Living What We Know [1 Timothy Pt.17]

Life and Doctrine

There is a whole lot of doubt in the world about the truth of the Christian Faith. On the other hand, there are a lot of people who name the name of Christ but do not really follow the teachings of the Bible. Timothy was confronting some of the folks who were in the second category.  Chapter 4 of 1 Timothy is Paul’s direction to Timothy for fulfilling the purpose of refuting the false and promoting the truth of the Christian Faith.

Living What We Know – AUDIO

The false teachers were involved in covering their sin with man-made rituals and restrictions. This is hypocrisy and trying to live as a Christian with a defiled conscience as we noted in the previous posts; Latter Times Falling Away, and The Christians Workout Routine. The rejection of the false way (1 Timothy 4:1-5) and working toward the holiness commanded by the Gospel (1 Timothy 4:6-11).  The thing is, that true holiness is rooted in accurate Christian doctrine. The Greek root didaskalia which means doctrine or teaching, appears in 1 Timothy 14 times. Paul tells Timothy, in order to deal with the false and promote the true;

1 Timothy 4:12-16  Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.  13  Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.  14  Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.  15  Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all.  16  Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.

Notice the combination that is repeated here, live it then teach it.

1 Timothy 4:12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

1 Timothy 4:16aTake heed to yourself

But also;

1 Timothy 4:13  Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.

1 Timothy 4:16  Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.

The combination of life and doctrine are the key to overcoming unbelief, both inside the church an outside it. Setting up false standards of righteousness and hiding sin is just the religious form of unbelief. Puritan Henry Scougal says in his booklet called, The Life of God in the Soul of Man  “Now, if such a person be conscientious and uniform in his obedience, and earnestly groaning under the sense of his dulness, and is desirous to perform his duties with more spirit and vigour, these are the first motions of the divine life, which, though it be faint and weak, will surely be cherished by the influences of heaven, and grow unto greater maturity. But he who is utterly destitute of this inward principle, and doth not aspire to it, but contents himself with those performances whereunto he is prompted by education or custom, by the fear of hell or carnal notions of heaven, can no more be accounted a religious person, than a puppet can be called a man.”

True “religion” is not motivated by external forces, not by what God or man thinks of us, but by understanding and appropriating the reality of the Gospel of Jesus Christ!

1 Timothy 3:16  And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, Justified in the Spirit, Seen by angels, Preached among the Gentiles, Believed on in the world, Received up in glory.

The mystery that works godliness in us, is believing the Gospel which involves us owning our sin and falling on God alone for mercy as the remedy. Legalism only proves that we do not actually believe the Gospel but on some level we believe that we can become righteous on our own. Not only are we lying to ourselves, but we are misrepresenting the truth of the Gospel to others! If we want an unbelieving world to listen to the Gospel,we need to begin by living right (taking heed to ourselves) first and then presenting the Gospel (the doctrine). Peter says as much in his first epistle.

1 Peter 3:8-16  Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous;  9  not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.  10  For “HE WHO WOULD LOVE LIFE AND SEE GOOD DAYS, LET HIM REFRAIN HIS TONGUE FROM EVIL, AND HIS LIPS FROM SPEAKING DECEIT.  11  LET HIM TURN AWAY FROM EVIL AND DO GOOD; LET HIM SEEK PEACE AND PURSUE IT.  12  FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE ON THE RIGHTEOUS, AND HIS EARS ARE OPEN TO THEIR PRAYERS; BUT THE FACE OF THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL.”  13  And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?  14  But even if you should suffer for righteousness’ sake, you are blessed. “AND DO NOT BE AFRAID OF THEIR THREATS, NOR BE TROUBLED.”  15  But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;  16  having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.

They won’t always listen, the Holy Spirit has to be involved in the situation, but this is the order we are given in the New Testament. The real question is, How does your life line up to your doctrine? If there is a disconnect in this area, you have to ask yourself a couple of questions, First, Do I really believe what I profess? Second, Can I blame others for seeing through my own hypocrisy? Tough questions, but necessary ones!

