Jump Start # 1876

1 Timothy 6:20-21 “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called ‘knowledge’ – which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith.”

Our verses today are the final words in 1 Timothy. As Paul writes, “O Timothy,” you can just see the heart of this old apostle reaching out to the young preacher. The miles that Paul has traveled has taught him things. He has seen so much, good and bad. He is sharing what works with Timothy. It is good for younger preachers to spend an afternoon with an older preacher. Past all the stories and the tall tales, there is some sound and good advice. Those old men of faith have put miles on their feet and heart and they know things that can help. This is how these verses are presented.

Three thoughts come from these verses:

First, guard your faith. Paul states, “guard what has been entrusted to you.” This may involve Timothy’s role of preaching. It isn’t his, it belongs to the Lord. It has been shared or entrusted to him. He is to take care of it. He is to protect the pure message of Christ. Paul had done that and now it was Timothy’s turn.

In writing to the Corinthians, Paul said, “for I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you.” The Lord gave this to Paul and Paul carefully gave it to the Corinthians. It was entrusted to him. Paul’s words to Timothy are, “guard what has been entrusted to you.” Protect it. Don’t let anyone tamper with it, steal it, tinker with it, change it, modify it, adjust it, or make improvements to it. Guard it. Watch over it. It’s been entrusted to you. This is your job. This is your commission. This is your duty.

Years ago, my family was in St. Louis at a holiday parade. As we were walking back to our hotel, we saw an armored car unloading money at the Federal Reserve. The street was blocked and guards with weapons surrounded the truck. We couldn’t get close. We were told to walk on the other side of the street. Those men were “guarding what had been entrusted to them.” In that case, it was a truckload of money. In Timothy’s case it was the Gospel.

But there is more to it than just making sure some guy doesn’t rip pages out of the Bible or starts to quote his opinions as “Scripture.” We need to guard our faith. We may protect the Gospel but we can be careless about what we believe. We fill our curious minds with all kinds of wild rumors that float around the internet, spending more time chasing what skeptics say than we do in building that faith and feeding that faith by reading the word of God. Guard your faith. Your faith is the final line of defense between you and Satan. The difference between you and the world is not your humbleness. It’s not generosity. It’s not kindness. The world can manifest all of those things. The final line between you and the world is faith. Without faith, Hebrews tells us, it is impossible to please God. Generosity without faith won’t please God. Kindness without faith won’t please God. We must believe. That faith must be protected and guarded.

How?

Second, our faith is guarded by avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the arguments of knowledge. We can guard our faith by sidestepping some discussions. There are some places that we do not belong. Worldly and empty chatter—sounds like a lot of TV shows, Facebook stuff, Hollywood magazines stuff and things that are just not profitable. It’s worldly. That’s the basis of it. It’s empty. There is nothing to it. There is no value in it. We can get pulled into conservative talk shows that discusses the same things over and over and they can get a person paranoid, scared, and all excited about things that are beyond us. North Korean drones, Russian involvement in elections, this scandal and that scandal and on and on it goes. Worldly. Empty. Not helpful to my faith and not good for my soul.

Paul includes in this list of things to avoid, “opposing arguments of what is falsely called knowledge.” Other versions use the word “Science” for knowledge. Paul is not thumping science nor knowledge. This is something that is falsely called that. It shouldn’t be called that. It’s not that. Intellectualism, often isn’t very intellectual. Paul reminds Timothy that this “knowledge” opposes. It doesn’t enhance. It doesn’t support. It doesn’t further help what he has been entrusted with. These things oppose. These things are the very things that Timothy has to guard against. They will tear down what he has been entrusted with.

Religion classes in most state universities fit this description. They are taught by professors who do not believe in Biblical authority, inspiration and some even question that Jesus was the Christ. They see Christianity as a reform movement of Judaism. They see the Bible, especially the O.T., as edited fables and stories from other cultures. The miracles are explained away. The prophecies are altered to mean very little. And as all of this is going on, other world religions are introduced as just as reliable, truthful and helpful as what we read in the Bible. Our young people are fed a steady diet for a semester of arguments opposing what they once believed. Here Paul tells Timothy to “avoid” such things. And too often we sign up for the very thing that Paul is warning against. Got a college student? Fortify their faith this summer in the basics of inspiration, Biblical authority, and the uniqueness of the Bible. Talk to them about these classes. Help them see through the fog of error. Find answers to their questions.

