Contentment in Christ

1 Timothy 6:1-10, “Contentment in Christ”
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Introduction:
There are a lot of things the United States is known for throughout the world – but one of them is NOT contentment. And if it’s evident throughout the year, it’s amplified much more so the day after Thanksgiving at the mall. Yet how important is contentment as a believer in Christ? Important enough for Paul to begin closing his 1st letter to Timothy with it.

Think of it this way: the entire letter to this point has been focused on (1) holding to & presenting sound doctrine, and (2) practical roles of ministry within the local church…and then out of nowhere (seemingly) Paul gives these instructions regarding contentment vs. greed. But upon a closer look, it fits perfectly. How we behave as believers is a direct reflection of what we’ve been taught & what we believe about Christ & what we find our contentment in is a great indicator for who/what we’re trusting.

1 Timothy 6:1-10 (NKJV)
- Contentment with position
1 Let as many bondservants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honor, so that the name of God and His doctrine may not be blasphemed.

A. Historical context: Slavery within the Roman empire was vastly different than what the American experience was. (American slavery was more akin to kidnapping & man-stealing than anything else.) Roman slaves were usually either prisoners of war, or born into slavery – but they also had the opportunity to purchase their freedom & become normal citizens.
__a. Does God approve of slavery? No… God gave guidelines for dealing with it as a cultural reality. Some estimates say there were 60 million slaves in the empire; we’d expect to see God say something about it in His word!
__b. Keep in mind that Christianity eventually destroyed the foundations of slavery in every nation it spread to. The Bible proclaims we all descended from the same parents (Gen 1:28; 9:1) – the Bible shows that believers are all one in Christ Jesus (Gal 3:28) – the Bible tells us that we ought to love our neighbors as ourselves (Mark 12:31)… Over the centuries, the gospel decayed slavery’s foundation & it was due in large part to evangelical Christians such as William Wilberforce & Harriet Beecher Stowe that brought it to an end in the western world.
__c. For all the exhortations throughout 1 Timothy to pay attention to & teach sound doctrine (which we’ll see again today), American Slavery provides a tragic example of what happens when the church ignores the clear teachings of the Bible. For every evangelical abolitionist, there were hundreds more who used their church attendance to ignore & mask their evil deeds. To be clear: Scripture properly taught will expose sin & glorify God; it certainly won’t sweep it under the rug!
B. Basic idea: if you served as a slave, then you were to serve your master well. Why? Because a lazy Christian gives the impression of a lazy Christ. A servant is no greater than his Master & if we’re presenting a bad example of Jesus to the world, why would they ever realize their utter need for Him?
__a. The most important thing to any believer shouldn’t be our own comfort; but rather the glory of God. We were SAVED… [] And because of His great grace which saved us, everything we are belongs to God & everything we do should serve to give Him glory… That includes whatever station/position we might find ourselves in – we need to use that to glorify God.
__b. Did that mean that a Christian slave shouldn’t wish to be free? Of course not. But they should wait upon God for His timing & be content in the meanwhile. 1 Corinthians 7:20-22 (20) Let each one remain in the same calling in which he was called. (21) Were you called while a slave? Do not be concerned about it; but if you can be made free, rather use it. (22) For he who is called in the Lord while a slave is the Lord’s freedman. Likewise he who is called while free is Christ’s slave. [] Bottom line: we belong to the Lord Jesus; so we ought to be content with whatever He’s planted us for the time being.
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2 And those who have believing masters, let them not despise them because they are brethren, but rather serve them because those who are benefited are believers and beloved. (stop here)

A. What happens if your master is a believer in Christ? Should you expect to be set free immediately upon his conversion? Would have been nice (and it would have reflected the love of Christ – Phm 16), but it obviously didn’t happen very often. … If that’s the case:
__a. Don’t “despise them”: don’t disdain them because they did not provide immediate freedom; don’t take advantage of them thinking, “He won’t mind; he’s a brother in the Lord.”
__b. Instead, “serve them” with diligence & effort. Why? Because they are a fellow brother in Christ. [] That gives the slave all the more reason to seek the best for him!
B. Any modern application to this today? Sure – there are a ton of slaves around the world that this directly applies to. What about for those of us blessed with freedom? We all serve someone. Be it the government, or a employer – what is our attitude in how we serve? Are we seeking to glorify God through our diligence in serving? … Whatever it is we do, we’re to do it unto the Lord Jesus & not unto men (Col 3:23) – precisely because He IS our Lord!
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…Teach and exhort these things.

A. Remember that although the words of the Bible are inspired, the verse numbers & chapter breaks are not. Seems to be the case with the end of vs 2… Might be better to think of “these things” as not merely applying only to slaves & masters, but of the whole context of Ch 5 – if not the entire letter leading up to this point.
B. Throughout 1 Timothy, this has been Paul’s ringing challenge: teach the truth! Sound doctrine / right teaching is foundational to the Church. It’s not something to be addressed once in a blue moon; the Body of Christ needs a steady diet of milk & meat of God’s Word in order that we might grow & be healthy.
..a. Keep in mind that one of the primary ways God has chosen to communicate with mankind is through the written word! And it’s through the written word that we find out about the others (the Incarnation, prayer, etc). Dedicated, systematic study of the Bible is not something to be relegated to professors of theology; it’s what God intends for every believer in Christ!
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- Contentment with sound teaching…
3 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,

A. Talking about false teachers here. How are we supposed to know if someone is a false teacher? Two ways:
__a. If they don’t “consent” to the Bible. Meaning if they don’t hold to it as an authority or believe in its inspiration. The words within the Bible ARE “the words of the Lord Jesus Christ” (not just the red letters!)… Gk “consent” literally means to “approach/come near”. The person who consents to the words of Scripture comes near to it; he/she doesn’t try to force the Bible to fit his/her ideas. …
__b. If they don’t “consent” to the true teaching that flows out of the Bible – the “doctrine which accords with godliness”. Right teaching that is properly based on the word of God should leave an impact of good things – help develop the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. After all, we’re transformed by the renewing of our mind (Rom 12:2), so the test is: what does our mind produce as a result of this teaching? Conviction of sin, thankfulness to God – Amen! Covetousness & legalistic thinking – beware!
B. How is the church to determine either of these things? We’ve got to be Bereans! (Acts 17) We are so blessed to have access to the Bible! For over 1000 years of Christian history, the Scriptures disappeared from the hands of the common man & went into the halls of the priesthood – but God worked through men like Luther, Wycliffe, and Tyndale to give the church our Bible back. Today, we have even more – the average American study Bible has more information in it than many 3rd world pastors in their entire libraries. If anyone has the responsibility within the church to be Bereans against false doctrines, we do! (Do you have a Bible?)
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4 he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, 5 useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.

A. What does a false teacher look like? Nothing godly…quite the opposite!
__a. “proud”: Gk = “to envelop with smoke” – you might say he’s blowing smoke. Basically, his head is inflated with all the knowledge he thinks he has, but he reveals how little he knows of God through his attitude. Thus his pride shows he “know[s] nothing.”
__b. “obsessed with disputes & arguments”: He’s got a morbid desire (“obsessed” could be translated “sick”) to argue his pet doctrines & point of view.
B. What does it yield? “envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions & useless wranglings.” … Compare this to how Christians are supposed to be identified: John 13:34-35 (34) A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. (35) By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” [] Why is agape love a defining characteristic of Christians? Because agape love is a defining characteristic of Christ. As with the lazy slave, the argumentative ‘teacher’ either provides proof he’s not qualified to teach or proof he doesn’t know Christ at all.
C. Be careful about spending too much time with these people; the constant arguing simply drags you down. [Trinity denier on ptw blog] Note Paul is not talking about theological debate or Bible studies. God-fearing, Jesus-loving, Bible-believing Christians sometimes have profound disagreements on theology…and it’s ok to discuss those disagreements with passion. The problem comes in when our character stops reflecting Christ in the process… We can be so intent on winning a debate that we lose our witness…
D. Many times, the ultimate goal of these false teachers has nothing to do with supposedly “finding out the truth.” They simply want to make a buck off of Christians. (L Ron Hubbard, “You don’t get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion.”) We see it all the time on ‘Christian’ TV – how many ‘pastors’ disqualify themselves from the pulpit through either false teaching or ungodly behavior & jump back in there the next Sunday asking for your “financial gift to keep this ministry afloat”? [] That’s not true “godliness” – see vs. 6…
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- Contentment with provision…
6 Now godliness with contentment is great gain.

A. Talking about a whole different type of “gain” here. Whereas the false teachers look to pad their wallet, true teaching prepares us for eternity… (Matt 16:26 – What profit to gain the whole world & lose soul?)
B. Talking about a whole different type of “godliness” as well. The Gk is the same, but the context is completely different. To the false teacher who stirs up arguments & strife, he uses the pretense of piety to manipulate people into giving. True godliness really IS holy, reverent living & virtually by definition, this includes “contentment”. How so? The one who seeks to please God has a different set of priorities & becomes content (self-sufficient) with what our God has given him/her.
__a. Paul knew this from experience… Philippians 4:11-13 (11) Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: (12) I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. (13) I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. []
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7 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out.

A. Job realized the same thing, “Naked I came in; naked I’m going out” (Job 1:21)… Once we come to grips with this truth, it tends to change our perspective regarding “stuff.” “Stuff” just isn’t all that important in the long run – “Stuff” is either going to rot or get broken over the years – even the most valuable long-lasting “stuff” simply gets passed to the next person (or the gov’t) after we die. The only gold that’s going to be in heaven is the gold God puts there for pavement & crowns. As for all the rest, “you can’t take it with you.”
B. “Stuff” may not last, but what we do with that “stuff” might have eternal value! … Use it for the Lord & His glory…
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8 And having food and clothing, with these we shall be content.

A. Obviously Paul understood this 1st hand – this was all HE had on the road as a missionary! But the principle applies to all of us. Besides sufficient food, clothing, and shelter (which the Grk word used for clothing is derived from), what more can we purchase that we truly need from a physical standpoint?
__a. Our culture has a greater temptation to fall into materialism than any other culture in human history! Even the ‘basic’ luxuries aren’t luxurious enough. [mobile phone to iPhone] That’s not to make anyone feel guilty; it’s just a reality of our culture & no one is exempt (some of the biggest tech-addicts I know are pastors!). But there’s a problem when we don’t know when enough is enough… We ought to be content.
B. So what should we spend our time on? Seeking after God! Matthew 6:31-33 (31) “Therefore do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ (32) For after all these things the Gentiles seek. For your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. (33) But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. []
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9 But those who desire to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.

A. What a time to be looking at this verse! Those who led Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, Goldman Sachs, AIG, and even Enron (not to mention Congress) know exactly what it’s like to “desire to be rich” and then “fall into temptation and a snare…” That’s not limited to Wall Street; the lustful desire for riches can hit any of us. [Rich young ruler went away sad – Matt 19:22]
B. What’s the danger? Those lusts would destroy us… (Nelson’s) “Drown literally means to drag to the bottom. Paul was painting a graphic word picture of the greedy person drowning under the tremendous weight of material desires.” Make no mistake, materialism is a trap…and we have an enemy who is actively waiting to spring it on unsuspecting Christians. Understand that the basic temptations haven’t changed since the Garden of Eden (lust of the eye, lust of the flesh, pride of life – 1 John 2:16) & materialism/greediness falls right smack in the middle of all of it.
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10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil, for which some have strayed from the faith in their greediness, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.

A. Is money the problem? No – money (properly viewed) is simply a tool…no better than a hammer… The “love of money” is the problem! It’s a:
__a. “root of all kinds of evil”: Was a love of money behind Satan’s attempted overthrow of God? Of Adam & Eve’s fall? No – but it does go to the heart of those events: pride. People love money because they think it gains them power or fame or security (or all 3). Their pride places them (us) at the center of their lives & all of a sudden we’re breaking the 1st Commandment, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” (Exo 20:3) – ultimately, we’re talking about idolatry, which leads to all sorts of specific sins…
__b. Temptation to “stray from the faith”: One of the most dangerous results from a love of money is the temptation to walk away from the gospel that saved us in search of riches. Is Paul referring to getting into heretical doctrine or is he referring to spiritual apostasy? Context could refer to either, and neither option is good!
____i. Beware of anything or anyone that tempts you away from your Lord & Savior! As a Christian, the Lord Jesus took the wrath you deserved upon Himself & saved you from eternal damnation…what could possibly be so attractive that it’s worth leaving our 1st love?
__c. Something from which people “pierce themselves through”: Inevitably, people eventually find out that the Beatles were right (on one count) – money can’t buy them love (or happiness, or anything else). Like Solomon, they learn that those who love silver will never be satisfied with silver; it’s all vanity (Eccl 5:10). And they reap the consequences of their sin as a result.
B. What’s the solution to this problem? That’s next week. But for now, it really goes back to vs 6: “Now godliness with contentment is great gain.”
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Conclusion:
What happens when we content ourselves through what God has provided through our position, solid teaching, and sufficient provision? We stop being distracted so much by worries & strife, and ultimately find our contentment in Christ, glorifying Him… Does that mean Christians won’t ever suffer or be in need? Of course not! But as we walk through those times, we don’t walk through it alone. Jesus promised to be with us always, to the end of the age (Matt 28:20) & that His grace is sufficient for us (2 Cor 12:9). Even in our times of deepest need, we can still find contentment in Christ simply because He’s saved us. We were lost – we were dead – we were doomed; but in one fell swoop at Calvary & 3 days later, Jesus changed everything! Now those who trust in Him are forgiven from sin, born anew, adopted into His family, transformed by His grace, & set apart for all eternity with Him. We of all people ought to be content.

