Address—Nick Simon
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We could start this afternoon by singing.
Hymn #230.
Faithful amidst and faithfulness mid darkness only light Thou didst say Father's name confess, And in his will delight. Could someone start it please? Hymn #230.
We begin by opening to Acts Chapter 16.
The subject I have in my heart, and that's one that I asked my local brethren to bear with me because I spoke on it less than a week ago, but it's the subject is Timothy.
Young man called Timothy.
And I'd like to especially speak about Timothy the person.
Though we will, as time permits and Lord willing, take a brief look at Paul's two epistles to Timothy and see what they have to say. But we're introduced to Timothy in Acts chapter 16, so beginning with verse one. Then came he to Derby and Lystra. Behold, a certain disciple was their name Timotheus, the son of a certain woman which was a Jewess and believed that his father was a Greek.
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Which was well reported of by the brethren that were at Lystra and Iconium him would Paul have to go forth with him?
And took and circumcised him, because of the Jews which were in those quarters, for they all knew that his father.
Was it Greek? And we'll pause there to consider a few things we know about Timothy's family life. You know, there are some things in life we don't get to choose, and one of them is our family.
And Timothy's father was a Greek. That's all it says about him. And they all knew that his father was a Greek. His mother, on the other hand, it says that she believed that the word in the Greek is faithful. She was faithful.
And we learn elsewhere in Second Timothy that Timothy not only had a faithful mother, but also a faithful grandmother. But as to his father, it just simply says, but his father was a Greek. I would suggest that that household was probably a divided household. I don't know how it's it happened that way. We're not told. That is beside the point.
But Timothy grew up in this divided home, a faithful mother on the one hand, and the father who was a Greek, on the other.
He was never circumcised. And I understand that if you grew up in a Jewish Home, if your mother was Jewish, you were considered Jewish. And it was such a prejudice against this man that Paul actually took and circumcised him.
The prejudice against him was so great, we learned elsewhere that Paul deliberately did not to circumcise Titus. Titus was a a gentile and to circumcise Titus would have been a compromise of principle. But in Timothy's case, that wasn't the situation. But there was such a strong prejudice against him amongst his own Jewish people that Paul had to take and circumcise him.
As I said, there are some things in life that we don't get to choose, and one of them is our families.
And Timothy could have let the circumstances of his early life mock him for the rest of his life.
You know, we were reading in the book of Joshua now Sunday school Bible reading, uh, back at home a week ago. And in the 18th chapter, there were seven nations, the seven tribes that had not yet received their division of the land. And so they took lots and cast lots. And the lot that you got was the portion that you got. We don't cast lots anymore. The last instance was in the first chapter of Acts. With the coming of the Holy Spirit, you never hear again.
Costing of loss. But in Israel they cost loss. And as it says in Proverbs, uh, when they cast lots, the, umm, the the outcome was left to God.
You couldn't look at your neighbor and say, well, that's not fair. You got a better land than me. No, God chose the land that you got. And I might suggest that whatever circumstance you find yourself in, growing up in, it's not your job to look at your neighbor and say, well, you have an easier lot than I have.
But another thing we don't have to let those circumstances in our life define who we are.
Timothy did not let that divided household define who he was.
I know it's not easy. As little children we learn things and as parents it's good to remember that that you will give your child a script that I will live by.
Don't give them a script that they have to unlearn.
So they have to unlearn. It's not easy. It's not easy. Be thankful if you grew up in a Christian home. Now, Timothy, as I said, his household was divided, but he did have a faithful mother. And as we'll learn later, that he knew the Scriptures from a young child. But there's something else that says in these verses about Timothy. It says he was a disciple. When did he become a disciple?
A believer, you know, Paul preached.
In Derby about two years earlier, and if you go back to the 14th chapter of Acts, you read there that.
Umm, just picking up in the middle of the story in verse six. They were aware of it and fled unto Lystra and Derby cities of Laconia and under the region that lieth about. And there they preached the gospel. You know, Timothy, I suspect heard the gospel of that occasion. Give me some liberties here if we we don't know these things for certain. But in first Timothy, you know, Paul explicitly says under Timothy, my own son in the faith. So I believe there is strong evidence.
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That Timothy was saved under the preaching of the Apostle Paul. Now for a Jew to get saved in that day is a little bit different than for a Gentile to get saved in in this present day for Jew. He grew up as faithful to the word. His grandmother was faithful. His mother says she was faithful. They, they believe the the the scriptures that they had received what we know is the Old Testament. But something had happened and as to what?
