First Timothy lesson 4 continued
1 Timothy · Mike Doyle · Apr 21, 2024
1 Timothy, No. 10
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/49261934571942

Transcribed from the recording by SermonAudio, so expect the occasional misheard word.

Okay, so we are in 1 Timothy, and we're working our way through 7, 8, 9, like that, 10, 11, and the next couple of sessions that we'll have. And today, we sort of finished up last week, and we'll repeat the question, one question from last week. Verse 8 says, but we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully.

I found it interesting, I've been preparing for next Sunday because I'm up in the main service, and it's interesting how Romans comes down through chapter eight, verse 25, six, seven, and eight has to do with the world groaning, suffering. And then 26 and 27 talk about, we don't know how to pray like we should. We don't know how to do that.

And so the spirit helps us and that kind of thing. And then the very next verse, which struck me was, we do know some things though. And this is the same kind of thing here. We do know, like in Romans 8, 28, we do know that God works all things together for good. We already know that. And it's common knowledge and understanding amongst believers.

We do know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully. So the first question I had was, in what sense is the law good? Remember last week we talked a little bit about the moral quality of the law? It reveals things. It reveals the righteousness of God, because he's the one that is the author of the law, and we're talking about the, there is a definite article there of the law, so you have to acknowledge that he's talking about the Mosaic law. But I think the law principle fits under this category too. So what was the law designed to do? What's that? A mirror. What did the reflection tell us? Yeah, it is the vehicle. that God uses to show us sin, because it catalogs sin, puts a definition on different sins, and describes them.

And that metaphor of a mirror is a good one, because then you look at it and you think, oh, not only is the law good, but I'm not measuring up. And so in the sense that it exposes me, for not having the ability to live under a law system, that is a good thing. Now, I think you'd have a tough time convincing the ascetic Jews that live in my neighborhood that it's a good thing from that perspective. But if you could, if you could live under a law, what would it prove? Let's say he looked in the mirror and he said, oh, well, I got them all checked off. Self-righteous. I'm self-righteous because I did it. Liar. I've broken that law then. You think you got them all checked off.

But there are people who think that. Catholics. What's that? Catholics. Well, I think they make it from the confessional to the front door of the church and then they have to turn around and go back. That was as far as a God. He said. Blameless, blameless under the law. Mosaic system, yeah. Yeah, it is where the word that Jesus teaching in the Sermon on the Mount was so important because he made it very clear that that outward ritual obedience to the law was not the intent of the law, wasn't the meaning within the law.

I was going to say, I think Romans 5.20 is really important to the discussion.

The law commenced that transgression would increase. I think it's interesting, the more you behold the law, the more, truly, truly behold it, the more sinful you become in your own eyes. Because you are, not just because you think you are, but because you are. And not only that, but also the transgression actually increases, so the more sinful you actually become in practice.

So, would you say that that principle is a good thing? It's a good thing for us to be exposed, like J.D. says, exposed for the liars that we are. And it also serves, I think, it serves to bring a person to the realization, I can't do this. I just don't have it in me. Donna? Romans 7, you know that there's a letter of the law, but then there's the spirit of the law. Right.

And can you understand the spirit of the law without being indwelled by the spirit? Oh, that's a good—you know, I don't think you can, because all you know are the statutes. Because I think that's what's happened to Paul. saw the spirit of the law and realized he wasn't cutting it.

Yeah, he began to realize that, I mean, he had an advantage in that he spent three years in the desert learning from the glorified Lord Jesus, all the principles that he wrote in his epistles. But on top of that, he's with him. And he's observing who he is and how he functions. And he realizes fairly quickly that, wait a minute, how do I measure up to that?

So, while sometimes the Spirit of God will use it for a man to come to Christ before he has the Spirit just to show him, you're not going to make it on your own. You can't do it. Why would you accept a Savior if you didn't know you were lost? Well, how do I know I'm lost? Well, there's a criteria that says that if I want to go to this place that I think I know about as heaven, then there's some requirements, and I have to measure up to those. And guess what? I'm not. Now I'm in trouble. What am I going to do? Is that the work of the Spirit? Yeah, it is. But then a savior is presented, and the fact that if you believe in him and his work, that he will save you. You don't have to save yourself. And that's the offer. I will save you if you believe me.

