We Are Family

Sometimes, looking at our culture, it seems to be so far off course. We're going through a series in First Timothy called "On Course." One of the things we're talking about today is how God brings us back on course, particularly in the area of identity.

Families, open with us to First Timothy chapter 5. Good morning! While you're standing, don't sit down yet. Take out your Bible. If you don't have a Bible, you can raise your hand, and one of our ushers will bring you one. If you don't own a Bible, you can take that as a gift today. We're going to be in the New Testament, the last third of your Bible, in the book of First Timothy. So, open to the very last book on the right, Revelation. If you turn to the left, it won't take you long to find First and Second Timothy. We will be in First Timothy chapter 5.

I am Pastor Myles. If you're new here to the church, in the last couple of weeks, I wasn't here. I wasn't speaking last week or the week before. Last week was planned, and the week before that, I came down with a cold. I've learned over the years that if I come and preach three messages with a cold, I won't have a voice for four days. So, Garrett jumped in. I realized every time either Garrett or someone else jumps in, I recognize how big of a head I have because this little microphone, when I went to put it on, was really small. I think Garrett was using it. I must have a massive head!

Okay, we're in First Timothy chapter 5, just two verses. We're going to look at verses 1 and 2. First Timothy chapter 5, verse 1, Paul says, "Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters with all purity."

Father, those words we just sang are not necessarily easy for us to sing. Sometimes, if we sing them truly from our hearts as a prayer with sincerity, "I surrender all," Lord, there are so many areas of our lives where we realize there are things we're holding back. I pray, God, that you would work on and in our hearts so that you could work through our hearts. We believe, I believe, that when we come before your Word like we are right now, we do so to allow you to work in our hearts by your Spirit through your Word.

Your word is powerful; it's living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. It is useful for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness, that we would be equipped for every good work. Some of us today need that area of correction, rebuke, and instruction in righteousness. So, would you speak to us and teach us from these two verses, we pray. We ask this in Jesus' name, and all those that agreed said, "Amen." You can be seated.

If you feel like some of the things that have been happening in our culture over the last decade and a half have caused you to feel a little unstable, a little shaken, or destabilized by some of the things going on, you are not alone. If sometimes you are a little confused by some of the discussions and debates taking place in our culture, on cable news, on the radio, or across the internet, and you find yourself shaking your head, you really are not in the minority. Many of us feel that way when we look at the things happening in the world around us.

About a year ago, I was reading through some news articles online and ended up watching a debate that was circulating. It was a debate over a bill making its way through Canadian Parliament. While it doesn't necessarily have to do with us here in the United States, it was causing quite a firestorm in the news media. The debate centered on the issue of gender expression and identity, and it featured a feud between college professors. One of the professors has since become something of a celebrity regarding many of the hot topic issues being discussed in our culture. His name is Jordan Peterson, and he is a professor of psychology at the University of Toronto.

There were a couple of other professors on the other side of this debate, and they were going back and forth about these issues related to gender expression and identity. The debate was interesting; it lasted a couple of hours. I watched the whole thing at one-and-a-half speed, but I still watched the entire debate. As I was watching it, I found myself, a number of times, just sitting there.

Shaking my head, my brain hurt watching some of this stuff because I started to realize that there are some really weird things being discussed, especially in the circles of research that are referred to in the academic and educational spheres as gender theory or gender studies. I think I was first confronted by this about ten years ago, and it's very clear; I remember it very specifically because I had shown it to a friend.

About ten years ago, I was registering a new email account on Google, and when it was asking for the bio information for this new account, the gender section offered male, female, and other. I remember it because I took a snapshot of it and sent it to a friend, asking, "What's 'other'?" I found that interesting, and I hadn't seen that before. Now, it's a big discussion that is going on. If you're like me, then you probably have assumed for most of your life that there are really just two genders, identified by biology: male and female.

