First Timothy lesson 20

All right, we are in lesson 20, verse Timothy, chapter 4. The verses we're going through are 4, 5, and 6. But for context, I like to try and, I'll go through verses one through six and get the context of the verses we're gonna look at today. So 1 Timothy 4, and that's in lesson 20 for those online. 1 Timothy 4, beginning in verse one.

But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons, by means of the hypocrisy of liars, seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. Now our verses, For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude. For it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer. In pointing out these things to the brethren, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of faith and of the sound doctrine which you have been following. Again, we began with this about the false teachers who were teaching things, actually paying attention to deceitful spirits and demons. It was horrible. Don't even pay attention. Don't even listen. Don't turn your ear to them. Don't do anything.

And it said about forbidding marriage and then abstaining from food. And so we're kind of getting into, we're getting into a little bit of this in our verses in four through six. So in verse four, for everything created by God is good and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude. So question one, if we question God for creating a thing, what are we really questioning? So again, the question comes from verses one through three, where there were some that would fall away from the faith and would now advocate abstaining from certain foods.

So that was abstaining from foods. Remember that these are the people who were paying attention to deceitful spirits, doctrines and demons by the means of hypocrisy of liars, seared into their own conscience as with a branding iron. So if you're telling people to abstain from eating foods, what are you doing? What are you doing? If you say abstain from food, what are you doing?

Questioning God. Perfect. That's exactly right. You're questioning God, because what did God say about things, created things? Things are good. All things are good. In Genesis, we see this. Well, to question what God has created is to question God's wisdom in creating it. And further, I think this is to refuse to use what God has created compounds the rebellion against him even more. So not only are you telling him his name, but now you're refusing to do what he said to do. So you're questioning him and then refusing to do what he said. So it's compounded. When God created all things, was he disappointed in what he created? Was he disappointed?

No. Genesis 1.31 provides the support of these words. Everything created by God is good, saying, and God saw all that he made, and behold, it was very good. So when you abstain from food or you create these things, Are you questioning God and then you're refusing to do what he said? It's all good. I think about the Jews on this too. Remember how, I mean, you can't eat what split hooved creatures, you can't do this, you can't do that, shellfish, whatever.

So for thousands of years, they were disobeying God. And I don't think that that was in, that was, I'm trying to think where that came from in the laws, where that was just in the 614 things, thou shalt not, that they made it up. So I was thinking for thousands of years, they were disobeying God and questioning him. And so I thought, did God tolerate that for several thousand years?

See, I also remember we did catering, and we had a very orthodox thing, you know, we did a catering thing. It was amazing. I mean, milk products couldn't touch, so you had to do this. Plates couldn't be this. And silverware, and this and that. And this food couldn't be here in the kitchen at the same time. And then you think about this.

God created all things, and it was very good. He had to bring that down to Peter with the sheep. Well, that's when Peter, quote, saw the light. He saw the sheep coming down with all the animals and eat. And how many times did it take him? Was it three times, up and down, up and down, and up and down before he's gone? Maybe God's trying to tell me something. You know, and so, you know, now all things are good.

So when these guys who are deceitful spirits, liars, hypocrites, they're saying, don't eat, you can't eat that food, you can't eat that pork, you can't do that. They're questioning God and then making people compound, refuse to eat it, which is, again, on top of the lack of faith that God created all good things. Now they're saying, don't do that. Is that how the doctrines of demons work? Why? It's anything contrary to Christ. You know, it's everything contrary. So these people are saying everything contrary. It's bad to eat this food. That's contrary to what God said.

Everything is good. I created it. It's good. And there are some other examples I think Mike put in his notes about marriage. You know, he created marriage because it said abstain from marriage in there. abstain from marriage, and then don't eat these foods. Did God establish marriage? Yeah, in 128, you know, God created man in his own image, and in the image of God, he created male and female, he created them.

I think that's kind of great right now, with our current gender problem that we had. So, did priests can't be married? Yeah, well, that yeah, that's legal that came out of nowhere. So God bless them. And God said, then be fruitful, multiply and fill the earth and subdue it rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky and over every living thing that moves on the earth. So again, he created marriage and for us to rule over all the animals, which we are to eat. So these guys in their thing, they have taken marriage, thrown it out, and then said, food's bad.

So again, what you said, demons are totally contrary to what God says. And these are the guys that you don't, in the first verses, you don't even put an ear to them. Don't listen to them. They're hypocrites and liars. So again, now, So if you're doing these things, you're questioning God. So that's for question number one.