I encourage you to check out the audio on this one. Living What We Know – AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

The Christian’s Workout Routine [1Timothy Pt.16]

Exercise Yourself Toward Godliness

Feeling flabby? If not, by the end of the Holidays you probably will. We all know the importance of exercise in our quest to stay healthy. But have you ever considered your Christian life as exercise? The Apostle Paul uses just that language to describe it as he instructs Timothy on the matter of true faith in Jesus Christ.

Exercise Yourself Toward Godliness – AUDIO

Last time I looked at 1 Timothy 4:1-6 (Latter Times Falling Away) we saw the negative side of this discussion; those who pretended righteousness by creating their own standard are following the “deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.” But, after instructing Timothy to teach the people about these things in 1 Timothy 4:6 Paul goes on to say;

1 Timothy 4:7-8  But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.  8  For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come.

Get away from the pretenders and the liars! Legalism is false religion. Reject for yourself the idea that external righteousness is what the Gospel is about. Paul knew about the phonies! He knew about external religion as a former pharisee. He also knew about his own sin and the reality of it as it related to the Gospel (1 Timothy 1:15). He knew that the Gospel contains a call to righteous living, but that it looks to inward, heart righteousness that is based on the Gospel, God’s undeserved favor to sinners (1 Timothy 3:15-16).  Jesus died for the sins of His people and we should be killing the sin that is in our lives. The legalism of many of us seeks to hide our sin behind a false facade of pretended righteousness. It is like trying to dress to look thinner without actually dieting or exercising to be thinner.

Exercise is work!. Paul thoroughly understood that and he uses it here and in 1 Corinthians 9 as an analogy to godliness.

1 Corinthians 9:25-27  Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable.  26  So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air.  27  But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

If we have understood the grace of God in truth, we are not trying to earn or keep God’s favor. We are responding in love to the One who died to take away the penalty of our sin. He hated sin enough to die for it. Though He loves us in spite of it, if we really know Him, we will want it out of our lives. We will be willing to work at it (Romans 6-8, Titus 2:11-14, Hebrews 12:1-4).

How is your exercise routine? “Bodily exercise profits a little.” Godliness has “promise in the life that now is and of that which is to come.” Godliness is a lifelong commitment. That commitment is evidence that we know Christ in truth. Paul disciplined his body and brought it into subjection because he knew that if dealing sin was not a acknowledged issue and persistent effort, it would demonstrate that he really was not a Christian (1 Corinthians 9:27).  It is my prayer that you and I would see the need to deal with the sin in our lives. That we would take the time and effort necessary to exercise ourselves toward godliness. That our love for Christ would motivate us to deal with sin instead of cover it up and pretend that we are righteous because of a certain checklist we keep (or maybe that fact the we see no need for a checklist makes us feel morally superior!). As the puritan John Owen said, “Be killing sin or it will be killing you!”

Exercise Yourself Toward Godliness – AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

Latter Times Falling Away [1 Timothy Pt. 15]

Doctrines of Demons

1 Timothy 4:1-6  “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,  2  speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron,” When we, as North American Evangelicals, hear these words, our minds seem to want to go immediately into some kind of “Left Behind mode. We begin to look to some great falling away that will mark the coming of the Anti-Christ and signal the return of Jesus. However, as we take this passage in its proper context, we will see that to do so is to color the Apostle’s words with unwarranted modern contextualization based on some key phrases that are used (or abused) by the prophecy pundits.

Doctrines of Demons – AUDIO

The “latter times” that the Apostle speaks of is the “Church age” or the times from the Messiah to the end of the world. This is apparent from texts like, Acts 2:14-17, 23; 1 Corinthians 10:11; Hebrews 1:1-2.  We are now in the “latter times” or the “last days” or the “ends of the ages.” This is something that takes place in the Church and something that Timothy had to be aware of in the church at Ephesus that he was pastoring. We too need to be on the look out for this kind of departure from the faith in our own churches and in our own lives! To get a good idea of what he was dealing with see what Paul says next.

