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2 Timothy 4:2 “Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”
The word ‘doctrine’ simply means teaching. Bible doctrine, therefore, refers to the teaching of the Scriptures. Since the days of the apostles, Bible-believing people have had an emphasis upon sound doctrine, but today doctrine is often downplayed in favour of ecumenical unity. 1. We know sound doctrine through obedience (John 7:17) - If a man is open to the truth and willing to obey God, the Lord will give him wisdom so that he can discern sound doctrine from false. In Proverbs 1:23 God says, “Turn you at my reproof: behold, I will pour out my spirit unto you, I will make known my words unto you.” God has promised to make His truth known to those who repent and submit to Him. 2. We know sound doctrine through continuing in God’s Word (John 8:31-32) - In 2 Timothy 2:15, the believer is commanded to rightly divide the Word. This refers to interpreting it properly and knowing its doctrine correctly. Would God require a Christian to rightly divide the Word of truth if He did not intend to give him the ability to do that? This verse indicates that God will hold the Christian accountable for this task, because the one who rightly divides the Word of truth is approved. It is implied that the one who does not rightly divide the truth is disapproved. This means that Pat Boone and other ecumenists are wrong when they say that God does not hold the believer accountable to know sound doctrine. 3. We know sound doctrine through the Holy Spirit - 1 John 2:20-21 says, “But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.” Verse 27 says further, “But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him.” Thus the Scriptures plainly state that the believer has the Holy Spirit to teach him and he can know the truth. – David Cloud In this Psalm David is completely aware and in awe of God’s mighty power and presence.
1. David’s Astonishment Psalm 139:1-6 “O LORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O LORD, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it.” God knows everything there is to know about us and David was astonished at that thought. God's infinite power baffles the human mind. Our mortal brains cannot comprehend or fathom the Almightiness of God. Job 11:7 says: “Canst thou by searching find out God? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven, what canst thou do? Deeper than hell, what canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth and broader than the sea.” 2. David’s Affirmation You know what David begins to understand … there is no escaping the presence of God. Psalm 139:7-12 “Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.” Unlike the devil, God is omnipresent. A person may be able to run from God, but they cannot hide from God. 3. David’s Acknowledgement In the midst of David affirming God’s almighty power, David now acknowledges God’s wonderful person. As powerful as God is, He also has precious countless thoughts towards us. Psalm 139:13-18 “For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. I will praise thee; for I am fear-fully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with thee.” God did not create us to hate us; God loves His creation and desires His best to be fulfilled in their lives. It is amazing how some people charge God foolishly, especially when something bad happens to somebody. Tozer said “Some cannot understand why God lets man die; but I cannot understand why God lets man live, because he has forfeited all right to live, by his iniquity.” 4. David’s Assertion Psalm 139:19-22 “Surely thou wilt slay the wicked, O God: depart from me therefore, ye bloody men. For they speak against thee wickedly and thine enemies take thy name in vain. Do not I hate them, O LORD, that hate thee? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee? I hate them with perfect hatred: I count them mine enemies. A man of God said “If men insist on being the enemies of such a great God, they richly deserve their fate.” 5. David’s Attention David has his eyes on the Lord; he takes the time to mark out the wicked; but now David turns his attention to his own heart. Psalm 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” How important it is to practice the presence of God. Being mindful of the Lord is great and essential and being aware of wickedness around us is both sobering and wise. However to call on the Lord, to help us focus on our own deceitful hearts, is being conscious of the presence of God in our own life and that is key. Hebrews 12:28-29 “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: vs 29 for our God is a consuming fire.”
