Seared Consciences and Deceitful Spirits

In one paragraph

This message worked through 1 Timothy 4:1-5, set in the context of Paul's letter to Timothy in Ephesus. Pastor looked at what the Spirit says about people departing from the faith in the later times, who leads them away and how, and what keeps a believer grounded against that drift. The sermon drew on a run of New Testament passages to show that this is not a new problem and that the answer has...

Read together

1. 1 Timothy 1:15 Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom Paul calls himself the foremost
2. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 urging prayers and intercessions for all people, including kings, so Christians may lead peaceful and godly lives
3. 1 Timothy 2:3-4 God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth
4. 1 Timothy 3:1 anyone who aspires to the office of overseer desires a noble task
5. 1 Timothy 3:14-15 Paul writing so Timothy would know how to behave in the household of God, pillar and buttress of the truth
6. 1 Timothy 3:16 the mystery of godliness: manifested in flesh, vindicated by the Spirit, seen by angels, proclaimed among the nations, believed on in the world, taken up in glory
7. 1 Timothy 4:1-5 the main passage: the Spirit expressly says some will depart from the faith, devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons, forbidding marriage and requiring abstinence from foods
8. Acts 20:28-30 Paul warning the Ephesian elders that fierce wolves would come in and men from among themselves would rise up speaking twisted things to draw disciples away
9. Matthew 24:9-14 Jesus foretelling tribulation, false prophets, lawlessness, love growing cold, and the gospel being preached to all nations before the end
10. 2 Peter 3:3 scoffers will come in the last days following their own sinful desires
11. Jude 18 in the last time there will be scoffers following their ungodly passions
12. Ephesians 6:12 we do not wrestle against flesh and blood but against rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of darkness
13. 2 Timothy 2:18 false teachers claiming the resurrection has already occurred, turning some away from the faith
14. Romans 14:1-4 welcoming the weak without quarreling over opinions about eating, not passing judgment on God's servant
15. Romans 14:8-9 whether we live or die we are the Lord's, for Christ died and rose that he might be Lord of both dead and living
16. Romans 14:13-14 not putting a stumbling block before another, nothing unclean in itself but unclean for anyone who thinks it unclean
17. Romans 14:22-23 blessed is the one who has no reason to pass judgment on himself; whatever does not proceed from faith is sin
18. John 17 Jesus praying for unity and asking the Father to sanctify believers by His truth, Your word is truth

Talk about it

1. The pastor opened by connecting the aim of Paul's charge to Timothy, godly love from a pure heart, a good conscience, and a sincere faith, and said sincerity was especially important for this message. What does sincerity in faith look like in practice, and where do you find it hardest to be honest about what you actually believe?
2. The pastor described what he called the neglected middle, the overlapping space between the physical and spiritual realms, and said even Baptists know it exists but feel uncomfortable with it. How much does that overlap show up in your everyday life, and what makes it uncomfortable to talk about?
3. The pastor said the conscience of a false teacher becomes completely seared, like a brand burned into flesh that no longer feels anything. What do you think are the early warning signs, in a teacher or in yourself, that a conscience is beginning to go numb?
4. Using Romans 14, the pastor argued that if something is not sin, Christians should let one another do it without passing judgment, because each person will give an account to God for himself. Where do you find that boundary hardest to respect in your own relationships with other believers?
5. The pastor said he and Carl sometimes get tired of saying the same things over and over, but that the New Testament keeps coming back to faith, hope, love, peace, and yielding to God as the way transformation happens. Why do you think those basics are so easy to drift away from, and what has helped you return to them?