What happens if you’re not one of His people? If you haven’t been born-again, trusting in the Lord Jesus to forgive you from sin? Then my prayer is that you certainly DON’T find contentment. The stuff in this world will bring satisfaction for a season, but not for eternity. What will your job, influence, or money bring you when you stand face-to-face before Almighty God to give an account for your sin? You can’t take it with you – and all your best works are like filthy rags in comparison to the Holy & Just God. Your only hope is in Christ – turn to Him for forgiveness today!

Blessings & Curses

Deuteronomy 27-28, “Blessings & Curses”
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Introduction:
Moving into the next section of the vassal treaty: we’ve covered the preamble & national history – the Law (including general and specific commandments) – now moving into sanctions and rewards for either breaking or keeping the covenant.

Going to spend a lot more time on the curses rather than the blessings. Why? It’s easy to take the good stuff for granted. Not much different than us – we need to be convinced that we’re sick before we seek a cure. Thus the use of the law to bring us to the point we’re convinced we need a Savior. The law is our tutor to bring us to Christ (Gal 3:24) & that’s exactly the point of Ch 27-28 – the Hebrews were to see themselves in complete & total need of the grace of God.

Deuteronomy 27 (NKJV)
1 Now Moses, with the elders of Israel, commanded the people, saying: “Keep all the commandments which I command you today. 2 And it shall be, on the day when you cross over the Jordan to the land which the LORD your God is giving you, that you shall set up for yourselves large stones, and whitewash them with lime. 3 You shall write on them all the words of this law, when you have crossed over, that you may enter the land which the LORD your God is giving you, ‘a land flowing with milk and honey,’ just as the LORD God of your fathers promised you. 4 Therefore it shall be, when you have crossed over the Jordan, that on Mount Ebal you shall set up these stones, which I command you today, and you shall whitewash them with lime. 5 And there you shall build an altar to the LORD your God, an altar of stones; you shall not use an iron tool on them. 6 You shall build with whole stones the altar of the LORD your God, and offer burnt offerings on it to the LORD your God. 7 You shall offer peace offerings, and shall eat there, and rejoice before the LORD your God. 8 And you shall write very plainly on the stones all the words of this law.”

A. When you get there… God IS going to take them there & it’s going to be a good land! “a land flowing with milk and honey” = provision & pleasure…
B. Write out the Law so that everyone can read it… What exactly this included is up for debate. Some think it was the whole book of Deuteronomy – others think just the 10 Commandments – others think just the section on curses & blessings as a witness to the people. Whatever it was, it was no small task & it wasn’t done in vain – the people were meant to read it. (Completed in Joshua 8.)
..a. God has always desired for His people to have access to His word…
C. Build an altar… Why not the tabernacle? This altar wasn’t to be an ongoing place of sacrifice; it had a specific one-time use: to testify to the covenant between God & the Hebrews. [] How many times did Jesus die on the cross for our sin? Once! And once was sufficient to pay for all the sins of all mankind. If Jesus isn’t fully sufficient, nothing & no one is!
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9 Then Moses and the priests, the Levites, spoke to all Israel, saying, “Take heed and listen, O Israel: This day you have become the people of the LORD your God. 10 Therefore you shall obey the voice of the LORD your God, and observe His commandments and His statutes which I command you today.”

A. Were they not the Lord’s people before? Sure – but on “this day” they were affirming that fact & renewing the covenant they made with God at Mt Sinai (Ex 24).
B. As the Lord’s people, they were to keep His commandments in obedience…
C. Today, WE are the Lord’s people!
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11 And Moses commanded the people on the same day, saying, 12 “These shall stand on Mount Gerizim to bless the people, when you have crossed over the Jordan: Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Joseph, and Benjamin; 13 and these shall stand on Mount Ebal to curse: Reuben, Gad, Asher, Zebulun, Dan, and Naphtali.

A. [MAP / PIC] Natural ampitheater…
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14 “And the Levites shall speak with a loud voice and say to all the men of Israel: 15 ‘Cursed is the one who makes a carved or molded image, an abomination to the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and sets it up in secret.’ “And all the people shall answer and say, ‘Amen!’ 16 ‘Cursed is the one who treats his father or his mother with contempt.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’

A. As they begin the curses, it’s important to see the difference between Ch 27 & 28. Here, the curses for breaking the covenant & read out & agreed to (“Amen”)… Basically like signing a contract… In Ch 28 Moses is going to go over the curses in detail, actually prophesying the events that will take place when the covenant is broken.
..a. Although Ch 28 details out the blessings, only the curses are read aloud & agreed to. The Law brings a curse & death; life is found in grace & forgiveness upon the fulfillment of the law!
B. Curses against idolatry (1st – 3rd Commandments) & dishonoring one’s parents (5th Commandment). Natural pairing; one is a shadow of the other…
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17 ‘Cursed is the one who moves his neighbor’s landmark.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ 18 ‘Cursed is the one who makes the blind to wander off the road.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ 19 ‘Cursed is the one who perverts the justice due the stranger, the fatherless, and widow.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’

A. Justice issues: Theft (8th Commandment – landmark), False witness (9th Commandment – perverting justice, lying to blind)
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20 ‘Cursed is the one who lies with his father’s wife, because he has uncovered his father’s bed.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ 21 ‘Cursed is the one who lies with any kind of animal.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ 22 ‘Cursed is the one who lies with his sister, the daughter of his father or the daughter of his mother.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ 23 ‘Cursed is the one who lies with his mother-in-law.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’

A. Purity issues: 7th Commandment – Adultery. ‘Is this really all related to adultery?’ Yes – God’s plan for intimacy is between one man & one woman joined as husband & wife. Anything outside of this is fornication which goes to the heart of the 7th Commandment.
B. Why is so much time spent on this compared to the others? The family is the building block of society. If it starts breaking down, then everything else begins to crumble…as attested to in our own culture.
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24 ‘Cursed is the one who attacks his neighbor secretly.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ 25 ‘Cursed is the one who takes a bribe to slay an innocent person.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’

A. Criminal issues: Murder (6th Commandment).
B. What would avoid all these issues? The Great Commandment! Matthew 22:37-40 (37) Jesus said to him, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ (38) This is the first and great commandment. (39) And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ (40) On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.” []
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26 ‘Cursed is the one who does not confirm all the words of this law.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ ”

A. Note they had to obey ALL the law. Can’t pick & choose which parts they agreed with & which parts they didn’t…
B. If we break one part, we’re guilty of all (Jam 2:10) – which is one reason we can know we are justified by faith & not by works! Galatians 3:10-11 (10) For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse; for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who does not continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them.” (11) But that no one is justified by the law in the sight of God is evident, for “the just shall live by faith.” []
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Deuteronomy 28 (NKJV)
1 “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the LORD your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the LORD your God will set you high above all nations of the earth. 2 And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, because you obey the voice of the LORD your God:

A. The concept for the Hebrews was pretty simple: blessings for obedience & curses for disobedience. The application is far more difficult. Why? The Law was given to reveal our own sinfulness to us…
B. So where are the blessings found? In Christ Jesus! In His love, grace, and forgiveness & person… (John 1:17 – The law was given through Moses, but grace & truth through Jesus Christ.)
C. Does this mean that God intended not to bless the people? Of course not. His desire was surely to do so (Num 23:19 – God is not a man that He would lie…); but He is omniscient, and He simply knew their inability and unwillingness to do so in the long term…
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3 “Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the country. 4 “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground and the increase of your herds, the increase of your cattle and the offspring of your flocks. 5 “Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. 6 “Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.

A. Blessings in the land: wherever they lived, it would be the land God Himself gave to them & they were blessed.
B. Blessings in the family: Children are a heritage from the Lord (Ps 127:3) & their families would be plentiful, healthy, and strong.
C. Blessings in their livestock & agriculture: speaking of economics…
D. Blessings among their neighbors: their reputation would be such as to draw other people to the Lord through the witness of the Lord’s work in their lives.
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- Expands on what the blessings include.
7 “The LORD will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face; they shall come out against you one way and flee before you seven ways. 8 “The LORD will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand, and He will bless you in the land which the LORD your God is giving you. 9 “The LORD will establish you as a holy people to Himself, just as He has sworn to you, if you keep the commandments of the LORD your God and walk in His ways. 10 Then all peoples of the earth shall see that you are called by the name of the LORD, and they shall be afraid of you. 11 And the LORD will grant you plenty of goods, in the fruit of your body, in the increase of your livestock, and in the produce of your ground, in the land of which the LORD swore to your fathers to give you. 12 The LORD will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand. You shall lend to many nations, but you shall not borrow.

A. Complete military victory & reputation – the nations would know of God’s blessing upon Israel & flee. This actually happened with Joshua…(Rahab – Joshua 2)
B. Complete economic security. Unlike the time that Israel had to go down to Egypt for survival, this time they were to be the nation the world looked to for sustenance.
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13 And the LORD will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath, if you heed the commandments of the LORD your God, which I command you today, and are careful to observe them. 14 So you shall not turn aside from any of the words which I command you this day, to the right or the left, to go after other gods to serve them.

A. Complete national superiority: head; not the tail…keep this in mind.
B. IF they don’t abandon God. This is a guaranteed promise, but it’s conditional upon obedience. (Which they obviously fail).
..a. Our covenant with God is based on a far better premise: the obedience of Christ & not ourselves! He is faithful – He is victorious – and our salvation is based totally upon His work & none of our own.
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15 – 19 [virtually point-for-point reversal of blessings]
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20 “The LORD will send on you cursing, confusion, and rebuke in all that you set your hand to do, until you are destroyed and until you perish quickly, because of the wickedness of your doings in which you have forsaken Me.

A. Summary statement of what’s about to follow… Moses enters to a sermon series of prophecies detailing what will be involved with the curses that follow Israel’s disobedience. It’s a bit overwhelming, and that’s exactly what it’s meant to be.

21 – 22 [Health problems: disease, plagues, death]

23 – 24 [Environmental problems: drought & famine]

25 – 26 [Military problems: utter defeat & death]

27 – 28 [more health issues: physical & mental diseases]

29 And you shall grope at noonday, as a blind man gropes in darkness; you shall not prosper in your ways; you shall be only oppressed and plundered continually, and no one shall save you. 30 “You shall betroth a wife, but another man shall lie with her; you shall build a house, but you shall not dwell in it; you shall plant a vineyard, but shall not gather its grapes. 31 Your ox shall be slaughtered before your eyes, but you shall not eat of it; your donkey shall be violently taken away from before you, and shall not be restored to you; your sheep shall be given to your enemies, and you shall have no one to rescue them. 32 Your sons and your daughters shall be given to another people, and your eyes shall look and fail with longing for them all day long; and there shall be no strength in your hand. 33 A nation whom you have not known shall eat the fruit of your land and the produce of your labor, and you shall be only oppressed and crushed continually. 34 So you shall be driven mad because of the sight which your eyes see.

A. Note the difference here between what they were supposed to gain & what they were losing. By relying on God’s promise & walking into obedience, they were supposed to live in houses they didn’t build & work vineyards they didn’t plant (Deut 6:11). Now this is all going to be stripped away from them & their belongings & families would be taken away by invading nations.
B. This is exactly what happened in the various invasions – specifically with Babylon. The choice boys were taken away & thrown into a re-education program (Daniel 1)…
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35 The LORD will strike you in the knees and on the legs with severe boils which cannot be healed, and from the sole of your foot to the top of your head. 36 “The LORD will bring you and the king whom you set over you to a nation which neither you nor your fathers have known, and there you shall serve other gods—wood and stone. 37 And you shall become an astonishment, a proverb, and a byword among all nations where the LORD will drive you.
A. Forced idolatry (Nebuchadnezzar – Dan 3)…
B. Instead of being a witness of the One True God, the Hebrews would become a curse word. Absolute reversal of what God desired for them!
..a. Not unlike what happens to Christians due to sin. How many times has our witness been ruined because of actions of others (or ourselves!)?

38 – 42 [more agricultural problems & famine]

43 – 44 [national humiliation]
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45 “Moreover all these curses shall come upon you and pursue and overtake you, until you are destroyed, because you did not obey the voice of the LORD your God, to keep His commandments and His statutes which He commanded you. 46 And they shall be upon you for a sign and a wonder, and on your descendants forever. 47 “Because you did not serve the LORD your God with joy and gladness of heart, for the abundance of everything, 48 therefore you shall serve your enemies, whom the LORD will send against you, in hunger, in thirst, in nakedness, and in need of everything; and He will put a yoke of iron on your neck until He has destroyed you.

A. God lays out the reason why: it’s because they didn’t serve the Lord with joy & gladness! How much do we lose when we do not worship the Lord? Inevitably when we don’t worship God, we worship other things/people & we suffer the consequences as a result…
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49 The LORD will bring a nation against you from afar, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flies, a nation whose language you will not understand, 50 a nation of fierce countenance, which does not respect the elderly nor show favor to the young. 51 And they shall eat the increase of your livestock and the produce of your land, until you are destroyed; they shall not leave you grain or new wine or oil, or the increase of your cattle or the offspring of your flocks, until they have destroyed you. 52 “They shall besiege you at all your gates until your high and fortified walls, in which you trust, come down throughout all your land; and they shall besiege you at all your gates throughout all your land which the LORD your God has given you. 53 You shall eat the fruit of your own body, the flesh of your sons and your daughters whom the LORD your God has given you, in the siege and desperate straits in which your enemy shall distress you.

