Well, as we come to God's Word this morning, we're continuing on in 1 Timothy.
So if you have your Bible, please open it up to 1 Timothy.
Seeing as it's Thanksgiving tomorrow, I thought that we'd jump ahead a little bit in the letter
to a place where Paul talks a little bit about Thanksgiving.
So we're jumping ahead to chapter 4, and we're going to be looking mainly at the first five
verses here in chapter 4.
Let me read it.
This is Paul writing to Timothy.
The Spirit clearly says that in later times, some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving
spirits and things taught by demons.
Such teachings come through hypocritical liars whose consciences have been seared as with
a hot iron.
They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created
to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.
For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,
because it is consecrated by the Word of God and prayer.
If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of
Christ Jesus.
So just a short passage here this morning, five verses, and just like back in chapter 1,
Paul is warning Timothy about false teachers and their teachings.
But here in chapter 4, he actually gets a little bit more specific about some of the things that
these false teachers have been teaching, or rather things that are coming, that they're
going to be teaching.
Paul is known for his long sentences, and most of our English translations of the Bible break
this up into a few sentences.
But in the original language this was written, it's basically all one sentence from verse
1 all the way down to verse 5.
And Paul just keeps piling on the subordinate clauses and the prepositional phrases and the
participles and the infinitives.
You get the idea.
So Paul starts by warning Timothy about false teachers in verses 1 and 2.
Then he kind of flows from there into talking about the kind of false teachings that
they are doing in verse 3.
And then from there, he kind of flows into a refutation of the false teachings in verses
4 and 5.
And he declares God's goodness and how he has created all things for our benefit.
Things that we should receive with thanksgiving.
So we're just going to trace Paul's flow of thought all the way through, starting at the
beginning here in verse 1.
He says,
Some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
So Paul's warning Timothy.
He knows something about what's coming.
And he gives this warning to Timothy to help him minister to the people in the church there
in Ephesus.
How does Paul know this?
The Spirit clearly says.
And then what follows is what the Spirit says.
Now, there's debate over how he knew that the Spirit was saying this.
We won't get into all that this morning.
But Paul, as an apostle, probably is able to clearly hear and discern the Spirit speaking
to his own mind.
And so he writes on behalf of Christ.
And Paul wants Timothy to know that this isn't just his hunch about what will happen.
His opinion or speculation.
This warning comes from the Spirit of God himself.
And it's clear.
The Spirit clearly says, explicitly says,
that some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
So this is a very sobering problem.
Timothy, there are going to be people who abandon the faith.
Literally, who depart from the faith.
Now, what does that mean?
I don't think it means that people who have a genuine faith in the Lord Jesus
will suddenly stop believing and lose their salvation.
Rather, I think Paul is describing things from the outward appearance of it.
They're not departing from their own true faith.
Rather, they're departing from the faith.
They are going away from the truth.
The gospel.
The things God has revealed through Jesus.
And the things that have been taught through the Spirit.
Through the apostles.
There is a body of teaching.
A body of revelation.
That God has given us through Jesus.
Through the Spirit.
Through the apostles.
And it is the Christian faith.
The problem with these men is that they are going away from that.
They are leaving that.
I think it means that some people who were among us.
Who at one time said, yeah, I believe these things.
They're now turning away.
Suddenly, they're leaving off of this gospel.
And not only do they depart from it.
But, Paul says, they go on to other teachings.
And the language Paul chooses here is very strong.
He says, they follow deceiving spirits.
That word follow could be translated.
They give heed to.
They pay attention to.
They devote themselves to.
So, not just that they don't really agree anymore with the Christian faith.
But now they are quite strongly following.
Giving their attention to evil spirits.
Deceiving spirits.
And to things taught by demons.
Literally, to the teachings or doctrines of demons.
So, they've really exchanged one set of teachings for another.
The teachings of Christ.
The teachings of the Holy Spirit.
For the teachings of these deceiving spirits.
These demons.
This is serious.
The Spirit warns Timothy.
Through Paul.
That with these false teachers.
There's more than meets the eye.
The source of their teaching.
Is actually spiritual.
But it's not from the Spirit of God.
Rather, these things.
That they're going to be teaching.
They're going to be advocating.
The ultimate source of those ideas.
Is demonic.
Fallen angels.
Again, more questions arise here.
Like, you know.
Did the false teachers know that they were hearing these things from demons?
Or are they just deceived?
And I mean, Paul doesn't give a fuller explanation here.
He does mention that these spirits are deceiving.
It's quite possible that these teachers might not know the truth of who is really behind all of this.
That they are teaching.
Jesus said that the devil is the father of lies.
