Highlight: House Rule #11 Keep Your Hope Set On God (1 Timothy 4:6-10)

Kootenai Church

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Good to see each one this morning. We're glad that you're here Let's get started in our

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Bible study this morning. We're going back to first Timothy and Our study of house rules for God's Church this morning moving into verses 6 through 10 of chapter 4

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House rule number 11 keep your hope set on God let's commit our time to our

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Lord this morning and ask his blessing and Because we are definitely dependent on him to lead us and guide us and Whether we acknowledge it or not.

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We are so let's commit our time to him Our father we do thank you for this opportunity that we have to be together to fellowship with one another

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To come together in the name of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and because of what he has accomplished for us

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Thank you that we have your word. Thank you that we have your spirit We pray now that as we look into your word, you would guide us and teach us by your spirit

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Help us help us to be conformed to the image of Jesus Christ through our study of your word

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Change us to be more like him and we will praise you in his name. Amen well, we're back in chapter 4 of first Timothy and there's

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Outlines here Rick has them if you need one just raise your hand. I'm sure he'll be happy to pass one to you

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This morning we'll be looking at Verses 6 through 10 as I said and keeping our hopes set on God after our study last week from verses 1 through 5

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On apostasy and and the warning against apostasy in the church Looking at chapter 4 6 through 10.

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We saw last time a very sobering warning about that group of dangerous people called apostates and We spent the last couple

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Sundays trying to get a working definition and certainly we did not Flip over all the stones because there's lots of things we could have looked at and talked about But this morning we're going to look at something that is is it's related but it's not related in exactly the same way

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It's a different topic. But if if we are warned against apostasy in the church

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That can be kind of a discouraging study that can be something that we look at and if we see people that are that are

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Abandoning the faith in Jesus Christ and as we look at our culture around us that can be something that Might be a little discouraging might tend to distract us a little bit from what

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God would have us focus on so this morning we're going to be seeing sort of the flip side of that keeping our hopes set on God and I just wanted to spend just a little bit more time on this issue of apostasy because it is important and it is a topic that we see around us and Certainly you do as well and it's important for us to know why this warning is here

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Some of you may have and I'm just going to share an example of apostasy Certainly, you've probably seen it and you could probably multiply this example with many others several years ago

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There there was a report of a Christian leader named Josh Harris who abandoned the faith.

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Maybe you remember him He wrote a book called the I kiss dating. Goodbye Back about 22 years ago.

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Well in 2019 in the summer of 2019 he announced that he was abandoning

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Christianity and he was also getting a divorce from his wife and leaving his wife and three kids and he was also promoting the gay lesbian transgender lifestyle and Articles came out in the summer of 2019 one of them a

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CNN another one I have here Newsweek because the secular press loves these kinds of stories, you know, they love to celebrate the the supposed failures of Christianity and the

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Christian faith And by the way, I have copies if you would like copies of these just see me

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We'll get a well Sorry, we can have made but I just want to spend a little time and go over this because it is a really good example

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Of what we see out there and it's and he's just one there's many many more this article here

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CNN July 29th 2019 It says a former pastor who wrote a best -selling book on traditional relationships has confirmed the end of his marriage

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Apologized for opposing LGBTQ rights and announced. He is no longer a

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Christian Joshua Harris a book I kiss dating. Goodbye, which railed against sex before marriage and homosexual

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Homosexuality sold over 1 million copies and became a fixture in Christian youth groups after coming out 22 years ago but Harris now says the 1997 work contributed to a culture of exclusion and bigotry his words and that he has

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Quote undergone a massive shift in regard to my faith in Jesus Writing on Instagram.

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He added quote by all the measurements that I have for defining a Christian. I am NOT a

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Christian I Have lived in repentance for the past several years now.

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Remember we talked about this reverse repentance about going back Peter talked about Returning to where they were and he used the dog, you know and the hog

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He says at this time I have lived in repentance now. He's repenting from his biblical stand on marriage and That type of thing.

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I have lived in repentance for the past several years Repenting of my self -righteousness my fear -based approach to life the teaching of my books my views of women in the church and my approach to Parenting to name a few.

