False Teaching in Every Age

Take your Bibles and were back to first Timothy chapter 1 as we continue our exposition through this New Testament book is called a pastoral epistle is the apostle Paul writing to his young disciple Timothy Estes left Timothy in charge of the church in Ephesus and that in case he didn't get the him to address some things directly. He's telling Timothy now, here's the way your to fashion and function as the church, the bride of Christ. We call it beautifying the bride beautifying the bride. That is how are we as God's instruments. First of all we asked the question why would God leave it in our it's it's it's it's an astonishing thought that God's work on earth. He has ordained to be led by himself, but through me. Yet he's given us his sure word to follow when where we we have to be very careful that were not following up gimmicks and fads in the wisdom and cleverness of men in the church following God's word and Timothy either you the epistle to Timothy is a a very practical book gives us a much of what were to do is forest the fashion the structure and then the function how we act as God's church not right out of the gate as Paul is writing to Timothy he fervently warns and commends Timothy to the task of guarding sound doctrine. He really continues that emphasis in today's text.

I guess somewhat of the things that Tom is wearisome just to be quite honest, wearisome to those of us in the pastorate who take our calling.

Seriously is the unrelenting nature of false teaching and false doctrine that comes into the church. It never ends about the time you think what we saw that coming, and we kept that from being a negative influence. Then another one comes from another avenue is just continues but it is good to know that the apostle Paul face the same difficulties and Estes training Timothy. That's the first thing he talks to him about.

Be on guard benefit. When Paul writes to Titus, he tells Titus to guard sound doctrine were to be vigilant intentional in guarding the church from those things which would lead us from sound doctrine and sound practice within the church. So here we go.

First Timothy chapter 1. Looking at verses eight through 11 this morning if if you're visiting with us are new here this, the mainstay of our pulpit is a verse by verse chapter by chapter. Expositional preaching to the word of God that way gives us what God is saying and not my ideas which really don't count or at first in chapter 1 verse eight Paul says to Timothy, but we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully. Realizing the fact that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebellious for the ungodly and sinners for the unholy and profane for those who kill their fathers or mothers or murderers and immoral men and homosexuals and kidnappers and liars, encouragers, and whatever else is contrary to sound teaching.

According to the glorious gospel of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

I've entitled this false teaching. In every age. Certainly in Paul and Timothy's day they were combating some false teaching and from Paul's writing to the church at Colossae we see two major streams of false teaching that coming to the church. First of all, there was the Jewish influence of the day that Continually striving to bring in works and legalism into Christian doctrine and then on the other stream was the Greek philosophers of the day. It was constantly an effort to bring great philosophy into the church and so with a Paul's writing that the Colossians and telling them beware bringing philosophy to the church are like here and in many other New Testament epistles, Paul is saying be careful. Don't let the Jewish legalist and the teachings of the law coming to the church as far as how you get saved. He said you've got to stay vigilant. Now I in our outline for verse eight Paul's and Timothy's fight to make right use of the law.

Paul's and Timothy's fight to make right use of the law.

Again, this was one of the particular heresies that was creeping into the church at Ephesus and Martin. Matter fact all through the ages of Christendom. You see this in one form or fashion, with one set of clothing or different set of clothing, legalism, are the teaching that men need to embrace works or law to obtain a right standing before God always creeps into the church. It always is there now some point a the book with the law is used to lead us to Christ. That's the right use of the loan and that's not the way the false teachers were teaching about what Paul is saying is the law is good but we want to teach you the right use of the law of the church, not at heretical or erroneous use of the law as you use it in the church. In verse eight he says for we know that the law is good to see what would happen. These guys would sneak into the church tonight say now if you really want to be say, believe on Jesus, but you must also keep the 10 Commandments Moses gave the Jew well. So when Paul would refute that but say all your rejecting God's law and policy. No I'm not doing that at all is just that you're missing using the law. So Paul originally starts out by saying our problem certainly with the false teachers is not that the law is bad with the what you guys who use God's law is wrong. That's where you're messing everything up that we talk about God's law, it would serve our purposes.

Just member the Decalogue, the 10 Commandments is a summation air all the rest of the law was built off of that foundation stone of that centerpiece.

Those 10 Commandments.

Know what has happened is the Christian gospel has reformed the law back to its good and rightful use. The law was never intended to bring men to righteousness. The law was never intended to make you justified in the sight of God.

Indeed, it can't do so. The Bible tells us in fact is the law that condemns us it's writing good. It just that we are bad and when were already bad and already fallen. The Bible says our hearts are desperately wicked.

