Uphold the Truth • 09.11.22
Nick Lees   -   September 11, 2022

Uphold the Truth
1 Timothy 1

Recognizing the difference between the truth and a lie

  1. Understand the source of the truth claim
  2. Evaluate the fruit of the truth claim
  3. Study the truth so you can spot a lie
  4. Believe, rejoice in, and hold fast to the truth of the Gospel

Pastoral Prayer

What a wonderful opportunity this morning to reflect on God’s faithfulness. He has provided everything we have needed for life and godliness. He is our Heavenly Father who has made a way for us through His Son, Jesus Christ. Our sin debt has been paid in full through the precious blood of Christ. We’ll have the opportunity at the end of our service today to respond to God’s faithfulness through Christ by celebrating the Lord’s Table together.

At this time, I have the privilege of leading us in a prayer of thanksgiving. As we prepare to do that, I want to remind you to fill out the Connect Cards at some point in this service to share any prayers/praises you may have. We would encourage everyone to fill these out every week.

I’ll also invite the ushers forward to prepare to take the offering after we pray.

Would you bow your heads with me?

Give Thanks

Sermon

Well let’s turn our attention now to the study of God’s word.

Dismiss 4th & 5th Graders

Today is our second week in our study of 1 + 2 Timothy in a series we’re calling Blueprint for the Church. If you couldn’t be with us last Sunday, I would highly recommend you go on our website and listen to last week’s sermon which is an overview of both books. It will help you understand what is happening in these books and why we’ve chosen to study them. Today we’re starting our verse-by-verse study in 1 Timothy 1.

Ushers + Bibles (Page 1177 Black; Page 576 Blue)

Last week one of the key ideas we talked about was that faithful churches teach sound doctrine (belief). Meaning they teach what is true according to the author of truth, God. Unfortunately, in the church in Ephesus, there were false teachers rising up and teaching false doctrine that was leading people away from the truth. From what we’re going to see in these letters, it seems that these false teachers were teaching a variety of bad things:

  • Creating a religion from myths and Old Testament genealogies
  • Incorrectly handling the Old Testament law, applying it in wrong ways to Christians
    • Restricting intake of certain foods
    • Forbidding marriage
  • Promoting some sort of prosperity gospel, imagining godliness is for worldly gain
  • Limiting the Gospel to the Jews and ignoring the call to reach all nations (Gentiles)

Paul knew this was going to happen, he had warned the church leadership that it would happen, and he even sent his disciple, Timothy, to lead the church in their response to it. That’s what is happening in this first letter. So, without further ado, let’s read 1 Timothy 1:

1 Timothy 1:1-20 (ESV)

As we dive deeper into this text, our goal is…

Recognizing the difference between the truth and a lie

Paul is wasting no time in his letter to Timothy. Rather than giving thanks and offering a prayer like he normally does in his letters, here he jumps right into the problems in Ephesus and the reason he is writing. There are false teachers teaching different doctrines than the truth and he wants Timothy to charge/command them not to continue in it. He is very concerned about the awful fruit this kind of false teaching will produce, including people walking away from the faith, bringing reproach on the name of Christ, and sinning against God.

Though this letter is dealing with a specific issue in Ephesus in Paul and Timothy’s lifetime, the problem of false teachers teaching false doctrine is a timeless challenge. Ever since Satan aspired to rebel against God, there have been false teachers teaching lies. Humanity has struggled with lies ever since the garden in Genesis 3 when Satan disguised as a serpent said, “Did God actually say…” *Pause*

It is almost certain that you personally know someone who has been led astray by false teachers. Or perhaps this has even happened to you, and you have tasted the bitter fruit of following a lie. These are painful and personal lessons with potentially eternal consequences. False teachers are not to be taken lightly, as we’ve already begun to see in 1 Timothy 1. I hope you would say, “I don’t want to see anyone shipwreck their faith by rejecting the truth for a lie!” Well, what are you to do, then, about false teachers/false teaching? There are four specific actions that I want to share with you as we seek to recognize the difference between the truth and a lie. The first action is this…

  1. Understand the source of the truth claim

It is tempting for us to blow right by the opening verses of this letter. Verses 1-2 may seem to contain such insignificant details to you. “Yea, yea, Paul wrote it… it’s to Timothy… got it, let’s get to the good stuff.” SLOW DOWN THERE! This is the good stuff, and you do not want to blow by it.