1 Timothy 4:3-5  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.  4  For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving;  5  for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

It is a religion of external rules that God has not prescribed. It is legalism. It is a religion that says “look at me!” rather than “look to Christ!” The departure from the faith is really pretending to be (or even believing that you are) a Christian, while you are counting on your performance rather than on the righteousness of Christ credited to your account by faith.  John Calvin put it this way in his commentary on the passage at hand, “All who assume a pretneded sanctimoniousness are led by the instigation of the devil; because God is never worshipped aright by outward ceremonies.”

This is vital to our faith because it is the nature of fallen human beings to play down our faults and pretend that we are better than we really are! When we do, we are not trusting Christ, but looking to self. Therefore, Paul encourages Timothy to the task of dealing with this in his own church:

1 Timothy 4:6  If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.

What about you? Is there room in your religion for the truth about who you are? or Do you feel the need to put on airs?

Is your satisfaction in your religion based on the list of things you do or don’t do? or Is it rooted in the grace of God in spite of your performance?

Any time our religion is a “look what I can do” religion, it is demonically driven.

Doctrines of Demons – AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

He Remembered His Holy Promise! (Psalm 105)

When we think of faithfulness, what is the first thing that comes to mind? Is it someone we know or something we have done ourselves? As human beings, we tend to like to think about what we have accomplished, about our own abilities. Then again, we often cannot help but to recount our failures or the failures of others. We are fickle creatures! As King David brought the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem and put it in place as the final symbol of his rule as King, he sang a song to the Lord, a Psalm. Originally found in 1 Chronicles 16:8-22, Psalm 105 is a song that shows what he was thinking on that day that culminated his great accomplishments.

He Remembered His Holy Promise - AUDIO

David begins his song with these words, “Oh, give thanks to the LORD! Call upon His name; Make known His deeds among the peoples! Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him; Talk of all His wondrous works! Glory in His holy name; Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the LORD! Seek the LORD and His strength; Seek His face evermore! Remember His marvelous works which He has done, His wonders, and the judgments of His mouth, O seed of Abraham His servant, You children of Jacob, His chosen ones!”  (Psalm 105:1-6) His focus in not upon himself, but upon the God who brought him to where he was. He looks back, far beyond his own life to the beginning of the history of his people. But it is not his ancestors that he praises.

Psalms 105:8-10  He remembers His covenant forever, The word which He commanded, for a thousand generations,  9  The covenant which He made with Abraham, And His oath to Isaac,  10  And confirmed it to Jacob for a statute, To Israel as an everlasting covenant,

It is God’s faithfulness that is at the heart of his praises. The covenant that God made with his forefathers and that HE kept for the intervening centuries is the basis of David’s faith and therefore of his praises. He recognizes that his people and he himself have not merited God’s favor and is willing, not only to recognize the fact, but to use it as a catapult to lift the praises of God’s faithfulness even higher. In the next thirty-five verses, David recounts the history of the nation of Israel as he demonstrates that it is God’s faithfulness, not theirs, that brought them through the turmoil of their formation as a nation.

Psalms 105:37-45  He also brought them out with silver and gold, And there was none feeble among His tribes.  38  Egypt was glad when they departed, For the fear of them had fallen upon them.  39  He spread a cloud for a covering, And fire to give light in the night.  40  The people asked, and He brought quail, And satisfied them with the bread of heaven.  41  He opened the rock, and water gushed out; It ran in the dry places like a river.  42  For He remembered His holy promise, And Abraham His servant.  43  He brought out His people with joy, His chosen ones with gladness.   44  He gave them the lands of the Gentiles, And they inherited the labor of the nations,
Psa 105:45  That they might observe His statutes And keep His laws. Praise the LORD!

