1 Timothy 1:1-11, Choosing Sound Doctrine with Roman Solis
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I'm so blessed to be up here with you guys this morning. I was going to introduce myself, but I don't think I need to. We all know each other, and I've been going to this church for many, many years. Thinking about it now, it's been almost 20 years, which is crazy. Probably in 2025. I believe it'll be somewhere around. 20 years. So I started coming here when I was five years old, you know? Now I'm just kidding. I came here for about 10 years or so, 1015 years close to it and did a lot of teachings over those years. You know, back in the days and it was just so blessed to be a part of the ministry left for a little while and came back, been back now for about four years or so since my daughter was one. And this is the first time. That Pastor Jerry has let me teach on a Sunday morning. So it's a special day for me. I'm totally blessed to be up here with you guys, and we'll see if he asks me to teach again or he lets me. Time will tell, and after this study I'll probably pick on him as much as he picks on me. So he's going to get it back today. I have a bunch of jokes in my sermon here. I'm joking. I'm joking. But you can turn and open up to first Timothy chapter one. We're going to be in first Timothy this morning and it's neat because Rick is giving me the opportunity to teach the men on Saturday mornings for our men's breakfast, and we've been going through the book of. Right now in the book of Ephesians, you men know that it is a book that Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus. Right, he wrote this letter to those in Ephesus, the congregation in Ephesus, the believer in Ephesus. He wrote the book to the church. To you. To me, those in the congregation and he wrote the book regarding the riches that Christ has for the church, for us as believers, right, the grace that God has. Those riches at Christ's expense, the gifts of the Holy Spirit and the neat thing about first Timothy. Is that it is a book that was written or a letter I should say that was written to the pastor of the church in Ephesus. So if you're a guy here this morning and you're a part of the men's study, it's kind of a double blessing. You get to see what the Lord had written to those in the congregation, and then this morning you get to see what Paul wrote to the pastor. Of the church, how to conduct the church and what the church should act like and how the church should play out its Christian faith. So it's kind of neat that we get an inside look insight between the conversation between the encouragement of an apostle. The apostle Paul and Pastor Timothy here. Pastors are special. Pastors are special. Let me tell you that. And I'm just going to call out Jessica this morning. I told her this morning. I said you are our greatest cheerleader cause she's always so loving and praying for the pastors here and just, you know, she just has it always on her heart and we're thankful for that. And it's a blessing and pastors our special. Years ago, you know, I I never. I never snuck into a club as a minor. You know, I don't know if any of you guys have done that before, right? I never snuck into a nightclub or anything like that, but I did. Years ago. I snuck into a pastors conference. Pastor Cisco at at one of the last pastors conferences over at Marietta, Hot Springs, I called him up and I said dude, can you get us in? And Pastor Cisco, of course. Come on now. So we get there. I'm totally gonna call him out. See, pastors are sinners. You guys too. He goes and he gets a lanyard from one of the other pastors and he brings it out and he gives me the lanyard and I throw it on in the parking lot and we go walking in boom into the pastors conference. I snuck into that pastor's comp and I'm not ashamed. I'm unashamed. I'm wrapped in white, and in the Lord's forgiveness this morning. So. But I snuck in, and I'm so glad that I did. And it was amazing to see these pastors and. These men of God. All sitting there, hundreds of them, worshipping the Lord with their hands raised. I will never forget the moment, though I forget the song. I'll never forget the moment of them just filling up the room with praise for the Lord, and it was such a neat time. And it was that day that I snuck into that pastors conference that afterwards, as I'm about to leave in my car. That we saw my hero. Right, my Pastor hero walk out of that conference all by himself. Pastor Chuck Smith walking alone to go do every man and answer or pass his perspective, whatever it's called now. And he's walking out all by himself. And I told my friend Mario, dude. Stop the car. There's pastor. Our opportunity to meet him, he's all alone. We stop the car, we get out and we go to meet him and we start walking over past the parking lot and all those stories that I had heard as a child of Pastor Chuck, how humble of a man he was, that he would rock around his church and he would stop every time he saw a piece of trash, he would bend down to pick up that. Trash and he would throw that trash away. And as we're walking over to Pastor Chuck to meet him. Oh my God. I'm gonna get a meat pastor, Chuck. All of a sudden he looks down and he sees a bottle cap. And this almost 90 year old man begins to bend down and pick up this bottle cap and I went like this to my stop. He's