WWUTT 632 Irreverent Silly Myths?

The Apostle Paul told Timothy have nothing to do with irreverent silly myths, but rather train yourself for godliness, for it is the gospel that produces godliness in the lives of believers when we understand the text.

This is when we understand the text studying God's word to reach all the riches of full assurance in Christ.

Thank you Becky. We are still in 1 Timothy chapter 4 and today I'm going to begin reading in verse 6 through verse 10.

The Apostle Paul writes to his servant Timothy, "...if you put these things before the brothers, you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine that you have followed.

Have nothing to do with irreverent silly myths, rather train yourself for godliness.

For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come, the saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance.

For to this end we toil and strive, because we have our hopes set on the living

God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe."

So we come back to verse 6 which we looked at yesterday, Paul saying, if you put these things before the brothers, and that is the sound teaching that he presented at the end of chapter 3 versus the false teaching that he gives examples of at the start of chapter 4, teach sound doctrine, don't let anyone teach any different doctrine, exactly what

Paul instructed Timothy in at the very start of the letter. So we have this call to teach sound doctrine and warn against false teachers at the bookends of the letter, it's in chapter 1, we'll see it come up again in chapter 6, it's also right in the center, right here in chapter 4 as we move into the next section.

As Paul says, that godliness flows from a sound teaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

We preach the gospel in our churches over and over again. As surely you've heard it said, you must preach the gospel to yourself every day.

We who are in the flesh are weak, and we are prone to forget, and we are still susceptible to the temptations of the flesh, if we're not careful, if we're not regularly devoting ourselves to the power of the gospel of Christ.

The gospel in its power was not just powerful enough to save you from your unbelief and make you justified before God.

The gospel also has power to sanctify you as you continue in this walk of faith until we leave these bodies and go to be with our

Lord in glory, or our lowly body is transformed to be like his glorious body on the day that he returns, should that day happen within our lifetime,

God willing. Anyway, the point being that we must cling to the gospel always.

Every day we must be reminded that we are sinful fallen creatures in the eyes of a holy and righteous

God, and what we deserve is death because of our rebellion and sin against God.

But he being merciful to us did not leave us dead in our sin, but he sent his son

Jesus to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins, taking our sin upon himself with his death on the cross, rising again from the grave, being vindicated by the spirit as Paul put it in chapter 3 verse 16, so that all who believe in Christ, all who have faith in the person and work of Christ, what he said and what he did, you are justified by faith in Jesus Christ and you will receive his eternal life.

Therefore, being transformed by his spirit, being transferred from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of his marvelous light, we must live as children of that kingdom of light, no longer following after the prince of the power of the air, but we follow the king of kings and the

Lord of lords, glory hallelujah. He has changed our hearts from a heart of stone that was rebellious against God to a heart of flesh that is a worshipful of Christ our savior.

And so this is who we must be. This is the gospel reminder that we must regularly receive.

So we wash out that toxicity that is constantly bombarding us from the world and we renew our minds as kingdom people of God.

When Paul said in Romans 12 to do not be conformed any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that call to renewal is something that is regular.

It is ongoing in the life and faith of a believer. It's not something that you did once, but every day we must take every thought captive and make it obedient to Christ.

As Paul mentions in second Corinthians chapter 10, every day we must love the

Lord, our God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, with everything that we are submitting ourselves, committing ourselves to our

Lord Christ. And so this is the gospel reminder that we need. And because the power of the gospel is mighty to save and it is mighty to sanctify, it is the gospel that produces in us godliness.

That's why Paul comes back again to it at the middle point of the letter. This is why he tells it to Timothy.

I mean, you're talking about Timothy here, the understudy to the apostle Paul who had the entire

Old Testament memorized. Timothy was even given a reminder of the gospel at the midway point to this letter for a couple of reasons.

First of all, because Timothy's a man and he needs a reminder of the gospel. And furthermore, because Paul is telling

Timothy, your church needs reminders of the gospel as he's going to continue to instruct

Timothy in terms of godly living. He must first present the gospel before he goes into that.

