First Timothy for the life..

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com. That's cornerstonerbc.com. So if you have your Bibles, please open them up to First Timothy. Welcome once again to our Wednesday Bible study.

Continue with this first letter of the Apostle Paul to Timothy. We're going to be reading the whole chapter again, and I want us this evening to address again the topic of false doctrine. So I want you to pay special attention to the things that we've read, the things that we've said, and everything that is in this chapter related to the topic of other doctrine or false doctrine. So let's read the whole chapter together. It says, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus, by command of God our Savior, and of Christ Jesus, our hope.

To Timothy, my true child in the faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God the Father and Christ Jesus, our Lord. As I urged you when I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons not to teach any different doctrine, not to devote themselves to myths and endless genealogies which promote speculations rather than the stewardship from God that is by faith. The aim of our charge is love that issues from a pure heart, and a good conscience, and a sincere faith. Certain persons, by swerving from this, have wandered away into vain discussion, desiring to be teachers of the law, without understanding either what they are saying or the things about which they make confident assertions. Now, we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, understanding this, that the law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted.

I thank him who has given me strength, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he judged me faithful, appointing me to his service. Though formerly I was a blasphemer, persecutor, an insolent opponent, but I received mercy because I had acted ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord overflowed for me with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I received mercy for this reason, that in me, as the foremost, Jesus Christ may display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life, to the king of the ages, immortal, invisible, be only God, be honor and glory forever and ever.

Amen. This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you might wage the good warfare, hold in faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme." Amen. That's the word of God, brothers and sisters.

When we started this series, or the intention that we had when we started with this series, was to find a book in the Bible that will address all these practical aspects of the life of the church. I've said that now a couple of times. In our previous series of Bible studies, we wanted to set the foundation, doctrinal foundation, theological foundations, and our intention was to find a book, a Bible, a book in the Bible that will address those practical aspects of the life of the church. So as I was meditating through the book, through 1 Timothy and 2 Timothy and Titus, I was just thinking to myself, what is those things that the church should have in order just to bring what is contained here to the practical aspect of the life of the church? So something that does not only stay in your mind, and that is just simply a Bible study, that you just study a particular topic and then it's just probably in your mind.

We hope that by the Spirit and by His grace, it will go down into your heart. But how do we take that which we have here in front of us, speaking precisely of false doctrine, for instance, to the practice of the life of the Church. If we are not aware and we pray that we may not have false brethren or false teachers among us, but how do we take that to the immediate practice of the life of this Church, of the life of each one of us as a congregation? How do we take it from the mind to the actual life of the Church? So what I want to do this evening is, taking the text that we have in here, I want to address four points that I hope that by addressing those four points, I may leave, by the help of the Spirit and by His grace, something in your mind that might help us to meditate upon this topic that the puzzle is addressing here, which is false doctrine or other doctrine.

that might help us to have a framework of this particular topic and then to apply it in the life of the church. Now, how do we apply the topic of false teaching or false doctrine or other doctrine? Well, we are not going to perform false doctrine. We will not do that, of course, but by praying. We are called to pray as a congregation to be protected from false doctrine.

from false teaching, from false brethren, from things that can affect the life of the church. So while the topic of false doctrine or other doctrine may be a little difficult to approach, we can always approach these type of things from prayer. So I want to give you these four points that will give us a framework of this topic. And the reason why I'm doing that is because the apostle is going to address this topic of false doctrine later in the book. He's going to address that again and he's going to speak of the topic of other doctrines and people that are teaching false doctrine not only in this book but also in the second letter to Timothy and also to Titus which are very similar, very similar letters.

So I want to define that framework and then build upon it and have at least an structure in our minds that will help us to every time that we think about false doctrine at least just to go back to this framework and to remember what the church is supposed to pray for. So the first thing that I want us to do is to see the condition of false teachers, the condition of false teachers. We've addressed that already in the first Bible study, but I wanted just to go and in a structure just to address the condition of false teachers or teachers who are teaching other doctrine. So if we know, if we address the condition of false teachers, then from the text, I want us to see what is the duty, what is the responsibility of true teachers, those who have been appointed by God to protect the church. So we define the condition or the character of false teachers.

