Paul's Epistles – I Timothy – Part 2: False Doctrine & The Law

Paul's Epistles – I Timothy – Part 2:

False Doctrine & The Law

Pastor Bruce A. Shields

House of Faith Church | www.PS127.org | www.TruthDigest.org | Online Audio Files

SERMON INTRODUCTION

This letter from Paul to Timothy will be the next “epistle” examine.

Immediately on his release from his first imprisonment before he visited Spain (Romans 15:24; Philemon 22), Paul more than likely visited Macedonia, Ephesus, etc. Not being able to stay long at Ephesus, he left Timothy to take charge of the work.

This parting was a tough trial to Timothy (I Timothy 1:3; II Timothy 1:4).

To encourage and instruct Timothy (who was sensitive and timid, and not strong (II Timothy 5:23 frequently upset stomach because of nerves), Paul wrote and forwarded this letter from Corinth.

PREVIOUSLY

Introduction of I Timothy

TODAY’S SERMON

Timothy charged to oppose false teachers

  

SCRIPTURE REFERENCE

Timothy 1:3-11

As I urged you when I went into Macedonia, stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer ⁴ or to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work—which is by faith.⁵ The goal of this command is love, which comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith. ⁶ Some have departed from these and have turned to meaningless talk. ⁷ They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm.

⁸ We know that the law is good if one uses it properly. ⁹ We also know that the law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels, the ungodly and sinful, the unholy and irreligious, for those who kill their fathers or mothers, for murderers, ¹⁰ for the sexually immoral, for those practicing homosexuality, for slave traders and liars and perjurers—and for whatever else is contrary to the sound doctrine ¹¹ that conforms to the gospel concerning the glory of the blessed God, which he entrusted to me.

The overall message of this epistle to the church is;

“We are designed to accomplish” - I Timothy 4:12 “Don’t let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith and in purity.”

The purpose of this letter is given in I Timothy 3:15 “if I am delayed, you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth.”

I. OPPOSE THE FALSE TEACHERS

a. Command certain people not to teach false doctrines any longer

                                                                 i. The true doctrine is Jesus Christ and Him Crucified

b. ...or devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies

                                                                 i. Speaking of fables and genealogies

                                                              ii. The false teachers were Judaizers who taught the Law must be ADDED to Grace

                                                           iii. and they ignored the work of the Cross

c. Such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God’s work which is by faith

                                                                 i. Paul explains to Timothy that Faith, not Law is where our salvation operates

II.      THE GOAL OF THIS COMMAND IS LOVE

a. Which comes from a pure heart & good conscience & sincere faith

                                                                 i. only a pure heart can produce love

1. Ezekiel 36:26 "Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your filthiness and from all your idols. 26"Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27"I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.”

                                                              ii. A good (clear) conscience is one that is sincere in faith, meaning you are not faking faith, pretending to have faith, but really putting your faith in the Lord.

b. Some have departed from these

                                                                 i. They departed from love, or a good conscience because they have not made the Lord their focus, and have therefore faked their faith.

                                                              ii. and they have turned to meaningless talk

1. Motivational speakers

2. Teachers of false doctrines with manipulative words

3. Creating teachings by collapsing context

4. Teaching things that sound good, but are not true

a. 2 Timothy 4:3 “For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.”

5. These people often begin biblical or theological discussions with phrases like, “Well I think...”, or “I believe...”, or I”I was always taught...”

6. Rather than, “The Word of God says...”, anything else is meaningless talk

7. You should not concern yourself with what others “think”, rather what the Word SAYS.

c. They want to be teachers of the Law

                                                                 i. but they do not know what they are talking about

                                                              ii. or what they so confidently affirm

1. Speaking directly of the Judaizers who tried to put the Law of Moses into the teaching of Christ

2. They believed the Law was to be added to Grace, as if God’s grace was not enough

3. The Law DOES have its place in the teachings of Christ, as it was originally intended to be, a tool for pointing to the imperfection of man and the need for a savior, Jesus Christ

III.   WE KNOW THE LAW IS GOOD IF ONE USES IT PROPERLY

a. What is the proper use?

                                                                 i. God gave the Law for one purpose, to reveal sin and condemn the sinner (Romans 3:19-20)

                                                              ii. How does one “use it properly”?

1. To reveal sin in the sinner who is condemned by it

                                                           iii. John 3:18 “Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God's one and only Son.”

                                                            iv. The Law (Old Testament) condemns us, but Jesus, through the cross, has obtained for us Salvation (New Testament)

                                                               v. If we entrust our lives to Christ Jesus, we are “saved” from condemnation of the Law

b. We know the Law is made not for the righteous but for lawbreakers and rebels

                                                                 i. Who is righteous?

1. Proverbs 21:2 “A person may think their own ways are right, but the Lord weighs the heart.”

2. Isaiah 64:4 “All of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags; we all shrivel up like a leaf, and like the wind our sins sweep us away.”

3. Matthew 5:20 “Jesus said, “I say to you, that unless your righteousness exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven”

4. 2 Corinthians 5:21 “God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

5. When we are IN Christ Jesus, we are the righteousness of God, and that exceeds the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees who were “self-righteous”

c. Who are these lawbreakers and rebels that the Law was made for? (vs 9-11)

                                                                 i. ungodly

                                                              ii. sinners

                                                           iii. unholy

                                                            iv. blasphemous

                                                               v. murderers of fathers

                                                            vi. murderers of mothers

                                                         vii. murderers of mankind

                                                      viii. sexually immoral

                                                            ix. those practicing homosexuality

                                                               x. slave traders

                                                            xi. liars

                                                         xii. perjurers - those who swear false testimony

d. and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine

                                                                 i. Sound doctrine that conforms to the Gospel concerning the Glory of the blessed God, which He has entrusted to me.

                                                              ii. Gospel concerning the Glory of the Blessed God means His Gospel of Love

CONCLUSION – sound doctrine

The one and only true foundation to the faith.

Scripture reveals scripture, never contradicts, and gives us true sound doctrines.

Cults, false religions, denominations in err, all do the same thing...which is, instead of searching the Word of God for Truth, they use the Word of God by collapsing context, cherry picking scripture, misinterpreting God’s Word, or manipulating meanings, not to discover the Truth, but to prove a man-made doctrine.

Sound doctrine from God’s Word is available to all, you do not need to read Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek, but seek the Lord with your heart, read God’s Word, and the Truth will be revealed to you.

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