1tim4v1-5

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Read: 1 Timothy 4:1-16 Text v1-5 [Series 13]

From the glorious high of 3:16 (remember that Paul’s letter had no chapter divisions – it was one long continuous letter) we reach the gory lows of these opening verses of chapter 4

In this NT, you are never far away from these type/passages
In an ideal world (such as will be manifest in Heaven) such passages like this will be no more required
But here below in this sinful, Satan driven world, such passages are not only necessary but constantly necessary
The Lord Jesus – tender Jesus, meek and mild – did not balk at passages like this and neither did the Apostles
Even John, the Apostle/Love, waxed eloquent on the matter
Jude gave his whole epistle to the subject
We are not living in an ideal world yet
Therefore passages like ours as greatly needed
We cannot afford the luxury of having them expunged/Scripture
Certainly Paul was not one to shy away from their controversy
Most of his epistles contain a strong element of alarm

It is very easy to get weary of this kind of thing
Siren calls of liberal modern day evangelicalism is to ignore them
Categorising/identifying false teachers turns potential converts off!
It is the Christian army shooting their wounded!
It portrays a spirit/negativity that leaves hungry hearts ill fed!
It is true that we can focus exclusively on the negative things
It is true that such would stunt growth of Christians
The whole counsel of God is to be proclaimed
But the same whole counsel/God is replete with such references
Don’t fatten the sheep for the wolves to devour!
3 main thoughts to consider from the passage:

1) A WARNING THAT IS UNMISTAKABLE:
Spirit speaketh expressly…

A/ Notice how the Apostle prefaces these latest remarks
We use the word latest because he has already warned re: dangerous teaching; 1:3-4
True: 1:3-4 is a milder kind/passage but it is there nevertheless
And it is there right at the very beginning of this epistle
None of these things are ever treated as add ons afterwards

B/ Here Paul prefaces/remarks with not only an effectual “Thus saith the Lord” but even more: “Thus saith the Lord expressly”
These words are not to encourage us to think that Paul’s other writings are of a lesser quality or mixed with human opinions
All of Paul’s Biblical epistles were given by inspiration/God
Seemingly unimportant verses like 3:14 are equally inspired
But equal inspiration does not equal importance
Not to denigrate other Scripture when we get verses like these
However, we are to give them more attention

C/ Notice who it is who speaks:
It is the Spirit/God – 3rd member/Sacred Trinity
He it is who is attributed with inspiring/Bible: 2 Peter 1:21
A voice of an angel does not carry this authority
Even an angel/heaven may deliver a false message: Galatians 1:8-9
But not so the Spirit/God who is all holy/therefore all truthful

D/ Notice that He speaks
This is an indirect rebuttal of those who translate Bible on a thought-for-thought basis
God’s Spirit spoke – He employed words to communicate
It is not so much that He thought (although this is true) but He communicated these thoughts with actual words
Duty of the translator (and by extension the buyer/reader) of the Bible to see that what they have is the Spirit’s words
…Words which the Holy Ghost teacheth (1 Corinthians 2:13)
It is the duty of the preacher to interpret the words as they reflect the mind/thoughts of the Spirit
It is the duty/listener to weigh the expositions of the preacher and to do so from the word for word translation of the text
Let us hear therefore what the Lord our God shall speak!

E/ Notice that He speaks expressly
Some things that He says are hard to be understood (2 Peter 3:16)
These will rightly cause us to scratch/heads and debate
But not here: He speaks expressly
Greek word is unique to this verse and action
Geneva Bible/Tyndale: translates it as evidently
There can be no mistaking about the matter
The same English word (although not the Greek) is used in Hebrews 1:3 where the Lord Jesus was said to be the express image of God’s person – i.e. the exact representation, so that they who saw Jesus were said to see the Father (John 14:9)
There could be no mistake about it
So here – there can be no mistake that in the last days etc.,

F/ A clear warning cannot therefore be ignored
There are red lights flashing here!
Can’t you hear the alarm bells that shrill their noise into the air?
There are voices here raising the alarm!
Arms are waving – shooing us back with great emotion
We cannot drive on oblivious to the unmistakable warning

2) A DEPARTURE THAT IS UNFORGIVABLE
Expressly…in the last days many shall depart from the faith

A/ Mentioned before: warning of 1:3-4 was comparatively mild
This is not to rubbish the warning there
What we have in this passage grew out of previous milder warnings being ignored -–so let us nip things in the bud if we can
For what we have here is the great sin of apostasy (Lit: Greek)

B/ What is apostasy?
It is when professing Christians openly abandon their faith
Notice the 3 main essentials in this definition:

[i] We speak about professing Christians
The sum/substance of their Christianity lay in their lips
They said that they were Christians and were accepted as such by the judgement/charity that believeth all things (13:7)
Outwardly, there was no reason to doubt them
Perhaps they were baptised and gained office/church
But their heart was never right with God, notwithstanding their loud and strong and even convincing professions
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. (1 John 2:19)

[ii] As qualified, we have referred to them as Christians
An apostate is not an atheist who made no profession
Rather, he was numbered among God’s people
A member of a false religion is not an apostate/Christian faith
We are looking here at one who professed and even defended and even propagated true and orthodox religion

[iii] Such has openly and actually abandoned his faith which he once loudly professed
Not merely backslidden (although not a matter to be downplayed)
Not a waverer who desperately needs our help/prayers/counsel
But he is an apostate – he has come out publicly to say that he no longer has any desire to profess the faith and repudiates it

C/ It is a very series matter (as all sin is) but more so because this is a sin for which there is no mercy or forgiveness
For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, And have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it, and bringeth forth herbs meet for them by whom it is dressed, receiveth blessing from God: But that which beareth thorns and briers is rejected, and is nigh unto cursing; whose end is to be burned. (Hebrews 6:4-8)

We would do well to remember the seriousness/charge before we lay it at the feet of those who are not guilty of it!