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Well, clearly he's you know, it's it's a wholesale abandonment He says to the

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LGBTQ plus community I want to say that I am sorry for the views that I taught in my books and as a pastor regarding sexuality

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I regret standing against marriage equality for not affirming you and your place in the church and for any ways that my writing and speaking

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Contributed to a culture of exclusion and bigotry I hope you can forgive me and so on the article goes on to talk about him

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There's also a an article that just came out this last summer Okay.

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Now this this apostasy and took place in 2019 in the summer Sort of like the whack -a -mole game, you know where the one disappears over here, but then he pops up over here, right?

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They don't go away many of the dangerous ones don't go away just this last summer

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He came back in the news why well he's back recruiting people out of evangelical

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Christianity great article last summer by Carl Truman some of you know who he is the

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Site is called first things, but the article title is Josh Harris message remains the same

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It says Josh Harris is back in the limelight He made his name as the author of I kiss dating goodbye and thereby a key inspiration for the purity movement in American evangelicalism

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Then after a stint as a pastor and an evangelical megachurch in Gaithersburg He was very quickly elevated to a pastoral position in a very large church for quite a few years

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He left the ministry repudiated the book and the teaching that had given him his platform and abandoned the faith

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Carl Truman says but this is America and if you have lemons you make lemonade

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Harris is now back on stage peddling his latest venture a five -part course helping you to handle the damage

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That purity culture and religious legalism as promoted by the earlier Harris may have done to your life

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Okay, so if you're a somebody in evangelicalism and you've been hurt you've been damaged you you have been damaged by biblical

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Morality he's there now to help you and he has a big program for that his program

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It you can take the class for $275 okay He even has one of these other articles talks about you can take a group course and and it's like $1 ,200 to help you as they call it

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Deconstruct your faith. That's a term you'll hear they deconstruct you want to deconstruct your faith

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Well, I'm not going to go through this whole article you can certainly get a copy I can make a copy if you want

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Carl Truman ends his ends up by this This is consistent with the subculture of celebrity

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Evangelicalism that nurtured him that gave him a platform and that he now claims to have repudiated light on intellectual substance and shamelessly appealing to an to the emotional intuitions and needs of The customer base the evangelical celebrity world is geared toward marketing the attractive

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Personality as the branded product that will solve the problems of potential customers

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It is how Josh Harris the youthful peddler of purity made his name and his money and that is precisely how

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Josh Harris the older And wiser former Christian continues to sell himself to anyone foolish enough to buy his quote

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Making peace with your story stick Dr.

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Truman go Truman goes on to say ironically for all his much trumpeted deconstruction of his own

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Christianity Harris seems incapable of escaping the dynamics of the culture that made him famous He remains the megachurch evangelical celebrity of his earlier self

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He merely does so now in a secular rather than religious Therapeutic idiom and without the cadre of evangelical enablers who made him popular

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You can take the boy out of the Americans celebrity evangelicalism, but you cannot take the

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American celebrity evangelicalism out of the boy Messianic self -confidence comes as standard and the preacher is still both the salesman and the product being sold

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Pretty good, but that's Carl Truman. He usually can put his finger on an issue and articulate it very very well

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Well, there's just an example of apostasy and that's the kind of apostasy that the

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Apostle Paul is really worried about Teaching Timothy and encouraging

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Timothy to watch out for why because they're in the church They're part of the church.

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They depart from the church and like he told the Ephesian elders back in Acts chapter 20 these

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Then want to draw the disciples after them They don't just disappear off over the horizon forever

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They depart from the church then they turn around and then they beckon the church to follow them. Come on Oh, come on.

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Isn't it just about love? I love you. Don't you love me? Come on And of course, they're selling something as well

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So these are the dangerous ones the ones that aren't dangerous are the ones you don't know about them and many of them don't even darken

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The door of a church ever they hear the gospel in some way shape or form But then they depart but the ones that Paul is concerned about are the ones that the church needs to be protected from so I thought

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I'd Just share that with you and see if you had any thoughts or any more question probably a lot of questions

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I keep asking that about this issue of apostasy before we move on Any thoughts you might have?

