Dave, got it.
Passage of the book. And we're going to read that because it's very applicable to what, oh.
Anyway, so.
All right, is that better? OK, good.
So first, Timothy. Continuing on in the book and as I mentioned, I'm going to read this portion in chapter 3.
Because it is a key passage and it it actually the the chapter break between 3 and 4 actually can be confusing because it is a continued thought.
Throughout that entire pastage from 3 14 all the way to 4 5 So I'm going to read 3, 14.
And I called this pass, I call this passage instructions for dark days. Instructions for dark days.
3, 14. Paul says to Timothy, these things I write to you. Though I hope to come to you shortly.
But if I am delayed, I write so that you may know how you ought to conduct yourself in the house of God.
Which is the Church of the Living God, the pillar and ground. Of the truth and without controversy.
Great is the mystery of godliness. God was manifested in the flesh. Justified in the spirit seen by angels by preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world.
Received up in glory. So we've got this wonderful. Again, reminder of Paul. Writing to Timothy, telling Timothy about the purpose of the church.
Why are we here? What are we doing? What are we involved with? Well, it says that we that he was writing these things to Timothy so that They may know that he may know how to conduct yourself in the house of God, how we behave.
How we function, how the church functions. Because it's important what we're involved with because the church is It's the Church of the Living God.
Pillar and ground of the truth. So the church is to be upholding. Proclaiming, promoting, propagating, whatever word you want to say.
Promoting, upholding the truth. The truth. That is what we're here for.
And he goes on and says what this truth is. And there's an interesting word here and I talked about this a little bit last time I spoke.
He says without controversy the debate is over. Great is the mystery of Godliness. So there's something called the mystery of godliness.
Now what's a mystery? Mystery is something that has been revealed. Something that has been revealed that was previously hidden.
This mystery of godliness. It is new revelation. Revelation has been given to Paul.
And what is this? This mystery of godliness, it is the revelation of the Christian life.
The Christian life. That's what it is. Godliness. How can a sinful human being become like God.
That's what godliness means. To be like God. How can I be like God? I'm sinful.
I'm separated from him. How can that be possible? It is a revelation. It's a revelation.
This is not something that we practice. This is not a. Just one choice of one world view versus another worldview.
This is a revelation that comes directly from God. There is life. New life that I can have.
In Christ. It is the mystery of Godliness. We're told if any if anyone be in Christ he's a new creation Old things are passed away, behold, all things have become new.
You are a new creation in Christ. Something that did not exist before, but now it does. When you put your faith in Lord Jesus, you are a new creation.
It is the mystery of godliness, something brand-new. And this. Is completely dependent. This life that we live, this Christian life.
That we live. It is completely dependent on who the Lord Jesus Christ is and what he did. It says it goes on in verse 16.
God was manifested in the flesh. God Himself, God. The sun became a human being.
These things are not optional. This is the Christian life. If you don't have Jesus, You don't have Christianity.
If you leave Jesus out of it, you have nothing. That's why what happened is so important.
What happened? What actually happened? The Lord Jesus Christ. He was in heaven from eternity past.
He came to earth. God was manifested. In the flesh, justified in the spirit or vindicated.
When he lived his life he was vindicated he proved who he was seen by angels preached among the Gentiles.
Believed on in the world received up in glory now he's in there in heaven seated at the right hand of the Father.
This is the Christian life is all about Him. Take a look at Galatians 220.
Galatians 2 20.
It says here.
Paul writing again he says I have been crucified with Christ.
It is no longer I who live. But Christ lives in me. And the life which I now live in the flesh, I live by the faith in the Son of God who loved me and gave himself.
For me. That's the Christian life. The Christian life is Christ in me.
That is not a religion. That is reality.
You know, some people, and I'm gonna get into this, you, you may know that.
You know, as Mudmani read, the passage that we're in about the false teaching and doctrines of demons.
Some people may say, well, you know Jesus. He was a good moral teacher.
I'm sorry. No. In fact, That's kind of boring. A good moral teacher.
