[0:00] So, we are in 1 Timothy chapter 1. So last week was an introduction with application, that's the way I worded it. But I didn't get much further today or for this study either. It's kind of a bit of an introduction as well, getting jump-started here in 1 Timothy. And so we've resumed our study here in the New Testament on Wednesday. We will continue with a few more Psalms before we get into 1 Chronicles. But that's where we're at. So 1 Timothy, the first chapter, again, the first four verses, if you stand with me, I'll read those.

[0:48] Paul an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Savior and the Lord Jesus Christ our hope to Timothy a true son in the faith grace mercy and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord as I urged you when I went into Macedonia remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in.

[1:25] Thank you, Lord, again for your word. We pray, Holy Spirit, that you have your way in our hearts. Lord, we know that you're the only one that really knows our hearts, even our hearts even deceive us. Us but lord we ask that you would be glorified in our lives and in this place and at this time we ask that you continue to have your way in our lives we ask this in jesus name amen you can all be seated and so as i was mentioned last Sunday didn't get too far so read those same four verses This time we'll probably get through those four verses.

[2:06] But Paul's writing to Timothy, and I should say young Timothy, as this first letter is written. He's probably in his mid to late 30s, and that's considered young. And I know that Paul was probably in his early 60s and came with lots of experience as he's writing to Timothy and so the main figures in this particular letter is of course for one the Apostle Paul who wrote the letter to Timothy and then of course Timothy himself And so he had been pouring into the life of Timothy since his youth.

[3:00] And there was a very slow transition where Timothy was being raised up to be the man of God that he would become and a pastor and so forth and as a believer. And then he went on the road with the Apostle Paul in his early 20s. And so he had really spent a lot of time with the Apostle Paul, probably more than anybody else had spent with Paul. And so Paul spent his time over a decade training Timothy, encouraging him, teaching him, and not only by word but by an example. Sometimes being an example is being the best teacher. And I would say that the Apostle Paul was, when he was finally taken to heaven.

[4:02] Timothy had graduated with high honors from the Apostle Paul University, so to speak. And yet, I want to mention, as we also know from the second letter of Timothy, how the Apostle Paul had to continue to encourage Timothy not to be fearful in basic things, even though he was on his way out and Timothy was about to be fully responsible for leadership and all in the church. But the qualifier for the honors degree in the Lord is the condition of the heart.

[4:44] And if you remember David, the Bible tells us that David was a man after God's own heart. And if you remember the account when Samuel was to anoint the next king of Israel, and so Jesse had brought his sons one by one to Samuel. And then the Lord would say, no, that's not the one. And it actually reading from first Samuel chapter 16 starting there with verse 7 but the Lord said to Samuel do not look at his appearance or at his physical stature because I have refused him for the Lord does not see as man sees for man looks at the outward appearance but the Lord looks at the heart and so Samuel I'm giving you a heads up this is like last minute instruction to Samuel he's all he's in the spot of having to pick the next king I don't see as man sees and so he instructs he instructs Samuel so the qualifier for ministry.

[6:09] All through the scripture is the condition of the heart. And God looks at that. So that's why oftentimes you'll look at somebody and think, well, why has God chosen him to do that or him to do that? I'm so much smarter than he is. I went to Bible college and I've got these degrees and I have so much more charisma. And look at, you know, I'm even easier to look at than him. You know, whatever we might think of. But I'm so glad that I could be fully immersed in ministry as I learned ministry.

[6:54] Well, Timothy was such a man as that. We don't have to wait to learn all these things to be fully immersed in ministry. Because our heart is the qualifier, and God knows our heart, and God will be faithful to use us. And really, when God uses us, is it all these things that we think it is, or is it just God deciding to use us? And, you know, whether you are a fisherman, or whether you're, you know, of the intellectual world like the apostle Paul was or Luke was or just a plain fisherman smelly fisherman God says no I'm gonna use him because I'm gonna show myself strong through this man who everybody knows is not a strong man it's got to be God if he's being used it's got to be God i've seen that it's pretty cool actually but this particular first verse.