A. Prophecy regarding the horrors of siege and invasions… Aspects of this are reflected in the Assyrian, Babylonian, and even Roman invasions. (Rome might even be specifically mentioned by the ‘eagle’)
B. Cannibalism took place with the Syrian invasion of Samaria in 2 Kings 6:28-29… Spoken of in Jerusalem with the Babylonian invasion in Lam 4:10… It’s hard to conceive of any straits more desperate than when someone is willing to eat their own children.
..a. People often claim that sin is no big deal. It’s ALWAYS a big deal eventually. One leads to the next & on & on, and it gets worse & worse. Finally, God gives us over to our debased minds in order that we might do those things which are not fitting (Rom 1:28).
..b. The ONLY thing that stops sin is salvation! We must be saved from our reprobate mind…

54 – 57 [complete degradation…]

58 “If you do not carefully observe all the words of this law that are written in this book, that you may fear this glorious and awesome name, THE LORD YOUR GOD, 59 then the LORD will bring upon you and your descendants extraordinary plagues—great and prolonged plagues—and serious and prolonged sicknesses. 60 Moreover He will bring back on you all the diseases of Egypt, of which you were afraid, and they shall cling to you. 61 Also every sickness and every plague, which is not written in this Book of the Law, will the LORD bring upon you until you are destroyed.

A. All the judgments of Egypt. If THAT didn’t strike fear into their hearts, not much else would!
B. Note: even with all the judgments & curses, God is still to be praised. He is still the Lord our God & we are still to fear His “glorious and awesome name”! The severity of the curses was simply to wake up the people & get them to fall on their needs in repentance – and turn & worship the Lord again.
..a. Whatever we’re going through, God is still awesome (in the truest sense of the word)…He is still worthy to be praised!
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62 You shall be left few in number, whereas you were as the stars of heaven in multitude, because you would not obey the voice of the LORD your God. 63 And it shall be, that just as the LORD rejoiced over you to do you good and multiply you, so the LORD will rejoice over you to destroy you and bring you to nothing; and you shall be plucked from off the land which you go to possess. 64 “Then the LORD will scatter you among all peoples, from one end of the earth to the other, and there you shall serve other gods, which neither you nor your fathers have known—wood and stone.

A. Is this really a reversal of the Abrahamic covenant? Not really. Keep in mind two things:
..a. God always kept a remnant (Rom 11:5).
..b. The ultimate fulfillment of the Abrahamic covenant is in Christ! We Gentile believers have been grafted into the olive tree of Israel (Rom 11:17), and through faith we are children of Abraham (Rom 4:12). Truly the number of those saved by faith in Christ is innumberable…God always keeps His word!
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65 And among those nations you shall find no rest, nor shall the sole of your foot have a resting place; but there the LORD will give you a trembling heart, failing eyes, and anguish of soul. 66 Your life shall hang in doubt before you; you shall fear day and night, and have no assurance of life. 67 In the morning you shall say, ‘Oh, that it were evening!’ And at evening you shall say, ‘Oh, that it were morning!’ because of the fear which terrifies your heart, and because of the sight which your eyes see. 68 “And the LORD will take you back to Egypt in ships, by the way of which I said to you, ‘You shall never see it again.’ And there you shall be offered for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you.”

A. Is there a Biblical account of the Jews being sent back to Egypt? No – but there is a historical account of it shortly after the New Testament was completed & Jerusalem was destroyed by Titus in 70AD… (Guzik) “More than 600,000 died from starvation, and their dead bodies were dumped over the walls of the city. In total more that a million died and 97,000 were captured, with most of the captives being shipped as slaves to Egypt. The promise of Deuteronomy 28:68 was tragically fulfilled: you shall be offered for sale to your enemies as male and female slaves, but no one will buy you. This happened as too many Jewish slaves glutted the Egyptian slave market, and no one could buy all the available slaves.”

Conclusion:
When reading over the curses & prophecies, we think, “This is terrible – awful – overwhelming! No one would dare want to endure these things!” And that’s the point. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom (Prov 9:10) … God WANTED His people to know the worst possible result of their sin in forsaking Him in order to give them motivation in obedience…

“It’s a good thing this all ended in the OT!” Wrong…it doesn’t. God is the same in the NT & the OT. Granted, we have the glorious opportunity now to experience the grace of God – but God WILL pour out His wrath and judgments on the world again. Thus we have the book of Revelation…

The good news for us today? These curses have ALREADY been poured out on Christ Jesus for us & we received the blessing instead. Galatians 3:13-14 (13) Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), (14) that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.

Why I’m Not Ashamed to be a Fundamentalist

A couple of years ago, I had an interesting conversation on an airplane. I typically try to strike up a conversation with whomever I’m sitting next to (which is getting harder and harder to do), simply out of a desire to be polite & to see if I might get an opportunity to share the gospel with them. This one woman I was sitting next to was very hospitable, and before long we got to speaking about spiritual things. As it became apparent that I was one of “those” kind of Christians, I could almost see her nose turn up & it was obvious she had no desire to be in the same plane as me, let alone the same row.

At the time, I was somewhat taken aback. After all, I didn’t think of myself as a “fundamentalist.” To me, that term described folks in the backwoods dancing with snakes, and quoting from the 1611 King James (because to them, that was the *original* inspired language). Yet to her, I WAS the fundamentalist, simply because I believed that the Bible means what it says.

As time has gone on, I’ve seen that her definition of “fundamentalism” is the prevailing definition of the word. Those who believe as I do are disparaged as fundies, fundagelicals, bible-thumpers, religious-right, and more. All are terms used as pejoratives (not descriptions), and the implication is that I should be ashamed to hold the beliefs that I do.

You know what? I don’t.

Instead of shunning the term, I’ve decided to embrace it. I am a fundamentalist Christian. (With no apologies to Rosie O’Donnell.)

As I’ve turned to the common definitions of fundamentalism, there are two basic areas this encompasses: (1) theology, (2) morality.

On the theological side, I believe that the Bible is the inerrant inspired word of God, that Jesus is God incarnate, in the substitutionary atonement, in His bodily resurrection, in His supernatural miracles, and in His coming again. I believe that the Bible means exactly what it says, and although there are numerous debates over various interpretations, the overall message of the Bible is absolutely clear without mistake. That is: God is Holy…we’re not…Jesus took our judgment for sin upon Himself & offers His grace to all who call upon Him. From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible speaks of the glory of God, because quite simply, He is glorious & worthy to be praised.

On the morality side, I believe that God calls us as Christians to live in such a manner as to glorify Him. That doesn’t mean we won’t ever fail (we do quite often!), but when we do, we simply repent anew and move on. It also means that I cannot in good conscience give my approval to sin among our culture. I don’t expect non-Christians to act like Christians (why should I? That’s illogical.) But neither do I feel obligated to deny my faith in order to make non-Christians feel better about their sin.

Why exactly these two positions annoy our culture so much, I honestly don’t know. The longer I study the Bible, and the more time I spend in prayer, the more I learn that life is not about me, but about Him. God gives me breath and bread for His glory. Jesus died on the cross & rose again for His glory. The Holy Spirit gave me a new birth for His glory. Do I benefit from these things? Absolutely & in wondrous ways! But God doesn’t do these things so much for me, as He does for Himself. Thus when it comes to decisions about theology and morality, my choice only logically becomes: what gives glory to God?

If that makes me a fundagelical bible-thumper, so be it.

Existing with Elders

1 Timothy 5:17-25, “Existing with Elders”
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Introduction:
For a vocation that is supposed to call attention to the Lord Jesus, it’s not uncommon for preachers to be in the headlines (even this week…). Unfortunately, usually when pastors make the news, it’s not for a good report – but for scandal. Most of us remember the televangelist failings of the 80’s & 90’s…but it didn’t stop there. 2006 saw Ted Haggard’s fall & 2008 had the rise & fall of the Lakeland ‘Outpouring’… No doubt that if Jesus tarries, we’ll see many more.

So what is the Church to do when scandal erupts? Even when the sin is not necessarily ‘newsworthy’, how is the Church supposed to deal with sin among elders & overseers? Even beyond the subject of sin – how is the Church body supposed to interact with those whom God has called to lead? Obviously God has a lot to say on the matter & has done so in 1 Timothy. If Chapter 3 discussed what to look for & expect in church leadership, Chapter 5 discusses how to relate to church leadership.

Take a moment to chew on that for a bit. Many religions in the world take pains to separate the leadership from the ‘laity’ (even the word is an example). They set up barriers between the people & the priests who would bring them spiritual instruction. They act like the “ministry” is a kind of spiritual fraternity that only certain people are allowed to enter & none on the outside could ever get a glimpse of… Not so with Biblical Christianity! The only difference between the people & the pastor is the gifting & calling of God…and that’s it! Before Christ we face the same condemnation – we are saved by the same Savior & same blood – we read from the same Bible & read the same spiritual instructions. … Thus God makes it absolutely clear to His church what the expectations for pastors and congregations are & puts everyone on the same page for how to deal with sin & problems if they arise.

1 Timothy 5:17-25 (NKJV)
17 Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.

A. Who are the elders? The same general group of people referred to in Ch 3 as overseers/bishops. ‘Presbuteros’ (presbyterians). Blameless – 1 woman man – able to teach – not greedy – gentle, etc…
B. Which elders is Paul referring to? Those “who rule well”. Elders have the responsibility of presiding over the church… … But simply because they have the calling doesn’t mean they do it well. There are many who love the idea of ruling, but don’t desire to serve Christ & the church. As Jesus showed, service is the primary way God desires us to lead (John 13:14). [sons of Zebedee] Mark 10:42-45 (42) But Jesus called them to Himself and said to them, “You know that those who are considered rulers over the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. (43) Yet it shall not be so among you; but whoever desires to become great among you shall be your servant. (44) And whoever of you desires to be first shall be slave of all. (45) For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many.” [] The Lord Jesus is our example! Those who want to rule well should strive to serve as He served…
..a. The elders may rule the church, but to Whom does the church belong? The Lord Jesus Christ – it’s HIS church! (Matt 16:18)
C. If they do rule well, the church is to count them “worthy of double honor”. Obviously we are to respect those who teach us the Word of God, but the context is undoubtedly referring to monetary compensation. The widows who were worthy & had no family support were to be assisted by the church & a similar word is used here regarding elders. Greek is actually much more specific as to finances (“value/worth/price”).
D. Elders are to be laboring in the word & doctrine. Apparently not every elder did this, but the ones who did so were especially worthy of the double honor (they all had the responsibility of ruling; but only a few of teaching).
..a. “labor”: Bible studies were not to casually thrown together with the elder teaching the 1st thing that came to mind under the excuse of “I’ll just let the Spirit guide me.” They didn’t (fortunately) have websites where they could purchase someone else’s sermon for the next Sunday message. Teaching elders were expected to “labor in the word and doctrine.” Greek means exactly what the English implies: “to work hard, labor, toil, be wearied.”
..b. “word” = “logos” (also used of Jesus in John 1). Some translations say “preaching” – the idea is that the Word of God (Christ) is preached in the proclamation of the word of God (the Scriptures). Tells us 2 things about preaching. Godly preaching:
….i. Constantly proclaims Christ… [responding to Jews seeking to kill Him] John 5:46-47 (46) For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote about Me. (47) But if you do not believe his writings, how will you believe My words?” [] The whole of the Scriptures proclaim Jesus Christ’s life, purpose, being, sacrifice & more as a scarlet thread woven throughout. Does it have much practical teaching about marriage, money, & employment? Sure…but if we stop there without seeing Christ we’ve stopped too soon. The Bible is not primarily a book of rules & guidelines; it’s a portrait of our God & Savior & a proclamation of the love He demonstrates at the cross to save us from sin!
….ii. Centers on the Scriptures… Not every pastor teaches verse-by-verse (though I highly recommend it), but every pastor better be teaching the Scripture, or they’re not fulfilling what God has called them to do. We are to be laboring in the WORD.
..c. “doctrine”: Many translations say “teaching”…either is a proper translation. A constant theme throughout 1 Timothy has been the need to proclaim right teaching & sound doctrine to the church. Hence the need to “labor” in it. If it’s going to be truth, we need to take the time to ensure that what we’re teaching IS truth.
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18 For the Scripture says, “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain,” and, “The laborer is worthy of his wages.”

A. 1st quote from Deut 25:4 [context] Paul used it again in 1 Cor 9:9-10. [] 2nd quote might have been taken from Lev 19:13, but it far better fits Jesus’ words in Luke – Luke 10:7 And remain in the same house, eating and drinking such things as they give, for the laborer is worthy of his wages. Do not go from house to house. [] (context – sending out the 70, 2×2)
..a. Usually when we see Scripture quoted in the NT as “Scripture” it’s an OT reference. Here, we see that Paul considered Jesus’ words & possibly even the Gospel According to Luke AS Scripture itself. Brings up a question as to dating. We know that 1 Tim must have been written around 62-63AD, after the close of Acts & prior to his final arrest. We also know that Luke had to have been written as a precursor to Acts. Many scholars put Luke in the 58-61AD timeframe. The question becomes: Would that be enough time for the gospel to have been circulated & known? Possibly – and at the very least, Paul would have been very familiar with Luke’s Gospel as Luke was a constant travel companion of Paul.
..b. So what #1: We don’t believe a myth that developed over the centuries as the skeptics claim. We believe the multiple eye-witness accounts left to us by the apostles & attested to throughout history.
..c. So what #2: The early church (including Paul) recognized that these letters & gospel accounts weren’t the product of man; they were words given under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit & thus held up as the very word of God.
B. Note that the Scripture never gives an amount. There’s no promise of riches for ministers of the gospel; simply provision… Beware of ministers abusing this for financial gain! (False prophets; wolves in sheep’s clothing – Matt 7:15)
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19 Do not receive an accusation against an elder except from two or three witnesses.

