Remember your leaders, those who spoke to you the word of God. Consider the outcome of their way of life, and imitate their faith. 8
Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. 9
Do not be led away by diverse and strange teachings, for it is good for the heart to be strengthened by grace, not by foods, which have not benefited those devoted to them. 10
We have an altar from which those who serve the tent have no right to eat. 11
For the bodies of those animals whose blood is brought into the holy places by the high priest as a sacrifice for sin are burned outside the camp. 12
So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 13
Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured. 14
For here we have no lasting city, but we seek the city that is to come. 15
Through him then let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that acknowledge his name. 16
Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God.
The third admonition from this text is that we not be carried away with strange doctrines. This has been the attack of the enemy from the earliest days. If man is
to be religious, fine, for man is homo adorans, worshipping man, therefore let us tempt him to believe that which leads away from peace, joy, that takes away the focus on the Lamb and nothing will have that effect more than false religions.
And of course, we would like to think of false teachers as those who beat their wives and children, are mean and sorely, with one eye in the middle of their heads,
dragging a foot behind them, with a sign, Beware, I am a false teacher. But it is not so. Many, if not most are kind, likable and perhaps very sincere. But we are to judge truth by God’s word not by the appearance or personality of the person who holds it.
The apostle Paul would even put himself on notice.
“Even though we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to that which we have preached to you, let him be accursed.”
Paul warned the Ephesians elders of this as well, “I know that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you not sparing the flock, and from among your
own selves men will arise speaking perverse things to draw the disciples after them.”
And remember, Satan’s target is the church. He does not need to pervert the world because it is already perverted and rolling like a massive ball down a hill of depravity.
This is why the NT is so filled with warning for Christians to beware of false teaching. And how we live our lives is the outworking of what we believe, therefore there is much emphasis on keeping pure our doctrine…what we think and the necessary out-workings
of what we hold to be true. Every incorrect practice and every bad act, every bad standard of life can be traced back to bad doctrine.
One of the marks of small children is their lack of discernment. They have no way of telling what is good for them and what is harmful. They judge only by feeling
and desire, if it looks good, and they want it, they will pick up a rattlesnake. If it looks tasty, or even if not, it will go into the mouth. A child of three left to select his own diet would never live to four, but would sugar himself to death. And the
church must not fall into such immaturity.
We cannot judge by what we feel, or what we want, but what has God said. That is why Paul tells Timothy: Watch your LIFE and doctrine carefully. It is both
how you live as an example to follow and what you teach that you might save yourself and save your hearers.
Interestingly, Timothy is an instrument of God’s work and so much so that God actually says that Timothy will save his hearers…in fact, if Timothy guards his life
closely he, Timothy will save himself. Mark this down: We know that Timothy can’t save himself let alone save others. Timothy is the instrument God uses to save others and faith filled, godly living is the means by which God saves Timothy.
But so connected is God to the instruments He uses, that He has no problem referring to the instrument as the one doing the work. He can say Timothy saves, even though
Timothy is not the savior but the instrument. We might be uncomfortable speaking this way, my point is that the Bible is NOT.
So, it is no big deal for the Bible to say that the Eucharist is food unto salvation…or when Peter says Baptism saves. The means that God uses often are credited with
them being ultimate. And then Paul says, “If you instruct the brethren in these things, you will be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished in the words of faith and of the good doctrine which you have carefully followed.”
Some years ago someone in the church sent me a note, it read: In some ways, today’s Presbyterians have not fared well in the crucible of postmodern pluralism. Following
the impulses of contemporary religion, they generally focus on personal experience and make few connections between doctrinal statement and their daily lives. In order to regain spiritual wholeness, we must relearn how to think and live theologically.
While some pastors call for a renewing return to our sources ordinary Christians happily march on to the latest hit tunes. While the official theology remains Calvinist,
the lived theology, the type of personal piety, music, liturgy, cultural affiliations, support for para-church organizations etc. resembles a bland brew of feel-good religion and cultural accommodation. Distanced from the sources of Reformed theology, our
Presbyterian tradition will wither into a few empty phrases mouthed occasionally from the pulpit but having little to do with the lives of our church members.”
The admonitions given us in the Bible, the warnings, are not to be seen as coming from a tyrant who is holding out impossible standards…These are God’s love letters
to His children…Here is how to know Me and how to be happy, joyful and life a life that is full…and we don’t need to ever qualify that.
Prayer: Father, as I profess you to be the only true God and trust You
as my refuge, give me Spirit led courage to act out my faith and to take my place among Your people, set apart for Your glory and to do Your bidding until Jesus comes again. I praise You and thank You for setting Your love upon Me, an undeserving sinner! Help
your church to worship you in true Spirit and truth that we might set our love upon You and seek Your will and purpose. Thank you Father, in Jesus name, Amen.
Psalm 26 Vindicate Me O Lord