2020-02-02 I Timothy 1:3-4, 6-7 DOCTRINE MATTERS (1): GETTING IT WRONG

DOCTRINE MATTERS (1): GETTING IT WRONG (I Tim 1:3-4, 6-7) February 2, 2020 Read I Tim 1:3-7 – We live in a time when doctrine is out and feelings are in. Most churches are far more interested in meeting “felt needs” than in exposing real needs. The goal is to entertain rather than teach; to send people away feeling good about themselves rather than knowing truth about God. Problem is, you can feel good right into disaster – if you don’t know truth. On July 17, 1999, news reported a plane piloted by JFK, Jr. had not reached its intended destination in Martha’s Vineyard? Eventually, they found the fuselage with JFK, his wife and wife’s sister, in 120 feet of water. The NTSB eventually concluded that Kennedy, who was not instrument rated, had fallen victim to “spatial disorientation” in thick fog over the area. All pilots know when visual cues are lost, it becomes impossible to determine right side up from upside down. It can feel like you’re pulling up when you’re actually in a nosedive – which is just what Kennedy did – feeling perfectly good about his actions while actually diving to his death. The truth of the instrument panel could have saved him, but either he could not read it or did not trust it. Truth matters. That’s the burden of Paul’s message in these verses. Notice he references “doctrine” twice. In v. 3 – “different doctrine”, and in v. 10 – “sound doctrine” – one bad, one good, one leading to disaster, the other leading to life. Doctrine matters. The word means teaching. Paul’s point is there is good and bad teaching, and it is critically important to know the difference. Problem was, there was some bad teaching going on in Ephesus. This happens so easily; the lessons are timeless. Paul spent 3 years of his own time in Ephesus – more than any other church. He had warned them in his last visit in Acts 20:29) I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30) and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31) Only 5 years later, it had happened. So, 3) “As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine.” Paul knew the eternal destiny of many hung in the balance, so he compares false teaching with the truth – different doctrine with sound doctrine. So important! Today we’ll see what comprises “different doctrine” and next week “sound doctrine.” In a sense this is the whole book in summary form. 1 I. Different Doctrine Timothy is to “charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine.” This was actually happening, so Timothy is charged by Paul, who’s charged by God, to weed this out. Different doctrine is fatal and must be identified and exterminated. He gives some characteristics so we can identify and avoid it. A. Its Basis – Wrong Use of the Law False teaching always gets the Law wrong. 7) “desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.” What law? Well, the whole OT in a way. But it’s the moral law -- the Ten Commandments basically in view here. False teachers “make confident assertions” without knowing what they are saying. Great intentions, but they’ve got it all wrong. How could that be? The same way people always get the law wrong. They see it as a means of salvation rather than a result of salvation. Their teaching “promotes speculations rather than the stewardship (or plan) from God that is by faith.” They teach: by works! God’s true means of salvation is by faith in Christ; these guys teach, “Be good. Do better. Keep the law. That’ll save you.” Paul counters, 9understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just.” That is, the law was not given to make you just. You’re asking it to do something it can’t do; was never intended to do. Salvation by works will never work! Jesus says in Mark 1:17b, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.” That doesn’t mean there were righteous people in Jesus’ time who didn’t need Him! He’s saying, “There are a lot of people who think they have no need for a physician. I have not come for them. They will not come to me. I’ve come for those who know they’re sinners.” Those who think they’re good enough will one day find their good enough was not good enough. The law wasn’t meant to help us lift ourselves by our own bootstraps. But that’s where false teaching always goes. Every religion, except Christianity, says, “You can get to God if you just do this and try hard enough.” Jesus says, “You can’t get to God on your own. But I’ll take you there if you’ll let me.” I was 5 or 6, sitting in our farm kitchen listening to the radio -- a story about a little train engine in the freight yard pulling a few cars on and off switches. One morning a long train of fully loaded cars asked one of the big engines to 2 pull it over a steep hill. The engine replied, “I can’t. It’s too much of a pull for me.” Other big engines also refused. When finally asked, the little engine said, “I think I can do it. I’ll take the job.” And you know the rest. He told himself all the way, “I think I can. I think I can.” As he got closer to the top, everything slowed. “I – think – I – can. I – think – I – can.” But with great determination he finally made the top and started down the other saying, “I thought I could. I thought I could.” That’s the false teachers. “You can do it if you just try hard enough.” They appoint the law as Savior. But they’re asking it to do what it was never meant to do. Yet false teaching will always say, “I think I can if I just do this or that and try hard enough.” B. Its Content – Speculation What is most troubling about false teaching, of course, is its content. It strays from the “gospel of the glory of the blessed God” (11), the heart of God’s Word. Instead, false teachers “devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies” (4) which lead to nothing but “vain discussion” (6). In other words, the false teachers are novelty seekers. They prefer something new, different, entertaining and enticing to the simple truth of God’s revelation. Paul does not define “myths and endless genealogies.” Some have thought he is referring to the incipient gnostic teaching which he tackles extensively in Colossians. Based on Greek dualism which teaches spirit is good and matter is bad, the gnostics proposed a whole series of beings between man and God composed of ever-increasing spirituality But that’s not what he means here. Paul warns of the danger of “wander[ing] off into myths” in II Tim 4:4. He calls them “irreverent, silly myths” in I Tim 4:7. In a similar passage urged Titus to rebuke false teachers who were “devoting themselves to Jewish myths” (Titus 