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May I turn in your Bibles to 
1st Timothy chapter 1. 1st Timothy chapter 1. We looked at the introduction 
or the greetings in verses 1 and 2 last week or the two weeks 
ago. Tonight we're going to focus on the specific charge given 
to Timothy in chapter 1 verses 1 are verses 3 to 7, but I do 
want to read the chapter beginning in verse 1. Paul, an apostle 
of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord 
Jesus Christ our hope. To Timothy, a true son in the 
faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus 
Christ our Lord. As I urged you when I went into 
Macedonia, remain in Ephesus, that you may charge so 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. 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 affirm. But we know 
that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this, that 
the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and 
insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners. for the unholy 
and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers 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. And I 
thank Christ Jesus our Lord who has enabled me, because he counted 
me faithful, putting me into the ministry. Although I was 
formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man, but I obtained 
mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of 
our Lord was exceedingly abundant with faith and love which are 
in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying and 
worthy of all acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world 
to save sinners of whom I am chief. However, for this reason 
I obtain mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering 
as a pattern to those who are going to believe on him for everlasting 
life. Now to the King eternal, immortal, 
invisible, to God, who alone is wise, be honor and glory forever 
and ever. Amen. This charge I commit to 
you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made 
concerning you. that by them you may wage the 
good warfare, having faith and a good conscience, which some, 
having rejected, concerning the faith, have suffered shipwreck, 
of whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I delivered to Satan, that 
they may learn not to blaspheme." Amen. Well, let us pray. Father, 
we thank you for this, your word, and we pray for the ministry 
of your spirit now. We pray that you would give us 
understanding into the context, give us understanding into the 
importance for sound doctrine in the life and ministry of the 
local church. We thank you, Father, that you 
have blessed us richly with not only the scriptures, but with 
a history of sound biblical interpretation. We thank you for our confession 
of faith. We thank you for those parameters, those hedges, those 
walls, those definitions. And God, we pray. that You would 
just cause us to study the Word, cause us to know the Word, to 
realize there is freedom and joy and blessing and liberty 
in understanding Holy Scripture. And we ask these things in the 
name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen. Well, as I said, the Apostle 
here begins the body of this particular letter to Timothy 
and to the church in Ephesus by giving Timothy a specific 
charge. That is found in verses 3 and 
4. There is a specific charge. Secondly, 
there is a purpose stated for this specific charge or the commandment 
in verse 5. And then he indicates something 
of the defection of the false teachers in verses 6 and 7. So essentially the problem that 
Timothy has to correct while he is left there in Ephesus, 
is a problem with the leadership. Those men who desire to be teachers 
of the law, those men who want a position of authority and leadership 
within the church, but they are not committed to the truth. They 
are not committed to sound doctrine, and so the apostle tells Timothy 
that he must stop it. So let's look first at the specific 
charge of verses 3 and 4. Paul says, as I urged you, probably 
referring back to a conversation they had had. Paul is on his 
way up to Macedonia. He stations Timothy, or he tells 
Timothy to remain there in Ephesus. And when he says, as I urged 
you, Calvin says this demonstrates the holy anxiety of the apostle. The Apostle Paul was not content, 
he was not happy, he was not thrilled when churches were plagued 
with false doctrine. He didn't say, well, you know, 
that's just the way it goes. They had a good start and now 
they have fallen off the way. No, Paul wants Timothy to maintain, 
Paul wants Timothy to remain there in Ephesus in order to 
do a particular task. And he highlights that in the 
following section. Remain in Ephesus that you may 
charge. Now notice that Timothy is not 
to suggest. Timothy is not to recommend. Timothy is not to give some good 
ideas, but rather Timothy is to charge, or literally, Timothy 
is to command. The word is a military term meaning 
to give strict orders and emphasizes that the commanding was to be 
done authoritatively. Timothy wasn't there simply to 
trade or go tit for tat with the false teachers. No, rather, 
Paul wanted Timothy to assume the position of a general. He 
wanted him to assume the position of a commanding officer, and 
he wanted the false teachers stopped. He understood the problem. He understood the effect. He 
understood the chaos that results when men entertain truths or 
entertain things that are not true concerning God and his gospel. Several times in 1st Timothy, 
the Apostle will tell Timothy he is to command people. Notice 
in 4.11. 1st Timothy 4.11. These things, 
Paul says, command and teach. And he's not simply there to 
make suggestions. If we were talking about what 
color you're going to paint your bathroom, we could make suggestions. If we talk to our wives about 
what we might have for dinner tonight, we might make recommendations. But when there is false doctrine 
among the people of God in the Church of Christ, Paul says you 
need to command, you need to speak authoritatively, you need 
to stand up, you need to man up, and you need to refute these 
heretics and these heiress. Notice in 1 Timothy 5.7, and 
these things command. that they may be blameless." 