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Okay. Well, the exhortation is beware They're out there it's happening and you're probably going to see more and more of it happen as time goes by but Not to worry.

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God is in charge. We have a sovereign powerful God who is in charge of this entire universe as well as the church

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One of the things that I want to share to why this warning from Paul? Why why does he give this warning?

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This is a part of what we need to see here this morning The warning is given by the Apostle Paul.

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So Timothy will be aware of what's going on in the church Right so he can guard against it teach against it and so on but remember even

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Matthew chapter 7 Sermon on the Mount the Lord warned about this He said beware of false prophets who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves

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Oh, and that reminds me. I was brought to my attention that last Sunday I kind of slipped and I made reference to apostates as being sheep in wolves clothing.

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Okay You're laughing at me I You heard you're too polite to say anything.

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What do you mean? What do you mean by that? just Yeah, I wasn't trying to create a different category of apostates or anything like that.

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It was just me, you know Wixing up my mirds, that's all But Jesus warned about it.

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You will recognize them by their fruits. Okay, you will recognize them by their fruits So every healthy tree bears good fruit

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But the diseased tree bears bad fruit a healthy tree cannot bear good for bad fruit Nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit

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Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire statement of judgment

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It's always going to be there with apostates verse 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits by the grace of God We're being told how to recognize them right and even first John 2 we looked at that passage last week first John 2 18 through 21 and John says children.

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It is the last hour and as you have heard that antichrist is coming So now many antichrists have come

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Therefore we know that it is the last hour. We know okay and the last hour of course is very similar to what

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Paul says here about in later times from the First advent of Christ to the second advent of Christ.

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That's the last times we're in it now It's been going on now for over 2 ,000 years. So it's not something that is

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Is is just in his day. It's it's a long period of time and we are in it now and he says

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They went out from us, but they were not of us for if they had been of us

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They would have continued with us, but they went out that it might become plain

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That they all are not of us But you have been anointed with the

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Holy One one of the characteristics of the apostates and Jude says this is their Devoid of the Spirit. They don't have a spirit.

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That's why they have no No powers of discernment. They have no they're not saved. They're not regenerate

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They never were saved in the first place very important to understand that as well But they went out here's the purpose that it might become plain that they all are not of us

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But you have been anointed with the Holy One and you have all knowledge your you all have knowledge

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I write to you not because you do not know the truth But because you know it and because no lie is of the truth by the grace of God.

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We're told in Scripture how to recognize the apostasy even later on the great apostasy is going to happen and It's also going to include the revealing of the man of sin.

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It's a revealing you're gonna know it Right if you're here, and I don't plan on being here at that point in time

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But by the grace of God we are told these things in Scripture, so we will know okay, so just wanted to let you know that's why we're told it in Scripture and and again

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We are only a responsible for what we know God hasn't called us to run around and and surface all the apostates out there.

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We don't know until they are revealed Harris is pretty easy right he reveals himself.

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I'm done with Christianity all right now That's an example of one, but you can clearly see from start to finish the guy was never a true

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Christian But also and Carl Truman does bring it out in his article I want to emphasize we get focused on the individual right, but that's not the real story

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How in the world did that guy sell a million copies of that book how in the world did he get elevated up to a?

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pastor of a mega Evangelical Church, how did he have all of these thousands of people millions of people chasing after the guy?

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Even probably to the day that he apostatized people were going huh what oh? I thought he was a pastor good, but right that's the story folks

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It's not the individuals that you can see it's the thousands and millions that are chasing after him, okay

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Alright anything else? That you any thoughts you might have on that or any questions

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It is a difficult topic, and it's difficult because it's it's hurtful, and we all certainly have people we think of Maybe even people we love you know and we worry about him.

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We care about him. Well. You can trust God with all things and Our task as we're going to see this morning is to keep our hope set on God It's easy to get distracted

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It's easy to get distracted by these kinds of stories But it's also very easy to get distracted as we look at the world around us week by week by week just in decline

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Keep your hopes set on God. This is first Timothy 4 6 through 10 what we're going to see here this morning and Your outline has it there.