[8:01] You know Paul an apostle of jesus christ by the commandment of god our savior the lord jesus christ our hope so regarding the idea of spiritual stabilizers in our lives actually that's the the title of the message, Spiritual Stabilizers.

[8:25] And just the idea of our faith being stable because of faith. What we know in scripture because the stabilizers in our life is from the word whether it be your theology why why are you stable what's the stabilizers in your doctrine the shock absorbers you might say when you're under pressure you know what would your car would your car perform without shock absorbers driving down the road when i was first learning to drive my dad wasn't one to really maintain our vehicles but we had bad shocks in our 1961 Pontiac Star Chief.

[9:12] Four-door you know we were all poor back then I mean I didn't have a car and so when I got my license I had to drive my dad's car my dad's car had bad shocks where if you hit a bump it would just go down the road like this until finally it settled down like this so I think it was more of the springs well when when we were when we were having our pledge week into the varsity guys had wanted to get into the varsity club so you had pledge week now this was in the 70s so it kind of got brutal but one of the things that we made the pledges do was we lock them in the trunk of this 1961 Pontiac star chief and then we drive around Cerritos college down junior college down down in Southern California over the speed bumps. And you could hear them. Boom, boom. You could hear them like that, back there bouncing. Go from one speed bump to the other, and then after like 10 or 15 minutes, we'd open it. They were getting bumped around pretty good. But this is the 70s. This is the kind of stuff that you did. I won't tell you all the things that we did in the 70s. When I first started playing football, my helmet had straps in it. It didn't even have that cushiony stuff in it.

[10:27] But i think somewhere in the middle of my sophomore year we got the cushion but before that it was just straps you know like i said it was the 70s but but you know the thing is is of how would you like that kind of experience in your life because you don't have the spiritual, stabilizers in your life you know what if a car if a vehicle is overweighted then the shocks don't work either it's that hard rubber hitting the hard rubber and bang bang bang i i went to get sand in my Toyota tacoma and i said hey can i have a you know a yard of sand and they looked at my truck and they go you sure you want a yard of sand that's like 2500 pounds i went half a yard give me a half a yard so a half a yard my truck went down and all the way back you know home it was bam bam bam and I'm thinking okay this wasn't made for weight but the stabilizers and.

[11:27] And so it's important. Well, these stabilizers are given to us as we study the word, as we get to know the Lord, so that our life isn't like a washboard experience. You ever been on the dirt roads? It's like a washboard. And if you get going, your car will actually start bouncing off the road. You've got to stop and then start again. It's so bad. And I've seen Christians, their lives are like that. They're going along and they and they just start going right off the road it's like what's going on you know they're not stable in their their life and i wouldn't want my life to be that way you know feeling just kind of like you have no no footing you feel insecure you feel you don't have any confidence and so you're constantly just bouncing around and you know we need to have the standards in our spiritual life, like having earthquake standards. Our life is being built for whatever hits us. I know that the one Psalm, Psalm 46, where it says, God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear, even though the earth be removed.

[12:46] And though the mountains be carried in the midst of the sea, though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling and so if your life doesn't have that spiritual earthquake standard you're going to get bounced right off of whatever however it is that you're trusting the lord very very unstable you know and here in verse one as we're looking at this you know the first thing that i want to make note of and i think it's a huge stabilizer spiritually and something that i i always need to be reminded of and i always make mention mention of this and that here is where it tells us that it says Paul an apostle of jesus christ do you know that Paul's name means small.

[13:43] And it's interesting because every one of his letters, he starts with Paul all the way through the New Testament. It's a good reminder and an example to all of us because sometimes we get to think of ourselves as being big shots or bigger than what we really are, and that undermines us spiritually. Spiritually i had a book in my library and i was at i was at down in southern California i saw it was a yard sale or and or somebody even told me about it of a presbyterian pastor who was retiring and selling all his books and i went i thought that was odd but he was so i went there and I got lots of good books that I still have in my library.

[14:41] But I got one book that was weird. It was really, really weird because as you look in the front, it was kind of a compilation of all these little short works. And so it had all the authors in the front of it, and they had titles like The Reverend So-and-So, The Most Holy Reverend So-and-So, the most most holy reverend so and so the reverend to be i don't know just on and on with these titles it was a really old old book and just when i read it i just felt like you know.