If you think that way, you would be identified by those in this research sphere as cisgender or cisnormative. I first heard that term about eighteen months ago and thought, "What in the world does that mean?" So, I went on the compendium of human knowledge, Google, and plugged in "cisnormative." It refers to people who think or believe that there are two genders: male and female.

However, what you'll find if you start to look at this stuff is that Google now identifies 63 different genders. You just go, "What on earth is that? 63 different genders?" This is where the big debate came about in Canadian Parliament. As a result, there are all kinds of different gender pronouns that people will use, having to do with these different usages of gender. It's not just him or her, or he or she; now they've created new pronouns like "zi" and "zur," among other things. You look at this and think, "I don't understand this."

In this debate that was taking place between Dr. Peterson and these other two professors, Dr. Kaufman and Dr. Bryson, Dr. Kaufman got up and gave her opening remarks, highlighting her perspective on the issue.

Opening remarks highlighted that, at the end of 2016, Oxford Dictionary's word of the year was "post-truth." This was surprising, as the speaker noted the irony that the other side of the debate, which asserts there are only two genders, is considered "post-truth." The definition from Oxford Dictionary states that "post-truth" relates to circumstances in which objective facts are less influential in shaping public opinion than appeals to emotion and personal belief. This reflects the culture in the United States, Canada, and Western Europe, which has been shaped over the last 50 to 70 years by what has been referred to as postmodernism.

We are now in a time characterized by post-truth. You'll hear this term applied to many aspects of our culture. For instance, Western Europe is predominantly post-Christian, and many coastal cities in Canada, like ours, are becoming more post-Christian. In the United States, areas such as the Pacific Northwest are heavily influenced by the concept of post-Christianity and are moving into post-truth.

My favorite definition of truth, also found in the Oxford Dictionary, is that which accords with reality. Truth is that which aligns with what is substantial, real, and tangible. However, we live in a culture that has been influenced over the last seventy years, especially by postmodern, relativistic thought. This influence manifests in conversations where someone might say, "Well, that's your truth."

This phrase implies that there is not one truth, but many truths, and the weight of a truth is often determined by consensus. The more people who agree with a particular truth, the more weight it seems to carry compared to someone else's truth. This perspective is influenced by acceptance and consensus rather than by reality. Consequently, everyone can have their own truth, and it becomes relative. Who are we to say that our truth is more important than someone else's? After all, our truth is developed and built through personal experiences and beliefs.

On alternative facts, that's a new thing that we've heard in our culture over the last, especially just 20 months or so. The idea of alternative facts and differing truths is prevalent. Again, if you feel destabilized by some of the things that are happening in our culture in the 21st century, you're not alone. That destabilization, that feeling of cultural vertigo, is what I think futurist Alvin Toffler was speaking about in his book from 1970 called "Future Shock." You're experiencing something called future shock.

Now, sometimes the response to this is for us to try and hold on to our culture and force it to be the way that it was another time. However, culture is always dynamic; it is shifting and smoothing, and it is always changing according to new narratives. What really fashions and forms culture is the narrative, the stories that we tell. The narratives have changed significantly in the last 20 to 25 years, and culture has been moving quickly. If you feel destabilized by it, it is that future shock. You may feel kind of unstable, but you get used to it. You just take the 21st-century version of Dramamine for culture shock, which is binge-watching Netflix. Just watch a whole bunch more Netflix, and you'll feel fine in the morning. That's the kind of culture we live in today, and it's strange.

Now, you may ask why I bring this up. Well, we have these two short verses before us: First Timothy chapter 5, verses 1 and 2. When I plan out my teaching schedule, I normally plan about 10 to 15 months in advance, mapping out where we will be at a given time. I went through First Timothy back at the end of August last year and September, and I set aside First Timothy chapter 5, verses 1 and 2 to go through by themselves. As I thought about these two verses, I found myself really wrestling with the concept being presented here.

