First Timothy lesson 19 cont
1 Timothy · Mike Doyle · Mar 9, 2025
1 Timothy, No. 56
Holly Hills Bible Church
https://hollyhillsbiblechurch.org/teaching/messages/49261938365257

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

We have been working our way down talking about, I don't think we finished about question eight. What is a seared conscience? What is a seared conscience? What do you think it is? We talked about the fact that seared means exactly what that word means. If you want to cook a steak, you crank up the oven or the grill as high as you can and you sear it, you know, it sizzles.

And you apply that metaphor to your conscience, it's almost like in ancient times they wouldn't tattoo people, they would brand them. You know, like we do cattle, and if you were a criminal, they'd brand you right on your forehead. That wasn't going anywhere. That's permanent, okay?

So imagine, apply that to their conscience. A conscience is what? It's a mechanism, the best thing I can think of, within every human being. to approve your behavior or disprove your behavior. Your conscience at some point can be reliable, other points not.

I'm sure an Islamist who's going in and killing Christians doesn't have a problem with doing that. So should they harm the Christians then? How do you mean? These Muslims are going around killing Christians. Should they arm the Christians? Who are they? You mean the government over there? Or themselves?

No, the Christians get armed and fight back. And resist, yeah. It doesn't sound like it. Is that biblical? Not to be able to defend yourself? Is that what you're asking? Yeah. No. It's biblical to defend yourself, but it seems like the only method is to give them guns. Or they can push back. Yeah. Establish boundaries. Sure, sure. Well, you know, I don't have any problems with that either. I mean, you know, the Lord even told his disciples one time, you know, get your swords, we're leaving. Well, what is a sword for?

It's protection from someone who would do you harm. But let's stay focused on what a seared conscience would be. I wrote down this. It's the loss of sensitivity to moral right and wrong. You talk about branding, and the reason you use a brand is because it cauterizes the wound immediately. There's no bleeding. You don't bleed anymore. Yeah. It's just there. No response to it kind of thing.

So if we look at 2 Timothy 2.26, somebody looked that up. And whoever gets there, go ahead and read it. 2 Timothy 2, 26. And they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, having been held captive by him to do his will. So those who are captive to Satan He puts the snare of the devil as the, who has who in captivity.

So would you say that, I keep picking on these Syrians, you think these Islamists over there would be agents of Satan? I'd say yeah. Yeah, I think they would be too. And they don't have any sense, I mean they don't have any conscience about going and killing Christians. You know? Because Satan controls their thinking. Now, do you think that that kind of control by Satan is universal? How about in Denver, Colorado? Yeah. I think it's universal. What do you mean by universal? Well, meaning that Syria is not the only place on the planet that Satan controls things. Oh, yeah. Well, this is his domain. What? This is his domain. Right.

And we run into people all the time that we can't We really don't know where their conscience is because they don't seem to have a sensitivity to right or wrong. Not that they're going around shooting people all the time, but there's plenty of that going on too. When you live in a generation like, well, we're not the only ones. It's a me generation.

It means that I can do whatever I want. And the only way I don't get to do it is if you're going to stop me. but I'm okay with it, you know, so. You know, on Zodiaty's, for the word for consciousness, it's particularly a knowing oneself consciousness and hence conscience. It's that faculty of the soul which distinguishes between right and wrong and prompts one to choose the former and avoid the latter.

This is saying it's searing in one direction. It's seared in the choosing evil. The branding is a permanent mark and a permanency of their conscience, so they're falling away. Again, it's kind of like an unbeliever. They have no choice but to sin, but this is really you know, choosing evil over good. This is beyond, you know, just you're controlling the flesh and all that. This is, and if you, you know, back to the actual verses, it's, if I can get it here. The Spirit explicitly says, in later times, some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.

That's what's being seared into their conscience. And at that point, there's nothing they can do. Well, and I think we need to be aware of the fact that if we're confronted by a person who has this seared conscience, we're not going to change their mind. They've made up their mind. Yeah, Donna. Do you think that that means that they have purposely made a choice against the baby? Yes, I do. And that's the searing. Yeah. And you can't talk them out of it, so to speak. Not that they can't be restored.

Now, one last thing about a conscience. I started talking about this last week. Did Adam, before the fall, have a conscience? No. He didn't? So, when he falls, he gets a conscience. Is that a good thing? Yeah, if you're dealing with people. Well, think about this. Before he fell, how did he live? He didn't have a conscience. He was never saying, well, this is right and this is wrong. He was ignorant. Ignorant, meaning he didn't know there was right and wrong. But once he falls, by eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that's the conscience. So the question is, can you rely on your conscience?

Not always. Yeah, and that's a good point. You know, a lot of times, believers go against God's Word because their conscience tells them that what they think is true is more important than what the Word of God says is true. Incorrect. Well, maybe... Brain fart.