And then again in 617, "...command those who are rich in this present 
age not to be haughty, nor to trust in uncertain riches, but 
in the living God, who gives us richly all things to enjoy." 
So you see, Timothy's remaining on in Ephesus, he's not there 
as the cheerleader, he's not there simply to encourage, he's 
not there simply to have coffee with people, Rather, he is to 
stop the false teachers before they destroy the church. In the 
language of William Mounts, he says, Paul directs Timothy to 
stand before the Ephesian church and, as if he were a general 
or a judge, strictly, officially, and authoritatively to command 
the false teachers to stop. Now this doesn't go over well 
in our day because everybody is entitled to their own opinion. 
Relativism and that idea that anybody and anything goes has 
infected the church such that dogmatism, confessions of faith, 
doctrinal fidelity, those things are looked upon as a throwback 
to a different age. Don't you realize that in order 
to attract the masses today, we have to be loosey-goosey? 
We can't preach authoritatively. We can't command people. We can't 
actually tell people they can't continue in sin, and here's the 
truth that they must believe. If you do that, you're going 
to offend the delicate sensitivities of the people in this generation. 
Paul does not care one bit about the delicate sensitivities of 
people who attend churches. If they are false teachers, if 
they are heretics, if they are errorists, then Paul wants Timothy 
to remain on in Ephesus to shut their mouths. That's the charge. That's the emphasis. Notice, 
specifically with reference to the charge, notice in verse 3, 
charge some. It wasn't everybody, it wasn't 
all of the teachers, but there was in the midst of the teaching 
ministry some that were in error. First, teach them or charge some 
that they teach no other doctrine. You've heard the word orthodoxy. 
This is the word heterodoxy. It means other doctrine. Specifically, it's other doctrine 
than what Paul is already taught. It means things that deviate 
from, things that go astray from, things that do not line up with 
the gospel of Jesus Christ our Lord. the truth of the gospel 
that the Apostle Paul taught. These false teachers were not 
teaching those things. They were being innovative. They 
were being fresh. They were being creative. They 
were being novel. They certainly could not say 
with Charles Hodge, as Hodge said concerning Princeton Seminary, 
a new idea never originated at Princeton Seminary. That's a 
blessed statement and a blessed testimony to a learning institution. Now, unfortunately, Princeton 
did not maintain that fidelity. They most certainly have entertained 
new ideas. That was Hodge's report or one 
of Hodge's statement concerning Princeton Seminary, a new idea 
never originated at Princeton Seminary. What's he mean by that? 
He means we hold to the truth of the gospel. We hold to the 
truth of the scriptures 16 ounces to the pound. Our job is not 
to be innovative. Our job is not to be creative. Our job is not to be novel. The teaching ministry in the 
church is tasked with proclaiming rightly the word of truth." And 
that was not going on in Ephesus. They were to teach no other doctrine, 
charged them not to, but as well charged them not to give heed 
to fables and endless genealogies. Do not give heed to fables and 
endless genealogies. Now this idea of giving heed 
means to devote oneself to. Certainly, the study of genealogy 
is profitable. Read through the book of Genesis. 
Read through the book of 2 Chronicles. Read through the Gospel of Matthew. 
