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Doctrine, The Nuts & Bolts of Christianity
Text: I Timothy 4:16 "Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee." 1. I. Doctrine, What is it? Doctrine as defined as used in this passage "Teaching or instruction"2. The word doctrine used in Hebrews 6:1 "Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God,"3. give a fuller meaning to the word doctrine. 3056 logos Meaning: 1) of speech 1a) a word, uttered by a living voice, embodies a conception or idea 1b) what someone has said 1b1) a word 1b2) the sayings of God 1b3) decree, mandate or order 1b4) of the moral precepts given by God 1b5) Old 4. So doctrine is the teachings of Jesus. Who is Jesus, what He has done for the human race, what He does now in heaven and in the hearts of His people, what His mission and message are. This and much, much more are all in the meaning of doctrine. II. Doctrine, Where is it found? If you were given an assignment to go out and find doctrine, where would you look? We have defined doctrine already so we should recognize it when we find it. Well, the Bible records the words "saith the LORD" over 1,000 times, from Genesis to Revelation. If you spoke or made a statement over 1,000 times, who would be speaking? You would! So who do you suppose is speaking in the Bible? The Lord is of course, so if the Lord is speaking in His Word, He is giving principles of His doctrine, or teaching. So when someone wants to know more about Christ and His teaching one needs to go no further then the Bible. John 1:1 "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."5. III. Doctrine, Why do we need it? In a word, to know God you must know His Word. As one Bible teacher put it, "master the Bible, so the Bible will master you." Paul gives this charge and warning to Timothy so that he would have a right understanding of Scripture, as well as that he would teach proper doctrine (Bible teaching) to others. The charge to Timothy continues in I Timothy 1:3a-4 "...teach no other doctrine, Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do. Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:"6. __________________________________________________________ 1cf. I Timothy4:16ff. 2 Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary (Chattanooga: AMG Publishers, 1993), p. 447. 3cf. Hebrews 6:1ff. 4 James Strong, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1881), p. 273. 5cf. John 1:1ff. 6cf. I Timothy 1:3a - 4ff. __________________________________________________________ Contentment while in the Cosmos Text:I Timothy 6:6-8 "But godliness with contentment is great gain. I. Contentment, Why should Christians be content? v.6 There is one excellent reason that Paul gives us why we should be content. The reason is that in the economy of God, the most significant economy, the real way to "great gain" is to trust in the Lord. Depend upon Him for all your need, worries, doubts, and fears. You can trust in anything you want, but what you decide to trust in had better hold water, why, because the storms of life come to everyone. No one is exempt. So make up your mind now that you are going to trust the circumstances of your life to the One that is trustworthy, can do something about your circumstances, and Someone that loves you and wants the vary best for you. Ben Franklin once said, "Content and riches Seldom meet together, Riches take thou, Contentment I had rather."2 II. Contentment in Context, the reality of mortality v.7 Life needless to say is short, and of course is precious. Benjamin Franklin also said, "Dost thou love life? then do not squander time; For that's the stuff life is made of."3 What he was saying is you had better spend your days and hours on what is important because life is short. One of the greatest reality and blessing is to know your beginning, your heritage. For the Christian the Creation account is an invaluable understanding. How does Creation relate to contentment? Our passage states, "we brought nothing into this world", so from nothing to something is really something! Only in Creation does something come out of nothing. If you don't think that is something, go ahead and try to make something out of nothing. Let me know how it works out... One rule of Physics is that there has to be a cause and effect for anything to happen. Someone had to have made this Creation, and Someone had to give life...The Creator. Now lets go back, at warp speed to Kindergarten, and/ or one of our first lessons from our parents. When someone gives you something make sure you say, "thank you". Why, because it was given to you. So contentment is simply saying to God, "thank You for what You have given to me. Creation is admitting where life as well as every gift comes from. The second half of the reality check is to look honestly at the end of our lives. "it is certain we can carry nothing out." III. Contentment, contingent upon basic provision v.8 Does your dog have an air conditioned dog house? Do all of your children have their own private bathroom and bedroom with their own walk in closet? Do you get 60 days paid vacation every year with a promise of a fat pension and huge severance package at age 55? Do you have a primary residence, summer home on the Cape, and a winter home in Naples? Do you and your spouse both drive Hummers (when your driver is out sick of course)? If you have this all together, that is wonderful! But if not, that probably includes most of us, that is alright because of this verse, "food and raiment." God has promised to meet our basic necessitates. He says we can be content, and we should be content with what He has provided for each of us. Contentment is a valuable commodity, and it is available to everyone that wants it. __________________________________________________________ 1cf. I Timothy 6:6-8ff. 2 Benjamin Franklin, The Wit and Wisdom of Benjamin Franklin (New York: Barns & Noble, Inc., 1995), p. 25. 3 Benjamin Franklin, The Wit and Wisdom of Benjamin Franklin (New York: Barns & Noble, Inc., 1995), p. 29. __________________________________________________________ The sovereign, immortal, Potentate - Jesus Christ Text: I Timothy 6:14-16 "That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukeable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen. 1 Key word: Potentate, the word carries a lot of meaning with it including but not limited to " A. Interestingly the praise "without spot" is found only three other times is the New Testament. II Peter 3:14 says "Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless."3 B. One writer wrote on verse 14 "If applied here to Timothy, it means that he should so keep the commandment that there would be no stain on his moral character."4 C. Elsewhere another writer suggested this charge was to Timothy's baptism. "The commandment which Timothy is urged to keep spotless is probably Timothy's baptismal commission." 