And then the second thing that I want us to do is analyze what is the duty of true teachers, of those who have been appointed. And after we have done those things, we have identified the condition of the false teacher, we will know as a church, at least from this text, those things that are or belong to a false teacher. And then we identify what is the duty of those who are in charge of teaching and protecting and guiding the church. Once we know that duty, I want us also to see from the text why there are false teachers among the congregation. Why there are people who teach other doctrine among the congregation?

And if we know who the false teachers are and what is the duty of true teachers, and then if we answer the question, why would the Lord allow false teachers within the context of the church? Once we address that question, I want us to see some practical points that the church should pray for. in order to avoid the presence or the infiltration or the entering of false doctrine or the other doctrine within the context of the church. The condition of the false teacher, the duty of the true teacher, why there are false teachers within the congregation and what should the church pray for in regards to this topic of false doctrine. Now, what is the condition of the false teacher?

I addressed that in the first Bible study, but if I can put it in a simple, very simple way, I want you to think of heart, mind and fruits. Those three things will help us to identify biblically those who are tending or have a spirit of true or false doctrine or other doctrine within the heart and then moves into the mind and then goes to the fruits of that particular person. The apostle says to Timothy that he is to exhort certain people not to teach other doctrine because these people are teaching fables and myths and in this genealogy they are devoting themselves to these things. And then the apostle has told Timothy and us that these people have moved away, that they have deviated from the heart. This is what we said in the first Bible study.

From their heart, they have deviated from love that is from a pure heart, from a good conscience and a sincere faith. false teachers, brothers and sisters, start in the heart. They deviate from God and they go to themselves. They change the love of God for the love to self. They are self-centered.

That happens in the heart. They are deviating from that which is spiritual to that which is carnal. This is how false teachers or teachers of other doctrines will start within the context of the church. And the apostle is exhorting Timothy and teaching him about these things. They are deviating.

They are moving away to self. And this can be summarized in simply just one word, pride, love to self. Love to have a reputation, to be acknowledged, to be listened, to have an audience, to have authority, to be always right, never to be wrong, to be always heard, to be followed. This is pride. This is idolatry in the heart.

It's not happening externally, it happens in the heart. They change God for themselves. They have deviated from those things. And because they have deviated from those things, the Apostle is going to teach us a very important lesson about the process or the duty of teaching within the Church, and that is the understanding of the teachers, Because they have corruption in their hearts, their hearts are hardened, they are filled with pride. They do not understand in their mind the things that they say.

They do not understand the things that they make assertions, the things that they confirm. They might understand them intellectually, but when they are supposed to apply them spiritually, they are unable to do so. Because Paul says in 1 Corinthians that the things of the spirit are spiritually discerned, that the carnal mind or the mind of the flesh cannot understand the things of the spirit. So, brothers and sisters, false teachers start with a heart that is given to themselves. and then it will capture their minds and their minds will be unable to understand biblical doctrine, spiritual doctrine.

They are unable to do that. They desire to be teachers of the law, as Paul says to Timothy. They desire to be teachers of the Bible, but they are unable to understand those things spiritually. Now, brothers and sisters, this is very important. Because if this is how knowledge or understanding of things happens for false teachers, this is how it also happens for true teachers.

It is not something that is obtained with the mind or with the amount of books that we read and how extensive our library is, but it's something that happens from a pure heart. It's something that the Lord gives through His Spirit. It's an illumination. It's a grace given to the church that a man will be able to see wondrous things in the law of God, so that when he opens his mouth, the saints who are spiritual saints will receive the things that are spiritual of God. So this is a false teacher.

His heart is now hardened and corrupted, and his mind is unable to understand. For that reason, for that reason, because the root of what is going on is deep into his soul, the fruits of that person are not for the good of the church. The fruits of that person, they cause questions and they cause divisions. And the Apostle is going to address these three things, the heart, the mind and the fruits of these false teachers, not only here in the text that we have just read, but he's also going to speak about this later in the book. So go to chapter six.

In chapter six, the apostle is going to give us again. this, and brothers and sisters, I really want you to have these three things. False teaching, other doctrine. It starts from the heart, goes into the mind, and then it has fruits against the church or for the church. And those fruits are not good fruits.

