1 Timothy 1:6
March 25, 2009 · Pastor Miles DeBenedictis
In this teaching
Continuing through 1 Timothy 1, Pastor Miles teaches that God plants a seed of faith in every person, that this faith grows through hearing the Word and dies through false teaching, and that the proper, lawful use of God's law is to reveal sin and point us to Christ rather than to make us feel righteous.
- Paul left Timothy in Ephesus to charge the overseers to teach no other doctrine, because false teaching is the enemy's most subtle and effective weapon against the church.
- God gives every person a measure of faith, but that seed must grow through the Word or it remains a dead, unfruitful faith.
- Faith grows by hearing and rightly dividing the Word, and is shipwrecked by false doctrine—such as the "health, wealth, and ease" gospel that crumbles under trial.
- Much modern preaching is "vain jangling"—a placebo from the pulpit that makes people feel good but bears no fruit and does not edify.
- God's Word is meant to transform, not merely comfort; like a sword it cuts away unfruitful branches so we can bear fruit and please God.
- The law is good when used lawfully: not to justify, but to reveal sin and act as a schoolmaster pointing us to Christ.
Readable is a lightly edited reading copy; Verbatim stays close to the spoken words. The audio and video are the record of what was said.
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope; unto Timothy, my own son in the faith... Now the end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart, of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned, from which some, having swerved, have turned aside unto vain jangling, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor whereof they affirm. But we know that the law is good if a man uses it lawfully... —
Faith is a seed God plants in every heart—it can grow into life or be shipwrecked by a lie.
Why Paul Wrote to Timothy
Paul writes this letter near the end of his life. After his first Roman imprisonment, recorded at the close of , he was released for a season—just as he had asked the church at Philippi to pray. It is during this period, between his first and second imprisonments, that Paul writes to Timothy.
Paul left Timothy in Ephesus for a specific work, stated in verse 3: to charge the church that they teach no other doctrine. This is one of the central aims of the letter. Timothy was the overseer of the overseers—the pastor of the pastors, the elder over the elders. The church in Ephesus met in multiple homes, each with its own overseer, and Timothy was set over them all to put things in order.
Paul charged Timothy to disciple them and to entrust the Word to faithful men who could pass it on. Even this early in church history, heresies and false doctrines were creeping in. Often that is the enemy's chief strategy: not always persecution—which frequently scatters the gospel further and sets believers on fire—but subtle false teaching that confuses the church and tosses it about. I would say the enemy's number one weapon is subtlety and false doctrine.
Divided Over Non-Essentials
God has given the church leadership—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers—for a clear purpose, as Paul wrote in Ephesians 4: to equip the saints for the work of the ministry and to build up the body of Christ. Timothy was sent to make sure the people of Ephesus were thoroughly equipped against doctrines that minister questions and divide.
Looking over the last 2,000 years, the enemy has done a fairly good job of dividing the body of Christ over non-essential points. There are essentials we must stand upon: the atonement of Christ, that He is the only way, that His sacrifice is sufficient, the inerrancy of God's Word. But there are countless non-essentials—whether guitars belong in worship, the right way to pray, the right way to evangelize—over which churches and denominations have split.
You find it even among us. You start sharing something you're excited about—maybe the second coming and the rapture—and someone says, "I'm not sure I agree with that eschatology." Suddenly you're ready to fight. Division builds up so quickly.
The Seed of Faith God Plants in Everyone
Last week we zeroed in on verse 5: the end of the commandment is love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and faith unfeigned. The pure heart speaks of justification through Christ's work on the cross; the good conscience, of the cleansing of His blood () and the washing of the water by His Word. Now I want to consider the third part: a sincere faith.
tells us that without faith it is impossible to please God, "for he who comes to God must believe that he is, and that he is the rewarder of those who diligently seek him." Where does such pleasing faith come from? Every one of you desires to please God—and rightly so, for that is the very purpose of our creation. says, "You are worthy, O Lord... for you have created all things, and for your pleasure they are and were created." We have been created to please God, and it is impossible to please Him without faith.
So where does this faith come from? says God "has dealt to every man a measure of faith." Don't think of yourself more highly than you ought; God has planted in every single person—including the atheist—a seed of faith. That measure is enough to leave every man inexcusable before God, who has given us a conscience, His moral law written on our hearts, the creation around us, and this seed of faith.
Dead Faith and Living Faith
Yet that seed by itself is not enough for salvation. Salvation is by grace through faith (), but tells us that faith without works is dead. Billions of people carry this God-given measure of faith, but in them it lies inactive and dead until it is proven by works. adds that even the demons believe there is one God—and tremble—yet their faith cannot save them, for it is not mingled with obedience.
In the Gospels, Jesus actually saw faith. We tend to think of faith as something invisible in our heads, but Scripture says Jesus saw it. He commended those with great faith and denounced those with little faith. In Mark He found a group with no faith. In He asked, "Where is your faith?"—seeing no evidence of it. In He told people to have faith toward God, and in He prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail.
So how can this seed of faith be cultivated? : "So then, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." Faith can and does grow as an individual rightly divides the Word of truth and sits under its preaching. If we are to fulfill our purpose, our faith must grow into a sincere, unfeigned faith.
How Faith Is Shipwrecked
But faith can also die. In Paul speaks of some who, putting away faith and a good conscience, "have made shipwreck." If we let go of God's Word and turn away, our faith can be wrecked. And in , "the Spirit speaks expressly that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons."
One of the surest ways to destroy faith is false teaching. Consider the believer taught that the Christian life means only health, wealth, and ease—that you'll never be sick, never suffer. There are churches that teach exactly this. What happens to that person when the doctor says, "You have cancer"? When trial, suffering, and hardship come, their faith is shipwrecked, because they were built on a lie.
You've probably met someone who said, "I tried Jesus once; it didn't work for me," as if He were a pill to make things better. Push a little and you'll often find they went forward at some crusade where they were promised love, joy, and peace—and instead got trials. Their faith was shipwrecked, and Proverbs says an offended brother is harder to win than a walled city. There are people all around this county who "tried Christianity" because they were handed a false gospel.
Jesus never promised ease. He said, "In the world you shall have tribulation"—much difficulty. But He also said, "Greater is he who is in you than he who is in the world," and promised peace in Him in the midst of the storm (). We are overcomers, more than conquerors. God's desire is that the faith He planted in us grow up into an active, living faith that loves Him and others.