1. Acceptably There is a way that God desires to be served, worshipped and loved. As God’s servants under the new covenant of grace, we should seek diligently what is acceptable unto the Lord, and not take His grace for granted. Tozer once said “To great sections of the church, the art of worship has been lost entirely and in its place has come that strange and foreign thing called the ‘program’.” Some churches today are searching for what works to better serve God rather than searching the Word to see what God approves of for his service. Ephesians 5:10 “Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.” Romans 12:1 “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” 2. With Reverence Hebrews 12:28-29 “… let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear…” To serve God “with reverence” simply means to have the utmost respect towards God, to have a Holy respect. John the Baptist was a great example. Luke 3:16 “John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:” To unloose the sandal strap was the lowliest servant’s task. John the Baptist realized that he was not worthy to take off the shoes of Jesus let alone to have the privilege to wash His feet. Though John had a correct outlook he still served God by submitting to the will of the Father which also demonstrates reverence. To serve God “with reverence” is to have a humble walk with God. Notice what Micah mentions: Micah 6:8 “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” “True humility is thinking rightly of thyself, not meanly. When you have found out what you really are, you will be humble, for you are nothing to boast of. To be humble will make you safe. To be humble will make you happy. To be humble will make music in your heart when you go to bed. To be humble here will make you wake up in the likeness of your Master by and by.” (Spurgeon) Before anyone has the desire to serve God almighty they must have a humble walk with Him. Walking with God is the foundation of what we are as Christians. Our walk with God will help us serve Him acceptably with reverence and godly fear. 3. Godly fear Hebrews 12:28-29 “… let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear…” To have “godly fear” is to be super sensitive to the things of God and to His ways. To have “godly fear” means we cannot be indifferent to what God requires of us. Noah was a perfect example, the Bible states in Hebrew 11:7 “By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house; by the which he condemned the world, and became heir of the righteousness which is by faith.” To have “godly fear” means to respond to God’s instructions. Conclusion There are two motivations that will help us serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear; notice the first: Hebrews 12:28, “Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved…” 1. What we have secured in Christ. To be part of God’s eternal Kingdom – a promise that is fulfilled in Christ – is something to certainly look forward to. Christ is our blessed hope and our labour – in Christ and for Christ – is not in vain. 2. Who we see in Christ. Hebrews 12:29 “For our God is a consuming fire.” A man of God said “Grace gives us no license to forget God’s holiness. He is our Father, but He is also a consuming fire. In the Old Testament, God put distance between the sacred Ark of the Covenant and the rank and file of the people even when the camp was on the march. The distance has now been removed, but the burning holiness remains.” It is absolutely amazing to know that Christ is our friend, but He is also our God and God ought to be obeyed. Matthew 28:18-20 “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore…”
There are two different kinds of meaning to the Word “Power”. The context of Scripture will help to identify the meaning of the word as well as looking at the Greek words. One refers to Ability and the other to Authority. The Gospel is the Power of God to Save sinners Matthew 28:19 “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:” In Mark’s Gospel we are told what to teach/preach. Mark 16:15 “And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Paul tells us the reason that he is not ashamed of preaching the Gospel of Christ. Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” Why wasn’t Paul ashamed of the Gospel of Christ? a. Paul knew the Substance of the Gospel The Gospel is the good news. We have good news to tell the world. Christ came to seek and to save the lost. It is called the Gospel of Peace. Romans 10:15 “And how shall they preach, except they be sent? As it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!” As disciples of the Lord we must be ready to go forth teaching others how they can have peace with God. Ephesians 6:15 “And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;” b. Paul knew the Source of the Gospel There are so many false and distorted gospels today that only have the power to curse people to hell. Those that preach a false gospel will one day pay for their evil. Galatians 1:6-9 “I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ. But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.” It is the Gospel of Christ that has the power to save sinners from hell. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4 “Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; By which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain. For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:” c. Paul knew the Strength of the Gospel. Romans 1:16 “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.” The power is found in the Cross of Christ, for it is the blood of Christ that has the power to cleanse a sin stained soul. 1 Corinthians 1:18 “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God.” A person can only have victory over death and hell in Christ alone. Barnes said, “God alone is the author of this victory. He formed the plan; he executed it in the gift of his Son; and he gives it to us personally when we come to die.” 1 Corinthians 15:55-57 “O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” CH Spurgeon once “The Gospel is preached in the ears of all—it only comes with power to some. The power that is in the Gospel does not lie in the eloquence of the preacher, otherwise men would be the converters of souls. Nor does it lie in the preacher’s learning, otherwise it would consist in the wisdom of man.” 1 Corinthians 2:4-5 “And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power: vs 5 That your faith should not stand in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.” It is the preacher’s responsibility to preach the Word as it is written, and it is the Holy Spirit’s business to work through the Word in people’s lives. Paul’s preaching may not have been inspiring on a human level, but on a spiritual level it had power because he stuck to preaching the powerful Word of God. To know that God works together for good in the life of His people is one thing, but it is another thing to begin to thank God for what He allows in our life. It is good to grow to understand the heart of God in the midst of a storm. Job, Paul, Jonah, and David were faced with distinct trials and struggles and in the middle of their anguish they understood the heart of God. As a matter of fact, James exhorts us to count it all joy when we are faced with different kinds of trials.