You shall know them by their fruits. You can have good fruits and bad fruits, and the fruits of false teachers are not good fruits for the life of the church. So then when you go to chapter six, the apostle in verse three, He's going to speak about these people. If anyone teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ, you might remember that I said that there are there is sound doctrine, healthy doctrine. That's the doctrine according the gospel of Christ.

And there is other doctrine or there is false doctrine. And these two do not agree. If anyone, says the Apostle in verse 3, teaches a different doctrine and does not agree with the sound words of our Lord Jesus Christ and the teaching that accords with godliness, now pay attention, heart, mind, and fruits, he is puffed up with conceit in the heart. Because pride starts in the heart. Because thinking that one is superior to others starts in the heart.

Because thinking that I deserve more than the others, it starts in the heart. It says, and understand nothing, desiring to be teachers of the law, not knowing what they say, not the things that they affirm. Understanding nothing. He has an unhealthy craving for controversy and for quarrels about words which produce fruits. All of these things that this person has, all of these things that go in their heart, all of this lack of biblical understanding, the Bible says they're produce, fruits, envy, dissension, slander, evil suspicions, and constant friction among people who are depraved in mind and deprived of the truth, imagining that godliness is a means of gain.

False doctrine produces division within the church. It produces conflict within the church. It produces a lack of edification in each one of the souls of the saints that belong to that particular church. The church is not edified. The church does not grow.

The church lacks power, lacks power for evangelism in the preaching, in the teaching, in the fellowship, in the prayers, in every aspect of the church. False teaching produces these fruits. The sound doctrine that accords with godliness, brothers and sisters. This is the profile of false teachers. It starts in the heart.

Pride, filled with pride, self-love. They want to have preeminence. They don't want to be wrong. They want to be always right. They always have the answer for everything.

That moves into the head. They don't know anything of what they say because the things of the Spirit are spiritually discerned. And when they open their mouth with confidence, even with charisma, or even with abilities to speak, when they open their mouth, those things that go and pierce the ears of the hearers will not go beyond the mind. And if they go beyond the mind, it's just for not good of the church, but it's for the visions, it's for problems, and it is for slander, as it says there, for gossip and all of these things. This is what falls teaching of false doctrine causes within the context of the church.

You see how important it is that we know these things. You see how important it is that individually, each one of us know what this is. This is not something that belongs to the person who teaches. This is something that is a matter of importance for every single soul that belongs to the church. That's the profile of the false teacher.

But now that's the first point. So now what is then the duty What is the duty of the true teacher? What is the duty of the elder? Or what is the duty of the one who has been appointed by God, in this case Timothy, by the ministry of the apostle to protect this church? What is the duty in light of the presence of this false teacher whose heart is hardened, whose mind does not understand that which is spiritual, and whose fruits are damaging the life of the church?

What is the duty of the true teacher? The apostle says it in verse three, I urge you as I was going to Macedonia, remain at Ephesus so that you may charge certain persons, that you may charge certain persons not to teach any other doctrine. This is the first layer that the apostle gives us in this portion of scripture. Now, remember that I said that The commandment that the apostle gives to Timothy is not go and remove that person from within from among you. This is not this is not a commandment that is given to Timothy, but rather is just tell that person not to teach that there is some grace there.

In second Timothy, the apostle is given father instructions to Timothy, and he says that he's supposed to correct those who contradict with gentleness. So perhaps the Lord might grant repentance to these people and they might turn back to the truth. that he is supposed to do it with gentleness. So probably the Lord, my grand repentance. So this is what the apostle is doing here.

But it's very, very important for us also to know what else is a person, an elder, a pastor of a church supposed to do if there is presence of false teaching among the church. The apostle is going to build upon that in the canon. And it's going to give us a little bit more light, not in this portion of the scripture, but in the canon. So go to Titus. In Titus, the apostle is going to give us a little bit more light about the things that are supposed to be done.

So in first Timothy, the apostle says to Timothy, tell them not to teach. Tell them not to teach other doctrine. So Timothy comes and he confronts these people and says, please stop teaching. But then the apostle takes us to a different level. Or let's say there is a different level of this type of confrontation.

