We are in the middle of a two-part sermon regarding “How the Church Should Handle the Truth.”
We’re looking at a long passage, so I broke it up into two sermons.
Let’s look at the passage now. Join me in 1 Timothy 3, starting in verse 14.
3:14 I write these things to you, hoping to come to you soon. 15 But if I should be delayed, I have written so that you will know how people ought to conduct themselves in God’s household, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and foundation of the truth. 16 And most certainly, the mystery of godliness is great:
He was manifested in the flesh,
vindicated in the Spirit,
seen by angels,
preached among the nations,
believed on in the world,
taken up in glory.
4:1 Now the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will depart from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and the teachings of demons, 2 through the hypocrisy of liars whose consciences are seared. 3 They forbid marriage and demand abstinence from foods that God created to be received with gratitude by those who believe and know the truth. 4 For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, 5 since it is sanctified by the word of God and by prayer.
6 If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, nourished by the words of the faith and the good teaching that you have followed. 7 But have nothing to do with pointless and silly myths. Rather, train yourself in godliness. 8 For the training of the body has limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come. 9 This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance. 10 For this reason we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.
11 Command and teach these things. 12 Don’t let anyone despise your youth, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity. 13 Until I come, give your attention to public reading, exhortation, and teaching. 14 Don’t neglect the gift that is in you; it was given to you through prophecy, with the laying on of hands by the council of elders. 15 Practice these things; be committed to them, so that your progress may be evident to all. 16 Pay close attention to your life and your teaching; persevere in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers.
Pray with me now as we continue into this passage.
(prayer)
So, let’s catch up on our points from last week.
First, we learned that . . .
I. The church supports the truth.
Remember, the church refers to people, not a building, and these people are the pillars and foundation of the truth.
Second, we learned that . . .
II. False teachers distort the truth.
You may recall that the specific false teaching that Paul was referring to in this passage was those who made up extra rules for Christians to follow.
Paul described this false teaching as demonic.
Indeed, the church and its leaders should not tolerate false teaching.
Ok, that catches us up from last week. Let’s keep going now with part 2 of this passage.
Third, in order to know what is true from that which is false, . . .
III. We should train with the truth.
In verse 6, Paul encourages Timothy to point out false teaching and keep teaching good teaching.
Paul says if he does point out false teaching to the church (whom he calls brothers and sisters), he will be a good servant of Jesus. In other words, a faithful pastor will be sure to point his people to false teaching for their protection in the faith.
By the way, some major false teachings that plague the church today include . . .
Legalism, which is what Paul describes in this passage. Legalism adds extra rules in order to gain God’s favor.
Another is liberalism. Liberalism progressively starts to deny the authority of the Bible, and allows humanity and culture to dictate truth for the church.
A third is the prosperity gospel, also known as health and wealth theology. This belief teaches that if you truly love God, you will be wealthy, healthy, and prosperous. This belief cherry-picks verses from the Bible, while ignoring the totality of the Scripture, the actual experience of those in the Bible, and 2,000 years of church history.
There are certainly other false teachings, but these three are big ones in the modern church today.
Let me remind you, church: these beliefs are demonic.
Let’s move to verses 7 and 8.
Paul says, “But have nothing to do with pointless and silly myths. Rather, train yourself in godliness. For the training of the body has limited benefit, but godliness is beneficial in every way, since it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”
We’ve heard Paul speak to Timothy this way already; about avoiding silly teachings. He spoke about this in verses 3 and 4 of chapter 1. Instead of spending time focusing on silliness, Paul tells Timothy to train in godliness.
There’s certainly nothing wrong with the training of the body. I believe we should seek to be in good shape, and be good stewards of the bodies God has given us.
However, Paul wants to point us to that which is more beneficial.
Church, we should wake up and pay attention here. We can put a lot of energy into a lot of things, some of which are beneficial for us, but the best place to put our energy and focus is into becoming more godly.
We can put a lot of energy into getting healthy, getting wealthy, getting educated, getting comfortable, getting safe, getting secure, getting a good family, and more. All of those things can be beneficial. However, the most beneficial goal that you can achieve is to become godly!
Paul says godliness has promise, or benefits, in this life and in the life to come!
We should train with the truth!
We must become more and more godly. It will be for our benefit now and into eternity.
Then, Paul gives this helpful saying in verses 9-10. He says, “This saying is trustworthy and deserves full acceptance. For this reason we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe.”