Guarding Against Shipwreck
How do we grow and guard against shipwreck? Paul tells Timothy in , "Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Verse 16 adds, "But shun profane and vain babblings, for they increase unto more ungodliness," and their word eats like the cankerworm. Paul even names Hymenaeus and Philetus, false teachers whose error overthrew the faith of some. Rightly divide the Word—and stay away from false teachers.
Peter says the same in : "Add to your faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity." If these things are in you and abound, you will not be barren or unfruitful. We add to our faith the works that prove it—culminating in love, the very fulfillment of the commandment Paul named in .
Fruitfulness glorifies God. "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven" (). And fruitfulness blesses the body of Christ—love, joy, peace, gentleness, kindness, the fruit of the Spirit. That is why we preach the Word the way we do.
A Placebo From the Pulpit
But verse 6 says some "having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling." If you visited a new church every week, you'd find a great deal of talking—often entertaining talk. But is it edifying? Does it produce fruit? If the teachers have turned aside from the Word to teach something else, Paul calls it "vain jangling"—idle talk, what the New American Standard calls "fruitless discussion." It has no eternal value and is essentially pointless.
I know that's not popular, but there are thousands of churches engaged in fruitless discussion that makes people feel good while changing nothing. Scripture even warns that in the latter days people will gather teachers who tickle their ears. It is a placebo from the pulpit—a sugar pill given to someone who feels sick. They take it, believe it will heal them, and feel better for a moment, though it has no medicinal value and is a complete waste of their time. Multitudes receive exactly that, week in and week out. Paul says in , "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying." This idle talk is corrupt communication; it does not build up.
The Word Is Meant to Transform, Not Just Comfort
It has never been my aim to make people feel good when I teach. When you and I open the Word each morning, it is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword—and while you read it, it reads you. It is not comfortable to study to show yourself approved. People come up to me nearly every week and say, "That message was painful, convicting." That is what God's Word does.
Look at Acts. In , when Peter preached to the Sanhedrin, "they were cut to the heart"—and took the apostles out and beat them. In , when Stephen preached, the very same group "were cut to the heart"—and took him out and killed him. The flesh profits nothing in the teaching of the Word. Its aim is not to make us feel good, but to transform us, that we be no longer conformed to this world but transformed by the renewing of our minds.
God is the vinedresser. He wants to cut off every vain, unfruitful branch in my life and cast it into the fire. He does not reform it or trim it to look nice; He removes it because it is worthless—and He uses the sword of the Spirit to do it. That is why studying through God's Word is uncomfortable for our flesh and yet absolutely essential. And when the Word shows us where we fall short, we return to : confess, and He is faithful to forgive and cleanse. That word "cleanse" is the same word used in for the pruning of the unfruitful branches.
Sheep, Goats, and the Fruit of Love
There are many in our nation with a dead faith who attend church every week, for faith without works is dead. In , many will say, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name?" and He will answer, "Depart from me, I never knew you, you who practice lawlessness."
In , He separates the sheep from the goats. To the sheep He says: when I was hungry you fed me, naked you clothed me, sick you visited me—enter into your rest. To the goats: you did none of these. Notice that Jesus does not list the Ten Commandments—you didn't kill, you didn't steal. He speaks of things that flow from love: a cup of cold water, clothing the needy, tending the sick. These are the fruit of the Spirit, and the fruit of the Spirit is love. To those whose mature faith produced love He says, "Enter," and to those with no fruit, "Depart into outer darkness." Can you see why the Word of God is so vital? God even says He esteems His Word above His name.
The Emerging Church and Fruitless Conversation
That is why we go through Scripture systematically—even when it's painful, even when we come to a passage we don't like because it shows us we're not fulfilling it. Yet some have swerved into idle talk and fruitless conversation. There is a large movement in the evangelical church called the emerging church—Charlie Campbell spoke on it here last October. They are big on conversation but not on evangelism. They love to sit down and discuss, "Tell me what you believe"—but it is fruitless conversation, because it never deals with sin, death, righteousness, and the blood of Christ that atones for sin.
Verse 7 says these false teachers "desire to be teachers of the law," but understand "neither what they say nor whereof they affirm." says the Word is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword. A sword in the hands of someone who doesn't know how to use it is dangerous. Would you hand a young child a sharp sword? He would hurt himself and others. So it is with the Word in the hands of an unskilled teacher. False teachers are dangerous; they destroy faith.
The Lawful Use of the Law
Verse 8: "We know that the law is good if a man uses it lawfully." says the law is holy, just, and good. Yet many evangelical churches today want nothing to do with God's law. Ask why, and they answer, "We're a New Testament church." But Paul says we must know how to use the law lawfully.
What is the right use? Verse 9: "The law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient... for murderers... whoremongers... liars and perjured persons." The Bible says there are none righteous, so the law was made for every one of us. : "that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. Therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight: for by the law is the knowledge of sin."
The Jewish people, and many today, thought the law was given to make men righteous. God never intended that. He gave His law to show us we are not righteous. Used to justify ourselves, the law is dangerous, because it fools us into thinking we're okay. Perhaps you came from a background that handed you a list—prayers to pray, rules to keep—and on the days you kept it you felt righteous, and on the days you failed you vowed to try harder. According to your rules you were righteous; in God's eyes you were not. One day such a person stands before God and hears, "Depart from me," and thinks it isn't fair—because he never used the law lawfully.
A Schoolmaster Pointing to Christ
says a man is not justified by the works of the law but by faith in Jesus Christ. : "The law is our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith." The law is a road sign pointing to Jesus. It reveals that I cannot reach God on my own, that I am a sinner destined for judgment in need of a Savior.
But people get fixated on the sign. Imagine driving three hours up the freeway to Six Flags Magic Mountain, pulling off, parking in front of that big colorful sign, admiring how beautifully it's crafted—and then driving home. What a waste! The sign exists to point you to the entrance so you can enter in and enjoy the park. So with the law and Christ: the law points to Him that we might enter in and find justification. The law cannot save; Jesus saves.
I've met well-meaning churchgoers who, when I speak of God's wrath and judgment, say, "That's not the God I know." I tell them gently: then you don't know the God of the Bible, and you've never rightly used His law. says the unrighteous are storing up wrath for the day of wrath—as if a storehouse in heaven bears their name. People object, "God is love, grace, forgiveness." All true. But it is equally true that He is holy and just and will by no means clear the guilty.