[15:24] How horrible it was that somebody would want a title like that and then when i did read some of the things that I read, it was like they were writing to impress one another. Let me see how complicated I can make this simple subject. And I just was done with it. I went to look for it the other day and couldn't find it. I didn't think I got rid of it, but I couldn't find it because I was going to read all these titles. But point made is that, and again, what a great example, as Paul remember his name originally was Saul and Saul means the requested one but as things have it his name was changed and if you read later in Acts chapter 13 you'll see Paul ministering for the Lord and it says Saul whose name is Paul filled with the Holy Holy Spirit.

[16:34] Begins to do mighty works for the Lord. But from that point on in Acts 13, he's never referred to as Saul again. It's Paul, built with the Holy Spirit. And that's what matters. That's the stabilizer in your life. Because the more you would lean on yourself and lose that perspective, you're going to be unstable in your relationship. Relationship and and so it's pretty cool because the only time that Saul is mentioned again is when the apostle Paul is giving his testimony talking about when those things happened but from there on his name is Paul means small and he writes it out and so the bible is clear that that God raises up the humble.

[17:26] Psalm 147.6 says, The Lord lifts up the humble. He casts the wicked down to the ground. And so that particular principle is consistent through the entire Bible.

[17:41] The Bible also tells us that really, we're to look at others better than ourselves. That's another huge principle. The attitude towards others is huge. Philippians 2, 3, and 4. Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind.

[18:02] Let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Attitude toward others is huge. And then the attitude, again, towards ourselves is big, like the Apostle Paul. It tells us in 1 Corinthians 4, verses 6 and 7. Now these things, brethren, Paul's writing, I have figuratively transferred to myself and Apollos for your sakes, that you may learn in us not to think beyond what is written, but none of you may be that none of you may be puffed up on behalf of one another against one against the other for who makes you differ from another and what do you have that you did not receive now if you did indeed receive it why do you boast as if you had not received it and so attitude toward ourselves why is it or how do you recognize what it is in your life that is is strong or a gifting where did you get that and if the lord if you recognize the lord gave it to you then why would you ever boast about it.

[19:24] Paul was saying, hey, look at us. We're not doing that. As a matter of fact, the Apostle Paul, he would define that in his own life in 1 Corinthians 15, where he says, for I am the least of the apostles who am not worthy to be called an apostle because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God, I am what I am. And his grace toward me was not in vain, but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God, which was with me. And so once again, the attitude that he had towards himself, you know, and he stressed it. I am what I am. I am what I am, but it's only by God's grace. I don't deserve this, but I am what I am, so I will step up. And then he says, and so because of it, I worked harder than all the rest, recognizing that so although Paul would indicate that he didn't deserve that position that Paul would indicate that he's small i want you to notice again in verse one one, Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the commandment of God.

[20:47] I am what I am because God commanded me to be this way. It means it's not an option and it's not up for vote.

[20:58] And so the stabilizers in your life will be when you begin to learn these things, are you going to step up and say, okay, God, I don't get it. Why me i don't understand it but it's by your command so i will step up and i will do this as hard as it may be as you know even confusing this may be you know but i'm gonna do it because it's by your command and it's in scripture so you know Paul he could have wallowed in self-pity.

[21:32] And like any of us, put together this whole list of things to disqualify us from any ministry God has planned for us. And so, you know, I have done this. I've got this in my past. How could I be what God wants me to be? Or on one hand, I've done this. On the other hand, I have not done this. And so you have this whole list of ideas there. There you know whatever we come up with as being a problem it's probably true it's true like Paul would say i did persecute the church of god he was responsible for the death of believers that's true but by god's grace i am what i am and so we would say yeah that's true you did do that.