A. We know what to do if an elder rules well. What if he doesn’t? 1st, don’t follow rumors. Bringing an accusation against anyone (beyond elders) is a serious matter & we are specifically told not to bear false witness (9th Commandment). If charges are to be brought forth, they need to be based on more than “I heard Johnny say that his friend felt the pastor did ___.”
B. Wait for 2-3 witnesses… OT precedent. Deuteronomy 19:15 “One witness shall not rise against a man concerning any iniquity or any sin that he commits; by the mouth of two or three witnesses the matter shall be established. [] Trying to avoid a he-said/she-said scenario. Sometimes conflict arises out of a simple (or not-so-simple, depending your point of view) misunderstanding/miscommunication. The more godly unbiased perspectives we can get on a matter, the better… (Prov 18:17, the 1st one seems right until his neighbor examines him)
..a. This is protection for the elder; it’s also protection for the church. When an innocent elder is taken down due to a false accusation, the whole church suffers…
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20 Those who are sinning rebuke in the presence of all, that the rest also may fear.

A. 2nd, investigate the accusation: For the elder to have been found sinning, the obvious implication is that the 2-3 witnesses’ claims were examined. Accusations of sin need to be dealt with (they are ignored to everyone’s detriment, per 1 Cor 5) – but we needn’t rush to a false judgment.
B. 3rd, if they are indeed found to be in sin, “rebuke” them. Just a reminder, this is different than the “rebuke” found in vs. 1. Greek in vs. 1 spoke of abuse & berating; in vs. 20 it speaks of a Godly reproof & admonishment. The sin needs to be exposed in order for repentance to take place, but it needs to be done in a way that glorifies God & exemplifies Christ.
C. 4th, ensure that the rebuke is public. This is where most people tend to hesitate. Sometimes our natural tendency is to sweep sin under the rug in order to avoid further embarrassment. But especially in the case with elders whose sin has the potential to stumble others in the walk with Christ, the rebuke needs to be public in order for everyone else to recognize that his actions were indeed sin.
..a. Paul personally applied this with Peter (Gal 2:11) – and it was a good thing!
D. There’s a purpose in public rebuke: “fear”. Is it embarrassing to have one’s sins broadcasted to the church? Yes – but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. We’ve lost the concept of “shame” in our culture, but shame can serve as a good incentive not to delve off into sin. (Not talking about abusive shame; but healthy. If a pastor was found at a strip club, he should be ashamed.) Keep in mind that a healthy fear of God is the beginning of knowledge & wisdom (Prov 1:7, 9:10)…if more of us properly feared the Lord, there would be a lot less sin among Christians.
E. Note that this isn’t really different than church discipline for anyone else. Matthew 18:15-17 (15) “Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. (16) But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ (17) And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector. [] …
..a. What is the purpose behind the discipline? Restoration! (1 Cor/2 Cor)
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21 I charge you before God and the Lord Jesus Christ and the elect angels that you observe these things without prejudice, doing nothing with partiality.

A. Investigations were to be impartial & without prejudice. There is no “buddy
club” among the elders & accusations were to be treated with all seriousness, despite someone’s status or friends. We have a tendency to “look the other way” if a pastor is extremely gifted in teaching or evangelism… God forbid! God is no respecter of persons (Acts 10:34, KJV); neither should we be.
B. How important was this? Paul charged Timothy before all heaven to carry this out… (note the 2-3 witnesses!) Integrity in the ministry is not only important; it’s vital! People are watching to see if our walk matches our talk & are all too quick to point out our failings. The hypocrisy of the Jews caused the name of God to be blasphemed among the Gentiles (Rom 2:24) & sin among believers (especially the pastorate) has the same result. We represent a HOLY God! Believers are obviously not perfect (apart from Christ’s viewpoint), but when Christians (especially elders) live in such a way that is inconsistent with a Holy God, the world uses US as an excuse to claim God must not be as holy as the Bible says. After all, if Christians do not fear Him, why should they? Integrity is essential!
C. BTW – what are the “elect angels”? Probably a distinction between heavenly angels & fallen angels (demons).
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22 Do not lay hands on anyone hastily, nor share in other people’s sins; keep yourself pure.

A. Laying on of hands, likely speaking of ordination. Also could be a reference to a warning against restoring fallen leadership too quickly. Either way, it’s a valid warning not to move too quickly in either scenario…
B. What’s the problem with hasty ordination? Immature Christians placed in leadership positions often lead to sin, which also places the one who ordained him at fault…he shares in the sins. Ordination isn’t based upon one’s talents & abilities; it’s based upon the calling & timing of God. Part of that timing is determined by the character of the potential-elder, as seen in Ch 3… In the case of restoration, we can ask the same thing: can the person be viewed again as blameless? Has the repentance been so complete that no one could reasonably bring a charge against him? Then perhaps (if God is calling them) the person could be restored to ministry.
..a. Some ask: ‘Why hasn’t anyone laid hands on me as an elder? Deacon? ___?’ Be careful of thinking that certain ministries in the church are a promotion or a demotion. The NT reminds us that the gifts we think are the least valuable are actually the most necessary. 1 Corinthians 12:23-24 (23) And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, (24) but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, [] Whatever it is God has gifted you for within the Body of Christ, do it joyfully to Christ!
..b. More to the point – when hands are laid on someone, it’s not a ‘promotion’ into the leadership of an organization. (The church isn’t an organization to begin with…) It’s a recognition of a particular way in which God Himself has gifted that person to serve in the Body. A ‘promotion’ is a work & elevation of man; ordination is a recognition of God’s work.
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23 No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for your stomach’s sake and your frequent infirmities.

A. Seems like a random thought. Might be best thought of (like in ESV) as a parenthesis… Possible that Timothy might have been stressed out due to problems with too-quickly-ordained leadership & he developed stomach problems as a result.
B. Is this a contradiction with the standard given for elders & deacons in Ch 3? No. Overseers were not to be people who sat long beside the wine (literal phrase 3:3) & deacons were not be given over to much wine (3:8). Paul here is only recommending a “little wine” & for a specific purpose. Wine was used as a purifier. Ancient Rome didn’t have Brita filters (or whatever)…wine helped kill the bacteria. Apparently Timothy drank only unpurified water (w/o wine), which aggravated his stomach.
C. Does this add anything to the alchohol/abstinence debate? Not really. Does it say something about how the Bible views medicine? Yes. Some Christians look at doctors as a failure of faith… [] If that were true, what does it say about Timothy?
..i. Do we pray for healing? Yes! Sometimes God heals supernaturally; sometimes He uses a doctor. Either way, God still gets the glory.
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24 Some men’s sins are clearly evident, preceding them to judgment, but those of some men follow later. 25 Likewise, the good works of some are clearly evident, and those that are otherwise cannot be hidden.

A. Picks up from vs. 22. Why is it important that Timothy not hastily ordain anyone & thus share in their sins? Because even though someone may look blameless at the moment, it doesn’t mean he’ll look at way in a month or two. Paul seems to be recommending a period of observation prior to ordination/restoration. Most of us can put on a good show for a while, but after enough observation people see us for who we really are. (Doubt it? Just ask your spouse! )
B. Sin always leads to judgment… Perhaps in this life & definitely either at the Cross or at the Great White Throne.
C. The opposite is true as well. Just like sinful works of people who shouldn’t be ordained will eventually be obvious, the works of those whom God HAS called to the ministry will one day be obvious as well. Even if we don’t see the results of these good works in this life, we’ll see them in the next at the Bema Seat…

Conclusion:
So is this a message to pastors, or to everyone within the church? Paul definitely thought it was a word from the Holy Spirit to the entire church – not only is it evident throughout the epistle, but why else would the entire church be involved in any necessary rebuke of an elder in sin?

God definitely set up order within His church (God is not the author of confusion – 1 Cor 14:33) – but the roles He arranged were never meant to be a dictatorship allowing one or several men to wield absolute power over people. Instead, God makes it perfectly clear what the relationships are between congregation & elders – and like every other relationship in the Body, it’s one of mutual submission. (Eph 5:21) The congregation willingly submits itself to the teaching & doctrine of the elders (which is only derived from the authority of Christ in the Scriptures) & the elders willingly submit to the congregation in times of failing.

What Paul is underscoring is that the Church doesn’t belong to any single pastor or any group of elders. The Church belongs to Christ Jesus! We are His bride & He guards us jealously. He cleanses us by the washing of water & by the word & wants to present us back to Himself without blemish (Eph 5:26-27). He wants us to be holy & live righteously – and if that doesn’t take place at the level of leadership, Jesus ensures that we know how to bring correction where needed in order that He may continued to be glorified, and that we may continue to be edified & built up in Him.

Deuteronomy 25-26, Concluding the Law

Deuteronomy 25-26, “Concluding the Law”
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Deuteronomy 25 (NKJV)
1 “If there is a dispute between men, and they come to court, that the judges may judge them, and they justify the righteous and condemn the wicked, 2 then it shall be, if the wicked man deserves to be beaten, that the judge will cause him to lie down and be beaten in his presence, according to his guilt, with a certain number of blows. 3 Forty blows he may give him and no more, lest he should exceed this and beat him with many blows above these, and your brother be humiliated in your sight.

A. Justice system… Corporal punishment…
..a. Paul received this on several occasions (2 Cor 11:24). Actually received 39, which was merciful tradition in order to avoid a miscount.
B. Judges have the responsibility to “justify the righteous and condemn the wicked”… … Just like God!
C. Why not more than 40 lashes? Humiliation… Punishment CAN be excessive. Justice is just; not vengeful. [Shechem – Dinah, vengeance – Gen 34] Tells us something very important about Hell: as awful as it is that there is a place where the worm never dies & the fire is never quenched for all eternity, Hell is NOT excessive. It is the just & fair consequence of rebellion against a Holy, Perfect, Infinite God…
..a. Tradition tells us Jesus got 39 lashes. In truth, all Scripture tells us is that He was scourged. But this was a Roman punishment & not necessarily derived from Hebrew law. History tells us a lot about scourging… … This is what Jesus went through for you & me.
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4 “You shall not muzzle an ox while it treads out the grain.

A. Basic idea: don’t punish the animal for doing its work. The ox would be used to walk around in a circle with grain on the ground in order to break out the grain from the husk. To not allow the ox to eat of the grain it was treading was just cruel.
B. Interesting timing – going to be looking at this on Sunday in 1 Tim 5. Paul uses this Scripture several times in relation to churches having the responsibility to provide for those who minister to them.
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5 “If brothers dwell together, and one of them dies and has no son, the widow of the dead man shall not be married to a stranger outside the family; her husband’s brother shall go in to her, take her as his wife, and perform the duty of a husband’s brother to her. 6 And it shall be that the firstborn son which she bears will succeed to the name of his dead brother, that his name may not be blotted out of Israel.

A. Levirate marriage… (Not “levi”, but “levir” from Latin “brother”) Most familial relationships were forbidden to intermarry, but this one exception allowed for the family inheritance to be passed from generation to generation. As long as the brothers dwelt on the same land, they were supposed to have the land split between them – the problem arose if one of the brothers died, then the land wouldn’t be divided as an inheritance & the widow would be left destitute. Thus the surviving brother was expected to take her as a wife & the resulting child would receive the inheritance.
B. Sadducees attempted to trap Jesus with this law… (Matt 22:23-32)
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7 But if the man does not want to take his brother’s wife, then let his brother’s wife go up to the gate to the elders, and say, ‘My husband’s brother refuses to raise up a name to his brother in Israel; he will not perform the duty of my husband’s brother.’ 8 Then the elders of his city shall call him and speak to him. But if he stands firm and says, ‘I do not want to take her,’ 9 then his brother’s wife shall come to him in the presence of the elders, remove his sandal from his foot, spit in his face, and answer and say, ‘So shall it be done to the man who will not build up his brother’s house.’ 10 And his name shall be called in Israel, ‘The house of him who had his sandal removed.’

A. What happens if the brother refuses? He has to refuse in public – he is disgraced by the widow – his disgrace is ongoing & part of his identity… Why the shoe? (Unger) “Taking off the shoe arose from the custom of walking on the soil, declaring one’s right to ownership.” See this played out in Ruth & Boaz… [BIBLE – Ruth 4:7-8]
..a. Sin always brings consequences… Why is this sin? God desires His people to show mercy & grace (because God does) – when God’s people refuse, it’s a slap in the face to the God who showed mercy unto them…
B. Note the community is to try to persuade the brother to do the right thing. If the brother is going to refuse, he has to do so despite the pleas of the elders of the city.
..a. News flash: we ARE our brothers’ keepers! Sometimes we get blinded by our own sin & flesh & we need to have a loving confrontation from godly people who care for us. Galatians 6:1-2 (1) Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. (2) Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. []
C. Why is the provision of a family line so important? Because a family line was needed to bring about Jesus Christ…this was the 1st Messianic prophecy in the Bible (Gen 3:15). Possible that Jesus’ lineage was the primary reason God gave this law in the 1st place! Without it, Ruth wouldn’t have had a reason to be married by Boaz – who ended up being the great-grandfather of David.
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11 “If two men fight together, and the wife of one draws near to rescue her husband from the hand of the one attacking him, and puts out her hand and seizes him by the genitals, 12 then you shall cut off her hand; your eye shall not pity her.

A. Serious punishment! Seems to be a natural follow-up to the levirate marriage. If the whole purpose of the levirate marriage is to help provide a family heir, then it would make sense to punish a woman whose actions would destroy the ability for a man to have an heir.
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13 “You shall not have in your bag differing weights, a heavy and a light. 14 You shall not have in your house differing measures, a large and a small. 15 You shall have a perfect and just weight, a perfect and just measure, that your days may be lengthened in the land which the LORD your God is giving you. 16 For all who do such things, all who behave unrighteously, are an abomination to the LORD your God.