That the knowledge, by the way, Lystra and umm, Derby in these towns that, uh, Timothy grew up in, he was probably from Derby. We find that elsewhere in scripture, uh, is in the province of Galatia, which is sort of the heart of modern day Turkey. So that's sort of, uh, are we gonna talk a little bit about geography? So you sort of need to get your bearings here. So he grew up sort of central Turkey quite a ways from Jerusalem. So how much they knew was going on in Jerusalem, I.
Know, but we know that the Lord Jesus Christ, he came. He came to his own people. He came as their Messiah.
And he was rejected. For a Jew to be saved that day, and even to this day, as a personal indictment upon them as a people, they had to own that they crucified their Messiah. Now I know they were not alone in doing so. They did it in partnership with the Roman authorities, the secular authorities. But for you to be saved, he had to learn that their Messiah had come, that he had been rejected.
And not only that, their own people had crucified him.
They had to learn that their hopes were no longer earthly. They no longer look for an earthly inheritance. Their hopes were now heavenly. Their Messiah was now heavenly. And so that was quite a lot for a Jew to come to grips with. But young Timothy heard the gospel message and he was saved. And there was something remarkable about that young man that caused the apostle Paul to say we want him for the trip. Now. Just to give a little context, if you go back to the previous chapter, Acts 15.
We find there that Paul and Barnabas, umm, they said.
Uh, in verse 36, the chapter 15, some days after Paul said on the Barnabas, let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord and see how they do so is their desire to go around and visit the various assemblies throughout Asia Minor. But there was a dissension between Paul and Barnabas over a young man called John Mark and Paul thought it not good to take him with him because the last trip he had quit on them.
And then this poll was right. Unfortunately, John Mark was a relative of Barnabas and that clouded his decision. And the sad result was they potted ways. So instead Paul took Silas and they went up back to Derby and Lister again in the region, the district of Galatia where those towns were. And there Paul found Timothy and recognized something in him and said, come along Timothy, we need you.
But let's look at what else do we know about Timothy? You know, we don't know whether they have brown hair or blonde. We don't know how tall he was. We don't know.
All those things that this world put so much value on, we don't know a thing about them, but we do know some things about Timothy. So and, and, and we, we're gonna come back to first Timothy that we have to jump around a bit to, to find these various attributes that we can learn about Timothy. So, umm.
In uh.
First Timothy 412 It says, Let no man despise thy youth. We know he was living at home.
And here we find that Paul refers to him as being young. Now, if the dates in my Bible, anything to go by and we'll just go with them because someone obviously put some thought into this is about 10 years after Acts 16. So if he's still a young man 10 years later, and I understand the word used for young men here could speak of someone who was 40 years old.
So Timothy in Acts 16 was 30 or maybe younger, in his late 20s, perhaps as young as his mid 20s. He really was a young man.
We also learned that it was not a very forward individual. So in the same chapter in First Timothy, in the 14th verse, the apostle Paul tells and neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy with the laying of the hands of the press. Retreat. Neglect not the gift that was in thee. Here we have a young man who's reticent to use his gift, and he needs some encouragement to use that gift.
For the Lord also, when we turn to.
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First Corinthians again, I'm gonna have to jump around. You don't have to necessarily follow me through this, but in First Corinthians, the 16th chapter, Paul has to tell the current scenes in the 10th post. Now if Timothy, if Timothy has come see that he may be with you without fear. Free worketh the work of the Lord, as I also do. Now I imagine that the assembly in Corinth was pretty intimidating.
And perhaps all of us would shake a little bit if we were sent to current, but I think that it tells us and we have other verses we could turn to.
And we will that he was not a forward young man. Perhaps he would even say he was a little bit timid. By the way, the name Timothy means to honor God or honored of God. So clearly his mother, umm.
Had a concern for this young babe when he was born, but what else do we know? So he was young, he was not forward. Umm back again in first Timothy in the 5th chapter in verse 23 it says drink no longer water but use a little wine for thy stomach sake and thine often infirmities. I think this tells us two things about Timothy. The 1St is the obvious one that he was a sickly young man.
Is that often infirmities? I don't know what is infirmity. Was umm probably something to do with his stomach umm.