gonna do it. And I swear, I promise you time was going about half speed. It took him about 5 minutes. This 90 year old man to get halfway down and I stopped. Mario and I just said. Dude, stop watch. And like a dummy, I stood there and I just watched him. He's going to do it. All those stories are going to come true. Right now I'm going to see it. And as he's halfway down this young college student runs over and says hold on. Stop, Sir. And he bends down and he. Picks it up. And I was like, you idiot, you ruined the. Moment for me. And like I just stood there and watched him, I should have ran over. I didn't. I'm sorry. Sorry, but pastors. This man was my hero. Pastors are amazing and as we get into first Timothy, you guys be blessed by it. It's an inside look into what an apostle would encourage a pastor with pastors have it hard. They do not have it easy. As a kid, we would trade. Baseball cards, right. And I still have my baseball cards there as a, you know, from a kid. And we have them all. And we would trade them and I think, man, we should trade pastors trading cards, right. And I'll give you a great glory for a pastor. Jerry, you know, and we might have the stats on the back, right? Well, they had, you know, 20 conversions for. You know, 2010 or whatever, you know, or this many bad jokes, you know, for last year, right? And we would trade those cards, but it is so special to be a pastor and it's somebody that we should honor, that we should lift up. And in fact, the word says that they are worthy of double honor. That's what the word says. But get into first Timothy with me now, please. And verse one. It says this. Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God. Our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope to Timothy. See a true son in the faith, Grace, Mercy, and peace from God, our father and Jesus Christ our Lord. Let's pray, father. We come before you now, Lord humbly God. Broken father as men and women Lord that are desperate for you, Lord. God, we are nothing more than broken Father than sinners. Lord Jesus saved by your grace. Father, we thank you, Jesus, for pastors, God for men that have are willing to give up. Some of the amenities of life Lord, some of the comforts of life, God and the finances of life and the riches of life, Lord and. The things that we take for granted, Father, they give them up. To live Lord a life of ministry. A life that is dedicated to you and the studying of your word. And teaching your word Lord to those. That's so desperately needed. Father, I pray Lord this morning as we get into first Timothy, God, that this word would touch our hearts God. That it would do a work father in our lives as it did a work in Timothy's life. Young Timothy, father. I couldn't imagine what he felt the first time he opened up that letter from Paul to read it. What did my? Spiritual father, my father in the faith. What does he have to say to me? Or let us read it like the first time it was read, Father. We thank you, Jesus, for this morning, God, for your Spirit, Lord, and what you're going to do in our lives. We lift this up in your name. In acts chapter 16, you can turn there if you'd like. With me. You don't. Have to but in Act 16. Paul meets a young man named Timothy on his second missionary trip, and you guys know Paul and and his ministry there he would go around the Mediterranean Sea four times for years he would travel around teaching the word of God, planting churches, telling people about Jesus and encouraging young pastors and elders, and building up the. Church and it acts chapter 16. You can see Paul's ministry there as he goes about the region on his second trip, and he meets young Timothy here in Chapter 16. It says this, it says verse one, it says then he came to Derby. And lystra and behold, a certain disciple was there named Timothy, the son of a certain Jewish woman, who believed, but his father was Greek. He was well spoken of by the Brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews who were in that region, for they all knew that his father was Greek. So we learned a little bit about Timothy here in acts chapter 16. First off, we learn that Timothy was a haffer. Right. He was half Jew and he was half Greek. And that's OK for me to say because I'm a halfer, so I get it. I understand what Timothy went through. Some of the struggles not too long ago in our nation, it was illegal, right? For some, for multicultural marriages even. There were some struggles and back then, even in the Roman Empire, I could only imagine the struggles that Timothy May had gone. Being half Jew and half Greek, the struggles that the culture brought on trying to pull him in different, you know, different places to go to different cultures and different backgrounds, you know, he liked matzo ball soup, and he liked baklava, right? He liked it all. His dad being Greek and we know with Greek mythology and and the Greek gods and all of just. The confusion you know of man seeking after God but coming up with his own traditions and really Satan coming in and adding confusion to it, right? A God for every little thing, and even the unknown God, this was the poll that Timothy had in his life. But he had that Jewish mother. That was not just a Jew, but she was a believer. Ever. She was a. Believer in Jesus, a Jew that believed and he had that influence there