A. Weights & measures… Each merchant would have their own measures & it wasn’t uncommon for people to try to cheat one another with weights in their own favor.
B. God expects His people to be just. Why? Because HE is just…HE is righteous! Deuteronomy 32:4 He is the Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice, A God of truth and without injustice; Righteous and upright is He. []
..a. Thus cheating is an abomination to the Lord because it goes against His very character… We’re to love our neighbors as we love ourselves & cheating has no place in that…
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17 “Remember what Amalek did to you on the way as you were coming out of Egypt, 18 how he met you on the way and attacked your rear ranks, all the stragglers at your rear, when you were tired and weary; and he did not fear God. 19 Therefore it shall be, when the LORD your God has given you rest from your enemies all around, in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess as an inheritance, that you will blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven. You shall not forget.

A. Amalekite review… (Exo 17:8-16 – holding up Moses’ arms)
B. Saul had the opportunity, but missed it. (1 Sam 15)
C. The point? Never compromise with the flesh! Until the day God takes us home, we are engaged in an ever-present battle against sin & the “old man.” …
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Deuteronomy 26 (NKJV)
1 “And it shall be, when you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance, and you possess it and dwell in it, 2 that you shall take some of the first of all the produce of the ground, which you shall bring from your land that the LORD your God is giving you, and put it in a basket and go to the place where the LORD your God chooses to make His name abide.

A. Good reminder: this isn’t an IF; it’s a WHEN. The Israelites WILL be coming into the land. (Sooner at this point than ever before)…
B. Firstfruits. This seems to be different from the actual feast of Firstfruits (Lev 23:10) – but rather the 1st of the 1st fruits given when Israel actually lived in the land.
C. Why? (1) God gave them the land… (2) God gave them the produce… (3) God invited them to worship Him…this isn’t an offering of sacrifice; this is an offering of thanks & worship.
..a. It’s an amazing thing to consider that God invites us to worship Him through Christ Jesus!
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3 And you shall go to the one who is priest in those days, and say to him, ‘I declare today to the LORD your God that I have come to the country which the LORD swore to our fathers to give us.’ 4 “Then the priest shall take the basket out of your hand and set it down before the altar of the LORD your God. 5 And you shall answer and say before the LORD your God: ‘My father was a Syrian, about to perish, and he went down to Egypt and dwelt there, few in number; and there he became a nation, great, mighty, and populous. 6 But the Egyptians mistreated us, afflicted us, and laid hard bondage on us. 7 Then we cried out to the LORD God of our fathers, and the LORD heard our voice and looked on our affliction and our labor and our oppression. 8 So the LORD brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm, with great terror and with signs and wonders. 9 He has brought us to this place and has given us this land, “a land flowing with milk and honey”; 10 and now, behold, I have brought the firstfruits of the land which you, O LORD, have given me.’ “Then you shall set it before the LORD your God, and worship before the LORD your God.

A. Firstfruits ceremony: give the basket to the priest – ceremonial recitation of history, acknowledging God’s constant hand of provision on them.
B. Important aspects about their history:
..a. Abraham was a Syrian pagan when he was Abram…and God called him as His own…
..b. Israel was indeed about to perish before going to Egypt…and God provided for their survival (using a tragic sin against Joseph…)
..c. In Egypt, God made a tribe into a nation…
..d. God gave them their freedom
..e. God gave them their home.
C. The response to all this? Set the offering before God & worship Him!
..a. It’s all about the work of God! It’s all about His glory! He’s worthy!
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11 So you shall rejoice in every good thing which the LORD your God has given to you and your house, you and the Levite and the stranger who is among you.

A. Has God blessed you? Then praise the Lord with it. He’s given it to you for His glory & your enjoyment… We merely need to acknowledge that it is in fact the Lord Who gave it to us to begin with. James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. [] Whether this is wisdom which He gives freely, or strength to endure temptation through the Holy Spirit – or even the basic provisions of life, it all comes from our Jehovah Jireh…
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12 “When you have finished laying aside all the tithe of your increase in the third year— the year of tithing—and have given it to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, so that they may eat within your gates and be filled, 13 then you shall say before the LORD your God: ‘I have removed the holy tithe from my house, and also have given them to the Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, according to all Your commandments which You have commanded me; I have not transgressed Your commandments, nor have I forgotten them. 14 I have not eaten any of it when in mourning, nor have I removed any of it for an unclean use, nor given any of it for the dead. I have obeyed the voice of the LORD my God, and have done according to all that You have commanded me. 15 Look down from Your holy habitation, from heaven, and bless Your people Israel and the land which You have given us, just as You swore to our fathers, “a land flowing with milk and honey.” ’

A. What’s the difference between 1st fruits & the tithe? If the 1st Fruits was to celebrate the initial harvest after the Lord brought them into the land; this particular tithe was to celebrate God’s ongoing provision once they were settled there.
B. What was the 3rd year tithe for? The “Levite, the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow” – IOW, those who completely depended on the Lord for daily bread & provision… This wasn’t the only tithe; this was extra reserved the particular purpose of providing for those in need. Ch 14 detailed the regular tithe which was given year by year.
C. The Hebrew was invited to rejoice in all his increase in vs. 11 – but the tithe was not to be touched. It belonged to God & His purposes…it certainly wasn’t to be used in pagan rituals & other sinful activities. This was set aside to be holy unto God.
..a. Sometimes we get the wrong idea about giving. We think we’re giving to the Lord what rightfully belongs to us. In truth, we’re giving back to the Lord what rightfully belongs to HIM. He’s simply allowed us to be stewards of these resources in the meantime.
D. In response, the Hebrew prayed for blessing (vs 15)… God desired to bless the Hebrews for the tithe – even invited them to test Him on the matter. Malachi 3:8-10 (8) “Will a man rob God? Yet you have robbed Me! But you say, ‘In what way have we robbed You?’ In tithes and offerings. (9) You are cursed with a curse, For you have robbed Me, Even this whole nation. (10) Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be food in My house, And try Me now in this,” Says the Lord of hosts, “If I will not open for you the windows of heaven And pour out for you such blessing That there will not be room enough to receive it. []
..a. Be careful not to turn this into a get-rich-quick-off-of-God scheme. This was a specific promise given to a specific people in a specific situation. However, the general principle is true: we are simply not going to be able to ‘out give’ God! He may not always entrust more finances to us, but He’s going to bless anything given to Him in true worship…
E. Is there a NT command to tithe? Not really. There’s no NT verse stating, “You must set aside 10% of your income for God.” At the same time, no where in the NT is the tithe denounced…Jesus actually commended the Pharisees for giving it (Matt 23:23) & His greatest praise for giving was reserved for the widow who gave everything! (Luke 21:3) Thus the tithe becomes a great model of giving for NT believers. What do we see from the tithe?
..a. Giving should be unto God: It’s not done for our benefit; it’s given as worship unto Him. If we’re ‘giving to get’ then we’ve got the wrong motives.
..b. Giving should be consistent: The tithe was done on a regular basis & thus so should ours. Paul regularly asked the churches to set the giving aside in order to avoid confusion & pressure. (2 Cor 9:5)
..c. Giving should be generous: A tithe is (by definition) a 10th – no small amount of a yearly harvest. We may not see a specific percentage outlined in the NT, but we have the example of Jesus giving His life for us. And if we sow bountifully, we’ll reap bountifully. (2 Cor 9:6)
..d. Giving should be cheerful: This isn’t as explicitly stated in the tithe – but it’s definitely implied. The reason the tithe could be given in the 1st place was because God had graciously provided for the people in the land in abundance. Thus this was a response of cheerful worship. (2 Cor 9:7)
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16 “This day the LORD your God commands you to observe these statutes and judgments; therefore you shall be careful to observe them with all your heart and with all your soul. 17 Today you have proclaimed the LORD to be your God, and that you will walk in His ways and keep His statutes, His commandments, and His judgments, and that you will obey His voice.

A. Wrapping up the whole civic section.
B. Note that the Lord doesn’t desire mere lip-service on these laws. He wanted them to “observe them with all your heart and with all your soul”
C. This was a commitment Israel was making – a public vow to walk with the Lord & serve Him as His people. Keep in mind that Deuteronomy follows the form of a vassal-treaty – this is indicating Israel’s acceptance of the covenant (later demonstrated on the mountains).
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18 Also today the LORD has proclaimed you to be His special people, just as He promised you, that you should keep all His commandments, 19 and that He will set you high above all nations which He has made, in praise, in name, and in honor, and that you may be a holy people to the LORD your God, just as He has spoken.”

A. God made them a “special people”… … Did they earn this honor? No – God had promised it to them! He was keeping His word to Abraham… (Gen 12?)
B. Did God set Israel above all the nations? After all, Israel is pretty tiny… … Yes! Through Jesus Christ.
C. Will God still set Israel above the nations? Possible reference to the Millennium.

Conclusion:
Are we representing God? In His justice, His mercy, and His fairness…
Are we honoring God? In our possessions & service…

God has chosen us! WE as the church are the special people of God () – He’s bought us & called us by name. May we honor Him as we represent Him to the world in witness of the gospel.

Working With Widows

1 Timothy 5:1-16, “Working with Widows”
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Introduction:
As a letter to a young pastor, Paul’s instructions to Timothy have been a great mix of the theological & practical. Theologically, we’ve looked at the lawful use of the law – the grace of God to save sinners – acknowledging Jesus as the one mediator between man & God – the essentials about the deity, death, resurrection, & ascension of Christ – and the coming (and now is) Great Apostasy of the latter times… On a practical level, Paul’s covered issues such as what to teach, what men & women should do in the church, what to look for in leadership, and what things Timothy should personally be about doing. With this section on widows, Paul gets back to the practical & looks at how to work with people within the church – specifically how the church should demonstrate compassion on widows & those in serious need.

This is one of the great things about the Bible! It not only transforms us by the renewing of our minds (Rom 12:2), but it also equips us for every good work (2 Tim 3:17). And showing the compassion of Christ to our own family members is definitely a good work!

1 Timothy 5:1-16 (NKJV)
1 Do not rebuke an older man, but exhort him as a father, younger men as brothers, 2 older women as mothers, younger women as sisters, with all purity.

A. What’s wrong with rebuking someone? Isn’t that what Elihu did with Job & his 3 ‘friends’? Doesn’t Paul actually command this? 2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. [] If this is one of the functions of ministry, is this a contradiction in Scripture? No. The difference is in how the rebuke takes place. Actually 2 different words in Greek. In 2 Tim 4:2 (and elsewhere in the NT) the word means “to censure, admonish, charge”. The word used in 1 Tim 5:1 is the only time the word is found in the NT & means “to chastise/upbraid”…actually a compound word combining “over/beside” & “to pound/smite”. Here, Paul’s referring to harshly berating an older man – and that’s simply not appropriate for a younger Timothy to do, nor is it reflective of the heart of Christ.
__a. The old children’s chant “Sticks & stones may break my bones but words will never hurt me” really isn’t very true. Words DO hurt. So what words we use & how we use them absolutely matter. All Christians (young/old, pastor or not) are supposed to speak the truth in love…
B. What should Timothy do? Exhort! Gk = paracaleo “invite” (Paraclete)…same word used in 2 Cor 1 in describing the ministry of the church to come alongside one another & comfort each other with the comfort by which we’ve been comforted… The idea is for Timothy to come alongside the church & invite them to do better in following Christ… Older men are exhorted as fathers – younger men as brothers – older women as mothers – younger women as sisters. Everyone was to be exhorted…
__a. One specific note about the younger women: Timothy was to treat them “with all purity.” If there’s any way Satan loves to attack ministers of the gospel, it’s through infidelity. Paul would save Timothy (and the rest of us) from that & the best way to go about it is by remaining above reproach.
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3 Honor widows who are really widows.

A. This might seem kind of redundant to us, but in Paul’s day, not every woman who lost her husband was really a ‘widow.’ He’ll qualify the term in vs. 4… Culturally, a widow had very little options. The husband was the breadwinner; once he was gone, women usually had very little respect and/or ability to make a living. (Some exceptions: Lydia – Acts 16)
__a. God has always had a heart for widows! Psalm 68:5 A father of the fatherless, a defender of widows, Is God in His holy habitation. [] Promised to personally administer justice for them (Deut 10:18) – commanded the Hebrews to allow them to glean from the fields (Deut 24:20) – exhorted Jerusalem to plead for the widows (Isa 1:17) – condemned them when they did not (Eze 22:7).
__b. Tells us something very interesting about God. He doesn’t merely pay attention to world leaders, the rich & powerful – He knows ALL His creation intimately (even the stars by name)…and so He also knows & cares for those that the world would usually ignore. And if GOD loves & cares for the widow, so ought His people whom He bought with the blood of Jesus.
B. What does it mean to “honor” them? Obviously meant to show respect to – but context refers more to financial help & donations. (Related but different word than used in vs 17 re: elders…vs 3 not quite as direct to money.) The idea was to provide food, assistance & perhaps even a stipend for their daily support. Practiced early on in the church – this was the reason the apostles appointed deacons in the 1st place (Acts 6:1).
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4 But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents; for this is good and acceptable before God.