When we say the law of God, we see that we can't keep it straw. This way may we continue to fail and we stand condemned.

But the Christian gospel takes the law reforms it back to its good and proper use because if you try to use the law to obtain righteousness of the way I like to see it if you try to use the law to obtain a right standing before the try unit holy God.

It fails every time.

For example, Romans chapter 3 verse 20 because by works of the law no flesh would be justified in his sight, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.

Just can't do it the law it cannot save you. Galatians 515 18 says, but if you are led by the spirit. You're not under law.

The point being when you're born again. When you believe on Christ truly say the spirit of God comes into you've had a spiritual rebirth and so you're becoming one who is led by the spirit.

In other words you that you're not led by keeping a law as far as obtaining a right standing before God, your under a different dispensation that is the dispensation of grace and the work of the spirit of the gospel. The right use of the law. What Paul is implying is, is to become an instrument to point us to Christ and the free offer of salvation by faith in Christ. Galatians 323 and 24.

But before faith came, we were kept in custody under the law being shut up to the faith which was later to be revealed. Therefore the law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, that we may be justified by faith supposes the right use of the law is to see it as a tutor.

It it it God's you along it. It brings you alone so that you might say that it can't save you only Christ by his death on the cross and the free gift. A gift you can possibly save you just returned from quite a long road trip. Ms. Pam and I went out to to Dallas and met with Jesse Barrington and his wife Danielle, the pastor of our church plant rice lecture to Dallas before the church is doing good and they're doing well, but made it was a divine appointment. We had a great time within their same issues. Church is not in trouble but they're just of issues I need to speak with them about and I did know what they word it would begin talking but it was a great meeting and then we took our time and went through Houston and then along the Metairie Louisiana and then up north from there to Brookhaven, Mississippi, one of our new church partners Chris Shepherd is pastoring in another place where intelligence is a divine appointment and it's so encouraging to me to see these brothers for years and now they been putting in place a thoroughly biblical approach to their ministry and they're seeing God's hand of blessing and I'm so glad we got to be a part of men touring and encouraging them along. But as we were on that road trip from Dallas all the way through to to Brookhaven, Mississippi. We were following roadside you know it never one time occurred to me as we are traveling down the interstate to embrace one of those road signs are tough to rest at a road sign or to find satisfaction in the roadside. We never did that. We only found rest and satisfaction will be Rick Starr next destination. The next destination was Princess were here.

We know that nice restaurant we been talking about how we can relax for a while.

The roadside never got the emphasis it just pointed us to our place of rest. Our place of satisfaction that is our destination bread that is exactly what Paul is saying here that the law does for us. The law is a road sign. The law points us to a place of it.

It's not our place of rest, don't rest in the law.

All you be badly disappointed. It can't get you to God. Don't make the law.

Your place of rest it only points you to Christ. What it does a lot more than that, done at first, the law condemns you that your undone and you need a Savior, and the dictators you are God you to Jesus Christ.

Galatians chapter 3 verse 24 we talk about how the law is such a tutor and it sometimes corrects us.

It's time sometimes confirm to us, it sometimes disciplines us, but it's all that it might bring the right outcome. I'm going to talk about church movements toward the end of my message but there was a movement some time back called the church growth movement or the seeker friendly movement and I think begin to put a big emphasis on telling pastor stopped preaching the law stop preaching about how men are transgressors stop preaching about how men are sinners. They arty know that they would argue they need to be told how to make it on Monday morning and had overcome life's difficulties etc. etc. well that's nice but that's being smarter than God because God uses the teaching of the law on the fact that were sinners and transgressors that law to get us to Christ brothers or sisters. We do not have a better later preach the gospel in God's way. Every time guys come along in their clever and they're smart. They end up bringing ruinous results to the church. So whether the laws correcting us are condemning us whatever it is it's design a stitch is striving to point and guide us to that place of rest in Jesus Christ and salvation by faith in Christ alone, but practice Paul's writing to Timothy here. The first says verse eight. Again, we know that the law is good. Then he says this. If one uses it lawfully, lawfully, what I want to play on words here. In other words, it's unlawful to use the law wrong. It's unlawful to use the law if you will, unlawfully, that is if you try to use the law to obtain a right standing before God. If you try to use works and legalism obtain righteousness before God you're using God's law unlawfully your breaking God's law and how to use the law of cuts are pretty much where Paul is coming from here, you know the law in effect is like the light of the dawn, it can shine the true lot on our condition. Everything can be dark.