He gives the gospel. Here's the truth. Oh, by the way, watch out for the counterfeiters. That's what we have at the start of chapter four.

And then he's going to go into more instructions related to godly living. When we get to chapter five, we have more instructions for the church, how to care for widows, how a person is supposed to care for their own family, how we are to recognize sin and also good works within members of the body of Christ.

So these are some of the things that Paul is going to get to when we get into the next chapter before he goes into those instructions again on godliness.

He presents the gospel again. Same thing he did in chapter one. We had a presentation of the gospel.

Then in chapter two, he goes into what the gospel produces, which is godliness. And then he goes into instructions related to the leadership and the organization of the church.

Then he comes back to the mystery of godliness again. Watch out for false teachers. And now we're going back into more of what the gospel produces, that godly living in the lives of believers, especially in the church, since that's mostly the context of what we're reading about over the course of First Timothy, how this produces godly living within members of your church, those who are under your care, who

I am sending you to Ephesus to shepherd. So put these things before the brothers, sound teaching, warning against false doctrine.

You will be a good servant of Christ Jesus, calling attention to his responsibility as an elder in this church, being trained in the words of the faith.

What the apostle Paul trained Timothy in, taught him how to do, giving him this responsibility to work in this way in the church and of the good doctrine that you have followed.

This is Paul reminding Timothy, we've told you these things. Don't go beyond it. Don't make up other stuff.

You hold fast to the truth of the gospel that was delivered by the apostles.

What I taught you, what you've heard the other apostles teach, what you've received by the laying on of hands, which we'll get to a little bit later on.

So verse seven, have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. So here we have that contrast yet again, be true to sound teaching, have nothing to do with false teaching.

At the end of verse six, be trained in the good doctrine that you have followed. And then verse seven, have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths, rather train yourself for godliness.

Now let's understand these words a little bit more specifically. What is irreverent, silly myths?

Now in the new American standard, this verse is translated a bit differently. First Timothy four, seven, but have nothing to do with worldly fables fit only for old women.

On the other hand, discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness. So the ESV translators have taken the nuance out of it a little bit, have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths.

And that's still in keeping with the original Greek for you have the Greek word in there for silly and a

Greek word in there for fables. And so they've just taken, you know, whatever, whatever the nuance was that the new

American standard translators saw in that. I don't know enough about the Greek to be able to tell you why there's that significant a difference.

But the word irreverent, at least in English for us, that simply means a lack of respect for people or things that are supposed to be taken seriously.

So this could be understood a couple of different ways. It could be a lack of respect for the people that are under your care.

Those who you are supposed to be training in godliness by the preaching of the gospel. It could also be a lack of respect for God who gave you this gospel.

You need to teach his gospel and not deviate into your own wild thoughts and random thinking and speculative ideas.

Rather, hold firm to the gospel, teach the gospel. And what the gospel produces is godliness.

You will be trained in godliness. And that word train comes up again, two verses in a row.

In verse six, Paul said, be trained in the words of the faith. And then in verse seven, train yourself for godliness.

So be trained in the gospel and you will be trained for godliness. It's possible to take gospel concepts and twist them in such a way that they become something irreverent and silly, rather than something that is focused upon Christ and points back to Christ.

It might point to the self rather than pointing to Christ Jesus. It's taking the gospel and devolving it into self -help messages rather than directing everyone back to the transforming power of Christ and his

Holy Spirit. I think the person that I've heard explain this the best is Matt Chandler.

And this was a message that he delivered at a Desiring God conference. I think this was 10 years ago or pretty close to that.

But here's Matt Chandler teaching people about avoiding irreverent, silly myths.

Avoid silly myths, but train your people in godliness.

Now the reason I say this is complex is because you can take one idea and teach it in such a way that's irreverent and silly, or take one idea and teach it in such a way that leads to godliness.