1:14). So he’s likely referring to myths and genealogies originating with Jewish scholars. And there was no lack of those. Great volumes of oral, Jewish tradition had built up around the law to further define it in a way they could keep. Most Jews viewed these traditions as more binding than the law itself. Thus, Jesus, was constantly tearing away at the traditions while holding the law itself in highest regard. Mt 5:17: “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them.” The Law was one thing; manmade adjustments another thing entirely, and Jewish tradition had many. Jewish rabbis also competed with each other in spinning endless yarns to teach some moral lesson derived from OT genealogies! Based on the meaning of 3 some name they’d generate an entire personal history which was nothing but speculation. Always looking for new, hidden meaning! One rabbi said this of Psa 53:1: “The fool has said in his heart there is no God.” Fool in Hebrew is nabal which he noted is an anagram for Laban – brother of Rebekkah, who must have been a fool. Sounded great. Had nothing to do with either text. There was also endless speculation around hidden messages derived in an infinite variety of ways. Hebrew letters were given numerical values and then interpreted to mean almost anything. For example, Psa 9:2: “I will rejoice and exult in you.” The Hebrew consonants “in you” (bk) have a value of 22 – the number of letters in the Hebrew alphabet. So he interpreted “I will rejoice in what is written in 22 letters – the Torah.” Clever, except God is actually saying He exults in people, and it has nothing to do with 22. Another tradition noted there are 248 positive and 365 negative commands in the Torah – total 613 – same as the number of bones in the body – thus teaching us to observe those 613 with every bone in our body. We all love novelty. Everyone wants in on some new and deeper truth from God. Sometimes it derives from a misinterpreted text. One youth leader taught the capture of Jericho shows if you claim something and march around it 7 times, it will fall to you. That led to guys finding ways to march around the girl of their choice seven times expecting the walls of her heart to fall down! Other times the novelty comes from outside the text as new revelation. Dreams, visions, special words from God. One seminary president urges students: “If one speaks a 'Thus says the Lord,' and dares to address the fellowship in the first person – even going beyond the words of Scripture – we may expect new things to occur in our day and days to come." This despite God’s comment in II Tim 3:16-17: “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.” That’s God saying, “What I’ve already given is sufficient. Study that. Learn that. Live that. It is all you need. There are no shortcuts.” So who will you believe, the purveyor of new revelation – or God? Myths and endless genealogies – the insatiable search for something new – something self-glorifying. It’s everywhere, but it’s false doctrine, not sound doctrine. C. Its Results – A Confused Mind 4 Note the results of false teachers. They “promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith” (4b). And they “have wandered away into vain discussion” (6b). False teaching promotes speculation rather than certainty; it promotes vain discussion rather than truthful exposition – endless seeking for truth, but never finding it. You can see this so clearly in our day in the desire for sermonic dialogues rather than expositions of truth. Not how Paul characterizes false teachers: “desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions.” If you start with the wrong premise, you can’t end in truth. But you can say it so confidently. How do I get to God? “Just keep the law as I’ll interpret it for you.” They sound so sure. But it all leads to speculation, right? Keep the law. Okay, but we both know I can’t keep it perfectly. So just how good is good enough? And how do I know that your interpretation is right? There’s no certainty there. And when the content is myth, allegorized text, and new revelation – especially when those are contrary to one another, how can I be sure about anything? The number 666 has been used at one time or another to identify every international villain from Caesar to Napoleon to Hitler. A few years ago a book called The Bible Code supposedly used a complicated computer formula to unlock 3,000 year-old prophecies of events like the assassination of JFK and the election of Bill Clinton – everything from the holocaust to Hiroshima, to the moon landing – all revealed after the fact, of course! Religious novelties abound – always have an always will. Our insatiable appetite for something new and different means there will always be a market. Don’t be sucked in. Such teachers have “wandered away into vain discussions.” Wandered away from what? From the glorious truth of the gospel of JC as presented in God’s Word. From sound doctrine. God warns in II Tim 4:3: “For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions.” Itching ears is literally tickled ears – pleasure in the new as opposed commitment to the truth. The antidote: get grounded in the Word. There is enough nuance in the beauty of the gospel, you don’t have to look elsewhere for novelty. Beauty is found in truth. Conc – Years ago when pastoring a church in SoCal, I got a call one day from a young woman working for Cru at the local high school. She asked if I knew a particular young girl. I did -- an officer in our youth group. She asked if I knew that she was being baptized into the Mormon church the next week. That 5 I did not know. But she had embraced the attractive social offerings and eartickling novelties of that church. But when I talked to her she had no idea that they taught that Jesus and Satan were brothers. She had no idea that the Smithsonian Institute has stated in unequivocal terms that its archaeologists see "no direct connection between the archaeology of the New World and the subject matter of the Book of Mormon." She did not know in the words of John Weldon, "No Book of Mormon cities have ever been located, no Book of Mormon artifacts, no Book of Mormon scriptures, no Book of Mormon inscriptions . . . nothing which demonstrates the Book of Mormon is anything other than myth or invention has ever been found." But she was ready to commit to the myth and the genealogies of that false teaching. How do we make sure something similar doesn’t happen to us? Trade in itching ears for listening ears. Read the truth, study the truth, learn the truth, live the truth – the truth of the Word. Doctrine matters. Let’s pray. 6