Paul is opening his letter to Timothy, and the church in Ephesus, by reminding them of the source of his calling and commission. Paul was an apostle commissioned by God. I spoke to you last week of his incredible encounter with the resurrected Jesus on the road to Damascus. Jesus Christ had personally appeared to Paul to confront Paul and call him to believe in and follow Jesus. Paul’s ministry was not self-appointed; it was God-appointed! *Pause* And he’s writing to his disciple, Timothy, who is also a trustworthy teacher. You heard in verse 18 that Timothy had prophetic words spoken about his calling into ministry.

These men are representatives of the One, True God and they are trustworthy sources of teaching and correction. The message they proclaim has its origin in the teachings of Jesus Christ. In fact, one of the benefits of being modern-day Christians, is that we have the benefit of having the entire Word of God written down and assembled into a single bound book for our consumption. We can go back to the Gospel accounts and verify that what Paul is teaching is indeed what Jesus taught during his life and ministry.

That’s an important point! Whether it is Paul, Timothy, Nick Lees, John MacArthur, or any other teacher, including these false teachers in Ephesus, you should always seek to understand the source of the truth claims. Just because someone says it is true does not make it so!

We all intuitively know this… and I can prove it. When a young child comes running up to you out of breath and says they are being chased by a lion, you don’t immediately take their word for it, do you? “Let’s go get the gun!” NO! Unless you live in sub-Saharan Africa anyways. It is likely this child is not telling the truth! And you know better than to take them at face value.

But, for some reason, perhaps laziness or because we’re too trusting, we don’t hold all adults to the same standard of scrutiny. We’re going to hear in later weeks of this series that there were people in Ephesus who had been led astray by these false teachers. They listened and followed the lies that were being taught to them! They had not sought to understand the source of the truth claim. The same can easily happen to us today if we are not willing to do the work of bringing truth claims back to the Bible to see if it aligns with what God says is true.

This is, of course, assuming that the Bible is God’s Word and our source of truth. That is a foundational belief for our church members, but I realize that some of you who are visiting or even attending regularly may not believe that. Our church very much agrees with Paul’s teaching in 2 Timothy 3:

2 Timothy 3:16–17 (ESV)

16 All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.

This is known as the inspiration of Scripture. That God is the one who guided the human authors to write and record everything he wanted written down. He is the source of all Scripture, and he cannot lie. The Scriptures are the words of the Truth-telling God. The Apostle Peter also points to God as the source of the Scriptures:

2 Peter 1:16–21 (ESV)

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised myths when we made known to you the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 For when he received honor and glory from God the Father, and the voice was borne to him by the Majestic Glory, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased,” 18 we ourselves heard this very voice borne from heaven, for we were with him on the holy mountain.

19 And we have the prophetic word more fully confirmed, to which you will do well to pay attention as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts, 20 knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

Peter points out that the teaching of the prophets in the Old Testament and the apostles in the New Testament came as they spoke and wrote as they were led by God the Holy Spirit. The ultimate source of the truth claims of Scripture are God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. And God chose to spread the Gospel truth through human ambassadors, after the death, burial, and resurrection of His Son. That’s who Paul and Timothy are… ambassadors for Christ. Commissioned by God to share the truth of the Gospel with the Ephesians and all who would listen around the world. We can definitively know the source of their truth claim.

But what about the other party in Ephesus? The ones whom Paul is writing about… The false teachers who are teaching a different doctrine. These folks, which include men like Hymenaeus and Alexander, are rejecting the faith and good conscience (v19-20). That’s not exactly a point in their favor, is it? They are opposed to God, the source of truth.