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We need to keep training people we need to keep training Ourselves Paul tells Timothy keep training yourself.

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We need to keep away from miss. We need to keep pursuing godliness We need to keep our hopes set on God and really you can take that Roman numeral five and just bring it up to the top because everything we do here is is a product of Keeping our hopes set on God, and it's also how we keep our hope set on God.

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Yeah Peter Well to me that would be it you can't if you can't get past the gospel

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We're done talking you know That's his problem.

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I think somebody asked John MacArthur. What would you do if you met the Pope you know well? I think he said something like I'd share the gospel with him get right down to the basic level

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Apostasy and maybe walk him through the way of the master. You know What else do you do you know that's that's his problem his problem is he's unregenerate and if by the grace of God the

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Spirit of God used that to bring him to Christ I'd be rejoicing with him, and then we'd make sure he was in some sort of a

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Bible teaching church of some kind under the headship of elders for a long period of time That kind of thing you know, but I mean if you if a person is unregenerate

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There's only one solution the gospel of Jesus Christ, and it doesn't matter where they are on that spectrum now

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We also know that somebody like that is spoken of we can't know when that line is crossed

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That person that Paul talks about in Romans with the reprobate mind Paul talked about last time the heart that is calloused.

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It can't feel it's insensitive, but we can't determine that We know it's there from Scripture It can be there, but we're not the judge of that we can't tell and so our task is to Continuously reach out to that person with the mercy of God.

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This is Jude you talks about Mercying people he uses We don't have the we don't see mercy.

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We don't have it in a verb form, but in Scripture It's a verb mercy that person you know so that's that's how

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I would approach it You just have to share the gospel with him, and if he rejects it again, okay?

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There's not much else to give him yeah Rick. Oh sure

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I think there's always profit in using the Word of God, but I wouldn't I wouldn't talk to him about His stewardship and his financial giving or anything you know

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I mean I would there's only one thing only one thing it can solve his problem, and that's the gospel of Jesus Christ He when

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Jesus talked to Nicodemus Nicodemus was a Skilled teacher of the Word of God the guy was a

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Pharisee He would have probably have had memorized the entire Old Testament and Jesus said

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You know it cleared all that down and got right down to the guy's problem. You must be born again Didn't say you must become born again

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Very interesting use of the words there in John's gospel. He uses a steady verb you must be born again not become

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Because then he would have said okay How do I become and give me something to do and he would have had something to go out and do just said you if tender

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The kingdom of God you must be born again There is nothing you can do and the rest of that story is about sovereignty of God and salvation

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They're both there right your responsibility to believe, but God is sovereign. They're both right there, so that's how

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I would approach it I'm a simple guy. I mean, I think the simple answer is you need the gospel you need to be saved That's his problem back in Hebrews 3 right when when the writer of Hebrews is rehearsing the history of Israel He goes all the way through all that about there

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They're they're not going to enter the land and all that and he gets down to it because of unbelief

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That's the problem unbelief so anything else yes, sir.

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I see Sure So do they yeah,

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I would I would say as long as God gives you the grace to keep doing it And that's

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I mean as long as that person is drawing a breath from our perspective We keep we keep ministering to him the best we can

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Jude's Jude's little three part at the end of his letters is pretty critical because he talks about three different kinds of people and It's all about grace.

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You know give them keep be merciful to them and but but as far as topics to me

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It's it's pretty simple they need Christ. They need to they need to repentant faith in Jesus Christ That's their problem.

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That's a yeah Sure Yeah, but remember when

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God saves anybody he reaches deep into the darkest pit whether it's a cult whether it's it and Boom right out of there, and you can find

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Millions of examples of that don't get hung up, and how deep is the darkness therein? It's deep and So yeah, but that's not our problem the gospel penetrates it so You know don't don't let that discourage you you know

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The Holy Spirit's good. He's a past master at penetrating darkness look at Paul Solitarsis you talk about a hard nut to crack

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This guy's a murderous Christ hating church hating guy one boom right off his horse.

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Just like that There it is Yeah That's why we have this passage keep your hopes set on God.