As you read the entirety of this psalm, notice that the pronoun “He” is used in reference to God nearly 30 times! David does not write this psalm to brag on his own accomplishments, but to “boast in the Lord!” This is the proper focus of the saints. This is the path to spiritual growth, to take our eyes off of ourselves and to focus on who the Lord is and what He has accomplished.  Notice that this focus allows us to do some very important things.

1. It inspires in God’s people joy and gladness (vs. 43)
2. It inspires in God’s people obedience (vs. 45a)
3. It inspires in God’s people praise! (vs. 45b)
4. It is based in the gift of inheritance that is the result of God’s faithfulness and not Israel’s. (vs. 44)

If these things are true in the temporal land of Ancient Israel, they are exponentially truer to those of us who possess the ultimate end of that covenant made with Abraham that David sang about.  Paul tells the Colossian Christians, “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths,  17  which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ.” (Colossians 2:16-17 ) The faithfulness of God continues and it grows in Christ (the Seed of Abraham; Galatians 3:15-16) and so we who are now believers in Jesus and His Gospel are bound to multiply our praises above even those of the ancient psalmist. But we never will until we acknowledge that this is not about our faithfulness, but His. It is about His faithfulness in spite of our failures. We do not merit this in any way but receive it as the gift that is the result of God’s faithfulness to His own promise, his covenant with Abraham some 4,000 years ago.

Galatians 3:8-9  And the Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel to Abraham beforehand, saying, “In you all the nations shall be blessed.”  9  So then those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.

Are blesses with David and Abraham today? If you are you should be filled with joy and gladness, obedience, and praise as we acknowledge that our entire inheritance is based completely on His faithfulness to His own promise, in spite of our failures. This is the path to spiritual maturity, to look away from self and to our Faithful God and Savior.

It gets even better as we contrast the next Psalm (Psalm 106) to this one as the psalmist contrasts 105 and its 27 “He’s” with 20 “theys” that give even clearer proof on man’s unfaithfulness. I encourage you to listen to the audio and get the whole picture. Then I pray that you come away with a renewed sense of joy, obedience and praise!

He Remembered His Holy Promise - AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

Fulfill the Ministry [Colossians Pt. 22]

Fulfill the Ministry

When you think about your walk with Christ, what is the first thing you think about? Is it something to do with what you have done like, “I believed,” “I go to church,” “I pray?” In reality, if we understand it properly it should be more about what He has done. “I am His because He purchased me with His blood while I was His enemy.” “I am not worthy, but He made me worthy.” The foremost task of the pastor is to help the people in the pew correct their thinking on this matter.

Fulfill the Ministry - AUDIO

As Paul’s letter is received in Colosse, them man in charge there seems to be a Archippus. He is probably an associate pastor to the man named Epaphras who made the 1,000 mile journey to Rome to get advice from the Apostle Paul concerning the false teaching of Legalists and Mystics that had corrupted that fellowship. As he waited for several months, he probably became skeptical and weary as he saw the fellowship weaken. The final admonition in the letter that he received was for the people of the church to encourage him to get at it in his ministry.

Colossians 4:16-17  Now when this epistle is read among you, see that it is read also in the church of the Laodiceans, and that you likewise read the epistle from Laodicea.  17  And say to Archippus, “Take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you may fulfill it.”

The key, now that he had the authoritative word on the subject, was to get the job done! To deal decisively with the legalism and mysticism and demonstrate the absolute authority and perfect completeness of Christ and His Gospel; to take away the very idea of moralistic restrictions or ritualistic requirements and get the people’s eyes on Christ alone.

Colossians 2:9-10  For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;  10  and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.

WHAT MORE COULD YOU POSSIBLY NEED? Nothing but the faith to believe that it is so. This is the thing that provides both our salvation and our sanctification. We do not need to (and in reality we cannot) move beyond the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Any attempt to add to what is already perfect takes away from it. Any idea that we have that we need to provide something, either in our saving or our keeping, is to tell Christ that He is not enough!