Church, let us labor and strive because of the hope that is found in the living God, who is the Savior of all who believe.
Let us train in the truth.
Finally, . . .
IV. We should persevere in the truth.
Pay attention to these final verses:
Paul tells Timothy in verse 11, “Command and teach these things.”
Paul tells Timothy in verse 12, “ . . . set an example for the believers . . . ”
Paul tells Timothy in verse 13, “ . . . give your attention to public reading, exhortation, and teaching.”
Paul tells Timothy in verse 14, “Don’t neglect the gift that is in you . . .”
Paul tells Timothy in verse 15, “Practice these things,” and “ . . . be committed to them . . .”
Paul tells Timothy in verse 16, “Pay close attention to your life and your teaching,” and “ . . . persevere in these things.”
To persevere means to keep going, keep fighting, keep seeking out something. We ought to persevere in the truth!
Paul is giving clear instructions for Timothy that are for the good of the church. These are instructions for the local church. These are instructions for how the church should handle the truth.
Paul is imploring Timothy to stay faithful to the truth. Keep teaching the truth. Keep practicing the truth. Keep reading the truth. Don’t neglect the gift of the truth. Set an example in the truth. Be committed to the truth. And to persevere in the truth.
By the way, church, all of this is still applicable and important for us today.
These challenges are beneficial for church leaders today, and they are beneficial for church people today.
We must be people of the truth; we must be a church of the truth.
This passage also contains a famous verse that many teenagers claim as their own.
Look at verse 12: “Don’t let anyone despise your youth, but set an example for the believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.”
By the way, Timothy was certainly no teenager at this time. He was probably in his thirties. However, teenagers can certainly set an example for other believers in speech, in conduct, in love, in faith, and in purity.
Nevertheless, Timothy was considered a young pastor. I know what that feels like. As far as I know, when I became senior pastor of this church, I was one of the youngest ever in its history (perhaps the youngest). Not any longe; I’ve earned a lot of gray hairs since then.
Even if we are young in age, we ought not to be immature in the faith, especially if we are in positions of leadership.
By the way, catch this also: don’t let anyone despise your elderly age, either. If you are an elderly Christian, don’t consider your best days in the church behind you. Certainly, don’t become cranky and combative with those younger than you. Rather, set an example of godliness! Set the pace of godliness for our church!
Younger Christians ought not to think that they need to wait to be faithful Christians one day. Rather, they are to set an example for other Christians now. So also, elderly Christians ought not to think that they’re somehow separate from the rest of the church. Rather, they are to set an example for other Christians to follow.
Each of us and all of us should be living examples of the holiness and love of God, that others can look to for a life of godliness, and a life of truth.
I love how in verse 16, Paul tells Timothy to “persevere in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers.”
Now, we know Timothy himself cannot save anyone; he can’t save himself or his hearers. However, the truth can save Timothy, and the truth can save Timothy’s hearers.
Church, Paul is calling Timothy to persevere in the truth, and we should all accept this challenge to persevere in the truth!
Let this bottom line summarize what we are learning in this passage:
Bottom Line: Gospel people must be committed to gospel truth.
Timothy was a gospel person. Paul was a gospel person. Paul wanted the church in Ephesus to be gospel people, so he called them to be committed to the truth of the gospel.
The truth of the gospel is that God created us and loves us; sin separated us from God; God is pursuing us to forgive our sins through the life, death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus; God sent His Holy Spirit to be with His church; we are to proclaim the forgiveness offered through Jesus; and Jesus is coming back one day to judge sin and to make all things new.
We, the church, must be committed to gospel truth.
Challenge yourself this week in the following ways:
Weekly Challenge #1 – Embrace the truth in your life.
If you’ve not been changed by the gospel, really changed, embrace the truth in your life.
Be saved. Be changed. Be new.
Weekly Challenge #2 – Cultivate the truth in the church.
To cultivate means to prepare and nourish something so that it can grow.
We ought to be people who are committed to the truth. We ought to create an environment where the truth can grow and thrive in our church.
Let’s not neglect any of God’s ways for our lives, and let’s not add to what God has already given us. Rather, let’s be committed to the truth and cultivate the truth in our lives.
Weekly Challenge #3 – Spread the truth to the world.
Remember, Jesus said in John 8:32, “You will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”
So many people need to be set free. They’ll never know how to be set free unless someone tells them.
Will you spread the truth? Let us spread the truth in Bartow, in Polk County, and all over the world.
(Gospel presentation)
(closing prayer)
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