Because in chapter 1, in verse 10, we will see a light of a higher level of rebuke or exhortation. He says, for there are many who are insubordinate, speaking of those who are infiltrated in the church and who are spreading false doctrine. Empty talkers and deceivers. It's very similar language that speaks of the condition of the heart of these people. Especially those of the circumcision party.

This was a particular case. They must be silenced. They must be silenced. Now the apostle requires something more active of his people. In this case, Titus.

It's not only like Timothy that he used to come and say, do not teach other doctrine, but these people must be silenced since they are upsetting whole families by teaching for shameful gain what they ought not to teach. They must be silenced. False doctrine has to be stopped. There has to be a rebuke. There has to be a confrontation from the true teacher against the false teacher.

This false teacher with a hardened heart, with a mind that cannot understand the spiritual things and whose fruits are not profitable for the church. The duty of the one who has been truly appointed by God and by the spirit, both with the blood of Jesus Christ. The duty of this person is to come and to rebuke those who are spreading the false doctrine among the church, telling them not to teach. And when it's necessary, a sigh. Shouting their mouths, I don't know if that's properly said, but closing their mouths.

stopping what they are saying. This is the duty of the one who has been appointed. But now, brothers and sisters, there's also the apostle in first Timothy. When we go back to first Timothy, the apostle is going to say something very important also to Timothy in this process of confronting these false teachers, because in confronting false doctrine, there's danger. There is danger in confronting those who have false doctrine or other doctrine.

There is danger for the true teacher. There is danger for the one who has been appointed. There is a lot of danger in coming and speaking to that person and saying, trying to convince that person that what they are teaching is wrong. Trying to prove that what they are contradicting is not according to sound doctrine. There is danger for the soul of the preacher or the pastor.

There is danger in that. So the apostle is going to say in 1 Timothy chapter 6, the last two verses, The last two verses. Verse 20. Pay attention to what Paul says to Timothy. Oh Timothy, verse 20, guard the deposit entrusted to you.

Guard the thing that has been committed to you in Greek. the ministry, the grace, the role that has been given to you. Guard it, protect it, keep it. This has been entrusted to you, so keep it and protect it. And then he says, avoid the irreverent babble and contradictions of what is falsely called, and I love what he called it, falsely called knowledge.

Speaking of those who decide to be teachers of the law, do not know what they say, not the things that they affirm. Those that have a heart that has been hardened, and because of that, they do not understand spiritually with their minds, because their minds are carnal and fleshly. Avoid those things. The apostle is saying, you're to confront these people, you are to silence these people, but do not put yourself into those discussions. They are profitless.

Do not spend time getting into those discussions and addressing those things and inserting yourself into those discussions. You have the sound doctrine. Present the sound doctrine. If they do not agree, silence them. And that's it.

Because there is danger. There is danger in the man of God coming and dealing with false doctrine, with things of the mind, with things of the intellect. There is an idolatry of intelligence that it is natural to the flesh of men. There's an idolatry of knowing. There's an idolatry of wanting to have the answer to things.

So he says, protect yourself. later will say that if in 2nd Timothy will say something like if Timothy spends the time and if he is faithful in spending time in the word of God in the teaching and in doctrine that he saves his soul and those souls of his hearers because his ministry and the things that he says are very important for the life of the church. So the duty, brothers and sisters, The duty of the true preacher, the duty of the true man of God, the duty of the true prophet, not the false prophet, but the true prophet within the context of the church is to rebuke, but it's also to protect himself. But now the question is, how is he going to rebuke And how is he going to protect himself from this false doctrine, from the dangers of the idolatry of intelligence and all of these vain discussions and all of these fables and myths and endless genealogies? How is he going to do so?

The apostle will give us a little bit more light also if we go to 2 Timothy. So if you go to 2 Timothy chapter two, the apostle is going to speak to us of very similar things. Chapter two. Verse 14. Read carefully each one of the words that are contained in this holy book.