Last week when I, I spoke on the subject, Umm, I, I grew up, we have a family where we have at least three with celiac. Who knows, maybe he had celiac disease. It's not exactly something that's helpful when you travel. Umm, but that was, that was Timothy's lot, his life. He had some infirmity, but I think also we learned from this verse, he was a sensitive young man and he had to be encouraged to drink a little wine for his stomach sake.
Now.
I wanna speak briefly on this. It's a small digression, but as Christians we have a lot of liberty. A lot of liberty. It's interesting when Paul writes the Titus, he instructs him to tell the older women, umm, I will read it because I'll misquote it, but it's, uh, Titus 2.
And it says in verse three, the age women likewise that they're they being behaviors become of holiness, not false accusers not given to much wine. Why doesn't Paul just tell Titus, tell the older women not to drink wine? You know, an absolute prohibition is easy. It takes no exercise of conscience to be told don't do something. You know, as a as children, there are when we have little children, there are things that we have to tell them.
Don't do this, but at some point in their life there has to come an understanding.
And if a child simply does something because they're being told don't do this and has never been given understanding of why?
Then I believe it sets them up for a failure.
Now Timothy rightly was sensitive as to this subject and back in umm, Romans chapter 4, uh, 14 and 15, we have some guidance as to what we should do with our Christian liberties.
Uh, just before I get there I want to read a verse in Galatians on the way as we turn back through our bibles. But in Galatians in the 6th chapter it says there.
In verse 13 For brethren, he have been called unto liberty only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another. So we have Christian liberty in many things, but how wise we must be.
As to our use of those things, we do not live as isolated individuals in this world.
And whatever we do, someone will be watching someone who may follow your example. And so in, in, uh, Romans 13, it says there in uh, verse 13 of Romans, uh, sorry, Romans 14, verse 13, it says the end of the verse that no man put a stunning block or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.
You know we live in the age of Facebook.
Where everything we do is published for all the world to see. I would suggest to you that there are some things that you may feel a clear conscience about in your life to do that does not need to be published for all the world to see. That's not being hypocritical. That's being wise. If you went to the shambles in those days and you purchased some meat, you were quite at liberty to take that meat and eat it. But if someone pointed out to you, Oh.
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You know that meat was offered to an idol for his conscience. You wouldn't eat it. That's not being hypocritical. We don't do things to stumble one another. Just remember that. I don't care whether it's what you eat, what you drink. And in Romans, uh, let me just read one more verse in Romans 14 there it says in, in, uh, 1417, the Kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost. If necessary, we can give up the things we eat and drink if it's gonna be a stumbling block to someone.
Else, or at least don't do it in front of them if you have a clear conscience about it. But it's not just meat and drink, it's the clothes you wear. It's the things, activities you choose in your life.
As a family, I had to make decisions. What I was going to do is a appropriate family activity that may have been different from someone else.
But we need to leave room for one another to have an exercise of our own conscience. But Timothy was a sensitive young man. And how important it is to be sensitive to those that live we live around.
So he was youthful, he was not bored, he had sicknesses, he was sensitive in a good way. Umm, in second Timothy. And again, we'll, we'll look a little more at this time permitting, but we've seen second Timothy, the apostle Paul.
In verse six has to say to him, Wherefore I put thee in remembrance. They'll stir up the gift of God. The word is, rekindle the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of hands. For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power and of love, and of a sound mind. It's no longer now a young man that's reticent to use his gift. I believe this is a young man who had been using his gift, but was not using his gift because he was discouraged.
So I believe with Timothy we also see a young man.
Who was easily discouraged. Now at this point, look at those lists of qualifications. Youthful, timorous, sickly, umm, a sensitive individual. This one that could be discouraged. These aren't the qualifications of someone that I would choose to take on a missionary journey. And maybe you feel the very same thing as you sit in your own assembly at home in its weakness.
Who am I?
And perhaps I don't know how Timothy felt. You know, as I spoke on this last week, it occurred to me that I don't believe we have a record of a single word that came out of that young man's mouth. We don't know what he thought.
We don't know what he thought. We're not told, but.
There are.
Uh, we'll get to some positive things very soon, but I just wanted to think about those, those, those qualifications that Timothy had. And you know, the world tells us to look within to find your strengths. I would suggest to you that if you look within, you're gonna come up with the wrong answers, Moses.
Looked within and said, oh, I can't possibly lead these people. I'm not an eloquent person. He looked at his own abilities. But you know, Moses and Timothy are both called men of God. A man of God is a man who stands for God and speaks for God when all around is is giving up.
Timothy was God's man for the occasion.