Read through the Gospel of Luke. You will find genealogies. They 
have a place and they are helpful. But to be devoted to genealogies, 
to be devoted to myth, to be devoted to those things which 
have deviated from the truth of the Christian gospel, Paul 
says, charge them, command them that they do not give heed to 
fables and endless genealogies. Mounce again says, by calling 
them myths, it's the word in the New King James, fables, by 
calling them myths, Paul is pointing out their legendary and untrustworthy 
nature and is implicitly contrasting them with the gospel that is 
rooted in historical events. These men are more caught up 
in speculation. These men are more fascinated 
with genealogy. They're more fascinated with 
storytelling than they are with the truth that Christ lived, 
Christ died, and Christ rose again. The study of genealogies 
may in fact be helpful Fascination with such things is a distraction. It turns people away from the 
truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ. And that's what Paul 
highlights in verse 4. As a reason why Timothy is to 
charge them not to teach false or other doctrine, why Timothy 
is not to teach them not to give heed to fables and endless genealogies. Notice the endgame of such doctrine. Notice what is the result of 
those who deviate from the Apostles' doctrine, and when they get caught 
up in fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes. Is that the purpose of church, 
is to have a place to dispute? Now, I realize we're all sinners, 
and I realize we're going to bump into each other. And I realize 
there's going to be those times when we have some debate. And 
sometimes, if it's at Free Grace Baptist Church, it may be some 
spirited and lively debate. That's not what Paul is discouraging. 
Paul is not discouraging the pursuit of truth. Paul is not 
discouraging some interchange. Paul is not saying you post mills 
and all mills and pre mills can't discuss with some unction your 
particular positions. No, but see when men entertain 
things that have deviated from apostolic doctrine, when men 
get caught up in fables and genealogies, endless genealogies, Paul says. 
Again, the idea there is being fascinated with this stuff. The 
end result is disputes in the church. Now let me ask you, do 
you like to come to church to fight, to argue, to debate and 
dispute? Or do you like to come to church 
to worship and adore and praise our glorious God? Do you like 
the fellowship of the saints because it's an encouragement 
and it's a balm and it's a boon to you in your Christian walk? 
Or do you want to come simply to fight and argue and engage 
in chaotic dispute? Paul says these false teachers, 
what they are doing in the midst of the churches that are supposed 
to be marked by peace, by unity, by joy, and by love, they have 
become places of dispute. And then notice as well, which 
cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. 
So what they are teaching cause disputes. What they are teaching 
does not promote godly edification. When you ask the Bible what is 
the purpose for the teaching ministry in the church, The Bible 
answers that. And the Bible certainly doesn't 
say to cause as many disputes, to cause as many debates, and 
to cause as much trouble and strife as you can possibly do. 
No, Ephesians 4 actually highlights one of the purposes for the teaching 
ministry. You can turn there to Ephesians 
4. This heterodoxy, these fables, these endless genealogies promote 
strife, promote disputes and discourage godly edification, 
which is in the faith. So these false teachers are evident. 
These false teachers are manifest. You know that they're teaching 
error because the end result, the end game, is not godly edification 
in the faith. Notice in Ephesians 4.7, which 
incidentally was written prior to 1 Timothy to the church, that 
Timothy is now to remain in. You can only hope and wish that 
the false teachers would have picked up the original letter 
and read and asked the question, what am I supposed to be doing? 