Preachers Who Knew the Law
Read the sermons of Whitefield, Wesley, Spurgeon the Prince of Preachers, Martin Luther in the 1500s, or D. L. Moody in the 1800s, and you'll find they dwelt heavily on the law, the wrath, and the judgment of God—because they understood how to use the law lawfully. Today many deceived teachers do not. Perhaps they want to be popular, or liked, or to gather money. Whatever the reason, those who follow them receive only fruitless discussion and are left without the proper use of God's law.
The New Living Translation renders verses 9-11: the law was not made for those who do right, but for the disobedient and rebellious, the ungodly and sinful, "for those who do anything else that contradicts right teaching that comes from the glorious good news entrusted to me by our blessed God." God gave us His Word and His law that we might give it forth to others—that the body of Christ would be built up to love God and love others from a pure heart, a sanctified conscience, and a sincere faith.
That is my desire for myself and my prayer for you. That is why we go systematically through the Word: because it transforms us. Yes, it hurts. Some nights you may walk out saying, "That message hurt." But that is God using the sword of the Spirit to cut away unfruitful branches so we can bear much fruit, glorify Him, and fulfill the purpose He gave us. We are not here to invent a purpose for ourselves; God has revealed it in His Word. The question is whether we will fulfill it—to be pleasing to Him, as declares.
Closing Prayer
Father, I thank you for this passage of Scripture tonight. I pray that you would continue to do the work you desire in my life and heart. Lord, teach me what it is to be a living sacrifice, to lay myself down holy and acceptable unto you. By your Spirit, strengthen me and my brothers and sisters here, that we would not be conformed to this world but transformed by the renewing of our minds as we study your Word, and that our faith would grow—for faith comes by hearing, and hearing by your Word. May we take it in and not harden our hearts. As we saw in and , when your Word went forth simply and clearly, they were cut to the heart, yet stiffened their necks, hardened their hearts, shut their ears, and beat up the messenger. Lord, may we not be those who harden our hearts. Soften our hearts by your Spirit, I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
Lord, we do pray that you would guide us and teach us all things just as you promised to do. I thank you so much for Your Word, which is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. Your Word is able to cut deep and divide asunder between joints and marrow, and soul and spirit. It is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart. By Your Word, Lord, You cleanse and transform us. I pray that as we study tonight to show ourselves approved unto You, we would be those who are not ashamed, for we have rightly divided Your Word of truth. Teach us by Your Spirit, we pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
All right, let’s turn to 1st Timothy, chapter 1, and we will begin reading there in verse 1. We will recap where we've been and where we're going.
1st Timothy 1, verse 1 reads: "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope. Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord."
As I besought you to abide still at Ephesus when I went into Macedonia, that you might charge some that they teach no other doctrine, neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions rather than godly edification, which is in faith. So do.
Now the end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart, of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned. From which some, having swerved, have turned aside unto vain jangling, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor whereof they affirm.
But we know that the law is good if a man uses it lawfully, knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and for profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for men stealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust.
Here is Paul writing this letter to Timothy.
Nearing the end of his life, Paul had been a prisoner in Rome. In the very last chapter of Acts, , we see that Paul is there in Rome under house arrest. However, he was released for a time, just as he had been praying. He told the church at Philippi to pray that he would be released so that he could go about and do the work that the Lord had called him to do. During that period between his first imprisonment and his second imprisonment, Paul wrote this letter.
As we are told, he left Timothy in Ephesus so that Timothy might do a very specific work. Verse 3, which we have already considered, is one of the themes of this letter and one of the reasons Paul writes it. If you were to write a letter, you would probably have a purpose for why you are writing it. Hopefully, there is some reason that you would send a letter. Here is Paul's reason: he is writing to charge those in Ephesus to teach no other doctrine.
Timothy was the overseer of the overseers in the city of Ephesus. He was kind of the pastor of the pastors, the elder over the elders, and he was there to set things in order. The church in Ephesus had a very clear hierarchy and structure. It seems that the church met in multiple locations because they did not have a large venue to gather together. They met in people's homes, and there were overseers over each of those home groups. Timothy was the overseer of all those overseers.
Paul instructed Timothy to disciple those in the church. In fact, we will see in his next letter, 2 Timothy, that he tells Timothy to give the word of God to faithful men who will be able to pass it on to others as well. Timothy was charged by Paul to ensure that no other truth was taught in that church. There were already heresies and false doctrines beginning to creep in.
Very early on in the church, false teaching emerged. One of the significant ways the enemy seems to ruin and wreck the church is by subtly introducing false teaching. Sometimes he uses persecution, as we see in the book of Acts during our Sunday morning studies. Persecution was used very early on in the church as well, but often that just causes God's work to spread even more. It ignites a fire in people. However, when the enemy comes in subtly and brings in false doctrine, he confuses the church and causes it to be tossed around.
The enemy's number one weapon is subtlety and false doctrine. Timothy was left in Ephesus to ensure that the doctrine was sound, steadfast, and that the people were founded upon the truth. He was tasked with making sure they did not give heed to fables and endless genealogies, as mentioned in verse 4. These distractions minister questions rather than build up the body of Christ.
In his letter to the Ephesians, Paul told the church that God has given leadership roles—prophets, apostles, evangelists, pastors, and teachers—for a very clear purpose: to equip the saints for the work of the ministry and to build up the body of Christ. It is the responsibility of church leaders to equip the body, to raise them up, and to ensure they are well-founded upon the Word of God. They must know how to use the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.
Paul sent Timothy to ensure that the people were thoroughly equipped because false doctrines can arise that create questions and cause division within the body of Christ. If we look at the last 2,000 years of church history, we see that the enemy has done a fairly good job of dividing the body of Christ over non-essential points. There are certain essentials we must stand upon regarding the doctrine of God, such as the atonement of Jesus' death on the cross, that He is the only way, and that His sacrifice is the only sufficient sacrifice. We also affirm the inerrancy of the Word of God, recognizing it as God's Word.
However, there are other issues on which the church has separated that are non-essential. Some churches may argue against the use of guitars in worship, leading to division over that point. Others may insist on specific methods of prayer or evangelism. These non-essential issues create divisions within the body of Christ, causing people to question one another and form different camps, groups, and denominations.
Even within our own fellowship, we can see this happening. You might discuss something you are excited about, like the second coming of the Lord or the rapture of the church, and someone may respond, "I don't fully agree with that eschatology." The next thing you know, divisions arise over these non-essential beliefs.