You know like the deer hunt and I get in the woods before the sun comes up and it's amazing you're sitting there you looking around and you can't really see anything. It's it's kind of mysterious and then all the sudden the sun because the come up over the eastern horizon in the dawn walk and then everything's exposed everything is clear is none of those bogeymen out there. You thought might be cutting punditry somewhere what the law does that as the spirit of God takes the faithful preaching of the truth of our sin, and the truth of God's law of the Spirit, God causes the light to come on in your heart and in your soul and you begin to see you begin to embrace a center to I need Christ as my Savior. It's a dawning of the light and what a paradox. This is because when the law was given. Exodus tells us it was given in darkness and in thundering and like the smoke of the furnace on Mount Sinai as Moses was up there receiving the law.

All this darkness and trembling and thundering yet for us it's meant to be a light to expose our condition that we might see our great need for Christ. Now he goes on in verse nine and he says, realizing the fact they same Timothy. We got these guys sneaking in the church.

I'm adding words part and save businesses point we got these people sneaking in the church. They consider themselves theologians. They consider themselves learned experts of the word of God, i.e., the law of God, and tried to force on you, but you gotta keep these rules in these laws and by the way, they also say, and we really know what the rules and the laws are see there really is a top folks at the end of the day you listen to me at the end of the day all false teachings about power and control and that's with the sleeveless they come and say you got it. You gotta follow are teaching.

If you really want to be a true Christian.

It's not just believing on Jesus, the son of that's good but the door that conjunctive word. You gotta add on these laws as we will explain them to you so they wanted control of the church. Paul said they don't know anything. Men fight back up in verse let's see verse seven wanted to be teachers of the law, even though they do not understand either what they're saying on the matters about which they make confident assertion is if I don't know through talking about. They sound intellectual they sound like they know what they're talking about, but they don't know anything they're trying to lead you straight from simple faith in Jesus Christ in order to maintain our obtain rather a right standing before God. Now verse nine. Realizing the fact that the law is not made for a righteous person interesting statement. The law is not made for a righteous person will think about it for just a moment if it were possible for someone to be born without a sin nature, which is impossible.

We know but for sake of illustration. If you could be born without a fallenness without utter depravity in your heart and you lived your life in perfect righteousness you would never need a law, because all that would ever fill your heart and all that would ever fill your actions is honoring the law, and obedience to the law or once you're saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ because Jesus Christ died on the cross and there hanging on the cross. He took your judgment. You deserve for being a lawbreaker. He took it all by the way he's eternal you took all your judgment and punishment from your past, your present and your future. When he died on the cross sees taken all your judgment and all your penalty in your place, so therefore by faith in what he did for you. You stand as just before this holy God. He said that cut a righteous person detonate the the law to gain righteousness because Christ already gained if you have to do something.

Christ had to fail in some way Christ would've been deficient in some way Christ person and/or Christ were what would have been wanting in some way. If he didn't finish it off for you. That's what he says here the law is not for a righteous man what your righteous in Christ Jesus the law can't age you are happy becoming more righteous than Christ makes you false teachers though had infiltrated the church at Ephesus again. They were great secret ties as they were great and clever at mixing the gospel of Jesus Christ putting a twist on it so that no longer. It wasn't really the gospel anymore, sounded like it with the way they twisted it no longer really was the gospel the night add these works on their the old Jewish law works in saying that that's what you got to do with. There's a real lesson for us and again I will get to this a little more thoroughly just a moment, but the lesson is for us that we have to be mature we have to be discerning. We have to be alert and you to pray for your church elders because we are required by God for your behalf or on your behalf to guard sound doctrine for this church and establish the church own true doctrine. So we have to be careful with all of these add on things that keep coming down the pike went away. Believe what you believe it breaks like church but we found that we ought to add this on and I we also found that we ought to add this thing on that really makes you effective.

That really makes you a sound and true church. The problem is, as you look at most of these add-ons you can't find one half of one thimble full of biblical support for the add on's not necessarily all wrong or evil. But if you tamper with the mentor with them and play with them a while Satan's crafty, seductive, and he's patient.

He knows if he can get us to embrace some other things a little bit given enough time, it could supplant what is essential that it becomes a real big problem will not only first of all, and it talking about the right use of the law. It's an instrument God has given, not to save us.

It can't save us, but to lead us to Christ to can save us now be in our outline.