in his life. He was well spoken of in verse two. It says that he was well spoken of by the Brethren who were at Lystra and Iconium. He was a respectful young. Man and he was a respected young man, right? He was the kind of boy that would walk around the church and never, oh, you're such a good little boy, you know, and pinch his cheeks and all that. In verse three, we learned that Paul met Timothy and he had a quick liking to Timothy. He loved Timothy. He loved him like a father would love a son, and he got to know Timothy really well. How well did Paul know Timothy? Well, he knew him well enough here in verse 3. Let's just read it for ourselves again. It says Paul wanted to have him go on with him. And he took him and circumcised him because of the Jews that were in the region. He knew him well enough to take you on Timothy's. Hey, Timothy. You know what? It would be a really good idea. I think be a great idea if. You got circumcised today. He know him pretty well. You know, I've, I've known a lot of men in my life and I've known some men pretty well, but I've never known a man well enough to ask him if he felt like getting circumcised today, you know. It was a special relationship. We could say that Paul had with Timothy and all of these things. All of these things that we read about in acts chapter 16. Played into Timothy's life. It played into who he was. Things that we could think are are things that would hold him back. Well, I'm not fold you. And you know they're not going to accept me in the synagogues and I'm not going to be able to relate. You know, I'm half Greek and they're going to look down on me. They're going to judge me. I'm uncircumcised, you know that? I'm well spoken of. Well, well, that's a great thing. No, you're a little goody tissues, you know. Who are you gonna relate to out in the hood? Right. It's like, what guy's going to listen to you. You don't have a testimony. But God used all these things in Timothy's life to say, Timothy, this is exactly who I have. What I have for you, who I want. You to be. And this is exactly the person I'm going to use for your ministry and that ministry we find in Ephesus and in this church. And I would tell you this morning that God made you exactly who you are. For a reason. We have a lot of things. That we can use in our lives as excuses, right? Well, I tried that before. I've been there. I've done this and God will never use me because of. We have all the excuses in the world, but God made us exactly who we are for a reason. He gave us the background that we have so that. He could use it. For his ministry and for his glory. My question to you is what has God made you? What is your calling there in life? You know, nowadays in this day and age, the enemy is coming in and he's trying to confuse people more than ever before. Our children, more than ever before, and he's lying to them, telling them that they're not who they're supposed to be. They're not. They weren't born. Even the gender that they're supposed to be, they're bringing in this. Wicked evil confusion. And they're lying to them, telling them even that there is no God and this God didn't make you this, you know, this way for a reason. And it's up to you to choose. And such a lie from the enemy, it really is. And we need to stand fast on that foundation that God made us perfect. He made us who we are for a reason. And we're going to see here in Timothy, what else? Paul encourages him and turn back to the chapter one of first Timothy with let's read it again. It says this Paul and Apollos. People of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior, and the Lord Jesus Christ, our hope to Timothy, a true son, and Paul starts off there in verse, one with the word commandment, he says by the commandment of God and apostle. And we know that word, apostle is just somebody who has been sent out, right. Somebody that's been sent out of their hometown to go and share the Gospel of Jesus. Paul is an apostle. He definitely was sent out and he was sent out, not by accident, not by chance. Not because he didn't have anything to do on a Saturday afternoon. But he was sent out by the commandment of God. What has God commanded of you? Do you have that boldness in your life? About your ministry, about your calling. Too many times do we sit as a church and as a people and we just say, well, whatever happens, happens and I'm guilty of it. Well, if somebody asked me, sure, I'll go ahead and do. But are we praying? Are we seeking after God and saying God, what do you have for me, Lord? Is it to be an apostle? Is it to be sent out to different areas or regions, or to get involved in missions or to get involved with the hospitality ministry or with the Deacons, ministry, or with the Elders Ministry or the Children's Ministry? And it goes on and on and on and on the opportunity. And you can't say that you're not involved or you don't know what you're calling is or what the commandment of God is, because there is no opportunity. That's one excuse that we cannot use right. There is plenty of opportunity in the Lord's Kingdom. And Paul is so confident of his calling and of his ministry that he says that it is a commandment of God. It's a commandment of God. And I wish, and I pray, and I hoped that we would be that confident in our ministries and in our callings, that we could say that as Paul. Verse