This is a Bible study, right? You know, again, this is going back to bursts. Falling away from faith, that means you're getting away from that. So what do you rely upon at that point? Your conscience, which is all over the place. It could be good, could be bad, could be, you know, and then in these, you know, they fall away and then they pay attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines, David. It's not only just a neutral position, they're actually falling away and following the doctrines of demons.

So with that in mind, verse 3 says, men who forbid marriage and advocate abstaining from foods which God has created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. I think he's, at this point in history, he's talking about the Essenes. They were a part of the Sanhedrin. There were the Pharisees, Sadducees, and then these Essene characters, and they lived around the Dead Sea, and they believed that you shouldn't be married unless you had to be to keep the race going. So you know something that strikes me Mike is we're talking about doctrine of demons. Sorry. Can you hear me? Yeah. Yeah. Okay. So I was just saying, we're talking about Doctrine of Demons, and it's kind of like, oh, that's really terrible stuff.

And then we read what Paul actually puts forth his Doctrine of Demons, and we're like, oh, that's not so bad. That's just a little weird. You know, but it really shows how desensitized we are to what the Doctrine of Demons is. I mean, that kind of stuff that these Essenes or whoever was teaching is demonic. Yeah, okay, so here's the big question. Is Lent a doctrine of demons?

Is it or isn't it? I'm curious about that. Yes, it is. So is climate change. There's so many things that are put forth in the world today that are not according to God's word. What about divorce and remarriage? Yeah, what about that? Divorce was never meant to be. Yeah, that's true. Marriage was created in the Garden of Eden. I was going to make that point. Marriage was created by God for procreation and for fellowship. It was not good for man to be alone.

He created that also when he talked about these foods. This is after abstaining from foods which God has created gratefully to share with those who believe. But the truth, this is, you know, after Peter's vision, you know, of all the foods coming down, that nothing was forbidden.

God created it all. And so these are going against some of the primal things that God set up, or the primary things, or whatever, marriage and God allowed all of you to eat anything. And so now they're going against the very things that God created. It's just like, you know, the equivalency today for me is, you know, there's now not just two genders, there's 56 genders, and they're going against God's principles or creation. And this is maybe climate change, that we can control climate, we can override God's control of climate. There are a whole bunch of things. These are just going against what God has created and God establishes. The doctrines of demons go against everything that God created and set forth. So it would be okay for me to bring Chocolate covered grasshoppers. Yes. You can eat anything. I heard they're good. Just label them so we all know. Well, you'll know by the legs.

This is 1st Corinthians, sorry. Acts 15. 1st. 21, or verse 20. This is the first Christian conference in Jerusalem. All the apostles are there, and they're discussing what they're discussing next door, law versus grace. And so the guys come out, the apostles finish up, and so they're going to make a statement. Is it James that makes this first statement? He says that, therefore, if any judgment that they do, do not trouble those who are turning to God from among the Gentiles. In other words, we don't want to put any of the Jewish laws on the Gentiles, because they came to Christ under grace.

Now, what verse is that? I'm at 19. twenty says but that we write to them that they abstain from things can contaminated by idols from fornication and from what is strangled and from blood well i'd like uh... medium rare state now but that doesn't mean that it's that's right you know the point the point is The point is that there are things that God would tell us, you probably oughtn't do this because it's not good for you. So when the scene says you shouldn't eat meat, or you shouldn't eat anything but grass, there's a mindset. And the mindset is the Lenten mindset. observe Lent, because they think that if they do it during a six weeks period, they somehow will be closer to God at the end of the six weeks.

They'll have an epiphany. Or, well, they just, that they'll be more acceptable to God than they are today. All of these kind of aesthetic rules that have been placed on men over the centuries is all based on that principle. That this is what God would have me do so that I can be more acceptable to Him. What's the problem with that thinking?

It's a workspace, you know. It's what I can do to make God smile on me a little better. There's nothing we can do more than what Christ accomplished on the cross. I go back to the flesh. The only thing the flesh wants to do is do works to have some relevancy in your life. you know, the flesh saying, yeah, if you just if you just abstain from these things, God will smile on you a little bit. We just have to do this to make a little closer relationship a little better. He's going to he's going to bless us because of what we did. And it's purely the flesh, you know, responding to that desire or whatever. Yeah. So there's some sacrifice to the flesh that will make me more acceptable to God.

So what is the problem with that? Why doesn't that make sense in a sound, doctrinally-based environment, a biblical-based environment? was what verse one says, it's fall away from the faith. That's what you do by doing this. You're taking your eyes off Christ and the finished work of Christ. Now you're saying you have to do something. So it's falling away from what the scripture says or the truth of the gospel.