We're studying Acts and on Eccles' study when we get together. And we're kind of right there with understanding about post-resurrection millennial kingdom. The message was not as clear as it is after Paul comes on the scene. So the law is good in that it exposes And it defines and catalogs sin and it hangs them on you.

I think a lot of times you read in the newspaper and say, boy, those are a bunch of bad guys that got arrested. I never would do anything like that, really. So how is the law misused then? I wrote down several ways. The first one is a really common one.

It's misused when it is treated as the means of obtaining salvation. It's not the means. And Romans 320, Acts 1339, Galatians 321, And that's probably the number one issue about the misusing of the law is the fact that I'm obeying it and I'm using it to acquire salvation. The whole mindset is that when I get to the pearly gates, Peter's going to have a ledger and there's going to be the the asset and the debit side, and hopefully I have more items on the asset side than the debit side, which gets me in the door. That's law. That's how law works. It's interesting that in Revelation, one of the books that are open to judge the unbeliever, they are judged according to their works, but that has nothing to do with the believer.

You know, I went to a conceal and carry class yesterday. And what's interesting about it is that they spent an awful lot of time dealing with the law and how the law is manipulated. And that if you're in a situation where you actually had to use your firearm, there are certain things you better make sure you do so that you don't get prosecuted. but you're probably gonna get arrested even if you were the victim and the whatever, because you're the guy with the pistol. And so, and I thought to myself, what they're teaching a class is not the misuse of a law, but the law is already being misused because you have two lawyers arguing for their position and both of them are lying.

Most of them have a frame of reference and a point of view. And you have to minimize, if you get prosecuted, you have to minimize the point of view that the prosecutor has by what you say and do right at the time. Gee, I wouldn't work very well in that system. Okay, second one. And this has to do with believers. It is misused when one thinks it can sanctify you.

Look at Galatians 4.9. Somebody look that up. If you get it, go ahead and read it. But now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how is it that you turn back again to the weak and worthless elemental things for which you desire to be enslaved all over again?

Yeah, touch not, taste not. So you can't get saved by the law, but we have a whole... Most of what we would call Christendom tries to impose the law on its constituents as a means of sanctification. Sanctification means setting apart. Problem is, what's the big problem with that? What is the number one problem a person has who tries to be, a Christian has who tries to be more righteous by the law?

What's the big trapdoor there? You fail. Okay. I'm looking for something else. You can't keep it all. No. There's no way. No. Maybe I'll ask it another way. How does a believer become more separated under Christ? How does that happen? What is that program like?

I'd say by trusting the reality that we already are. We already are, Donna. Yeah, and that's really where I'm going. The idea is to behold his glory and be conformed to his image. Which means that the focus of the growing believer is not on himself, it's on him. As soon as law comes into the picture, where does the focus change? Where does it go? It has to go to me because I'm the one trying to keep the rules. If the Lord Jesus is the focus of your life, and I'm not saying this happens 24-7, but The great grace in that is the fact that, at least for that time, you're not focused on you. The freedom of that is incredible.

Galatians 3.24, the law has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith. So your question is, what is the purpose of the law? to lead you to Christ. Yeah, I was just looking at that. The tutor, in that case, is not a teacher. The tutor is just the guy that gets you to the class and gets you home. And then you don't need him anymore.

Yeah. Because then you're clothed in Christ. That's right. And so Christianity really is about a person. It's not about a set of rules. And so as long as you start to get that idea and you're taught that idea, you begin to focus in on the person of the Lord Jesus Christ to the great freedom, which is, I'm free of me. The old saying, I found the enemy within the camp, guess who it is? It's me. I'm the problem. And the Lord has very graciously said, I took care of your problems. I took care of you.

And so we walk and live by faith in the facts of what God has already done, okay? Third, it is misused when it is buried in tradition as the Pharisees did. And fourth, it is misused when applied to the wrong people. On Wednesday night, we're studying Pauline dispensationalism and that's probably the big issue is that the mosaic law being brought forward into Christianity, wrong people, wrong people.

