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In 1 Timothy 1:6-11, the Apostle Paul provides a heart scanner for false teachers in order to show Timothy the danger of false teachers and persuade him to take decisive action against them in order to protect the Gospel for the good of souls. View them as a terrorist threat in order to overcome your timidity and tackle them head-on.

THEOLOGICAL TERRORISTS HAVE HATEFUL HEARTS (6a)

They have swerved away from:

• A pure heart
• A good conscience
• Sincere faith

False teaching begins with a false heart.

Why do they do this?

THEOLOGICAL TERRORISTS HAVE SELFISH AIMS (6b-7)

• Vain discussion: Multiple words with minimal value
• Ambitious aims: Want positions of prestige and power
• Arrogant self-confidence: Confident but clueless

Our words inflate us, but God’s word deflates us.

What’s their main tactic?

THEOLOGICAL TERRORISTS ABUSE THE BIBLE (8-9a)

• A good use of the law is to convict of sin (8)
• A bad use of the law is academic speculation (9a)

The Bible is to convict of sin, not create sin.

What’s the effect of all this?

THEOLOGICAL TERRORISTS DESTROY NEEDY SOULS (9b-11)

• Sinners are not convicted of their sin (9b-10)
• Sinners do not hear or want the glorious Gospel (11)

If you get the law wrong, you’ll get the Gospel wrong.

LIVING THE BIBLE

Overcome timidity by seeing false teachers as theological terrorists who abuse the Bible and destroy souls.

You can catch up with previous episodes of the Living the Bible podcast on our new website or subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcast.

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James was a timid child, a timid teenager, and a timid adult. Timidity was part of his personality. But it held him back in life. He never made trouble but he never took any risks either. His timidity prevented him from trying out for sports he loved. It held him back from asking girls he liked for a date. It also hindered his faith.

• He never opposed evil
• He never fought for the truth
• He often used love as an excuse for inaction.

Maybe you can identify with James. Timidity is holding you back. It’s hindering you in different areas of life.

As we’ll see in this new Living the Bible series on 1 Timothy, the Timothy of the Bible also had a problem with timidity. The Apostle Paul wrote to en-courage him, to put courage in him.

Let’s use this letter to timid Timothy to encourage ourselves, to put courage in ourselves. We start today with with 1 Timothy 1v1-5.

WE MUST FIGHT FALSEHOOD

• Oppose novel teaching (3b)
• Oppose divisive speculations (4a)

If we don’t fight against anything, we won’t have anything left to fight for.

That’s what we fight against. What do we fight for?

WE MUST FIGHT FOR GOD’S ORDER

• Order is from God (4b)
• Order is by truth (4c)

Fighting usually produces chaos, but this fighting produces order.

That sounds like a lot of fighting. It doesn’t sound very loving.

WE MUST FIGHT FOR LOVE

• A pure heart produces love (5a)
• A good conscience produces love (5b)
• A sincere faith produces love (5c)

Fight because you love, and you’ll love because you fought.

LIVING THE BIBLE

Christ was the greatest fighter and the greatest lover. He fought because he loved and loved because he fought. He fought against falsehood. He fought for God’s order. He fought for love. He had a perfectly pure heart, a perfectly good conscience, and a perfectly sincere faith. He therefore had perfect love.

Fight against falsehood and for God’s order to maximize love.

You can catch up with previous episodes of the Living the Bible podcast on our new website or subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcast.

How would God answer this question? “How would you like to be remembered?” We don’t need to speculate, because we have the answer in Exodus 34:5-9.

GOD’S GOODNESS IS HIS GLORY

• Moses: Please show me your glory (33:18)
• God: I will make all my goodness pass before you (33:19)

If God’s best side is his goodness, let’s not get on the wrong side.

Does he explain his goodness to us?

GOD’S GOODNESS IS MULTI-COLORED

We see different angles and aspects of God’s goodness in Exodus 34:6-7.

