Paul's Charge Against False Teachers

I like you to turn your Bibles to first Timothy chapter 1 first of the chapter 1 will be looking at verses 3 to 11 and I urged you what I was going to Macedonia remained in Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine nor to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charges love that issues from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith certain persons by swerving from these have wandered away in a vain discussion desiring to be teachers of the law without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions, we know that the laws good if one uses it lawfully. Understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the adjustment for the lawless and the disobedient for the ungodly and centers for the unholy and profane for those who strike their fathers and mothers for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers liars per jurors and whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted spring was the Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty for all that is in the heavens and the earth is yours. Yours is the kingdom of the Lord, and you are exalted as head above all, both riches and honor come from you and you rule. Overall in your hand or power and might, and in your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all and now we think you are God, we praise your glorious name, please be seated so continuing on our series in first Timothy, we are now going into the local church and addressing false teachers within the church of Ephesus, and so Paul is writing back to his son in the faith Timothy and he wants him to address the issues within the church and he writes this letter on his fourth missionary journey is committed to missions. Paul's entire life is to expand the tent and to send the gospel out into all the nations, but at the same time he is still concerned about the local body of believers led by his son Timothy, and so his hope here is that the church would be marked only by faithfulness to God in its doctrine but also to its faithfulness and its conduct and so the word here that's been used so many times is in the Greek did Oscar Leah did Oscar Leah is the true doctrine. It's actually used 21 times in the New Testament.

15 of their uses are in these three pastoral epistles first him Timothy second Timothy and Titus and also along with it as you see via which is godliness. So we have this balance of orthodoxy that is right doctrine, along with with the proxy which is its corresponding practice within the church and so God's word is telling us not only should we know these things to be true. Not only should we commit to the true gospel, but the conduct of our lives should reflect the truth in which we affirm back in his first missionary journey. He wrote back to the church in Galatia and he said I'm astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you it is grace of Christ and we are turning to a different gospel. Not that there is a another one. He says they are creating this gospel message, that is not the gospel that Paul taught there is a compromise within the message and he is fighting for a purity within the message, because as he continues in verse eight. Even if we are an angel from heaven were to preach to you a gospel contrary to the one that we preach to you, let him be accursed. There is a fearful judgment for this compromising of the message that we must keep central to the gospel ministry back in Paul's day, and it's like it is today. There were sheep there were wolves in sheep's clothing. They seem to be nice.

They seem to have nice furry approach them, but they are wolves they are here to devour and spiritually kill those that follow them in their message and so we see that Paul is warning them not to fall victim of these false teachers in verse three says Timothy what must charge you. This is a military term and is to give an order. This is a mandate. This is a requirement. The gospel message must be faithful. Heresy is in essence a cancer that can spread can metastasize and spread throughout the body of the congregation and policy and there is no tolerance for false doctrine. We must find the source of this cancer and eradicated.

We must eliminate what is slowly killing the congregation and ultimately will lead them to string away, swerving from the faith and going to hell. So the main point here that Paul is teaching is that we must address and remove false teachers within the church and hold fast to the one true gospel of saving grace that is found in Christ.

So as we go in to the church. Here we see in verse three that there are certain individuals.

He doesn't name them specifically which is interesting. So if they were to nail it down.

He might name certain people and they be there bad but I'm good.

He goes no certain people you know who you are. You are preaching a message that is different from the message that Paul has given us to preach. We see that he is going in and keeping it generic. There was two men in verse 20 you'll see that Hymenaeus and Alexander. These are particular false teachers that Paul has already dealt with these already excommunicated them and cast them out of the church, but now he is going in and saying we these are men among you, that are preaching a message that is not faithful to God's word and we don't know why they're not taken out already. They might be men of status they might have respect and it's hard to get men that are kind of in a higher ranking position in the church and might be reluctance to confront them over there, false teaching, but either way, Paul is encouraging Timothy to go in and face them and confront them it was their message look like will verse four tells us that they start to bring in myths and endless genealogies, which promote speculations rather than a stewardship that is from God back and ask chapter 17. The Athenians, they disliked new stories anything that was new they were strangers visiting there used to spend their time in nothing other than hearing something new, just a new idea. Just a new campfire story Paul compares the stories to old wives tales just ancient stories within Jewish tradition than certain men in certain tribes can cite their own genealogy and say this is a story from the tribe of Benjamin. This is a story from the tribe of Reuben, we would they would go back in their own church history inside it as though it's authoritative but again we have to go into this and see the error that is, they are in the church. These men already had this obsession with blending the gospel with Judaism bringing in.