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He's the sovereign God of salvation right so Okay, anything else it is complicated, and it also you know when it's people you care about people you love you know that Can be a complicating thing but even then it's still we have the gospel that has to be

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Preached to them and sometimes you know I think it's If they're

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Catholic or whatever we can maybe learn something about their what they're involved in and that's helpful

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I don't think we need to become an expert in whatever their problem is But maybe we could learn something more about where they're coming from and have them tell you how'd you get to be a

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Catholic? Did you? Figure that out for yourself were you born into it? You know and so I don't think we want to talk to them

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We want to we want to interact with them a little bit, but also we have to come bring it back to you know I have a question.

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I've used to ask guys who used to work in construction and had guys You know I'd say I remember a

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Jehovah's Witness one time the guy was just he was relentless You know and had an opportunity to talk with him by ourselves one time away from other men

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And I asked him some questions about his how long you been involved with the witnesses you know and boy he wanted to talk about It you know and I said what do you guys do about this?

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What do you have like worship services you know and he wanted to talk about all about it And then finally I said with the question

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I was leading up to what do you guys do with your sin? And he just he just stopped because there's only one answer and the only answer is found here, right?

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Well, I guess maybe I guess maybe I talked to the elders about it. I said well. What would they do with it?

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He had no answer. There's there's no answer other than the gospel. What do you do with your sin sure?

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Well and and a lot of times if you sort of got to bypass that and get down to it, okay? What do you in Roman Catholicism?

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What do you do with your sin? Tell the priest he tells me that doesn't and you can that it should open the door to say what does that do you know?

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There is no there is no answer to that other than Scripture and the gospel of Jesus Christ So, but I think it's always important to you know

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Interact with people and find out and talk to them a little bit. You know but sooner or later We got to get down to what's what counts that's the difference between liberalism liberal

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Christianity They never get down to the gospel. They have all this other stuff They're talking about and it's it's just a great big confusing massive and usually it involves being nice being loving love

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We got a love and so on no nothing wrong with loving but love has to be defined by Scripture as well, okay?

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Okay, well keep your hopes set on God. Let's talk about these verses for chapter 4 verses 6 through 10

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Timothy starts out hearing this from Paul in this letter and Paul starts out and this is

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What do we do? How do we relate? How do we what? Timothy could have been really frustrated by this

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Wow depart from the faith. Oh my goodness They're gonna devote themselves to deceitful spirits. Oh, no, what do

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I do? Paul tells him what to do verse 6 if you put these things

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Before the brothers you will be a good servant of Jesus Christ.

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That's chapter 6 a Keep training the people Whenever we see things begin to decay out there whether it's in the culture or in the country or in the church

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Okay, note that down pray for that, but we keep doing what God has called us to do Do we not we keep training the people this is fundamental to the church

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These things if you put these things before the brothers This is everything

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Paul is telling him in this letter, right and sometimes he uses these things to sort of Set off a particular part of his teaching which he does here

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But go back up to verse 14 in chapter 3 where we have our theme verse He says

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I hope to come to you soon But I am writing these things to you so that if I delay you may know how you ought to behave in the household of God so these things

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Includes and encompasses everything that Paul is talking about in this letter, but in this particular part of the letter

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He's sort of reminding him you need to put these things before the brothers Keep training the people and keep training him on these things

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These things and if you do that you will be a good servant of Christ Jesus This is all of the instruction

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Paul is giving in this letter It's comprehensive confronting false teachers and their false doctrines waging the good warfare holding faith and a good conscience as we saw chapter 2 praying for and proclaiming the gospel to all kinds of people and then teaching them about the

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God ordained the God created place of Men and women in the church and in creation and then teach them put these things would include

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Leadership in the church elders and deacons and then all of what he will teach in the rest of the letter has to include absolutely every bit of it and when he says brothers don't know what your translations say, but This translation is he always has a little footnote.

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It says brothers includes women. It really does it includes women We all know that but certainly to everyone in the church and even if your translation says brothers that also includes the sisters

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It's everyone in the church. Okay, and and very simply just tell people what God says just tell people what

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God says, right? That's our task our task whether you're a parent Whether you're a

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Sunday school teacher, whether you're a preacher a teacher a leader of any kind If you're a Christian your task is very simple.