Paul wrote to the Corinthian church and said that Satan masquerades as an angel of light.
Which means that the devil and his demons are well-practiced deceivers.
I would suggest to you that they may be the most skilled and brilliant liars that this world has never seen.
You've heard it said maybe that the best lies.
Meaning the most likely to be believed.
Are those that are almost true.
There's so much truth in it that the false part is just easily accepted with the rest.
The devil and his demons, they know how to craft.
How to present falsehood in a way that's quite compelling.
And attractive.
And rational.
So that we'll swallow it.
Hook, line, and sinker.
And maybe even think in pride.
I came up with that.
That's my idea.
I discovered that.
So these are deceptive spirits.
Now, I've been avoiding this part of the verse until now.
When will all this take place?
Who is the spirit talking about?
When is this going to happen?
The spirit clearly says that in later times,
some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits.
Now, if you've been one who, like me, is eager to unravel the mysteries of the end times,
this phrase probably struck you as referring to the end times.
But before we go right into that,
we must be careful here.
We shouldn't let our eagerness to know the end
color the way that we read
what Paul has said.
Notice that he says,
in later times
and not in the last times.
In later times.
Not in the last days.
And there are a number of clues
here left by Paul
in the context
which suggests that Paul's not speaking about the end times
but about the near future
to Timothy.
The first clue
is that the false teachings
that are going to be advocated
are abstaining from marriage
and certain kinds of food.
This really does seem to fit better
with the ascetic teachings
of the Gnostics
and dualism
which came full force
in the second and third century.
you read
some of the bizarre religious practices
of the desert fathers
and the early monks.
I'm not going to talk about all that stuff
because it's just
it's bizarre.
Fasting for months
and doing weird kinds of things
depriving themselves
and you know
all these kinds of things.
I mean some people might argue
that people devalue marriage today
and that's true
but this seems to be a different sort of thing.
This is forbidding people to marry
as though it were a hallmark
of true religion.
The second clue
Paul takes great pains
to refute this false teaching
right here in the letter
in verses 3 to 5.
And then in verse 6
he urges Timothy
to teach the refutation to the church.
It seems Paul wants Timothy
to be proactive here
to inoculate the church in Ephesus
by teaching the truth
and exposing this falsehood
right now
before it has a chance
to really take root.
And the third clue
there are other letters of Paul
that have a lot to say
about false religion
and false teaching
when it comes to matters
of food and drink.
The letter to the Colossians
the Romans
the Corinthian epistles
some of those have more to do
with Jewish food laws
but others more with
that Gnostic teaching
that the material world
is inherently evil
that the body
is base
and dirty
and therefore
self-denial
and fasting
from certain foods
is what makes one
truly spiritual
and acceptable
in God's eyes.
Now these teachings
wouldn't really sweep over
and take over
until about another
hundred years later
but already in these times
in the other epistles
of Paul
we start to see
glimmers of it
taking root.
and so I would suggest
to you that Paul
may be warning Timothy
and the Christians
there in Ephesus
about specific teachings
of demonic origin
that are coming hard
and fast
in the next hundred years.
Now could there still be
some second
greater
final fulfillment
of these kinds of things
in the end times?
Perhaps.
Certainly there will be
doctrines of demons
false religion
worship of the beast
false teachers
other passages
in scripture
make that clear
but will these
specific doctrines
of demons
be a hallmark
of the end times?
Maybe
or maybe not.
It remains to be seen.
Part of the challenge here
and the reason
why Paul warns Timothy
as he does
is that these false teachers
will arise in a way
that's especially deceptive.
notice verse 2
such teachings
come through
hypocritical liars
whose consciences
have been seared
as with a hot iron.
So these people
who have departed
from the faith
and are speaking
these falsehoods
these lies
they're doing so
under the cloak
of hypocrisy.
So these teachers
seem to be
in the Christian faith
they seem to be
in the church
they seem to be
among those
who say
yes I believe
in Jesus.
It's not as though
they run up the flag
or post on social media
I don't believe
in Jesus anymore.
I found
a better teaching
that we should follow.
Rather it's more
like the Pharisees
in Israel
in Jesus' day.
They're faking
righteousness.
They're pretending
to be good Christians.
They're feigning faith.
They're claiming
to be followers
of Jesus
and yet they are
calling people
subtly away
from the gospel.
They're calling people
away from the good news
that salvation
is by faith alone
and not by works.
They're saying
no, no, no, no
you need to do this
to be right with God.
Marriage?
Uh-uh.
Eating these kinds
of foods?
No.
You need to abstain
from those things.
Let's look briefly
at these teachings.
