Like a lot of youngsters, I went through a phase of seeking out scary situations. I drove too fast around winding roads, climbed too high on spindly trees, and mouthed off at the class bullies till they responded. There was a certain thrill in pushing the limits, going just a bit too far, terrifying myself. This phase corresponded to an obsession with horror films—for a period of time I sought out every opportunity to frighten myself silly. Largely through scary movies, I was introduced to “the spirit world.”
In lots of horror flicks, “the spirit world” factors in somehow—a demon, ghost, or some kind of otherly-world creature lies at the heart of our fear. The material world creates enough spooky moments for us, but toss in something “spirit-ish-y” and things can get really creepy. It is easy for us to associate the spirit world with something unfamiliar, kind of “off,” odd, and more than a bit scary.
But, of course, that is not the biblical picture. Hollywood might find the spirit world to be a freaky place, but, according to the Bible, the spirit world is God’s world, as much as a part of creation as the earth around us. “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). What did God create? Both earth AND heaven—the material world AND the spiritual world. It is natural, I think, for most of us to think of God’s act of creation as making the physical world, and just assuming that the spiritual world, the heavens, were already around. But, before creation there was God and God alone—nothing but Him, including no other spiritual beings. When God began to create, He made both physical and spiritual beings. Where do angels come from? God made them. What about the “heavenly creatures”? From God’s creative power.
And the demons? The devil? Yes, they too exist only because of God’s creation. Taking that which was a gift from the Lord—their existence—the demons rejected God’s love, care, and plan, and they turned against their Creator. In some ways, fear is a good response to these spiritual beings—they represent all that which is so common to us all: rebellion. We should be scared of demons… but, not for fear of what they might do to us, but for fear that we might become like them! The spirit world has its fair share of wickedness, sin, and evil… just like our physical world. In the spiritual world, these wicked beings are demons, following after the pattern of Satan. In the physical world, all too often we are the ones betraying our Creator. Demons are a danger to us, not because they exercise excessive power to make us do evil, but because we are so prone to follow in their footsteps, embracing teachings, actions, and attitudes that lead us away from the love of the Lord.
The Bible is not shy at talking about the existence, the rebellion, or the deceitful work of the evil beings in the spirit world. Demons exist, and they really are out there, working against God’s Kingdom. Of course, that is the point so often missed—the target of demonic activity is God and His plan, we are merely tools that Satan and crowd use to try and undermine God’s redemptive work. In our passage this week, we get some insight into how the demons attack God’s plan, how they strive against us, and the consequences for us who follow Christ. It is a sad, sad picture. But, (and this is a big BUT), but, Paul’s teaching here is not to scare us, his goal is not to make us afraid of the demons. His goal is to encourage us to fight off the demonic influence. And, how are we to do that—through the teaching, the preservation, and the promulgation of the truth! What is true? The Gospel of our Lord. What is real? The goodness of our God. What do we hold to? The love of our Savior. No fear, but steadfast faith, hope, and love. This is how we respond to the temptations of the devil.
For worship this week, read 1 Timothy 4:1-10.
1. What do you think Paul might be referring to in verse 1 with “the Spirit expressly saying…”? Where does the Spirit say that?
2. How do some depart from the faith? Paul lists three or
four different steps. Can you identify with any?
3. Verse 3 details the false teachings that the demons put
forward. Verse 4 provides a counterpoint. Where might there be similar
teachings today? How does the response of verse 4 still provide a good answer
to those false teachings?
4. How should a “good servant of Christ Jesus” respond to
these teachings? What is most important here would you say?
5. What is the danger of “irreverent, silly myths”?
6. Paul provides a contrast between physical training and
godliness training in verses 7-8. How does this parallel reflect on the process
of growing in grace?
Humility Before the Word of God
A truly humble man is hard to find. As a matter of fact, I’m not sure how often in my life I have actually run across a truly humble man. Certainly there have been times where someone has responded with meekness in a particular situation, and I do know some who are more modest than others. More often than not, however, we find ourselves in the presence of such characters as Charles Dickens’ creation, Uriah Heep, who went about proclaiming his humbleness—in a very non-humble way! Bragging on how humble you are tends to contradict the very statement! True humility is indeed a rare thing.
There is, of course, a good reason why Christians should exude humility in every situation. Christians forthrightly proclaim their dependence upon Another; we bask in the fact that we follow another Leader; we trust, not in ourselves, but in our Lord. Hence, humility—recognizing a position of submission and subservience—is built into our faith. What a crime, then, when Christians act arrogantly, self-assured, and proud of themselves! How very… anti-Christian!
But, true humility quickly acknowledges another’s authority, and willingly submits—even in the face of confusion or disagreement. And, I personally find that to be key: It is easy to respond positively to God’s authority when I agree with Him! How much more difficult when His Word goes against my natural inclinations or thoughts! If I only submit to God when I agree with Him, then in reality, I am only trusting in my own conclusions, not in God’s. If we are to acknowledge God’s authority in our lives, that means listening to and obeying Him precisely when His Word goes against our own thinking. And, that is hard!
