26-0628p Transcript

(1:23) Tonight we continue with part two of the lesson this morning that (1:31) that is being sound and the this morning’s lesson dealt with sound wisdom. (1:48) There is wisdom we receive from God.

There also there is wisdom of the world that refuses (1:58) to accept God who gives wisdom. Worldly wisdom is unfound. In 2 Timothy 1 and verse 7 (2:24) I’m going to read verse 6. Therefore I remind you to stir up the gift of God which is through you (2:43) or through the laying on of my hands for God has not given us a spirit of fear (2:55) but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Another thing that we see that is mentioned (3:14) of being sound and that’s a mind and so he is telling him then (3:27) to stir up the gift of God which is through the laying on of my hands. This is the miraculous gift that he received (3:44) and the apostle Paul was able to impart to him gifts which he could perform miracles (3:56) but then he tells Timothy and I suppose being a young man Timothy has some fear (4:11) there’s some fear there could be that he could have as Paul is telling him that (4:19) God has not given us a spirit of fear but of power and of love and of a sound mind (4:36) which reminds me of what I just read in James where James is telling the people that (4:51) if any of you lacks wisdom of which we talked about this morning that if any of you lacks wisdom (5:07) let him ask of God who gives to all liberally and without reproach (5:16) and it will be given to him. He’s saying that God will give and it will do so with he will do so without reproach.

(5:34) He will not bring it to the attention that we may have asked him before for wisdom. (5:49) Well you’ve asked wisdom before and I gave you some wisdom but no he gives to all liberally (6:00) without reproach and he says it will be given to him but let him ask of faith in other words we ask (6:21) but we may have doubts. I’m going to ask him to give me wisdom but maybe I won’t have (6:36) the wisdom and that is that’s doubting.

We need to have faith that God will give us what we’re (6:53) asking for that is according to his will and certainly giving us wisdom (7:02) is something that God would want us to have as we learned this morning. (7:11) We learned from Proverbs there’s one proverb that says (7:19) get wisdom and the wisdom that we ought to get is the wisdom that comes from God. (7:32) Now if we doubt we’re like a wave of the sea driven and caused by the wind.

(7:45) We have doubts that God isn’t really answering my prayers. (7:59) As I was discussing about this individual this morning that at home in West Virginia (8:08) there’s one person that hadn’t been coming to assembly in a while, and I went to visit him.

(8:23) "I don’t see where God is answering my prayer," she told me. Then I’m wondering, (8:32) "Well, what are you asking God to do for you?" And if you knew some (8:44) information about him, you would be wondering too.

But this man was so interested in that the (8:58) preacher once — really, he didn’t say he had just a little bit of (9:07) [hair] on his chin and criticized him. He didn’t say. And then (9:17) on Wednesdays the preacher would leave early. He wasn’t there to shake hands (9:28) but he was leaving early because he had a Bible class with the family. That (9:42) Wednesday night was the night that was free, and he was leaving early. (9:50) But the preacher left early and so he wasn’t there to shake his hand.

Well, if he’s not there, he’s (10:02) not shaking anybody’s hand. But criticizing him for these little things that doesn’t amount to anything (10:16) and doesn’t realize what the man is doing — especially midweek. What’s his day (10:28) like? Or what was his day like because it’s Wednesday?

And so (10:35) well, if we’re just nitpicking in certain ways (10:45) and then we stop coming, and then whoever visits him, he tells them, (10:57) "I don’t see what God is answering my prayers." He’s got his mind on criticizing people (11:11) for little things.

But we need to ask God to grant us what we ask for (11:27) and be asking in faith, expecting Him (11:36) to grant that request that we make of Him. He says that He will (11:46) give it to us as a father would give his child what he asked for. If he asked for bread, (11:57) a father wouldn’t give his child a stone. (12:05) Asking for bread — but God is just like that. He gives us what we ask for (12:16) and we need to realize that it needs to be according to His will.

Now including this morning’s lesson (12:35) and including this sound mind and asking God for wisdom (12:46) and we’re told that He will give that to the person asking it (13:00) liberally. These are things that are from within. And now we’re going to look at some (13:13) sound things that come from within outward. We have this — we have sound wisdom, we have (13:32) a sound heart and such. And because we do, and we have a sound mind, (13:45) there are to be some things that will come out of us that are sound.

And I’m going to be in Titus. (13:59) Titus talks about particular things that (14:09) are meaningful to be sound.

(14:14) Number one: sound doctrine. In verse nine Paul is talking to Titus about bishops or elders. (14:34) In verse seven he says for a bishop must be blameless as a steward of God, not self-willed, (14:47) not quick-tempered, not given to wine, not violent, not greedy for money, but hospitable, a lover of (15:01) what is good, sober-minded, just, holy, self-controlled, holding fast the faithful word (15:12) as he has been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and convict those (15:26) who contradict.

Again in Titus 2 and verse 1 he says to Titus, "As for you, speak the things which (15:43) are proper for sound doctrine." And so we need in our teaching sound doctrine. And notice (15:58) that each time that he says sound doctrine, doctrine is singular. It’s not doctrines. (16:10) Doctrines come from men, as Jesus points out. As the Pharisees and the Sadducees (16:28) when they were questioning Him, the doctrines that they had — those different doctrines — (16:42) men have a multiplicity of doctrines. They are called the doctrines, the commandments of men. (16:52)

We must have sound doctrine, but we also (17:05) must be sound in faith. This is in Titus 1:13. Paul said, "This testimony is true. (17:26) Therefore rebuke them sharply that they may be sound in the faith." And also in (17:39) chapter 2 and verse 2 there are things that he’s speaking (17:48) about the older men, that they be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, and patience. (18:04) Now some of these will be manifested in what we do, but we need to be sound in the faith.