So question two, how does gratitude fit into verse four, for everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude. So again, everything created by God is good, and he established that in Genesis, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude. So, you know what I'm gonna do. I'm predictable these days, very predictable. Very predictable.

So, what does gratitude mean? Did you look it up? Of course I did, but I want to get what your definition is. What does gratitude mean? It means you're thankful. Thankful. Thankful. Thanksgiving. Yep, Thanksgiving. So going to the worldly known Merriam-Webster dictionary, the state of being grateful or thankfulness. So grateful and thankful. So synonyms I thought were pretty good too. Appreciation, gratefulness, thankfulness, thanks, appreciativeness. So again, the thankful, grateful, kind of using, it's almost getting, using the same word for gratitude and grateful.

Thanksgiving. So from Zodiatis, the Greek word is Eucharistia. So that's thankful, grateful, well-pleasing, gratitude, thankfulness, thanksgiving, and Acts 24-23. In Paul's writing and in the book of Revelation, it means thanksgivings. Thanks, i.e., an expression of the gratitude to God. So this is gratitude or thankfulness to God. And so breaking down the verse, for everything created by God is good.

Is that a fact? Yes. That's a fact. So then nothing is to be rejected. That's a conditional. You're not supposed to reject it. So what is the condition given for this verse? It's the last part. If. If it is received with gratitude. So what does that mean, if it's received with gratitude? Done silent. Yeah.

I think a lot of times, I can say it in one word, lent. Yeah, give up. I mean, the practice of lent is to somehow deny the flesh of some activity or food or something that you particularly like so that you can demonstrate to God that you're holier at the end of six weeks than you were at the beginning. Or you go to the gym every day that you haven't been doing or something.

And the point is that it's a fleshly activity propagated by the sin nature. Yeah. Sounds like a New Year's resolution. That's right. Well, what is it based on? It's fleshly. As I said, it's all based on the flesh. You're giving up something to the flesh. Is there anything good in the flesh? No. No. So if you're trying to satisfy the flesh, you're doing anything in the flesh, Is that right or wrong?

Is Lent six weeks? I thought it was a week. I don't know these Catholic things, but. Oh, last Wednesday, a week ago, was with the ashes. That starts it. Yeah. Goes till Easter. Yeah, I kind of cracked up. It was the mayor of Boston with her little ash thing. But she's probably totally in favor of abortion and everything else. So total lift.

So if it's received with gratitude, Remember from verse three, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God had created to be gratefully shared in by those who, what? In verse three, what is it? You said it, Cheryl? Believe. Yes, those who believe and know the truth. So again, it's received with gratitude, but how do you do that? You have to know the truth. If you don't know it, how do you receive it in gratitude? Well, thanks, God. Why?

Well, you've got to know he created all things, and they're all good. And I received that. He's provided all these things. He's provided your food. He's provided your clothing. He's provided everything. And so I think the real thing is those who know and believe. If you believe God, you believe that he created all things, and it was good.

That's the basis. That's with the gratitude. It's based on him, not on anything that I gave up or did or whatever that these guys are advocating. It's not anything about that. It's realizing and accepting with gratitude and thankfulness that God created all things and it was good.

You know, so we're trying not to step on the expansion joints on the sidewalk. You know, and I catch myself, and I have this full confession, you know, well, I haven't gotten the pinkeye yet. Knock on wood. Right. What idiotic thing is that? That's plastic. You know, it's like, so stupid.

You know, it's interesting because I think God designed a universe and created it so that he could bless creatures that he made. And that's always been his agenda. And man sins, and it's like the last thing a sinful man can do is to accept something free. So I was talking to a guy yesterday, and we got to talking about politics and, you know, And he said, where do you think this comes from? I said, look, read the book of Genesis.

And everything that is positive in there, they're against. And so what does that tell you? It's a satanic, the world is satanic. Who runs the world here. That's right. If God said it's good, Their job is to prove it isn't. Well, that's what these guys are doing, the false. That's exactly what they're doing. They're going against what God created. And when you look at the world today, everything that is being done is to go against God.

The gender thing. Sure. And I was happy to hear Trump basically say, there's man and woman. That's it. There's not 52 different genders. And you can't decide what you want. God made you a man or a female. you know, and male or female, that's how I mean, you can't decide that. And they're trying to circumvent God by saying, oh no, we can choose. No, God made male and female. That's who they are. Now they're trying to fight that.