5 More likely then not it was a charge to Timothy's ordination since verses twelve and thirteen refer to his ordination charge. D. Here is the charge to us today. Christ is coming back soon. No one knows the day or the hour. We just need to be ready (all the time). Being ready mean having been converted to Christ, being born again (John 3:16, Romans 10:13) your sins are forgiven for all eternity. In the present, keeping short accounts of sin. Staying right with God and our brothers and sisters in Christ, and the unsaved people in our lives (yes even noisy neighbors). II. The Potentate, The Superpower of the Universe v. 15 "Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords" If you doubt who is in control of this universe, just wait awhile. Jesus will make it quite clear who is in charge. But if you are already of the persuasion that Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords, then your confidence is all the more confirmed in this word "Potentate". In 1993 while on a mission trip to Nova Scotia the fairy boat, called the "Bluenose" left port from Bar Harbor, Maine headed for Yarmouth, Nova Scotia. Somewhere, after crossing through international waters we passed from one sovereign nation to another. In the same manner we need to recognize God's sovereignty in our lives, circumstances and in our world. III. The Potentate outranks the: Governor, the attorney general, the supreme court, the UN, the state department, the pentagon, the congress and the President. In spite of man's free will, the Potentate of the universal has universal veto power, if you will. A. "God, the Ruler over all...A prince or ruler...It is applied here to God as the mighty ruler over the universe. Who claims dominion over all the kings of the earth."6 B. "Lord of lords. The idea here is, that all the sovereigns of the earth are under His sway; that none of them can prevent the accomplishment of His purposes; and that he can direct the winding up of human affairs when He pleases."7 IV. The Potentate is eternal in nature v. 16 "Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen." A. Jesus has an unparalleled character and qualities compared to any mortal human being. Jesus is immortal and eternal in nature. These are needless to say remarkable qualities to possess. B. So when the Potentate gives a command or charge, He also makes a way for one to fulfill that command. If anyone in this world can be trusted, and is worthy to be followed it is the Potentate, Jesus Christ. __________________________________________________________ 1cf. I Timothy 6:14-16ff. 2 James Strong, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1881), p. 801. 3cf. II Peter 3:14ff. 4 Albert Barns, Barns' Notes (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1884), p. 201. 5 Donald Guthrie, Tyndale New Testament Commentaries: (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1989), p.115. 6 Albert Barns, Barns' Notes (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1884), p. 201. 7 Albert Barns, Barns' Notes (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1884), p. 202. __________________________________________________________ Living in fear, or living by faith Text: II Timothy 1:7 "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind."1 To be sure we live in a fearful and faithless world. We live in scary times. A time of war. A time in history where we have seen terror and it's ideology spread across the globe, and raised it's ugly head. We have seen storms take away homes and businesses in Florida. We have seen Sonoma's take many lives claimed by the sea. We have seen many retiree's future become uncertain as a result of business scandal and failure. Yes these are uncertain times, yet our Lord tells us as a Christian we must live by faith. How can we possibly trust God in times like these? Does He care? Does He know where your mailbox is? Can He really know what you are going through in your life? A. Faith: "According to the simplest conception of it, faith is a personal confidence in God. This implies that the individual has come to know God to some degree of real experience."2 Source of fear: "Since God is not fully discerned by the human race senses, it is easy for the natural man in a day of grace to treat the Person of God and all His claims as though they did not exist, or, at best, as if a mere harmless fiction."3 B. Power: {doo'-nam-is} The Greek word for dynamite. "Meaning: 1) strength power, ability 1a) inherent power, power residing in a thing by virtue of its nature, or which a person or thing exerts and puts forth 1b) power for performing miracles 1c) moral power and excellence of soul 1d) the power and influence which belong to riches and wealth 1e) power and resources arising from numbers 1f) power consisting in or resting upon armies, forces, hosts. Usage: AV - power 77, mighty work 11, strength 7, miracle 7, might 4, virtue 3, mighty 2."4 Power, everyone wants it. Hollywood wants it so they can flaunt it, Wall Street want it so they can control it. The Pentagon wants it to keep the peace. Everyone wants power but most people miss the real source of power. The world's method of getting power is by way of aggression, but the source of power from Christ comes through submission. It is very easy to tell which path one has chosen. Christ showed the world this example when He laid down His life. He allowed our sins to put Him on the cross. He submitted to the will of the Father (John 6:38, 39a "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me. And this is the Father's will which hath sent me...").5 C. Love: "agape {ag-ah'-pay} Meaning: 1) brotherly love, affection, good will, love, benevolence"6 It is interesting, a sound mind has much to do with having a godly, selfless love for people. God wants us to be a generous people. One that not only gives in a monetary sense, but as important gives of yourself to care for others. In fact it is easier to give money to a cause, then to roll up your sleeves and get involved with peoples lives. Have faith in Jesus, submit to God's leading in your live, look for needs you personally can meet in another's life. The is ministry in a nut shell. Meeting needs. Everyone can do that. You can make an eternal difference in someone else's live. Will you be a need meter? __________________________________________________________ 1cf. II Timothy 1:7ff. 2 Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology Vol. VI (Dallas: Dallas Seminary Press, 1948), p. 146. 3 Lewis Sperry Chafer, Systematic Theology Vol. VI (Dallas: Dallas Seminary Press, 1948), p. 147. 4 James Strong, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1881), p.802 . 5cf. John 6:38, 39aff. 6 James Strong, Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible (Peabody: Hendrickson Publishers, 1881), p.638. __________________________________________________________ |