• Merciful and gracious (6a)
• Slow to anger (6b)
• Abounding in steadfast love (6c)
• Abounding in faithfulness (6d)
• Keeping steadfast love for thousands (7a)
• Forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin (7b)

If God’s goodness is multi-colored, there’s no reason to live in guilty gray.

So, does God love and forgive everyone?OK

GOD’S GOODNESS MUST NOT BE ABUSED

God’s goodness is offered but it must not be spurned.

• The guilty will be condemned (7c)
• The guilty will be punished (7d)
• The guilty will damage generations (7e)

God’s goodness is available to all, but is not accepted by all.

LIVING THE BIBLE

God answered this question even more memorably at the incarnation and at the crucifixion. In both places he makes his goodness pass by and declares his name to us. He’s saying, “This is how I want to be remembered.”

In the preaching of the Gospel and in the Lord’s Supper he continues to make his goodness pass by and declare his name to us. He’s saying, “This is how I want to be remembered.”

If God says, “Remember my goodness,” let’s never forget it.

This episode of Living the Bible lines up with Expedition 7: Day 5 in  Exploring the Bible Together: A 52-Week Family Worship Plan and Exploring the Bible: A Bible Reading Plan for Kids. You can catch up with previous episodes of the Living the Bible podcast here or subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcast.

Link to video

A book for teens: Why am I feeling like this? A Teen’s Guide to Freedom from Anxiety and Depression.

A book for adults: Why Is My Teenager Feeling Like This?: A Guide for Helping Teens through Anxiety and Depression

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Can we live with God? How do we live with God? Do we want to live with God? Does God want to live with us?

Let’s find answers to these questions in Exodus 25:1-8 where we can walk around God’s living room and learn about living with God. This chapter introduces the Tabernacle, God’s home among the Israelites.

GOD’S LIVING ROOM IS HOLY (8)

• The Tabernacle is a holy place
• The Tabernacle is for a holy person

A perfect place with a perfect person sounds like a perfect life.

How does God entice us in?

GOD’S LIVING ROOM IS BEAUTIFUL (8)

• The Tabernacle is made of beautiful materials
• The Tabernacle is a beautiful idea

God is not spartan, he’s spectacular.

But does he really want me in it?

GOD’S LIVING ROOM IS INVITING (8)

• God’s in it
• God invites us to join him

God doesn’t say “Stay out,” he says, “Come in.”

LIVING THE BIBLE

Through Jesus Christ, God is saying, “I’ve made you a living room where we can live together. Jesus is a holy living room, a beautiful living room, and an inviting living room” (Matthew 1:23; John 1:14).

Live with God because he wants to live with you and has made it possible through Jesus Christ.

This episode of Living the Bible lines up with Expedition 7: Day 4 in  Exploring the Bible Together: A 52-Week Family Worship Plan and Exploring the Bible: A Bible Reading Plan for Kids. You can catch up with previous episodes of the Living the Bible podcast here or subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcast.

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LOVING GOD MAKES US HAPPY (1-11)

Commands 1-4 are about loving God

• Love God alone (3)
• Love God’s way (4-6)
• Love God’s name (7)
• Love God’s day (8-11)

Pursue God’s happiness and you’ll find personal happiness.

LOVING OTHERS MAKES US HAPPY (12-17)

Commands 5-10 are about loving our neighbor.

• Love their authority (12)
• Love their lives (13)
• Love their relationships (14)
• Love their property (15)
• Love their reputation (16)
• Love their success (17)

The greatest obeyers of God are the greatest lovers of neighbor.

LIVING THE BIBLE

Pursuing our happiness is not the way to happiness. Pursuing the happiness of God and others is the way to personal happiness.

Happiness is the bullseye of holiness.

This episode of Living the Bible lines up with Expedition 7: Day 3 in  Exploring the Bible Together: A 52-Week Family Worship Plan and Exploring the Bible: A Bible Reading Plan for Kids. You can catch up with previous episodes of the Living the Bible podcast here or subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and Google Podcast.