Well, Paul tells us that in Ephesians 4. Notice beginning in verse 
7. But to each one of us, grace 
was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore he 
says, when he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, and 
he gave gifts to men. Now this he ascended, what does 
it mean but that he also first descended into the lower parts 
of the earth? He who descended is also the 
one who ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill 
all things. Now notice specifically with 
reference to gifts given by the ascended Lord. speaking specifically 
about men given as gifts to the church. He's not talking about 
you being able to cast out demons, or you with the private gift 
of benevolence, or the private gift of charity, or the private 
gift of liberality. He is speaking about the corporate 
nature of the gifts that Christ gives to the church vis-a-vis 
men who lead, men who preach, men who teach. Now notice, verse 
11. And he himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, 
some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers. seems to be the 
order, specifically that the church enjoyed the various offices. First, apostles, prophets, speaking 
of the New Testament prophets there, evangelists, and then 
pastors and teachers. That is the abiding teaching 
office in the church. When we get to 1 Timothy 3, there 
is requirements or there's qualifications given for elders or pastor-teachers. Now notice, he gave these gifts 
to the church for three reasons, beginning in verse 12. Four, 
the equipping of the saints. A faithful preaching ministry, 
a faithful teaching ministry, an orthodox ministry that is 
not devoted to fables, that is not devoted to useless or endless 
genealogies, is bent on and will indeed equip the saints. Beautiful, isn't it? What happens 
when men listen to heterodoxy? What happens when men listen 
to endless genealogies? It causes dispute. They're not 
being equipped. The second reason is found in 
verse 12 as well, for the work of ministry. Now I know a lot 
of Bible versions and a lot of preachers suggest that this is 
a subordinate reason. Let me just read it the way it's 
often interpreted. He gave these gifts to the church, 
verse 12, for the equipping of the saints so that the saints 
could do the work of ministry. I don't think that's what's in 
view here. I think that's taught in the Bible to be sure. Saints 
who are equipped should go do work of ministry. But I think 
what we find here in Ephesians 4 are three coordinate reasons 
for the teaching ministry in the church. So the first is for 
the equipping of the saints. The second is for the work of 
ministry. Pastors and teachers are engaged in the work of ministry. 
They are about servanthood. They are about preaching and 
teaching and ministering to the flock of God. And then the third 
reason is found in verse 12 for the edifying of the body of Christ. Diametrically the opposite to 
what these false teachers are producing in Ephesus. It causes 
strife. It does not promote godly edification 
in the faith. The true teaching ministry as 
messed up as it may be, as struggling as they may be, as hindered at 
times they may be. These three reasons is for the 
ministry. The equipping of the saints, 
the work of ministry, the edifying of the body of Christ. Now notice 
the blessed response of the blessed progression, till we all come 
to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of 
God. You see, you're supposed to be there. You're supposed 
to listen. You're supposed to profit and 
prosper under the faithful ministry of the church. It doesn't do 
anyone any good if men spend their time in preparing sermons 
that are built on orthodoxy, that are not given to fables 
and endless genealogies, and for you to play racquetball instead. 
It's not a condemnation of racquetball. It is, however, a commendation 
of attending to the means of grace. The pulpit ministry is 
a means of grace designed to promote good, designed to promote 
maturity, designed to promote health and strength in your soul. 
till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge 
of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature 
of the fullness of Christ, that we should no longer be children 
tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine." 
You shouldn't fall prey to every wind of doctrine. If you're in 
a decent church and you're hearing the gospel preached and you're 
hearing the truth taught, you shouldn't fall prey to the Jehovah's 
Witness at your door. You shouldn't fantasize about 
Mormonism. You shouldn't wonder what it 
would be like to be a Hindu or a Buddhist and how wonderful 
it could possibly be. No, absolutely not. You're not to be a child. You're 
not to be tossed to and fro, carried about with every wind 
of doctrine by the trickery of men in the cunning craftiness 
of deceitful plotting. But speaking the truth in love 
may grow up in all things into him who is the head, Christ, 
from whom the whole body, jointed and knit together by what every 
joint supplies according to the effective working by which every 
part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying 
of itself in love. Now just stop for a moment here. 
Jesus gives gifts to the church so that they can day in and day 
out faithfully preach and teach to the church. Sometimes imperceptibly, 
but nevertheless, these goals are being realized. These things 
are happening. You know, it's quite common to 
kick the church in the shin every step of the way. Oh, the church 
this, and oh, the church that, and oh, the church is terrible. 
