Good morning and welcome in today. Today we’re going to take a look at some scripture from 1st Timothy chapter 4 but before we do that I wanted to tell you a little story.
Many years ago on a cool August morning, I went outside and started up a fire in my large wood burning barbecue grill. I wanted to heat up a few gallons of lake water to warm-up one of the kids pools. We had the weekend to relax and swim and I wanted the water to be the perfect temperature for them. After 20 minutes of raking and picking up, I could see that the water was finally starting to boil. When I lifted the hot boiling water up off of the stove, the bottom of the pot caught a lip of the barbecue grill, and about a quart of boiling water landed on my forearm. It was so hot that the water started to peel my skin almost immediately. It burned it so deep that I really don’t have any feeling anymore in that part of my arm that was burned. After that incident I’ve never transferred hot water without a heavy winter jacket on to cover my arms and a pair of heavy gloves.
Have you ever been burned?
To sear is to burn, mark, or injure with or as if with sudden heat. To char, scorch, or to burn the surface of.
When you burn something bad enough you can become numb to any feeling. The scriptures teach about burning the conscience.
1 Tim 4:1-2 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils; Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron;
The conscience is the inner sense of what is right or wrong in one’s conduct or motives, impelling one toward right action:
In our verse today, we are speaking about those who depart from the faith. Depart means to deviate from an accepted, prescribed, or traditional course of action, in this case, the teachings of Jesus and the Apostles.
Each day when we study God’s word and hear the word of God preached, we grow in our faith and are filled with more convictions of what is right and wrong in the sight of God. Although each of us may make a mistake along the way, we have innumerable amounts of grace given to us by God to get back on the right path again.
People who depart from the faith do not want to listen to biblical teachings anymore. The Bible is there to teach each of us what’s right and wrong, but this group of people refuse correction. They harden their hearts like a burned piece of meat. The seared conscience results in their rebellion which our loving God and provider hates.
As I’ve always told my family, when you become a Christian there’s no turning back. There is grace and mercy available through the blood of Christ but there is no turning away from what the Bible teaches. When we look at the scriptures we have to understand that it is us who are in error.
God is perfectly just and holy. He takes wicked wretched sinners like us and converts them into his saints, but this conversion happens when we wholeheartedly believe His Word. We can only become good hearted people when we believe and receive the direction and counsel of a perfect loving God.
Our verse teaches us today that instead of listening to Christ and His Holy Word, people are going to listen to seducing spirits instead.
Why do they turn away from the true faith to seducing spirits? They don’t want to accept the truth anymore and the fact that they are living in error. They would rather believe a lie and listen to those who preach them.
The devil was preaching lies to Eve in the Garden of Eden since the beginning. He is referred to as the father of liars who resists the truth in Christ. Many people don’t want to accept truth anymore, but would rather believe a lie. These false spirits are not leading people to Christ but away from Biblical truth.
What is a hypocrite? A Hypocrite is a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that he or she does not actually possess.
Matt 23:27-28. Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men’s bones, and of all uncleanness.
Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity.
When people turn away from biblical truth, their consciences become defiled.
Titus 1:15 – Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled.
Unlike some, we want to continue each day in the faith, keeping a good conscience.
1 Timothy 1:5 – Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned:
1 Peter 3:16 – Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ.
Each of us have sinned and come short of the glory of God, but when we confess sin, God is just to forgive us and cleans our consciences.
Hebrews 10:22 – Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
Some people turn away from the truth, and ruin their lives.
1 Timothy 1:19 – Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
Remember, it is Gods Word that guides and leads us like a moral compass through this world. Thank God for His grace and mercy to help each of us grow.
I think that’s where I’m going to stop right now, but Lord willing I’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye-bye everybody♥️
tlkjbc.wordpress.com
Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 