And God was going to use him for the apostle Paul.
So on the positive side, you know, some of the things that we view in our lives and our personalities and our abilities as negatives, God can make into positives. And so in Philippians chapter 2.
In verse 20 it says or read from verse 19. But I trust in the Lord Jesus to send Timothea shortly unto you, that I am also may be of good comfort when I know your state, for I have no man like minded who will naturally care for your state. That word care is anxious.
This anxious young man, you know, he, he could get discouraged. He, he, he could be timorous. He, umm, could be fearful, uh, he could be sensitive.
God says that's the sort of personality I need because he's gonna care for my people. I have, and Paul says I have no man like minded who's gonna be anxious for you.
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But with all the the negative things that I perhaps intimated about Timothy, when we consider the travels that he and the apostle and their traveling companions went on, we need to realize that Timothy was no shrinking Violet. You know, we drove 1000 miles from Colorado to Seattle, Illinois.
Along the way in Kansas City we stopped at a rib place and enjoyed some ribs and spent a night in our motel. Then we drove down here.
3/4 of ours to get to Saint Louis and we're staying in a beautiful hotel. Timothy Apostle Paul had none of that. I don't think we appreciate the difficulty that travel was in that day. You didn't undertake travel lightly. So reading on in Acts 16 and spending a little moment to view their travels.
We find in verse 6.
Keep it. Remember how back in Acts 15, the apostle originally was gonna take Bonnemous and they were gonna revisit the assemblies that, uh, had started in Asia Minor and that's where the apostle Paul went. But God had other plans for the apostle Paul. And so they start out in verse Acts 16, six. And when they had gone throughout Riga in the region of Galatia and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, after they have come to my Sia, they asked they had to go into Pathinia.
But the spirit suffered them not, and they passed by my sea and came down to Trois, and the vision appeared to pull. In the night there stood a man of Macedonia and prayed him saying, come over into Macedonia and help us. So they started out in central Turkey, and triathlons is on the coast of the Mediterranean, the Adriatic Sea, if I have my oceans right.
The distance I figure is the crow flies is roughly 450 miles over land.
Again, no cars, no Motel Sixes. Whether they rode a beast or not, I don't know. I suspect a lot was done by walking when they got to Trias. We and by the way, Macedonia is the northeast part of modern Greece. So they were down on the coast of Turkey and they needed to get up and over into Greece, into Europe because God wanted them to preach the Gospel in Europe.
And so.
Umm in verse 10 it says after we had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them. Therefore losing from Charles we came with a straight cause to Samothracea, and next to Neapolis, and from Pence to Philippi, which is the chief city of that part of Macedonia and the colony. And we were in that city abiding certain days. Now the writer of this book, Luke switches from.
The third person to the first person.
He stops talking about they and starts talking about we and us. So at this point, Luke joins this little band. And the way that Luke describes this journey, you'd almost get the impression that.
And I don't know, umm, I don't know the city of Saint Louis very well, but that, you know, maybe they were traveling from Ferguson, which I think from the north side of Saint Louis down to UMM.
Central St. Louis and then maybe over to where the meeting room is on the West side of Saint Louis. But that's not the case at all.
From trust they took a vote. We know they took a vote because they went to Semi three CL, which is an island. You can't walk to islands. So they took a boat. And if I didn't, the distance from Trawas up to Philippi is about 140 miles, 140 miles by boat. Incidentally, in that day, boat travel was probably the easiest.
Umm.
It may have been slow, but at least you didn't have to face highway robbers.
Umm, and, and the Rodriguez are going up and down. This part of the country is not necessarily flat, so a boat was perhaps the easiest, but even boat travel. The apostle Paul was shipwrecked at least four times in, uh, Second Corinthians. It says your shipwreck thrice, but there was at least one more after that. And it says that he was in the water for a day and a night. So one time he went shipwreck and they didn't have life preservers. He was out there in the water for 24 hours.
Treading water or maybe hanging onto a board?
So this is the sort of rigors that Timothy faced in traveling with the Apostle Paul. And then just to continue this present journey, and I won't go through the Scriptures, but from Philippi, which is a short way inland from the coast, they went to Thessalonica, which is heading towards the it's, it's the Macedonia, but it's West of Philippi, about 100 miles.
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We find that in Act 17. Along the way they went to Amphipolis and Apolinia.