And blame everything for every societal ill, every worldly ill, 
everything upon the church. You know, the church, in a large 
degree, is doing what she's supposed to do. Jesus is building her, 
and the gates of hell shall not prevail against her. If she is 
tasked or taking her tasks seriously in terms of preaching and teaching, 
administering the sacraments, and exercising discipline, she 
is doing those things that the Lord Jesus has given to her to 
do. And sometimes, as I said, imperceptibly, 
but nevertheless, She is growing. She is getting solid. She is 
becoming a mature man in Christ Jesus. So you see, Timothy was 
to command. Timothy was to charge. Timothy 
was to say, stipulate, and lay down that these people were to 
stop teaching heterodoxy. Stop giving heed to fables and 
endless genealogies. Back to 1 Timothy 1, verse 5. Notice the purpose of this. Why 
does Paul say this? Verse 5, now the purpose of the 
commandment is love. What commandment? I think it's 
the commandment that he just laid upon Timothy to stop these 
false teachers. In other words, the purpose of 
the commandment is love. Paul wants love to flourish in 
the churches. Paul wants love to swirl around 
in the churches. And you see, love cannot do that 
in the context of heterodoxy. Love cannot do that in the context 
of fables and endless genealogies. Paul says, Timothy, I want you 
to remain in Ephesus, and I want you to shut the mouths of these 
false teachers, and the purpose for this commandment is love. 
If we ask the question, what kind of love, Paul? What do you 
mean by love, Paul? Not that I think Timothy would, 
but Paul, as he often does, defines for us the type of biblical love 
he wants to see flourishing within the life of the church, in the 
context of the body of Christ. It's not some love that is affected, 
it's not some love that is put on, it's not some love that we 
manufacture, but rather it is a love that flows from the heart 
of those who have been conquered by saving grace. Paul gives us 
three places, or three sources, or three things that serve as 
a source of this love. Notice in verse 5, now the purpose 
of the commandment is love, note first of all, from a pure heart. The love in view is that which 
flows from a heart washed in the blood of Christ. You see 
how contrary that is to the false teachers. If they're not preaching 
the truth, if they're not preaching the gospel, if they're not preaching 
the cross, well then love isn't going to flourish. There's no 
pure heart there. I mean, you may know genealogies 
and you may be skilled in fables, You may be able to get into the 
intricacies of whatever it is, the latest fad, but you don't 
have love because you don't know Christ. Remember what we saw 
this morning in Hosea chapter 6. They didn't know God. The apostates in Israel didn't 
know God. How was that manifested? Because 
they didn't show mercy to one another. You see, in the context 
of error, in the context of false teaching, in the context of a 
departure from the truth, you do not get love. Love to God, 
love to men that flow from a heart that is washed, purified in the 
blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the purpose of the commandment 
is love from a pure heart. Secondly, from a good conscience. The conscience in the scripture 
serves a few things. It's threefold function to urge 
right and hinder wrong. It passes judgment on a decision 
or action. It produces guilt or commendation 
in the heart. And this serves to contrast with 
what we find of these false teachers that Timothy has to deal with, 
and that Titus has to deal with. The false teachers had rejected 
a good conscience. Remember that? Chapter 1, verse 
19, having faith and a good conscience, which some having rejected. The false teachers had seared 
their consciences. 1 Timothy 4.2 Speaking lies and 
hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron. The false teachers had defiled 
theirs. Titus 1.15 To the pure all things 
are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing 
is pure, but even their mind and conscience are defiled. You 
see, the love that Paul wants to flourish in the context of 
the Church of Jesus Christ flows from a pure heart, flows from 
a good conscience. The reality that our sins are 
forgiven, the reality that Christ has dealt with us in a merciful 
and in a gracious way. And then the third aspect that 
identifies or describes this love is sincere faith. Sincere faith. The love in view 
proceeds from those who are devoid of hypocrisy. You see, only the 
gospel produces this type of love. When men come in and they 
do not preach the cross, you cannot expect this kind of love 
to affect the church. You just can't get it. You don't 
look to a pig to produce silk. You don't look to a silkworm 
to produce bacon. You can't get it out of them. 
