Could we turn please to 1 Timothy chapter four? In this section of 1 Timothy chapter four, the apostle Paul gives to temp Timothy a very solemn warning about or regarding false teachers and their false doctrines. And because, of course, this passage is in the word of God, it's applicable as much to us today as it was when Timothy first read these words. It would seem reading, looking at this that, remember Timothy is in Ephesus. The church at Ephesus, that apostasy is just around the corner. And of course we read, do we not, in the book of the Revelation, how the Lord Jesus Christ sends this letter to their church there. And he tells them, how he knows about their works, he knows about their labour, their patience, and all sorts of things. But then he says, nevertheless, I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. And once that happens, people could be open to all manner of weird and wonderful doctrines. Apostasy is alive and well today. And it comes in many forms and in many expressions. And we, like Timothy and the church there at Ephesus, must be on our guard against it. Now the Spirit speaketh expressly. What it means here that the Spirit speaketh expressly means that the Spirit, it means clearly revealed, distinctly made known. This ministry here, in the general prophetic ministry of the church, And here is the spirit of God himself speaking to Timothy and through, and of course to all of us. And the spirit of God has used his servant, the apostle Paul. He talks there about that in the latter times, some shall depart from the faith. Now when he mentions here the word latter times, what is meant is any time or any age in which the church lives and is active. And so it's applicable to Timothy, it's applicable to us, today it's not so much the very last days but it is the times that will lead up if you like to the last days and it says sadly that some shall depart from the faith or some shall apostatize and they will seek to bring in doctrines that refute the essential truths and doctrines of the Christian faith and again it's why it's so important to know what we believe and why we believe and to be able to give it a good account of what we believe. Because basically, these leptrins that come in, they seek basically to deny the essentials of salvation. Talks about there from the faith. In the latter days, some shall depart from the faith. What it means there, when it uses the word faith, is the body of revealed truth from the Lord himself. And the tragedy is they're giving heed to, they're listening to, they're reading about, even devoting themselves to it. Remember back in Acts chapter 20, when the Apostle Paul gave the charge to the elders of the church there at Ephesus. We read this in chapter 20 and verse 28. Take heed therefore unto yourselves and to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers to feed the church of God which he hath purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them. Therefore watch and remember that by the space of three years I cease not to warn everyone night and day with tears. And now, brethren, I commend you to God and to the word of his grace which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all them which are sanctified. Notice how Paul finishes on the positive. I commend you to God and to the word of his grace which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among them that are sanctified. In other words, if we stay in the word of God, close to the Lord Jesus Christ, then we will not apostatise. They will give heed, it says here, to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils. Now these people will be pretenders They will pretend to have inspiration from God himself. But as one listens and hears them and seeks wisdom from God, you soon discover they are false teachers. These misleading spirits give out false teaching. He talks there of seducing spirits. They are evil powers. And they are permitted to influence and work in human hearts. And we need to remember that they are supernatural and they are evil. In Ephesians chapter, Ephesians chapter two and verse two. Where in time past you walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that nay worketh in the children of disobedience. And later on in chapter six and verse 12. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. And these obviously, these evil seducing spirits are extremely antagonistic to the Lord Jesus Christ and his followers. Indeed, Paul writes in 1 Corinthians chapter 10, verses 20 and 21, but I say that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, not to God. And I would not that you should have fellowship with devils. You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of devils. You cannot be partakers of the Lord's table and of the table of devils. And so we must be on our guard and beware of the doctrines of devils and demons. You see, the origin of false teaching is not the false teacher, but the evil spirits or demons enabling that teacher, encouraging him and using him in his false ways. They are, it says there, doctrines of devils, doctrines of demons. And they are errors originating from them and also by them. In the letter of Jude, And verse three and four, we read this. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. You see, when we depart from the faith, however we may think it to be minor, and it doesn't matter, minor or major, we are indeed giving heed to seducing spirits. They speak, as it says there in verse two, speak lies in hypocrisy. In other words, they're pretending not only for divine inspiration, but they try to put on an act of extraordinary holiness self-denial, mortification. And that will then give them extra credit in the eyes of the gullible. It tells us there that their conscience have been seared with a hot iron. This false teaching has in a sense been burnt into them. In Ephesians chapter four and verse 19. We read this, who being past feeling have given themselves over unto lasciviousness to work all uncleanness with greediness. They bear the marks of hypocrisy indelibly in their consciences. They have the brand mark of sin and have no moral sensitivity. They've almost like had a hot iron applied to them. They've been cauterized, like they do today with bad nosebleeds. It's not a very pleasant experience, I'm sure, to have an iron, but it works. These false teachers are insensitive actors, pretenders, hypocrites, whose consciences are cauterized into insensitivity. And that's where it leads, apostasy. Unable to differentiate between good from evil and error from truth. Now the drift can begin ever so slightly. But the tragedy is once it begins, it can be, goes more and more and more and more. And often there's no way back. And hypocrisy of course is their assumption of a mask of holiness. It makes a show of an appearance, if you like, of piety. Demons and seducing spirits find allies in hypocritical lives. And they use these people to speak lies in an attempt to put Satan on God's throne. What a tragedy it is. Perhaps you know people who have reached such a stage in their lives that their conscience no longer bothers them. And therefore, the possibility comes in of apostasy. It can be so easy to resist. or to quench the Holy Spirit. And what Paul does, he doesn't, he majors on, well he doesn't major, he selects, if you like, two current errors to illustrate what he's saying. These are examples. Two prohibitions that come from this false teaching. Now these new ideas came from a group that followed Gnosticism. They maintained a dualistic belief system. They basically said that matter is evil and not created by God. They taught that anything that was sensuous or physical was contaminated, which led on to their prohibition, as we read there, on marriage and certain foods. You see, Gnosticism basically elevates knowledge above faith. And it can lead, of course, to the abuse of the flesh. And what do we do? We are to shun these things and oppose them. And there are examples of churches that indulged and are found in the letters in Revelation. In Revelation 2 verse 14, But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to cast a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. And in Revelation chapter 2 verse 20, Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, "'cause thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, "'which calleth herself a prophetess, "'to teach and seduce thy servants, "'to commit fornication, "'and to eat things sacrificed unto idols.'" And an example today is where human reason is placed above the word of God. The creation evolution debate Let me encourage you to go to the meeting next Friday at Grace Church in Eastbourne. Creation versus evolution. But the first thing it tells us here is they're forbidding to marry. They taught that being unmarried was more favourable to perfection in the Christian life. And of course that view is held very much in the Roman Catholic Church today, where it's clergy are not allowed to marry. We are to remember that marriage is God ordained. In any way, if in any way the state of marriage is evil, then that person who says that is in dispute with the Lord himself. The other prohibition was to abstain from certain meats or certain foods. In Colossians chapter two and verse 16, let no man therefore judge you in meat or in drink or in respect of a holy day or a new moon or the Sabbath days. And of course we could return, and I will read it to you, the vision given to Peter in Acts chapter 10 and verse 11. And saw heaven opened and a certain vessel descending unto him, as it had been a great sheet knit at the four corners and let down to the earth. wherein were all manner of four-footed beasts of the earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and fowls of the air. And there came a voice to him, Rise Peter, kill and eat. But Peter said, Not so, Lord, for I have never eaten anything that is common or unclean. And the voice spake unto him again the second time, What God hath cleansed, that call not thou common. This was done thrice, and the vessel was to seat up again into heaven. You see the teaching of abstention or abstention of foods goes against the divine ordinances or commands. We're talking about marriage. What does it say back in Genesis chapter two? A man shall leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall become one flesh. And in Genesis chapter one and verse 29, the Lord said, I give you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of the earth and every tree in which the fruit of tree yielding sealed, to you it shall be for meat. And every beast of the earth and to every fowl of the air and to everything that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat and it was so. And later on in Genesis chapter nine and verse three, every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you, even as the green herb have I given you all things. You see, when we go against the teachings of the word of God, it leads to bad practices. It can lead to asceticism. The renunciation of the basic comforts of life with this view of reaching perfection. People go in for flagellation. They wear hair shirts. They sleep on stones and somehow think that it's going to get them nearer to God. You see, every creature is made for man's nourishment, it's good. We must be very, very wary and beware of insulting the creator. And we are to thankly receive them as they support human life. Now Paul is saying that the banning of certain foods that were created by God is wrong. They are to be received with thanksgiving and prayer. There is nothing to be refused, no taboos. Paul is here, talking here, not about health issues, but of defilement issues. Now being a vegetarian is fine. Being a vegan is absolutely fine. but it will never make you a better Christian for being that. And there may be things that you just don't like. I can remember in the 50s going down to see my gran in the country, in Hampshire this is, and the roads absolutely lined with dead rabbits from myxomatosis. I've never really fancied rabbits since then. Just looking at all those dead bunnies. When I was last