(18:23) And then Titus 2 and verse 8 (18:30) — I’m going to start with verse 6. After admonishing the older men and women (18:46) certain things, likewise exhort the young men to be sober-minded in all things, showing yourself (18:58) to be a pattern of good works. Now once in the past I was one that was questioning (19:11) me that there is a pattern. Well, Paul is saying here that there is a pattern of good works (19:31) in doctrine, showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility, sound speech.

(19:46) Oh yes, but that is something that we can’t avoid. We’ve been talking about it or maybe (19:57) skirting around it in the lesson, but now we’re going to deal with it: sound speech that cannot (20:08) be condemned, that the one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.

(20:22) Now they may — I know that those that will make the mockery of the church, make a mockery of (20:34) the teachings that faithful brethren are teaching, especially when it comes (20:44) to receiving salvation. And that was a program that I was watching yesterday, and the program (21:01) on gdntv.org. They had this one man that was having a good time (21:17) by himself, chatting with things that were being taught by faithful teachers of the word (21:34) and especially was he mocking baptism. And then when it came to using instruments of music (21:48) a member — he was acting as a member would — answered him about going to the Old Testament (22:00) to justify bringing in instruments of music into the worship.

And he was then saying and alluding to (22:20) the scripture in Colossians, I believe it is, that says that God took the (22:37) old law out of the way, (22:41) nailing it to the cross. "Oh, that doesn’t mean that." (22:54) He needs to really read that verse. (22:59) Well, what does "taking out of the way" mean? Nailing it to the cross, of course. (23:15) Those that were for taking the (23:21) old law out of the way…​

(23:23) Video about this person has been reaching out to him (23:30) wanting to discuss with him. Well now it’s easy to act by yourself certain roles. (23:47) You know, then a teacher — a faithful teacher in the church (23:55) correcting him as far as instrumental music. But you know if he would really read (24:07) it (24:08) there in Psalms it is speaking of instrumental music (24:14) and I believe at Psalm 145 that it also speaks of — and I’m going to make (24:26) sure that this is correct — but under the old law they also (24:38) offered animal sacrifice. How about we bring in animal sacrifices now? If we’re going to bring in (24:45) instrumental music, how about the animal sacrifices? "Oh no, no, no," they would say. But anyway, that old law (25:00) does have animal sacrifices. Well, why won’t we offer animal sacrifices? They will reply, "Because (25:14) that’s under the old law. We’re not under the old law." Well, why are they running to (25:24) the Old Testament for justification for instrumental music?

And then he makes a (25:36) mockery of baptism in our words. But if someone had been investigating that (25:50) and answering the error that he was proclaiming and saying, "Nailing it to the cross — it doesn’t mean that (26:02) it was taken out of the way." Well, before it says "nailing it to the cross," it said that He took those (26:14) away. They were taken away. Now they get to the cross. So…​

(26:26) I don’t know if he’s going to respond to their invitation and their efforts to reach him (26:38) to discuss the issues. But we don’t — we’re not under the old law. They also had incense in their (26:51) worship to God. Should we bring incense into the worship because they had it? (27:00) But the law was taken out of the way. But here (27:08) there were to have sound speech that cannot be condemned, that the one who is an opponent may be (27:19) ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you.

Another video I was watching — it was a debate (27:32) between the brother in the church that was debating this man who leaned on Calvinism, and they (27:51) baptized babies because of "babies then born in sin," they will say. And he was debating him (28:08) and then after that debate they were talking together. He was changing his mind about, you know, (28:24) babies then in sin. You don’t have to change the word if you really stand on the word. It’s (28:41) unchangeable. But when you change, then that shows what you’re believing has no soundness. (28:59)

Conclusion: Let us then be sound in wisdom, have a sound heart and mind. (29:10) Let us be sound in doctrine, faith, and speech (29:18) because that’s what we need. We need teaching that is sound. And again the (29:28) meaning for sound is to be complete, to be perfect, to be healthy. This is the meaning. (29:49) Well, we’re not going to have healthy teaching if we don’t stay with the word (29:57) and if our mind — we can’t make our minds up in the first place what really to believe. (30:08) But notice that, as I recall, when Del Tackett was showing about the mind, he was showing the heart (30:27) then right in the center of the mind, and that visual — that really was something to see (30:40) because we believe with the mind. We have a sound mind, then we can have a sound heart (30:52) if it goes deeper.

And that was one brother debating another denominational (31:06) person, and he would mention heart every time. This brother would mention heart, keep a point up here [points to head]. (31:23) And then the man he was debating, when it was his turn to speak, he said, "You keep pointing to your (31:33) head when you are speaking of heart and not down here." And he’s wondering why. (31:45) Well, when this brother got up he said, "When I mentioned heart, I’m talking about the biblical (31:55) heart. It is up here. It is up here, not down here." Now from the heart we can have emotions that (32:10) is down here, but this blood pump doesn’t have anything to do with it. It is our heart.

So (32:23) in the way of invitation, do you need some silence? (32:28) Then the invitation is: Come to Jesus, the rock. Place your faith upon the firm foundation. (32:46) Place your faith and all this in His word. Jesus is the rock. And we need (33:03) to be found in our teaching, in our behavior, and all that we do. We need to show (33:13) soundness. May God help us to be sound.

If there is anyone that needs (33:23) in any way and is subject to the invitation, why not come? Why not come to Jesus? (33:34)