Christian teacher, John Hendryx, tells us, “The more we look at Him the more we are transformed into His likeness (2 Cor 3:18). As long as we view the core of spirituality as some morbid self-introspection and practice of disciplines then we fall into the danger of taking our eyes off of Jesus.” (Christ Vs. Moralism) This is the case, this is the big picture of the letter to the Colossians and this is the meat of the job of the Christian minister. The more the Christian’s life is focused on Christ, the more He is the source of their power and the greater they advance in their sanctification. So, when you think about your walk with Christ, what is the first thing you think about? Is it something to do with what you have done, or what Christ has done for you?

I encourage you to listen to the sermon and even check out the other sermons in the series. The goal of the whole thing is see that Christ is at the center of our lives.

Fulfill the Ministry - AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

Who Is the New Man? [Colossians Pt. 16]

Who Is the New Man?

In the struggle to live our Christian lives as we know we ought, we often wind up bogged down, either in guilt or in self-righteous standards that are not found in the Bible. While there are commands in the Bible for us as New Testament Saints, the commands are not the end, or really even the means to our sanctification. Commandments don’t make us righteous. They are more like the evidence that we have a vital relationship to the Savior.

Check out audio from the morning sermon:  Who Is The New Man?

In Colossians 3, the Apostle draws many lines from commands to “Set our minds on things above,” to “Mortify our [sinful] members which are on the earth,” and to “Put on tender mercies, humility, meekness, etc.” back to the things that have already been given to us in Christ.

Colossians 3:1If then you were raised with Christ, [then] seek those things which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God.

He also uses the word “therefore” to tie the commands back to the grace of Christ that has been extended to us as Christians:

Colossians 3:3-5  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God.  4  When Christ who is our life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.  5  Therefore put to death your members which are on the earth: fornication, uncleanness, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Colossians 3:12  Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;

None of these are bare commands, but necessary evidence that we have been transformed by our encounter with Jesus Christ. If we have understood what Christ has accomplished for us, the forgiveness of sins, His own righteousness deposited in our accounts, being made heirs of the grace of life through Him, it demands a certain response. Anything less would mean that we do not comprehend the sacrifice and its benefits.

Again, the Apostle tells them;

Colossians 3:9-12  Do not lie to one another, since you have put off the old man with his deeds,  10  and have put on the new man who is renewed in knowledge according to the image of Him who created him,  11  where there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all.  12  Therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, put on tender mercies, kindness, humility, meekness, longsuffering;

The commands that are given, are not given to make us spiritual people, but to show the evidence that we have become spiritual people. If we are in Christ, we have already put on that New Man. But that New Man still needs to grow into what he really is in Christ. Paul says in verse 3 that our lives are “hid with Christ in God.” He is all that we need to be and our union with Him is the guarantee that we own it. As we grow in the knowledge of this (vs. 10) we appropriate what He has given to us.

So, what does it mean for the Christian to “Put on the New Man?” One important thing to note is that this idea of “putting on” is written in the form of a participle in the Greek. That means it is a verb that is used like an adjective. We are to be “putter-oners” of the New Man. That is, putting on the new man is a description of the true Christian. It is a metaphor for our sanctification. It is really just us learning that as we learn more about the love of God toward us in Christ, we are ruled by the peace that He has purchased for us on the cross. (We were formerly enemies and now we are sons!) All of this will produce a life of gratitude that will compel us toward obedience. The main thing here is that it is not the command that prompts obedience, but gratitude derived from love and God’s declaration of our right relationship to Him.

See, how it all comes back to what He has done and not what we do. The New Man simply lives in response to the goodness of God and thus it becomes apparent as he focuses on Christ, deals with sin and is transformed in his attitude toward others.  Therefore, the question is not, “How are you doing at keeping particular rules?” but “Do you know who you are in Christ and what He has given you?”

I hope you check out the audio on this one. It is in the link near the top. It just might be the eye-opener you need.

In Christ!