You have the pure gospel of saving grace and they would start to merge it together with these other beliefs Galatians to remember Paul confronted Peter about this. Peter saw that the James gang were coming in. He saw the Jewish men saw him with the Gentiles and he started to scoot away from them. He didn't want to be associated with the Gentiles, though he had been saved from the yoke of slavery.

That is, had been saved out from under the law policy in do not resubmit yourself to this yoke of slavery. But again, there is the sense of the Jews are citing their history there, citing their lineage going back to Abraham. They are part of the original covenant people as it was an F no net a nation of Jewish people. You could see Matt. You can imagine the church there was sort of a respect for the Jewish Christians as they've been in this for many thousands of years there. There could be sort of territorial rights. There could be a respect that goes with knowing a lot of the Old Testament law is so what can happen is there's a natural division between Jew and Gentile within the church and imagine like an older Jewish believer's annually you understand young man talking to young Gentile believer back in my day we really knew Moses personally. We have that lineage and can create the subdivision as though there is this steps between believers, but we are neither Jew nor Greek, that is the F no nationalistic distinction there were neither slave nor free, that's a status in society but male or female that the gender division but we are all one in Christ we have equal footing at the foot of the cross.

We are all equal. As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ and him. Paul clarifies and says you're now Abraham's offspring, heirs to the promise. Just as God promised that his descendents would be more numerous than the stars we are among those stars.

We are among those who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and so now we are Israelites in a spiritual sense, we are those that believe in the Messiah that was promised to the people of God back in Moses's day going back to the garden. We believe that there wasn't one that would crush the head of the serpent and that is our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. But again, there constructing these genealogies there building up and Paul tells us this is a worthless vein division within the church. So we are to point these things out in the aim of our charge. What is the point of aiming it out.

Is it that we might both know we see that the charge of this is to love to love the false teacher by confronting them with their error and so the aim of our charge issues from a heart of a pure heart a good conscience and a sincere faith love from a pure heart. Paul tells us that love never ends prophesies a pet prophecy will pass away. Tongues will cease knowledge will even pass away, but love is what will sustain. Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God is a pure heart that is been purified and washed and cleansed its cleansed of other idols cleansed of other loves her other affections in God's grace is the truth that shines in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. Craig Troxel wrote this professor at Westminster California. He said the light does not bypass the mind. It opens the mind faith and knowledge are not archenemies they are blood brothers and share a home together in the heart.

If knowledge fills the human heart than saving knowledge fills the new heart is there in your heart, holding hands with belief, trust, love, confession, salvation, and the other family members within the heart. We trust in Christ with our mind short of what we know to be true. This is the nature of a pure heart. Think back to David, who cried out, God give me a pure heart for Samuel 16 a man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks on the heart. Even David, who was known for his immorality known for Bathsheba in all these horrible things. What what is he do he cries out to the Lord repents of the synagogue purges a heart and gives him a new heart. God takes out this heart of stone and gives him a heart of flesh. In doing so, he's been forgiven is been washed. She's been regenerated and it leads him into this good conscience. John MacArthur wrote the conscience is a self judging faculty God is not mean clear but responsive, or good is not mean clear, but it means responsive a conscience is one that responds to the quickening and the convicting of the holy spirit, conscience is what accuses us of sin.

It is good and right that our conscience convict us if we are in sin all the while.

If our conscience is bad when it is not quickened when it ought to be. Paul describes those that have a heart that is been seared heart that does not feel the quickening of God does not feel that conviction over our sin. Some might have a sensitive conscience.

I think about a lot of us might be raised in more of a legalistic background work only. Finally, at a certain age you realize you can you know exercise liberty in Christ there. There might be some limitation if you're in a very tight and tightly wound church. Finally, there are opening up to have an freedom in Christ. The conscience might be limiting for a time but what we see is that a good conscience or a clear conscience is one that is walking in faithfulness to God, but the seared conscience is one that is marked by evidence of someone not being responsive to the conviction over sin. The evidence of one of being stiffnecked hardhearted resistant to the conviction and the correction of God and so a good conscience is not only responsive to wrong conduct but also must be responsive to this wrong doctrine, we are convicted over our wrong teaching that we might hear and as we hear bad teaching we go in and look at God's word study is good meridians and no where the air is found studying it, knowing growing in grace through our understanding of God's word so that's exactly how Christ taught his disciples to go into the word to know to know him, to know God the father to pray by the power of the Holy Spirit to go in and understand these teachings and finally we see we have a sincere faith. The confrontation that Paul is correcting false doctrine is not out of pride but out of sincerity. If we go in and tell everybody how wrong they are. Your wrong your longer wrong that can sound and can appear to be self-righteous is how we communicate not only what we say, but how we say we have to go in with clarity and with honesty and with a love for true faith in a clear gospel message explain where false teaching is what we do not do is out of the sense of charity and good will simply allow false teaching to occur. Timothy, with all the love in his heart must confront these false teachers must do it carefully must not be harsh but at the same time we must go in and explain to these men. Second Corinthians chapter 2 Paul says that we are not like so many paddlers of the word of God, but men of sincerity as commissioned by God in the sight of God.

