With Thanksgiving

Well, as we come to God's Word this morning, we're continuing on in 1 Timothy.

So if you have your Bible, please open it up to 1 Timothy.

Seeing as it's Thanksgiving tomorrow, I thought that we'd jump ahead a little bit in the letter

to a place where Paul talks a little bit about Thanksgiving.

So we're jumping ahead to chapter 4, and we're going to be looking mainly at the first five

verses here in chapter 4.

Let me read it.

This is Paul writing to Timothy.

The Spirit clearly says that in later times, some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving

spirits and things taught by demons.

Such teachings come through hypocritical liars whose consciences have been seared as with

a hot iron.

They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created

to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.

For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,

because it is consecrated by the Word of God and prayer.

If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of

Christ Jesus.

So just a short passage here this morning, five verses, and just like back in chapter 1,

Paul is warning Timothy about false teachers and their teachings.

But here in chapter 4, he actually gets a little bit more specific about some of the things that

these false teachers have been teaching, or rather things that are coming, that they're

going to be teaching.

Paul is known for his long sentences, and most of our English translations of the Bible break

this up into a few sentences.

But in the original language this was written, it's basically all one sentence from verse

1 all the way down to verse 5.

And Paul just keeps piling on the subordinate clauses and the prepositional phrases and the

participles and the infinitives.

You get the idea.

So Paul starts by warning Timothy about false teachers in verses 1 and 2.

Then he kind of flows from there into talking about the kind of false teachings that

they are doing in verse 3.

And then from there, he kind of flows into a refutation of the false teachings in verses

4 and 5.

And he declares God's goodness and how he has created all things for our benefit.

Things that we should receive with thanksgiving.

So we're just going to trace Paul's flow of thought all the way through, starting at the

beginning here in verse 1.

He says,

Some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

So Paul's warning Timothy.

He knows something about what's coming.

And he gives this warning to Timothy to help him minister to the people in the church there

in Ephesus.

How does Paul know this?

The Spirit clearly says.

And then what follows is what the Spirit says.

Now, there's debate over how he knew that the Spirit was saying this.

We won't get into all that this morning.

But Paul, as an apostle, probably is able to clearly hear and discern the Spirit speaking

to his own mind.

And so he writes on behalf of Christ.

And Paul wants Timothy to know that this isn't just his hunch about what will happen.

His opinion or speculation.

This warning comes from the Spirit of God himself.

And it's clear.

The Spirit clearly says, explicitly says,

that some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.

So this is a very sobering problem.

Timothy, there are going to be people who abandon the faith.

Literally, who depart from the faith.

Now, what does that mean?

I don't think it means that people who have a genuine faith in the Lord Jesus

will suddenly stop believing and lose their salvation.

Rather, I think Paul is describing things from the outward appearance of it.

They're not departing from their own true faith.

Rather, they're departing from the faith.

They are going away from the truth.

The gospel.

The things God has revealed through Jesus.

And the things that have been taught through the Spirit.

Through the apostles.

There is a body of teaching.

A body of revelation.

That God has given us through Jesus.

Through the Spirit.

Through the apostles.

And it is the Christian faith.

The problem with these men is that they are going away from that.

They are leaving that.

I think it means that some people who were among us.

Who at one time said, yeah, I believe these things.

They're now turning away.

Suddenly, they're leaving off of this gospel.

And not only do they depart from it.

But, Paul says, they go on to other teachings.

And the language Paul chooses here is very strong.

He says, they follow deceiving spirits.

That word follow could be translated.

They give heed to.

They pay attention to.

They devote themselves to.

So, not just that they don't really agree anymore with the Christian faith.

But now they are quite strongly following.

Giving their attention to evil spirits.

Deceiving spirits.

And to things taught by demons.

Literally, to the teachings or doctrines of demons.

So, they've really exchanged one set of teachings for another.

The teachings of Christ.

The teachings of the Holy Spirit.

For the teachings of these deceiving spirits.

These demons.

This is serious.

The Spirit warns Timothy.

Through Paul.

That with these false teachers.

There's more than meets the eye.

The source of their teaching.

Is actually spiritual.

But it's not from the Spirit of God.

Rather, these things.

That they're going to be teaching.

They're going to be advocating.

The ultimate source of those ideas.

Is demonic.

Fallen angels.

Again, more questions arise here.

Like, you know.

Did the false teachers know that they were hearing these things from demons?

Or are they just deceived?

And I mean, Paul doesn't give a fuller explanation here.

He does mention that these spirits are deceiving.

It's quite possible that these teachers might not know the truth of who is really behind all of this.

That they are teaching.

Jesus said that the devil is the father of lies.