Kevin

Women Professing Godliness [1 TImothy Pt. 9]

Women Professing Godliness

One of the most difficult passages in the New Testament is 1 Timothy 2:9-15. This is in large part because of the political pressures of our day, but there are also some interesting ideas here, like women being saved in childbearing. What in the world does that mean?

As we have studied this letter of Paul to the young pastor, Timothy, we have seen that there is a primary theme to the letter that makes it all fit together,               1 Timothy 3:15  “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.” But there is also a progressing idea that Paul presents in order to help Timothy and the church to stay on the right track.  1 Timothy 1:18-19  “This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare,  19  having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected, concerning the faith have suffered shipwreck,”

Therefore our conduct in the house of God is based largely on our continuing in faith with a good conscience. The substance of that, as we have discussed previously is trusting the Lord and submitting to His authority in all areas.  (See previous posts)  One area of struggle when Paul wrote this letter must have been in the area of women in the fellowship and their struggle with submission to God’s order.

1 Timothy 2:9-15  in like manner also, that the women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with propriety and moderation, not with braided hair or gold or pearls or costly clothing,  10  but, which is proper for women professing godliness, with good works.  11  Let a woman learn in silence with all submission.  12  And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.  13  For Adam was formed first, then Eve.  14  And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, fell into transgression.  15  Nevertheless she will be saved in childbearing if they continue in faith, love, and holiness, with self-control.

I recognize that to most people who read this post, that these words probably sound harsh and demeaning, yet, it is the inspired Word of God that we are dealing with here. Many try to contextualize this passage and give it a limited, cultural application and declare that it was good then, but, we are not the 1st Century church at Ephesus. Others try to use it to say that there are obvious errors in the Bible. If this is your view, you have bigger problems than the role of women in the Church. The Apostle goes right back to the Fall in order to lay the groundwork for what he teaches here. The Fall is a foundational doctrine that we cannot miss or diminish in any way or we will come to the wrong conclusion every time, having begun in the wrong place. Puritan, John Owen, says this of the importance of getting this right;

“The entire structure of saving, evangelical theology is built on the fact of a completely wretched state of all mankind by nature, and that theology cannot be understood or practiced without a clear sense of that natural wretchedness. Why so? Well, what will follow without it? The healthy feel no need of a doctor, do they? The righteous no need of repentance, the pure no need of sanctification, the living no need of a quickening Spirit, the innocent no need to make redress. Good sight has no need of eye-salve, those with resourced of their own to render due obedience feel no need of the intervention of a gracious God to change their hearts by an efficacious power, God’s good friends stand in no need of reconciliation, the blessed are hardly in any need of deliverance!”

God has a created order and a structure that He has placed on all things, including the Church. That created order is the very source of the Apostle’s direction to Timothy. If we reject that, we reject the God who gave it and we prove that He is right when He tells us through Moses and through Paul that the source of sin is rebellion against the order that He has placed on the world. When Adam and Eve had sinned for the first time, God cursed the Serpent (Satan), the woman and the man. When he cursed the woman, He said;

Genesis 3:16  To the woman He said: “I will greatly multiply your sorrow and your conception; In pain you shall bring forth children; Your desire shall be for your husband, And he shall rule over you.”

The fact that women struggle with the idea of submission (and men with the idea of good leadership) is because it is the result of sin and its curse. This is an ample demonstration of what Paul is trying to get across.  However, this by no means degrades women! No more than Christ is degraded in His submission to the Father in the plan of Redemption. He is equal to the Father (Phi 2:6-7, Col 1:19), but the structure of the plan requires submission in order that that very plan might be accomplished. Thus, women are no more useless in the church or the culture than Christ is in our redemption!

I encourage you to listen to our discussion of this text and hear more. This is a pretty deep subject and we will be picking it up again next week, Lord willing. You can listen to the audio by clicking on the link below.