two, he says to Timothy to a true son in the faith. And remember, this is from an apostle writing to a pastor to young Pastor Timothy as he pastors the church there in Ephesus. And he says a true son. When a man has a son, he circumcises them. And Paul, when he says a true son, he wasn't saying it lightly. This is his son in the faith. He looked at Timothy as a son. He looked at him with love and with care. So much so that he was willing to be honest with him. Who was willing? To take the hard Rd. of rebuke at times and encouragement at times and love and weeping and tears. How well? Do you know your brother? How well do you know your sister? Do you know them well enough? Do you know your friends and your Christian brothers? And sisters well enough. That you would be willing to take that position to circumcise their heart. In the Book of Deuteronomy, chapter 30, verse six, it says in the Lord your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants to love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul that you may live. In Deuteronomy, it puts the emphasis on the circumcision. But the circumcision of the heart, and this is Paul's true hope with Timothy. The flesh was for man. The flesh was so that Timothy could be accepted by the Jews in the region that were so stuck on the law of Moses. But the heart is really what Paul was after, right? The circumcision of the heart is really what Paul wanted to get down to. He wanted to get dirty with Tim's heart. And I would say this morning that God wants to circumcise our hearts. He wants to get down and dirty with us in our doctrine, in our beliefs. In our sin. And the things that were wishy washy on the half in half out lukewarm attitude, God wants to do a work and all that and in that it takes circumcision. It takes a cutting away. This is what Paul's after and going on in verse 2. He uses his. His normal Pauline introduction here or his greeting. And he adds a word he says Grace, mercy and peace from God, our father and Jesus Christ our Lord. And if you're familiar with Paul and his writings to the churches and the different epistles he uses, greeting a lot with the churches, and he would typically say grace and peace. To you. But here in first Timothy, as he begins what's called the pastoral epistles, he adds in the word mercy. He says Grace, mercy and peace. And we know that grace is God's unmerited favor to us, right? A lot of times we we remember it really easily by God's riches at Christ's expense. It's his riches. And that's what we're learning with the men in. The book of ethicist. All just keeps hammering it. You know you're rich beyond measure and he keeps talking about all the gifts and everything that God has for us, but mercy. Is his unmerited forgiveness? If Grace is getting what we don't deserve, mercy is not getting what we do deserve. Right. And the longer Paul is in ministry, he begins to use that word, mercy in his greetings and some believe. That it's because he's writing to a pastor. And they say it's because pastors need. A lot of. They need a lot of forgiveness, you know, they mess up. They're just men. Sometimes we hold them in high regard and we say dumb things like they're our heroes, you know and all that. But really, they're just men, right? And they mess up and they fail and they will fail us always. But God says. And Paul here says that they need mercy. And some say it's because he's writing to a pastor. Others say that it's because he's. Writing to a son. His true son in the Faith, Timothy, and and we all know if you have a son, you know how much mercy sons need, right. They need a lot of mercy. They mess up so much, it's like unending mercy. All day long. It's funny. They don't need any mercy. They just need grace like they just. I just give my daughter money and she's so happy and perfect, you know. Daddy, buy me this. Yes, baby. And just the most perfect thing. My son. I gotta keep forgiving him every hour. Just boom, boom, boom. You know. Some say it's because he's writing to that son. You know, I believe a lot of it has to do with the fact that it was a longer Paul had been in ministry. And he realized, man. Not only do my churches need grace and peace, but man, they need some mercy. Wow, did they need some forgiveness. And how true it is that ohh we are just sinners saved by grace. And the longer we're in the Lord, who we may feel like there's that you know that new wine that's coming out of us, that breaking and stomping and great. I'm going to be perfect soon. But wow Lord when really it's not until we get to heaven. He keeps molding us and shaping us in that clay and we go. Lord, are you almost? Done yet? You know, when are you gonna put me? Up on the mantle God. He keeps working on us. You guys is so important for us to be forgiving people. The Bible says that the man who loves much is forgiven much, right? The one who's forgiven much loves much. We have to be people of mercy. Verse 3 going on into this as I urged you. When I went into Macedonia remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies which cause disputes rather than godly edification, which is in faith. Paul, in speaking to the church elders. From Ephesus in acts chapter 20. He goes to a town called Miltos and he and he wants to encourage the elders now in Ephesus. Remember, he wrote to the church in the Book of Ephesus. He writes to the pastor in first Timothy, but in the book of Acts chapter. 