And then to Thessalonica. From Thessalonica went to Berea. These towns you can still find on the map. Berea in modern Greek is written with AV umm, there we learned that Apostle Paul was bundled off to the coast. That was umm, about fo uh, 20 miles to the coast. And incidentally from Thessalonica to Berea, which they did at night because of the difficulties, that's about 40 miles.
So probably walked it at night.
And then, uh, they probably took a boat from, uh, Berea, the coast. Berea's not on the coast, about 20 miles off down to Athens. That's 300 miles.
And then from Athens to Currents is about 45 miles. So you start adding up all those distances and you discover they came in many cases much further than you came to conference.
So let's not, let's not think that TI uh, Timothy, when he signed on to travel the Apostle Paul was any weakling. He wasn't. He went despite his infirmities, despite his timorous character.
Let's take a moment now and just look at the the two letters that the apostle Paul penned to Timothy.
We've already mentioned some of the things.
In these two epistles.
So in Paul's first letter to Timothy.
We can read.
In the third chapter in verse 15.
As if I tarry long well in beginning of verse 14, these things write I unto thee, hoping to come unto thee shortly. But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou orders to behave thyself in the House of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and the ground of truth.
So, as a broad overarching theme, we might say that Paul's first pistol to Timothy, first Paul's first letter to Timothy, gives instruction for the godly as to their walk in the House of God.
When things are in order, and I mention that because in the next book we find that things weren't quite so in order.
But throughout this short letter, there are many.
Instructions that Paul gives Timothy that are also good instruction for ourselves. But we begin.
By noting that in the first chapter, Paul says to Timothy in verse three, as I faculty divide still Ephesus when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which meant a quest minister questions rather than godly edifying, which is in faith, so do.
And then in verse, Well, I just keep reading Now the end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart and of a good conscience of faith and fame, from which some have swerved, having turned a sight unto vain jangling, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor aware of, they affirm.
Before I get to talk about two things that are mentioned in these verses, I just want to point out that Timothy didn't always travel with the apostle Paul. He was also a delegate of the apostle, and the apostle in this instance left him at Ephesus. Why? He asked to go into Macedonia. But there are other occasions when the apostle Paul sent Timothy. So in First Corinthians we have an example of that.
Which I read earlier. Umm.
In this just you don't have to turn back to it, but in first Corinthians the 16th chapter, just reading from verse eight, it says, but I will tarry Ephesus unto Pentecost, for a great door in effect was opened unto me. And there are many adversaries. Now Timothy has come see and so on. So Paul says he was in Ephesus at the time and he's sending to Martheus to current.
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From emphasis to current is probably about 1000 miles.
So young Timothy would have packed his bags, put together provisions for a few weeks, maybe a month, and all fee would go. The apostle Paul would mean lie. I wonder whether Timothy is alive or dead. Did he make it? Did he not?
When we read Philippians, we find there that these things are real. Pafforditis almost died in his journeys.
So imagine if you came to visit in Denver and, umm.
For whatever reason, he came and saw me and I felt that I needed to send you on a journey. And I said, why don't you walk back to Saint Louis and see how the president is doing there?
That's the sort of thing that Timothy regularly did, but here in post first letter to Timothy, we discovered that Timothy was left behind in Ephesus and he's given direction on two points, two things that came into Christianity from a very early age. The one was the philosophies of man and that's covered in.
Uh, fables and endless genealogies.
That, I believe, would refer to early Gnostic teaching. The second one is the Judaizing of Christianity. Both things continue to play Christianity to this day.
In Christianity, it wasn't long before men built glorious cathedrals. Because it probably wasn't cathedrals thousand years or 2000 years ago, but whatever. They call them basilicas.
Judaism. There was a glorious temple. In Christianity, there are no cathedrals. If you go into a cathedral and they're they're architecturally interesting, you'll find an altar. You'll find constant reminders of Judaism.
Israel to become an Israelite you just had to have Israelites parents. That was umm, determined by your blood, not whether you were faithful or unfaithful. Churches today admit whoever in you can partake of communion, it's up to you.
That is a a Judaizing principle, a mixed multitude.
And I could give you many more examples. The, the, the, the umm, introduction of feast days into Christianity, Easter replaces Passover and so on. All these are Judaizing principles that have come into Christianity. And of course, on the other side, the philosophies of men, we don't need to delve into them, but the two things that have come in and came in.
On a very early day, uh, later in umm.
Second Timothy.
It says that.
Uh, I'll get to this first again, but for the time will come when I'm not in your sound doctrine. But after our last show heaped themselves, teachers having itching ears, itching ears, that's what we are by nature. We get tired of that which is old and we want to hear something which is new.