A. Before the church steps in to help these deserving widows, the Bible makes it clear that 1st the family is to provide for them. (KJV “nephews” in old English referred to grandchildren) Our modern culture has gotten away from this somewhat & it’s not uncommon to see widows & elderly fully abandoned…God would have us avoid this & have us provide for our own.
B. What does this do for the child providing for them? 2 things:
__a. It helps them “learn to show piety at home”: Two levels to this. (1) They’re able to honor their parents in accordance with the 5th Commandment as they provide for them in their time of need. (2) They’re able to demonstrate their love of God in the process. James 1:27 Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. [] If that applies to orphans & widows outside our own family, how much MORE to those within our house?
__b. It helps them “repay their parents”: We never quite fully understand the sacrifices our parents made for us until we become parents ourselves… To provide for those who once provided for us is simply the right thing to do.
C. Is it always easy? No… But it is good! In God’s sight, this is “good & acceptable”
__a. Our families are our 1st ministry!
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5 Now she who is really a widow, and left alone, trusts in God and continues in supplications and prayers night and day.

A. What happens if a widow doesn’t have any children – or at least no one to provide for her? Thus this is a person who’s truly trusting in God for daily bread! …
B. Because she’s dedicated to prayer, she’s a great value to the local church – and thus she can be supported (like overseers/elders) to pray & serve the congregation in good works. Example: Anna the prophetess who “served God with fastings and prayers night & day” (Luke 2:37).
__a. Obviously some of our seasoned saints today may not be in need of financial assistance – but many times they have a wonderful opportunity to serve the Lord! Sometimes retirement from the job is an open door into ministry and mission work…
__b. (Courson) “When you can’t sleep, don’t watch TV. Pray. Go to your knees and intercede for those who are hurting. There’s something about the nighttime hours which often become the matrix of miracles, the womb of wonder. There’s something about being in the dark with the Lord which allows you to focus on Him, to do battle against the enemy, to receive insight from Him in a way unlike at any other time of the day.”
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6 But she who lives in pleasure is dead while she lives.

A. Is Paul suggesting that widows have to always wear black & never experience happiness again? Of course not… “pleasure” isn’t a reference to joyful living, but to carnal, self-indulgent living. …
B. This isn’t just true for widows; this applies to everybody! … … It’s actually the opposite of what Christians should be doing! Instead of being dead to good works & alive to carnality, we should be crucifying our flesh (Gal 5:24). Romans 6:11 Likewise you also, reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. []
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7 And these things command, that they may be blameless.

A. As a pastor/leader in Ephesus, Timothy had a responsibility to instruct & command these things to the widows & people there so that they would be blameless & live lives above reproach.
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8 But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.

A. Harsh words – but necessary to hear! Our culture has tended to abandon our elderly & it shouldn’t be so. What does it mean to “provide”? Different things in different situations. Some people feel extraordinary guilt with the thought of allowing their loved ones to be taken into a care facility…but in some situations, that kind of 24/7 care might be the best possible scenario considering our own lack of medical training… At the most basic meaning of the context in the chapter, to “provide” is to supply financial support for our aging parents – but obviously much more can be included. What may be sufficient provision for one widow might not even scratch the surface of the needs for another. Greek actually means “to provide; foresee; think of beforehand” – the question we ask with our family members is: “What are their needs?” Not “What did the Joneses do with their parents?”
__a. Modeled by Jesus – John 19:26
B. What happens if we don’t provide appropriate care for our family members? We’ve in effect “denied the faith.” Even heathens know to take care of their own; Christians definitely should! Think of it this way: at the core of our faith is the agape love of Christ. [Greatest Commandment] Mark 12:30-31 (30) And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ This is the first commandment. (31) And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” [] How important is loving our neighbor? It’s the 2nd greatest commandment & goes hand-in-hand with the 1st. The NT goes on to tell us loving our neighbor is the fulfillment of the law (Rom 13:10), fulfills the law in one word (Gal 5:14), and is the fulfillment of the royal law (James 2:8). To deny this love to our own mothers is an awful thought & truly antithetical to our faith.
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9 Do not let a widow under sixty years old be taken into the number, and not unless she has been the wife of one man, 10 well reported for good works: if she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work.

A. Qualifications for the type of widow that the church was to provide for…not unlike some of the qualifications mentioned in Ch 3 for elders & deacons…
__a. Age: We’ll get the reason why in vs 11 – but the guideline was that a widow would be 60 years old (elderly for the day) & thus past the age (and temptation) of remarriage.
__b. Wife of one man: As the overseers/deacons are to be one-women men (1 Tim 3:2), the widows were to have been a one-man woman.
__c. Reputation as a caregiver: Technically says “brought up children,” but Paul never specifies whether or not she was their biological mother. Many scholars believe the reference could either be to her own children or to orphans. …
____i. Many wonderful sisters in Christ ache to bear children, but cannot… You are no less valuable to the Body of Christ than any other woman! If God’s gifted you to work with children, you can still be a caregiver & bring up children in Sunday School, youth, etc… …
__d. Reputation of hospitality: Again, somewhat reflective of the requirements for overseers/elders who were to be hospitable (1 Tim 3:2). Lodging “strangers” was common in the day (Lydia) – today we’d think of someone who makes a point to be hospitable.
__e. Reputation of service: We don’t have much need for literal foot-washing today – but we definitely have need of willing servants! To the culture, foot-washing was the lowest of the low positions that a houseservant could perform (underscoring Jesus’ actions) – and the deserving widow would have been willing to serve one another in the same way.
__f. Reputation of compassion: Although the widow may not have the financial resources to “relieve the afflicted” any longer – she may have at one time. But keep in mind that ‘relief’ can include far more than cash! Providing food – attending to their needs – providing clothing…
__g. Reputation for obedience: Whatever good work the Lord Jesus placed before her, she would have willingly followed Christ in obedience.
__h. As with elders/deacons, these are all characteristics we should want to see developed in our lives. Someone being faithful to their spouse, hospitable, serving, compassionate, and obedient is just a good description of a born-again believer in Christ!
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11 But refuse the younger widows; for when they have begun to grow wanton against Christ, they desire to marry, 12 having condemnation because they have cast off their first faith.

A. Why not widows under age 60? 2 reasons. #1: If they were brought into the church, the expectation is that they would serve the church full-time… Younger widows would want to eventually re-marry.
B. Is Paul referring to eternal condemnation? No – KJV “damnation” is misleading in modern usage. Gk refers to more of a judicial judgment. IOW, they would have made a commitment to the church like an OT vow to the Lord, and then knowingly broken it. Thus they condemned themselves by their actions & opened themselves up to reproach. They would have pledged their faith to Christ like a marriage vow & then broken it.
__i. We’re not required to make a vow to the Lord, but we ARE obligated to pay the vows we do make (Deut 23:21-22). We’re to let our yes be yes & our no be no (Matt 5:37) – especially unto the Lord our God!
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13 And besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not.

A. Reason #2 is a lack of discipline common in youth. The older I get, the more I realize that every age has some level of immaturity. Teenagers are obvious, but I thought I had ‘grown up’ when I hit my 20’s…and obviously still had a lot of growing to do. Hopefully we all continue to mature throughout our life. We should expect to do so as we grow in the Lord… Scriptures, prayer…
B. The specific problem with the lack of discipline?
__a. They were “idle”: Instead of laboring in prayer, they’d use the support of the church to live lazily.
__b. They were “gossips & busybodies”: Instead of going from house to house genuinely seeking how to pray & intercede for the congregation, they would seek out unnecessary details in order to engage in gossip.
____i. We have a tendency of thinking of ‘gossip’ as a sin amongst women – but it’s frequent among men too…and it’s wrong either way. Beware of the temptation to gossip! The words taste sweet going down (Prov 18:8), but it always brings trouble. Proverbs 26:20 Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases. []
__c. Instead of idle gossips, what the church needed (and still needs) are people (men & women alike) who are prayer warriors! We need those who are willing to labor away in prayers for the saints, thanksgiving unto God, and intercession for the lost…and it can definitely be labor. We need not look further than Jesus in Gethsemane…
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14 Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully. 15 For some have already turned aside after Satan.

A. The answer to idleness is activity. Instead of encouraging young widows to make a vow they would most likely break, the church was to spare them from that & encourage them to remarry. If they weren’t gifted for singleness (1 Cor 7:8-9), the church was definitely not to pressure them into remaining single. That’s just setting them up for a fall…which apparently some had already done.
B. When believers fail, the enemy rejoices. Keep in mind that Satan is actively looking for believers to destroy (1 Peter 5:8). He challenged God about Job, and he had personally desired Peter by name to sift him like wheat. We’re fooling ourselves if we think the enemy is going to ignore the opportunity to tempt us!
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16 If any believing man or woman has widows, let them relieve them, and do not let the church be burdened, that it may relieve those who are really widows.
A. Sums up the section.

Conclusion:
For some, reading this Scripture has obvious application – but for others, maybe not. Many have either lost their parents already, or it’ll be years before they will be at the point of needing assistance (if ever). So what do we do with this? At the core, Paul is instructing Timothy on practical expressions of compassion – and there are always opportunities to share that. Maybe that’s with a family member, or neighbor, or co-worker…whoever it is, we need to be following the leading of the Holy Spirit & be ready at all times to lovingly respond to those He’s placed in front of us.

Depending on your relationship with your parents, this might seem like a pretty tough Scripture. I praise God for those mother/child relationships that are rock-solid & the kids can’t speak highly enough of their mothers – but not everyone has that same testimony/background. Maybe you’ve come from an abusive home, or a mom who abandoned her family & you’ve wondered how you’d ever be able to provide for your parents if they needed it.
A. God is good. As a Christian, you have been born-again & adopted as God’s own child & He loves you perfectly – far better than any human mother or father ever could! What He calls us to do, He equips us for. He offers to empower us with the Holy Spirit, strengthen us with His might & provide His all-sufficient grace. What might seem impossible is indeed possible – we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us (Phil 4:13).
B. There’s hardly any better witness of the love of Christ than laying down your life for those who have caused you pain. That’s what Jesus did for us – while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us (Rom 5:8). When we walk in simple obedience to our Lord, demonstrating His sacrificial love, we have a wonderful platform from which to share the glorious gospel of God.

Instructions to a Young Pastor

1 Timothy 4:1-16, “Instructions to a Young Pastor”
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Introduction:
Since the 1990’s, one of the buzzwords among those working with youth has been “mentoring.” Obviously the concept is ancient – in trades, it used to be called “apprenticeship.” It’s invaluable to form a relationship with someone who can bring you along & teach you things never found in a classroom…. The pastorate is no different – we learn not only from books, but from the examples set before us.

Timothy was blessed to have the mentor of mentors – the apostle Paul. Obviously Paul didn’t want to leave Timothy in Ephesus unequipped & unprepared, thus he’s been taking the time throughout this letter to prepare Timothy for the ministry that awaits him. He’s written about setting up leadership, the roles for men & women, the importance of prayer – and in Ch 4, he seems to come back to the subject of Ch 1, where he exhorts Timothy to teach no other doctrine than the doctrine Paul had previously taught him.

In Ch 4, he takes things a little deeper. (1) Teaches Timothy how to avoid error in his doctrine. (2) The importance of backing up true teaching with Godly living. (3) Using the teaching in the ministry.