20 he calls all. The elders together and he says I want to encourage you elders. Man, the love that Tim. That Paul had for this church, right. And this is what he encourages the elders with in chapter 20, verse 29. He says for I know this. That after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you and not not sparing the flock. Also, from among yourselves, men will rise up speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after themselves. Therefore, watch and remember that for three years I did not cease to warn every one night. And day with tears. Let me read that warning again, he says. For I know this that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also, from among yourselves, men will rise up speaking perverse things to draw away the disciples after themselves. To the elders. Paul encourages them. He warns them. Be watchful. Be ready. Protect the church from who? He says from savage wolves. He uses the term savage wolves. Now I love a good you know Nat Geo documentary right out on the planes with the the Wolves going through and hunting for that for that deer that sheep or gazelle or something, you know, and you love just watching that. It's like, so cool watching them hunt. And what do they always do? They always look for the weakest, right. They always look for the smallest to pick off. And the first thing they do is they analyze the situation. They see where the moms are. You don't mess with mom, you know, and all that. And where's the big group and who's the slowest one? And the next thing they do is they separate. Right. Divide and conquer. Get them alone. Get them off on their own. This is what Paul is saying that the church has to look forward to in his departure. Men will come in. He says from outside the church they will come in like savage wolves, trying to destroy what God is doing. And it's funny because I always have little place markers in my Bible where I save the verse so I can get to it real quickly when I teach. And the the place marker that I had the little flier was our 30 year anniversary flyer for our church. You know from 2021, you know from two or three years ago. And I just thought man, just I looked at it. Wow. Oh Lord, it just made me think how many times over the last 30 years. Has the enemy tried with savage wolves to come into this place and to stop what the Lord is doing? To hinder God's work, how many times more than we will ever know, I guarantee you. But not only does, he says, does he say from outside, he also says from within. Says men will rise up. Savage Wolves will rise up from within. How on guard we need to be and what does he say? He says. Be watchful. Be watchful from those without from outside, those from outside and those from within the church. We need to be watchful even from those within the church, you guys. Even from those believers, we need to test everything against the word of God. Don't believe anything I tell you this morning. Please don't take my word for it. Read your Bible read first Timothy Cross reference it with acts. Pull up commentary from Chuck. Do your research, do your due diligence, put the work into it, and test everything against Scripture and you will be safe. You will be safe. What doctrines are you listening to? Where are you getting your studies from? What type of people are you listening to and allowing to influence your life? In verse four he says this, he says back in first Timothy one he says nor give heed to fables. And endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification, which is in faith. It's the modern day, you know. Where are you? From eh, right? I knew Carlos would like that one. The Jews going around the region, they would bring up their genealogy, you know, it's it's like, you know, don't lie. Know someone? You guys have done the 23andMe, right? And you want to know where your ancestors are from so you can see what your nationality is. You always want your your great grandfather to be that Prince from Spain or something. You know that royalty, that royal blood? No one's looking for the peasant. You know, all my family were peasants, you know? And they. Were just so humble. And the Jews would bring up the genealogies of where they were from and and who was to be respected and honored and. And what was it about? It was all about honor for themselves, right. For me, all about me. The only genealogy that we should be concerned about is the one that leads us back to Christ, right? I have nothing in the Lord, my ancestors, my past. Forget it all. I'm nothing. I'm broken. I'm a fool before God and Matthew. Chapter one. It is the only genealogy that we should worry about. Matthew 1 Matthew lays out the genealogy from Mary. All the way to David. That genealogy proving that Jesus is the Messiah, that he is, the Christ, that he fulfilled every messianic prophecy, he fulfilled every you know, aspect of the genealogy in the line of David that he needed to, and he lays it out right there for us. That's all we got to worry about. Paul says don't let genealogies don't let pride and arrogance don't let anyone that's puffed up come in and bring you away from God. And from that foundation. The doctrine of grace. He also uses the word fables there in verse four, he says in the first part. Nor give heed to fables. Fables. Myths. Spiritual