First Timothy lesson 21 cont.

All right. Let me get situated for a second. We are in Lesson 21. And if somebody can read 1 Timothy 4, 6-11. Let's get started. We are on question number I want to review three a little bit, but let's go ahead and read the verses and get reacquainted with that.

In pointing out these things to the brethren, you'll be a good servant of Christ Jesus, constantly nourished on the words of the faith and of the sound doctrines you've been following, but have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women. On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness, for bodily discipline is only of little profit, but godliness is profitable for all things, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. It is a trustworthy statement deserving full acceptance, for it is for this we labor and strive, because we have fixed our hope on the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of believers. Prescribe and teach these things. This is all about doctrine. right, sound doctrine to qualify that. It's also about godliness. So we're going to touch on those two subjects this morning. Last week we left off on question number three.

Are there in Christianity what we would describe as fables today? Talk about some? We did. We talked about If you remember evolution, Darwin's evolution, astrology, climate change, there's so many different things that we could talk about in terms of fables. Even just the misinterpretation of the life of Jesus in the show The Chosen. world-based archaeological discoveries. We mentioned Catholicism and also Mormonism. And Mike wanted to make sure we didn't miss artificial intelligence.

However, this word, fables, is mutos. That's my best pronunciation. a fiction, a fable, an invention of falsehood. So you can think about watching the news or watching TV or listening to your favorite podcasts or whatever. There is this idea of something that has nothing to do with sound doctrine. It doesn't connect with the truth of God's Word.

It's interesting, like you might be, you know, even kind of taken by it at first. I'm sure that we all have been in those different stages where we're like, oh, that sounds, that could be right. How do you know if it's right? And then we talked about the fact that a counterfeit is gonna sound really right. It's going to be as close to the truth as it can be. But sound doctrine can only be found where? In the Word. So here we are, Easter Sunday, question number four. What do we do about this stuff? Are we to enter into long debates about the validity of such tales? And I believe Courtney answered that question preemptively last week. What are we supposed to do about this stuff?

Walk away from it. Walk away from it. Turn the TV off. You said that too. You said some other really fun things too. And I like your tie. You're looking good, brother. Yeah, this verse has us refusing or having nothing to do with those tales. You're going to have to think about what those are because they, counterfeits are very interesting, right? You go have an entire, you know, family event over a Christmas, or in this case, Easter, any kind of gathering, and how do you detect those? In this case, Paul is talking to Timothy about how to detect them. But how do you detect them in the exact same way?

Right? Sound doctrine. If you don't know it, you can't detect it. I think, you know, getting away from just opinions and that, always go back to the Word. It's when, you know, it's our interpretation, our this, whatever. Always go back to the Word. That's the, you know, takes the ambiguity out of things, or truth versus false. You always refer back to Scripture.

Yeah. Because there's no way they're going to discern spiritual things. That's a really good point. Yeah. Why the gospel? I mean, we've got this word, sound doctrine, that represents so much to Timothy, but why take him back to the gospel? It's the good news. It's the good news. And it puts you in a place where you're receiving something that you didn't deserve. As opposed to getting lost, you're found, right? And sound doctrine starts in the gospel. I think you're right.

Any other thoughts there before I move on to the next question? So I think it's what Bob said, don't get into debates, don't get into these things. How do you do that, though, practically? I think, again, it's the skill of not engaging in debate. If they want to get back to scripture, like I said, if it's a debate, well, here's what the Word says. And then you discuss what the Word says. The Word says right here.

What does that mean to you? And, you know, turn it around on... Yeah, but I watched the show, and it was really good, and, like, it changed my life. So where... What are you trying to tell me? Where's that in the Scripture? Let's go to the Scripture and see where that is. That's wrong. Top Gun. Oh, okay.

How did he change your life? It was that piano piece goodness gracious Yeah, but I guess my point is you Courtney I think a little earphone thing here I There's always an emotional response to things in this life that we're dealing with when we're talking to people and even with ourselves. We get emotionally involved in a certain story or a certain movie or a certain song. And, you know, folks are going to have things like, this meant a lot to me, like this changed my life even.

So as believers, and as we take the truth of what Paul is teaching, Timothy here, is Be very careful about fables and the things that folks talk to you about. You know, I think this is very apropos with The Chosen. It's near, you know, people are taking that as gospel. and yet it's not. And that's where I think you have to direct them back, like, where is this in the scripture? Where is this in God's word? And you have to take them back to that, because it's just close enough that it makes you feel real warm and fuzzy. And lots of believers are, yeah, but where is it in the scripture where this transpired?