Clearly, they are not from God, which is further evidenced by how their teachings conflict with the Gospel. Paul says that they are teachers without understanding. They were trying to take the teachings of the Old Testament law and apply them to Christians in ways contrary to the Gospel. They’re making up their own religion! *Pause*

Where are we going with this? It is important when you’re presented with competing truth claims to seek to understand the source of each claim. In this case, we have one coming from messengers of God, in line with what Jesus taught in his lifetime, and the other coming from men who have rejected the faith and good conscience. To whom should the Ephesians listen and believe? The source of a truth claim is very important!

You may respond with suspicion to a child who tells you they are being chased by a lion… and rightly so… but you’d better take it seriously if it’s your safari tour guide in Zimbabwe shouting it! One is much more credible than the other. And, in our case, we’re talking about Paul + Timothy, representing God, vs. some men in Ephesus who oppose the teachings of the Bible. I am going to trust the truth claim that has God as its source!

Another step to take in recognizing the difference between the truth and a lie is to…

  1. Evaluate the fruit of the truth claim

Every belief leads to a particular kind of practice/fruit. What kind of fruit is produced from following this truth claim? Paul points out the different fruits of these competing truth claims in verses 4-5.

The false teachers are producing speculations and vain discussions, literally translated as fruitless discussions. They’re just guessing about things based on their studies of myths and genealogies. Their endless discussions are producing nothing of value.

Compare that to the stewardship that is produced by following God’s truth, the Gospel. We’ve talked a lot about stewardship over the life of our church. Stewardship is wise management of what God has entrusted to us, and he has entrusted EVERYTHING to us! We own nothing, and he owns everything. So, following God’s truth and ways produces the fruit of wise stewardship of everything in life – our time, talents, treasure, speech, and so on. Your entire life is transformed by the Gospel!

Paul goes on to say in verse 5 that his aim in charging Timothy to stop these false teachers is love! He wants to promote the essential Christian fruit of love. We’ve heard about this recently from a study of 1 Corinthians 13 during our last Song of Solomon sermon. Remember the strong words from 1 Corinthians 13:1-3? Without biblical love, we are nothing, produce nothing of value, and gain nothing of value.

Paul says these false teachers have swerved away from a pure heart, good conscience, and a sincere faith – the very things essential to have biblical love. Their choice to walk down a different path has produced nothing of value! Fruitless discussion. Endless speculations. They walk around talking about things of which they have no understanding, but they do so with CONFIDENCE! They’re arrogant!

This is the same way false teachers function today. Speaking with confidence about things of which they have NO UNDERSTANDING – namely the Bible and real truth. I would never recommend this, but if you were to listen to Joel Osteen or Kenneth Copeland or Joyce Meyer, you will hear incredible confidence in their delivery. But their confidence is without understanding! They don’t know the truth of the Bible. They abuse and misuse Scripture to promote things that are godless and man centered. They are devoted to myths and man-made principles for how to get health/wealth/prosperity rather than the Word of God. And these are just 3 of many false teachers out there in our day and age! The fruit they produce is nothing of value, a way of life that will lead you away from God to death. *Pause*

The bottom line is that the Gospel produces transformed lives. It transformed Paul and Timothy, and it will transform all who hear and believe it. Listen to Paul’s admonition to Timothy in his second letter:

2 Timothy 2:8-10 (ESV)

8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

Paul and Timothy became sufferers for the Gospel. So that some might be saved. They wanted to see men and women rescued out of sin and death and brought into the kingdom of God. To have the hope of eternal glory with God. I love the prayer that Paul & Timothy write in the letter to the Colossians:

Colossians 1:9–14 (ESV)

9 And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, 10 so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;

11 being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy; 12 giving thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light. 13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

Their life and ministry was all about producing transformed lives that reflect the beauty of God’s kingdom for the glory of God. The fruit of their truth claim was eternal life while the fruit of the false teachers was death and separation from God. As you’re seeking to discern the difference between the truth and a lie, make sure to evaluate the fruit of the truth claims. Sound doctrine ought to produce sound living aka stewardship.

However, don’t get caught up in solely looking for fruit. While fruit is important, it is not the only measure of the truth. There are some false teachers out there who, from the outside looking in, appear to bear some good fruit of a disciplined and attractive life.