1 Timothy 4 (NKJV)
- How to avoid error (vs 1-5)
1 Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons,
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A. Make no mistake…there WILL be a great apostasy. Many teach a ‘latter-rain revival’…the NT teaches the opposite. There definitely will be people getting saved by Jesus until the very moment He calls us home through the rapture – but by & large this time is marked by people getting their ears tickled & even denying their former faith rather than people gladly receiving the truth of the gospel.
B. This is to happen in the “latter times” – are we there now? Without a doubt, yes. The phrase doesn’t necessarily mean the same as the “last days” (specific reference to a specific timeframe) – but when looking at time from an eternal perspective, we have been in the latter times since the resurrection of Christ. More so now than at any point in history, we are in the “latter times.” We ought to expect to see people who call themselves ‘Christian’ but who do not hold to the true faith…and lo & behold, that’s exactly what we find.
__a. ‘Surely Paul’s not talking about apostasizing from Christ as a whole? Surely he’s just talking about minor points of doctrine.’ Wrong – look at the context. He just came out of this incredibly hymn & creed about Jesus (the Christological Confession) – and then immediately in the next verse writes that the Spirit expressly says that people will depart from the faith. What other faith would Paul be referring to? Whether this is played out in whole segments of ‘Christianity’ or of individuals walking away, it matters little – the apostasy has the same result.
__b. Here’s the point: when people depart from the truth about the Lord Jesus, they are beginning to deny the Lord Jesus. We learn of Him through the Scriptures (John 5:39) & by the Spirit (John 15:26) – if we ignore what the Bible says about Christ, then we’re not following the Christ of the Bible. Doctrine is important!
C. What happens when people fall away from the faith (the truth – the gospel)? They start being deceived by demons…they’re being lied to by the minions of the ‘Father of Lies’ (the Devil).
__a. Sound familiar? This is the same thing that happened to Adam & Eve! They departed from the truth of God’s Word (Gen 3:3), and listened to the lies of Satan…
__b. Make no mistake we are in a spiritual battle! Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. [] What makes us believe that the enemy wouldn’t attack us at the core of our faith? If that is shaken, everything else follows. (Again, doctrine is important!)
D. What are some of the doctrines of demons from false teachers? See vs. 2-3…
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2 speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron, 3 forbidding to marry, and commanding to abstain from foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and know the truth.
A. False doctrines are hypocritical lies – and the teachers know that they are, they just no longer care. The overall context here is one of legalism & the great thing about legalism is that it always works out for the one who’s teaching it. It’s the people that are expected to follow it that suffer… … Thus it’s hypocritical! Because they wouldn’t be able to follow the legalism that they place on other people (not unlike the Prosperity Gospel movement…)
__a. This is one of the things the Lord Jesus condemned the Pharisees for in Matt 23. They were hypocrites! They bound people up with heavy burdens, but they themselves didn’t do anything to follow the same laws (Matt 23:4).
__b. How can these false teachers put up with the hypocrisy? Because they’ve grown numb to it – their conscience has been cauterized.
B. Example #1: The Ascetics (perhaps Gnosticism) & celibacy. To these people, anything dealing with pleasure (material things) were evil & thus marriage must be bad. The problem is that God created marriage; it was His perfect will for Adam & Eve. No different in the NT – the Lord Jesus affirms marriage (Matt 19) & even when Paul is arguing against it for those who are able, he heartily recommends it for those who are not. (Better to marry than to burn with passion – 1 Cor 7:9)
C. Example #2: The Judaizers…diet. Ascetics might also pick this up as well (material pleasure from food), but this obviously has more of a Jewish ‘flavor’ to it. Leviticus & Deuteronomy have whole chapters dedicated to diet & it would be easy for Christians to pick up on these things & apply them to the church. The issue here is three-fold.
__a. God gave many of these dietary laws as a means of protection; not legalism. Today we know how to avoid the dangers of undercooked meat & we know how to properly guard against disease – Ancient Israel didn’t have access to some of this while wandering in the wilderness.
__b. God gave many of these dietary laws as a means of sanctification. It wasn’t that there was necessarily anything wrong with some of the meat; only that God used it to set the Hebrews apart from the other nations of the earth – making them a peculiar people that the Gentiles would look to for God. (Today, we are the peculiar people set apart by the Spirit & the Word)
c. Nowhere in the early church do the apostles pick up on the idea of diet for Gentile believers. They would have had a perfect opportunity in Acts 15, but understood that putting this yoke on the Gentiles would be putting them under the yoke of the law & God has shown us His grace.
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4 For every creature of God is good, and nothing is to be refused if it is received with thanksgiving; 5 for it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.
A. It’s not what goes into our mouths that defile us; it’s what comes out of our hearts (Matt 15:11). Our cursing & lusting & sin should be far more abhorrent to us then bacon. When we ignore the former & dwell on the latter, our priorities are all messed up.
B. To take it a step further, when the food has been sanctified by God, it IS good. And that should be enough. This was the object lesson God used with Peter prior to preaching the gospel at the Roman Centurion (Cornelius’) house (Acts 10)…
C. Bottom line on diet: if you can receive it with thanksgiving in faith (Rom 14:3), then praise God. Neither feel guilty for someone else’s conviction, nor condemn them in your liberty.
__a. BTW, this is probably one of the best biblical foundations for the practice of “giving thanks” in prayer before eating. The early church probably just adapted the Hebrew custom, but many think Paul’s affirming exactly that custom here.
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- How to live for God (vs 6-11)
6 If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.
A. Which things are “these things”? The previous errors Paul just detailed. Whereas we don’t want to spend all of our time looking at false teaching, we definitely need to address it as it comes up. Preaching the truth & warning believers away from error pleases God…
B. What is far more important than the nourishment of food is the nourishment we receive from God’s Word. It’s no wonder Jesus quoted Deuteronomy in His temptation – man truly does NOT live by bread alone! (Matt 4:4)
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7 But reject profane and old wives’ fables, and exercise yourself toward godliness.
A. What kind of “old wives’ fables” is Paul referring to? Some think this is another reference to the false teaching already listed; could be a related subject – warning Timothy away from what we’d call ‘urban legends’ today. With the internet, some of these myths & rumors fly around faster today than ever before. We’re to reject that stuff…it’s a distraction from being built up on the Scriptures. After all, why gossip about a brother’s co-worker’s friend who was there in Siberia when they drilled a oil well that broke through to Hell, when we *could* be talking about the gospel?
__i. We don’t need urban legends & myths to ‘prove’ our faith. The Holy Spirit does a good enough job on His own convicting people of sin, judgment & righteousness – we ought to simply bring them Jesus rather than stories.
B. Instead of fictitious and faddish legalism, we should instead seek after holiness & godliness. See vs. 8…
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8 For bodily exercise profits a little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come. 9 This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.
A. No one denies the benefit of exercise (we might debate whether or not we want to do it, but we can’t debate the value. )…it takes discipline & dedication to condition your body to get it in shape. How much more value is our soul & service to Christ Jesus? Bodily exercise lasts for this life only; godliness is profitable in eternity.
B. It’s interesting that there are so many debates about holiness & living rightly for God; according to the NT “this is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptance.” … Whereas we need to be careful not to fall into a legalistic mindset (which is a doctrine of demons – vs. 1), we also need to be careful not to be so licentious that we abuse the grace that we’ve been given…
__a. Christians should neither be legalistic, nor licentious. Instead, we should rejoice in the liberty we have in Christ to live for Him in the power of the Holy Spirit…
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10 For to this end we both labor and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God, who is the Savior of all men, especially of those who believe. 11 These things command and teach.
A. Which “end”? Godliness. Paul wasn’t exempt from holy living simply because he was an apostle. He also exercised & labored towards it.
B. Depending on your translation – Paul either “suffers reproach” or “strives” for godliness as well. Different manuscripts use a different word in Greek. “Strive” makes a lot of sense for the immediate context, but introducing the idea of “suffering reproach” is not out of place. The apostles did suffer reproach for the sake of the gospel! (People still suffer reproach…)
C. How does Paul endure the reproaches – how is he strengthened in his labor? Through trusting in the Living God & Savior of all men! Imaginary fables don’t help during times of suffering; we don’t put our lives on the line for legalism…we serve, trust, and hope in the One True God!
__a. Is Paul teaching universalism here? … No. God is our Savior & He has made provision for the salvation of every single human being on the planet. But only “those who believe” will be born again… Shorthand: Jesus’ death on the cross is sufficient for the entire world; it’s efficient for those who believe.
D. This was to be what Timothy’s teaching should be about: the gospel & right doctrine. Too many times in too many churches, pastors preach everything BUT the gospel! They talk about how to have a better life/job/kids/marriage/attitude, etc… But we don’t come together as a body of believers to make ourselves feel good; we come because the Living God has saved us! We come to worship Him – to glorify Him – to rejoice in Him – to be reminded of His grace & be built up by His word.
__a. Does that mean the Bible has nothing to say about our marriages, etc? Of course not – but it’s not the primary reason we gather together. Paul hits it on the head with this young minister, saying “There are all sorts of teachers teaching all sorts of things. Don’t get pulled down by that stuff! To be a good minister of Jesus Christ, teach the gospel & word of Jesus Christ.”
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- How to serve in ministry (vs. 12-16)
12 Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.
A. Sometimes we get the idea that Timothy was a teenager and newly saved. Definitely not the case. Timothy had been a faithful travel companion of Paul & had assisted him in much ministry (he was Paul’s “son in the faith”)…some scholars think he was between 35-40 at the time of this writing. Besides, if he was too immature or inexperienced, Paul would never have sent him to give guidance to the leadership in Ephesus, as he wouldn’t have even fit the basic requirements for an overseer laid out in Ch 3… In the grand scheme of things, 35 is still young – and he likely encountered some issues with elder who were more ‘elder’ than himself. [I’m gradually losing that problem. ]
__a. It’s no secret that sometimes people major on the minors…don’t let it get in the way of what God has told you to do.
B. How was Timothy to overcome this? By being an example to the congregation in the faith. Note this includes what people could see & what people couldn’t see. They could see his conduct (whether or not it reflected the fruit of the Spirit), but they wouldn’t necessarily know his faith or his purity – but God would. This goes back to the idea of being blameless (Ch 3:2, 10). Those in leadership ought to live their lives in such a way where they are an example on Sunday morning, but also on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, etc…even when people can’t see them.
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13 Till I come, give attention to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine.
A. Like Ch 3:14, Paul gives the impression he had every intention of coming to Ephesus – we just don’t know that he ever got there. But in the meantime, he laid out some very specific tasks for Timothy:
__a. Read: the Jewish Synagogues had a tradition of publicly reading the Scripture – Timothy was to carry on the same tradition in the church.
____i. Some congregations accomplish this through responsive readings – others read the text aloud… regardless HOW it’s done, it needs to BE done. Both publicly & privately. (If you’re waiting until Sunday morning to read the Bible, you’re waiting too long & starving yourself spiritually!) The word of God is living & powerful & sharper than any 2-edged sword (Heb 4:12) – and just its simple proclamation alone is powerful. It keeps us from sin (Ps 199:11) – sanctifies us (John 17:17) – equips us (2 Tim 3:17) – washes us (Eph 5:26)!
__b. Exhort: Some translations say “preaching” – either is good. The idea is that once the Word has been presented, the people need to be exhorted to put it into action…
__c. Teach doctrine: This goes hand-in-hand with exhortation. Some ministers say, “I’m a preacher; not a teacher”…if so, then they are not fulfilling the whole duty God has called them to. We need to be exhorted, true – but we also need to be taught in order that we understand the exhortation.
B. This is what he was to spend the most attention on…for good reason. This is how we’re built up in the faith! A common criticism of evangelicalism is that so much priority is put on the teaching…but that’s what the NT tells us to do! Pastors are to preach the Word (2 Tim 4:2) & what we find is that when we learn, understand, and grow in the word of God, we are changed…which is exactly what we’re told will happen. Romans 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. []
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14 Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you by prophecy with the laying on of the hands of the eldership.
A. What was the gift? We don’t know…it’s mentioned again in 2 Tim 1. Whatever it was, Timothy was supposed to use it & stir it up. In Timothy’s situation, the gift was given in a worship service of sorts (like our 3rd Wed service) where the elders (presbyters) laid hands on him & prophesied over him.
__a. We may not have elders lay hands on us to receive them, but we’ve all been given gifts…(1 Cor 12:11) We’re supposed to use them according to the grace that’s been given us (Rom 12:6). Whether it’s public like prophesy or exhortation, or private like giving or service – God gave it to us for His glory & His purpose. If you’re not using it, the Body of Christ is missing out on something important.
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15 Meditate on these things; give yourself entirely to them, that your progress may be evident to all. 16 Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine. Continue in them, for in doing this you will save both yourself and those who hear you.
A. Two-fold exhortation somewhat saying the same thing. Meditate (ponder/think about) the doctrine & teaching Paul had passed on, so that Timothy could be the example he needed to be.
B. It’s not enough to start in the doctrine/gospel; we’ve got to continue in them. This isn’t ‘salvation by works’ – it’s definitely salvation by the grace of God (Eph 2:8-9). But there is a battle to take us away from His truth (vs 1), so BY His grace we need to continue to stay IN His grace.
__a. There are a ton of people who start, but never finish. They repeat a prayer after someone & feel pretty emotional afterwards, so they think they’re saved. 2 weeks later, they’re living like they’ve always lived & figured Christianity didn’t work for them. The Calvinist would say they were never saved; the Arminian would say they apostasized from the faith – whatever the position you take in the debate, one fact is true: the person is not saved right now. In the end, that’s the only thing that matters.
__b. It’s interesting that the Bible rarely addresses someone’s salvation from the past tense – it’s almost always where they are at that moment. Thus Paul asks a church he personally helped found to examine themselves to see if they were in the faith (2 Cor 13:5). Even Jesus said the same thing to the 12 disciples: John 15:5-6 (5) “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. (6) If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. []
____i. Where do you stand right now? Are you trusting in a past ‘decision’? Or are you trusting in Christ? We must continue in the gospel, thus we must continue to abide in Christ Jesus!

Conclusion:
Out of all the things Paul could pass on to a young pastor, what’s the one thing he hits over & over? The importance of preaching & teaching the Word of God! …

Keep in mind these are instructions not just for pastors, but for ministers () – and we’re ALL ministers in the Body. We ALL serve the Lord Jesus in some way, this these are instructions for all of us. Beware of false teaching… Pursue godliness… Stay in the Word…

Deuteronomy 21-22, “What We’re Saved From”

Deuteronomy 21 (NKJV)
1 “If anyone is found slain, lying in the field in the land which the LORD your God is giving you to possess, and it is not known who killed him, 2 then your elders and your judges shall go out and measure the distance from the slain man to the surrounding cities. 3 And it shall be that the elders of the city nearest to the slain man will take a heifer which has not been worked and which has not pulled with a yoke. 4 The elders of that city shall bring the heifer down to a valley with flowing water, which is neither plowed nor sown, and they shall break the heifer’s neck there in the valley.

A. So far, God has already dealt with murder (10 Commandments), death in warfare (Ch 20), unintentional manslaughter (cities of refuge) – but what about the cases that aren’t so obvious? What if you don’t know how a person died? Our own culture doesn’t have a method to deal with it at all (it’s an ‘unsolved mystery’) – but God gave Israel a way to address it.
B. Why the sacrifice? Because regardless how the person died, he still died. And death is a result of sin… (Genesis – the Fall)
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5 Then the priests, the sons of Levi, shall come near, for the LORD your God has chosen them to minister to Him and to bless in the name of the LORD; by their word every controversy and every assault shall be settled.

A. Ministry of the Levitical priests…served to show the judgment of God in the matter. Note: God chose them – God has a purpose for them – God uses them to spread truth. Knowing that we are a priesthood of believers (), there’s a lot of NT parallel here:
__a. God chose you! We love Him because He 1st loved us (1 John 4:19).
__b. God has a purpose for you! He equips you to serve in the Body of Christ (1 Cor 12:7).
__c. God uses you to proclaim truth! That’s exactly what we do through the Great Commission.
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6 And all the elders of that city nearest to the slain man shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley. 7 Then they shall answer and say, ‘Our hands have not shed this blood, nor have our eyes seen it. 8 Provide atonement, O LORD, for Your people Israel, whom You have redeemed, and do not lay innocent blood to the charge of Your people Israel.’ And atonement shall be provided on their behalf for the blood. 9 So you shall put away the guilt of innocent blood from among you when you do what is right in the sight of the LORD.