[22:21] Okay that's true i won't say who or the details but yeah i had a pastor confess to me one time about something that he had had done that was horrendous and he was telling me and and yet meanwhile that was already when he was involved with the ministry and then god continued to to use him in a mighty way and he would be in tears you say yeah that was true but somehow or another god still continued to use his life i say that to you because you got to be on guard because Because the enemy, he doesn't want you to know that. The devil would want that detailed list of disqualifications and wants you to believe them. He wants you to come up with that list. And the devil wouldn't want you to be okay with your new self. He doesn't want you to be okay with grace, unmerited favor. He doesn't want you okay with that. He wants you out of the picture. And so he wants that stabilizer taken out you know they drop whole buildings.

[23:32] Very strategically in the middle of populated areas and other big buildings by strategically placing the explosives in certain areas, knowing where the stress points are in a building. And if you do it a certain way and a certain timing of everything, there's a whole science to it. You could drop a building right in its tracks. But you don't think the devil has that figured out? Timing and perfect precision attacks on you but you know when you know that you're fighting from a place of victory because you victory we have in jesus christ he doesn't have a chance and that's why the bible says if you submit to god resist the devil he'll flee he'll come he comes full circle though comes full circle so we're always on guard for the enemy's attacks and so he doesn't want you He doesn't want you comfortable. He doesn't want you stable in your relationship with God and your relationship with God made new by him. No, the enemy would much rather that we get dragged down by our old self. Don't let our old self in.

[24:48] You know, some, you know, when it comes to the physical body, don't let the old man in. Right? I've heard that a lot lately. And I like that, by the way. You know, because too many people just sit on the couch and eat bonbons and, you know, let the old man in. That's how you do it. But stay busy. Be disciplined. No matter what. You know?

[25:15] But that's a rabbit trail. But the Bible tells us it's the truth that sets us free. The stabilizers in our life that Jesus tells us that. David in the Psalms he lost his way for a time and he began to envy the wicked and it seemed to him that things were going right so often for them and he didn't get it he was confused I live for you God I do this and you know I'm I'm faithful to go to go to church and I serve you and you know and I read the word and I pray but it seems like that wicked person everything just seems to go right for them and everything seems to be going wrong for me. I don't get it. So David was in this place in his life and he was watching and seeing and evaluating and seemed like things were like that. And then he snapped out of it in a moment. How did he snap out of it? It's when he went into the sanctuary of the Lord, in the presence of the Lord, he snapped out of it. And it tells us in that psalm, when he snapped out of it, in Psalm 73, 16 through 19, when I thought how to understand this, it was too painful for me. Until I went into the sanctuary of God, then I understood their end. Surely you set them in slippery places, you cast them down to destruction.

[26:45] How they are brought to desolation as in a moment they are utterly consumed with terrors. And so the wicked is blind to their situation that at any time...

[27:00] Their feet are in slippery places. Their feet aren't planted on the rock, but in slippery places. So in a sudden, it could be judgment for them.

[27:09] And so they could be just, you know, thinking they've got the world by the tail or whatever and that they're prospering and all these things. And then all of a sudden, their whole world, you know, goes away. And then they stand in judgment. David realized that. it's like oh he was caught off guard let us not be caught off guard this commandment that we see in verse one is by jesus christ and so our confidence as believers must be to trust god he knows what he's doing he has commanded us and even when you know what's happening doesn't make sense we have to say wait a minute this is by the commandment of god in my life and be settled to wait and see what the lord would have you know we're no we're no longer our own we were purchased by jesus christ our life is now hidden in christ so i like that movie called The Miracle. If you've ever seen that true story of the 1976 Olympic hockey team that ended up being gold medalists, they beat Russia. They said, that's a miracle that that happened.

[28:33] And, you know, that was the era of the 70s. Most of those guys were like my age that were playing in that but I really liked what the coach said and the initial selection of that team they had all these ideas of how they were going to you know search the country over for all these you know athletes and all but the coach who already was familiar with the hockey players in the nation and so forth, they said, or he said, I don't want the most talented players. I want the right players.

[29:13] And that's just from memory. I don't know if that's exactly what he said, but the idea is there. His reasoning and his philosophy had to do with how they worked together, not as individuals but as a team. He wanted the heart that was in those guys, and he chose right. And they formed what they called themselves to be as a family. And together they beat the Russians, which was a miracle in itself and such the movie got its titles and you know i have seen and i have observed over the years those that god uses mightily are team players and they have learned not to be independent but interdependent upon one another first of course upon the lord i'm not independent of the the Lord. I'm completely dependent upon the Lord for everything, for my next breath, for my next heartbeat. I'm dependent upon him. Jesus says, without me, you can do nothing. I take him literally.