So, a third thing you ought to do as you distinguish the truth from a lie is…

  1. Study the truth so you can spot a lie

It is very important to be well-versed in the truth so that you can more easily detect the lies! Charles Spurgeon is known for the following statement that reflects the need to know the truth:

Discernment is not knowing the difference between right and wrong. It is knowing the difference between right and almost right.

Many lies will disguise themselves in pretty packaging. It will sound so close to the truth that it may be very hard to understand how it’s not the truth unless you’re well versed in the truth.

Consider the situation in Ephesus. In verses 8-11, Paul reveals a bit about the false teaching that was going on there. Apparently, they were applying the Old Testament law in incorrect ways to Christians. Paul corrects them by explaining the true purpose of the law in these verses. The law is for sinners – to convict or condemn them. It is meant to help a person see their need for a Savior! Which, if you read the list that he rattles off, includes pretty much everyone who has walked the earth.

None of us can measure up to the law. Living under the law leaves us hopeless and dead in our sin. It reveals the righteousness of God in judging us for our rebellion. Under the law, every man, woman, boy, or girl stands condemned.

Except Jesus Christ! He perfectly obeyed the law and met every criterion for righteousness. Which is why he is able to stand in our place and pay the penalty for our sin as the God-man on the cross. This is now transitioning into the Gospel message that Paul preaches and is entrusted with. The Gospel is a message of salvation for sinners. While the law condemns, the Gospel saves. And when a man or woman puts their faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of their sins, then the law no longer applies to them in the way it once did. In the eyes of God, the law has been fulfilled for them by Christ. His perfect righteousness is counted on our behalf. That’s why it’s called the Good News!

This is what Paul is celebrating in his testimony in verses 12-17. He had been dead in his sin, formerly a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent of God and the church. Yet, through the grace, love, and mercy of Jesus Christ, Paul received that which he hadn’t deserved or earned – forgiveness! Paul’s sin had earned him condemnation under the law, but, through faith in Jesus, the Gospel declared him forgiven and redeemed!

It’s safe to say that Paul became an expert in knowing the truth of the Gospel. He is one of the greatest proponents of it in the New Testament. In the majority of his letters, he starts with rehearsing the truths of the Gospel before transitioning into the application of the Gospel to our lives. Paul got it. Do you?

You must know the truth of the Gospel inside and out, so you can respond appropriately when being taught lies. Lies often disguise themselves to sound almost like the truth. They aim to be appealing, otherwise you’d reject them outright and they wouldn’t deceive you! *Pause*

Do you know the Gospel inside and out? How would you explain the Gospel if someone asked you to tell it to them? As Christians, we must know the truth of what we believe. If you’re freezing up when someone asks you to explain the Gospel, then you need hit “the Book” and dive deep into understanding God’s Word. Frankly, all of us need to diligently study God’s Word on a regular basis if we’re going to become so well-acquainted with the truth that we would recognize lies.

Resource Recommendation – What is the Gospel? (Greg Gilbert); A Gospel Primer (Milton Vincent)

Prioritize the Word before these resources. Know what God says, that’s far more important than what any man says. Grow in your comfort and confidence in explaining the Gospel to others. When you encounter people who claim to be Christians yet teach a different truth/Gospel, such as Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses or Seventh Day Adventists or Catholics or prosperity gospel preachers or self-proclaimed apostles or progressive Christians, then you can take them to Word and show them the TRUTH.

If you need help in growing familiar with God’s Word and knowing the truth, then I want to draw your attention to some resources our church has available for you. Some have been around all year, some are newer to us and I’m sharing them with you for the first time.