I don't want to stray too far away from the context of what Paul, who wrote this book, is saying to Timothy, who was a young pastor probably in his early 30s about 2,000 years ago in a city called Ephesus. I want to stay close to the context, so just briefly, what is it that Paul is saying to Timothy here in this passage? If you look back just a couple of pages to chapter 3, we get a good indication of the context. So, you're in First Timothy 5, verses 1 and 2.

In 1 Timothy 3:15, Paul says, "But if I am delayed." Paul was planning on coming to visit Timothy in Ephesus, and he states, "Listen, if I am delayed," which ultimately he would be. He writes to Timothy so that he may know how he ought to conduct himself in the house of God, which is the Church of the Living God, the pillar and ground of truth. Paul wants Timothy to understand how he should live and interact with people in the house of God, which is us, the Church of the Living God, the pillar and ground of truth.

Then, he gives another exhortation in 1 Timothy 4:12. He says, "Let no one despise your youth." Timothy is a younger pastor, but he is to be an example to believers in word, conduct, love, spirit, faith, and purity. Paul reminds Timothy that he is a younger leader who will be leading people who are both younger and older than him. In this context, as he is in the house of God, the Church of the Living God, the pillar and ground of truth, he needs to be exemplary in the way he interacts with people, demonstrating love, faith, purity, and proper conduct.

Now, he moves into 1 Timothy 5:1-2, where the conduct exhortations continue. Timothy is instructed on how to conduct himself: "Do not rebuke an older man." He is leading both older and younger people, so he should not rebuke an older man but exhort him as a father. Younger men are to be treated as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with all purity.

The basic exhortations are clear in this passage. As a young leader pastoring a church, Timothy is to be exemplary in his conduct and how he interacts with people, whether they are older or younger, men or women. He should conduct himself in a way that is honorable, sincere, respectful, and pure as he interacts with these individuals. It is very straightforward; one does not need an advanced degree in biblical studies to understand what Paul is saying. The exhortation is clear.

In this passage, we see a profound truth about how much better society could be if we all sought to walk in a manner of sincerity and respect towards everyone—whether they are older or younger, of the same gender or a different gender. Imagine how society would change if we aimed to honor one another and conduct ourselves with purity. I suggest that there would not be a #MeToo movement if we were genuinely endeavoring to live like this. We simply would not see those kinds of issues arise if we were committed to such a way of living.

The underlying exhortation of this passage is clear. Paul is expressing to Timothy how he should lead people by example. He should live in a way that encourages others to imitate him, honoring those older than them and respecting those younger than them, regardless of gender. Paul sums this up in verse 21 of 1 Timothy 5. He states, "I charge you before God, in the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels." This charge is given before all of God's creation. Paul commands Timothy to observe these things without prejudice and to do nothing with partiality.

Consider how different our churches, families, communities, and workplaces would be if we observed these instructive doctrines without partiality or prejudice. If we treated people older and younger than us with respect, sincerity, and purity—regardless of whether they are male or female—we would create a completely different environment. Paul is calling Timothy, and ultimately the church he would pastor, to walk in these principles.

Now, you may wonder what we will discuss next if we are not focusing solely on this theme. I’m glad you asked. Let’s look at 1 Timothy 5, verses 1 and 2. These verses instruct us not to rebuke an older man but to exhort him as a father, to treat younger men as brothers, older women as mothers, and younger women as sisters, with all purity. While these teachings may not be explicitly stated, they convey an important message about how we should interact with one another.

Inference is found in the usage of the words "men" and "women," "fathers" and "mothers," and "sisters" and "brothers." There is an important teaching in this passage that infers family and gender are significant to God, who inspired this text. Therefore, these aspects should also be important to us, who believe in and trust Him.

Jumping back to 1 Timothy 3:15, we have already read it a few times: "I write to you so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God." When you read through the Bible, especially the New Testament, you will find different metaphors used for the followers of Jesus. If you are a follower of Jesus today, you are part of a group called the Church. The term "church" comes from the Greek word "ekklesia," which means "the gathering."