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Just tell people what God says Okay, it's just that simple and it may be done at different levels, right?

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It may be done If you're teaching your children gather around you there in your living room

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You're gonna put it at a certain level But you're still going to tell people what God says these things if you do you'll be a good servant

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This is again. This is one of 20 times Paul uses this word good in this letter. It's various forms

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Good means that which is not just looks good, but is actually intrinsically good

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It's good because God declares it to be good and it's also good for what it's designed to be

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Accomplishing so it's good in its appearance good intrinsically and it's good for what it's designed to do

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Paul called You remember back in chapter 1? He said we know that the law is good Okay, so keep training the people doesn't matter what the culture does doesn't matter what the church does doesn't matter about the apostasy all

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Over the place. We need to keep training the people one of the things we need to train the people about us Beware of apostates, right?

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So and then he says keep training yourself the rest of verse 6

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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 there again

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We have that little phrase the faith. This is what the apostates depart from they departed back up in verse 1 they will depart from The faith their apostates because they had some connection to the faith

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You have to have a connection to it You have to hold to it or believe in it in some way shape or form in order to depart from it

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Right, and so the faith as we said, this is page 6 in your notes that whole list of places where Paul uses it

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It's not my subjective faith. It's more the content of the faith the objective

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Word of God and This is what Timothy was trained in being trained in the words of the faith and of the good doctrine or teaching

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Doctrine there is is more in terms of the principles that we draw out of the faith

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So you can have both teaching of the faith the Word of God and of the doctrines or the truths that we draw out of there

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Being nourished or fed is the meaning of this word trained Timothy was trained.

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He was nourished at the feet of his Christian mother and Grandmother we saw that in 2nd

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Timothy 1 Lois his grandmother and Eunice his mother trained him as a child his father was a pagan unbelieving

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Gentile, but these two women trained him and later in 2nd

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Timothy 3 Paul says remember from whom plural you have learned it and Certainly Paul would have discipled

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Timothy during the time they had together doing mission work but his early training was by his mother and his grandmother as a child that I'd encourage you moms and you grandmoms and you

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Adults who teach little children. Okay, keep at it. Keep training these children because it has

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It has benefits for the future, but Paul wants Timothy to keep training yourself it's kind of easy is it not when you start talking about the false teachers and the all of the apostasy going on to get sort of target fixation on them and Maybe make that kind of your career, you know, and it's easier than to forget about what about my own spiritual growth?

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I need to be careful that I don't get involved. I need to be careful that I don't slip off slide off into that I need to continually keep myself in Subjection and in fellowship in a

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Bible teaching ministry why because iron sharpens iron and we're in that environment and That that is a continuous teaching and preaching of the

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Word of God. It helps me keep training myself in The words of the faith.

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That's the topic that's what we preach and teach the words of the faith and of good doctrine that you have followed and So Timothy or anyone's effectiveness for God is based on how they are they're nourished and so keep feeding yourself so that you can feed others and Timothy was

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Nourished on the faith the Word of God again it's the objective content of the gospel the scriptures the truth about Jesus Christ, it's that which the

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Apostates departed from and do depart from back in verse 1 of this passage. It's the truth about Jesus Christ Sound doctrine good teaching and you have followed it.

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It's how we are effectively then used by God So keep training the people keep training yourself and here's the negative one in the list keep away from myths

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This is verse 7 The first part of verse 7 have nothing to do with irreverent silly myths

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Nothing to do with it. It's very strong word means reject it. Don't even go anywhere near it. Stay away from it and In Timothy's day as we saw there was all kinds of false teaching floating around.

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I mean, it's obviously worse now and There's more access to it and it has more access to you, right?

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It's irreverent Which means it's profane. It's it's not from God very interesting word

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It's it's a word that's used to speak of a doorway threshold. You say well, what does that have to do with with being?