I would never pick up a book from a good moral teacher. I need a living, dynamic, powerful savior living in me.
That's what I need. I look at a book full of moral teachings. I am going to fail every time and I'm going to feel guilty and I'm not going to meet up to it.
I need something greater than a good moral teacher. I need a living, powerful, dynamic savior. Living in me every day.
That's what I need. And that's what we have in Christ. That's what we have.
How this mystery of godliness is how godliness is produced in human beings. It all relates to the person and work in the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Christian life is price. Without Christ you have nothing. That's why it's so important that we uphold who he is.
Some people say it I'm getting ahead of myself. Some people say, well, you know, it really doesn't matter if Jesus really rose from the dead or not.
What's really important is if you believe it. That's what's important. No, I'm sorry.
That is not what's important. Because we have to put our faith in something real. Something that actually happened.
Not something that I just believe in and because I believe in it now suddenly it's real. And then you can just believe whatever you want, right?
That's the world we're living in today.
One more verse here before we continue on. Colossians one, Colossians one. Again, the Christian life is Christ.
That is what we uphold. That's what we talk about. That's what we preach.
The gospel. We're not imposing. Religion on people we are giving people a living savior We are presenting a living savior to people.
In Colossians 1 25.
Paul, again speaking, he's talking about how he is ministering to the church. Speaking about the church and then he says verse 25 of which I became a minister according to the stewardship from God which was given to me for you.
To fulfill the Word of God. The mystery. Which has been hidden from ages and now and from generations but now has been revealed to his saints.
His holy ones to them. God will to make known what are the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in Youth, the hope of glory.
Hallelujah. Christ in me. That is what we're talking about. That's the mystery of godliness.
That's what we have. In Christ.
There's somebody that's not happy about this. There's somebody that's not happy about it.
There's somebody that wants to stop this. Wants to stop this truth. To be proclaimed, to be promulgated.
Somebody wants this to stop. And that's where we're. That's where we begin here.
First Timothy 4. There is an enemy. That wants that is not happy about this message that is not happy about this reality, this mystery of godliness.
What is dependent upon what the Lord Jesus Christ has done. He is not happy. He's not happy that this is proclaimed.
He's not happy that the gospel is proclaimed. That this mystery is being communicated.
So back there in first Timothy 4. Verse one and again. This chapter break is not.
Makes it a little confusing. Where it says not my Bible says now. But some of your Bibles may say, but.
Or another word could be nevertheless. But. So all these wonderful things. About the mystery of godliness.
God was manifested in the flesh and and then finally received up in the glory. But The spirit expressly says, that in latter times some will depart.
From the faith. They will depart from this wonderful list of things that we just read. All those wonderful things about the mystery of Godliness people will depart from that.
It says giving heed. To deceiving spirits and doctrines. Of demons. Speaking lies in hypocrisy having their own conscience seared.
With a hot iron. Forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with Thanksgiving by those who believe and know.
The truth. So there is an enemy.
And Paul. Let's us in a little bit on the enemy strategy. About what's going on.
And actually it's interesting, he says here. The spirit expressly says. So this is direct revelation.
That Paul is receiving from the Lord. About what is going on.
And he tells us that some will depart from the faith and that there are teaching demons. Deceiving people.
The spirit told Paul. And so Paul's telling Timothy that. Now we know that. It's something that we need to.
Be aware of. So the end, so Paul gives us a little bit of the enemy strategy. Now we know.
That there's a couple strategies that the enemies using has used in the past. There's a frontal assault, right?
Persecution. You know, send the government officials after the church trying to squelch it out trying to shut it down using the religious leaders of the day.
Try to shut it down. You know, stopping them from speaking the word of God. That's a frontal assault.
Now did that really work? No, it didn't. It didn't work. In fact, you read Acts, you read, which we're going to be reading in church history.
You see that the more persecution, often it flourishes. The church flourishes in the midst of persecution.
So that's one strategy. The other strategy. Syops, you know what Syops are? Psychological operations.