Women Professing Godliness – AUDIO

In Christ!
Kevin

Increase From God [Colossians Pt. 14]

Increase from God

Is the Christian’s life about achieving success? Is it about performance? While most religions put the emphasis there, the Christian Faith puts the emphasis on the vital connection of man to God through Jesus Christ.  The error usually comes when we try to figure out what that is supposed to look like in the lives of Believers. This is really the crux of this letter to the Colossian Church. Those who are motivated by outward shows of religion have infiltrated the church there and begun to add rituals and restrictions to the basic faith in Christ. The problem is that, any time we add to that which is perfect, we ultimately end up taking away from it. This is the case with the Christian Faith. Paul tells them in Colossians 2:10, “And you are complete in Him.” Then he goes on to explain what that means.

Colossians 2:11-15  In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,  12  buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.  13  And you, being dead in your trespasses and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He has made alive together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses,  14  having wiped out the handwriting of requirements that was against us, which was contrary to us. And He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross.  15  Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

As we place our faith in Christ, we are circumcised with the Circumcision of Christ as is demonstrated in baptism. That is, we are brought into a covenant relationship with Christ. (Vs. 11-12) Next we are made alive, having previously been dead in sin, (Vs. 13) completely forgiven by His work on the Cross (Vs. 14) and finally, freed from the accusations of authority of every other being in the universe as it relates to our standing with God. What we have been given in Christ is perfect and complete. Therefore, Paul exhorts these Christians;

Colossians 2:18-19  Let no one cheat you of your reward, taking delight in false humility and worship of angels, intruding into those things which he has not seen, vainly puffed up by his fleshly mind,  19  and not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.

The danger of a strong focus on performance has the potential to “cheat” us of the “reward.” That is, that when we begin to focus on self and what we do to earn or maintain God’s favor, we disregard the perfect gift of God’s righteousness that is credited to the account of those who trust in Christ. We need to base our relationship to God solely upon the revealed knowledge of our sin and His grace applied by faith alone. We need to accept what the Bible says about our sin, Christ’s authority and God’s faithfulness to His promise or we will push Christ away as we seek elsewhere what is found only in Him.

This is why Paul tells the Believers in Colosse that those who teach them a false humility (not trusting God, or His messengers the Apostles, but imagining that these things remain a mystery), the need for the worship of angels (or the introduction of another mediator of some kind, i.e. angels, saints, or rituals), and trying to teach what they have never studied from the only source, God’s Word, will ultimately lead them to apostasy.  It comes through an attitude of arrogance in denying what is revealed, in alternate forms of righteousness, denying the sufficiency of Christ’s atonement and ultimately ends in apostasy, having moved away from the central figure of the Faith.

However, this does not mean that we live without regard to holiness. He have been saved from sin and we cannot continue to live in it as though it was unimportant to God. The thing is, is that this success in the area of holiness does not come by seeking holiness in addition to what Christ has done on the Cross. The Cross is the source of holiness, not human effort. If we are truly connected to Christ, He will produce holiness in us. The problem that the Colossian false teachers had was that they were, “…not holding fast to the Head, from whom all the body, nourished and knit together by joints and ligaments, grows with the increase that is from God.” Jesus told the Disciples on the night of His arrest’

John 15:5-6  “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.  6  If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.

Fruit bearing, i.e. holiness, overcoming sin, growth in grace and being conformed to the image of Christ is not what leads to union with Christ, but the result of it! Rather than seeking success, we would be better off to apply ourselves to the means that God has given for us to seek Christ; to attend to His Word, both read and preached, to be a part of a solid Bible believing and preaching church fellowship and to spend time in prayer, seeking the conversion of the Spirit in our lives. Grounding ourselves in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ and coming to Him daily for the grace to overcome sin is the road to sanctification.  As a part of His Body, we are nourished and knit together with Him and His people and the growth that results comes from God and not from self-effort. Again, this does not mean that we should sit back and wait for God to do something, but that we should earnest make use of the means He has given and trust that He will do what only He can do, cause growth.

The call of the Christian to holiness is indispensable! Yet, it is not achieved through rituals or legalistic observances, but through a vital connection with Jesus Christ as we submit to Him through His Word and Spirit. I encourage you to listen to the audio of the message and heed the call to hold fast to Christ.