There can be gatherings of people around all kinds of different ideas, worldviews, and political groups, all of which could be called a gathering. In ancient usage, this word referred to a gathering following Socrates or other groups. So, we are the Church, the followers, the gathering of Jesus.

In the New Testament, there are various metaphors for this group. Sometimes, we are referred to as sheep in a flock; we are the flock of God, and He is the chief shepherd. This is one of the metaphors. Another metaphor that Peter employs describes us as living stones. Each one of us is like a big block of rock, being built together to be a house for God. God dwells in the midst of us, His Church.

We are a house for God, living stones, and the flock of God. Additionally, we see in the New Testament the metaphor of being a family—the family of God. He is our Father, and He has adopted us into His family, making us His children. We are the children of God, the people of God, the Church.

In 1 Timothy 3:15, it states that we are the house of God, the Church of the Living God, the pillar and ground of truth. So, what does it mean to be the pillar and the ground of truth? We are the place; the Church is the family of God, the people of God, where the truth is built and established.

And not a truth, not your truth, but the truth. I want to jump back a little bit and talk about something I discussed when we were in First Timothy, chapter 3. What we find when we think about this is that the church is the pillar and ground of truth. This is where truth is established, from God within His church.

In saying that, I think it's important to point out and highlight that there are many things that are true and accord with reality. There are many truths that can be found outside of the Bible. It is true to say that not everything that is true is found only in the Bible. Many truths can be discovered through psychology, science, and philosophy. That's why you can find true things from all kinds of different groups in the world. However, the Bible brings forth what I would call the antecedent truth, the foundational truth that creates the construct of reality. All other truths need to align with this foundational truth. If they don't align with the truth that the Bible establishes, then they are not true.

Now, how do we explain this? How do we illustrate it? I think the best way to illustrate or explain it is to understand the foundational truth that the Bible establishes at the very beginning, found in Genesis, chapter 1, verse 1: "In the beginning, God." That is a foundational truth that establishes the basis upon which the pillar of truth is set. This pillar shows us everything that is right, and anything that does not align with that is therefore not true. That is the proposition that the Bible establishes.

Therefore, if you remove that foundational truth and start with a different one—such as the belief that there is no God—everything you deduce from the rest of the world will be colored by that belief. It will affect every other decision you make after that point. For the last hundred years, or even a hundred and fifty years, our culture here in the West has been increasingly moving into this stream where the foundational truth is that there is no God. As a result, the structure built upon that belief is fundamentally different.

The foundational precept affects everything about our structure. There are two major opposing worldviews: "In the beginning, God" and "In the beginning, no God." From these two perspectives, huge structures have been built, and our culture is constructed around them. We wonder why there is so much disagreement; this foundational truth is the entry point for everything that people believe, and it affects everything, including the issues we will discuss today regarding gender and family. If you begin with the wrong foundational truth, it will color everything else you understand.

I was watching a video a few days ago about people who are colorblind. Many in this room right now may be colorblind, mostly men, as it affects men more than women. There are now glasses being made that allow those who are colorblind to see the color spectrum better. Videos have circulated online of people trying these glasses for the first time, and many of them are brought to tears. You see men in their 50s and 60s crying because they are seeing color for the first time. They look at things and say, "What is that color? That's purple! I've never seen that color." It is phenomenal; they are finally able to see reality as it truly is because their lens has changed.

If you start with the lens that there is no God, you will see the world in a totally different way than if you take the lens provided by the Scriptures. God affects everything. The church is the ground upon which true truth is established. In the church, society may differ, but we are told that there is a household—the household of God—with a family. This family is comprised of individuals who are ordered and identified as they are by God. God is the one who determines who we are.

However, we live in a culture that is increasingly moving away from the concept of God. Therefore, if they reject the concept of God, they do not want someone else to determine their identity. God is the one who defines who we are, and as we will see, this is crucial.