You don't get out of a context of false teaching, endless genealogies 
and fables. You don't get love from a pure 
heart. You don't get love from a good 
conscience. You don't get love from a sincere 
faith. And this indicates that the false 
teachers were not sincere but misguided brethren. You've probably 
heard the Bible teacher or the preacher at times. He's a good 
brother. He loves the Lord. He knows the gospel. He knows 
the truth. But he doesn't seem to have the 
ability to teach. He doesn't have the ability to 
proclaim truth. That's not what Paul is dealing 
with. He's not dealing with some sincere misguided brethren. He is dealing with wolves in 
sheep's clothing. Timothy, shut their mouths. You don't let the sincere but 
misguided brethren, you don't want to smack them around, but 
the wolves, and I'm speaking spiritually, metaphorically, 
you want to smack them around. And then finally, he describes 
the defection of the false teachers. Notice in verse 6, from which 
some, take this from which, love, the love just described in verse 
5, from which some, having strayed having strayed. John Gill says, 
they went astray from that, and instead of promoting charity 
or love, created feuds, contentions, and divisions in the churches, 
and were far from having a pure heart, being filthy dreamers 
and sensual persons, destitute of the Spirit of God, and were 
such who put away a good conscience and made shipwreck of faith. 
Such were Hymenaeus, Philetus, Alexander, and others. Paul names 
these men. They're not abstract. They're 
not fake. Paul's not making up an enemy 
just to get the church to stand on its toes. No, he mentions 
Hymenaeus, he mentions Philetus, and he mentions Alexander. He 
has some pretty choice and sharp words for Alexander at the end 
of 2 Timothy. He says, Alexander the coppersmith 
did me much harm. May the Lord repay him. You see, 
Paul did not take these things lightly. He took the truth of 
the gospel seriously, and I think the church today does well to 
imitate his example. It matters what we believe. It 
matters what we hold to. It matters that we affirm apostolic 
truth. It matters that we have a proper 
understanding of law and gospel. It matters that we understand 
justification by faith alone. It matters that we understand 
the doctrine of sanctification. It matters that we understand 
these particulars connected to the cross, because if we don't, 
we will dispute with one another. There will be the absence of 
love, and it will be rather just a place we come to sort of fill 
a moral or religious obligation. They have strayed. And notice 
what happens when you stray from the truth. You turn to idle talk. Or janglings, as the King James 
renders it. That's a great word, janglings. From which some, having strayed, 
have turned aside to idle talk. The two go hand in hand. You 
leave the cross, and what do you do? You embrace folly. There's 
not sort of this third position where you might have a little 
bit, you have a little bit of wrong and you're okay. No, if 
you turn astray or you stray from the truth of the gospel, 
you will turn to idle talk. You see that in 2 Timothy 4. 
You can turn there. 2 Timothy chapter 4. Remember 
Paul, last command to the apostle in terms of his corporate responsibility. I charge you therefore, verse 
1, before God and the Lord Jesus Christ. who will judge the living 
and the dead, it is appearing in his kingdom, preach the word." 
That's what Paul wants Timothy to remember. That's what Paul 
wants Timothy to do. Preach the word. Not manipulate 
the crowd. Not be the CEO. Not be the manager. But Timothy, your primary responsibility 
as a minister of the gospel is, get this, to minister the gospel. Preach the word. That's the bottom 
line. What would we think of the orthopedic 
surgeon who never did surgery on orthopedics? What would we 
think of the dentist who never opened somebody's mouth and started 
rooting in there with hooks? What would we think of the financial 
manager who was unable to pay his own bills on time? How is 
it that the church has accepted leaders and ministers of the 
word who do everything but preach the word? They tell stories. They share. That's a really problematic. I want to share with you. You 
don't want me to share with you. You want to share, come and visit 
me during the week, we'll have a coffee. We can share. The pulpit 
ministry isn't about sharing. The pulpit ministry is primarily 
focused upon this imperative, preach the word. Timothy, be 
ready in season and out of season. And the way that you preach that 
word is you convince, rebuke, and exhort. You do it with all 
longsuffering, because Rome wasn't built in a day. Jesus' church 
takes time. The people of God are sheep. 
