"3 If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, 4 he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, 5 and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain."
Good Morning Beloved,
Welcome to worship this Lord's Day!
We are so glad that our brothers and sisters from around the world are here with us today.
Please know, that we continue to pray for all of you, daily and throughout the day.
The term fundamentalist has become a deprecatory pejorative term used to
disparage and ridicule naïve literalists who hold the Bible to be the
Word of God. Consequently, evangelical leaders today, quite often shy away from doing
anything that would make them appear too firm in defense of the faith
or even somewhat aggressive in pursuit of the truth. Most pastors want to be acceptable to the elite of the religious
world, and the congregation, though they don’t necessarily wish to cast aside their faith in the
Bible as the Word of God.
Allow me boldly to state for the record, I am a
naïve literalist when it comes to the Word of God. I accept that God
said exactly what He has meant to say. Therefore, it is not my place, nor is it my job to make His words palatable
for modern culture or philosophy; rather, I am responsible to declare God's, truth, exactly as He has
given, warning the lost, and the self-righteous to flee the day of the coming wrath, all the while, urging the
righteous to stand firm in the faith. Undoubtedly, that makes me an extremist, a fundamentalist, or hardliner in the eyes of many. However, as with many labels, the
term covers a multitude of sins, meaning pretty much whatever the one
tossing around the term desires it to mean. If I am to wear the label, I shall do so proudly, without apology, for I firmly stand on the Word of the Mighty God, that I serve, the One true Living God.
I submit, that though the world around us may be constantly changing it's view on biblical truth, to satisfy the modern culture, however, God's Word, has and always will, continue to stand firm!
Over the years, I have been told, "You are a powerful preacher, and you could pastor any number of our churches, just about anywhere you'd like, if you would just be more reasonable, more sensitive to the needs of the modern culture. Find a nicer way to speak the truth, so that people wouldn't be offended.
Beloved, as I recall, this was precisely the complaint that the religious leaders of Jesus' day made about Him. And, it is essentially the same
thing the Judaizers said to the Apostle Paul.
May Almighty God Himself deliver His people from
such compromise! Beloved, I encourage all of you to know what you believe and to know why you believe it. And to stand firm in this faith. I give my promise to all of you to commit to encourage you so long as God allows.
Let us bow our heads in prayer.
Heavenly Father,
Father, Thank You for Your Word, we are grateful that You have given us sufficient warning, making us aware of the encroachment of error on the truth. Lord, we pray that You would raise up faithful teachers of the Word, unwilling to compromise truth for popularity among men. Help us to be faithful to You, desiring to serve and please You above all else.
Father, thank You for calling me to teach Your Word to a people where Your Word is adored and upheld. Bless those are teaching Your Word, raise up their voices, that Your truth would heard by people in all nations who have an ear to hear. Soften the hearts, and open the ears of the hearers, that would come to the saving truth. Convict the hearts those who are teaching error, teaching anything other than the whole counsel of Your Word, those who are teaching a false doctrine, that they would come to full repentance and obey Your commands. Strike down the plans of those who intend to usurp Your Authority. May it all be for Christ's sake and Your glory.
In Jesus' name
Amen
Today's Message: Compromising truth for godless gain
When God wrote the Ten Commandments, He begins with…"you shall have no other gods before Me." In our fallen, human reasoning, many have often interpreted this
commandment as not having any gods ahead of or before as in order of
first importance, before God. What this commandment actually states, however, is
that we are not to have any gods before God literally! That mean in God’s sight,
in front of Him for Him to see. As a footnote, God sees everything, even that which is done in secret.
I believe that the greatest need in the Christian life today, is to pursue godliness, and to do so with contentment. God’s grace is the necessary foundation of our obedience. He is the
covenant-keeping God who swore promises to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as
the covenant name LORD signifies. He is Lord over all!
Open with me your Bibles the Book of I Timothy chapter 6, again, as we look more closely verses 3
through 5. As we continue in our journey through this wonderful portion of the Word, we come to another passage that many pastors tend to go around, because it confronts those who teach something other than God's truth. Therefore, it is often viewed as controversial, in today's culture. However, as you know, we will explore every passage throughout the New Testament, without shame, fear or apprehension.
I would now like to encourage you to follow along with me as I read to
you from this portion of the Word of God. I believe there are great
truths to be revealed to us today. I Timothy 6:3-5.
"If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness, he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions, and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain."
I believe that there should be no question, that the instructions the Apostle Paul delivers continue in what should be seen by the church, to be
eminently practical and sound. To lead the congregation to be a praying church. To follow sound doctrine and order, appointing only those who are qualified to lead as elders. To seek out gifted men and women to provide service as deacons and within
the order of widows. To know that you will never be in the popular majority in
society, because society will become progressively more and more morally corrupt, as the end of the
age nears. Therefore, be godly in your own walk before the Lord. To seek peace with
all people. And to "Teach and preach these principles."