Chapter 2, verse 14. Remind them of these things and charge them before God not to quarrel about words which does no good, but only ruins the hearers, speaking of other doctrine. Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved a worker who has no need to be ashamed rightly handling the word of truth that is the word of God and then he says But again, avoid irreverent babble, for it will lead people into more and more ungodliness. Now, remember what we read in chapter one about Hymenaeus? Now, continue reading.

And their work will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have swerved it, similar word that is used in chapter one in 1 Timothy, from the truth. They are deviated from the truth. saying that the resurrection has already happened. That is the other doctrine that they were teaching, that the resurrection had already happened.

And the apostle says to Timothy that he is to present himself as a worker who has no need to be ashamed, but rightly handling the word of truth. It is by the teaching of some doctrine that is contained in the gospel of Jesus Christ, as he has been revealed in the word of God, that the true man of God rebukes the false teacher and protects himself from false doctrine. It is by the preaching of the word. That's why Paul will say to Timothy in Chapter four in the same book that you have in front of you, Second Timothy, Chapter four, he will say, I charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by his appearing and his kingdom, preach the word. But now, this preach the word, it is not an intellectual exercise.

He's going to say to him, be ready, be ready in season and out of season. Your aptness or your ability, your disposition to teach the word of God is something that is continuous. There is something in you that you are so immersed in the word of God. That you are able to protect those who are within you from false teaching, preach the word in season and out of season, and then the same things that he has been called to do, reproof, rebuke and exhort with complete patience and teaching. It is the word of God that protects the church.

It does not only protect the men of God, it protects the church, brothers and sisters. It protects the life of the church from false doctrine. How are we going to distinguish that which is fake, that which is not true? By knowing that which is true, by knowing that which is correct, by knowing that which is of God. And we only know it through the word of God.

We're only not through the word of God. The profile of the deceiver, the profile of the false teacher is one of a hardened heart that has moved from God towards himself, that is not centered in God, that is centered in himself, that is filled with pride, with love to himself. And because of that, his mind is unable to understand the things of the spirit. It doesn't matter how confident he is of what he says. He does not understand the things of the spirit and his fruits are not profitable for the life of the church.

On the other hand, the true prophet, the man of God, is called to rebuke him, to tell him not to teach that doctrine, to silence these men with the word of God, to say to to to say no more. This is the correct doctrine. In doing so, the man of God is supposed to protect himself. And this happens only within the context. Or knowing the context, being immersed in the in the word of God.

Third question. Why are there false teachers within the church? Why would the Lord allow within the context of the visible church, I'm not talking about the bride of Christ, who has been bought by the blood of Jesus Christ. I'm not talking about the true believers, but rather the visible church, those who we see with our eyes, the buildings and the context and the community of the church. Why would the Lord allow within the context of the new covenant that false teachers will enter into that context of the church?

The apostle gives the answer if we continue reading there in chapter four, verse three. Read carefully, brothers, what he says there. For the time is coming, for the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having each ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths. Because he says, oh, for the time is coming when people will not endure sound doctrine. Think about that, brothers and sisters, the soul of a person, the soul of a human being is not able anymore to endure sound doctrine, is not able to hear The word of God being preached is not able to expose himself to the light of the word of God.

It causes offense to that person. They do not endure sound doctrine. The true son or daughter of God says, where else can we go? Only you have the words of eternal life. Only you have the words of eternal life by the heart of a hardened person.

The heart of a person who is away from God cannot present him or herself before the exposition of the word, because the word reveals that which is offensive for the flesh. The word of God is an offense for the carnality of men. The word of God is the food that Christians, that those who are in Christ need. But when the Word of God is clearly presented in the power of the Spirit, through the assistance of His grace, the illumination to the soul, when a carnal person is presented before that Word, that person is offended. This is how conviction of sin starts.

The Spirit of God convicts us of our sin and brings us shame. And we know that we deserve death because of our sin. And then repentance unto life, when it's granted, turns to Christ and you have faith and repentance. But then when the heart is hardened, it brings pride and your heart is hardened even more. And then you depart from that word because it's offensive.