Increase From God – AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

Circumcision of Christ [Colossians Pt.12]

Circumcision of Christ

Legalism: the belief that we need to earn or keep God’s favor by righteous acts or religious observance. It is the oldest form of religion. It is the way that many of us as fallen creatures naturally see ourselves in relationship to God. This was the problem that the Apostle Paul was addressing as he wrote to the Christians at Colosse. Once he lays the foundation of the reality of their faith, the basics of the Gospel and then the intention of his ministry, he begins to address the issues that need correction:

Colossians 2:9-11  For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily;  10  and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power.  11  In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ,

Beginning with the authority of Christ and the fact that He has declared the work of justification “finished,” Paul begins to discuss circumcision. It seems that there is a fundamental disconnect in the minds of the false teachers there as to the relationship of the Church and that of Old Testament Israel. This disconnect is often in the minds of Believers to this day. The problem, I believe, is seeing Israel too much as an end or goal in God’s plan rather than a means to an end. We want to make their status as the “People of God” supersede the reality that God has, from the beginning, desired to draw all people to Himself. The promise to Abraham was more about the blessing of all the families of the earth than about the calling of a single nation.

This issue of Giving the Jews the wrong place in the plan of God (end vs. means) is the heart of error in much of the Church to this day. This pushes many into the notion that the rituals, (such as in the case of the Colossian church, circumcision) are to be a part of the religion of the followers of Christ. Others take the same principle and place more emphasis on outward rites and righteousness rather than an inward work of God on the heart. We tend to feel that if we have participated in certain activities or maintained a certain level of righteous deeds, that God will be pleased with us.

First, we need to understand the place of the Old Testament Saints in the larger plan of God.

Secondly, we need to understand the place of the rituals that they were required to perform and how it related to their relationship to God.

Then, we need to see how, it at all, this relates to our own relationship to the Lord.

This is what we did as we looked at Colossians 2:9-13. Putting it all into perspective we can see the purpose of Israel, their rituals and the place of Christian Ordinances in the lives of New Testament Believers. It is a discussion very much worth having and one that will help us to get these often misunderstood concepts right. I encourage you listen to the audio below and think it all through.

Circumcision of Christ – AUDIO

In Christ!

Kevin

The Wrong Use of the Law [1 Timothy Pt. 3]

Wrong Use of the Law

How does the Law relate to the Christian life? It is something that we strive after in the sense of obligation? Do we hold others in the Church to it as a duty? As Paul instructs Timothy on the subject in 1 Timothy this seems to out of the question.

1 Timothy 1:5-9  Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith,  6  from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk,  7  desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.  8  But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully,  9  knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers,

Apparently there were some trying to impose legal restrictions on the Believers in Ephesus. Paul says emphatically that is not what the Law is intended for. However, this does not give Christians the freedom to be lawless. It means that the command is not the motivation to obedience. He spells it out as he instructs the Romans on civil obedience.

Romans 13:8-10  Owe no one anything except to love one another, for he who loves another has fulfilled the law.  9  For the commandments, “YOU SHALL NOT COMMIT ADULTERY,” “YOU SHALL NOT MURDER,” “YOU SHALL NOT STEAL,” “YOU SHALL NOT BEAR FALSE WITNESS,” “YOU SHALL NOT COVET,” and if there is any other commandment, are all summed up in this saying, namely, “YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.”  10  Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.

Our religion must be a proper response to the love and mercy of God which was shown to us when we absolutely did not deserve it. Love is the intended goal of the commandment from the Old Testament Law (Matthew 22:36-39) to the Gospel of Jesus Christ (John 13:34-35). When we impose legal sanctions on other believers we miss the Gospel and become the Pharisees who, “ bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers” (Matthew 23:4). Give a listen to the audio of the lesson and consider your religion in light of what the Apostle teaches Timothy.

The Wrong Use of the Law

In Christ!
Kevin