Forbidding people
to marry
and ordering them
to abstain
from certain foods.
So there is
a devaluing
of marriage
and most likely
sex is included
in that.
And I think
the logic here
again probably
is pointing to
what the Gnostics
taught
that sex
is base.
It's dirty.
It's a fleshly
thing.
It's unspiritual.
True religion.
It's to rise
above that.
It's to rise
above things
like marriage.
They might say
we see this
kind of
infiltrating
the church
later on
with the monastic
order.
And by the
fourth century
the Catholic
Church fully
incorporated
this idea
and decided
that marriage
be altogether
prohibited
for priests,
bishops,
deacons,
and clerics.
But this is
clearly against
the teaching
of Scripture.
The Apostle
Paul and Jesus
did talk about
celibacy
and how there
were some
practical
advantages to
it.
But nowhere
ever did
they forbid
marriage.
In fact,
Paul in
certain circumstances
instructed people
to get married
as we'll see
later on in
this letter.
Jesus,
speaking through
the author of
Hebrews,
said,
marriage is to
be honored
by all.
Hebrews 13
verse 4.
It's to be
held in
high regard.
It's to be
valued for
what it is.
The other
demonic teaching
Paul lists here
is abstaining
from certain
foods.
These
hypocritical
liars were
going to
urge people
not to
eat certain
foods as
a matter
of
spirituality,
as a matter
of devotion
to God.
And there's
lots that we
could say
about this.
I mean,
it has
relevance to
the teaching
of the
Judaizers,
that group
of men
and women
who were
trying to
get the
followers of
Jesus to
go back
to the
Old Testament.
And no,
if you want
to be right
with God,
you need to
be circumcised.
You need to
not eat foods
that are
ceremonially
unclean.
You need to
observe the
law.
Again,
a subtle
shift in
the focus.
Suddenly,
it goes from
Christ and
his righteousness
to now
works.
and what
I need
to do
to be
righteous
in God's
eyes,
which is
not the
good news.
Again,
we see it
in the
teachings of
the Gnostics
with the
desert fathers
and the
early monks
in the
second and
third
centuries.
They bought
into this
lie that the
way to live
a holy life
is by having
less of
the earthly
stuff,
less of
the fleshly
appetites.
Deny the
body what
it desires.
True
spirituality,
they would
say.
Closeness
to God
is only
achieved when
we deprive
ourselves,
is what
they seem
to believe.
Interestingly,
you see some
of that even
in the
eastern
religions as
well.
So God,
through his
spirit,
is warning
Timothy and
the church
at Ephesus
about these
kinds of
deceptive
teachings which
are soon
to arise
and may lead
people astray.
And then he
launches into
a full-out
refutation
of these
false
teachings.
They forbid
people to
marry and
order them
to abstain
from certain
foods which
God created
to be received
with thanksgiving
by those who
believe and
who know the
truth.
For everything
God created
is good and
nothing is to
be rejected if
it is received
with thanksgiving.
So Paul
basically says
what these
false teachers
are going to
teach is
wrong.
It is flat
out wrong.
It is wrong
to forbid
people to
marry.
It is wrong
to teach
people that
they need
to abstain
from certain
foods.
Why?
Because God
created these
things to be
received with
thanksgiving by
those who
believe and
know the
truth.
God created
marriage.
He created
the things of
earth that we
eat for food.
food.
And I love
the simple
truth that
Paul declares
here.
God created
these things
because he
wanted you to
have them.
To be
received.
He wanted
you to have
them.
To which we
say what?
I thought God
just wanted to
take all the
good things from
me.
I thought he
wanted to keep
me from enjoying
life in this
world.
Well who
gave you that
idea?
It was the
devil who
suggested to
Adam and
Eve in the
garden long
ago that
idea.
But it was a
lie.
We became
corrupt.
We lost our
sensitivity to
the truth and
to the knowledge
of God.
To the goodness
of God.
And so the
human race has
been suspicious
of God ever
since.
Does he
really want
good things
for me?
Is
worshipping and
following Jesus
just about giving
up everything
good?
Paul smashes
this lie of
the devil.
He smashes
this suspicion
of the flesh.
He says God
created marriage
and the delights
that go with it
because he
wanted you to
have it.
He wanted you
to receive it.
He created
all kinds of
foods, things
on this earth
to be received.
with thanksgiving.
For our
benefit, he
wanted us to
have them.
He wanted us
to eat them.
And Jesus
widens this all
the way in
verse 4.
He says,
for everything
God created
is good and
nothing is to
be rejected if
it is received
with thanksgiving.
So Paul refutes
the lies of
the demons
flat out.