A. Innocent blood needs to be atoned for; it cries out from the ground (Gen 4:10). Thus the innocent heifer was killed in response to the sin that took place – this was the work of “atonement”. Atonement = turning the wrath of God away…a covering over of sin. … This is what Jesus does for us! We are forgiven only because we are covered by the innocent blood of Jesus Christ, who became sin for us. (2 Cor 5:21)
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10 “When you go out to war against your enemies, and the LORD your God delivers them into your hand, and you take them captive, 11 and you see among the captives a beautiful woman, and desire her and would take her for your wife, 12 then you shall bring her home to your house, and she shall shave her head and trim her nails. 13 She shall put off the clothes of her captivity, remain in your house, and mourn her father and her mother a full month; after that you may go in to her and be her husband, and she shall be your wife. 14 And it shall be, if you have no delight in her, then you shall set her free, but you certainly shall not sell her for money; you shall not treat her brutally, because you have humbled her.

A. Like we’ve done so many times, we need to take off our 21st Century mindset & consider what this meant for a culture 1500 years before Christ. When all the men of age in your city have been killed in war, as a woman – what are your options for survival? Other cultures would have encouraged their men to rape the women & leave them for dead – with no means for future provision if they did survive. If you were taken as a slave (which was the least that could happen with a war with Israel – Deut 20:14), you were best off being a slave of the Hebrews as God gave very specific rules for how to treat slaves. But even then, you’re still a slave. Thus in His grace, God gives an option for a slave woman to be taken as a wife – with time to mourn & all the rights of being a Hebrew wife…fully provided for. … …
__a. Christianity isn’t a religion just for men – it’s a religion for everyone! In every culture that Christianity has gone, women have been historically lifted up & treated better… … Why? Because once we are in Christ, everything changes – all our previous statuses disappear & we become one in Him. Galatians 3:26-28 (26) For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. (27) For as many of you as were baptized into Christ have put on Christ. (28) There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. []
B. Given a full month – not just for mourning, but as a time to separate herself from her previous culture. Her hair is shaved & nails are trimmed & clothes are changed in a symbolic ‘starting over.’
C. After the month, the man still has the option not to marry her, and if he does, he apparently has guidelines regarding divorce. (More details in Ch 24) There may not be a family for her to return to, but God still protects the woman by not allowing her ex-husband to profit off of the divorce & throw her back into slavery…
__a. Keep in mind that although God provided regulations regarding divorce, God hates it (Mal 2:16) – it’s allowed due to our hardness of heart (Matt 19:8).
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15 “If a man has two wives, one loved and the other unloved, and they have borne him children, both the loved and the unloved, and if the firstborn son is of her who is unloved, 16 then it shall be, on the day he bequeaths his possessions to his sons, that he must not bestow firstborn status on the son of the loved wife in preference to the son of the unloved, the true firstborn. 17 But he shall acknowledge the son of the unloved wife as the firstborn by giving him a double portion of all that he has, for he is the beginning of his strength; the right of the firstborn is his.

A. Jacob may have been a Patriarch, but he could have learned a lot from Moses. Rachel & Leah were constantly pitted against each other & their children reflected it with how they treated Joseph.
__i. The Bible never approves of polygamy; it only acknowledges it. God’s perfect plan is for a monogamous husband/wife lifelong marriage. When divorce or other extra-marital affairs get in the way, children always suffer as a result…the command here would help lessen the blow to the 1st born.
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18 “If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son who will not obey the voice of his father or the voice of his mother, and who, when they have chastened him, will not heed them, 19 then his father and his mother shall take hold of him and bring him out to the elders of his city, to the gate of his city. 20 And they shall say to the elders of his city, ‘This son of ours is stubborn and rebellious; he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton and a drunkard.’ 21 Then all the men of his city shall stone him to death with stones; so you shall put away the evil from among you, and all Israel shall hear and fear.

A. Rebellion at home… Interesting that this section would follow the instruction regarding the rights of the 1st born. Fathers are instructed not to provoke their children to wrath (Eph 6:4); treating them as less than their true son would definitely do that!
B. Is this too harsh of a punishment? Not for the crime; remember, this is the 5th Commandment… No record that this punishment was ever carried out. Either the culture ignored this rule, or the possibility was severe enough that sons didn’t rise to this level of rebellion.
C. Compare this with the Parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15)…
__a. Did Jesus give the wrong ending? Should the son have been killed? Yes – according to the law. … But according to grace, the son was not only shown mercy; he was brought back into the family in a tremendous display of grace. Luke 15:20 “And he arose and came to his father. But when he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him. [] Even beyond receiving him back into the family, the father demonstrated tremendous grace by running (which a patriarch didn’t do) & meeting him at the outskirts before anyone else could lay hands on him.
__b. Keep in mind that even in the gospel, the son is still killed – only that the death belongs to the Son of God. This is the glorious idea behind the substitutionary atonement – OUR punishment was put on Jesus…what should have happened to us happened to Him…
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22 “If a man has committed a sin deserving of death, and he is put to death, and you hang him on a tree, 23 his body shall not remain overnight on the tree, but you shall surely bury him that day, so that you do not defile the land which the LORD your God is giving you as an inheritance; for he who is hanged is accursed of God.

A. “Hanging” isn’t the idea of strangulation; it’s one of exposure… Definitely a harsh form of punishment! But even here, there’s mercy that’s evident. The body isn’t left up on the pike to be devoured by animals or rot; one day’s worth of humiliation was enough. The land was not to be defiled, so the body was removed & given a proper burial afterwards.
B. Direct application to Jesus! Galatians 3:13-14 (13) Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), (14) that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. []
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Deuteronomy 22 (NKJV)
1 “You shall not see your brother’s ox or his sheep going astray, and hide yourself from them; you shall certainly bring them back to your brother. 2 And if your brother is not near you, or if you do not know him, then you shall bring it to your own house, and it shall remain with you until your brother seeks it; then you shall restore it to him. 3 You shall do the same with his donkey, and so shall you do with his garment; with any lost thing of your brother’s, which he has lost and you have found, you shall do likewise; you must not hide yourself. 4 “You shall not see your brother’s donkey or his ox fall down along the road, and hide yourself from them; you shall surely help him lift them up again.

A. Mutual responsibility… When we willingly allow our brother to suffer, we’re sinning by omission (as opposed to sinning by commission).
B. Love your neighbor as you love yourself…(Matt 22:39) Interesting that we have to have “good samaritan” laws now…some of these things should be common sense to us in helping our neighbor.
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5 “A woman shall not wear anything that pertains to a man, nor shall a man put on a woman’s garment, for all who do so are an abomination to the LORD your God.

A. Transvestitism… Why is this important to God? Because God created genders! We were knitted together in our mothers’ womb – and although situations in life may confuse people, God didn’t make a mistake in anyone’s birth. To say, “I don’t want to be a man/woman” is rebellion against God Himself & demonstrates a fundamental lack of trust in God.
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6 “If a bird’s nest happens to be before you along the way, in any tree or on the ground, with young ones or eggs, with the mother sitting on the young or on the eggs, you shall not take the mother with the young; 7 you shall surely let the mother go, and take the young for yourself, that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days. 8 “When you build a new house, then you shall make a parapet for your roof, that you may not bring guilt of bloodshed on your household if anyone falls from it.

A. Examples of merciful provision:
__a. Take the eggs, but leave the mother alive. Ensured ongoing food & encouraged human treatment of animals.
__b. Build a protective wall/fence around the rooftop. People spent a lot of time up there & that would stop people from falling off.
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9 “You shall not sow your vineyard with different kinds of seed, lest the yield of the seed which you have sown and the fruit of your vineyard be defiled. 10 “You shall not plow with an ox and a donkey together. 11 “You shall not wear a garment of different sorts, such as wool and linen mixed together. 12 “You shall make tassels on the four corners of the clothing with which you cover yourself.

A. Examples of purity. Some have seen various benefits in single-seeded fields, the way donkeys & oxen work together, etc. But most likely, these were practical ways of demonstrating their commitment to the Lord & His commandments, and demonstrating the purity that God alone brings.
B. Definitely NT application here. Don’t be unequally yoked…seems to be what Paul was referring to – 2 Corinthians 6:14-15 (14) Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? (15) And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? [] Whether we’re talking about business arrangements, marriage, or whatever – we don’t want to be so closely joined to an unbeliever that they would pull us away from God.
C. Tassels – (Num 15:37-41) Used to remind believers of the commandments of God. Perhaps used as a memory aid; primarily used as a physical visible reminder that they were set apart unto God (holiness).
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13 “If any man takes a wife, and goes in to her, and detests her, 14 and charges her with shameful conduct, and brings a bad name on her, and says, ‘I took this woman, and when I came to her I found she was not a virgin,’ 15 then the father and mother of the young woman shall take and bring out the evidence of the young woman’s virginity to the elders of the city at the gate. 16 And the young woman’s father shall say to the elders, ‘I gave my daughter to this man as wife, and he detests her. 17 Now he has charged her with shameful conduct, saying, “I found your daughter was not a virgin,” and yet these are the evidences of my daughter’s virginity.’ And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city. 18 Then the elders of that city shall take that man and punish him; 19 and they shall fine him one hundred shekels of silver and give them to the father of the young woman, because he has brought a bad name on a virgin of Israel. And she shall be his wife; he cannot divorce her all his days.

A. [Context for custom] Still practiced in some Middle Eastern cultures today.
B. Again, this is protection for the woman. It definitely would not be desirable to be married to a man who “detests” her – but it would be worse to be divorced & likely left without prospects for marriage for the rest of her life. …
C. Note the public shaming for the man – not only is he brought before the elders, he’s likely whipped (“punish”), and has to pay a large fine to his father-in-law (due to the accusation against her family)…this would have been a powerful deterrent from falsely accusing her.
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20 “But if the thing is true, and evidences of virginity are not found for the young woman, 21 then they shall bring out the young woman to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her to death with stones, because she has done a disgraceful thing in Israel, to play the harlot in her father’s house. So you shall put away the evil from among you.

A. Should she be guilty, she’s subject to the death penalty. It may seem harsh, but it’s a rough equivalent of dealing with a rebellious son. In this case, the woman would herself have broken the 5th Commandment by bringing dishonor on her parents.
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22 “If a man is found lying with a woman married to a husband, then both of them shall die—the man that lay with the woman, and the woman; so you shall put away the evil from Israel. 23 “If a young woman who is a virgin is betrothed to a husband, and a man finds her in the city and lies with her, 24 then you shall bring them both out to the gate of that city, and you shall stone them to death with stones, the young woman because she did not cry out in the city, and the man because he humbled his neighbor’s wife; so you shall put away the evil from among you.

A. Dealing with adultery…even though the wedding hasn’t yet taken place, a betrothal carried the same legal weight as marriage. Breaking this brought a stiff punishment, but it’s an obvious violation of the 7th Commandment.
B. The famous contrast is with John 8 & the woman the Pharisees brought to Jesus. Jesus never told the people the law commanding her death was incorrect; but He rightly pointed out that they were ALL deserving of death under the law – and it highlighted the fact they didn’t even follow this law correctly in that they only brought the woman & not the man.
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25 “But if a man finds a betrothed young woman in the countryside, and the man forces her and lies with her, then only the man who lay with her shall die. 26 But you shall do nothing to the young woman; there is in the young woman no sin deserving of death, for just as when a man rises against his neighbor and kills him, even so is this matter. 27 For he found her in the countryside, and the betrothed young woman cried out, but there was no one to save her.

A. Dealing with rape…treated as serious as murder (rightfully so).
B. Note the emphasis on the innocence of the woman. Too often, women are blamed – but rape is a crime of violence; the punishment belongs to the rapist alone.
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28 “If a man finds a young woman who is a virgin, who is not betrothed, and he seizes her and lies with her, and they are found out, 29 then the man who lay with her shall give to the young woman’s father fifty shekels of silver, and she shall be his wife because he has humbled her; he shall not be permitted to divorce her all his days.

A. Like Shechem & Dinah (Gen 34)… Again, this would be unthinkable today; but we live in a completely different culture than they did. For a culture that treated its women little better than livestock, this commandment would ensure that a raped women would be provided for all her life, rather than tossed aside.
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30 “A man shall not take his father’s wife, nor uncover his father’s bed.

A. Dealing with incest – the instance doesn’t necessarily refer to a man’s mother, but likely his step-mother (which is still incest).
B. Corinth dealt with the same issue (1 Cor 5:1-2). We should know better! These are things that even the heathen don’t do… Paul instructed Corinth to (1) stop bragging about how ‘tolerant’ they were, (2) cast out the sinning member, (3) wait for his repentance…
__a. God calls us to a life of purity & holiness! Not that we can ever be sinless; but if we are in Christ we should “sin less”. His work in us as new creations should create a distaste for sin & a desire to live as He calls us to live.

Conclusion:
Murder, rebellion, adultery, rape, incest…a lot of sin dealt with in these two chapters. Why does the Bible have so much to say about it? Because this is exactly the stuff Jesus Christ saves us from! Before Christ saves us, we’re wallowing in sin – nothing restraining us except the witness of our own conscience against us. We may not physically kill someone, but we all get away with murder (so we think).

But in Christ, everything’s different! He’s the innocent heifer killed for our unknown sin. He’s the innocent Son of God that took the sin of the rebellious son. He’s the Holy Messiah who bore the dishonor of the promiscuous daughter. And yet He’s also perfectly just, Who will judge every rape & murder – both solved & unsolved.

What a glorious Savior we serve! He’s absolutely righteous & absolutely merciful! He’s saved us from so much – may we be empowered by the Spirit to live for Him & not go back to the way we were before.