Third, Paul reminds Timothy that some have “gone astray from the faith.” The some, would be Christians. They didn’t guard their faith. They didn’t avoid worldly and empty chatter. They drove right down the street where knowledge opposed what they believed. The result is that they gave up their faith. They left it. They went astray. This sad story is repeated over and over today. We feed our souls junk instead of the pure word of God. We let our guard down. We watch a show that we think is about the Bible, but it really is just another attack upon God and His word. We read a book that points out the problems with the Bible. We listen to friends who merely repeat what they were told. Their message is negative about the Bible. We get confused. Instead of trying to find the answers, we feed our doubts. We don’t guard what we know is true. Satan gains a foothold. He chips this away. Then he chips that away. Before long, there is nothing left. And then, we leave. The declaration is, “I no longer believe those things.” Why? How? What changed? They didn’t guard and they didn’t avoid.

Some have gone astray. They won’t keep the faith. They won’t finish the course. They won’t make it to Heaven. They no longer believe. They no longer are on God’s side of things. They have joined the ranks of the enemy. And, much too often, they become “experts” in what is wrong with the church, Christians, the Bible and God. Their weak and shallow faith are not much proof that they ever understood those divine concepts.

To avoid means to stay away from. There are some things that are not worth our time to read, watch or listen to. It also means, avoiding “those” who are putting out this stuff. That sometimes even includes family members who believe they know what is best.

Guard. Avoid.

An old preacher telling a young preacher. Paul didn’t want Timothy to become a causality that crashed upon the rocks of unbelief. Guard and avoid—that’s the key.

Roger

Jump Start # 512 

1 Timothy 6:20-21 “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called “knowledge” which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith.”

  Preachers cut their teeth on Paul’s writings to Timothy and Titus. These books are often called “pastoral epistles” even though Timothy and Titus were not pastors and most who use that expression wrongly associate it with preachers. There is good stuff in those books for all of us.

  Paul’s final sentence in this first letter to Timothy reminds each of us of two powerful truths. First, we are responsible for our faith. We are. Not the preacher, not the church, not the leadership at the church. Our faith is real, personal, active and belongs to us. The things “entrusted to you” involve more than Timothy’s faith. They would include is role as a preacher and the gifts given to him. However, the failure to guard any of these things, including faith, leads to the conclusion of this verse and that is a departure of faith.

  Guard your faith. Protect your faith. Watch over your faith. Feed your faith. Grow your faith. These are actions that imply my care and nurturing of my faith. Why do some have a strong faith and others a so-so faith? Why are some so sure and others can’t make up their mind if they are with Jesus or not? Could the answer lie here? It’s not the size of the congregations they attend. It’s not who the preacher happens to be. It’s not family background. It’s not being in a urban or rural setting. None of those things matter. What it’s all about is guarding that faith. Taking the interest in spiritual things to see that your faith is there.

  Faith is the oxygen of our souls. It is the most important spiritual dimension we have. Without faith we cannot please God. The lack of faith bothered Jesus more than anything else. Guard your faith.

 The second truth here is that not all fights are worth engaging in. Not all fights are my fights. Paul tells the preacher to avoid worldly and empty chapter and opposing arguments involving “knowledge.” Stay away from those things. They are not worth it. Many times Paul reminds Timothy of these things. Paul states nearly the exact words in the second letter to Timothy. He tells him to avoid people that hold a form of godliness but deny it’s power. Titus was told to avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and strife and disputes about the law.

  Stay out of those dog fights. Avoid them. They are messy, dangerous and they tend to get you off focus. Good words back then and good words for today. Some folks, some preachers, love to fuss and argue. Some how following the Prince of Peace makes them argue.

  Now don’t go to the extreme on this. Paul himself debated the Jews. Teaching often will cover unpleasant ground and those who don’t want to give it up will hold on for dear life. Pressing the Scriptures is not the subject here. The people involve are not seeking truth. They are not learning about Jesus. They are resisting. They are digging their heels in. They enjoy poking fun and things they do not even understand. Jesus said not to cast pearls before the swine—this is one example of that.

  Guard and avoid. Somehow folks get those two backwards. What they ought to guard they don’t and what they ought to avoid, they go after. Very strange. Some think a good Bible class is  nothing more than a heated discussion. Where that idea comes from is beyond me.

  Guarding the faith is often done by avoiding dumb and silly arguments. You may get those kind of things at work. Maybe some in the family are this way. Always taking a stab, always trying to trip you up, always challenging, always arguing. There comes a time when you just have to avoid all that. You do it for your own wellbeing. It is part of guarding your faith.