True
spirituality
is not
denying
ourselves
of a
peculiar
list of
things
because
these things
are unclean
or impure
or our
body appetites
are less
spiritual,
base,
fleshly.
Rather,
true spirituality
is receiving
and enjoying
all the good
things that
God has
made and
doing it
with
thanksgiving.
Let's talk
about that
word,
thanksgiving,
for a moment.
I really
like that
word.
It's like
two words
sandwiched
together,
thanksgiving,
and it
implies
action,
just like
it does
in the
language of
the Bible
that was
originally
written in.
It's an
action word.
Some translations
actually render
it as gratitude,
but I think
that falls
short of
its full
meaning.
It's not
just that
we should
feel fortunate
or privileged
or content.
The word
for thanksgiving
implies
action.
It implies
what it
seems to
say,
that we
actually give
thanks,
that we
express
thanks
to God.
Like
with words.
sadly,
for many
in our
society,
the holiday
that we're
celebrating
this weekend
is not
about giving
thanks to
God
anymore.
For many,
it's just a
moment or a
day to feel
grateful,
to feel
happy
about how
well off
I am
compared to
others
who are in
lesser
circumstances.
This is
not what
Paul is
talking
about.
Thanksgiving
means
verbally
saying
thank you
to God
for the
things that
he has
done and
given to
us.
I love
the way
that Paul
refutes this
false teaching.
He just
proclaims it.
God is
gracious.
He is
generous.
He's filled
this whole
world with
good things
for us.
Things that
meet our
needs,
things
that we
can enjoy,
that bring
delight.
He wants
us to
have these
things.
He wants
us to
enjoy them
and the
way that
we do
that which
is fitting
is by
giving
thanks to
God as
we receive
them.
I was
reminded of
Psalm 104
as I was
meditating on
these things.
Verse 14
and 15
talks about
what God
does in
connection to
the earth
and creation.
It says
he makes
grass grow
for the
cattle and
plants for
people to
cultivate,
bringing forth
food from
the earth,
wine that
gladdens human
hearts,
oil to make
their faces
shine,
and bread
that sustains
their hearts.
vegetables.
So why did
God make
wheat and
grape vines?
It says he
gives rain on
the earth which
grows the wheat
and the vines
to bring grain
to make bread
and grapes
to make wine
to sustain
us and
to gladden
us.
There's both
there,
sustenance and
enjoyment.
God didn't
just create
things in
this world
just for
practical purposes
to keep us
alive,
but he also
made things
for our
enjoyment.
Think about
this for a
moment.
God could
have made
us with
tongues
to get
the food
down,
but no
taste buds.
Noses,
but no
sense of
smell,
just used
for breathing.
He could
have given
us ears,
but no
ability to
discern melody,
eyes,
but a whole
world with
no colors.
All of
these things,
smells,
flavors,
colors,
music,
they're purely
things of
pleasure.
They're things
of delight.
They aren't
essential to
sustaining our
bodies.
They're just
things that
bring pleasure.
God made
those.
He wants
us to be
happy.
He wants
us to
enjoy the
good things
that he
has made.
What kind
of land
did God
promise the
Israelites?
A land
flowing with
milk and
honey.
This
expression
captures
God's
goodness,
his
generosity,
as an
undeserved
gift.
He wanted
to give
him a
land full
of the
good things
of earth,
both the
milk,
sustenance,
and honey,
sweetness.
Speaking of
honey,
one of my
favorite
proverbs,
Solomon
saying to
his son
said this,
he said,
eat honey,
my son,
for it is
good.
Honey from
the comb
is sweet
to your
taste.
And then
he goes on
to apply
that to
wisdom as
a metaphor.
But the
foundation of
it is
true.
It's good.
It's sweet.
God has put
these kinds
of things
into our
world for
our
enjoyment.
Even
though meat
was not
originally part
of our
diet in
the garden,
God has
even given
us that as
well to
eat and
enjoy.
Genesis
9 verse
3.
Everything
that lives
and moves
about will
be food
for you.
Just as
I gave
you the
green
plants,
I now
give you
everything.
Another
one of my
favorite
proverbs,
better a
small serving
of vegetables
with love
than a
fattened
calf with
hatred.
love.
Now this
proverb
obviously is
more about
relationships.
It's about
what's going
on between
the people
around the
table.
It's a
contrast.
But notice
the fattened
calf is the
ideal meal.
The roast
beef dinner
on the table
is good.
I hope that
we can enjoy
the fattened
turkey with
love around
the table.
in the
parable of
the prodigal
son.
Jesus told
when the
son finally
came home
and repented
of what he
had done
to his
father.