phenomenons. We always hear about the new book that came out. Did you read that new book? Oh, my gosh. Just five points to get closer to God. And if you do those five things, oh, man, your spiritual life would just be insane. You could fly, you know, or whatever you want to. Do I don't know. The guy who who died and then they came back and they'll tell you all about what heaven looks like. John said he couldn't even describe it. You know, it's like don't believe all the fables and all the myths and all the things that are out there, the spiritual phenomenons. We see it on Facebook, right? The Facebook posts the good fortune. You know, repost this and for 24 hours you will be blessed beyond measure. You'll find riches, you know, and we repost it real quick. The the gold at the end of the rainbow. Whatever it is. Astrology don't follow that junk. It's from the enemy. It's from Satan following the stars. And what are you and what's your sign? Ohh OK, that means you're this personality. You're an ape type personality and you're always going to do this this way and that that you know. And we're not going to get along or we're going. To be best. Friends and Oh my God, you know. And are you a Leo or a Capricorn? You know, I'm a Christian. That's what I am. Fables and myths of genealogies and just weird things, Paul says. Don't give heed to them. Don't follow them. Fall back on the simple word of God. It's a blessing and a curse for us. It's so simple, forgiveness. But sometimes it's so simple we get think we gotta get in there and mess it all up and make it difficult. And it can't be this easy. It has to be harder than this. I gotta do more work. Give me some work Lords to be saved. He says, which caused disputes rather than godly edification. It doesn't glorify the Lord. All it does is cause arguments. All it does is cause disputes and people to argue, and now you don't know what you're talking about. And you know, we're just gonna all fight about it. Verse 5. Read with me, it says now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they. Affirmed Paul now gives us the motive for the commandment he gave us. The commandment. He gives Timothy the commandment. Timothy, be careful in your church. I love you. You're a son. Don't allow idle talk. Don't allow disputes. Don't allow genealogies and fables and all these crazy things that come in. Keep it based on the simple word of God, and now he tells us the why the motive? Why should Pastor Tim stop pointless debates? Why should Pastor Tim stop foreign doctrines from coming in? Why should our Pastor not allow men or women to come in and say, hey, you know, we just want to teach a different philosophy today, something that we can all kind of think about and see if maybe it's for you? Why should the parent not say to the child? Well, I'll let you decide what you want to do when you're 18. You're an adult. You want to go to church this morning, honey. OK, go ahead and sleep in, sweetheart. You know, man. Oh, get your **** up, right. The dangers of allowing our children to do that is the same danger that is allowing the church to bring in all these different philosophies, and you see this in churches that hang the flag outside the front door, right? We're a church for everybody. We're a church for anyone we. Except, you know all the different sins of the world and you know, whatever. I'm not going to get. Into it right now, but. You know who I'm talking about. Why do we do it? Why does? Paul warned Timothy why to be a bigot, right? That's why let's all be bigots, you know, let's all be hateful. Right, let's all just hinder, you know, and stop the progressive thinking, you know, or or learning. Oh, we don't want to learn anything. Why do we do it to our children? Because we hate them, right? You hate me. You want. Me to go to church. Paul says it's it's out of a pure heart. That you are to do this. In verse five, he says now the purpose. The reason, Timothy, why you do these things? The reason why a pastor protects its flock and his and his church. Is love. From a pure heart. From a good conscience and from sincere faith, it's so simple. It's easy. Why do I make you go to church, son? Daughter, it's because I love you, that's why. Why do I not want you to wait until you're an adult, an adult and go, you know, travel the world and find yourself, you know, and and and read about every religion and try to figure out the right one and all. It's not because I'm afraid that the other ones are right or I'm afraid that mine is weak, or in fact that no, it's because I know for a fact that I have the truth already. I know for a fact I'm right. I have no doubt about it. I'm as confident as Paul is. This is the only one you need. I'll save you a lot of time. I'll save you a lot of heartache. Come and worship the Lord early. Soon, you know, early in life and be protected. And it's the same heart that Paul wants for us. So why do? Why do our pastors do the things that they do? Why do they conduct church the way that they conduct church? It's so easy to criticize, right, man, it's. I'm great at it. I'm so great. Awesome at criticizing you guys don't. Even know you know. It's so easy. Right. But as we read this letter from Timothy or to Timothy, we start to understand why a pastor does the things that they do. Why the protection is set up and really it's. Only