This is somebody's you know interpretation of what creative interpretation yeah and and so where is it in the scripture that it says this and I think it's you know the chosen is one of those ones that it's it's a knockoff that's just close enough that you know people get the warm and fuzzies but if they don't know the word this it goes back to exactly what Timothy is saying is that you you have in order to refute this. And say that isn't in scripture. What you're saying is not in scripture.

Yeah. But you should always keep in the back of your mind that unless they are indwelt by the Spirit of God, they're not going to understand anything you're going to say anyway. Which brings you... I'm assuming that these are Christian believers, you know. Yeah. Okay. But your point is You may not know if that person is a believer, and we don't know that at all. We can only interpret based on what we hear, but God only knows the heart of a man.

However, I go back to the fact that if I'm thinking about my neighbors and things like that, friends. If they have believed the gospel message, then I can talk to them about serious things. I can potentially lead them into sound doctrine and away from fables in this case, right? Can I give a personal example? Yeah, on a bit of a different topic, but, you know, I've never seen more worldly fables than during COVID-19 times.

And, you know, up here, boy, there were lengthy debates about what is going on here, you know, especially amongst believers, you know, how do we respond to this and all of that. And after, I don't know, a year and a half or two years of these kinds of conversations and debates, a Christian friend of mine finally brought sound doctrine into the picture and he said, What if we just thought about what is God doing in all this?

And that was a radical readjustment of my mind. Oh, yeah. We could debate endlessly the worldly fables, or we could focus on what is God doing in all this. And that really brought sound doctrine. And then the rest of it didn't matter. The debates could just go out the window. I didn't care. Mike?

First Timothy, or I'm sorry, Titus 3, but avoid such foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, strivings about the law, for they are unprofitable in their use. Reject a divisive man after first and second admonition. So you get two shots and that's it. Rejected, divisive man, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned. So that's what you're really dealing with. We live in such an emotional-based society that my emotions, if I'm an emotion-based person, I'm going to hang on to what I believe emotionally and your facts aren't going to change my mind.

I think another thing we have to put in perspective, in relation to what Bob was saying, this is Paul's pastoral teaching to Timothy about believers under his care. So it isn't as much the evangelical or the people who don't know the word. This is actually, or people who know the word don't get involved in it. So the perspective is it's not for a new believer. the gospel might just re-ground them in sound doctrine. Again, that's going back to doctrine. But this is really for keeping believers. Believers, don't get pulled off by this. Don't listen. Don't get sidereeled on that. Don't look at this and say, oh, this is wonderful, and it's not. Endless books that are out there. There's movies. There's everything. Don't be pulled off by this. This is His warning.

What was it, The Shack, or what was it? I bet it was too long. Was that what it was called? The Shack? Yeah. Yes, and that was awful. If we're talking about a group of believers, we should go to Acts, I think it's 17. In Berea, the Berean church, they search the scriptures continually to see what was right. That's right. Well, and think about that. What scriptures did they have? The Old Testament. The Old Testament. And that had to be rolled out.

So this was happening in real time. We have the privilege of getting Sound Doctrine from our phones. How many of you have your Bibles today? Raise your hand. Oh, we got, okay, we got some Bibles in here today. It's this thing with all the pages in it. Yeah, yeah. It's not the red hymnal, it's the Holy Bible. Hey Marilyn. Sure. Okay.

So, question number four, we're not to enter into these long debates. Don't be fooled into getting into discussions that are long and, you know, that don't lead back to sound doctrine. Beware of that. Paul tells Timothy. and I believe that it applies to us as well. Beware of long discussions that have nothing to do with, that's the words there.

Question number five, how would you describe discipline, and I'll quote, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness? How do you do that? How do you discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness? And then we've got two words to ultimately define. First is discipline, and then godliness. But we'll take a stab at it first, and then we'll define it together. How do you do that? How do you discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness? Now, mind you, this is Paul talking to Timothy, however, I do believe it applies to us as well. How do you do that?

We'll go with the broad definition and then we'll narrow it down to the words. Do you get snacks before church? I'm picking on you. If I come to this class again. You'll know better next time. What do you guys think? I mean, you stole my thunder, but... That's exactly right.

Well, let's think about... The word discipline is the word that we get exercise from. And it could mean to train the body or the mind. What do you think it has to do with here? The mind. Just the mind? Well, physical exercise profiteth little. Oh, you've been reading.

You've got a little sound doctrine in there. We'll get into that too. Would you say it's rightly dividing the Word of Truth? I would. And it's more of a mental state there? Yeah. Let's build on that a little bit. To exercise, to train the body or mind with a view to a thing, and that thing is godliness. It's not physical fitness. So in this context, this has everything to do with the knowledge of truth. It has to do with growing your physical, rather your mental, excuse me, athleticism or exercise towards sound doctrine is what I'm understanding here. We're going to talk a little bit about what is of little value. Paul says physical fitness is of little value, but your mental, spiritual fitness is of great value.