What does
the father
do?
He kills
the fattened
calf and
throws a
banquet to
celebrate.
So yes,
even meat
has been
given for
our sustenance
and our
enjoyment.
All of
these things,
both plants
and animals,
God has
made.
And all
of them
are good.
None of
them are
to be
rejected if
we receive
them as
gifts from
God while
saying thank
you to
him.
Finally,
Paul tacks
on one
more clause
here at
the end.
Nothing's
to be
rejected if
it is
received with
thanksgiving
because it
is consecrated
by the
word of
God and
prayer.
So the
foods we
eat and
the marriages
that we
enter into
are consecrated
by the
word of
God and
prayer.
They're made
holy.
They're made
fit for us.
They're
specifically
designated for
our benefit
and enjoyment
by two
things.
By the
word of
God and
prayer.
How do we
know that all
of these
things that
God has
made are
good?
It's very
simple.
God said
so.
The word
of God
declared it
right at the
beginning.
He made
all of it.
It is
good.
It is
good.
He saw
all that
he had
made and
it was
very good.
Even
again after
we had
sinned and
after the
flood,
he declared
I have
given you
these things
for food.
They are
good for
you to
eat.
Sin has
affected all
of creation
and all
creation groans
as it says
in Romans
chapter 8.
But it
doesn't change
or erase
the inherent
goodness of
everything that
God has
made.
So his
word, his
declaration over
all that he
has made,
his designation
of it,
makes it
good for
us to
eat.
And
finally,
prayer also
sets it
apart for
us.
Here I
think Paul
is referring
specifically to
the prayer of
thanksgiving.
This is
probably the
closest thing
we get in
the Bible to
an instruction
to give
thanks, to
pray before
we eat.
Jesus
modeled that.
He gave
thanks before
he ate.
And many
of us have
just been
doing that
because it
was handed
down.
as a
tradition
from people
that believed.
But it's
not just a
custom.
It really
is our
moment
to sincerely
from the
heart say
thank you
to God
for that
stuff that's
on the
table.
God
to
begin
to
think
about.
I mean
we may
look at
the food
in our
fridge
or
on our
table
and we
may
think
I
worked
for
this.
I went to work
I got the money
I went to the store
I paid for it
I prepared it
or I did all the work
of planting the seeds
putting them into the garden
watered the plants
harvested them
cleaned them off
but where did you get the strength
to do that work?
was it not from your last meal?
it's the food
that gives you the strength
to cultivate
and to work
and what is most
of that nutritious food
that we enjoy
that keeps us alive?
what's it made of?
not rocks and dirts
but plants
and living things
organic matter
all ultimately created
by God himself
where did the seed come from
that you planted in the garden
and watered
and made grow?
where did the water come from
that falls from the sky?
who filled this earth
with plants
of all varieties
that reproduce
cucumbers
and melons
and carrots
lettuce
animals
that give their byproducts
and their meat
take away all the plants
and animals on earth
and we'd be left with
nothing for food
but sand and dirt
and rocks
think about that
how long would we live
on that?
so I hope
and I pray
that this Thanksgiving
the meal tastes
even better
than it did last year
I hope
it tastes better
because we are even more mindful
of what the food
on the table is
and what it represents
it represents
the God in heaven
and his goodness
his love
his kindness
to us
it represents
his happiness
to provide for us
and not only
the sustenance
but also
the sweetness
and the savory
both the dinner
and the dessert
and so this Thanksgiving
as you gather
with family
or friends
I want to encourage you
to eat
and enjoy
celebrate
kill that fattened turkey
and do it with Thanksgiving
to God
I want to encourage you
to go beyond
that typical
mealtime prayer
of thanks
take some time
with those around you
today or tomorrow
or however you're going
to celebrate
to just
stop and give
actual thanks
to God
not just for the meal
but for all the things
that he has done
and given
countless blessings
thank him for these gifts
from the least
to the greatest
this is what
the Thanksgiving
holiday was meant
to be all about
a day of worship
a day of prayer
a day of feasting
yes
and celebration
to give thanks
to God
for his goodness
to us
let's pray
Father in heaven
we ask that you
would help us
to live in this truth
and to cling to it
that you are a God
who doesn't withhold
from us
but a God
who is happy
to give to us
and the proof
of that
is most
seen in Jesus
the greatest gift
of all
and if you would
give us him
would you withhold
from us
the other things
the other good things
no
we say thank you
for Jesus
thank you
for everything
that you have given us
and may our celebrations
this weekend
reflect
something of your goodness
and your grace to us
we ask in Jesus name
Amen