We speak we do not flatter with our tongues. We do not affirm false doctrine.

There is a growing progressive Christianity. That's very alive and well where God is just minimize down into God's love and that's it. Love God, love people and they just think know as long as there are who we are affirming what is what seems to be good and right. We have to go into God's word understand, as he is. Describe what is good and what is right. We have to compare what this teaching is to God's law and find the error and then point them to the grace and mercy in Christ but what we do not do is affirm false teaching, lest they swerve we see in verse six, certain persons by swerving from these have wandered away in the vein discussion desiring to be teachers of the law without understanding neither what they are saying or the things in which they make confident assertions only these people wrong, but they also are confident about their assertions as they are so wrong and they are wandering away and they are committed to a wrong teaching and they are carving into this position. They are committed they are digging their feet in to false doctrine. One of the marks of this and Paul points this out is that people are in vain.

Discussion there not drawn away by long-standing arguments within the church there drawn in by worthless debate, almost like argument for argument sake.

We have many differences with our Anglican brothers are Baptist brothers with our Episcopalian brothers on church government that baptism how much water to use in window apply. It has been debated for thousands of years, but we still have the centrality of the gospel, that is, we are justified by grace through faith in Christ that is central to the message and while we have intramural debates with brothers and sisters who do not come to our Presbyterian denomination. We still have the centrality of the message. The Paul is calling out these men that come in with vain talk, that are of no profit to the local church. I was told early on if it's true, it's not new.

And if it's new, it's not true. If something comes up recently. It is definitely a compromise on this gospel message. It's a quick fast rule and and typically when you hear these false teachings are either going to compromise on the doctrine of God who God is, who the person and work who the person of Christ is who the Holy Spirit is or they compromise on the work of Jesus Christ.

I was him I was in the freezer section at Walmart and I was so I saw this guy in a suit cut off to the side looking at manifesto's. This might be something in by the time I got up to the produce he was coming at me and I knew I thought all this might be.

I've been approached a couple of times and Walmarts for evangelism actually and he comes right up to many says can I tell you about the mother of God had love to hear about the mother God plays a says he say if you go to Genesis chapter 1 verse 26 God, let us make man in our image, God the father and God the mother came together and they made man. Isn't that amazing and I thought okay, what I look this up later they told me they were part of the world mission society Church of God all good words, all words that we affirm right the way that the world mission society Church of God, but at the same time, at the very center of it as a compromise on the nature of God. This is heresy and I couldn't do anything but just a man that that is not rooted anywhere in church history. That is a heresy don't teach this and that's all you can really do is point out the silliness of this a few years ago in my my friends mother thought there was, lack of emphasis on holiness in the church. I think that's fair. We could emphasize now that were saved by grace.

Let us grow in grace. Let's be holy as were called to be. She emphasizes so much that she joined the Hebrew roots movement.

Another denomination that is marked by faith in the atonement along with works of the law, including putting dietary laws, including festivals that Christ is the fulfillment again. They are getting away from the gospel message. It is a just a repackaging of the Galatian heresy. These men that come in they want to see what you really need understand about the law they desire to be teachers of the law, but they do not understand the bigger picture of the Bible that we are saved by grace. They want to merge in these works merge in the law and in doing so they contaminate the gospel message, and then now I must I do this in my favorite example of this. Still, it's with this Galatian heresy in Charlotte. If you go downtown on a Saturday, typically not during a pandemic on any Saturday afternoon you will run into Mrs. this is how advanced this is now three different denominations of a group called the Hebrew Israelites. They take the verse of Jacob I loved Esau I hated. And they believe golf course. Jacob is the father of the 12 tribes of his sons of the heads of the 12 tribes and the use this verse or a race-based F no nationalistic internal election doctrine. In other words, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are all black men and as you continue in the genealogies as you lead all the way up, black, Hispanic, and Native American people are the true people of God and then Esau, as is described in Genesis 25 verse 25. He has red hair. We think of people with red hair.

Irish people attend be white so Jacob I loved Esau I hated black people are loved white people are hated and so what we've done is we've taken membership in a tribe faith in the gospel with keeping the law.

It is Galatian heresy with black liberation theology. On top of it.

