving him instructions and these are the things we're going to see as we go through first Timothy he says these are the things your to do Timothy expose false teaching develop qualified leaders teach the Word of God he says exercise your spiritual gift become an example fight the good fight of faith he says organize the church under qualified leaders he also says you're to refute error by teaching the truth encourage godly conduct by being godly protect the purity of the church by enacting church discipline on members or in need of correction these are the things you need to do Timothy and you'll see these things as we go through this letter to Timothy when you're looking at it and you're studying it there's a key word and the key word that is used here is the word doctrine the word doctrine literally means teaching and Paul uses the word doctrine in this letter eight times which tells us he's emphasizing something so someone asks why why would doctrine be so important why can't we just believe what we want to believe about God after all some say it's not about doctrine it's about Jesus but that kind of comment is actually reflective of what would be called the last days because the Bible says in the last days people will no longer endure healthy doctrine and so when you have people saying well it's not really teaching we need we need to feel closer to God it's just symptomatic of the fact that we're living in the days just preceding the return of Christ why why is doctrine so important doctrine is a important because of safeguards people eternal life and a lifestyle that brings glory to God rests on accurate teaching because what you believe is what you ultimately do and what you believe in do is what makes up your influence and when you are believing and doing things that are wrong you influence others to wrong so Paul is speaking to him about this because it's important we'll see in 1st Timothy 4:16 how he says to Timothy take heed to yourself and to the doctrine continuing them for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you and so this concern for safeguarding proper teaching is paramount to the Apostle Paul again in the book of Acts when you get to chapter 20 Acts chapter 20 records Paul's last conversation that he had with the elders of the Church of Ephesus Paul knew that he would never see them again and so in acts 20 he's giving them final instructions and he says in acts 20 verses 27 through 30 and he's speaking to these elders he says I have not hesitated to proclaim to you the whole will the whole counsel of God keep watch over yourselves and all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers be shepherds of the Church of God which he bought with his own blood I know that after I leave savage wolves will come in among you and will not spare the flock even from their own number men will arise and distort the truth in order to draw away disciples after them they're going to come and they're going to invade your church is what he was telling them they're gonna come and invade they're going to be outsiders who come in and they're going to bring false teachings and begin to infect but not only will there be people who come in from the outside a great danger also is those who are on the inside using their influence and it all comes because they're drawing disciples after themselves so doctrine is important because it has consequences for now as well as for Eternity there's your introduction let's get in the study verse 1 Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ our hope 2 Timothy a true son in the faith grace mercy and peace from God our Father and the Lord and Jesus Christ our Lord the way they wrote letters in the time of Paul is is outlined right in front of us it would begin the letter would begin with the author of the letter so he begins by saying Paul the second thing you would see is the recipient of the letter which is what you see when he says to Timothy and the third thing you would see in their letter would be a blessing grace mercy and peace from God our Father and so this is the typical way that letters were written during that time notice how Paul describes himself he identifies himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ he identifies himself like this in 9 out of the 13 letters that he writes in the New Testament he's an apostle the word apostle literally speaks of one who's been sent out and has had designated Authority so he's speaking concerning himself as one who's been sent out by the Lord Jesus Christ with the authority of heaven he's an apostle but he's also an apostle by the commandment of God meaning he didn't select himself he's pointing out that God is the one who appointed him to that position God chose him God sent him on this mission you see we do not need to be looking to other people to appoint us the appointing comes from the Lord Himself in John 15:16 it says you haven't chosen me but I have chosen you and ordained you that you should go and bring forth fruit and that your fruit should remain so I am an apostle by the commandment of God and in galatians 1:1 Paul would say call an apostle not from men nor through man but through jesus christ and god the father who raised him from the dead so he begins by saying my authority is through god the commandment was from god for me to be this but he also refers to God as our Savior and Jesus as our hope so when he says God our Savior God our Savior reflects Paul's rejection of Nero because Nero Caesar Nero was referred to as the savior of the world and so Paul is making it clear that Caesars not the savior of the world God is in isaiah 40:3 11 it says i even i am the lord and beside me there is no Savior Hosea 13 for says I am the Lord your God from the land of Egypt you shall know no god but me for there is no Savior beside me so he's saying my commandment didn't come from Rome and Caesar is not my god I do what God has called me to do it's what he's saying because I received this commandment from the Lord the world hasn't been given the responsibility of telling the church what we're to do our orders come from the Lord and we find those orders through God's Word Paul is making it very clear that that's how it works that we take our orders from the Lord you can call Caesar Nero the savior of the world if you like as a Roman citizen Paul was saying but we know the true Savior and the true Savior is God himself and we follow God's directives not yours regardless of whether somebody thinks they can force us to do what