FBC Morning Light – August 9, 2022

A good Tuesday morning to you, hope your week got off to a good start yesterday. So here we are today, we're reading in 1 Timothy chapter 4, and this chapter begins with a sober reality, and that is the fact that in every church age there are those who are false teachers.

False Teachers in the Latter Times

So here's how Paul begins, he says, the Spirit speaks expressly that in the latter times, and those are the times in which we are living, they're the times in which Timothy was living. So ever since the ascension of Jesus until his return, we are living in the latter times.

So he says, in the latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons. And this is going to characterize the age, the era of the latter times. There are going to be those who profess to be in the framework of the Christian faith, under the umbrella of Christianity, and yet the reality is they depart from the faith, and they give heed to seducing spirits, deceiving spirits that will truly lead people away.

Now, even in our own time, and well, I guess for some of you listening, your time may be shorter than my own time, but I can think of several occasions when there have been some pretty flagrant examples of this kind of thing.

I think of the Branch Davidians in Waco, Texas, and I think of another nut group out in California that committed mass suicide together, and the Jim Jones thing, and so on. There have been many of the bizarre cult-like groups who have departed from the faith, they've latched on to some little nuance of an idea, and they've run with it.

Deceiving Spirits, False Asceticism, and the Goodness of Creation

But Paul goes on to give us some insight into just how believable some of these false teachers can be. He says, They speak lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron. They see nothing wrong with what they're doing.

But they forbid to marry, and they command to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth. And so these couple of areas, I find it fascinating that so many cults and fringe Christian groups focus on these two categories of life, on the subject of marriage and relationships between man and woman, and the subject of food.

Isn't that fascinating? I can think of cults that, on the one hand, they did forbid marriage, and couples would come into the cult, married couples would come into the cult, and then they were compelled to live separately.

And there are some of those cults that then practiced all kinds of bizarre sexual behavior as well. But nevertheless, this is one of the areas of attack by false teachers, false prophets, the whole subject of marriage and the family.

And the other has to do with food. You can't eat this, you can't eat that, your diet has to consist of these kinds of things. Now, by the way, it's not all fringe groups that zero in on this thing. So there are some well-meaning Christians who think that our diet should be restricted according to the Old Testament dietary laws.

So there's no eating of pork, for example. It's interesting, I've known people who have been adamantly against the eating of pork because the Old Testament says you don't eat pork. But I've also seen them eat shrimp or lobster.

Interesting, isn't it? Well, I guess the thing to catch is that Paul goes on to say that God has sanctified every one of those things. These foods that are commanded to be abstained from, we're to receive them with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.

And he goes on in verse four to say this, for every creature of God is good and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving. Why? Because it's been sanctified by the word of God and prayer.

In other words, God has said these things are clean. You don't have to abide by these dietary laws any longer. When did that happen? I think it happened most vividly when that sheep was let down from heaven in Peter's vision.

He saw all these unclean animals and God said, go ahead and eat. He says, no, I can't eat, those are unclean. And God says, what I've cleansed, don't call common, don't call profane anymore. So really, we need to be very careful.

It's one thing to be convinced about the health benefits of certain kinds of food, and I think that's wise. I think there are some things that are more nutritious than other things, and I think it's also true that most of the processed foods of our day and so forth, it's really not the most healthful stuff to eat, and so on and so forth.

But be careful that you don't elevate some of those convictions or conclusions about your diet. Don't elevate that to biblical mandate, because that's the path of false teachers. So just a word of warning to us in that.

And also, I think this passage gives us some insight into what to look for, to be aware of those who are false teachers, who've given heed to deceiving spirits. All right, well, let's pray and ask God to bless this word to our hearts.

Prayer for Thanksgiving and Discernment

Thank you, Father, for your word, and thank you for the gifts that you give to us, the bounty that is ours in creation, and that you have sanctified all these good things that we may enjoy them and partake of them.

Help us to receive them with thanksgiving and faith, we pray. And we ask this in Jesus' name and for His sake, amen. All right, have a good Tuesday. God bless you in it.