Trials that Work us James 1:2-4 “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.” James states that trials test our faith, and in the process, work character in our life. Trials teach us how to be content. Philippians 4:11 Trials that Make us Job 23:10-11”But he knoweth the way that I take: when he hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold. My foot hath held his steps, his way have I kept, and not declined.” You know the story of Job who lost many things in his life – his business, his children, and his health. Job was tested greatly. However, he soon understood that in his darkest hour God was making him. Job said, “I shall come forth as gold.” Trials that Help us Jonah 2:1-4 Then Jonah prayed unto the LORD his God out of the fish's belly, And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the LORD, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. It is never wise to go against God’s calling. God will never leave His children but will chastise them. (Proverbs 3:11-12) Jonah’s problem was that he lost his focus, and his vision was marred by bitterness. God prepared a great storm for a purpose. God wanted Jonah to refocus and to return to a life in the will of God. Jonah said, “Yet I will look again toward thy holy temple.” Trials that Break us Psalm 51:17 “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” When you read the Scriptures you will notice that God is not a respecter of persons, even a person who has a heart for God. As the Word of God states in Galatians 6:7 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” Please note that not all trials are a result of sin. However, David paid a great price and Psalm 51 is a Psalm of David’s repentance. Through David’s storm, and God’s mercy, David realised that God delights in broken people that take God seriously. It has been said, “Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay.” Trials that Humble us 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong.” For any Christian to finish well, the grace of God is key; and the grace of God is given to the lowly. Paul would have never finished what God called him to do without God’s grace. 1 Corinthians 15:10 “But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain; but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me.” Paul realised when his prayers were not answered the way he wished, that God’s strength is made perfect in weakness; for when we are weak, then we are strong in God's grace through Christ. We live in a sin cursed world with wickedness on the increase. Many are affected by the evil that we see around us, but one thing is for certain, God is not to be blamed.
Roman 8:28 “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” A. Torrey knew the meaning of this verse, and he called it “a soft pillow for a tired heart.” Many of us have rested in Romans 8:28 when faced with an unknown trial. “We know” is used about five times in Romans, and it refers to common knowledge of the Christian – that which God reveals to us. Charles Spurgeon used to say, “I do not need anyone to tell me how honey tastes; I know.” And we know God is good and is for those that love Him and trust Him. Here are some things to consider: 1. God is not evil, nor the cause of evil. 1 John 1:5 “This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.” 2. God is not responsible for the bad decisions people make. James 1:13 “Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man:” 3. God is aware of the evil that takes place. Proverbs 15:3 “The eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.” 4. Nothing takes God by surprise. God is ALL KNOWING, but man must still be responsible for his actions and decisions. John 6:64 “But there are some of you that believe not. For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were that believed not, and who should betray him.” 5. It is God’s choice whether He desires to intervene in certain circumstances of people’s lives. Proverbs 21:1 “The king's heart is in the hand of the LORD, as the rivers of water: he turneth it whithersoever he will.” Philippians 2:27 “For indeed he was sick nigh unto death: but God had mercy on him; and not on him only, but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.” 6. God, at times, disciplines His children in love when they stray. Proverbs 3:11-12 “My son, despise not the chastening of the LORD; neither be weary of his correction: For whom the LORD love the correcteth; even as a father the son in whom he delighteth.” a. When Jonah rebelled, the Lord prepared for him a great fish. b. David was judged (lost his son) because of his sin. 7. People suffer from the bad decisions they make. Galatians 6:7 “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” 8. People suffer from the bad decisions of others. Proverbs 29:2 “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.” 9. God is fully aware of our circumstances, and God can use the evil that is done to us for good. a. Joseph Genesis 50:19-20 “And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.” b. Job Job 1:12 “And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD.” 10. God knows what is best for us. The Lord may not always answer prayer according to what we would ask and hope for. Paul understood that God uses the trials in our life to help us stay humble and finish the course of God’s will. 2 Corinthians 12:7-10 “And lest I should be exalted above measure through the abundance of the revelations, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure. For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me. And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient forthee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, thatthe power of Christ may rest upon me. |
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