Adding Hispanic and Native American's that is three different denominations are right here in Charlotte you might not hear of it because you're in Harrisburg or you're in Concorde but they are in downtown every week. Praying on the urban community there.

Everyone near the bus stop is hearing this message in their being drawn in, and this is a this is blasphemy it's laughable but also is persuading tens of thousands of people in America are being led into this horrible Galatian heresy.

I want to point this out and show you the foolishness of this please if you have your Bibles with you.

Go to Galatian Genesis 49 the 12 tribes are mentioned here and I can't think of any other reason as to why he go on Google image will see 12 tribes Hebrew Israelites you'll see these tribes described here. If you go down to Issachar. Verse 14.

Issachar is a strong donkey crouching between the sheepfold's he saw that the restingplace was good, the land was pleasant. He bowed his shoulder to bear and became a servant at forced labor. The tribe of Issachar are the nation of Mexico. It would be Mexicans. They read this verse to say that the land that was pleasant was America. The forced labor would be the idea that Mexican Americans as they come to America tended to blue-collar labor. If you go to Gad first 19 raters shall raid Gad and he shall raid at their heels, they shall raid Gad so the idea is that someone comes in and raids them and attacks them they regroup and they attack back. They believed Gad to be the Native Americans and so again you're taking a 3500-year-old text Moses writing Genesis had 2020 America in mind, and so Mexicans are Issachar and Gad is Native Americans and so as you find your membership in these tribes.

It is persecution. Now and liberation in the future in heaven where this will all be flipped. This is all part of it.

Simeon and Levi are brothers weapons of violence are their swords Simeon and Levi are Haitians and Dominicans and they are brothers because they share the same chunk of land there on the same island. This is a laughable horrible misleading.

I laugh not to cry. This is misleading. Tens of thousands of people in America so they take this doctrine of Jacob, whom I loved and the proper genealogical light, it leads to. David leads to Christ, and we want to be in that team so they put Dick Jacobs a black man was ready and beautiful had beautiful eyes was handsome and the Lord said, arise, anoint him for this is he Esau is described as having red hair.

They're both described here red, ruddy black man in white man.

But then just one word study one Hebrew word study shows us that there actually being described by the same word and moan. I which ultimately means sort of a red or brown there.

The same color. One Hebrew word study tells us they have the same skin color.

This entire system of this race-based division were God hates these people hand and loves these people. This is all nonsense. This is moronic. This is literally from the Greek word Marranos. This is foolish. This is silly. Forget the word moron. This is a dumb how this is completely unfounded and this is made up about 50 years ago, but it is preying on the black community Hispanic community in the Native American community. It is the doctrine of demons. This is wicked and they have outfits they used military terms. Their leader is a general it's very enticing to the flesh to have kind of militaristic sort of the get in line and they chant and they yell and it's it seems very cool and authoritative but again it is wicked and evil, and Paul tells Timothy in chapter 2 of second Timothy remind them of these things and charge them before God not to quarrel about words which does no good and only ruins the hearers.

That's what this is.

They have quarreled with these words and they have led themselves into a damnable heresy. This is wickedness in the Hebrew roots movement is not that much different.

They believe that you can't say Jesus have to say Yeshua is. That's the true name of Jesus as though Jesus is wrong and use a crystal was wrong in Spanish and any other transliteration of the Lord Jesus Christ. This is completely ridiculous because Jesus said in my in your name. Did we cast out demons and he said I never knew you as though Jesus is limited to hearing his own name in the Hebrew that God would not hear our prayers. Paul warned Titus. Avoid foolish controversies, genealogies, dissensions, quarrels about the law, for they are unprofitable and worthless. As for a person who stirs up division after warning him once they come into the church we hear it we know what they're talking about warned that's it then twice have nothing more to do with them, knowing that such a person is warped and sinful and he is self condemned. We do not entertain this false doctrine. We eradicated Titus would say, their mouths must be stopped.

So what we have to do is we have to see the right use of the law. We want to earn our way.

We want to blend in gospel saving grace with the works of the law we have to focus here and see where the law drives us to the grace and mercy in Christ. Starting in verse eight we see that we are to use this in the right way. Where to use proper usage of the law of laws. Not bad, it's the wrong use of the law that is so incorrect and misleading to the church that we know the laws good and if one uses it lawfully.

Understanding this, the law was not laid down for the adjuster for the lawless and the disobedient. We go into use. The law that Christ is actually fulfilled part of law.

Back in Matthew five or 17 do not think I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets. I have come to abolish them but to fulfill them as we go back and look at the Old Testament laws are ceremonial laws of sin offerings and grain offerings.