Orders identify male and female, and so what's the ultimate rejection of that? It is the assertion, "I will determine who I am, and I'm not going to be constrained to this binary." We do not see that in our culture today; it seems strange to many of us, but that is what we are witnessing. Where is that coming from? It originates from a place where one starts with the wrong foundational truth, and this affects everything.

Point number one on your outline: gender is a part of God's created order and design. This is the truth established by God, the Creator. Gender is a part of God's created order and design; He established it. How do we know that? You can turn to the very first book of the Bible, the first page, and look at Genesis chapter 1, verse 1. It starts with, "In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth." If you skip down to verse 26, Genesis 1:26, look at what it says: "Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, according to our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth.'"

Verse 27 continues, "So God created man, humanity, in His own image; in the image of God, He created him; male and female, He created them." This is an issue of God's created order and design, going all the way back to the very beginning. In the beginning, God created male and female in His image. That is how He ordered and created things.

It is reiterated just a few chapters later in chapter 5. You can turn there to Genesis chapter 5, verses 1 and 2. It states, "This is the book of the genealogy of Adam." He is the first creation of man by God. "In the day that God created man, humanity, He made him in the likeness of God; He created male and female; He created them."

This is not just an Old Testament concept; it is also found in the New Testament. You can note it down: Matthew chapter 19, the first book in the New Testament. A group of religious leaders, the Pharisees, came to Jesus and asked Him a question, which was a hot topic at that time.

Every culture has hot topic questions that generate a lot of disagreement. In Jesus's day, there was a particularly contentious issue surrounding marriage and family, especially the topic of divorce. There were two major competing ideas in the Jewish world at that time. One school of thought was led by a rabbi named Hillel, while the other was led by a rabbi named Shammai. It was much like Harvard and Princeton, with two different groups battling over the issue of marriage.

The Pharisees, who were the religious leaders, approached Jesus and asked, "What do you say about this?" Ultimately, they were trying to incite an uproar and turn people against Jesus. In Matthew 19:3, we read, "The Pharisees also came to Jesus, testing Him, and they said to Him, 'Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for just any reason?'" This was a hot topic question because one school of thought, represented by Hillel, argued that a man could only divorce his wife for the issue of adultery. The other school of thought claimed that a man could divorce his wife for any reason, even something as trivial as cooking eggs incorrectly.

So, the Pharisees came to Jesus, eager to hear His response. Jesus answered them in verse 4, saying, "Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning made them male and female?" In addressing this hot topic about marital relationships between a husband and wife, Jesus went all the way back to the beginning. He continued, "For this reason, a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh. So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore, what God has joined together, let no man separate." That was Jesus's answer.

Now, imagine in the 21st century, the secular Pharisees of our day—the thought leaders of secular society—approaching Jesus with a different question. They might ask, "Is it right? Is it lawful for a man to identify himself however he wants, perhaps choosing from any one of 63 different genders, including non-binary?" How would Jesus respond? I think He would likely say something similar: "Have you not read that He who made them at the very beginning made them male and female?"

This is what we are given in the Scriptures: that gender is a part of God's created order.

It is crazy to imagine that a statement can be considered a human rights violation in Canada today. In the 21st century, it was passed last year as Bill C-16. It is now a human rights violation to say that. This concept is coming to a theater near you in America sooner than you think, so just wait.

This raises an interesting question: how could we have shifted like this so quickly? I believe the answer can be found in First Timothy. In First Timothy chapter 4, verse 1, Paul says, "Now the Spirit expressly says that in the latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth." Not your truth, not a truth, but the truth.

There will be people who depart from the truth, as Paul, inspired by the Spirit of God, wrote 2,000 years ago. We may wonder why this is happening. The answer is that God said it would. He told us that this would take place, so we should not be surprised by it.

How does this happen? It occurs because of the fallenness of humanity. Romans chapter 1 talks about this. In verse 20, Paul states, "For since the creation of the world, God's invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that humanity is without excuse." Paul emphasizes that it is self-evident that God exists. When you look at creation and all the things around us, it is clear that God is powerful, so much so that we are without excuse.

