Pastor Jonah Sage preached from 1 Timothy 4:1-10. He said that creeds are guardrails for the soul which carry us through all of life. Lector: Kara Tichenor
Pastor Jonah Sage preached from 1 Timothy 4:1-10. He said that creeds are guardrails for the soul which carry us through all of life.
Lector: Kara Tichenor
In 1996, Sheryl Crow wrote one of the great anthems of the 1990s. Culture shaping song.
"If it makes you happy," she sang..."it can't be that bad"
There are many cultural versions of this lately
"This is how I identify..." it can't be that bad
"This is how I feel..." it can't be that bad
"My body, my choice..." it can't be that bad
"My money, my choice..." it can't be that bad
"My country first..." it can't be that bad
You have all heard this said before, right?
Self expression has become the name of the game these days
If it makes YOU happy, it can't be that bad, right?
Here's something interesting I learned recently about restaurants
41% of the 2k surveyed said social media was the best way to judge a place
Not the reviews, either. The pictures.
On average, people were willing to spend $30 more for places with good photos, especially if they are well lit close ups of the dish.
If it looks good...it can't be that bad
We dream of a life of self-expression that looks good to the world around us
We want nice, clutter free houses with children in matching outfits eating picture-worthy food. We want to be our true selves, living as an authentic me.
We want the country to look the way it used to or the way it could...
We want more money. More love. More happiness...and yet...
Who among us has not ordered something that looked good only to be disappointed?
Who among us has not voted for a candidate that lied to us?
Who has not felt enslaved to owning more than we actually need?
Who among us has not done something hoping it would feel good...?
"If it makes you happy" Sheryl went on to sing..."then why are you so sad"
Despite our social media obsession, we are lonelier than ever.
Despite our self-expression, we are more confused than ever.
What could a Middle Eastern Jewish Carpenter possibly have to say to this?
What could ancient creeds about that man possibly have to say to a day like ours?
Now the Holy Spirit tells us clearly...
-1 Timothy 4:1a
God himself has said something to us in no uncertain terms. Explicitly. Emphatically. He has told us something...and what is it?
In the last times some will turn away from the true faith
-1 Timothy 4:1b
"Last days" are the time between Messiah's appearance and second coming.
That's now. That's today. Why do some people turn away from the faith?
They will follow deceptive spirits and teachings that come from demons.
-1 Timothy 4:1c
If it makes you happy, it can't be that bad...unless it comes from demons, amen?
People leave the true faith as a result of deception.
It's called deception because it's not obvious. No one agrees to be deceived.
Often times, suffering makes us vulnerable to deception.
A spiritual fathers often says the demonic attacks where we are most vulnerable.
Many of us were sold on Christianity. Jesus will straighten your kid out. Make your husband more patient and your wife more affectionate.
Jesus will give you more money and influence. Jesus will save the country.
And then life gets hard. Your teenager goes off the rails, your marriage falls apart, the other guy gets elected...
You're vulnerable, and the deception comes.
Paul is writing these words to a young pastor named Timothy at a new church.
And it would appear that there were two big issues where deception was happening:
They will say it is wrong to be married and wrong to eat certain foods.
-1 Timothy 4:3
The problem at this young church was people were saying this is what you need to be happy
Yes, you have the Jesus stuff, but if you REALLY want to be holy, if you want to be FULLY committed, TOTALLY surrender, to know that you know that you know...then don't get married, and don't eat processed foods.
A good desire—to live holy and happy lives.
A complicated scenario—a new church in a hostile culture.
An enticing offer—I have what you want, just don't get married and don't eat that stuff.
Along the way, none of it looks like deception.
None of it looks demonic or evil or anything but a good idea.
Listen to how Jesus describes people who can be led away by these subtle deceptions:
The seeds on the rocky soil represent those who hear the message and receive it with joy. But since they don't have deep roots, they believe for a while, then they fall away when they face temptation.
-Luke 8:12
All of us are enticed by the fruits of a good life.
We want to shoot a basketball like Lebron James, but we don't want to go to the gym at 5am every morning like he does.
We want a life that looks the way we want it to, but we don't see what happens to get there.
Jesus said the life you're after begins at the root, not the fruit.
Later on, he'll say you'll understand someone's heart, who they really are, by their fruit, the heart produces the fruit, not the other way around.
Those who fall away do not have deep roots, roots strong enough to withstand storms and suffering and temptations.
And so someone comes, like these false teachers to Timothy's church, saying here's what you really need to do.
Just consider: has God EVER said we shouldn't get married? Absolutely not.
Jesus went to great lengths, to the point of shedding his own blood, to free us from ceremonially laws.
He explicitly said it's not what you put in your mouth that makes you unclean, but out of the overflow of the HEART the mouth speaks.
And maybe you're sitting here very confused now...wondering why we are talking about this at all. Isn't this a series about Creeds?
Why the demons and the food and marriage stuff?
This issue of deception, of adding to the gospel of Jesus, comes immediately after Paul shares a CREED with Timothy.
Listen:
This is the great mystery of our faith:
Christ was revealed in a human body and vindicated by the Spirit. He was seen by angels and announced to the nations. He was believed in throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory.
-1 Timothy 3:16
Here is our faith Timothy. Now be ON GUARD, because people will lead you astray.
Every issue faced by the early church is addressed here.
Some said Jesus wasn't really human, he only appeared to be a human.
The Creed says "Christ was revealed in a HUMAN BODY"
Some say he was executed because he was an anti-Roman rebel
The Creed says he was "vindicated by the Spirit"
His death and resurrection prove he was more than a rebel.
Seen by angels and announced to the nations...he has all authority in heaven and earth
And HE was believed in...not us.
Not our strategies. Not our plans. Not any teacher saying "do this and be holy"
But HE was believed in.
Creeds are guardrails for the soul, Church.
And if you want roots that go down deep, roots that endure temptation and deception, continually return to the creeds.
This is why, week after week, we recite an ancient Creed together.
We are cultivating the soil of our souls with the fertilizing truth of God.
Every week, we leave this place and enter into a world of temptation
Voices will tell you what you must do to be holy, to be loved by God, to have a successful life.
And then we gather, every Sunday, to remember that we have all we need already
In Christ, we are declared both LOVED and LOVELY
In Christ, we are declared to be SAFE both now and forever
The creeds are guardrails for the soul that carry us through all of life.
And listen to what's possible for us. As we face temptation and deception, we return to the Creeds for clarity and safety. And here's what we get:
If you explain these things to the brothers and sisters, Timothy, you will be a worthy servant of Christ Jesus, one who is nourished by the message of faith and the good teaching you have followed.
-1 Timothy 4:6
What happens to a plan that is well-nourished? It's roots grow deep.
And so it is with us. We love the creeds, because they nourish us by the message of faith
We follow the creeds, because they are guardrails for the soul that carry us through all of life.
We follow the creeds, because they lead us to Jesus.
Let's pray