[30:20] But besides that, do not forsake the gathering of the fellowship. We are interdependent upon one another. That's the way we're wired. Some people want to rebel against that. I don't want to have to be dependent upon anybody. Well, that's pride, and that doesn't go very well. It doesn't fly with the Lord. And so that's not the way that God's made us. He didn't make any of us to be superheroes in the body of Christ, you know. No, we're all gifted, and every gift is essential, just like your body. You could be the strong atlas of a person, but yet you take out any one important part of that body and then you're reduced to nothing. Because every single gift and strength in that body is dependent upon one another.

[31:17] To get to the next place. And that's the way that we're made up in the body of Christ. And so every part of the body are to function, to accomplish God's will. Paul writes in Romans 15, where he says, when we then who are strong ought to bear with the scruples of the weak and not please ourselves. Of course, speaking of love, being others-minded and willing to sacrifice.

[31:51] So rather than tearing one another, you're concerned about building one another up. For even Christ did not please himself, but as it is written, the reproaches of those who reproached you fell on me. For whatever things were written before were written for our learning, that we through the patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope, Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another according to Christ Jesus, that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. And so unity, the Lord has called us to be unified in service to him. And then also a key thought in 1 Corinthians chapter 12. It says, There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are diversities of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all. All and so for the prophet of all if you look that up in the greek it means to bear to bring together to carry together.

[33:16] The prophet of all, carrying together. So doing the work of the Lord together. I know one of the training that the SEALs, the SEALs training where they have to carry a telephone pole as a team, something that's so heavy down the beach. Well, if any one of them slack off, it makes it almost, you know, impossible and really hard for the others. So they learn the only way they're going to carry that big telephone pole is that they all take their part and their weight. Otherwise, the weight is that things are still going to be carried, but somebody's going to be carrying more weight. And so that's the idea when it comes to that. And so, you know, the key thought in Christ as the body, how is your gifting profiting all, is the question we need to ask ourselves.

[34:10] To profit all, bearing with one another. It is being there to throw a lifeline to those in need if you're not there how are you going to throw the lifeline to those in need if you're just not there and so Paul again the stabilizer know who you are he's an apostle one cent is what apostle means by the commandment of the lord so not a suggestion when it comes to your calling your gifting they're given by commandment so if you slack off of them you're slacking off of the commandment given to you as a believer and the second verse to timothy as a true son in the faith as opposed to what a false one and timothy was a a proven man of god Paul was able to say he's a true and faithful son because of the testimony that he had and it took the guesswork out of the equation where somebody are you even a christian.

[35:18] Well yeah i'm a christian well why don't you go to church uh the the woods is my church You know, have you ever heard that one? Well, I don't really believe in church. And then they'll say something like the first church. They didn't have churches like we have. No, they had small groups of believers that met in the house.

[35:42] You know, and so there's house churches, and that's fine if that's what the Lord's doing, but, you know, don't point the finger because the Lord has more families that actually need something bigger than a house to get together, but you have that element out there, but he was a true son in the faith, grace, mercy, and peace from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord, And so, you know, right there, mercy is added to the pastoral letters. It's like, may the Lord have pity on you because the things you're going to be doing are going to be very hard. So mercy, rather than just grace and peace, it's grace, mercy, and peace. You know, you're going to be going through some very difficult things. As I urge you, when I went into Macedonia, remain in Ephesus, that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine. Well, by that wording, you would think, well, Timothy was a little reluctant to go to Ephesus. Maybe because of the challenges in his makeup would be rather, I don't really like controversy. I don't really like conflict.

[36:54] You know, I don't. but if the lord puts it and say hey you need to deal with this timothy you need to go to and deal with this you need to charge some timothy's like okay but i don't want to, you know i mean i'm i'm a little bit leery of those who say oh i love conflict, you know i mean i don't think that's healthy to love conflict you know but there may be a a good argument for that I don't know but you know so Timothy would have to take charge as a leader, and so to bring God's people to safety.