That's the other one. That is weaken from within. That's what that's another strategy and that one's a little more effective.
Spread false teaching.
That's what's going, that's what the end, that's one of the strategies.
Spread false teaching. And Paul had been warning about this. Take a look at axe 20. X, 20, this is a out the passage that I've gone to a few times.
Going through Timothy, but it's so connected. With the book talking there to the Elders of Ephesus, which he's that's where Timothy is in Ephesus Acts 20.
Verse 29.
Paul is warning them. He says here in verse 29 for I know this that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you.
Not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves. Men will rise up speaking perverse things.
To draw away the disciples. After themselves. That's interesting. What's their motivation since it's for themselves?
But they're the tools of the enemy. Deceiving people.
Deceiving and being deceived. So. Speaking perverse things to draw ones away. That's And that's exactly what he warned them about and that's what he's warning.
Timothy about and that's what he's telling Timothy that this is what's happening.
In this. Place. So the enemy strategy, this Syops.
The church will survive. Persecution as you look at church history like I said. In fact, it would thrive in persecution.
The church would outlive Nero, Nero again try to squelch out this this young sect of Judaism, try to shut it down.
The church outlived him. And the church will outlive all other tyrants. From persecution but It can be weakened from within and become in effective.
You know, I think about just in our secular world here, America. It's a Kind of the same thing, right?
You know, America could probably take any kind of frontal assault from any other enemy. We've got a very powerful military.
I don't I think that That's probably the case. But the moral decay. The disunity in our country, it makes us weaker.
It's the same thing that I'm talking about with the church.
Paul instructs Timothy. On this strategy of the enemy. And provides a defense. He provides he provides provides a defense.
In dealing with this. Us this attack from the enemy, this Syops, right? There is going to be false teachers.
There's going to be false teachers, so be aware of it. Be ready for it. Understand what it is.
So that we can. We know the truth. So, beginning there in verse 4.
I'm sorry, First Timothy 4, verse one.
Like I said, the word perhaps a better word there instead of now my Bible says now but It could say but or nevertheless.
This is a contrasting statement from the previous. Section. Like I said, these wonderful truths about the mystery of godliness.
But so it's a contrasting statement. All of these things are true. All these wonderful things about the church, about who we are and what we have in Him, it is all true.
But there will be some even Even though all those things are true, there will be people that depart from the faith.
And then it says. It says interesting, the spirit expressly says, that's interesting, expressly says.
Explicitly. Clearly, precisely. That this will take place, that this is what's happening. That there's the enemy.
Is promoting his own teaching. This will take place. Now the spirit is expressly saying this. Now sometimes you read revelation or Daniel or some of the other profits you you read some symbolic language, a lot of imagery, and maybe it's hard to understand exactly what it's talking about.
Of in the book of Psalms. David says dark sayings of old. You know, it's like this.
Language that has deeper meanings. In its you know down in the depths of your soul and maybe it's hard to completely understand what it's talking about.
Maybe if you have read a poem. And you're like, wow, there's something here.
I just, I can't grasp it, but there's something there. That dark saying of old that David talks about or parables the Lord spoke in parables and sometimes it wasn't clear what he was saying.
There is nothing ambiguous about this. About what Paul is telling us. Nothing ambiguous about it. Nothing symbolic.
It is very clear. Direct revelation from the Lord. The Spirit. Expressly says.
That this is happening. Now then he says here, now the spirit expressly says that in latter, times.
No, it does not say in the latter times. So there's no definite article there. Speaking about, you know, we talk about sometimes we say the day of the Lord or the end times when we're talking about a specific time period.
That's not what it's seeing here. He's saying in latter times in times future.
From the when he wrote it. They're these things will be happening. In fact, the word times is season.
It's season. Throughout church history there will be seasons of apostasy. And we see that.
We looked at church history with our brother Mike and You know, you see these kind of apostasy, people falling away.
In the 1,900 there was a lot of groups that arose. A Jehovah Witnesses Mormons these kind of things they all kind of came about at the same time All you know in error of what they spoke, what they taught.