Going back to the original, it's the flesh. The flesh is always going to try to do something. It's a works-oriented flesh. And that's always what it's trying to do. Well, if I abstain from marriage, if I abstain from food, I'm going to do a little bit better. Lent. It's totally fleshly based. It's what the flesh can derive some kind of life in your life. It's trying to establish something that is not inherent with your new life in Christ.

And that's always what's trying to be done. When you see anything that's out of the flesh, it's always about trying to do something. I think what we learn in the doctrine of grace is that God's whole intention is to bless us, and man's whole intention outside is to show God that, ìI don't need your blessing.

I can do this myself.î And so, at the end of the day, six weeks from now, if you're like My Catholic buddies, I ask them. They don't like my questions. They say, so you're going to be holier six weeks from now than you are today? I don't think so. So that you can stand before a holy God and say, look what I did. And he says, you didn't do anything. I did it all.

Well, and you look at the world today, too, which I think of some of these like Bill Gates, and he's got the Bill Gates Foundation. He's trying to cure malaria in here, and he's trying to do this. What a good man I am. How many people have you heard that at a funeral, oh, he was such a good person and all this? He was such a good person. He did so much. He was a philanthropist. He went down and he worked in the rescue mission or whatever. Drove people around help the lady across the street.

Did that do anything to satisfy God? No, but there are divine institutions such as marriage We have that but that but that's not that's what God created and that's good But they're always trying to go against it. No, that's right. But what I'm saying is a lot of the people think because they do good, that will either make God smile on them a little better. Christians do that too.

If I just am a little better, God's going to look a little bit, you know, because I was really good. I studied all yesterday to do this lesson. God's going to think I'm just a little better about me. Yes, I study a lot, but it doesn't matter. That's my point. God doesn't think anything more of me because of what I did studying for this lesson.

He looks at me, and as we talked about last week, which is very important, he sees me only in Christ. That's all he sees me. All the tarnish and all the other crud and all the flesh and all the other things, he looks at me and he sees Christ. That's what I need to focus on. Not on all the peripheral crud that's in my body and my failures. He looks at me and cries, and I have to understand that and believe that, trust that.

And when we don't, we lean upon the flesh. That, you know, boy, if I just worked, you know, if I studied a little harder, boy, you know, if I read my Bible one more chapter today, he'd just smile on me. Not a chance he's gonna smile any different on me. Isn't it nice just to go to the Word and hang out with the Lord? That's what he wants.

Because that's, you know, what I said, In verse 3, who forbid an advocate of saner faith, which God created to be gratefully shared by those who believe and know the truth. You only know the truth by getting in the word. And the only, you know, your belief comes from studying the word and then believing it.

So we who know God know that all that He created is good, that He created food for the nourishment of our bodies. That is why we give thanks for our meals. We realize that God provided it to us. Why do we give thanks at a meal? Because God provided it, and it was good. Mike had this note in his, which I think is good. The concept of receiving gratitude, the things that God has created, illustrates that God does not desire the practice of meaningless asceticism. Asceticism, it's self-denial. I'm going to deny everything. It's the lint. I'm going to give up everything.

But rather, a proper heart and attitude. Marriage and food, when received on the basis of truth of God's word, become sacred. So again, it's the thought of, if I'm gonna deny things, it means nothing to God. If I deny that I'm gonna not eat this food, or I'm not gonna get married because I'm a priest, and I'm not gonna get married, that means nothing. Well, you sure can't be thankful. Well, yeah, I guess you're not thankful to God, but you're more selfish. Look what I did. is the focus again. So, other thoughts? Don, it looked like you were going to say something. All right. So, question three.

What gives a holy character of something created by God? So, what are your thoughts on this? What gives a holy character of something created by God? Just so we put a little verse on our kitchen refrigerator or that makes it holy. Cheryl, were you going to say something? Just thinking. The fact that God created it. Okay. Are we positionally holy? Yes. And why? It's when God looks at us, He sees His Son, the holiness of the Son. Yeah. So what happened? We're set apart. That's it.

Sanctified. We are sanctified. We have become sanctified, made holy by God. Verse five. Yes, that's what I'm getting to. So for everything created first, we'll set it up with verse four. For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude, for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer. So something as holy as something set apart by God, that's what makes it holy.

He sets it apart. And we're set apart. We're sanctified. We were placed into Christ. So now we are holy because he's holy. Sometimes that's awfully hard to really grasp your mind around. It's in nature. But it's the position that we have is holy. We are holy. And because we have the very life of Christ, we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we have new life, and that new life is holy.