The people of God, all of us, are sheep. We need patient dealing 
and with teaching. Why does Paul say that Timothy 
is to do this? For, verse 3, the time will come 
when they will not endure sound doctrine. But according to their 
own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap 
up for themselves teachers, and they will turn their ears away 
from the truth and be turned aside to fables." You see that 
juxtaposition. You see that contrast. You turn aside from the cross, 
and what do you do? You embrace idle talk. You embrace fables. You embrace 
endless genealogies. So these men had strayed, these 
men had turned to idle talk, and finally these men desired 
to be teachers. Verse 7, desiring to be teachers 
of the law. You see, there it is. They wanted 
to be in the pulpit. They wanted to be teachers. They 
wanted to be preachers. As I mentioned several weeks 
ago, looking at the call to the ministry in 1 Timothy 3, it's 
okay if you never preach. That's not the sign of being 
some super spiritual Christian. Godly men by the multitudes have 
lived, served the Lord, and died without ever having preached. 
I don't know what it is that some men get a bee in their bonnet 
and they think they've got to teach, they've got to preach, 
they've got to be in the pulpit. That's what these men were about, 
desiring to be teachers of the law. Notice what happens. They don't understand the gospel. 
They don't understand the truth. They have strayed from love, 
which should characterize the church and flourish in the church. 
And as a result, desiring to be teachers of the law, nevertheless, 
they are ignorant and arrogant. It's an amazing thing. Look at 
what he says. Desiring to be teachers of the 
law, understanding neither what they say. They don't have a clue. They couldn't exegete their way 
out of a paper bag. They don't know what they're 
talking about. Have you ever heard a sermon? 
Have you ever heard a preacher? Have you ever heard a political 
speech and said, or concluded within the first five minutes, 
this guy really doesn't know what he's talking about? That's 
what Paul's saying. This guy really doesn't know 
what he's talking about. They're wrong. But not only are 
they ignorant, they're arrogant. You see, they don't see themselves 
as wrong. They don't see themselves as 
having deviated. They don't see themselves as 
being a problem rather than a blessing. Notice the last clause, understanding 
neither what they say nor the things which they affirm. Turn over to Titus 3.8, so you 
can see the same verb employed. Titus 3.8. This is a faithful 
saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly. The idea means to speak confidently. The idea means to assert dogmatically. So you see, they are desiring 
to be teachers of the law, they are ignorant concerning it, and 
then they've got the chutzpah to be arrogant in the way that 
they promote these things and themselves. It is a terrible 
situation that Paul says, I want it to stop. In conclusion, we 
learn the necessity of the rejection of heresy. Again, we're not talking 
about differing opinions on eschatology. We're not talking about differing 
opinions on an indifferent matter. We're not talking about an issue 
concerning Christian liberty. The cross is at stake, apostolic 
doctrine is at stake, and as a result, Paul says, I urge you 
to stay there and to charge some that they no longer engage in 
this manner of conduct. Paul does not want Timothy to 
suggest or recommend, rather he wants him to command them 
to stop their idle babbling. Secondly, the manifestation of 
heresy. Notice in the context how doctrine 
precedes practice. If we don't affirm the truth, 
if we don't believe on the gospel, if we don't understand the cross, 
if we are not believers, there will not be love from a pure 
heart. There will not be love from a good conscience. There 
will not be love from sincere faith. You see, Christianity 
goes that way. It is first what we believe. 
It is first orthodoxy, and as a result comes orthopraxy, or 
how we function. Later in 1 Timothy 6.3, Paul 
says, if anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome 
words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the 
doctrine which accords with godliness. You see, when you find a church 
that is filled with dispute, when you find a church that is 
filled with chaos and confusion, the problem may not just be that 
they don't know how to get along. The problem may be they need 
gospel preaching, calling them to believe on the Savior to turn 
from their sins. And then a third observation 
that flows from the text or flows from the passage is this emphasis 
on those desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither 
what they say nor the things which they affirm. This serves 
or this helps or this explains why when we get to 1 Timothy 
3, Paul sets forth the qualifications. for leadership. You see, just 
because a man desires to be a teacher of the law doesn't mean he necessarily 
should be. I desire to be an astronaut. 