So throughout church history there will be seasons. Of apostasy. Again, this is direct from the Lord.
So these are periods of time, seasons. And then it says sum. Will depart from the faith.
Apostasy, that's the word, apostasy. Apostasize. Now the word apostasy or depart remove themselves from the faith.
They will remove themselves. From the face. And it says, the faith. So this is the body of truth.
It is the doctrine that we hold. The faith. They will turn away from The truth, the faith.
That objective truth. We've heard stories recently about individuals. People talk about D-conversion.
There's no such thing. As a D conversion. Somebody who said who says they're a Christian and then they decide they're not a Christian anymore and then they put it on social media, hey I'm not a Christian anymore.
They were truly a believer, they're still safe even if they even if they're deceived.
They're still saved. If they were never a Christian in the first place. They were not, you can't be de-converted if you weren't converted in the first place, right?
So. Something that we hear a lot about recently. It just seemed like just recently there was a lot of this going on.
Now, why? Did these people depart? From the face. Why?
It says. Because because they gave heed to deceiving spirits. Doctrines of demons.
That's why. Because they listened to the lies of the enemy. That's why we need to be so clear about what the Bible really says.
What does the Bible really say? Because it's getting more and more. Subtle. That frontal assault, like I said.
You know, denying who Jesus is. You know, that's Those are things that we, somebody.
Says that Jesus really isn't the Son of God. We're like, what? No. But if they, you know, maybe it's a little more subtle.
And it's not so clear what they're saying and yet we can fall into. Deception so easily.
This is the Syops operation. The scheming, the wiles of the devil.
So even though the church is the pillar and ground of the truth. Some will depart because they listen to the doctrines of demons.
And they will promote these false teachings. So what are these doctrines of demons? What are these?
There are some examples here in verse 3. And I'll. We'll go through that. I think there's I think the I think scripture provides us more Doctrines of demons that we see.
Words that actually came out of Satan's mouth. It's probably a good choice to look at.
Genesis 3, Job. Matthew 4. During the temptation, words that actually came out of Satan's mouth that's, you want to get an understanding of how the devil works and his.
His scheming. Read those passages and I don't know if we'll have time for that.
Today.
So. Paul mentions a few here and we'll get into that. In verse 3, these doctrines of demons.
But I think I'm that One of the lines of attack is, like I said, First 16, chapter 3.
These truths about who Jesus is and what he accomplished. These things are under attack. God was manifested in the flesh.
Right? The incarnation. The very fact that Jesus God the Son came into the world took on the form of a servant, right?
He became a man in every way, just like I'm a man. Jehovah Witnesses.
Mormonism, Islam. They all deny that Jesus is who he says he was. You know, it's interesting.
Mormonism and Islam. They both had an individual meet an angel. And give them supposedly new teaching.
That's kind of interesting, isn't it? And both of those just happen to disagree with the fact that Jesus is God the Son?
What are the chances of that? I think that they're probably come from the same place.
You know, and Paul even says, even if an angel from heaven comes and teaches something else.
That an an angel came and taught something else. Mormonism, Islam. And You know, this.
Deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons there's something a attractive about it. You know, Satan understands.
He understands our hearts. He's observed us for thousands of years. He understands what makes us tick.
He understands how to. You know. Entice us.
It's, you know, for someone just make up a religion and suddenly there's millions of followers.
There's something demonic about that. There's something supernatural about that.
So, the incarnation. Attacked like I said well he's just a good moral teacher
Oh, I'm sorry. I would be. Law. If he's just a good moral teacher, I am lost in my sense.
I am I am lost. There's no hope. If he's just a good moral teacher.
Everything about this. Christian life depends upon who he is and what he did. Now it says, you know, vindicated in the spirit.
He was vindicated. He was proved to be who he said he was there in verse 16 for 3 16.
You know, we You may be familiar with this. People have said either Jesus was a liar.
A lunatic or lord. Either he knew he wasn't God but said he was, so that would make him a liar.