Go ahead, Mike. So when you're at some point, especially in a man's life, you think, well, I probably ought to do something to increase my physical fitness. Oh, yeah. We've all been there to some degree. And the issue becomes the motivation to go do it. you know, because I'm busy. I don't want to go to the gym. I don't want to do 45 minutes of whatever, or an hour, or if you're a runner, I don't want to go run for an hour.

But there's a, once you get into that, and start doing it, and seeing the benefits, you'll stay with it. I think it's the same thing with God's word. If people will, believers, will just spend time in his word, systematically, daily. They'll find that, oh, this is just a cool thing to do, and they'll want to do it. So the discipline It looks like discipline, but it's a desire, this desire to, oh, I have to take this time and be alone with the Lord every day. I need it. I need it. Just like if you, you know, if you, I think the discipline of the body is only, is really the benefit of it is the fact that you can keep going to do the other thing. Did you guys hear that? That's pretty cool. Yeah. The fact that you stay healthy allows you to stay in the Word longer. And to be of service to the Lord, whatever He would have for you. Yeah. In service to the Lord, however many have you. Go ahead.

From the Greeky-geeky part, you know, it's present, active, imperative. So we're to continually do this. Continually. We are active and it's in command. So it's not something we can just do. you know, haphazardly or, you know, every other Tuesday. It's continuous, continuous exercising. I would also, one other thing, I would say that if that's not part of your life... You don't exercise in sound doctrine. In sound doctrine.

I think that's one of those, just go ask the Lord to set that up for you and He'll do it. He'll give you the time. He'll show you. Here's the window. Yeah. Would you say that it starts with reckoning? And otherwise it becomes a law if you think that, well, I've got to read more, I've got to pray more, I've got to do this. That's a good point. Well, it is a good point. Why don't you define reckoning for us? Well, that's positional truth.

Reckoning would be who we are in Christ to start with. and reckoning that that's so, that we die to sin and where our life comes from. Yeah, I've been teaching this Monday Night Bible Study and we're going through the reckoning that counts with the Model Stanford resources. And so we've spent a lot of time thinking about what that word means and how it applies to the Christian life. One of the things that was a main takeaway thus far is that every part of what, first of all, rightly dividing. Do I reckon on these things? Do they apply to me or not? And if they do, namely Paul's epistles, how do I trust this in my life? How do I reckon? Reckoning meaning I believe this. I believe this to be true.

And we've been going through Romans 6, 7, and 8. Those are some really great places that Miles Stanford has taken us through that particular study. But I think that the same thing applies to Timothy here too. How do I reckon these things to be true today in my life? Because they are applicable. I've rightly divided them. in the New Testament. They're defining leadership in the body, but they apply to all of us in certain ways. So, how do I reckon on those things?

Meaning, I believe them to be true, and trust the Lord with that. So, it's a really good point. Wait, it's a really good point. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I was just thinking, you know, if we Like he's talking here about being constantly nourished on the words of the faith, right? And it reminds me of 1 Peter 2 too, you'll long for the pure milk of the words that by it you may grow. And there does have, like to Wayne's point, there does have to be a trust that by it we will grow. And that's the reckoning or the dependence that's involved in. in reading, studying, being absorbed in the word, because we trust the Lord that we truly will grow as we focus our attention on him and the word. Yeah, no, that's really good, Myles, thank you. Grow to where? That's a good question. What does he say? Go back to 1 Timothy. Let's see what verse that is. Verse 8. Grow to where? Verse 8. Godliness? What does godliness mean? If we're growing, so to Wayne's point, we are disciplining ourselves by intaking sound doctrine for the purpose of godliness. You ever think about yourself that way?

I'm disappointed. I think about the new man as opposed to the old man, who died to the old nature. Okay, second. The brand new creation. Galatians 2.20. Yeah, and we're just learning what that new creation is all about, which is the form of the image of Christ. It's becoming who we already are. Okay. So, at the moment we receive and believe the gospel, we become positionally placed in godliness. Then, we spend the rest of our life conditionally catching up to where we've been placed positionally.

What does godliness mean, though? That's a question I would offer to you guys today. What is godliness? Because there's a, I mean, I've got, I'm not gonna say this out loud, but there are folks that are in, you know, in my life that, they act pretty godly. They're pretty godly. That's all I'm gonna say. I've got a marginal note here that says Jesus Christ is godliness. Amen. And we're being conformed to His image.