In the second chapter of First Timothy, it begins with the subject of prayer.
Those three, it says this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior. That title, God, our Savior, Savior God is characteristic of first and second Timothy in the book of Titus. We have a savior God, and that is the God that we should represent to this world in our daily life and conduct.
And it says in umm verse 8.
So despite the gender confusion that's existing in this world in which we live in today, God has a purpose and a plan for men and a plan for women.
And it says there in verse eight. I will therefore that men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath and doubting. And like manner also that women adorn themselves in modest apparel with shamefacedness and sobriety, not with broided hair or gold or pearls or costly array, but which becometh women professing godliness with good works. I just read that in the new translation in in J&D's translation. And like manna also that the women in deep.
Portman and dress adorn themselves with modesty and discretion, not with platted hair and gold or pearls or costly clothing, but what becomes a woman making profession of the fear of God by good works and begin with the women first. It's very easy to pick on the sisters. Clothing is something we all see. It's outward.
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I'm not gonna say much on this subject. You've heard it before. It's important not be dismissed. The way you dress will affect others about you. The word deportment goes beyond dress though, and that's why I read it from the new translation. Mr. Darby has a footnote on it. That word department is about your whole carrying of your being. It should reflect your dress. Your department should reflect 1.
Who hasn't, doesn't J&D has the fear of God desires to do his work. That's what your dress should reflect.
Your dress can be a distraction.
To others.
That's all you need to be aware of.
Now, when it comes to men, I believe it's been overlooked.
It says to lift up holy hands.
There has, rather remarkably in some ways, but completely unsurprisingly, being blasted all over the headlines for probably 6 months or more. Numerous individuals in the world's high places that have fallen because of their moral indiscretions, so they, well, wouldn't call them that. This world has soared since the 19. You could pick a day post World War 2.
Umm, liberty.
Set this well it has long craved, thrown off the bonds and the restraints of a Christian society largely in name.
And this Weld is now reaping the consequences of the sexual liberty that it has long preached.
I guarantee there's probably not many young women in this room. We've had to take public transport on a regular basis. That hasn't been propositioned.
That's the ugly world in which we live. And men.
It's all very well to point your finger at this women and say it's because of what you wear or provide some justification, but as men we're to lift up holy hands.
This is one thing that we do not as liberty as Christians. We do not as Christians have liberty to delve into that which is really accessible on the Internet.
That defiles our hands. How can we lift up holy hands?
So it was just a case last week of some men who claimed to be a Christian, some in in, uh, Washington.
Who railed against immoral behavior was caught in the very immoral acts himself.
This is.
Do we? Do we have any? Do we have any idea why so many of this well despised Christianity is because of our own conduct and behavior?
It's so important, man, that we're gonna lift up hands in prayer, that they are holy hands, not defiled. Don't listen to what this world preaches. And this message is continuous and subtle through advertisements, through through every form of media is constantly preached at us.
In the next chapter, I won't go through it.
In the fourth chapter.
You know, Mr. Dobby makes an interesting comment in his synopsis in connection with Titus two generally on the whole chapter, not just on the, uh, the older women in drinking wine, but.
Our first tendency.
When how limited when the Cru liberty that we have is believe is is abused is to become legal.
And we find that again in in in first Timothy chapter one. But here we read that Paul tells Timothy in chapter 4, the spirit expressly speaks expressly in the latter times shall some depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of the devil, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having the conscience seared with a hot iron, forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from meats which God hath created, to be received with Thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.
So.
It's describing here a fleshly religion, a natural religion. As I said, it's very easy to to have an absolute prohibition against something we like by nature, those sort of things, forbidding certain meats, eating fish on Friday, forbidding to marry. It's a fleshy religion that makes us feel good. That's what Christianity became, especially in the Middle Ages.
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The notice was it says in verse six, if thou put the brethren remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourishing up in the words of faith and of good doctrine were unto thou hast attained the thing that nourishes the Kingdom of God is not meat and drinks. We need to be feeding upon the word of God.
We're not feeding upon the word of God, then we're going to be stunted in our growth.
There are some things I'll, I'll, I wanna speak more on that. I'll just jump to the last chapter.
Time wise, we're doing fine.
So many of these things repeat themselves of the they come back in the second letter.
But here is in the last chapter of First Timothy that we find Timothy referred to as a man of God.