There will come a time or there will happen within the context of the church that people will not endure sound doctrine, but continue what it says, but having itching ears, they will accumulate for themselves teachers. to suit their own passions. They don't want to hear the word of God that goes against their carnality, that is offensive for the flesh, but rather they accumulate for themselves people who will tell them the things that are good for their carnality, the things that their carnality and their passions that they have within them that they desire, that they prefer. Now, brothers and sisters, this is not speaking of Muslims. This is not speaking of people outside of the context of the church.

These are people within the church. These are people who are accumulating for themselves teachers of the word, teachers of the law. So they go and they choose those whose hearts are hardened, whose minds are unable to understand that which is spiritual, because what it comes from their mouth is not that which corresponds to godly doctrine or to the gospel of christ but rather that which corresponds to the traditions of men and in the traditions of men the carnal soul delights and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander into myths the fables the endless genealogies the false teachers were speaking about they will turn away from the truth the truth of jesus christ is offensive for our flesh It doesn't happen to you that when there's a sermon that is being preached, that is pointing something that is within you, that you are offended inside of you. But the Lord grants you repentance. The Lord grants you grace, gives you grace.

Not to be critical with the word, but rather to examine yourself because that's medicine for your soul. But the soul of the carnal is offended by the preaching of the word. That's why persecution happens, brothers. That's why persecution happens for the church. Because the message of the gospel is offensive to this world.

Because the message of salvation only, exclusively, in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is no other way. It's offensive for this demonic scheme. It's offensive. So that's why those who give their lives for this message are going to be persecuted.

This is what the apostle will say later in chapter 3. Those who desire to live a godly life, not godly life moralistically, but in Christ will be persecuted. Because when the word of God, when the spiritual truth that comes from the holy mouth of God impacts the life of a person, that person is transformed into the image of the one who was hated and crucified. The world hated him, so the world will hate us. This is the nature or this is why there are false teachers within the context of the church.

So, brothers, now think about this. If that is the condition, if that is the profile of a false teacher and we know the duty of the man of God to to rebuke that person, to protect himself in with the preaching of the word. And we know that there will be people among the church Not only that will teach false doctrine, but worse than that, people in the church that want to hear those things. So what can we pray for? What should we feel our mouths and our hearts?

What are the type of prayers that we should have? Not when we come together, brothers, but every day. What should be the concern of the Christian for his or her church? Brothers, that your heart, that my heart, that our hearts are never moved from God, that our hearts are never, that they never deviate to us, that they never move from the glory of God to the glory of men, that we are never filled with pride. And this is not something only for those who teach.

This is for the church. Because it says here that those who are within the church, they are the ones that are accumulating for themselves teachers that do not preach the truth, that speak things that are different to sound doctrine. So our major concern, brothers and sisters, should be our heart, our heart in the context of the words of God. And I want to point you to a scripture in Psalm 119 that is very. That is very encouraging.

119. Think about the words that we are just going to read here. Psalm 119, verse 7. Brothers and sisters, Psalm 119, verse 7. Pay attention to the connection between the heart of the Christian, the law of the word of God, because as said, that the only way that Timothy or Titus or the elders or the shepherds or the pastors or the overseers of the church can rebuke false doctrine, can prevent or protect the church from false doctrine and protect themselves and the churches by preaching the words of God, which is this, which is the standard of truth.

It is the standard of sound doctrine. Now, verse seven, I will praise you. with an upright heart, that is, with a heart that is correct, with a heart that is in the good place, with a heart that is in the right, in the correct position, which is what we want to do. We want to praise our God with a heart that is in the correct position. We don't want to praise him with our hearts in the news, or we don't want to praise him with our hearts in the concerns of our lives, or we don't want to praise him with our hearts placed in things of this world.

We want to praise him with hearts that are upright. And only that happens when I learn your righteous rules, or your righteous statutes. My learning of His statutes, my filling in of His word, of His commandments, produces in me a heart that is upright when I come to praise Him, when I come to worship Him. I will keep your statues, do not utterly forsake me. How can, young man, how can a young man keep his way pure?

How can a young man keep his way pure? By guarding it according to your word. Now, please pay attention to verse 10. With my whole heart, I seek you. Let me not wander from your commandments.

Brothers, the heart of the false teacher is lost from the presence of God to his own presence. I will seek you with all my heart. Let me not wander from your word, from your commandments. God, I will seek you. He is the one in which or in who we have to abide.