In contrast, the world, only offers us empty promises. Therefore, we can never be content with the things of this world. I want you to understand that. Further, following in the ways of this world, will only bring us to final destruction and eternal ruin.
The Apostle Paul opens his letter to Timothy, by reminding him that he must charge people "not to teach any different doctrine." Contemporary preaching appears to be based on several models that are, I believe, at
best, loosely secondary in the Word of God. It would appear that many of the seminaries and Bible Colleges, seek to train
pastors to function as administrators; and the expectation of church
boards is that they are hiring an church administrator rather than preachers of the Word of God.
The board then acts as sort of the board of a corporation and the pastor is viewed as
an ecclesiastical C.E.O,. who is hired to fulfill the expectations of the
business minded board. In other words, he serves at the pleasure of the board.
Rather than preachers of the Gospel message, pastors are now to be counselors, pulpit
psychologists, in order to help people deal with their emotional issues and problems, in coping with modern life. Therefore, pastors are responsible for equipping people to live a trouble-free life! Creating the mantra of the modern church, "Let us eat and drink and sin today, for tomorrow we die." Beloved, this is in direct opposition with the Word of God.
In is the words of the prophet Isaiah, in Isaiah 56:12, "Come," they say, "let us get wine, and let us drink heavily of strong drink; And tomorrow will be like today, only more so."
I was called by God, to teach and preach His Word, the message of Gospel, as it is written, not to disparage the work of administering congregational activities or otherwise
providing non biblical counsel for people who are struggling to know how to
respond righteously to life’s challenges.I believe that as teachers of the Word, we must always remember the apostolic admonition that is given to the man of God.
"I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom: preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. But you, be sober in all things, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." - II Timothy 4:1-5.
The incumbent call placed upon the man of God, is to first and foremost, "Preach!" A preacher is to proclaim the Word of God. To prepare the flock assigned to him by God, to "Be ready!"
Some time ago, I watched an interview with Joel Osteen. He was asked the
question, "What if you are Jewish or Muslim and don’t accept Christ at
all?" To which Osteen answered, I’m very careful to say who would or wouldn’t go
to heaven. Osteen went on to say that he spent time in India with his
father and he saw their religion as well as their sincerity, he said "I know they
love God." All this implying that they too will go to heaven.
So I want to ask the question; Just because someone is a sincere Hindu, or any other false religion, will they go to heaven? Joel Osteen and others say yes. Hindus, that have not accepted Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, whose religion is works based, as opposed to faith. Those who believe that they are pleasing God by their strict rules and practices, so will they go to heaven?
So, let's take a look at what Jesus Himself had to say on the subject shall we? In John 14:6, "Jesus *said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me."While I can't speak for Joel Osteen, but I believe that Jesus made it pretty clear!
Look, I believe that a preacher is to recognize the times and understand the environment in which he finds himself,
therefore, responding to the changing conditions of the day. "Reprove! Rebuke! Exhort!" Not to "alter" God's Word to suit the present culture. Your Volkswagen doesn't suddenly become a Lamborghini because your schedule has changed. That's ridiculous! Nor does God's Word change to suit the current culture.
The man
of God is to point out errors, warning those who hear him and encourage
them to do what is right. There is no hint of the modern concepts of affirming
the rebellious in their wicked walk, of making people feel good about
their reluctance to do right or of enabling the wayward to continue
walking contrary to the will of God. Moreover, the man of God is not to seek the easy way out of fulfilling his responsibilities and ministry. If you're going to call yourself a pastor, a teacher of the Word, then fulfill your ministry! That means to be sober-minded, being prepared to face adversity and hardship, standing firm on the Word of God. That means you must love the souls of lost people, constantly seeking opportunity to
warn them to flee the coming day of wrath and to turn to the freedom that is
found in the Lord Jesus Christ.. And by doing, he will fulfill his service before the
Lord and to the people of God, which he has been graciously entrusted.
Verse 3, let's go ahead and begin there. Though we have previously addressed this a bit earlier. Paul writes, "If anyone advocates a different doctrine and does not agree with sound words, those of our Lord Jesus Christ, and with the doctrine conforming to godliness," There you have the first pathological characteristic of false teaching, and that is teaching different. It can be easy to know all of the right methods for interpreting the Word of God and yet at the same time not submitting to it commands and obeying its precepts. Obedience is a critical issue today in the church.
I'd like you to notice that begins verse 3, with the "if," here is a first‑class conditional in the Greek. Meaning it assumes reality. In others words, "If and it is true." I believe a better translation of the word, would be since. We could therefore read it to say, "Since there are some teaching differently." Or we could say that "If anyone is teaching another doctrine, and I know they are." The point Paul is making is these false teachers, were teaching the doctrines of demons, profane ramblings, in contrary to the truth.And, the same is true today, if any one teaching anything contrary to God's Word, it is the doctrine of demons. Now, I am not implying by any means the false teachers today are demons, but they are simply a participant in Satan's teachings.