in Sri Lanka, we went to a hotel for a meal and they offered me, one of the offers was snake curry. And I just thought, no, that is a step too far. May have been delicious, but it was a step too far. So, you know, there are things that we don't like or we don't fancy and there's nothing wrong with that. But I'm sure there must be foods that you don't like. Or maybe that gives you an allergy or something, I don't know. But one thing we have to remember, that if we are involved with evangelists and with people of other faiths, then it is sensible to follow their food rules. I used to go out on the doors in London with a man called Gangadin. That was his name. He was a converted Hindu. And we had some wonderful times. Because when we met Asians, lots of Asians where we were, he would speak to them in their language and we would often get invited in. And if it was perhaps a Hindu home, they'd offer us cake. The cake's been probably sacrificed to some idol in there. But we'd go in covered in the blood of Jesus. We're out there to try and win that man for Christ. And by turning around and saying, I don't want your hospitality, Same if you have a desire to reach Muslims with the gospel. You've got to be prepared to meet halal meat. You may not like it, you may not want to. But if the law calls us into specific ministries, then we have to act accordingly. You see verse five, for every creature of God is good and nothing else, verse four, to be refused if to be received with thanksgiving, for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. What a contrast to all these heathen taboos. Pure and lawful to be used because God has determined it. And we need to beware of slandering God's goodness. Firstly, as it says there, it is sanctified by the word of God. And we must remember that the word of God is divinely inspired. Secondly, it's that we recede with thanksgiving. We say grace, do we not, before meals? And we should always remember to say grace, especially when we're ape. It's a wonderful witness, you know. Every day, if you go to the local harvester or wherever it is, and along comes the food, somebody's straight in, And you say, no, let's say grace. People notice, they may think we're a bit strange. But it can be a witness, as well as, of course, being one that we would normally and naturally do at home. And then verse six, if they'll put the brethren in remembrance of these things, they shall be a good minister of Jesus Christ. That word minister there in verse six is in a general sense as well as a specific sense. You see the minister is to faithfully discharge his ministry. He is to beware of pride. Of course pride comes from the evil one. Isaiah chapter 14 and verse 12 says this. How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning? How art thou cut down to the grain which didst weaken the nations? For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven. I will exhort my throne above the stars of God. I will sit upon the mount of the congregation in the sides of the north. I will ascend above the heights of the clouds. I will be like the Most High. thou shalt be brought down to hell to the sides of the pit. You see as a good pastor, Timothy is to shun the source of error and he is to teach truth. And that of course is true for all of us. Timothy's responsibility is to set these truths before his people. the foundation, if you like, of right practices. Preaching publicly about these things, preaching the whole counsel of God so that fellow believers may be warned. It's lying before the Lord's people, the positive answer to negative and false teaching and doctrine. And the best refutation of error is always a positive presentation of the truth. And we need to be aware of these teachings. For example, teaching that says we have instant sanctification or sinless perfection. There are many errors. and forced teaching around. I'll just put a few down here. The health and wealth gospel. Theonomy. Denial of penal substitution. Open theism. And there are many others. Let me just say this. there is no better spiritual practice than dwelling upon the great truths of the Christian faith. What we need to do is to be determined to have a loving devotion to the truth which the Lord has given us. And Paul was saying, Timothy, devote yourself, direct yourself to your ministry, Devote yourself to your people that God has put under you. And above all, Timothy, devote yourself to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And you can substitute Timothy and put your own name in there. Christian brothers and sisters, beloved in the Lord, Devote and direct yourselves as I would seek to direct myself to the ministries that God has given us. Devoting ourselves to each other. We are indeed brothers and sisters in Christ. And above all, perhaps most above all, is devote ourselves to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Our last hymn is number 782. Saviour, thy dying love, thou gavest me Nor should I aught withhold my Lord from thee. In love my soul would bow, my heart fulfill its vow, some offering bring thee now, something for thee. 782. ♪ Hail, my dying love ♪ ♪ Thou gracious queen ♪ ♪ Of the dear old home ♪ ♪ That stood I only for thee ♪ ♪ I only for thee ♪ ♪ In love my soul would rise ♪ ♪ Why are you failing now ♪ ♪ Some offering with me now ♪ ♪ Some thing for me ♪ ♪ At the restless deceit ♪ ♪ Leading the way ♪ ♪ Thy people in return ♪ ♪ Jesus, to Thee ♪ ♪ Help me the cross to bear ♪ ♪ Thy wondrous love declare ♪ ♪ Star of snow, till the rains o'erflare ♪ ♪ Something for thee ♪ ♪ Give me a faithful heart ♪ ♪ I'm blessed to thee ♪ ♪ That each departing day ♪ ♪ There's hope they see ♪ ♪ Some die of love they love ♪ ♪ Some give their kindness none ♪ ♪ Some wondrous souls have won ♪ ♪ Something for me ♪ ♪ Oh, that I ever could have known ♪ ♪ Time is so fleeting ♪ ♪ Angel in grief divine ♪ ♪ Look, look for me ♪ ♪ And when thy face I see ♪ ♪ My ransomed soul shall be ♪ O eternity, something for thee. And under him that is able to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.