You're going to wonder, "How dare you?" and before you know it, you're getting ready to fight with each other. Division can build up so quickly. Last week, we focused on verse 5, which states that the end of the exhortation, or the end of the commandment, is love. The whole reason we are to preach the word, as Paul told Timothy, is to charge the church to preach and exhort among the body of Christ. The purpose of preaching is to build people up.
The end of the commandment is love from a pure heart, which relates to justification. A person is justified by the work that Jesus did on the cross 2,000 years ago. He has removed the punishment for our sins, giving us a new heart. After giving us a pure heart, He is also able to give us a good conscience. We saw last week that we are given a good conscience, or a clear conscience, by the blood of Christ. His blood is not only sufficient to save us from death and hell, but it is also sufficient to cleanse us from all unrighteousness, as we see in . God desires to wash us with the washing of the water by His word.
So, God has justified us; He has dealt with the punishment for our sins, and He is in the process of sanctifying you and me right now. As we sit under the teaching of His word and as we become students of His word, He cleanses us and sanctifies us. This addresses the good conscience. Additionally, we are to love from a pure and undefiled faith. We really focused on the pure heart and the good conscience last week.
Before we get into verse 6 this week, I want to consider the whole idea of a sincere faith. We know from that without faith, it is impossible to please God. For he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is the rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. We can be pleasing to God by faith; it is impossible to please Him without faith. , really emphasizes this for us.
But where does such a pleasing faith come from? I think that most of you, probably every single one of you here tonight, desires to be pleasing to God. That is a good thing; in fact, that is the purpose for which we were created. God has created us to please Him. Turn over to , if you would, just briefly. shows us what the very last verse tells us. There has been a lot...
There has been a lot of talk in recent years about the purpose of the church, emphasizing the desire for purpose-driven lives and purpose-driven churches. But really, what is the purpose? , verse 11 states, "You are worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power. Why? For you have created all things, and for your pleasure, they are and were created." Notice that God has created everything, and for His pleasure, everything was created. You and I have been created to please God.
We see in , that it is impossible to please Him without faith. Therefore, we need to have faith to please God, and God has created us to please Him. Here’s the fact: if you do not have faith towards God tonight, then you are not fulfilling your purpose. You are not fulfilling the very purpose that God has created you for. The beginning of that fulfillment, the starting point, the gate, if you will, to pleasing God is trusting in Him and putting your faith in Him.
As we continue, Paul will elaborate on this. But where does this kind of faith come from? Turn in your Bibles to , just a few books to the left from 1 Timothy. In , look at what the Apostle Paul says in verse 3: "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, according as God has dealt to every man a measure of faith."
Notice that at the end of the verse, God has given to every man a measure of faith. You might think, "I'm definitely more special than the unbeliever because I follow God and I believe in God." However, Paul advises us not to think of ourselves more highly than we ought to think. God has given every single person a measure of faith.
In , we see a very important truth: God has planted in every individual a sufficient amount of faith, a seed of faith, that can grow into saving faith. God gives every person, including atheists, a measure of faith—a seed, a planting of the seed of faith. This measure is enough to make man inexcusable.
Before God, on the day of Christ Jesus, every single individual that stands before Him will stand without an excuse. God will open up the books and say, "Look, this is all the works of your life." They may respond, "Well, I've been a pretty good person, God." Yet, they will be inexcusable before God because of the conscience He has given us, His moral law written upon our hearts, and the creation He has put around us.
God has also given us a seed of faith, as we see in . Man is inexcusable before God because He has given every person a measure of faith. While God has given this seed of faith to every individual, that seed by itself is not enough for salvation. We are told in that salvation is by grace through faith. So, salvation is by grace through faith, and although God has given every man a seed of faith, that faith alone is not sufficient to save.
In the book of James, specifically , we learn that there is a faith that is a dead faith. Many people possess this seed of faith; God has planted it in the hearts of every individual who has ever been created or will be created. However, that faith can become dead faith. It is not active until it is acted upon. James tells us in , that faith without works is dead.
There are billions of people—six and a half billion—on the earth today. God has given every single one of them a measure of faith. Yet, that faith can be somewhat dead and inactive in their lives until they begin to prove that faith through works. Furthermore, in , we are told that even the demons believe that there is one God. The demons believe in God and even tremble, but the faith they possess is not enough to save them because it is not mingled with good works or obedience toward God.
Thus, God has given every man a measure of faith, yet there can exist in an individual a dead faith that has not been proven by works. Last week, we looked at how Jesus sees faith in the Gospels. A number of times, you will see in the Gospels where it is said...
Jesus saw their faith. How do you see someone's faith? Sometimes, when we think about faith, we consider it an invisible thing in our heads or in our hearts. Yet, in the Gospels, it says Jesus saw their faith. Not only did He see their faith, but sometimes He commended people, as we saw last week, because they had great faith. He praised those with great faith and denounced those who had little faith. In the Gospels, Jesus recognized that some people had big faith while others had little faith.
In fact, in the Gospel of Mark, He questioned a group of people who had no faith; their faith was dead. Not only does He question those who have no faith, but He also asks people a question. In , He says, "Where is your faith?" As He looked upon them, He saw that there was no evidence of faith in their lives. He asked, "Where is your faith?" (). In , He encouraged people to have faith towards God, saying, "Believe in God, have faith towards God." Furthermore, in , He prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail.
We see some very interesting things about faith in the Gospels. First, Jesus can see faith; it is not just an invisible intellectual concept, as some people seem to think. He commended those with great faith and denounced those with very little faith. He asked some people, "Where is your faith? I don't see any evidence of your faith." He prayed for Peter that his faith would not fail.
In , we learn that faith is very important if we are to be pleasing to God. God has given every single individual a measure of faith. If God has given us this measure of faith, how can that faith grow? How can that seed of faith be cultivated? The answer is found in the book of Romans. If you're still there, turn to . states, "So then, faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God."
How can we cause that seed of faith, which God has planted in the hearts of every single individual who has ever lived or ever will live, to grow?
Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Faith can and does grow. It can grow as an individual rightly divides the word of truth or as an individual hears the preaching and teaching of the word of God. That faith begins to grow.
We are told in the Scriptures that we are to grow in faith because it is very important. If we are going to fulfill our purpose, then our faith needs to grow. It needs to become a sincere faith, an unfeigned faith, as we see in . So, that faith has to grow, and the way that it grows is by rightly dividing the word of truth and studying to show ourselves approved unto God, as it says in .