And as I said, a man of God stands with God and acts for God in days of emergency when the majority of those who have professors were Professor Lee's people approving faithless to his 'cause God is looking for his men right now.
Are you prepared to be a man of God?
You can say, well, not qualified. You could look at all those weaknesses that you have within.
And you can allow yourself to be convinced, well, God couldn't be looking for me in the next book. Actually, the first book here in First Timothy, Timothy is referred to as a man of God. When we get to the second book, we find that we're all referred to as men of God.
But the man of God was to flee these things and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and so on. There's a whole meeting in itself in these verses, so I won't go into it.
But when we get to the second letter, Second Timothy, we find a different state of things. Certainly there were things in the first epistle where Timothy had to stay behind an emphasis and see that they, the Ephesians, weren't falling for the false teaching of Gnosticism or the Judaizing teachers that was seeking to put them back on the law. There were those things that were already creeping in.
But when we get to the second letter, Paul's second letter to Timothy, every single chapter.
Is marked by failure and decline. Every single chapter of Second Timothy is marked by failure or decline. The giving up.
And Timothy needed encouragement. He needed encouragement. And so just I just pick a verse from each chapter to show my point.
So in the first chapter we find in verse 15 this Thou knowest that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me, of whom if I jealous and homogeneous.
Just repeat this, thou knowest that all they return Asia be turned away from me.
Go to the next chapter.
And we could read quite a lot from this chapter, beginning the 14th. First of these things put them in remembrance, charging them before the Lord, that they strive not about words to no prophet, but to the Zurich, but to the subverting of the hearers. So it begins with a striving about words. Study to show thyself approved unto God, a Workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightfully, rightly, dividing the word of truth, but shun.
Profane and vain babblings and their word will eat, as does a kinker or a gangrene, of whom is Hymenius and Philetus, who concerning the truth of earth, saying that the resurrection is passed already, and overthrow the faith of some.
Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his, and let everyone that nameeth the name of Christ depart from iniquity. But in a great house there are not any vessels of gold and a silver, but also wood, and of earth, and some to honor, and some to dishonor. If a man therefore purge himself from these, and so forth. So the House of God had become a great house. I think it's less important what the vessel was made.
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But the House of God had become a great house, admitting not just false doctrines, but persons as well that were a dishonor to the House of God.
In the third chapter.
And again, we could read a lot from this chapter, but just beginning with verse one. This know also than last days. Perilous times shall come, for men shall be lovers of their own soul, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemous, disobedient appearance, unthankful, unholy.
Verse 5 Having a former godliness, but denying the power thereof from such turn away.
Then the last chapter, verse 3. For the time will come when they will not endure a sound doctrine, but after their own lush shall they heap to themselves teachers, having hitching ears, they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables or myths. Every single chapter of Paul's second letter is marked by failure, by giving up, by decline.
This was written.
Almost 2000 years ago.
The decline that began then didn't cease, has continued to this present day. Those philosophies of men and the Judaizing principles have continued within Christianity. But believe it or not, there are those that deny the ruin that has come in I have with me.
Something that was written, I don't know when it was written, to be precise, but a good long while ago, maybe 100 years ago.
Maybe. Maybe a little less.
I won't tell you where it's from. If you really wanna know, you can come and ask me.
But this man, says Dobby's theory of the immediate failure of each of the dispensations, and especially of the ruin of the Church and the deductions he drew from it, placed him in principle in opposition to all those throughout the Church's history have either kept to the teachers and pattern of the New Testament, or return to those Scriptures as to assure an abiding guide. The whole point of what he's writing is there isn't ruin that's come in.
They're absolutely has been ruined that come in and what he writes.
Is a disservice to those the faithful amidst unfaithfulness that have gone on in the principles that are laid down in the Word of God since that time.
And Paul has to encourage Timothy. So going back now, I read a negative thing from each chapter. We're going to go back now and look at a positive thing from each chapter. The apostle Paul begins by reminding Timothy, I thank God whom I serve from my forefathers with pure conscience. There's some things that could be said on that to explain it, but Paul is just simply referring. He had a faithful heritage as well. His lineage was faithful, and so did Timothy.
He says to Timothy, when I called, uh, he says, umm, well, he says in verse 4, greatly desiring to see thee, being mindful of thy tears, that I may be filled with joy when I called to remembrance the unfeigned faith that is in thee, which wrote first thy grandmother Lois and thy mother Eunice. He reminds Timothy of his pedigree. He re of of Paul, his own personal pedigree. He reminds Timothy of his pedigree in his case that came through his mother.