Christ comes in and ultimately is our final and absolute offering ceremonial law to do that today is to deny the work of Christ, so that is complete in Christ, he is the sacrificial lamb. He is the fulfillment of the ceremonial law and then we see that we have Matthew 521 Jesus begins to expound the 10 Commandments you've heard it said that shall not murder but he says whoever murders is liable to judgment. I say to you, everyone was angry with his brother will be liable to the judgment again between murder and anger is every single application we can think of of violence, anger, malice, assault, any sort of application and so we might go back to the civil law and see where is the civil law, moral, and in doing so, we have multiple applications just the same way with seventh commandment is not just thou shalt not commit adultery but Jesus says it's lust in the heart and everything in between those would be an application of the seventh commandment are larger catechism of the Westminster confession of faith gives multiple application of these 10 Commandments. This term for the seminary Takeaway term. Here is the general equity we can take application from the civil law in a good way that teaches us what is an application of the 10 Commandments and ultimately that is what is our center God's 10 Commandments never change back to progressive Christianity to try to minimize the gospel and the sites just love God and love people. Commandment one for his loving God in Commandments 5 to 10 are loving people. That's where we draw this from is that we see that God's moral character is described by the 10 Commandments. So as we go through the verses here. Understanding this, the law was not laid down for the just before the lawless and the disobedient for the ungodly and the centers for the unholy and profane. These are all applications of the first table, the law mimics one before the disobedience the ungodliness is all breaking the first couple of Commandments here and then we get into striking their fathers and mothers first urgent document number five for murderers Commandments six sexually immoral, those who practice homosexuality, seventh commandment, and slavers. Eighth Commandment liars per jurors.

I've commandment and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine. We have this summed up in the 10 Commandments is it just lists perfectly down the 10 Commandments. We use the 10 Commandments in a positive way to give us guidance on how to live. Jesus said if you love me you will keep my commandments. So the law must be put in its proper perspective. We are of the ceremony ceremonial laws fulfilled in Christ.

The Civil Code applied to Moses in the theocratic nation of Israel.

We now today or past that time and we can use that to our benefit, but finally we use the law to give us guidance on how to live, pulsated back in Roman seven. If I had not been for the law I would've not known what was soon he was unaware Prof. Cornelius Van Til.

He said the law gives us a sinful self-awareness.

We are sinfully self-aware of our own shortcomings, we are made aware of our own lawbreaking before God before, though, is to show us for who we are, in light of God in light of his word, we see who we are that we are lawbreakers we are those disobedient where those lawless, ungodly, sinful, unholy and profane that Christ died for this, the glory of the gospel. The depth of the law points us to the depth of God's riches and mercy and grace. That's the point Paul was a murderer Christian terrorist if he was to ever be embarrassed about anything in front of the church that he used to be the enemy of the church but God because of the great rich mercy shown to Paul he broke in.

He repented of his sanity got cleaned his heart gave him a new heart of took out a heart of stone gave them a heart of flesh brought him to saving faith and pulse that I've been crucified in Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me.

The life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the son of God, as he loved me and gave himself for me. That is the beauty of the gospel. So now that we hear this. We see this law is what is driving us to faith in Christ, we must look to it. Second John chapter 1 says in this is love that we walk according to his commandments. This is the commandment, just as you've heard from the beginning. And so that you should walk in it for many deceivers are gone out into the world, even there is a sand walk in faith still warning us about those who deceive us.

We are surrounded by false teaching with one clear message that it is all of Christ is nothing that we bring to Christ. It is simply trusting in the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ. John MacArthur said there's two religions just to those that believe in faith and faith alone in Christ and those that believe in their works will save them. So how do we know where we detect false teaching study in the Colts. It's like studying the bagful of counterfeits and is one crisp actual $20 bill. We are surrounded by wrong teaching what we have to do is keep central faith and faith alone in the Lord Jesus Christ believing in him only so that we do not contaminate this word and bring in any other false teaching.

We believe in one who was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God we believe in one who became sin on our behalf that in him we might be the righteousness of God we believe in one who was pierced for our transgressions, crushed for our iniquities upon him was the chastisement the broadest pace and by his wounds we are healed. It is what he has done, not what we have done so. Let us rejoice in Christ is healed us. Let us respond to him and walking in obedience (the following to come to you in the name of the sun.

Through him we have been justified through grace we now have peace with you through our Lord Jesus Christ remind us every day that we are simply redeemed sinners looking to you by faith trusting in you alone for salvation. Please write this truth on our hearts every morning and in doing so, starting with our justification and then, only then do we seek to be faithful to you through our obedience. Please continue to bless our church sounds and we pray,