they think is the right thing to do we don't take our orders from the world my friend Ron his pastor of Houston Calvary they were in the newspaper recently because he's become a center there for the hurricane situation and all there in the Houston area and his church has become a center where many churches many Calvary especially churches have been sending teams to work in sending finances to help and all of that and so recently there was an article written about Calvary Houston because somebody from the LGBT quote-unquote community was angry because they had come and wanted to serve with the church as the church was doing its its work and and they said I'm sorry but this is for believers the the work that we're doing is coming out of our church and and the members of our church and other Christians who are coming from around the nation and so no you know we're not going to have LGBT serving here in the church given the impression that that your believers because in fact your lifestyle disqualifies you from that now that's Bible that's Bible and so what do they do they call them haters and they start saying oh these people hate us and they're this you know but but Ron stood firm why because no we don't take our orders from the world you know listen if you want to go out and do a work go do it listen I here we go I shouldn't do this I'm gonna do it here we go you know we see these people these antifascist a column and Tifa right and you see them marching you see em haiti and in an apparently the Hurricanes that are coming is because of trump i read that one of the Hollywood elites with an intellect that's equal to a stone was was saying that and so everything bad happens is because it's Trump and therefore the Hurricanes really result of some judgment that's coming because of Donald Trump which to me is really a just it's really sad it's really a sad way to think and it's so so bad but with that said I don't see these people who are protesting I don't see these people who are violent I don't see these people who are doing the things that they're doing in such an angry way I haven't seen them on any any any work in any food lines I haven't seen them taking up collections and offerings and getting teams of ng4 people to go in to actually serve and help and clean out homes that are messed up now all right because they're parasites because they they take from what from what good people do and they only they they call us haters when in reality they're the haters if you're if they're so good I'm gonna say it this way if they're so good why aren't you doing something good ain't you out there helping why aren't you crying with those who are losing things why aren't you ministering to the children why aren't you taking what you are as a parasite what you are as a parasite you know the Boy Scouts of America years ago was being infiltrated by homosexual Scout leaders and I wrote a letter I wrote it to the editor and it was printed and I said listen I said the homosexual community has the tendency of taking something that has a tradition of doing good for many years and then they say you are excluding us from that why don't you start the gay a theist of America and see how many people come to yours why don't you do that why do you have to take something that has been so good for so many years and has done so many good things for so many kids why do you have to destroy that so your agenda is pressed listen we shouldn't and we cannot put up with that garbage the bottom line is is we have truth it comes from the gospel we live for Jesus Christ and that's what we're supposed to do that's called Christianity that's Christianity see so our commandment comes from God it doesn't come from man might might I answer to a higher authority than some disgruntled individual who decides to get up and walk out on a church service I answer to God himself and that's what Paul is saying and we have to understand that if you fear anyone jesus said fear God don't fear man fear God and that's what we're taught to do that's Christianity 101 people don't understand that and so I'll get off that horse and moving to another right Jesus is our hope listen he's our hope and he speaks of him in that way he says by commandment of God our Savior and Jesus the Lord Jesus Christ our hope without Jesus we have no hope no hope for eternity why well according to Ephesians chapter 2 verse 12 once again Paul writing to this church that Timothy pastored according to Ephesians 2 verse 12 he said to them at that time you were without Christ being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel strangers from the covenants of promise having no hope and without God in the world having no hope and without God you see when we receive Christ were given hope and we live in hope and our hope is not in men and our hope does not originate in what the world offers us Psalm 25 verse 5 reads guide me in your truth and teach me for you are God my Savior my hope is in you all day long so no matter what we may be going through we go through it because of our hope the word hope is translated confident expectation it isn't used in the Bible the way that we use it in our common parlance when we say hope today it's like I hope the dogger stop losing that's hope it's confident expectation Jesus Christ is our hope we hope in him we have a confident expectation we are saved Paul said to the Romans we are saved in hope and so we have a confidence in the Lord and all and Jesus Christ is our hope no matter what our circumstances may be as we go through those things God has a way of strengthening us as we go through and why because we have hope in Romans 15:13 it says the god of Hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing that you may abound in Hope through the power of the Holy Spirit we also look forward in hope to the final results of living in hope and Titus 2:13 Paul said looking for that blessed hope and the glorious appearing of the Great God and Savior Jesus Christ in 1st John 3 2 and 3 it says beloved now are we the sons of God it does not yet appear what we shall be but we know that when he shall appear we shall be like him for we shall see him as he is and every man that has this hope in in him purifies himself even as he is pure so he says in verse 2 2 Timothy my genuine son in the faith Paul had no son of his own but he loved and treated Timothy as if he were his own and you got to think for just a moment how Timothy reading this how that would have registered with his heart that Paul is saying