The more we study the Bible, the more we find it running counter to our own natural inclinations. God proclaims in His Word a reality that challenges our own—a reality where the meek inherit the earth, where the blessed are persecuted for their faith, where we are to turn the other cheek. Digging into the Word produces many opportunities to humbly acknowledge that God’s way is right, that His path is the true path.
And, the true test of humility comes right there, when what we see, know, and believe runs directly counter to what God says is true. Can we put aside our own thinking and embrace His? Can we acknowledge the “rightness” of God’s way, even when we see it differently? This is no easy matter, and it highlights the rarity of real humility.
This Sunday in worship we will be tackling an issue that for many will seem simply wrong. We will want to understand faithfully what God says in His Word, and then accept it as the true picture of reality. For many, this will be a challenge—as it should be each and every week! I invite you to worship again this week, where we will hear God speaking through His Scripture. We’ll struggle to understand what He is saying, and we’ll pray that He tunes our hearts to obedience, love, and faith.
For this Sunday, read 1 Timothy 2:8-15.
1. What is the connection between the way men are to pray (vs.
8) and the way women are to
dress (vs. 9-10)?
2. Remembering that Ephesus was the central hub of worship
of the goddess Diana is helpful in understanding this text. How might the description
of a godly woman in verses 9-10 differ from what is promoted by the cult of
Diana?
3. In our current society, the challenging part of verse 11
is the call to submissiveness. What is the affirming part? How does Paul speak
positively about women in this verse?
4. Verses 13-14 seem to form the reasoning behind Paul’s
thinking. On what does he ground his thinking, and why does this matter? Why
would the order of creation matter? Why would it matter that Eve was deceived
by Satan?
5. Verse 15 is truly a mystery—there are lots of ways of
trying to figure out what Paul is saying here. But, first notice who “she”
refers to: it is not all women, but Eve. How does this effect the way we
understand this verse?
"Physician, Heal Thyself!"
“Physician, heal thyself!” Jesus quotes this proverb in Luke 4:23, where He is dismayed by His hometown rejection of His ministry. The point, of course, is that there is a certain irony, even hypocrisy, when one claims to have the power to help others, but is unable (or unwilling) to help themselves. The Pharisees put a twist to this when they mock Jesus on the cross—“He saved others, let Him save Himself if He is the Son of God!” (Matthew 27:42).
The proverb (a pithy, little saying, capturing a generic truth) is not original with Jesus, or even the Scriptures. Aesop, the Greek storyteller predating Jesus by 600 years, in one of his fables, The Frog and the Fox, makes this point, and others have popularized this idea as well—if you are going to talk the talk, you’d best walk the walk! After all, “actions speak louder than words,” and “you should put your money where your mouth is.”
All these sayings are getting at the same point, and this idea is as important in our faith as it is elsewhere in life—if we proclaim Christ as Savoir, we should act as those saved by Christ.
For preachers, this idea is well summarized in the challenge to “preach the Gospel to yourself.” Many preachers know that the most important audience for the sermon is the preacher himself. If the preacher is not moved, not convicted, not encouraged and/or comforted by the sermon, then it is unlikely to have much of an impact elsewhere.
In our passage of Scripture for this week, 1 Timothy 1:12-17, we see Paul embracing this very concept—if the Gospel is all that he says it is, then where is the evidence of that Gospel in his own life? In the preceding verses, Paul has stressed the importance of true doctrine, the necessity of staying “on course,” of maintaining integrity of teaching. Paul’s point is that straying from the true Gospel message will have disastrous consequences. But, is this true for Paul as well? In these verses, we get a glimpse of Paul’s own interaction with the Gospel, and, indeed, we see that “the physician has healed himself,” or, more accurately, the Gospel Paul has proclaimed to others, he himself has been transformed by.
The importance of this for us today is two-fold (at least). First, we have one more reason to trust the Scriptures—what Paul talks about, he has been a witness to in his own life. These are not lofty ideas which have little or no meaning in life! Instead, Paul offers up his own experience as evidence of the truthfulness of the Gospel. And, second, Paul serves as an example for us all, an illustration of the patience of God, the mercy of our Lord, and the power of His salvation (vs. 16).
When people “talk a big game,” don’t you just wanna say, “oh, put up or shut up!” Well, Paul has answered that challenge in his own life, and now we are challenged to do the same.
For this Sunday, read 1 Timothy 1:12-17.
1. What “strength” (vs. 12) has Paul received from the Lord? How does this connect to the immediate passage above?
2. What are the possible meanings of “God judged me faithful” (vs. 12)? If this does not mean that Paul was faithful before Christ, what might it mean?
3. In verse 13, Paul speaks of being a blasphemer, persecutor, and arrogant. Read Acts 9 to see these character traits. Is Paul being too hard on himself?
4. What might it mean that Paul “acted ignorantly in unbelief” (vs. 13)?
5. One assumes that all of Scripture is “trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance” (vs. 15). Why then does Paul use this language for this particular statement?
6. In verse 16, what is the purpose of Paul’s conversion in his own mind? How might that differ from how you or I think about coming to know the Lord?
7. Where does verse 17 fit in? Why does Paul launch forward in doxological praise? How do the traits he mentions about God fit in with his previous statements