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Irreverent or profane well because it's a Jewish idiom and they would talk about something being profane

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The threshold of the doorway is only good for being walked on or walked over It's that base that low that it's something that is walking these

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These things that people get hung up on they're irreverent and they're also they're silly They're silly myths have nothing to do with irreverent silly myths

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Because they're not going to help you it's spiritual junk food or at worst It's spiritual roadkill and not of it is sort of spiritual toxic waste, you know, and it's not good for you second

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Timothy 4 to where Paul is exhorting Timothy about Preaching the word he says these people who abandon the

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Word of God if they abandon the Word of God They will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own lusts and will wander off into myths

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Okay, it's the same word. They're silly myths. Muthas is the word This word wander off here when you reject the

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Word of God this it's in the passive voice in other words They will be led off into myths may not happen tomorrow minute happen next week but it will happen you reject the

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Word of God you will be led off into myths and It's a danger.

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The church has to watch for Peter second

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Timothy 4 to Paul's His charge to Timothy in second second

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Timothy 4 Yeah for the time will come

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Well when they will not it. Yeah, I'm sorry I just give you the first the first verse there when they will not endure sound doctrine, but wishing to have their ears tickled

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They will turn away from the truth and be led away into Myths same word that he uses here stay away from it.

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He says don't go anywhere near it. Keep away from myths and then Keep your hope set on God by pursuing godliness.

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This is the rest of verse 7 through verse 9 Rather rather than get hung up on the myths and all of the junk food that's out there train yourself for Godliness train yourself for godliness keep pursuing godliness this word train is the word

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Gymnasts or gymnasts we get our word gymnasium from this, right?

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a place of intense training Greek cities of the day had Gymnasiums where the young people would would train and they would work out and then they would compete in games or various competitions our

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Olympics and that type of thing, of course has its history back then so this whole idea of training and The word gymnast by the way the word this word in this word group also has a connotation in there of Competition in the nude because that's how they used to compete back then

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Okay, or or with very very scant clothing, but many of them they had these these games and they competed in the nude

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That was what they did. I don't know how that would work out in the Winter Olympics Right, but I bet you that would increase the viewership

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But that's what they did But Paul's whole point here is for while bodily training is of some value

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

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And he says the saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance His whole point here is that godliness if you pursue godliness, then that has eternal consequences

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Physical training is temporary. He's not ruling it out. Of course if if that's something but that's temporary

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It's limited in its extent and what it'll do for you, but it's also limited in its duration it

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You can take as good a care of your body as you can in this life And we should to the best of our ability.

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It's a stewardship that God has given us But also we have to keep in mind It's temporary if that's all you focus on you're denying that which is eternal and spending all your time and your effort on that Which is temporary godliness or the product of spiritual training is more valuable because it is eternal

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Godliness is worth pursuing because it's valuable for this life and for being fruitful for God in this life

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But also for the life to come If you're discouraged today if you're disheartened by what you see around you the culture decline the moral decline

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And how can we not it is disturbing it should if it doesn't bother you Then maybe you need to start there and ask why not?

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but remember if you keep your hope fixed on Christ on God you're in and Pursuing the things that God calls us to do that's those have eternal consequences

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And it's well worth doing so keep your hope set on God keep training the people Timothy keep training yourself

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Keep away from miss keep pursuing godliness, and then in verse 10 keep your hope set on God We're just coming around full circle, and he says for to this end we toil and strive

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Because we have our hope set on the Living God who is the Savior of all people especially of those who believe

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And he comes right back around to it the end is the pursuit of godliness This is what the whole point is godliness of course is that that?

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Perfect combination, and it's never perfect in our lives of What you believe your doctrine and how you live your life, okay?

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and they both have to be there if This is one of the things with apostates they may say all the correct stuff.

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They may go Oh, yeah, I believe that believe that believe that believe that believe that but if they're living a secret life of Unrepentant sin over here.