In this verse 11, I have stored up your word in my heart that I might not sin against you. When the heart of a person is stored, is filled with, when the Word of God has a precious place in the heart of a person, that person will not sin against God. Not that here the person will be perfect, but that person will not sin against God. And this is not just simply memorizing the Word of God. It's placing the Word of God in a precious place, deep into the core of who we are.

Blessed are you, then says the psalmist. Teach me your statutes. He's not saying give me a good set of commentaries or give me a good set of books or give me a good teacher that can teach me and instruct. All of those things are good. But he says, teach me your statutes because he's got the one that instructs the men of God.

Is God the one that teaches the men of God? Is God the one that goes through the mind of that man and goes deep into the heart of that man, so that when that man opens his mouth, it will not be the words of that man, but the words of God. And then if you go to verse 97, that's the heart of the Christian. That's the heart of the true teacher. I said that the false teacher has a heart that is hardened.

The heart of the true teacher is a heart that is filled with the words of God. What about the understanding? Desiring to be teachers of the law, not knowing what they say, nor the things which they affirm, says the apostle Paul to Timothy. What about the understanding, the ability to understand and comprehend doctrine of the man of God? What does the word of God says about the man who has a pure heart and his ability to understand and to comprehend and to teach doctrine?

Verse 98. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies. Your commandment makes me wiser than my enemies. Your word, your statutes, your holy and perfect word make me wiser than my enemies. Why?

Because, or for, it is ever with me. He is wiser than his enemies, because the words and the statutes of God are always within him, are always inside of him. Not intellectually, they are inside of him. Verse 99, I have more understanding than all my teachers. I have more understanding than all my teachers.

Why? Because of four, your testimonies are my meditation. Because your word of God is my meditation. I don't want to feed my mind. I want to feel my soul with your word.

I want to feel my being with your commandments. And because they are within me, I want to meditate upon them. And that's the spiritual understanding. Verse 100. I understand more than the elders.

Well, I understand more than the aged. Why? Because I keep your precepts. Not only I know them, not only I meditate upon them, but they are so inside of me that they have not only transformed my understanding of your law, God, but they have moved me towards you. So then the things that I leave, I leave them according to your glorious will.

I have treasured up your word in my heart that I do not sin against you. I keep your precepts. Your law is my delight, and I understand them. The things of the Spirit are spiritually discerned because the Spirit of God is the one that knows the things of God. And the Spirit of God is the one that communicates, is the one that illuminates that to those who are within the context of the beloved eternal sun's church bright, because it's the best of the interests of the triune God that the bride of the everlasting sun is built up and is prepared without wrinkle, without blemish, without spot, so that it will be so that the church will be presented for this wedding feast in which The Lamb of God is going to take the bride, blemished and without a spot, conformed to the image of the beloved Christ.

Not only a glory that is going to be given to us, something that happens through this present evil age. And he has given us his word. The word of God is that we should feel the heart, the mind and everything that we do. So then when the true preacher of God, when the true prophet of God speaks are not his words, but the words of God, and then those words do not produce envy, do not produce dissension, do not produce problems, but they produce godly edification. They produce conviction of sin.

They produce love for Christ. They produce love for his commandments. They produce love for the church. Something that cannot be achieved. with marketing strategies, something that cannot be achieved with human intellect, something that cannot be achieved with human charisma.

It can only be accomplished by Christ himself. And he is so good that he has decided that he's going to do it through the church. Now, God has not called a man. God has not called a group of men. to build his kingdom, to edify his church.

God has called a people. God has called a people. I will be your God and you will be my people is the responsibility of each one of those who are within that people to treasure up what is contained in this book, because the protection of the church from false doctrine does not start with those who teach or preach brothers and sisters. It starts with the church herself. It's the church herself, the one that is actively praying for the protection of the church, actively understanding the things of the law, actively understanding the things of Christ.

So when someone comes with a false doctrine that the resurrection has already happened, we don't need the apostle Paul to come from heaven and then remove that person from among us because God has already spoken to us in his word and we know what the Bible says about that particular topic. May the Lord give us grace. Amen.