He thought he was God, but not that would make him a lunatic. Or maybe what he said is true and he actually is a lure.
Well, that makes him lord. So he was vindicated. By what he did, what do you accomplished?
Received up in glory, the resurrection. The resurrection. That's one of the things that are is constantly being attacked.
The resurrection. Did Jesus really rise from the dead? And then today kind of the post. Christian saying or what people say is well you know it really doesn't matter if he rose from his dad.
What really matters is, you know. The idea and that you believe it and that makes your life wonderful.
No, I said that before but No, it is a historical fact. So like I said, there's these.
Doctrines of demons that come attacking these essential Christian doctrines and some are much more subtle.
Some are much more subtle. Than that. It says, deceiving spirits.
These people because they gave heed to deceiving spirits. Soucing spirits.
They're deceptive, enticing. Feeds on our ego. Flattery, you know, you're so much smarter than everybody else.
I'm here's a new teaching that you can share. Because you're so wonderful. Yeah.
So there's 2 things here we're told about the we're talked we're told we deceiving spirits and doctrines of doubles.
Doctrines of demons. So those 2 things. One is the method. And one is the content.
OK, there's the method and the content. So the method is those deceiving spirits, enticing.
Feeding our egos. That's the method. The way they deceive. The doctrine of demons, that's the content.
Content of their teaching. This is not talking about demonology. The doctrine of the doctrine. About demons.
That's not what this is. This is the doctrine of demons. Teachings that have their source in the enemy.
That is what's being promulgated. The content. And we see that these false teachers, they take on they take this on.
The method. And the content. The False teachers become like them.
They deceive. And they they are deceived. Speaking lies in hypocrisy.
That hypocrisy it's wearing a mask, it comes from the theater. People would wear a mask.
Hiding their true identity, but they were play acting a role. False teachers will play act a role.
I remember we had a Bible study in Madison. It was in a home and we would invite people to come and One time a couple Jehovah witnesses came.
To the Bible study. And we had the Bible study and they were there listening and after the study that came up to us.
And they were saying, you know, we're just like you. We're just like you.
No, I'm sorry. Of who do you say Jesus is, right? Who is Jesus? I mean, more fundamental can you get about what we believe and who we are?
And they come in with their. Lying, speaking lies in hypocrisy. Wearing a mask, we're just like you.
No, I'm sorry. And we shared the gospel with them. Because they need to hear the gospel.
It says. Speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron.
What a What a, what an image. So this word is cauterized. What cauterizes?
So when someone has a terrible wound. It doesn't happen so much anymore. I mean there are sometimes when it does but It's like the last resort.
If somebody has a terrible wound and is bleeding. You can take something really hot and burn it. It'll stop the bleeding it'll cause like a huge scab to form a scar It destroys the nerve endings.
So they become numb and unfeeling. And that's what this is. If a conscience given into these doctors and these teachings and and these deceptions.
There comes a point when their conscience is seared with a hot iron. Now some people make much of the fact that this is a kind of a one-time thing that happens.
This is not a gradual thing. I think that people can over time gradually believe lies and before they know it they're way out in left field in something.
But this seems to be.
They just decided that's it. I'm throwing this off. I'm no longer a Christian or I'm I don't believe this anymore or I now believe this or I believe that now and I'm going to be true to myself, whatever it is.
There's a point when someone does that. Perhaps that's what that's.
Referring to is that kind of that one time thing that happens.
It's not a good thing. And they do it to themselves. They do it to themselves. Their own conscience seared.
With a hot iron.
So what are some of these things that they teach?
Verse 3. Speaking, sorry, verse 2 speaking lies in hypocrisy having their own conscience seared with a hot iron forbidding to marry.
And commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with Thanksgiving by those who believe.
And know the truth. So this is some of the content that we have here about. Doctrines of demons.
But I think it's interesting how the false teachers They reject the authority of scripture. But yet, they make, they put themselves in that place of authority.
They're the ones that are commanding. They're the ones that are forbidding.