We know that the faith that God has planted in every heart can grow, but we also know that faith can die. That faith can be killed because Jesus saw some in the Gospels and said, "You have no faith." We know that there are people today who call themselves atheists and do not believe that there is a God. They have no faith in such things.
Look at what Paul says in . It says that we are to hold faith and a good conscience, which some, having put away concerning faith, have made shipwreck. If we do not hold to the faith and we turn and walk away from the truth that God has planted in our hearts, then our faith can become shipwrecked. It can essentially die.
Not only that, Paul tells Timothy in chapter 4 of 1 Timothy. Look at what he says in verse 1. states that the Spirit speaks expressly that in the last times some shall depart from the faith. How do they depart from the faith? How is faith killed? By giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies and hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with a hot iron.
One of the best ways to destroy faith is through false teaching. A person can make shipwreck of their faith if they do not hold on to God's word, as we see in chapter 1, verse 19. But a person's faith can be destroyed if they take hold of false teaching.
How so? Well, let me give you an example. If a person is taught, if a Christian is taught that they will never experience trials, that they are never going to experience any sort of difficulty or hardship, it can lead to significant issues. Some churches teach that when you become a Christian, you will be healthy, wealthy, and wise. If you, as a believer, are always taught these things and you take in that kind of false doctrine, what might happen when the doctor tells you that you have cancer? You are told that you will never be sick if you are a Christian and that you will never go through difficult times if you are a believer. Yet, when you encounter difficulty, trial, tribulation, and sickness, it is at that point that many people's faith is shipwrecked. They leave the faith and depart from it because they have been taught a false doctrine, and that false teaching can destroy the seed of faith that God has planted in every heart.
Rightly dividing the word of truth and hearing the word of God preached will cause faith to grow. That is why Paul tells Timothy in that he needs to teach the overseers of the church to teach no other doctrine. False doctrine destroys faith and the lives of individuals. The Apostle Paul desired that everyone would be equipped, built up, and have a love towards God and their neighbor from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith. This is why the preaching of the word of God is so very important. However, if people are taught false doctrine and take hold of it, it can destroy their faith.
Maybe you have met someone before, and you share the gospel with them, only to hear them say, "Oh, I tried that once. It didn't work for me." Has anyone ever talked to someone who said that? I have spoken to a number of people like that. As you begin to probe and ask them what they mean by "it didn't work for you," it becomes clear that they view Jesus as some sort of pill that you take to make things better. They might say, "I went forward at some teaching or crusade. They told me everything was going to be great if I came to Jesus. I would have love, joy, and peace. I didn't get that. Instead, things got difficult. I faced trials and hard times. I didn't experience the love and joy and peace that all those Christians were telling me about."
As a result, their faith is shipwrecked, and they can sometimes be even harder to win than others.
The Scriptures say in Proverbs that an offended brother is harder to win than a walled city. There are many people in this world, right in this county that we live in tonight, who have tried Christianity, and it didn't work for them. They were told what I believe is false doctrine. They were given a false teaching, a false gospel, that if you come to Jesus, then life is going to be superbly great.
How many of you have experienced that? For the record, I don't see any hands. Why haven't we experienced that? Because Jesus never promised that. What did Jesus tell us? He said, "In the world, you shall have much tribulation, much difficulty." Jesus promised trial, tribulation, and difficulty. He promised those things in this life.
Now, He did also promise that greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world. In the world, you will have much tribulation, but don't worry about that, because you're going to overcome the world. You see, you and I are overcomers in Christ. We're more than conquerors in Christ. He promised that we might have peace in Him, even in the midst of the storm, as stated in .
However, there has been a lot of false teaching that has gone out—false gospels that have been given to people—where they said, "If you come to Jesus, everything's going to be great." As a result, the faith of many has been shipwrecked. That faith has died; it has not grown into a mature faith that displays itself in actions, an active faith, an alive faith. It is the desire of God that you and I have an active, living faith, not just a dead orthodoxy, a dead religion, or a dead faith that simply says, "Yeah, I believe in God."
There are a lot of people who say, "I believe in God." Even the demons believe that there is one God, and they tremble. Yet, there is no life towards God, no trust in God. We want the faith that God has given to us to grow so that it is a sincere faith, a strong and unfeigned faith, allowing us to love God and love others with that undefiled faith.
But how do we grow and guard against shipwreck? Turn over to . In , Paul says to Timothy here,
Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. If you don't want to be ashamed, Paul says, study to show yourself approved as a workman who rightly divides God's word.
Look at verse 16: "But shun profane and vain babblings, for they increase unto more ungodliness." Paul emphasizes the importance of rightly dividing the word of truth while also warning against false teaching that leads to ungodliness. Their word, the word of the false teachers, shuns the truth and destroys like a canker worm. Paul even names two false teachers: Hymenaeus and Philetus. He says, "Hey, there are a couple of false teachers among you; you need to stay away from them."
In verse 18, Paul notes that these individuals have erred concerning the truth, claiming that the resurrection is past already. If you want your faith to grow and guard against shipwreck, then study to show yourself approved unto God as a workman who is not ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. Stay away from false teachers, as they can cause the faith of some people to be overthrown.
We need to ensure that we are adding to our faith. As Peter said in , "Give diligence to add to your faith virtue, and to your virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly love; and to brotherly love, charity, or agape love."
For if these things be in you and abound, they make you that you shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Notice what Peter says: you need to add to your faith the works that prove faith. Add to your faith virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, godliness, brotherly love, and agape love.
Just as Paul stated in , "The end of the commandment is love." This involves loving God and loving others, fulfilling the commandment of love found in and .
All of the commandments are based on those two commandments: Love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength, and love your neighbor as yourself. Love. Peter says to add to your faith virtue, knowledge, patience, temperance, godliness, and love. If these things are in you, he says, you will be fruitful. You'll be fruitful if these things are in you. It is my desire that every single individual here at this church would be fruitful. Why? Because it glorifies God. As we see in , let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
You see, fruitfulness in my life and yours is glorifying to God. But fruitfulness is not only glorifying to God; it is a blessing to you and me. Fruitfulness is a blessing to the body of Christ. If we have love, joy, peace, gentleness, and kindness, all these things that we read of are the fruit of the Spirit. God desires that you and I would be fruitful. I desire that we would be a fruitful church as well. That is why we preach the word the way that we do. Paul tells us in that the preaching of the word of God causes the body of Christ to be fruitful, that we would love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and from an unfeigned faith.