2022 Discipleship Resources

  • Bible Reading Plan
  • Scripture Memory
  • Podcasts + Online Training
  • RightNow Media (although there is some discernment needed on there even)
  • Small Groups
  • 1-on-1 Discipleship
  • Men’s + Women’s Ministries

You certainly don’t have to grow alone. There are plenty of people who want to study God’s word to know him and make him known at Harvest. I would encourage you to take advantage of these resources for your own growth and preparation for the ministry God has called you to as a Christian. You are his ambassador. You are called to represent and reflect Him. He expects you to make disciples! What a privilege this calling is!! What a joy to faithfully pursue it and watch Him work in and through us! *Pause*

If you’re here and you’re not trusting in Christ alone for your salvation, first we’re glad you’re here. Second, I’d encourage you to ask yourself, “What is preventing me from acknowledging my sin and trusting in Jesus Christ for forgiveness and new life?” You need a Savior. Just like I did. Just like Paul did. Just like everyone else who is here this morning. Jesus has made a way for you to be forgiven and redeemed, to get out of the kingdom of darkness and into his kingdom of light and life. What are you waiting for? I’d love to talk to you more about that after the service…

This ties directly into our final action for today…

  1. Believe, rejoice in, and hold fast to the truth of the Gospel

Paul’s testimony can be your testimony.

15 The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost.

In fact, Paul invites Timothy and the Ephesians, as well as you and me to join with him in praising God. He wants you to believe, rejoice in, and hold fast to this truth of the Gospel. We see this in verse 17.

17 To the King of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen.

Amen – agree that what Paul has said is true! Make it your own – “I believe!” Choose to rejoice in the incredible work of redemption that God has done in you. “Formerly I was ________, but I received mercy!” I love the lyrics to Matt Papa’s song His Mercy is More:

What love could remember no wrongs we have done
Omniscient, all knowing, He counts not their sum
Thrown into a sea without bottom or shore
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more

 

What patience would wait as we constantly roam
What Father, so tender, is calling us home
He welcomes the weakest, the vilest, the poor
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more

 

Praise the Lord, His mercy is more
Stronger than darkness, new every morn
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more

What riches of kindness He lavished on us
His blood was the payment, His life was the cost
We stood ‘neath a debt we could never afford
Our sins they are many, His mercy is more

Is that your song? Do you personally rejoice in the life-changing work of the Gospel? *Pause*

Paul finishes up chapter 1 by charging Timothy to hold fast to this Gospel. Wage the good warfare of the faith by holding fast to the truth and commanding others to stop their false teaching in the church.

Holding fast to the truth will not always be easy as we are constantly bombarded with lies and temptations. There will be days where your feelings tempt you to stay in bed and focus on self… to throw a big pity party rather than to get up and love God and others with all you’ve got. There will be moments where someone you’re interacting with challenges what you believe or tells you that you’re a fool for believing it. “Religion is just the opiate of the masses.” Those of other worldviews may tell you that you’re the one who is wrong, perhaps they’ll even tell you that you’re going to hell or that you’re a hateful bigot. How will you respond in such situations? Will you have confidence in the truth and respond in gentle, yet firm refutation of their lies? Or will you give up and give yourself over to sin?

As this chapter ends, Paul speaks of specific people who had done just that – Hymenaeus and Alexander. There will be others that he mentions throughout these letters too. People who chose to reject the faith and pursue a lie. These two were leaders who are now trying to influence others to follow their rebellion. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing and Paul has tough words for them. He speaks of handing them over to Satan that they may learn not to blaspheme. He is speaking of the process of excommunication from the church – giving them over to their sin that they might taste the horrible fruit of it and hate it and come back to the Lord. This is the final step of church discipline, as we see outlined by Jesus in Matthew 18:15-18 and practiced in 1 Corinthians 5 with the unrepentant man.

One of the ways that the church can uphold the truth and hold fast to the Gospel is by taking sin seriously and not allowing unrepentant sin to remain unaddressed in the body. We must care about holiness. And while it is true that all Christians sin, a distinguishing difference between a Christian and an unbeliever is that a Christian will repent (turn from) their sin when confronted. As the church, we must uphold the truth by providing accountability to those stuck in unrepentant sin, including going through the church discipline process – for the sake of their souls and their restoration and the glory of God. *Pause*

We’ll continue to go deeper on these topics as we progress through these letters. As we’ve heard today, truth and holiness are incredibly important in the church. A faithful church teaches sound doctrine and lives it out. Their lives are shaped by the truth. They seek to walk in holiness. I hope and pray that this would be true of us. May each one of us take our walk with the Lord seriously and may we actively be putting off sin/lies as we dig deep into the truth of God’s Word and the application of it.