Spiritual growth, spiritual maturity. The other way I was thinking about the exercise, you know, we were saying about how if you exercise you get stronger. Think about it on the other side, too. If you don't atrophy, you don't grow, you know, so if you're not into work, You're still a believer, but you're not growing you're not Actively growing and can being conformed to the image if you're not in the word No, I don't like that word atrophy Personally, but I do agree with you You'll learn it I'm starting to. I really am. Think about how much information goes into what Courtney just said.

If you are in an environment, pick on the Reformed theology people, you never find out about their two men, Adam and Christ. You never find out that you were co-crucified, buried, and resurrected with Him. You never find out those things. Your goal is always going to be to make Adam look like Christ.

Does that make sense to everybody? Because that's kind of crucial. That you can't brush up, put makeup, you know, even go exercise physically and make the old man better. You can't put lipstick on a pig. Whatever blows your hair back, number one. Number two, you can't put lipstick on a pig. Quotes by Mike Pola. So it relates back to sound doctrine.

What am I finding out? I'm finding out not only was I saved, but look at all these other things that have happened. I find out that I've been crucified with Christ. When He rose 2,000 years ago, we all rose with Him. That's the thing for today. You rose with Him. Yeah.

And so here we are in a world that just totally goes against everything that the Word of God tells us is true of us. And yet he says, you know, walk by faith, trust me, reckon what I tell you to be true. And through beholding, like Cheryl said, beholding the glory of the Lord, I'm transformed into his very image. Godliness is the Lord Jesus. Miles is right. Is it acts of godliness? Acts of godliness? You've got to be what you are first before the acts come. I mean, the dog barks because he's a dog. You guys capture that?

It's one thing to know a lot about the Bible and be in the Word, but if you don't allow it to change your way of thinking, change your mind, which will change your lifestyle, it's not gonna do you much good. You've gotta read the word and then examine yourself to see if you line up with that or not. I think it goes beyond that. The knowledge has to be accompanied by faith or belief in what you read. Do I believe what the word says. It comes down to believing it, trusting it. Well, it's a combination of what you both just said, right? So... Well, it's the...

Whatever this dude... Whatever this dude? No, no, the facts and the tracks, and you've now acknowledged it. Oh my gosh! Okay, we're just going to... I don't know what it is. It's a clicker. There it is. You can quote it. No, we're going to take that home. Faith in the facts is like the train on the tracks. Facts lead and the feelings follow. Thank you, Courtney. There you go. Now you've got sound doctrine.

I would like to add one more thing. I may wake up and understand. I don't want to say this right. There is this place of Romans 7 that exists between Romans 6 and Romans 8. Oh, wretched man. I can do what Bob suggested. I want my behavior to line up with what I know in my position. But I may be going about it the way that Romans 7 lays it out, and it's failure. And I have to deal with that because...

Or you come to the end of your old man. When you come to the point that I'm a wretched man and I need deliverance, you know, how many decades have you been a Christian when you come to that? Many, likely. You gotta go back to Romans 6. Yeah, and so I know Romans 6, but here I am in Romans 7, I'm doing everything I can to produce it, the life of Christ, and it isn't happening. I mean, it isn't happening to my satisfaction, and certainly not to the Lord. And there's a deliverance there by God, But until you want to be delivered, you don't get delivered. Maybe put it that way. Yeah. I'm sure we've all found ourselves in that space. That's why identification is so important. It really is.

Yeah, I'm going to end on this last to kind of reiterate what Cheryl said earlier, Christlikeness by transformation produced by the Holy Spirit while beholding Him in the Word. That's godliness in terms of how I am understanding it in God's Word. I'm going to read that one more time. I'm defining godliness. So, just in the context of our class here today, you're disciplining yourself by staying in sound doctrine for the purpose of godliness. And godliness is Christ-likeness by transformation produced by the Holy Spirit while beholding Him in the Word.

2 Corinthians 3.18, our favorite verse in this church. What a wonderful thing that we can be here on Resurrection Sunday and be thinking about what the risen life means to you. Who's teaching next hour, Mike? What's that? Who's teaching next hour? Roger. Roger. So we're going to find out probably a little bit more about that.

But taking the perspective from Paul via his instruction to Timothy, godliness isn't even a possibility without the resurrection. And let me just say this a different way. Not only the resurrection of Christ, but your resurrection. Let's pray. Father, we thank You for the truth of Your Word, that we can spend time in it, and we can discipline ourselves, we can exercise, and we can grow in that sound doctrine, and that that doctrine doesn't just teach us, but also transforms us.

And because of your Holy Spirit and our desire for you to do so, we can be transformed. And that is all possible because you are risen. And so we thank you for that. We thank you for your love towards us that you would even offer that to us. And yeah, we're just so thankful. It's your name we pray. Amen.