However, notice what we read in , speaking about the preaching of the word and what the word of God produces in the lives of those who study it. He says in verse 6 that some have turned away from it. It is essential that you and I grow in the body of Christ. The way that we grow is by taking in the word of God and allowing the Holy Spirit to move in our lives with that word, transforming us.
It is important that the body of Christ receives sound instruction from the word of God. Yet, there are those who depart; there are those who turn aside. As I mentioned last week, if you and I went around and visited a new church every single week, we would find that there is a lot of talking going on in many churches. Even that talking might be entertaining, but is it edifying? Is it building up? Is it producing fruit in the lives of the believers?
Now, if the teachers in all these churches across the world and across the nation are not teaching the Word of God, if they've turned aside and are teaching something else, then it's what Paul calls here in the King James Version, vain jangling. Vain jangling, or in another translation, idle talk. The New American Standard Bible calls it fruitless discussion. It's a lot of talk, but it doesn't produce any fruit. It has no eternal value. It's a teaching and instruction that does not bring about fruit in the life of the believer. It's not edifying for the body of Christ. It's not glorifying to God. Essentially, it's pointless.
I know that's probably not a popular thing to say, but there are hundreds, if not thousands, of churches in this nation and across the world that are engaging in fruitless discussion that is essentially pointless. It makes a lot of people feel good. They may like to go to that church. In fact, the Bible even says here in this very book, in 1 Timothy, that in the latter days, people are going to be drawn to that kind of teaching because it will tickle their ears. It will make them feel good. There are many people who go to churches that make them feel good, but the teaching is pointless other than the fact that it makes them feel good for a moment. It's like a placebo from the pulpit.
What's a placebo? It's a sugar pill. Sometimes people come in feeling sick, and they're given a placebo, just a sugar pill. They're not told what it is. They are told, "Hey, this will heal you. This will make you feel good." They take it and think, "Wow, I feel better." But it's all just in their mind. It has nothing to do with what was in it. There was no medicinal purpose at all. It didn't help them; it was pointless. It's a waste of their time and a waste of the energy of their body to even break it down. But somehow, in some way, in their mind, it made them feel better.
There are multitudes of people throughout the world who go to churches week in and week out, and they receive a placebo from the pulpit. It's just fruitless discussion. It builds no godly character. It does not edify or build up the body of Christ in any way. Essentially, it is pointless. Paul told the church at Ephesus in , "Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers." I would say that this idle talk of people who have turned away from teaching the Word of God...
They are teaching man's wisdom or their own philosophical ideas. Is this idle talk? It is corrupt communication. It does not build up; it does not edify, as we see in .
Now, it is very sad to me that this kind of teaching and preaching is going on in churches all over the world. It doesn't lead to a purified heart, a good conscience, or a sincere faith. You have to question, what is the point? Why are they even engaged in such things?
It has never been my aim or my goal to make people feel good when I teach the word of God. I'm not looking to make people feel good. To be quite honest, when I study through the word of God and read it for myself, I find that many of you, every single morning, wake up and spend time reading through the word of God. The word of God is living and powerful; it is sharper than any two-edged sword. While you read it, it reads you.
How many of you have noticed that it is not a comfortable thing to study to show yourself approved? Sometimes it hurts; sometimes it's painful. It does not always feel good. When the word of God is clearly and simply taught, it doesn't feel good. I have people every single week come up to me after a service and say, "Man, that message was kind of painful. That was kind of convicting." That's what God's word is.
In fact, over the last few weeks, as we've been going through the book of Acts on Sunday mornings, we just went through a couple of weeks ago, and a few weeks before that, we were in . You remember in , Peter is preaching. The Sanhedrin, the leading class of the Jews in Jerusalem, hears his preaching. In , it says they were cut to the heart. The word of God went in like a sword and cut them to the heart. It did not feel good; their flesh did not like it. So much so that they got angry and took the guys outside and beat them up.
Then in , when Stephen was preaching, it says the same exact group, when Stephen was preaching and simply and clearly teaching the word of God, were cut to the heart. Instead of just taking him outside and beating him up, they took him outside and killed him. The flesh profits nothing in the teaching of the word of God. The aim of God's word is not to make us feel good.
The aim of God's Word is to transform us. We are called to no longer be conformed to this world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our minds. God wants to take the unfruitful branches out of our lives and destroy them. He wants to cut them off because He is the vine dresser. God desires to come in and cut off every vain thing in our lives, every unfruitful branch.
What does He do with those unfruitful branches? He casts them into the fire. They are not to remain any longer. He doesn't try to reform them or tend to them, clipping them to make them look nice. No, He takes them and casts them into the fire because they are worthless. He uses the sword of the Spirit to do so. This is why studying through God's Word can be an uncomfortable experience for our flesh, but it is necessary and essential.
Yet, there are so many churches throughout our nation and the world that teach man's philosophy or wisdom. From time to time, they may throw in a verse of Scripture completely out of context, but the whole purpose is to make people feel good, and perhaps even to encourage them to give money. Many churches teach a form of doctrine that makes people feel good solely to generate income from it.
It blows my mind as I visit Calvary chapels and other churches that teach through the Word of God. Week after week, people come to those churches where the Word of God is taught, and it can be painful. It's as if we are gluttons for punishment. Yet, we recognize that God has a purpose for us.
What is my purpose? tells us that it is to be pleasing unto Him. The only way I can be pleasing to Him is if I bear much fruit. The only way I can bear much fruit is if the unfruitful branches are removed from my life. I need God to remove those things from my life, and you need God to remove those things from yours.
This is why we are students of the Scriptures: so that we can submit ourselves to the Word of God and allow Him to transform us. He can take that small seed of faith that He planted in you the day you were conceived. He desires for that faith to grow to maturity and produce fruit. This growth occurs through the proper, clear, and simple teaching and study of God's Word, as God, by His Spirit, tends to our hearts.
However, there are those who teach false doctrine, and it kills faith. There are many people in our nation who are affected by this.
Many people have a dead faith. They go to church every single week, yet they have a dead faith because faith without works is dead. On the day of Christ Jesus, they will stand before God, as says. It states, "Many will say to me, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and done mighty works in your name?'" He will say, "Depart from me, I never knew you, you who practice lawlessness."
In , we see that at the end of the chapter, there will be those who stand before God on the day of Christ Jesus, and He will separate the sheep from the goats. The sheep are on His right, and the goats are on His left. He turns to the sheep and says, "When I was naked, you clothed me. When I was hungry, you fed me. When I was thirsty, you gave me something to drink. You visited me in prison. You took care of me when I was sick. Enter into your rest." They will respond, "When have we done that?" He will say, "When you did this to the least of them, you did so unto me."