So at the moment that I believed in the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ, I was accounted righteous by God, right? Are you ever going to be more righteous than the first time you believe in Christ? Is there anything you need to do to enhance that righteousness that you were given? Because here's how it's defined. It is the righteousness of God in Christ. It's His righteousness. So can you improve on that? So, the mentality needs to change then. Okay, so I already am righteous and I already am these other things. So, how does that translate into my behavior?

I'm not trying to get to a high, like a Mormon, to a higher acceptance with God because I already am totally accepted in the beloved. branches instead of seeing that the axe has been laid to the root. But if I'm in Christ, there's no trimming. Right. There's no, well, how did I get into Christ? How did you get into Christ?

What were the mechanics? I had to know first. No. Number one. And I was a sinner. You were crucified with Christ. Well, what does that mean? Well, he died, it means that I died, which means we got separated from something. What was it? It's everything that's unacceptable to God, I was separated from, from his perspective. I was buried and resurrected to newness of life.

This new resurrected life, does it need any amendments? Like the constitution? Does it need, oh, we left this piece out. Answer no. No. So in Acts 15. So what does he say? That's my point. Now, is that a commandment? Well, it's a suggestion. It's a suggestion. It doesn't say we order you. We're encouraging you not to.

So we're right at the point now where If all of this has happened to me, and I have the knowledge of it, and I believe it, and like Courtney's saying in the first verse, if I fall away from the faith, what am I falling away from? This incredible position I already have. Do you see that? Okay, so if a guy's discerning the difference between God's sovereignty and man's responsibility, where's the source of that? Yeah, so what is my responsibility? That's what it comes down to. What does God want me to do? That's it. Nothing else.

Now, your faith will cause you to live in a certain way, but that's all he requires, and that's all he's ever required from the beginning that Adam would believe him. that the men on the earth would believe him, that Abraham believed him, that Moses believed him.

So, I always mess up and take the bait, you know. So, I guess you gotta... I guess you're in trouble. See that you did die. You better get to the land thing going. But a lot of people try to take the cross and put it in the empty tomb. What does that mean? That... Well, the cross is a done deal, the tomb's a done deal, the resurrection's a done deal. As we believe, we're seated in heavenly places in Christ. It's a done deal.

Right, but I see a lot of people trying to put the cross in the tomb, and that's not understanding that they did die. that they reckon themselves dead. Does that kind of make sense? Yes. And how do you reckon yourself anything unless you know it to be a fact? Right. You got to know. You got to know. Yeah.

And it boils down to people lacking knowledge. So that's why these verses are really interesting. Verse 2 says, by means of hypocrisy of liars, seared in their own conscience as with a branding iron. So what is the opposition trying to do? Screw the knowledge. Skew the knowledge so that you don't have it.

That you somehow still think, there's some stuff left over for me to do to be more pleasing to God. No. Right. No. Now that doesn't mean that the day that you're saved, the next day you're walking and functioning like a totally holy Christian who has lived, say, 50 years with the Lord. You're not. But your position never changes. God looks at you from your position. And that's where God doesn't look at our condition or our service. affections. and his drawing are affections because of his affections II can't get away from and maybe it's because of my immaturity.

I can never get away from God constantly saying to me, do you believe me? Do you believe what I told you and whenever I'm sinning or whenever I'm doubting, it's But here's this assault, whatever it is. I mean, not something, a jihadist coming in and sticking a gun in my face. It's in my mind and it's in the world I live in. It's God telling me the truth or isn't he? That's where the fight is. I see a lot of people stumped there. What do you care? The point is you need to be sure about you. Forget them, you need to be sure about you.

But love is a strong motivator too. It centers from life, his life. then there's the love for others. Our affection or love, it doesn't matter. He sees us in Christ. That's right. It doesn't matter where I'm up or down and all around. He doesn't see us whether we love him or not. He sees us in Christ. That's how he sees us.

So how does a person like Russ come to the point where he says, I don't know if I'm in Christ? I'm talking about Russ. It's a matter of his faith and belief. He's fallen away. He's not believing. You can turn away. You can turn away, but God still sees him as one in Christ. He sees him. It doesn't matter our affection or anything about us. He sees us in Christ. You can get up and down and all around, but God still sees us only in Christ. That's how he sees us. So, how do you go to this? person and join his hand to grace hand.

You witness them, tell them the truth. Yeah. That's all you're required to do. It's not up to you. It's the Holy Spirit working in you. You're to be a vessel, you know, like Sam Dalton uses a straw. All you do is bring the word to people. That's it. That's all your responsibility. And really, that's not even it. It's it's your life.

And more importantly, if we're saying how you believe and how you Trust the Lord. That's the important part. All the rest will come out because of the life of Christ being expressed in you. But it's not anything about what we do or our affections or anything. Believers, I think, get so twisted about what God thinks of me and all that. All he thinks of you is in Christ. Yeah, but I'm thinking about others. Well, you're thinking, but we're talking about what Christ said.