Paul wrote to the Corinthian church and said that Satan masquerades as an angel of light.

Which means that the devil and his demons are well-practiced deceivers.

I would suggest to you that they may be the most skilled and brilliant liars that this world has never seen.

You've heard it said maybe that the best lies.

Meaning the most likely to be believed.

Are those that are almost true.

There's so much truth in it that the false part is just easily accepted with the rest.

The devil and his demons, they know how to craft.

How to present falsehood in a way that's quite compelling.

And attractive.

And rational.

So that we'll swallow it.

Hook, line, and sinker.

And maybe even think in pride.

I came up with that.

That's my idea.

I discovered that.

So these are deceptive spirits.

Now, I've been avoiding this part of the verse until now.

When will all this take place?

Who is the spirit talking about?

When is this going to happen?

The spirit clearly says that in later times,

some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits.

Now, if you've been one who, like me, is eager to unravel the mysteries of the end times,

this phrase probably struck you as referring to the end times.

But before we go right into that,

we must be careful here.

We shouldn't let our eagerness to know the end

color the way that we read

what Paul has said.

Notice that he says,

in later times

and not in the last times.

In later times.

Not in the last days.

And there are a number of clues

here left by Paul

in the context

which suggests that Paul's not speaking about the end times

but about the near future

to Timothy.

The first clue

is that the false teachings

that are going to be advocated

are abstaining from marriage

and certain kinds of food.

This really does seem to fit better

with the ascetic teachings

of the Gnostics

and dualism

which came full force

in the second and third century.

you read

some of the bizarre religious practices

of the desert fathers

and the early monks.

I'm not going to talk about all that stuff

because it's just

it's bizarre.

Fasting for months

and doing weird kinds of things

depriving themselves

and you know

all these kinds of things.

I mean some people might argue

that people devalue marriage today

and that's true

but this seems to be a different sort of thing.

This is forbidding people to marry

as though it were a hallmark

of true religion.

The second clue

Paul takes great pains

to refute this false teaching

right here in the letter

in verses 3 to 5.

And then in verse 6

he urges Timothy

to teach the refutation to the church.

It seems Paul wants Timothy

to be proactive here

to inoculate the church in Ephesus

by teaching the truth

and exposing this falsehood

right now

before it has a chance

to really take root.

And the third clue

there are other letters of Paul

that have a lot to say

about false religion

and false teaching

when it comes to matters

of food and drink.

The letter to the Colossians

the Romans

the Corinthian epistles

some of those have more to do

with Jewish food laws

but others more with

that Gnostic teaching

that the material world

is inherently evil

that the body

is base

and dirty

and therefore

self-denial

and fasting

from certain foods

is what makes one

truly spiritual

and acceptable

in God's eyes.

Now these teachings

wouldn't really sweep over

and take over

until about another

hundred years later

but already in these times

in the other epistles

of Paul

we start to see

glimmers of it

taking root.

and so I would suggest

to you that Paul

may be warning Timothy

and the Christians

there in Ephesus

about specific teachings

of demonic origin

that are coming hard

and fast

in the next hundred years.

Now could there still be

some second

greater

final fulfillment

of these kinds of things

in the end times?

Perhaps.

Certainly there will be

doctrines of demons

false religion

worship of the beast

false teachers

other passages

in scripture

make that clear

but will these

specific doctrines

of demons

be a hallmark

of the end times?

Maybe

or maybe not.

It remains to be seen.

Part of the challenge here

and the reason

why Paul warns Timothy

as he does

is that these false teachers

will arise in a way

that's especially deceptive.

notice verse 2

such teachings

come through

hypocritical liars

whose consciences

have been seared

as with a hot iron.

So these people

who have departed

from the faith

and are speaking

these falsehoods

these lies

they're doing so

under the cloak

of hypocrisy.

So these teachers

seem to be

in the Christian faith

they seem to be

in the church

they seem to be

among those

who say

yes I believe

in Jesus.

It's not as though

they run up the flag

or post on social media

I don't believe

in Jesus anymore.

I found

a better teaching

that we should follow.

Rather it's more

like the Pharisees

in Israel

in Jesus' day.

They're faking

righteousness.

They're pretending

to be good Christians.

They're feigning faith.

They're claiming

to be followers

of Jesus

and yet they are

calling people

subtly away

from the gospel.

They're calling people

away from the good news

that salvation

is by faith alone

and not by works.

They're saying

no, no, no, no

you need to do this

to be right with God.

Marriage?

Uh-uh.

Eating these kinds

of foods?

No.

You need to abstain

from those things.

Let's look briefly

at these teachings.