He will then turn to those on His left and say, "Sorry that you're on the left tonight." He will tell them, "When I was hungry, you didn't feed me. When I was thirsty, you didn't give me a drink. When I was sick, you didn't tend to me. You didn't take care of me." Consequently, He will cast them into outer darkness. They will ask, "When have we not done these things?" He will respond, "When you have not done this to the least of them, you have not done so unto me."
Notice, as we discussed several weeks ago, that Jesus does not say, "You honored your parents. You didn't kill. You didn't steal. You didn't covet." He does not reference the Ten Commandments or the law of God. Instead, He speaks about actions that stem from love. When you give someone a cup of cold water who needs something to drink, that comes from the heart of love. When you clothe those in need or tend to the sick, that also comes from the heart of love. These are the applications of the law of love, which is produced by the Spirit working in our lives. It is the fruit of the Spirit. The fruit of the Spirit is love.
He says to those with a mature faith that has grown and produced fruit in the form of love, "Enter into the rest of the Lord." But to those who have no love and no fruit of the Spirit, He says, "Depart into outer darkness."
Can you see why the Word of God is so very important? Teaching and studying God's Word is of the utmost importance. In fact, God says in the Old Testament that He esteems His Word above His name. That is why we are committed to going through it, not just here on Wednesday nights, but at every opportunity we get.
Whether it's in a home fellowship, in a park, or wherever it may be, going through the Word of God systematically can be challenging. Even if it's painful, we may come to a passage and think, "I don't like that passage." Every time I read it, it hurts because I recognize that I'm not fulfilling it. However, when we acknowledge our shortcomings, we can return to , which says, "Confess your sins, and He is faithful and just to forgive you and to cleanse you of all unrighteousness."
The word "cleanse" in is the same word used in , where it states that God cleanses and prunes the unfruitful dead branches. God wants to prune my life; He wants to prune your life. Yet, there are those who have departed from this clear, simple teaching of the Word. In verse 6, we see that some have swerved and turned aside to idle talk and fruitless discussions.
There is a significant movement in our nation among the evangelical church today called the emerging church. We've discussed it here before. In fact, Charlie Campbell was here last October to talk about the emerging church, and maybe you've heard about it and read about it. The emerging church is heavily focused on conversation. They are not very interested in evangelism. Instead, they prefer to sit down with people and discuss their lives and beliefs. While they enjoy conversing, it often leads to fruitless conversations.
These discussions can be a waste of time because they rarely address sin, death, righteousness, or the blood of Christ, which is able to atone for our sins. They talk about nothing of substance, resulting in fruitless conversations. Yet, in verse 7 of , we are told that these false teachers desire to be teachers of the law. They have an earnest desire to teach, but they understand neither what they say nor whereof they affirm. They simply do not get it; they do not understand what it is they are teaching.
Again, states that the Word of God is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. God's Word is sharper than any two-edged sword, and that means it can be dangerous if wielded by someone who doesn't understand how to use it. Think about that. How many of you have had children?
Do you have young children right now? Would you hand your young child a nice sharp sword and say, "There you go, son. Ethan, I got you this great sword. Have fun, son"? No, it's dangerous. He'd hurt himself and he'd hurt others, no doubt, very quickly. The same thing applies to the Word of God. A person who is unskilled in the Word of God, who does not know or understand what they affirm, is dangerous. False teachers are dangerous. They destroy faith. They desire to be teachers of the law, but they understand neither what they say nor what they affirm.
However, we know, as Paul says in verse 8, that the law is good if a man uses it lawfully. God's law is good. In , Paul tells us that the law of God is holy, just, and good. Yet, if you research and look through many evangelical churches today, in the year 2009, you will find that many of them want nothing to do with the law of God. If you were to ask some of the pastors and teachers about this, "How come you never talk about God's law? How come you never go back into the Old Testament?" they would say, "We're a New Testament church; we don't need that sort of thing."
Yet, Paul tells us that we need to know how to use the law of God in a right way, in a lawful way. The obvious question then is, what is the right way to use God's law? Look at verse 9. Knowing this, that the law was not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly, for sinners, for the unholy, for the profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, and manslayers. The law was made for whoremongers, for those that defile themselves with mankind, and for thieves, liars, perjured persons, and any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine. The law was made for that.
Thus, he states that the law was not made for righteous people. The Bible says that there are none righteous, no, not one. Therefore, the law was made for every single one of us. What then is the proper use of God's law? Well, turn over to . .
Now we know that whatsoever things the law says, it says to those that are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped and that the world may become guilty before God. God's word is given to stop men's mouths from making excuses and all those other things. The law is given to reveal guilt.
Therefore, by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in His sight. You see, the Jewish people, especially there in the Old Testament, did not fully comprehend and understand why God gave them the law. They thought, and many people still do think, that the law was given to make men righteous. God never intended that the law would be used to make us righteous. He intended that His law, if used in the right way, would show us that we're not righteous. That's the purpose of the law: to reveal guilt.
If a person tries to use the law of God to make themselves righteous, they are using God's law in a wrong way, in an unprescribed way. It's dangerous if used in this manner. Why is that kind of legalism, that kind of religious use of God's law, dangerous? Because it confuses or fools man into thinking that he's righteous. It makes him think that he's done a good job.
Perhaps you came from a faith background that told you if you pray this, do this, and act like this, then you will be righteous. Every single day, you tried to check off those things. If you did those things that day, you felt good about yourself and said, "I'm righteous." However, if you failed, you were down, blue, upset, and bummed. You thought, "Well, I just have to try harder tomorrow because if I just try harder, I can do this."
If you kept your list, whether it was the Ten Commandments or a list of prayers that you had to pray, you felt really good about yourself. But here's the question: in God's eyes, were you righteous? No. According to your rules, you were righteous. In your eyes, you were righteous. But in God's eyes, you weren't.
Can you see how the wrong use of the law is extremely dangerous? It fools man into thinking that he's righteous.
That he's okay. I've kept my laws. I've kept my rules. Everything's okay. And yet, they stand before God one day, and God says, "Depart from me. I never knew you." They think, "Well, that's not fair." Yet, they did not use God's law lawfully. They didn't use it in the right way.