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They're not godly are they see and This is what happens sometimes those things have to be together so godliness is that combination of What you believe the faith, but also how you live this is why he he's focusing on How he's living in this whole section all the way down through verse 16

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Timothy you got to pay attention to your life Yeah, but these guys departed from the faith the content of the faith

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That's important, but remember their moral lives were in the tank as well Okay, go back through Romans chapter 1 and you can see that anytime anybody departs from the faith their lives back

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And then maybe back in the dark someplace where you and I can't really see it But it's going to be morally corrupt in some way shape or form

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So Paul's direction to Timothy keep training the people keep training yourself Keep away from all the myths out there keep striving and agonizing for godliness because it is it's

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It is hard work, okay, and then he uses the word agonized oh my there that word we get the word agonized from it

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We toil we we work hard. It's It's something that you have to make an effort to do

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And he says the saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance, okay? But this is what we pursue we toil and strive because we have our hopes set on the living

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God It's great advice for Timothy and great advice for each one of us as well

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It's also taught throughout scripture as well. Just want to share a few passages with you

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You could probably certainly think of many more listen to what Isaiah says clear back in the Old Testament Isaiah 23 verses 2 through 4

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You God you God keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you

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Because he trust in you trust in the Lord forever for the Lord God is an everlasting rock and then the

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Apostle Paul in Romans very interesting He quotes Isaiah multiple other passing Old Testament references here but but Paul says in Romans 15 12 and Again, Isaiah says the root of Jesse will come even he who arises to rule the

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Gentiles in Him the Gentiles will hope and then he says may the

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God of hope Fill you with all joy and peace in believing so that by the power of the

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Holy Spirit You may abound in hope uses the word multiple times there

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And then of course I like what what Peter says in first Peter Peter was pretty shaky when he started out as a disciple was he not

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I mean if you were just to look at him You say man this guy. Maybe he's an apostate well He wasn't because Christ had him knew him prayed for him interceded for him and remember when

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Jesus interceded for him He said Peter Satan has desired to sift you the you there is plural

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The first use plural the second you is singular Satan has desired desired to sift all of you

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But I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail That's why

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Judas's faith failed, but Peters didn't even though he was just all over the map in his later life later on in his

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Listen to these words blessed be the God and father of our Lord Jesus Christ according to his great mercy

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He has caused us to be born again to a living hope Through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead to an inheritance that is imperishable

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Undefiled and unfading kept in heaven for you who by God's power are being guarded through faith for a

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Salvation ready to be revealed in the last time and then in verse 13.

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He says therefore Preparing your minds for action and being sober minded set your hope fully on the grace

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That would be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ Okay, keep your hope set fixed on God Any questions or thoughts you might have?

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Correct Yeah, nothing nothing. Yes, that's right. Nothing changed with Josh Harris or any other prostate to the in his spiritual condition

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That's always important in this topic because there's a group that it will always say well You see they just lost their salvation and that it that would cast aspersions on the keeping power of Christ and the gospel

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The Good Shepherd loses none of the sheep and again when John talks about They went out from us

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But they were never of us the us there never diminishes by even one number

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When that happens, this is why when you hear of a church and and somebody might be upset

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Oh, we just had we had six families leave and they went and they joined the Mormons. Oh, no, what's gonna happen?

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Don't despair that's God purifying your church. That's why you're warned about these things

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Let God do what he wants. And if you're teaching and preaching the Word of God Things may change there may be

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Turbulence, you know, it's okay. God's in charge. Jesus said I will build my church Okay, I will build my church and he's going to do it and he's doing it and the

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Good Shepherd loses nothing Not even one you can tell your friend if you have a friend who says why he wants to talk about people losing their salvation

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You can say I know how many people have lost their salvation the entire history of the church. I know exactly the number But I know

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There you go. The Good Shepherd loses none. Okay, they never were a sheep.

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They were always a goat anything else we can Share. Okay.

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Keep your hope set on God. Well, let's pray Our Father we do thank you for your word this morning for the assurance that it gives us that You lose nothing

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Even though these are desperate days. We look around us we see We see decay we see decline

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And some of it father is even in the professing church but we know that you are the sovereign creator

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God of the universe and that we are following the Good Shepherd in who

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Shed his blood for his church who loves his church guards his church keeps his church and so father continue to encourage us through your word and Thank you for your grace in each one of our lives and now father as we gather to worship you just be a continued encouragement to those who minister to us now who

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Lead us in worship and we'll share your word. We pray give them great strength and encouragement and joy and We will praise you in his name.