Forbidding people

to marry

and ordering them

to abstain

from certain foods.

So there is

a devaluing

of marriage

and most likely

sex is included

in that.

And I think

the logic here

again probably

is pointing to

what the Gnostics

taught

that sex

is base.

It's dirty.

It's a fleshly

thing.

It's unspiritual.

True religion.

It's to rise

above that.

It's to rise

above things

like marriage.

They might say

we see this

kind of

infiltrating

the church

later on

with the monastic

order.

And by the

fourth century

the Catholic

Church fully

incorporated

this idea

and decided

that marriage

be altogether

prohibited

for priests,

bishops,

deacons,

and clerics.

But this is

clearly against

the teaching

of Scripture.

The Apostle

Paul and Jesus

did talk about

celibacy

and how there

were some

practical

advantages to

it.

But nowhere

ever did

they forbid

marriage.

In fact,

Paul in

certain circumstances

instructed people

to get married

as we'll see

later on in

this letter.

Jesus,

speaking through

the author of

Hebrews,

said,

marriage is to

be honored

by all.

Hebrews 13

Hebrews 13:4

verse 4.

It's to be

held in

high regard.

It's to be

valued for

what it is.

The other

demonic teaching

Paul lists here

is abstaining

from certain

foods.

These

hypocritical

liars were

going to

urge people

not to

eat certain

foods as

a matter

of

spirituality,

as a matter

of devotion

to God.

And there's

lots that we

could say

about this.

I mean,

it has

relevance to

the teaching

of the

Judaizers,

that group

of men

and women

who were

trying to

get the

followers of

Jesus to

go back

to the

Old Testament.

And no,

if you want

to be right

with God,

you need to

be circumcised.

You need to

not eat foods

that are

ceremonially

unclean.

You need to

observe the

law.

Again,

a subtle

shift in

the focus.

Suddenly,

it goes from

Christ and

his righteousness

to now

works.

and what

I need

to do

to be

righteous

in God's

eyes,

which is

not the

good news.

Again,

we see it

in the

teachings of

the Gnostics

with the

desert fathers

and the

early monks

in the

second and

third

centuries.

They bought

into this

lie that the

way to live

a holy life

is by having

less of

the earthly

stuff,

less of

the fleshly

appetites.

Deny the

body what

it desires.

True

spirituality,

they would

say.

Closeness

to God

is only

achieved when

we deprive

ourselves,

is what

they seem

to believe.

Interestingly,

you see some

of that even

in the

eastern

religions as

well.

So God,

through his

spirit,

is warning

Timothy and

the church

at Ephesus

about these

kinds of

deceptive

teachings which

are soon

to arise

and may lead

people astray.

And then he

launches into

a full-out

refutation

of these

false

teachings.

They forbid

people to

marry and

order them

to abstain

from certain

foods which

God created

to be received

with thanksgiving

by those who

believe and

who know the

truth.

For everything

God created

is good and

nothing is to

be rejected if

it is received

with thanksgiving.

So Paul

basically says

what these

false teachers

are going to

teach is

wrong.

It is flat

out wrong.

It is wrong

to forbid

people to

marry.

It is wrong

to teach

people that

they need

to abstain

from certain

foods.

Why?

Because God

created these

things to be

received with

thanksgiving by

those who

believe and

know the

truth.

God created

marriage.

He created

the things of

earth that we

eat for food.

food.

And I love

the simple

truth that

Paul declares

here.

God created

these things

because he

wanted you to

have them.

To be

received.

He wanted

you to have

them.

To which we

say what?

I thought God

just wanted to

take all the

good things from

me.

I thought he

wanted to keep

me from enjoying

life in this

world.

Well who

gave you that

idea?

It was the

devil who

suggested to

Adam and

Eve in the

garden long

ago that

idea.

But it was a

lie.

We became

corrupt.

We lost our

sensitivity to

the truth and

to the knowledge

of God.

To the goodness

of God.

And so the

human race has

been suspicious

of God ever

since.

Does he

really want

good things

for me?

Is

worshipping and

following Jesus

just about giving

up everything

good?

Paul smashes

this lie of

the devil.

He smashes

this suspicion

of the flesh.

He says God

created marriage

and the delights

that go with it

because he

wanted you to

have it.

He wanted you

to receive it.

He created

all kinds of

foods, things

on this earth

to be received.

with thanksgiving.

For our

benefit, he

wanted us to

have them.

He wanted us

to eat them.

And Jesus

widens this all

the way in

verse 4.

He says,

for everything

God created

is good and

nothing is to

be rejected if

it is received

with thanksgiving.

So Paul refutes

the lies of

the demons

flat out.