  Paul recognizes that there are things that hurt faith. Even though they are false, they have a way of chipping away and doing damage. Those who are interested in “guarding” their health, realize that bags of potato chips isn’t the direction to go. They avoid those things. It’s the same with your faith. Some books, some TV shows, some relationships, some arguments are simply not the direction to go.

  This isn’t a sign of a coward, it is a step of strength. Knowing which battles to engage in and which to stay clear of, is a sign of strength. You’ll remember that Jesus often kept quiet and refused to jump in the middle of a fight with those who have no interest in following God.

  Not every dumb statement is worth answering. This goes for facebook, emails, twitter and all other forms of communication. Some are looking for a fight. Some are aggressive and see all this as fun. Some just don’t get it and someday they will get it if they don’t straighten up. God will see to that!

  Guard and avoid…they go together. They help you survive. They help you stay on course. They help you stay with Jesus.

Roger

Jump Start # 281

1 Timothy 6:20-21 “O Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to you, avoiding worldly and empty chatter and the opposing arguments of what is falsely called knowledge—which some have professed and thus gone astray from the faith. Grace be with you.”

  The words of our verse today are the last sentences Paul wrote in 1 Timothy. Timothy was much younger that Paul. He was a preacher and at the time of the letter, he was in the city of Ephesus, preaching there. Ephesus had been a hot bed of issues. Paul said that he “fought the wild beast at Ephesus,” referring not to animals, but the Jewish opposition and trouble that others were giving him.

  Throughout this letter to Timothy, Paul encourages the young preacher to hang in there and fight for what is right. Loneliness, discouragement and the enormous up hill battle of trying to change attitudes to be pleasing to Christ are what young preachers face. It’s hard on them. The toll can be devastating. They just want to preach and teach Jesus. They want to convert the lost. They want to build and strengthen the church. So often, they run into stubborn hearts that will not listen, change or be reasoned with. Pushing against a brick wall that will not budge wears a person out. Paul knew these things.

 He wants Timothy to guard what has been entrusted to him. Most likely, his role in preaching the pure gospel of Jesus Christ, but included in this is his faith. He mentions that some would go astray from the faith. In doing this, Timothy is to avoid worldly and empty chatter and the arguments of false knowledge, simply what I call junk. Avoid the junk! Where are those things coming from? First, the opponents of the gospel, but, also some of the brethren.

  There is a great thought here. We are responsible for guarding our faith. We need to take ownership of our faith. Our faith is fragile. It can be easily discouraged and it can easily be led to believe things that are not so. We can be influenced by so many things. Responsible for your faith. That is a thought we don’t talk about much today.

  We hear reports all the time about being responsible for the environment. Recycle, reuse and so forth. Good ideas. We are told to be responsible for our health. Eat well and exercise often is what our doctors tell us. We control much of what happens to our health.

  But what about our faith? Are we responsible for it? Are we careful what we are feeding it? This was Paul’s concern to Timothy. Avoid the junk. There are a lot of books that are not worth reading. Why? They don’t help you and more than that, they mess with your thinking. They plant ideas and suggest things that simply aren’t so. Do you remember how the serpent got to Eve? He didn’t just hand her some fruit and tell her to take a bite. No, he, first engaged in a conversation with her, messing with her mind, changing the way she saw God, and twisting things around so she would be confused, doubting and uncertain. Now all this happened after just one conversation. Do you see that? Guard your faith. Unsound books can mess with our faith. Certain college professors can do the same. Their hatred of Biblical things and their prejudice comes out so strongly, that a young faith can be led astray. And, if Eve got confused after one conversation, think what can happen after one semester with someone whose agenda is to destroy faith.

  So guard your faith. How? First, be careful what you allow into your mind and heart. You can’t stop all the junk that is on the outside, but you determine what comes on the inside. Don’t be afraid to be a bit weird.  Second, build your faith. That comes from spending time with the word of God. In Romans we find, “Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God.” Thirdly, fight off the things that will chip away at your faith. Fourth, surround yourself with faith building tools and people. Guard, strengthen, protect…it’s up to you!

  Your faith is what will get you through the storms, if you have taken care of it. Your faith is what will give you assurance and confidence, if it remains strong. Your faith will motivate you, challenge you and keep you going when you don’t feel like it. You faith will allow you to see God some day. So, protect it. Watch it. Feed it. Guard it. Use it.

  Roger