[37:37] To safeguard the people, because it says there that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine. And so it was all about assuring that there was sound doctrine being taught. And Timothy being under the wing of the Apostle Paul long enough to where Paul could say, hey, I can safely send you there to correct false teaching, false doctrine.

[38:04] You know, and I'll I'll never forget a time that there was two of the guys here that were in the kitchen, and I was in the dining area down there, and I heard them talking. And one said to the other, yeah, well, that's not in the Bible. And I went, wow, that's pretty cool. So to be able to make a statement like that, you've got to know the Bible. And they were talking back and forth, and I've known these guys for 20 years here. And i just thought i don't know it's just a moment time things that's what we need you know to know that you can make that statement like that that's not and that's not our lord that doesn't represent our lord where'd you get that from why can you say that because i know the word show me in the word, you know and and so timothy was sent to do that that there would be sound doctrine and so because there'll always be those that will teach falsely they need to be called out they need to be called out by those who know the word and so you have the pastors you have the elders you have the leaders you have those that are watching especially a young believer comes in somebody tries to sideswipe them and take them off and i've seen that as well when Paul wrote to Titus you know Paul let Titus know that when he wrote holding fast and.

[39:33] The faithful word as he has been taught that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convict those who contradict. And so the sound doctrine is the sword in the battle. It's the offensive weapon. Very important that we handle the word of God. And Paul let Timothy know to expect those to be drifting away. In his second letter, he wrote to Timothy, For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers. And so somebody that's going to say something that they want to hear. And so he's saying, expect this. So when it happens, you will not be surprised.

[40:24] Expect it. So people will come up with different ways of teaching to get people excited and motivated beyond what the Word of God would actually be teaching. So the emphasis will be, let's say, the carnality part of individuals says, but I like riches and wealth. Well, let me teach you how the Bible teaches you to seek after riches and wealth and how if you're a blessed man, your wallet is going to be blessed. And if you're a blessed man, then you're never going to be sick. And, you know, all these different things because the people want to hear that. I want to go to church to hear a message about how I'm never going to be sick. I want to go to church to hear about how I'm going to be wealthy. I want to go to church. Yeah, pump me up. Tell me that. And then tell me it's from God. And that's what happens. People get sucked into that.

[41:24] But I have learned that all the trials that you could imagine in life can be just as much for the Christian as for the non-Christian. So when the winds come and the waves beat against the house, the believer's house continues to stand because it's built upon the rock. But the unbeliever's built on the sand and it just gets devastated. And that's the difference. So...

[41:52] And so he says that they teach no other doctrine nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies which cause disputes rather than godly edification, which is in faith. And so not to be aware is to be caught off guard. That's basically the way you can look at that. That Timothy, I want you to be aware, nor give heed to fables. I want you to be aware. People are going to tell stories, fables. Conspiracy theories would fall under that subject. Be careful. Beware. You hear enough of those conspiracy theories, you know, out there. I don't believe man ever went to the moon. Really? I don't believe the world is round. It's flat. I can prove it. Really?

[42:50] And then, you know, politically, the conspiracy theories are out there, you know, running wild. Beware of the ideologies of men, the inventions and imaginations of men that could bend you away from the truth that's documented in the scriptures. And, you know, the building trades, they'll use a level. Even though you have a good eye, you go, oh, that's almost level. Well in the building trades that doesn't it's not almost level yeah it's got to be a level you know now they have the laser levels when when jeff was doing the parking lot he showed me you know how that worked and it's pretty cool you just set it over there in the corner over there and over on this other side you can put a stick and you know exactly where the level is of each and how far off level that they are.