So, Mike had another, I think, a good note in here from the word sanctifies, Haggaiazzo, to set apart for God. I like this statement. Vincent says, not declared holy, but made holy. Do you see the distinction? I can declare you holy, but are you holy until you're made holy? I think that was a great distinction. You may think he has declared us to be holy, but it's different. He made us holy. I thought that was a great distinction.

So you have been made holy, not declared holy. but made holy in position, position and condition. It's the difference between justification and sanctification. Sanctification is being set apart. We have been set apart, placed into Christ. When we believe, we've been placed into Christ, the identification truths. We have been co-crucified with him, and we're died, buried, and resurrected in newness of life.

Galatians 2.20, I've been crucified with Christ. It's no longer I live, but Christ lives in me. and I live by faith in the Son of God who loved me.

And so we've been crucified, 2 Corinthians 5.17, that we are new creatures in Christ. So we have been made holy, made holy, not just declared holy, but made holy.

In the second Corinthians 5.17, it's new in kind, is the Greek word for new, or a new creature. We are new, not just a refurbished old man, like getting a computer and refurbishing it. We are brand new in Christ. We have a new life in Christ. And so I think that was very important that we're not just sanctified or told that we're holy. We have been made holy. I think that was a great distinction. Okay, Courtney. Yeah.

What is the it? Does that refer back to every creature? It is sanctified? For everything created by God, for it is sanctified by means of the word. It is basically everything before that. I think it is declaring that all that he made is basically set apart for him.

We are part of that, at least the way I read it. If you go back to that, it's the marriage and it's the abstaining from food and all that. He's talking about, and then it's everything he created is good. And I think that's what he's talking about. Maybe Mike has a different thought, but I think that it is that what he created is set apart for him. And that would include us, but I think it's also all that he created is set apart for him.

He created the food for us, he created everything. That is set apart for us. We're to rule over the fish, rule over the sea, the birds and all that. Well, it's interesting going through a couple different, one King James New International, one says every creature And then the other one says, everything God created. So that's what I think it is. I think it's everything created, which we are a part of.

OK. And it's sanctified by means of the Word of God and prayer. That more is towards our end. Can a fish know the Word of God? I think the sanctification is talking about everything, but it also is focused on us, that our sanctification, that we are set apart by the Word of God. which I think covers everything, but as we get into the next verse, it's more about us.

But I think it's the everything. At least that's how I took what I was doing. I didn't really research that much, but the way I took it is because of everything created. Also, the food in itself has no moral quality, Romans 14, 14, but acquires a holy quality by its consecration to God, by being acknowledged as God's gift, and partaken as nourishing the life for God's service. So again, it's the giving thanks for all things. Yeah. Let me read that, 14, 14.

I know and I'm convinced in the Lord Jesus said, nothing is unclean in itself. But to him who thinks anything is unclean, to him it is unclean. So it's interesting that God puts a lot of emphasis on the fact that we are thankful no matter what it is to him. that thankfulness takes place, the thing becomes holy because we're thankful. But if we don't think it is, and we're not thankful about it, it remains like it has no quality in and of itself.

Well, I read that, and I do have that. But the second part of it is 15 that's unclean. And I think about that, too. And Paul gets into this about those who eat only vegetables and those who eat meat. If you're a vegetarian and I'm a meat eater, I don't berate you for what you do because you think vegetarian is good. That's fine. quality, basically, or no issue, really. God created it, and whether you want to eat it or not, it's up to you. God created it for you, and you can eat it or not. And I'm not supposed to belittle you because you don't want to eat it. You're not saying God created it and it was bad. You're just not eating it. Well, and I'm not a vegetarian aesthetically. Maybe it's a health thing. Yeah, it's more health-based. I'm cutting down on my sugar and my carbs.

God made sugar. He didn't make refined sugar, though. He allowed it. So, I mean, but that's the kind of thing. I mean, that's I I'm I'm doing to lose some weight or get healthier. Sure. And for inflammation, you give up some of the sugar and things like that. That's there's reasonable. It's not because I think god. Sure. Forbid it. Yeah. It's I'm just for my own health or whatever. God created is good and you all can eat it. It's all. And I I think a lot of what the the Jewish eating laws were for health reasons, not for to make you holier, they were healthly. Well, that was, was it David? Who was it that gave it up? No, who was it that gave it up? And he, the king wanted to give him all this stuff and, was that David? Who was it?