for us. Who do we protect? Who are we protected from? Who's the pastor to protect the congregation from? He says in verse 6 this he says. From which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm. Paul is speaking to a pastor, but really this goes this goes beyond pastoral ship. This really goes on goes beyond. You know, an encouragement to some guy who is pastoring a church. It goes on to the congregation. It goes on to every believer. It goes, you know, on to us as believers that we should really heed these words and set up these safeguards in our lives. Who is Paul talking about here in verse 7 again? Those designed to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things that they affirm. Pastor John Corson tells a story of a woman in Siberia. And it's a true story of a lady who got on a train with her two children being not being familiar with the area she asked to conduct her if he would wake her up and let her know when they came. To the stop that she needed to get off at. And as the train goes on, the lady fell asleep with her children and the train made a few stops and it came up to a stop there in Siberia and and the man next to her woke her up and he said lady. The train is at your stop now, so the conductor's busy. I've I've rode this train for 30 years and I know this is your stop. Get your kids. Come on. You gotta get off. You're going to miss it. She gets her kids and her things together and she gets off at the stop. And the train moves on, the conductor begins to to move on to the next stop, and as it does, the conductor comes back looking for the woman and asks where is the lady that was sitting here in this seat? With her children. And the man says I told her to get off at the last stop. That was her stop. And the conductors? Oh no, he says. That wasn't her stop. That was an extra stop that we just made real briefly to check on the train. There's nothing back there for miles. And they go back to the stop that they had made and they find the woman and her children frozen to death. They're in Siberia in the snow. Now, normally Pastor John Corson's stories are really funny and I'm apologized to you guys this morning cause the first one I ever tell is not funny at all. But it's true, and it's a good. Analogy of what Paul is talking about here. The the warning that the people that we listen to, the influences that we have in our lives, how important it is for us to be safe, to safeguard ourselves. Against those that know nothing, as Paul says about what they are teaching, we call them nowadays influencers, right? Those that are online that have millions of followers. That that know a lot. About social media and attracting the eyes and, you know, being able to do a cool dance out in the middle of the street, I don't know what they do, but they get our kids attention and they're leading them astray. The most followed person on TikTok. Is Selena Gomez with 37.9 million followers. 37.9 million. Girls and probably some adult men that are following her that are being influenced. These influencers that are out there, yes, they have some truth and yes, they are probably great at what they do at singing and, you know, entertaining and all that. And you know, we follow, you know, certain men, a lot of our youth and guys will follow. Guys like this. Andrew Tate, you know or. Or Joe Rogan, right? And we go, man, I just believe their political views. You know, I believe their social views and all that. But I guarantee you their foundation is on sand. Their foundation is it's it's unstable. They don't believe in Jesus. They don't believe the same doctrine or truths that we believe. And it's in those things that we will be influenced in the wrong way. And our children don't allow them. Don't allow yourselves to be influenced. By those on TikTok. And those people in this world, if you're going to have a hero, it might sound dumb, but at least make them a pastor. Look to pastors. Look to men like Timothy that we can follow after Galatians 59, says a little leaven leavens the whole lump. A lot of truth with a little bit of lie is still a lie, right? No woman was ever a little pregnant, you know. And they might. This influencer might sound like they know what they're talking about. That man on the train was so confident, right? He's ridden this train train for 30 years, and he probably had. And he knew that stop and we hit four already. And this is exactly the stop where you're supposed to get off at. And I'm so confident. But man, that unexpected stop last second cost this woman and her two children their lives. Unexpectedly, those that we are listening to, those that we are being influenced by. Can really take a toll on our lives, but can also cost our children their salvation. Flee from it, flee to Jesus. Flee to the simplicity of the gospel. Again, I know how difficult it is, but that gospel message is so easy. It's so simple that we're sinners that Christ died on the cross for us, and in three days he conquered death and he rose again from the dead. It's as simple as that. If we know anything, that's all we should know. Verse 8 through 11 to close, it says, but we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully. Knowing this, that the law is not made for the righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate for the ungodly or for sinners, for the unholy and. So