[43:43] You know, I remember down in, you ever hear of Knott's Berry Farm down in Southern California? It's an amusement park. They have this one shack, tunnel, that makes you think that water runs uphill. It's a, and that it defies gravity. You go in there, and the way it's built, and I don't know how they do it, it's like everything defies gravity. But I would bet, and I never did this, if you had a level, you walked in there, you could kind of check out what thing, how things were really going. Because it was just built to totally deceive you but if you had that level in there that would expose what's going on that's what the word of god is it's the level you know where things can look one way but when you have the word it exposes the lie and so beware of the fables and endless genealogies so many you know they offer no solutions they leave you hanging they they bring this great big list of genealogies that don't answer any questions don't offer any support the idea of confusing not confirming steer clear of that element because they don't bring any clarity to the word of god and so and that's what it says and causes disputes.

[45:06] And cause and effect if you bring confusion into it it's not going to bring unity it's going to bring disunity cause and effect and that's what's going to happen and it serves as a a cause for the body to be in disarray instead of unity and it's certainly a tactic of the enemy to bring disunity unity in the body of christ and people asking so many questions that it can breed confusion for the sake of of you know they they bring in the cause disputes controversy, and you know kind of like last Tuesday's debate.

[45:44] To bring controversy to bring confusion not to answer questions but to cause problems and aggravation and irritation and nothing that makes sense it's just like the longest hour and a half ever and i'm just you know i'm sorry that trump took the bait too often but it's just in his DNA he's got to take the bait but but anyway kind of like that you know you've seen that demonstrated.

[46:15] The bait and hook tactic and it happens in the body of christ taking the bait causes frustration i've seen that i've seen a men's bible study not here in another place it was going strong and then somehow or another we hit in scripture where it talked about a subject that divides people and so the guys that were leading and it wasn't me at the time said this is what we're going to do that camp is going to go and and and defend their position and then this half is going to defend their position within a month that men's study was dissolved and there was only a few people left in it why why would you do that you know and it was going so well but see the enemy just got in there and he knows, you know, how to do that. And the Bible, you know, tells us who the author of confusion is. It's not God. 1 Corinthians 14, 33, for God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. And so when you see confusion, you know, let the red flags go up because, you know, the enemy is certainly trying to destroy. So rather than godly edification. So godly edification speaks of reinforcing relationships, not undermining relationships.

[47:41] And the enemy wants to throw a wrench in the works of fellowship and unity to quench the spirit of God working within a church. Church but we would would you know foster the godly edification which is in faith and so, building faith faith comes by hearing hearing by the word of god the word of god have a good grip on it and what's amazing is just be diligent you know daily you'd be surprised if you just daily read the word, that God, sometime during the day or even right there on the spot, what you read will be what you need.

[48:24] And so that's why a new believer from the get-go, from Jump Street, will have what they need to battle the enemy. It's the Word of God. And so you can only take one part of it at a time and utilize it, and it'll be that part. Why? Because God is faithful. So you open the Bible, you put a bookmark where you start, and then you put a next day, open that bookmark, and then read the next chapter or wherever you left off. And you'd be surprised how God will prepare you for that day. Because it's one day at a time, Jesus said. You know, and each day adds up to a whole life. And we'll be soldiers for Christ, amen? All right, let's stand together.

[49:14] If you need prayer, come forward afterwards. Lord, we want to thank you for your word once again. and just being faithful in our lives. And we just thank you for the examples in Scripture that we can look to and go to, Lord. We want to thank you that you preserved your word for us.

[49:32] You're the one that did that supernaturally. You preserved your word, and we want to thank you for fulfilled prophecies. Your word is separate from all other books and all other writings. Lord, it's you who inspired the Scriptures as it says there, God breathe. And so we want to thank you. We don't have to reinvent the wheel of life, but we just need to follow you faithfully, Lord. And to be fully equipped from day one because, Lord, we're filled with your spirit, fully equipped. And then help us to be diligent, Lord, to learn and to have those stabilizers set in our lives, Lord, Lord, that we don't get taken off course, that we don't get shaken up over and over again, that we don't get rattled by just little things that come up. But no matter what, Lord, that we would be trusting you because your word shows us and tells us, Lord. So I pray for your people now. I ask for a blessing upon each one of them with the things they're dealing with in life. I pray that they would look to you and that you would strengthen them spiritually, Lord, that you would minister to them and that they would look to you. In Jesus' name we pray, amen. Amen, God bless you.