Do you like the class, Mike? Should I send an invitation to you again? All right. It's all about the immigration. Or the fourth source of your behavior. That make sense? You're saying that's the trap of the law is behaviorism and legalism. That's where the church is wrong.

Kenneth, he says the law is good if a man uses it lawfully. The word agathos refers to intrinsic goodness, while kalos refers to goodness as it is seen on the outside. But this distinction does not help us here. Kramer says that the Greeks brought Kalos into a very close connection with Agathos so that the basic meaning of each is the same, although the goodness is looked upon from two different standpoints. The word lawfully, the word lawfully just means agreeable to the law.

So it's not only an inverse thing, but it's how you walk, okay? Verse nine, realizing the fact that the law is not made for the righteous person, but for those who are lawless and rebels, rebellious, or the ungodly and sinners, or the unholy and profane for those who kill their fathers and mothers for murderers, et cetera. So when Paul says the law was not made for the righteous man, what does he mean? In the broadest sense, I think he means that it's not made for people who are moral.

Maybe I'll put it in the form of a question. Does he mean that the righteousness in the broad sense of moral people, or does he mean the righteousness in the narrow sense of saved people? What do you think? Is that a clear question? Want me to say it again? I was going to say, I think Paul uses righteous pretty consistently for the justified individual. I agree. I agree.

He talks about the righteous man is the man who is positionally righteous in the narrow sense, people that are saved. So that brings up the question, is the law really good for a believer? Like, what's the purpose of the law? Should I, at some point as a believer, be okay with the law so that it can identify my sins?

No, I don't think so. I don't think so. Because we have a whole entirely new... Yeah, no, I think our death to the law is... And the word law here in this verse doesn't have the definite article in front of it, so it just means law in general. Although sometimes when I'm driving, Donna says, you're breaking the laws. I'm trying to read my cell phone while I'm driving. So this whole verse that says, the law and lawless, refers to the law in general.

And when the Lord Jesus said, I didn't come to call the righteous, because none were righteous and none sought after. So how do I say this? If I'm righteous, because God's word tells me I am, I have a position of righteousness, why would I want to spend time with the rules? I wouldn't.

So when you read a verse like this, he's not talking about whether the believers are living under the law or living by faith and grace. He's just talking about in general that the reason that the law was implemented was for those people in the world who are not saved. Does that make sense? I think it makes a lot of sense because, answering my own question, because I think without a law, they don't know.

Look what's happening in our society over the last, let's say, 10 years as legislatures pass laws that delete other laws. Like in California, I read this morning that they have a petition to change Proposition 46, which allowed people who were stealing, if it was less than $1,000, it was minor, minor, minor misdemeanor. They never got prosecuted, and look what that's caused. So they have 900,000 signatures or something and put it on the ballot. to rescind that law and go back to a system where if you steal, no matter what it is, you pay a consequence. You know? In the Middle East, don't they just cut your hands off? Yeah, they do. Yeah. Yeah. Makes it a little tough.

But you see all the time now in a lot of places where whole cities are beginning to just implode because no retail business can exist in an environment like that, because people just come in and take what they want. And then they take stuff and put it behind glass. tempered glass and they break the glass and steal the stuff anyway. So the laws are a good thing. It's like speeding laws. Is it a good thing not to go over 70 miles an hour on a freeway when the posted speed limit is 70? Yeah, that's a good thing.

There's this kid who plays for Kansas City Chiefs. How fast was he going when he wiped out that Lamborghini at 140 miles an hour or something? Or Michael Porter's brother, he got sentenced to six years in jail Friday because he was intoxicated and doing 120 miles an hour and killed somebody. So, Vincent says that the words morally upright, not in the Pauline sense of justified by faith, disappears from the way in which the opposite of righteousness is described. So how are we doing time-wise? I agree. I only got one question more.

What's the difference between a lawless person and a rebellious person? I think Neal comments on lawless. You could double check this if the word there is anomia. It's not, it's more so the idea of being self-willed is the way Newell put it, if I'm remembering correctly. So it's kind of like lawless would be self-willed and rebellious is more of a hostility, perhaps. Okay. Okay.