Let me give you an example. So we're in a recession. All right, I think they've officially declared that. And so here's the nightmare that's

Dallas, okay? All over Dallas, creative teams get together and they go, we're going to, you know, we've got ourselves a recession here.

We want to talk about debt. We're going to teach our people about debt. And so we've entitled the series,

Debt is Dumb, all right? So here's what I need. Worship guy, go write me a song on Debt is

Dumb, all right? Communication team, I need you to draw up something that after they leave here, they'll continually remember

Debt is Dumb. I've written a sermon, here's why Debt is Dumb. Debt is dumb because it puts stress on your marriage.

Debt is dumb because it puts stress on your happiness. And debt is dumb because if you get into too much of it, somebody's going to come take your car and house, then you'll be homeless.

Break, and everybody goes. Then on Sunday morning, somebody walks up on stage and they lead in the song, all right?

If you have $4 and you spent $7, that's dumb, all right?

They lead their song. And then the pastor walks up on stage and he gets behind, probably not a pulpit, probably a stool, and says,

I'm not capping anybody, I'm just saying, that's very popular. And they do the sermon.

Hey, guys, if, listen, here's the problem with debt. When you've got a lot of debt, you're not happy.

Are you guys happy? Of course you're not happy. You know why you're not happy? Because you have debt. All right?

Point two, is your marriage difficult? Let me tell you why your marriage is difficult. Marriage is difficult because you've got debt. And when you've got debt, it brings all this pressure into your marriage, and then that's what happens.

It's bad. And then, listen, do you want to be homeless? I don't think you want to be homeless. You want to be homeless?

Do you want your mom to drive you around? You're 30 years old, for goodness sake. Is that what you want? Of course you don't.

See how much God loves you? He's telling you, debt is dumb. Now, on your way out tonight, we have a bumper sticker that says, debt is dumb.

And we have little bracelets so that all week long, you might be reminded that debt is dumb. And our ministry in this community is going to be to let them know that debt is dumb.

Father, we're going to do Bleecker's debt is dumb song one more time.

Stand with me, all right? If you have $4 and you're 7, debt is dumb. And then you dismiss. Well that's priceless, expounding on nothing.

So okay, now let's see. I'm not against topical preaching, as long as it's done exegetically. I'm saying that you have an opportunity to take something.

Well, how about this? How about we do this? How about we stand in our pulpits and say, by the cross of Christ socially,

I have been set free from the sin of arrogant hierarchy seeking and saved to humility and seeking the lower seat.

That in Christ and his cross materially, I have been set free from grasping and finding my identity in things and saved to using

God's creation properly and giving away money and things to advance his kingdom further. Okay, you see what happened there?

One is training in godliness. The other is irreverent, silly myths. Paul's pleading with Timothy, train your people in godliness, which means the gospel is ever present.

Good doctrine is ever present. And it reveals the former errors, revealing the former errors, which goes back to what

I had mentioned earlier about teaching yourself the gospel every day, remembering who you were before Christ, what you deserve because you are a rebel against God.

And yet God has shown you mercy through his son, Jesus Christ, a reminder that we need constantly.

So we remember to regularly submit ourselves and everything that we do and all that we are to Jesus Christ as a living sacrifice unto the

Lord who bought us with a price by his spilled blood on the cross.

We belong to Christ. We are his people. We are his inheritance given to him by the father.

And so we must worship Christ with all that we are. Good doctrine ever present, the gospel ever present, and that's what produces godliness.

So it's possible to take a concept of godliness and turn it into something that's works -based that we can't achieve.

We can't do that. It becomes focused on the self, a self -help sort of a message, rather than pointing us to Christ and showing us how because he is the one who saved you and transferred you from darkness into his kingdom of light, he is the one who sanctifies you also.

So we have this constant reliance upon Christ for our every strength rather than believing that we have the strength or ability to do these things ourselves.

So like I said, I love that presentation from Matt Chandler on have nothing to do with irreverent silly myths, rather train yourself for godliness.