True

spirituality

is not

denying

ourselves

of a

peculiar

list of

things

because

these things

are unclean

or impure

or our

body appetites

are less

spiritual,

base,

fleshly.

Rather,

true spirituality

is receiving

and enjoying

all the good

things that

God has

made and

doing it

with

thanksgiving.

Let's talk

about that

word,

thanksgiving,

for a moment.

I really

like that

word.

It's like

two words

sandwiched

together,

thanksgiving,

and it

implies

action,

just like

it does

in the

language of

the Bible

that was

originally

written in.

It's an

action word.

Some translations

actually render

it as gratitude,

but I think

that falls

short of

its full

meaning.

It's not

just that

we should

feel fortunate

or privileged

or content.

The word

for thanksgiving

implies

action.

It implies

what it

seems to

say,

that we

actually give

thanks,

that we

express

thanks

to God.

Like

with words.

sadly,

for many

in our

society,

the holiday

that we're

celebrating

this weekend

is not

about giving

thanks to

God

anymore.

For many,

it's just a

moment or a

day to feel

grateful,

to feel

happy

about how

well off

I am

compared to

others

who are in

lesser

circumstances.

This is

not what

Paul is

talking

about.

Thanksgiving

means

verbally

saying

thank you

to God

for the

things that

he has

done and

given to

us.

I love

the way

that Paul

refutes this

false teaching.

He just

proclaims it.

God is

gracious.

He is

generous.

He's filled

this whole

world with

good things

for us.

Things that

meet our

needs,

things

that we

can enjoy,

that bring

delight.

He wants

us to

have these

things.

He wants

us to

enjoy them

and the

way that

we do

that which

is fitting

is by

giving

thanks to

God as

we receive

them.

I was

reminded of

Psalm 104

as I was

meditating on

these things.

Verse 14

and 15

talks about

what God

does in

connection to

the earth

and creation.

It says

he makes

grass grow

for the

cattle and

plants for

people to

cultivate,

bringing forth

food from

the earth,

wine that

gladdens human

hearts,

oil to make

their faces

shine,

and bread

that sustains

their hearts.

vegetables.

So why did

God make

wheat and

grape vines?

It says he

gives rain on

the earth which

grows the wheat

and the vines

to bring grain

to make bread

and grapes

to make wine

to sustain

us and

to gladden

us.

There's both

there,

sustenance and

enjoyment.

God didn't

just create

things in

this world

just for

practical purposes

to keep us

alive,

but he also

made things

for our

enjoyment.

Think about

this for a

moment.

God could

have made

us with

tongues

to get

the food

down,

but no

taste buds.

Noses,

but no

sense of

smell,

just used

for breathing.

He could

have given

us ears,

but no

ability to

discern melody,

eyes,

but a whole

world with

no colors.

All of

these things,

smells,

flavors,

colors,

music,

they're purely

things of

pleasure.

They're things

of delight.

They aren't

essential to

sustaining our

bodies.

They're just

things that

bring pleasure.

God made

those.

He wants

us to be

happy.

He wants

us to

enjoy the

good things

that he

has made.

What kind

of land

did God

promise the

Israelites?

A land

flowing with

milk and

honey.

This

expression

captures

God's

goodness,

his

generosity,

as an

undeserved

gift.

He wanted

to give

him a

land full

of the

good things

of earth,

both the

milk,

sustenance,

and honey,

sweetness.

Speaking of

honey,

one of my

favorite

proverbs,

Solomon

saying to

his son

said this,

he said,

eat honey,

my son,

for it is

good.

Honey from

the comb

is sweet

to your

taste.

And then

he goes on

to apply

that to

wisdom as

a metaphor.

But the

foundation of

it is

true.

It's good.

It's sweet.

God has put

these kinds

of things

into our

world for

our

enjoyment.

Even

though meat

was not

originally part

of our

diet in

the garden,

God has

even given

us that as

well to

eat and

enjoy.

Genesis

Genesis 9:3

9 verse

3.

Everything

that lives

and moves

about will

be food

for you.

Just as

I gave

you the

green

plants,

I now

give you

everything.

Another

one of my

favorite

proverbs,

better a

small serving

of vegetables

with love

than a

fattened

calf with

hatred.

love.

Now this

proverb

obviously is

more about

relationships.

It's about

what's going

on between

the people

around the

table.

It's a

contrast.

But notice

the fattened

calf is the

ideal meal.

The roast

beef dinner

on the table

is good.

I hope that

we can enjoy

the fattened

turkey with

love around

the table.

in the

parable of

the prodigal

son.

Jesus told

when the

son finally

came home

and repented

of what he

had done

to his

father.