Paul tells us in verse 4, that in doing so, "he is conceited and understands nothing; but he has a morbid interest in controversial questions and disputes about words, out of which arise envy, strife, abusive language, evil suspicions."
Beloved, I would suggest that we are presently living in the day of which the Apostle Paul warned us in II Timothy 4. "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths."
Many church members do not want to hear the truth; they do not want to listen to or obey the truth. So, they find themselves teachers who will tell them what they long to hear. "You're great, just the way you are. God doesn't make mistakes. You be you! Because God loves you just the way you are. Oh, and if that contradicts God's Word, it's O.K., because the times are much different now, then they were when the Bible was written, it's a wee bit out of touch with today!" That's heresy! It's absolutely absurd!
Over the years, there have been a number of preachers who were mocked, pelted with rotten vegetables and assailed with other objects, all for standing firm in the truth. I take great comfort that I have never sought to take the easy road in my ministry, but rather, to join the Apostle Paul in saying "I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith." Though I will never be able to say, in good conscience, that I have made no mistakes, but will be able to say, "I fought the good fight!" So long as God continues to give me the grace to vigorously endure.
Verse 5, "and constant friction between men of depraved mind and deprived of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain." It is often said of the preacher who exposes the immoral character of those who have set themselves in opposition to the Gospel, he is said to be a trouble maker, pot stirrer, combative, antagonistic, seeking discord, causing dissension among the brethren.
Yet, Ephesians 5:11 clearly teaches " Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them."
Romans 16:17-18 says "Now I urge you, brethren, keep your eye on those who cause dissensions and hindrances contrary to the teaching which you learned, and turn away from them. 18 For such men are slaves, not of our Lord Christ but of their own appetites; and by their smooth and flattering speech they deceive the hearts of the unsuspecting."
And, in II John 1:10-11, we're told "If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive him into your house, and do not give him a greeting; for the one who gives him a greeting participates in his evil deeds."
And, do you recall the conflict when Paul and Silas traveled to Thessalonica? And between Peter and Paul as told in Galatians chapter 2? Now, I could on listing a number of other verses to substantiate the point I am making here, however, I believe that you understand, at least I hope you do, we are called to expose those teach anything other than Jesus taught, the truth.
Solomon, the wisest man to ever live, warned us about the danger of greed, in Ecclesiastes 5:10-11. "He who loves money will not be satisfied with money, nor he who loves abundance with its income. This too is vanity. When good things increase, those who consume them increase. God gifted Solomon with unsurpassed wisdom, which he squandered, disobeying God's commands. Scripture abounds with warnings and exhortations about the dangers of confusing material prosperity with the blessings of God.
False teachers divide the church, this is the second pathological characteristic. It could be error about Christ, error about His lineage, error about His virgin birth. It could also be His substitutionary atoning death on the cross, contrary to His resurrection, His sinless perfect life. Any deviation from what the
Holy Spirit has revealed on the pages of holy Scripture. That's the mark!
Holy Spirit has revealed on the pages of holy Scripture. That's the mark!
Thirdly, we see the last pathological characteristic, at the end of verse 5, "who suppose that godliness is a means of gain." False teachers love money. Sadly, they will often tell the congregation anything in order to obtain it. I have heard some preacher claim, that people can buy blessings from God, want to be blessed, give larger sums of money. That is a distortion of God's Word. Sound familiar? Just as Satan quoted the Scripture to tempt Jesus into disobedience.
Satan is most happy when he can get Christians to believe that Proverbs 15:6 justifies the accumulation of wealth, amidst world hunger and homelessness. Then supports it with II Thessalonians 3:10, abolishes charity. Many today, buy more than we can afford because we want more than we need. Yet give far less than we ought.
In Closing..
Do not believe everyone who can quote you a chapter and verse in the holy Scriptures. There are many instances in the Bibles when Satan uses God's Word. In fact, many cults have lured unsuspecting people in by misquoting or distorting the truth. We don’t need to study the teaching of every cult or false doctrine out there, in order to identify these false teachers, we only need to be well grounded in the truth. The condition of these men and women, are not only are they of corrupt minds, but they are destitute of the truth. In spite of the biblical warnings, the church has been discredited down through the years many times because of greed and false teacher.
Standing for truth, standing against error will inevitably elicit the
charge that the one who dares so stand will be accused of foul, heinous
sedition against the peace. I believe that the sooner the teacher of the Word of God settles whom he must please, the sooner he shall prove his calling.
May it be so...
And now may the Lord bless you and keep you;
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
the Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
The Lord lift up His countenance upon you,
And give you peace.
Now and forever, in Jesus' name
Amen
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