Timothy you're my son you're my son I don't have any children I didn't have any but I have you you're my son in the faith allow me to give a personal illustration of why that matters Pastor Chuck was my Pastor Chuck Smith pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa was my pastor for a long time I was at a pastors conference on one occasion I was seated next to him my father had gone home to be with Jesus and I was seated next to Pastor Chuck and I said to him you know i surpassed her I said Chuck you know God has been gracious to me he gave me my father who I loved with all of my heart my physical dad he gave me my father but he also gave me you and you are my father and I love you like a son I was in a pastors conference a few years ago and just just before Pastor Chuck went home to be with Jesus as a matter of fact I believe it was the last pastors conference that we had with my pastor Chuck and he was seated off to the right he used to always be seated in the same place and it was one of the very last conferences and and I was teaching at the pastors conference there were seven over 700 pastors there and and as I was teaching I was sharing about loyalty and ministry and and Chuck was there and and as I was teaching I turned and I looked at him I still remember looking at Chuck he would he was only just just a few feet away and I I said Chuck I want you to know something I want you to know that I am loyal to you that you are my pastor and I will not bring shame to you you are my pastor and I love you there was a time I was teaching at a Pattaya men's conference in in Anaheim and we would have between seven and ten thousand men in this conference and and I was teaching at this particular conference in and there's a stage set up and then there's the back stage area they had some seats lined up next to the stage and then there have others seats that are in a different area and a lot of the guys are in the different area and Pastor Chuck was seated by himself in this line of chairs just a few steps from from the stairs that would take you up to the platform and I was the next speaker and so I came and I sat next to Pastor Chuck and as I sat next to him I just he was shoulder to shoulder with me and I just turned in a smile that I mean he looked at me and out of nowhere as I was seated there Pastor Chuck leans back and puts his arm around my shoulder and then drew me to himself and just held on to me like father would hold the son and I have to tell you even to this day that that makes me choked up who is my father my spiritual father and I loved him like a son loves a father and when Chuck told me how important I was to him I have a letter that he wrote me that I still have where he says that to me and I kept it it's a memory I understand what Timothy would feel when he read this letter from Pastor Paul who said my genuine son in the faith my genuine son that means something it means a lot and it must have touched this young man's heart you see all loved him and spoke highly of him when you read Philippians 2 you see in verses 19 through 22 how he said I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon that I also may be cheered when I received news about you I have no one else like him who takes a genuine interest in your welfare for every one looked out for his own interest not those of Jesus Christ but you know that Timothy has proved himself because as the son with his father he has served with me in the work of the gospel and so Timothy had been converted to faith through the Ministry of the Apostle Paul he was a genuine believer and a son to him grace mercy and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord as I urged you when I went into Macedonia remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine now Timothy apparently was reluctant to stay in the city of Ephesus so Paul exhorts him to do so and he begins to give him orders that he's to carry out as the pastor of the church notice the first thing he says charge some that they teach no other doctrine when he says no other doctrine charged them that they teach the same do not teach different doctrine teach proper doctrine so charge some that they teach no other doctrine charge some not to teach a different thing charge them not to deviate from the truth why because false teachers must be stopped from spreading error immediately the New Testament knows nothing about allowing error to go unchallenged anything purporting to be Christian that changes the gospel is to be dealt with and quickly and again that's because error is never harmless error is destructive error destroys not just individuals but families in Titus 111 Paul said there are many rebellious people mere talkers and deceivers especially those of the circumcision group they must be silenced because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach and that for the sake of dishonest gain you see the Bible makes it very clear that truth exists in that truth matters why well one God is the originator of truth in psalm 31:5 you have redeemed me O Lord God of truth God is the originator truth and second Jesus is truth incarnate he said I am the way the truth and the life in John 14:6 a third thing is that the truth sets us free from Satan and bondage because he who sins is a slave to sin Jesus said in John 8:32 and the gospel is truth revealed as well as communicated because Ephesians 1:13 reminds us in him you also trusted after you heard the word of truth the gospel of your salvation an interesting thing about all of that a fifth thing is believers are those who have a love of the truth now this is one of the ways for you as a believer to measure your maturity and this helps you as an individual to know whether you're even saved do you have a love for the truth not an admiration of it not a philosophic interest in it do you have a love for it you see in 1st Thessalonians 2 verse 9 and 10 Paul said the coming of the lawless one is according to the working of Satan with all power signs and lying wonders and with all unrighteous deception among those who perish because they did not receive the love of the truth that they might be saved it's an indicator that you've been saved if you love the truth and this word of truth was given one time for all time there is no need for future revelation Jude verse 3 says that like this beloved although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the Saints one time for all time there are new note new rebel so one of the pastors duties is that of