And that example that he gave there is, I mean, that's most of Christian teaching in the

American church today. It's that five point, you know, you got to end five point, not meaning

Calvinism, but five point the you got to do this, you got to do this, you got to do this. Here's five ways to a better marriage.

Here's five ways to better parenting. Here's five ways to get out of debt. Here's five ways to happiness in your job and so on and so forth.

And what you end up doing with that kind of message is you impose upon the hearers something that's works -based and something that they will fail at doing.

They will not accomplish all five of those points. In fact, they're going to fail at point number one, and they're going to get discouraged and not get the rest of the way through any of that.

And so while it sounds good, you're listening to the preacher say it, when you actually put it into practice, it doesn't work because the reliance is upon your ability and not putting your faith in Christ, who is our hope and our strength.

So it is the gospel that produces godliness. It is not us by our own willpower who produces godliness in ourselves.

Christ saves you and he grows you in that salvation. And so our reliance should fully be on Christ for all of this, our salvation and also godliness.

Now while there is some value to the example that Chandler gave, getting out of debt, that would be the next verse, verse eight, for while bodily training is of some value, yeah, there's value to getting out of debt, but that doesn't save you.

You get out of debt. You're not saved. You're just a person who's you're a hell bound person who doesn't have any debt.

So you need the gospel for your salvation. Yes, there is some value in bodily training, but godliness is a value in every way.

And again, godliness can only be produced by an adherence to the gospel and the sound doctrine of Jesus Christ.

Godliness is a value in every way as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.

So you will see improvement in your life as you grow in godliness.

But it's not just something that is limited to this life. Rather, it stores up your hope and your anticipation for the kingdom that is to come in Christ Jesus.

Jesus said in the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew, chapter seven, that we would seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness.

And all these other things that we need in this world will be added to us as well.

Seek first God's kingdom, desire godliness in Christ Jesus, and then all the other things that we need will be given to us.

You consider what Paul said in Colossians, chapter three. When it comes to reminding yourself of the gospel, this is a section of scripture that I come back to regularly.

For me, this is one that I have memorized and remind myself of almost daily.

Paul says, if then you have been raised with Christ, you're no longer dead in your sins, you've been raised to new life in Christ.

Seek the things that are above where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.

Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth.

For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who is your life, appears, then you also will appear with him in glory.

Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you. First, Paul gives the presentation of the gospel, and then he describes what that gospel should produce in your life.

Put to death, therefore, what is earthly in you, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

On account of these, the wrath of God is coming. In these, you too once walked when you were living in them.

Again, just what Chandler said, it reveals the former errors. But now you must put them all away, anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices, and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator.

Here there is not Greek and Jew, circumcised and uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave -free, but Christ is all and in all.

Put on, then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another, and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other, as the

Lord has forgiven you, which is the gospel, so you must also forgive, which is the godliness the gospel produces.

And above all these, put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.

And let the peace of Christ rule, let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body, and be thankful."

Goes back to something that I mentioned yesterday, let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the

Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him. Guess where Paul goes next after that?

Giving instructions to husbands and wives, giving instructions to parents with their children, giving instructions to children on how to be respectful of their parents, and also to bond servants to obey in everything their earthly masters.

This is further examples of godliness being produced in the lives of believers who know the gospel truth and are showing by their lives the effects of faith in that gospel.

This has been an enjoyable lesson for me today, and I hope that it was convicting for you as well.

Let us conclude with a quick prayer. Our Lord God, we thank you for the gospel that was delivered to us, and that we turned from sin and believed it.

And let us show in our lives the effects of that change that has happened by the power of the gospel.

In the name of Jesus Christ we pray, amen. Pastor Gabe keeps a regular blog sharing personal thoughts, alerting readers to false teachers, and offering commentary on the church and social issues.

You can find a link to the blog through our website, www .utt .com. Thank you for listening and join us again tomorrow as we continue our study in God's Word…when we understand the text.