As were talking about Paul's and Timothy's fight for the right use of the law. The law is helpful to restrain the wicked goes into this quite thoroughly in verse nine and man what a list of wickedness does he lay before us, so he first says the law is not made for the righteous is made to restrain the wicked, but we know that a society needs laws acculturate people need laws were all fallen sinners, we need laws because you're not just going to go out there and drive 55 miles an hour you can go 75 you need eye restraint. We all need that serve or to help us have a better and sane and wholesome and stable culture. We need rules and we need law but to obtain a right standing before God, we do not look to the law butterfat Romans chapter 7 verse five is an interesting verse in Romans seven, verse five, the apostle says. For while we were in the flesh, the sinful passions which were aroused by the law. The percent were working the members of our body to bear fruit for death. He should actually if you try bring law into your life and sublime than really please God, but by working hard to keep these laws. He said there's a sense in which the euro fallen heart.

Sinful lust is aggravated and stirred up by the law to make you even worse if it I've seen this so many times in church life were sometimes very well meaningful bill read somebody's book. I could tell you the times I've had people come to me want to change the church as a read somebody's book.

I said well I'm sure there's some good in that book. But we gotta keep reading the book all those other books may have some help every now and then. Be careful when you take somebody's new book that will that's the way to do it.

I was reading a book just recently by a man I like this man and he was talking about this whole new approach to the church. The problem is that same man told me face-to-face in a conference not too long ago that both of these churches were absolute failures absolute implosion's that he's written a book on how to charge.

Here's what I'd advise God's good for about 20 years. Then write about it.

Write your book after you've done it for a while. I said right you book upfront.

My point is, my point is that tough when you bring in these extra biblical rules and requirements and think that this is what's going to make us really spiritual and really right with God. There is a sense in which the loot rules the law itself stirs up more rebellion about Mrs. Tammy be balanced have to have some rules had to have some laws in our homes and our marriages in our culture. Of course, but they cannot make us righteous before God. Now, on the other side of the coin.

He says in verse nine, the law was not made for righteous persons but for those who are in and abroad.

Since unrighteous I mean the unrighteous the unbeliever has a lawless heart. He says first bumpers and I look at their their lawless and rebellious loss good for the lawless and rebellious because it helps hold them in check. It helps restrain them from being as bad as they could be so thought use for those who are unsaved and are still in their fallen nature to be lawless and rebellious. These are those who are carried by their fallen passions, driven by the winds of wickedness in their own soul there driven this way and then their lust takes them another way in it every turn. The lawless man finds a restraint in one sense or another. The law of God is there, the law of the land corrects them and it corrals them. They have to pay taxes so they can't just spend the money anyway they want to. The raw losses you gotta turn left here only the losses you have to stop here you get divorced in the losses you have to pay child support or alimony you want to go certain speed, but the speed limit size know you get a little this speed, endless regulations, endless policies and laws confront men daily and there some good in that now we need where always tried to perfect our laws and by the way we be much wiser to country. If we go back to this book for our law base and get away from this silly ever-changing sentimentality and emotion driven nonsense, we say our culture today where you we never know what's wrong anymore. All all one liberals gotta do is feel deeply about it, were all bigots again. Instead of finding out what was the word of God simply state and that's principled and right for everyone. Well, that's a side note that's not in my notes that the side point. But the point is that wicked men need the restraints of law righteous men don't need it because their hardest to do right wicked men must have the external restraint sometimes is the consequence of his own indulgent choices that constrains him. He wants to smoking gets emphysema. He wants to drink too much to get cirrhosis of the liver.

He's overindulgent at the table.

He becomes obese and his diabetes. Constant rebukes and restraints. And then there's that inner conscience in the Bible speak skews me. The Bible speaks of the restraining work of the Holy Spirit among the unrighteous world. You better be thankful.

Read Revelation, and you'll see what's going to happen when God removes the restraint just wickedness run amok, and one sign of godliness in a country is when I throw away moral standards and just want to follow every lust that comes across their depraved hearts and minds. That's what we are in America today in the gall to cover up this ungodliness under the banner of compassion and love and fairness. That's just the depravity of men's hearts and minds. We need restraints. We need guardrails, we need laws for the ungodly and the wicked. That's what Paul is saying in all of these restraints and all of these guardrails in all of these constrictions. The world puts on people all but little profits prophesying up just this is a tiny example what's going to happen at the end time when you face God before his holy law, and you'll come up short. There also, he continues on in verse nine talking about particular types of the unrighteous the ungodly and sinners he talks about in verse