What does

the father

do?

He kills

the fattened

calf and

throws a

banquet to

celebrate.

So yes,

even meat

has been

given for

our sustenance

and our

enjoyment.

All of

these things,

both plants

and animals,

God has

made.

And all

of them

are good.

None of

them are

to be

rejected if

we receive

them as

gifts from

God while

saying thank

you to

him.

Finally,

Paul tacks

on one

more clause

here at

the end.

Nothing's

to be

rejected if

it is

received with

thanksgiving

because it

is consecrated

by the

word of

God and

prayer.

So the

foods we

eat and

the marriages

that we

enter into

are consecrated

by the

word of

God and

prayer.

They're made

holy.

They're made

fit for us.

They're

specifically

designated for

our benefit

and enjoyment

by two

things.

By the

word of

God and

prayer.

How do we

know that all

of these

things that

God has

made are

good?

good?

It's very

simple.

God said

so.

The word

of God

declared it

right at the

beginning.

He made

all of it.

It is

good.

It is

good.

He saw

all that

he had

made and

it was

very good.

Even

again after

we had

sinned and

after the

flood,

he declared

I have

given you

these things

for food.

They are

good for

you to

eat.

Sin has

affected all

of creation

and all

creation groans

as it says

in Romans

Romans 8 · chapter mention

chapter 8.

But it

doesn't change

or erase

the inherent

goodness of

everything that

God has

made.

So his

word, his

declaration over

all that he

has made,

his designation

of it,

makes it

good for

us to

eat.

And

finally,

prayer also

sets it

apart for

us.

Here I

think Paul

is referring

specifically to

the prayer of

thanksgiving.

This is

probably the

closest thing

we get in

the Bible to

an instruction

to give

thanks, to

pray before

we eat.

Jesus

modeled that.

He gave

thanks before

he ate.

And many

of us have

just been

doing that

because it

was handed

down.

as a

tradition

from people

that believed.

But it's

not just a

custom.

It really

is our

moment

to sincerely

from the

heart say

thank you

to God

for that

stuff that's

on the

table.

God

to

to

begin

to

think

about.

I mean

we may

look at

the food

in our

fridge

or

on our

table

and we

may

think

I

worked

for

this.

I went to work

I got the money

I went to the store

I paid for it

I prepared it

or I did all the work

of planting the seeds

putting them into the garden

watered the plants

harvested them

cleaned them off

but where did you get the strength

to do that work?

was it not from your last meal?

it's the food

that gives you the strength

to cultivate

and to work

and what is most

of that nutritious food

that we enjoy

that keeps us alive?

what's it made of?

not rocks and dirts

but plants

and living things

organic matter

all ultimately created

by God himself

where did the seed come from

that you planted in the garden

and watered

and made grow?

where did the water come from

that falls from the sky?

who filled this earth

with plants

of all varieties

that reproduce

cucumbers

and melons

and carrots

lettuce

animals

that give their byproducts

and their meat

take away all the plants

and animals on earth

and we'd be left with

nothing for food

but sand and dirt

and rocks

think about that

how long would we live

on that?

so I hope

and I pray

that this Thanksgiving

the meal tastes

even better

than it did last year

I hope

it tastes better

because we are even more mindful

of what the food

on the table is

and what it represents

it represents

the God in heaven

and his goodness

his love

his kindness

to us

it represents

his happiness

to provide for us

and not only

the sustenance

but also

the sweetness

and the savory

both the dinner

and the dessert

and so this Thanksgiving

as you gather

with family

or friends

I want to encourage you

to eat

and enjoy

celebrate

kill that fattened turkey

and do it with Thanksgiving

to God

I want to encourage you

to go beyond

that typical

mealtime prayer

of thanks

take some time

with those around you

today or tomorrow

or however you're going

to celebrate

to just

stop and give

actual thanks

to God

not just for the meal

but for all the things

that he has done

and given

countless blessings

thank him for these gifts

from the least

to the greatest

this is what

the Thanksgiving

holiday was meant

to be all about

a day of worship

a day of prayer

a day of feasting

yes

and celebration

to give thanks

to God

for his goodness

to us

let's pray

Father in heaven

we ask that you

would help us

to live in this truth

and to cling to it

that you are a God

who doesn't withhold

from us

but a God

who is happy

to give to us

and the proof

of that

is most

seen in Jesus

the greatest gift

of all

and if you would

give us him

would you withhold

from us

the other things

the other good things

no

we say thank you

for Jesus

thank you

for everything

that you have given us

and may our celebrations

this weekend

reflect

something of your goodness

and your grace to us

we ask in Jesus name

Amen