Not only do many congregants of churches use God's law in a wrong way, but many preachers use God's law in a wrong way as well. Number one, they don't use it. They never even consider that God's law is important. God says it's holy, it's just, it's good. Therefore, by the deeds of the law, no flesh will be justified in God's sight.
Look at this, verse 20, the end of verse 24: "By the law comes the knowledge of sin." The law was not given to make man righteous; the law was given so that man would know he's wicked. The law was given so that you would see the error of your ways, to reveal just how sinful you and I are.
Paul says in , very much the same thing that we just saw in . , verse 16 states, "Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by faith, the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law, for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." Man is not justified by the works of the law. The law was given that we might know that we are sinners.
, just one chapter over, says, "Wherefore, the law is our schoolmaster to bring us to Christ that we might be justified by faith." The law directs us like a road sign to Jesus Christ so that we would place our faith in Him. It reveals that I cannot get to God. It reveals that I'm a sinner destined for judgment and hell and that I am in need of a Savior. The law has its fulfillment in Jesus. It points to Jesus, and yet many people get focused on the law. They get focused on the road sign. It's as if...
They get in the car here in Escondido and drive up north on the 5, all the way to Six Flags Magic Mountain. When you pull off the freeway there, you may recognize the big, colorful sign that they have, with those large block-looking structures holding it up. You've driven all that way, spent three hours in traffic to get there, and you sit in front of the sign, marveling at its beauty. You might say, "Wow, that's a beautiful sign. I love that sign. Oh, it's wonderful." You begin to examine the sign, admiring the craftsmanship and the beautiful blocks and bricks that were used to create it. What a wonderful sign! Then, you get back in the car and drive home. What a waste of time.
The sign was meant to point you to the entrance of the park so that you could enter and experience the joy of the park. The same is true with Christ and the law. The law is the sign pointing to Him, inviting us to enter in and find the justification that we need. The law cannot save man; Jesus saves. The law points man to Christ. It was given to reveal our sin so that we would see that we are unrighteous and in need of a Savior.
Yet, many people do not use the law of God. I have met well-meaning churchgoers who, when I share with them about the anger, fury, wrath, and judgment of God that the law speaks of, respond by saying, "Well, that's not the God I know." I have told those who say that to me, "Then you don't know God. You don't know the God of the Bible, and you've never rightly used God's law." They have never truly looked at what God's Word has to say because the law of God reveals that He is holy, that He is just, and that He will judge the unrighteous. There is coming a day of wrath. The Bible tells us in that the unrighteous are storing up for themselves wrath for the day.
Of wrath. It's as if there is a storehouse in heaven with their name on it, and with God's wrath being piled up, just waiting for the day of judgment. They are storing up for themselves wrath for the day of wrath.
Some people say, "Well, that just doesn't seem right. God is a God of love. He's a God of grace. He's a forgiving God." All those things are true. But it is also true that God is holy, just, and good, and He will by no means clear the guilty. They say, "Well, that's not the God I know." Well, then they don't know the God of the Bible. If that's your thought tonight, you would do well to study to show yourself approved unto God so that on the day of Christ Jesus, you will not be ashamed, finding out that you believed a lie.
Add to your faith virtue, and to your virtue temperance and patience. Love. We need to be diligent to study to show ourselves approved unto God as workmen and workwomen that rightly divide God's word so that we would not be ashamed. This way, we can stand before that throne of grace on the day of Christ Jesus.
We need to learn the proper way to use God's law to reveal to an individual that they are lost, dead in sins, and dead in trespasses. If you go back and read the sermons of Bible preachers from 100 years ago, 150 years ago, you will find that they focused a lot on the law, the wrath, and the judgment of God. Why? Because they recognized and understood that there is a proper way to use God's law—a way to use God's law lawfully.
As we sit here in the year 2009, there are many deceived teachers of God's word throughout the world tonight who do not know how to use God's law in a proper way. Who knows why they teach the things they teach? Perhaps it's so that they can be popular. Perhaps it's so that they will be liked. Perhaps it's so that they can get all kinds of money for their ministry. Whatever it may be, the fact is that many of those people who follow their teaching are listening to fruitless discussion. They need the proper use of God's law.
It reads in , verses 9-11. It says, "But they were not made for people who do what is right. The law was not made for people who do what is right. They are for people who are disobedient and rebellious, who are ungodly and sinful, who consider nothing sacred and defile what is holy, who murder their father or their mother or other people. These laws were for people who are sexually immoral, for homosexuals and slave traders, for liars and oath breakers, and for those who do anything else that contradicts right teaching that comes from the glorious good news entrusted to me," Paul says, "by our blessed God."
God has given us His word; He has given us His law so that we would give it forth to others. As Paul told Timothy, he charged those at the church at Ephesus to teach no other doctrine, to focus on the word of God and teach that. Why? So that the body of Christ would be built up, that they would be able to love God and love others from a pure heart, from a sanctified conscience, and from a sincere faith.
It is my desire that I would be one who loves God and loves others from a pure heart, a sanctified conscience, and a sincere faith. It is my prayer that you also would be that way. That is why we go through the word of God systematically, because it transforms us. Yes, it hurts. Sometimes we get up and walk out of here, and perhaps tonight will be one of those times where we walk out and think, "I didn't like that message. That hurt." But it is God using the sword of the Spirit to cut away unfruitful branches so that you and I can bear much fruit and be glorifying to God, fulfilling the purpose that He has given to us.
You see, we are not in this world to try and identify purpose for ourselves. God identified the purpose in His word. The question is, will we fulfill the purpose that He gave to us? To be pleasing to Him, as we see in . My prayer is that you, that I, that all of us would be pleasing to the Lord. Amen?
Let's stand and pray. Father, I thank You for this passage of Scripture tonight, Lord. I pray that You would continue to do the work that You desire to do in my life and in my heart. Lord,
I pray that you would continue to teach me what it is to be a living sacrifice, to lay myself down holy and acceptable unto You, Lord. By Your Spirit, I pray that You would strengthen me and strengthen my brothers and sisters here, that we would not be conformed to this world but would be transformed by You, by the renewing of our minds as we study Your Word. May our faith grow, for faith comes by hearing and hearing by Your Word.
May we take it in, Lord, and not harden our hearts. As we see in and , when Your Word went forth simply and clearly, they were cut to the heart, but they did the wrong thing. They stiffened their necks, hardened their hearts, shut their ears, and beat up the messenger. Lord, may we not be those who harden our hearts and stiffen our necks. Soften our hearts by Your Spirit, I pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
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