I don't know. Remember he, and he would, He was in the tower praying and he was, who is that David? I can't, come on you biblical scholars. And then he was only eating vegetables and the king wanted to give him all this stuff and he was only eating. Joseph. Joseph, is it Joseph? I'm going to have to... It's Daniel. Thank you, Ingrid. That's the word I was trying to... I knew it wasn't... It was Daniel. And Daniel gave up all the king's food, but he only had vegetables. Well, that didn't sit well with the king. And so, was that when he was thrown... Ingrid, was that when he was thrown in the lion's den because he wasn't eating? Sorry, it takes a minute to switch the audio. I believe he asked to be able to be tested for, was it 10 days? Yeah. To see how he would look if he and his friends would eat only vegetables and they ended up looking amazing after 10 days.

And then I guess, yeah, he was thrown in jail because he was praying and they had made a, tricked the king into making a law about not praying to anybody except the king. Right. Yeah. He was, he was in the window praying, but, but yeah, so he wasn't thrown in for the food. He was thrown in for the prank. So, um, thank you. Um, okay.

So question four, if we can get to it, we have a couple more minutes. Where does the custom of prayer or grace before meal come from? It has to be the Jews. Was it the Jews? Let me think back. Wait, this is an interesting question. It's like, we do it all the time. Why do we do that? Why do we do that? Interesting. But then, yeah, one of the verses came up. So Vincent says this again. The food is sanctified by word of God and prayer.

So Vincent says again, the custom of grace at meals first appears in 1 Samuel 9.13. As soon as you enter the city, you will find him before he goes up to the high place to eat. For the people will not eat until he comes, because he must bless the sacrifice. Afterwards, those who are invited will eat. Now therefore, go up, and you will find him at once."

So again, that was kind of the sacrifice, and he blessed it. Then Christ blessed the loaves and the fishes. Remember that? And that's Matthew 14, 19, and 15, 36. And then I remember this one too, just got through reading this. Paul and the ship gave thanks for the meal, which the seamen ate. And Acts 27, 35.

And having said this, he took bread and gave thanks to God. And in the presence of all, he broke it and began to eat. So there are demonstrations of giving thanks before a meal. And I think it's you're giving thanks for the provision to you. He has given this to you, he's created all things, and now he's given this as nourishment to you.

And we give thanks for that, because he didn't have to, you know? So he didn't go back to Cain and Abel, their offerings. One was No, no, that's a different answer. No, no, that's not eating it. It's this sacrifice that he asked what you needed blood sacrifice.

You know how Jews get around that today? Kosher food. What what makes something kosher? Is it a rabbi's blessed it? Yeah, they blesses it so you can buy it. He said this is kosher. What's that? We've already prayed so we can. That's right, I forgot about kosher food. All it is is... Yeah, that's all it is. So, do Jewish people not say grace?

I don't know. I don't know if they do. I don't know if they do. They should. I started to think before when we had that, I don't know if Ingrid, if you remember when we did that catering with the Orthodox, I don't think they prayed before the meal. Because it was like a, I don't know, was it bar mitzvah or something or whatever? And I don't know if Ingrid remembers that, but I don't remember them praying before. I don't remember. We were charging around doing stuff. We're trying to make sure that we didn't touch the silverware to this, or the plate to that, or touch milk to it, or whatever. I think it is also just a response to God for Him providing what we need. This is just thankfulness to God for who He is and how gracious He is to us. is the way I've summarized it.

You know, he's providing food, I'm gracious for it. I'm thankful that he provided that we have food. And I think that's the key is just giving thanks, says he created all things, he created this food for me, and now he provides it for me. And I think that's just a song of scripture that he provides food even for the sparrows. He provides food. He provides food to us.

Give thanks to that, that he's provided that food. So that's why we do it, in thankfulness. Gratitude, with gratitude. All right, I think we're at the time here. We'll start with question five next week. And yeah, we'll close. Heavenly Father, we thank you. We thank you for just this time to be able to open up your Word and to give you thanks for your creation of all things. And it was good. You weren't disappointed when you created all things. You created it, and you said it is all good. What you created is good.

And we are thankful for that. We are so thankful that you provide the nourishment for us, You provide all things. We realize that everything comes from your hand. Our housing, our clothing, our food, all that we need is provided by you. And we give you thanks for that. We thank you for the very heartbeat and breath that we have each and every day, each and every moment. And we realize that that's from your hand. And we just are thankful and we have gratitude and knowing that you are a sovereign God in control of all things with an eternal love for us. We just rest in that fact and thank you for that.

Pray for Roger as he gives the message in the next meeting. Just be with him, give him strength to be able to stand up and do that as well as give us the word and prepare hearts to receive it. We just thank you for all these things. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.