He goes on in verse 21, saying, "Although humanity knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were they thankful to Him, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools." Are we not seeing this today? We see it all around us.

It comes from, and it stems from, this rejection of the foundational principle: in the beginning, God created. God created us male and female, and He created us in this way for a purpose. So, gender is part of God's created order and design. When we read the realities of this, even if it's just inferred in First Timothy chapter 5, verses 1 and 2, we see this point.

Families exist because of this created design. The family unit exists because of this created design. We live in a world in which it means something to have fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers. Paul highlights those terms here in First Timothy chapter 5: fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers. Every culture under the sun lives with this construct, this reality of fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers. Where do we get this whole thing? We get it because, in the beginning, God created male and female. For this reason, He said, "Go," and He gave them a blessing in the form of a command: "Be fruitful and multiply."

What comes when you're fruitful and multiply? Fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers—seven and a half billion of them on the planet. It would seem to be self-evident that this is reality and that the construct is important. This fathers, mothers, sisters, and brothers construct, this thing that God ordained and created, is important to society. So much so that even The New York Times recognized it back in 2012. An op-ed written then by William Bennett, a former Secretary of Education, states, "The family is the nucleus of civilization and the basic social unit of society."

Aristotle, in ancient Greece, wrote that the family is nature's established association for the supply of man's everyday wants. He goes on in the article to say that for a civilization to succeed, the family must succeed. God created man. Genesis 1:27 states, "God created man in His own image; in the image of God, He created him; male and female, He created them." God blessed them and said to them, "Be fruitful and multiply." This creation is God's created order, even this construct which some would refer to.

As a binary construct, either/or, black/white, male/female, this binary construct is as God created and ordained it. However, if you start with a different premise—no God—then just about anything is possible. Any weird thing is possible when you change the foundational truth. You get away from that.

Of course, even though God created it this way, the world we live in, the world we examine, is not that way. Point number three hundred: both gender and family were broken by the fall. Why is the world as confused as it is in the 21st century? Because gender and family were broken in the fall. Is there anyone in this world who does not acknowledge the brokenness of this?

Going back to that op-ed from William Bennett in 2012, he says this is one example of the brokenness of our culture today: more than half of all births to American women under 30 occur outside of marriage. The out-of-wedlock birthrate in the United States has passed 40 percent. Think about that for a moment. The out-of-wedlock birthrate in the United States of America, as of 2012, has passed 40 percent. In 1960, it was lower than a quarter. Among African American women, it was 70 percent in 2012.

So, we have left this idea of family—fathers, mothers, husbands, wives—as God ordained. We wonder how that is working. I mean, we can examine the evidence. How is that ultimately working? Well, we see the brokenness of society.

To recap for just a moment, Timothy Paul says back in chapter 3, verse 15, that you need to know how to conduct yourself so that you would be an example of and to believers in your conduct in the house of God. You need to be an example in your love, in your faith, and in your purity, and in your exercise of the Word of God. You need to know how to conduct yourself with men and women, older or younger than you. You need to know how to interact with them with honor, sincerity, and purity. People need to see that in your life.

The work that Jesus does points to the fact that He repairs broken identities and families. We see the brokenness all around us, and the Gospel tells the story of how Jesus redeems, restores, and repairs that brokenness. Many of you here today came out of brokenness and have experienced the power of Jesus to respond to and repair that brokenness.

I believe that our world, our culture, which is all destabilized, needs to see in us, the people of Jesus, the church, how that restoration and repair can happen. It should not be a surprise to us that our culture and society do not know how to fix this brokenness. Psychologists see it, psychiatrists see it, anthropologists see it, and sociologists see it. They all identify the problem of brokenness, but how do we address this brokenness?

We might ask the person who does not believe in the beginning that God created the heavens and the earth. They do not believe that; they believe we just happened. We do not know how, but we just happened through billions of years. How do we deal with the brokenness? They say we just embrace the brokenness, we just tolerate the brokenness, we just celebrate the brokenness. However, the brokenness continues; it does not change, it just gets more and more fractured and broken.