identifying those who are corrupting the gospel and preaching error that's one of the ways that a pastor actually cares for the sheath that's one of the ways that he demonstrates his love he protects them in Romans 16 17 and 18 it says I urge you brothers watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you've learned keep away from them for such people are not serving our Lord Christ but their own appetites by smooth talk and flattery they deceived the minds of naive people and so there's a warning Paul would do that Paul would actually name names in 2nd Timothy 2 16 through 18 he said avoid godless chatter because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly their teaching will spread like gangrene among them are hymenaeus and philetus who have wandered away from the truth they say that the resurrection has already taken place they destroyed the faith of some so he didn't avoid mentioning names by name people by name listen and I'll make this practical as I can today many Christians feel it is wrong to expose and confront error some Phil it's unchristian to do so because these people are doing such good things that's because they don't believe that there is anything that is absolutely true somebody said it like this it is not kindness at all but the worst form of Cruelty to suggest that what people believe doesn't really matter it really doesn't matter much if they feel spiritual and do good in fact on the face of it that claim is a blatant contradiction of the gospel message real righteousness simply cannot exist in isolation from belief in the truth to make the case for any concept of practical good that subsists apart from sound doctrine one quickly has to remove just about everything that is truly righteous from the definition of good it doesn't take very long for that kind of thinking to undermine the foundations of Christian itself listen there are many today that are identifying themselves as Christians and they don't believe the Bible there was a culture in media Institute survey that surveyed 2,000 people and eighty-seven percent said that they believe in God 52 percent said they believed the Bible is God's Word he had only 36 percent believed in living by the Bible and 15 percent said they lived by their own principles even when conflicting with God's and forty-five percent preferred combining God's teachings with their own beliefs so that translates into picking and choosing passages that suit your particular belief there was a TV preacher who was asked a question concerning Mormonism and the question was is Mormonism Christian I saw this I watched it when it took place and when asked the question is Mormonism Christian this well-known TV preacher answered it is he said Mormons referred to Jesus as their Savior and Jesus is my Savior so I would consider them to be part of the family of God the secular interviewer corrected this well-known TV preacher a secular interviewer corrected him some in this room think that Mormonism is Christian some of you do let me share with you some things let me be a preacher of hate for a moment if I may Mormonism is polytheistic it denies original sin it teaches that both God the Father and God the Holy Spirit have physical bodies Mormonism teaches that Jesus was conceived through sexual intercourse between God the Father and Mary Mormonism teaches that Jesus is the spirit brother of Lucifer that Jesus was a polygamist that Jesus traveled to the Americas during his three days in the tomb that every Mormon male will one day become a guy ruling over his own planet accompanied by multiple wipes just as the god of this earth named eloheem who was once a man has done here that's Mormonism that's Mormonism and yet somebody's mad at me right now that's Mormonism it's error its error and yet a pastor on TV being interviewed asked questions concerning this doesn't know these things and thus says yeah Mormons are my brother because he believes in Jesus how would Paul respond to that well in Galatians 1 8 and 9 he said it like this even if we or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel to you than what we have preached to you let him be accursed as we have said before so now I say again if anyone preaches any other gospel to you than what you have received let him be accursed that's how Paul would deal with it because that's what scripture says and so it's a warning against false teachers he says in verse 4 nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith you see these false teachers were teaching fables and and superstitious myths if you will Jewish genealogies that would puff up the family but God's Word produces godly edification it builds up a genuine faith in Jesus Christ and that's what Paul wanted them to know and again that's what Paul told the elders of Ephesus in acts 20 verse 32 he said brethren I come I commend you to God to the word of His grace which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified listen as the pastor of this church I want to give to you once again a guarantee that I've given in the past that I'm remaining firm and that is this I will teach you the truth when you come here you will get a Bible study I will teach you about Jesus Christ I will not deviate I will not compromise I will tell you the truth because it is the truth that sets you free and that's something you'll get there that's what I'm gonna do that's what I'm gonna do because I really believe in encounter building my accountability is to the Lord yes I realized that it's I realized that things that are said sometimes the way I see them doesn't come off in the way that I feel them I know that I come off abruptly I know that it come off strongly but you know what one of these days when I stand before the Lord I want to say to him but I told him the best that I could I told them the truth the best that I could and father if I wasn't tender all I've cried have been a tear hope for that but I will not lie to you I love you guys I am a pastor of this church and I will not give you constant you

Channel: Calvary Chapel Chino Valley

Views: 3,095

Rating: 4.8333335 out of 5

Keywords: Calvary Chapel, Calvary Chapel Chino Valley, CCCV, Pastor David Rosales, A Sure Foundation, Jesus Christ, Christianity, Bible, cccv, Church, Teaching, Worship, God, Christians, Bible Study, Jesus, A Jesus People Community, Truth, Gods Word, David Rosales, Pastor David, Ministries, Bible Studies, Gospel, Holy Spirit, End Times

Id: e5f_nrmb6Rw

Length: 52min 9sec (3129 seconds)

Published: Mon Sep 18 2017