The faithful line of.
Of UH teachers.
Instructing the young child.
And Paul is basically saying, Timothy, don't give up. I wonder how many in this room I could if I knew your histories. I'll tell you an amusing anecdote in just a second. But how many in this room have had faithful parents, faithful grandparents that have come to conferences for years and years and years? Don't give up. Don't be the one that gives up.
You know Timothy's tears too. She's ever mentioned they weren't tears because.
He was sad. The apostle Paul wasn't with him. There were tears because he wept under the condition of things. And we should, too, weep over the condition of things. But it's not a reason to give up. Timothy had given up to exercising his gift. The apostle Paul had to say, you need to rekindle that gift, Timothy. It doesn't matter that all they in Asia have left me. That's not a reason to stop preaching. You know, I wonder how we would feel if there were just ten of us in this room right now.
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Brethren in uh, Saint Louis.
Let's say 10 guests in addition to the brethren from Saint Louis and invited a conference together and just 10 people showed up. Would I be as willing to stand here this afternoon and preach?
What would I be discouraged and go? Is it worth it?
Is it worth it all?
You know Paul in this first chapter, Read it. Take it home tonight in your hotel room. If you've got a moment, just read this first chapter as a personal letter from the apostle Paul to Timothy. Put yourself in Timothy's feet. You see a young man that was discouraged and Paul says, no, Timothy, now is not the time to pack your bags and retire. No, Timothy, now is the time to rekindle that gift, to press on, to keep preaching.
Get to the next chapter and we read there about the House of God. We have instruction. We're told that the the House of God has become a great house and the House of God is in connection with this earth and with a man's responsibility and everything. Mr. Davi was absolutely right. Not because he was Mr. Davi be because he just quoted the Word of God. Everything that man has ever been given in responsibility he has failed in.
And man has failed in his responsibilities in connection with the House of God. But there is a faithful path, there is a way forward.
We can fall into two errors. The one error is to not believe the ruin that has come into Christianity.
The other is thinking that we can return back to Apostolic days and recreate what occurred then. But there is enough. We can't do that either, and in some ways that's a worse era.
So there is a path that is spelled out in scripture for the faithful where we can go on without pretence.
Obedient to the Word of God.
But again, that's a whole meeting in itself. I, I, I, I said I was gonna tell you an interesting anecdote. We went to Regina Conference years and years ago. First time my wife and I went and neither my wife and I grew up in the assembly.
Our backgrounds are very different, but someone was trying to place us well, are you related to so and SO? No. Are you related to so and so? No. So you don't have any pedigree at all.
I always sounded amusing. Not not not happening was discouraging, and I believe the person said it somewhat in jest.
But many of you have a pedigree, if I can call it that. You can't live on that pedigree alone. But don't give up. Don't give up. God is looking for His man, his men. Now time is almost something we want to get to the third chapter where it speaks of that verse 14, it says, but continue thou, Timothy, don't give up. Continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and has been assured of knowing of whom thou has learned them, and that from a child. There is no in the holy.
See his mother, his grandmother, these women were so faithful in his life. From a child he heard the scriptures umm, which are able to make the wise and the salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, is profitable for doctrine, free proof for correction, for instruction, righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished.
Unto all good works you know. Again, I want to emphasize the importance of reading the Word of God.
You know what you do? Post everything. Well, I should say we I try to avoid it. Post everything on Facebook.
Now I don't want you all going this this UN unfriend me because I see what you post.
But it does concern me where you're getting your doctrine, where you're getting your teaching, there is.
Ministry out there that can be valuable because it's unique to the age in which we live. It can be helpful.
But no matter what you read, I'm afraid.
That you'll find in modern books, Christian bookstores. It will be mingled with that which is false.
You won't know it's false.
Unless you've got that underlying foundation of teaching that you can turn to, you won't know it, you won't see it. And so we're here. We hear things that.
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Free will.
Do we have a free will?
Again, another whole meeting in itself, but we hear things coming in that you can tell are coming in from other sources. How important it is that you know who you're reading, their background. They're teaching now. Time is up.
And I'll, I'll, I'll stop. There's more that could be said in the last chapter. Think especially if Demas, who in the attractions of the present world drew him away from the apostle Paul didn't abandoned his faith. But that's a very real, very real thing in this world we live in today, the attractions of this present world.