Now, Jim Jones, if. If you're familiar with Jim Jones, he was a cult leader.
The people's temple there in San Francisco back in the seventies He started out kind of a Pentecostal.
A speaker. He was always little like social justice, social gospel. Well, he had actually done this a few times.
But there was a time when he did it the first time. He would take his Bible. You need to throw it on the ground and stomp on it in front of his congregation.
Now, that's someone that has a seared conscience. And so what he was, what he was doing?
Exactly what he was doing. He was saying not this authority, me. And that's what happened.
Everyone just believed what he said. And they would follow him and they stopped believing the authority of scripture and they started following a man.
I mean You know, the thing about Jim Jones is his conscience was seared. Speaking lies in hypocrisy if you've there's a lot of documentaries about out there about him It's very.
I mean it goes right along with this perfectly. But see, it's not enough to, and this is any false teacher.
It's not enough to sear my own false teacher. It's not enough to sear my own conscience.
I need to sear everyone else's.
And that's what he did. Take a look at Matthew 23 and this is what the Pharisees Look at this.
Matthew, 2315, we're almost done here.
Matthew 23.
First 15, the Lord. Giving his woes to the Pharisees and scribes he says Verse 15, woe to you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites.
For you travel land and seed to win one proselyte. And when he is one, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourself.
Wow. It's not enough. To for you to be deceived. And you to be teaching false things.
You need to bring other people along with you. And that's what Jim Jones did and he hundreds of people to their graves.
So there's going to have to be a part 2 to this. So I'm running out of time.
But. There's other things that are happening in our world today. I'm just going to say real quickly.
Some of the doctrines of demons I believe that are happening today now. You know, it used to be that and people still, maybe they debate.
A historical fact. They debate something. What is true? Did Jesus truly rise from the dead or did he not?
Right? And you get 2 people, 2 historians and they come and they And the debate is about what actually happened, what is the truth.
Today. The whole concept of truth has been flipped on its head. Does it really matter?
It doesn't matter. And I said this before. You know, oh, Jesus wrote from the, you know, I say Jesus words from the dead.
And someone says, oh, that's nice. That's your truth. My truth is something else.
I don't need that truth. So go along your way and have your truth. I have my truth.
As long as that makes you happy. You believe whatever you want. Because that's the greatest good in the universe is that we feel good about ourselves, right?
No, it's not. There's something greater. Sometimes very often truth hurts. Sometimes it's uncomfortable.
Sometimes reading the Bible is uncomfortable. The Bible is not at fault. It's me. I'm the one that needs to change.
I'm the one that needs to. Repent. See, today people say well if there's something I don't like in this this needs to change Right?
I need to deconstruct this. I need to reinterpret this to mean something else so that I feel good about myself.
I don't need to change. You need to change and accept me. In fact, God needs to change.
From who I am. Well. Okay, now who's God now, right? And that's what's happening today.
The Emergent Church, progressive Christianity. It's not about Christ. It's about, it's all about me.
How does it make me feel? My truth is exalted over objective troop. These are some of the things that are happening today.
These are Doctrines of demons that are coming in to our society that are getting more and more of believed.
That's why it's so important that we stand for the truth. The reality about the Lord Jesus Christ.
We put aside you know, we, we take it, take this. Ian, take it in.
We got a We've got to read this. Even when it's uncomfortable and it points out things in my life.
On it. Confess your sin. And he'll change you. And again, remember this Christian life, it's all Christ.
If you don't have Christ, you don't have you have nothing. That's why it's so important that we Stand fast to who he is and what he's done.
Let's pray. Our Heavenly Father, we thank you for Our Lord Jesus Christ, we thank you.
That he is God manifest in the flesh. We thank you for who he is. And thank you Lord that we can simply come to you by faith believe in the finished work and be saved.
And, and Lord, we recognize that there is. Doctrines of demons. There is false teachings out there help us to identify them, help us to see them for what they are, help us to stand for your truth.
We thank you. We praise you. The name of our Lord Jesus Christ, we pray.
Thank you