So if, describe me, if I was lawless, what would you say about me? under this where this verse says, realizing the fact that the law is not made for a righteous man, but those who are lawless and rebellious. And rebellious, they're not synonyms, they mean different things. So lawless, I would be an anarchist. I don't recognize any law for me.

I can do what I want. It's the mindset of the pro-choice speaking. It's my body, I can do with it what I want. Those people, I would say, are lawless when it comes to that issue. But if they lived in a gated community, they'd probably throw you in jail if you had the wrong plant in your yard. So there are a lot of those kinds of people.

It's like different societies. Do you think Hamas has the same set of rules that Israel does? Not even close. Not even close. And a rebellious person is one that is just unruly and disobedient. It means that he will not come into subjection. I'm not going to do it. I know it's there. I recognize it's there, but I'm not going to do it. One of them, there's no legal obligation recognized, and the other is refuse to be subjected to the law.

Give me an example. Well, what would be the difference between the will and desire? Oh, that's a good question. If I was a single guy and I wanted to live with my girlfriend and not marry her, I've got the will and I have the desire and both of them, they're in conflict with one another. My will says, wait a minute, there's a law against this. But my desire is too strong. So I'm going to do it anyway. Or you mean in the world, there's no law? Well, I don't know. Is there? I don't have any idea. I think what you're trying to say is that The will is what you carry out. It's the most thing we have to do as a creature.

Our will is associated with a creature in a way to God's will, right? So He gave us a will in order to choose. So when you enact your will you make a choice. When you have a desire, It feeds the will, either to choose A or B, in this case, right? Yeah, if you're a Christian, it comes from one of two sources, from the Spirit. And desire has a source as well. For a believer, it should come from the signature, or it could be out of the spirit. So, the will has to work through where this desire is coming from, why it's happening, and where it's sourced, then it has to do something about it. For the believer, that is to go right back to the cross. death is the consequence of the unlawful desire that you have.

Yeah, and you know what's interesting about it? That's a great discussion because, like you brought up Romans 7, the will is there, the desire is there, but I can't do it. Yet in Philippians, God says that he works both to will for you to will and do of his good pleasures. So he's working on two things. He wants you to desire it, and he's going to give you the will to do it. So is that independent?

That brings in, without the Holy Spirit, we can't live that life. It's impossible. Because the pull of the world is too strong. And my sin nature is stronger than I am to control it. And I think that the spiritual education about that comes with trying to obey a law. When you finally realize, I can't do this.

That increases your desire if it's of a sin nature, right? Yeah. Yeah, that's right. That's the desire of the sin nature. You have to have death there. Yes. And not only that, you've got to have someone implementing that death actually for you, yeah, so that you can walk away. Otherwise, you wouldn't.

You're going to lose every time. And, you know, for Paul to describe that as he does in Romans 7 is so revealing, because until you sort of understand that principle, You can really be living under a rock, saying, I'm really trying to do this, but I'm not getting anywhere. I'm not going to tell anybody about it. I don't want them to know I'm this weak or that I'm this sinful.

But there is a day, a time, when you really come to the realization, without the Spirit of God, this is impossible. Lewis Perry Chaffer said that God has called us to live a life that's totally impossible for us to live, but he expects us to do it. It sounds like an oxymoronic sentence, but he does expect us to do it because he's given us his spirit to do it. So our job is to depend. And that's why I think spiritual growth, one of the reasons it takes so long to grow spiritually is this learning process we go through to learn how to be dependent. I can't find anything in the Constitution that says I'm supposed to be dependent. It's totally the opposite. Okay, I'm done, unless you have more comments. You have to get out early. I've always struggled with it.

Are taxes biblical or secular? Biblical. Biblical. That's what I thought. Yeah. Render under Caesar the things that are Caesar's. Okay. Thank you. Yeah. But I'm like you. Every time I write that check, I hate it. Yes, sir. Especially when it's being used to... Exactly right. I'm a righteous man writing a righteous check to a bunch of unrighteous people. That's a little arrogant, isn't it? All right, let's close. Dear Father, how we thank you for your word. You're so careful to teach us and to cause us to grow. And we desire to grow and will to grow in the knowledge and grace of your dear son. And we pray in his name. Amen. Amen. Thanks, everybody.