God only sees you in Christ. That's the only thing. Whether you fail, whether you're not, whether you didn't say the right words, or you didn't do anything, all he does is see you in Christ. That's it. Because I fail all the time. So does that change anything about what he sees me as? It doesn't change a lick of what he sees me. He sees me in Christ.

Mike, I want you to read the last half of verse 3. of verse 3. Start with which God? But wanting to have their ears tickled. No. 4.3 written. Oh. 4.3. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but wanting to have their ears tickled. No. Where are you? No, it's 1 Timothy 4, chapter 4, verse 3.

Which God is created to be gratefully shared in by those who believe and know the truth. Yeah. Gratefully shared by those who believe and know the truth. What are we talking about? To believe and to know the truth. They're kind of backwards, don't you?

And she doesn't know the truth. So the last question was, are the words believe and no two separate exercises? No and yes. You can't answer that way. I put down no. But then I thought about it and I put down yes. So your conscience got to you, huh? Yeah.

Believe and don't denote two classes, but one, those who believe are described as those who have a precise and experiential knowledge of the truth. The better rendering is for them, not of them, for them. That is, these things are created for those who believe in order that they may participate in them. So here's the point. The first thing that happens for a believer is that he learns God's word. What's the premise on which you're saying? Knowledge of who the Lord Jesus is and what he did. Yeah, I got that knowledge.

God says, do you believe me about that? Yes or no? It's absolutes. Well, it doesn't matter about that. It matters, do I believe what he says or don't I? And do I recognize that if I do believe it, he will save me for all eternity? He's the savior, I'm not.

So I learned that. So I said, okay, I believe that. I believe that to be true. And I trust you. So as you go along in your Christian life, the first thing is you learn what God says about things and I think in every principle that you learn, you have to decide whether you believe it or not because that's what you gotta wear it for.

I mean, I could say to you, you were crucified with Christ and you'd be going, I don't have any holes in my hand or keep looking down. So, I'm looking at the carpet. Oh yeah. Or what or you know, since you'd be raised with Christ, seek those I don't ever remember hanging on a cross, going in a grave, being resurrected. I don't remember any of that. Well, it isn't up to my memory. God says it's so. Do I believe him or don't I? And if I don't, I don't get to live in that reality. Does that make sense? Our reality is based solely on whether we believe God or not. That's really what it comes down to. And that's why we have a man that God sent to write these letters to us, Paul the Apostle. The stuff he has to tell us is astounding from an objective standpoint, but God says it's so and so it has to be so.

Either I buy it or I don't. And if I don't buy it, then I've got to have something to substitute for it. So are you saying they're one and the same? Do you even know if they're one and the same? Yeah. I think they're both the same in the same I have to believe and know. I have to know and believe. I guess I don't know if I agree with that. Oh, no. In the sense that, you know, there's the saith the Lord.

You know, you read his word and you say, I believe it because I know who you are. Okay. I'm comfortable with that. But it may be, you know, like you talked about salvation. you know, as a young believer, sure, but there comes a point where the Holy Spirit can persuade you, yeah, that you are saved. Yeah. And then you know, I guess that's where I make that. You know, I believe it. The Holy Spirit works in me and then it's something that I know.

And what do you mean by no? Like the epignosis, it's an expanded... It's different than just objective knowledge. So there may be a righteous indignation. There may be. Or there may be arrogance about what you know that you really aren't settled on. I'm not talking about arrogance, I'm talking a righteous indignation.

Oh, I see what you're saying. I mean, the way our justice system is, the government... But see, Mike, you know what the problem with that is? What? That's not who I am. I'm a heavenly person. I mean, the justice system lives in an environment of corruption. So we're just sheeps headed for the slaughter.

Yeah. I think God told us that, didn't he? So I was curious what you thought on that. It's like two different no's, though. I mean, there's basic knowledge to know, and then you believe. I think the second is spiritual maturity, the knowledge that you grow into the knowledge. It's ownership of the knowledge. Yeah, I mean, you need the basics to understand salvation, but then there's the knowing and trusting. Like I said, the maturity of the spiritual growth is that hypnosis and the further knowledge of it.

So it's kind of two different no's here. Yeah, how hard can it be when God has gone through all the trouble he's gone through? One, to show us, write about it, send information to us. And two, involve us in the Holy Spirit to persuade us that what he tells us is true. What else can he do? You know, there comes a point when you say, well, I either believe it or, well, I'm still thinking it over. Okay, so is there a source for those who want to implement rules?

Yeah. Sure. Right. It's just like quoting Webster. Well, this is 1828. Go to Exodus 13. You'll find all the rules you'll ever know. Yeah. You know. All right. We got to close. Father, we're thankful for your grace. So thankful. who you are and what you've done, constantly working for us to just to settle down and rest in what you told us is true. And we pray in your son's precious name. Amen.