D/ One practical difference is to be observed between a backslider and an apostate
Peter was a backslider – Judas was an apostate
Peter returned to the Lord in repentance/faith
From a divine angle: Christ prayed for erring Peter
Judas only repented himself – remorse – and died in despair
No mention of our Lord praying for Judas – only threats:
The Son of man indeed goeth, as it is written of him: but woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! good were it for that man if he had never been born. (Mark 14:21)
That is a long, long way from saying:
When thou art converted, thou shall strengthen thy brethren

E/ Notice when this great apostasy shall come: Latter times
This phrase can be taken two ways:
Relate to the whole NT era: Hebrews 1:2 in these last days
Or: In the last of the last days
Although apostasy has always been with us
John spoke of many antichrists having gone out into the world in his day (1 John 2:18) yet the last days of the last days will doubtless see the increase of these things
We are currently witnessing it
Greatest enemies of the faith are not without as in a previous day, but within – and that in great power/numbers
This must make this portion/Bible so relevant to us today

F/ Notice the source of this apostasy:
The doctrine of devils and seducing spirits (v1)
Not a study of demonology – but this is the hellish source
What warning lies in the word “seducing”
Back to the Garden/Eden again: 2:14 woman being deceived
Do not automatically think /withstand the seductive wiles/Devil:
Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.
Maybe you say: But we are like Paul, we are not ignorant of Satan’s devices (2 Corinthians 2:11)
Answer: Merely knowing is not enough – Peter wrote:
Ye therefore, beloved, knowing these things beforehand, beware lest, being carried away with the error of the wicked, ye fall from your own stedfastness. (2 Peter 3:17)

G/ Note the effect of this apostasy:
Sears the conscience – burns off/deadens the nerve endings
Apostates feel no sorrow for what they have done
Perhaps they did in an earlier day – fought/struggled
But at last they killed off any hope/recovery they ever had
Passed over that fatal line into the dread act/apostasy
Note the lying hypocrisy it produces too

H/ It may cast off the true faith, but not necessarily an appearance of religion:
Forbidding to marry and abstaining from certain meats was a form of religious asceticism professing to promote spirituality
Not to say that those who believe these things are apostates
But they were introduced by apostates and are therefore dangerous things to believe

Would be wrong to limit their application to the various dictates of the RC Church, but it is certainly applicable
The flower might seem relatively harmless (marriage/food?) but the root is deadly – Paul calls it the doctrine of demons

3) A REMEDY THAT IS UNBEATABLE:
v3 …believe and know the truth

A/ Paul tackles this apparently unimportant matter about abstaining from marriage or from certain meats
As said, in themselves they are hardly life threatening
But it is not the flower that is worrying, but the root
In themselves, Paul would have said little if anything
But when they were linked into the idea of spiritual need, then Paul could not sit back and do nothing

B/ Having already dealt with the serious aspect/apostasy
(Doctrine/demons…seducing spirits…seared conscience…lies)
he simply clips the flower by a simple application/Scripture

C/ No one has the right to badmouth the gifts/God
God created (say) the meats to be received with thanksgiving
God’s gifts are not bad, but good (v4) and are to be received
Someone comes along to demonise marriage – even to the point of actually forbidding it – such a one should be chased!
Marriage is honourable in all and the bed undefiled (Hebrews 13:4)
Likewise with meats – you cannot demonise meat on Fridays!
Jesus: Not that which goeth into a man defileth him, but that comes out of the man that defiles him

So Paul here is just like David taking his little sling and stone
He fells the great apostate giant with a simple application/Bible

C/ Notice his additional words here (v5)
Common gifts from god can be sanctified i.e. set aside for spiritual use through spiritual means i.e. thanksgiving, prayer and the word of God
Paul is not thinking here of holy bread or holy water etc.,
We are not to think that we ought to consecrate bread or water and then store it up somewhere
We consecrate God’s gifts and put them to a holy use when we eat the good food and drink the good water etc., and serve God by living holy and spiritual lives in accordance with what is written in the word/God through the power of prayer

Christian Living is practical – not mystical
Yes, it is based on the great mysteries/God i.e. that which comes to us revealed from heaven (3:16) but it is worked out in a very practical sense whereby we simply live sanctified and holy lives according to the belief of the truth of God

D/ No man will become an apostate by belief of the truth
Belief of the truth is not abandoning the faith, but receiving it and glorifying and honouring it and therefore cannot be apostasy under any definition of the word
May God help us to keep the faith in these last days especially in the light of an ongoing apostasy

THE END

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