I suggest to you that Jesus has a better answer for the brokenness through the Gospel. That is why it is called the Gospel; it is good news. Jesus has the restorative answer for the brokenness of the world.

Later, Paul is going to say this in 1 Timothy 6. You can look ahead to 1 Timothy 6, verse 3. If anyone teaches otherwise, they instruct against this foundational truth that we hold to. If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of the Lord Jesus Christ and to the doctrine which accords with godliness or righteousness, that person is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, and evil suspicions. That description fits Western culture in the 21st century.

Disputes and arguments over words bring envy, strife, reviling, and evil suspicions. These are useless wranglings, as mentioned in verse 5, concerning men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth. There it is again: when we leave the truth and say everything is post-truth, your truth, and relative truth, this is where we end up.

Skip down to the end of chapter 6, verse 20 of First Timothy. Oh Timothy, guard what is committed to your trust. What has been committed to our trust? The doctrine of God. Avoid the profane and idle babblings and predictions of what is falsely called knowledge. For example, Google how many genders there are—63. This is what is falsely called knowledge. By professing it, as stated in verse 21, some have strayed concerning the faith. Grace be with you, Timothy. Amen.

So Paul says, "Listen Timothy, you are in this culture." The first-century Greco-Roman culture was not all that different in philosophy, worldview, and insanity from 21st-century Western culture. The bedrock of 21st-century culture hasn't changed much. Science, medicine, and technology have changed, but the makeup of humanity has not. We are still saying the same things.

Paul continues, "Timothy, you're there in this crazy upheaval of culture. Grace be to you." We need grace in this reality, but we also need to understand this truth: point number five, the church is to be the right expression of gender clarity and familial wholeness. People in our community need to see in the church that we have a clear understanding of reality as it relates to gender and identity. They need to see in the family of the church a sense of familial wholeness.

That is not what they are seeing in the world. They need to see it in us, the church. They should be able to see in us that we treat people who are older or younger, male or female, with sincerity, honor, respect, and purity. This needs to be expressed, and while it is not always evident, it must be expressed by God's grace in us.

Grace be with you. We need that to be expressed in us, and we should not be surprised that families have been totally disrupted by the tragedy of sin. It shouldn't boggle our minds that the world is in the chaos that it is; it's a reality of the brokenness of sin. We should not be surprised that the brokenness of the fall has caused confusion around God's created order and His design in the area of gender. That shouldn't surprise us. It might shock us some of the craziness that happens, but it shouldn't surprise us.

In that final word of Paul to Timothy, "Grace be with you," we need to be those who have compassion towards people who are in the brokenness. Would to God that we would be able to see, as I believe it's Matthew chapter 9 describes, like Jesus sees. Jesus, seeing the multitudes, was moved with compassion because they were like sheep scattered and weary. God, give us the grace and the compassion to see the people in our neighborhoods, our workplaces, and our community who are in the brokenness, and to be moved with compassion for them. They need the Good Shepherd to bring them into His flock, to adopt them into His family, so they can experience the restoring, reparative power of God in their lives. Amen.

Would you stand with me as we close in prayer? Father, thank You for becoming our Father. We read in the Scriptures, "Behold what manner of love the Father has given to us, that we should be called the children of God." It's amazing love. Jesus, we thank You that You demonstrated Your love towards us, that while we were still sinners, You died for us. We are going to be celebrating in just a month the death, burial, and resurrection—the event by which You have made it possible for us to be forgiven, redeemed, restored, and repaired.

God, work in us, Your church, so that we would experience this wholeness as the family of God. May we express it in the way that we conduct ourselves with those who are older or younger, male and female, without prejudice and without partiality. That this world would see that and desire it, because I think that's what people genuinely desire. God, work in us, Your church.

Pray, praise Jesus.