I desire to be a cowboy. I desire to be a professional 
wrestler. That doesn't necessarily mean 
I really don't want to be a wrestler, or a cowboy, or an astronaut, 
actually. But you see, just desiring something doesn't make it the 
case. Again, we see that with the orthopedic 
surgeon. I want to be a surgeon. The guy's 
got a hand like this. I'm going to tell him, I don't 
think that's a good idea. I want to be an oral surgeon. 
But I got the shakes. No, no, no. Maybe you should 
pursue something else. I want to be a professional wrestler. 
Yeah, but you're 90 pounds soaking wet. I don't think that's a good 
idea. You don't have the muscle mass of a beetle. I don't think 
that's a wise choice for your career pursuit. But I desire 
it. I desire to be a mechanic. But 
I couldn't tell you the difference between an engine and a tire. See, those are ludicrous examples. 
But if somebody desires to preach or teach in the church, more 
often than not, they get to. See, I think, by implication, 
we're saying that our cars are more important, our teeth are 
more important, our bones are more important, and our viewing 
entertainment in terms of wrestling is far more important than the 
man who preached the everlasting gospel. Paul says, if any man 
desires the office of an overseer, it's a good thing, but he must 
be. One of the aspects in the criteria 
is in verse 2 of 1 Timothy 3. He must be able to teach. If he cannot teach, it doesn't 
matter how big his desire is, it doesn't matter how wonderful 
his desire is, it doesn't matter if Aunt Betty wanted him to be 
a missionary, he mustn't be allowed to do it. Just because somebody desires 
to be a teacher of the law or the gospel, we need to take the 
objective criteria specified in 1 Timothy 3 and Titus 1 and 
apply it. How do we explain some of the 
doctrines that people believe? How do we explain some of the 
books that are bestsellers? How do we explain a little kid 
who had a vision of heaven and that book becomes the number 
one bestseller? We explain it simply. We don't 
care what Paul says in terms of the teaching ministry of the 
church. If somebody wants to, if somebody desires it, if somebody's 
Aunt Betty prophesied over them, well then it must be the case. 
No. We need to be scrutinizing men 
with reference to leadership in the church so that we do not 
end up the way Ephesus did in this particular context. Paul 
says, I urge you, I want you to charge them to shut their 
mouths and to stop teaching. They need to leave, they need 
to depart, they need to go away. They are troubling the church 
of Christ and that is simply unacceptable. And in all of this, 
we see the supreme value on the gospel. You see, that's what 
Paul is content, or that's what Paul, rather, is seeking to protect, 
is the Gospel of Jesus Christ. And I dare say, if it was that 
important to the Apostle in the first century, it remains that 
important in this century. And if you have not believed 
the Gospel, if you have not come to Christ, if you have not believed 
on that one alone who can save you from your sins, I want you, 
by the grace of God, to look and to live. Everything is tied 
up in the cross. Your life, your health, your 
joy, your happiness, health, I mean, spiritually speaking, 
everything is about the cross of our Lord Jesus. Well, let 
us pray. Our Father, we thank you for your word, and we thank 
you for this epistle, and we thank you for the emphasis of 
the Apostle Paul. And God, may we be marked as 
a church of love. a church where love flourishes, 
a church where love is promoted, a church where love is exercised 
toward you and toward one another. God, we pray that you would help 
us to be faithful with reference to scripture, help us to be faithful, 
God, with reference to doctrine, Help us to understand these things 
and to truly cleave to them, to hold to them, to fight for 
them, and to defend them. God, go with us now, we pray, 
and cause us to have a peaceful week, cause us to have opportunities 
to speak concerning our Savior, and give us great grace and great 
joy in the things of the Lord Jesus. And it's in his name that 
we pray, amen.