fain for murderers, or of fathers and murders of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers. And if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine. According to the Glorious Gospel of the Blessed God, which was committed to my trust. Paul is warning Pastor Timothy to be careful of men that will come in and try to teach. The law that you must be saved by the law. That you must be saved by a different way than Jesus and him alone in Christ alone in his death and resurrection. And it might not be the law, but it might be something different in our lives that people will try to pull us away. But I'll tell you what, every religion other than Christianity that we believe is not a religion, but every religion. Out there is based on the law. Satan still to this day, 2000 years later, is still using the law to try to get people you know in in a snare. To be captive of it, to be messed up for a stumbling block, you must do this. You have to do that. You have to keep the Sabbath. Don't do that. Don't go there and it's all it all becomes based on works. Every single religion out there, Muslims. Even certain denominations. First eight through 11. Paul says that the law is good, is a lot evil. No, absolutely not. God established the law. God gave us the law. When Jesus came, the law was still good as it was before, but Jesus said that he fulfilled the law right? We're no longer under the law. And Paul says it's great the law's good for those that are are are breaking it, you know, for those that are unrighteous, those that are lawless, those are insubordinate, our laws are great for murderers. He says our great lock them up. Let's let's use the law. I'm all for it. But he says for you, Christian, for you Christian, you are not under the law. Because you don't break the law anymore. You strive to be righteous. You want to please the Lord. You want to please God the father, and you strive. Do we mess up? And that's again where mercy comes into play. But we we strive to just please the Lord. The law is good when it comes to a criminal. But the law has already been fulfilled when it comes to the believer in Jesus Christ, and we're no longer under that law. There's so much encouragement that Paul has here and I hope. I pray that you would just be blessed by the book of First Timothy. Go home and read it. Read it on your own. Study it. Study what Paul has to say to the church and Ephesus, but really to the pastor in Ephesus and you will be blessed. It will help you not to criticize your pastor anymore. It will help you to understand the conduct of the church and what needs to be done and what is important. You know the love that Paul had for Timothy. Again, it was that father. To a child's love, it's the love that we have as fathers to our children. And Jesus has that same love for us, right? And Romans 623 it says for the wages of sin is death. And we know that. We broke the law, we messed up. We all did it. Pre Christ in Christ Post Christ we break that law and the Bible says you break one. You broke it all. The wages of sin is death. Here's your paycheck. Good job. It's death at the end. But first Timothy 225 or 2/5. Says that there's one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Jesus Christ. And in our sin. In our breaking of that law in our just messing up and doing dumb things. Jesus goes as that mediator between us and God and he says Lord. I'll take that punishment. Remember, Father, I died on the cross for them. Remember, I went to the cross, remember? I was beaten and bruised and beat up and bloodied for their iniquity. Remember, Laura, the price for their sin was already paid on the cross that day on Calvary. Every time we mess up, do we condemn ourselves? Does he condemn us? Do not condemn yourselves in sin. Not only does he give you grace. In his peace. But remember, he gives you his mercy. He gives you his forgiveness. Let's pray. Father, we are so grateful to you, Lord. Thank you. God, we lift you up. God, we glorify you this morning, Father. Not just for your Grace, Lord God and your riches. And as we as the men have been learning on Saturdays, God that we are just rich beyond measure and you have so much for us, God. But Father, we are so grateful for your mercy, Lord. I deserve Hal father. I deserve punishment. God for the sins of my past, for the sins of my future God. Is so humbling, Lord, that you love us, that you give us your mercy, Lord. And that it never ends, Father. We never get to the point where you just say, well, that's enough. I'm sorry I've run out. Lord, it's endless. Your word says that we can't search it. Father, we thank you for forgiveness this morning. Lord, would you do a work in our hearts, God. Would you make us new creations? Lord, as your word says that we are new creations and you father, the old man has passed away. God, all things have become new. Father, give us a burden, Lord, to share this mercy and to share this grace with the world God. Give us a burden, father to share it with those God that it is still a mystery to Lord. Would you give us that burden this morning, Father? Thank you, Jesus, for Timothy Lord and his faithfulness. Thank you, God, for men like Paul, Fathers of the faith, that are willing to be honest. To do the hard work, Lord of. Being a pastor. We thank you, Jesus. We lift all this up in your name. Thank you, guys.