Enduring Sound Doctrine

1
Enduring Sound Doctrine
 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord
Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the
dead at His appearing and His kingdom Preach the
word! Be ready in season and out of season.
Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering
and teaching. For the time will come when they
will not endure sound doctrine, but according to
their own desires, because they have itching
ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers
and they will turn their ears away from the
truth, and be turned aside to fables. (II Tm.
41-4)

• Text II Timothy 43
• December 31, 2006
• David Pike

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Religions in the USA
The religious world is divided by teaching
different doctrines about Jesus Christ,
salvation, worship, work, etc. REMEMBER
Religious confusion is from Satan for God is not
the author of confusion but peace. (I
Co. 1433 II Co. 1113-15)
About six billion people all over the world
belong to some group. Different religions have
different beliefs.
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Introduction

• Problem Statement Historically, people tend to
  fall away!
• The church will be safe from apostasy only as
  long as it endures sound doctrine.
• Take heed to yourself and to the doctrine.
  Continue in them, for in doing this you will save
  both yourself and those who hear you. (I Tm.
  416)
• We must abide in the doctrine of Christ lest we
  lose what we have worked for. (II Jh. 8-9)
• Preaching must hold fast to the form of sound
  words. (II Tm. 113).
• It is the duty of the church to conform to and
  endure sound doctrine that it might be saved
  (II Tm. 43).
• Key Issue What kind of members of the church
  are needed to achieve the goal of enduring sound
  doctrine?

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Converted Members

• What does it mean?
• To change a person or thing into something else.
  The change is visible to others.
• The mental or moral change in a person that
  begins with belief of the gospel and ends with
  obedience. Evidence is in words and deeds.
• We must be totally changed by turning away from
  sin. God and His words are the source of change.
• Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And
  sinners shall be converted to You. (Ps. 5113)
• The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the
  soul (Ps. 197)

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Converted Members

• What is changed in conversion?
• Change of heart For with the heart one
  believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth
  confession is made unto salvation. (Ro. 1010)
• Change of conduct that they should repent,
  turn to God, and do works befitting repentance.
  (Ac. 2620)
• Change of relation or state For as many of
  you as were baptized into Christ have put on
  Christ. (Ga. 326-27 cf. 219)
• The church is weakened by unconverted members.
• Many are still serving the devil and the world
  (Mt. 624).
• Others need to turn completely For they
  themselves declare concerning us what manner of
  entry we had to you, and how you turned to God
  from idols to serve the living and true God. (I
  Th. 19)

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Convicted Members

• What does it mean?
• A strong persuasion, convinced.
• The state of mind of a person who is sure that
  what they believe and say is true.
• Conviction grows out of conversion.
• Convicted people influence the world by standing
  for right and being good examples.
• Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be
  able to stand against the wiles of the devil
  (Ep. 610-12)
• that you may become blameless and harmless,
  children of God without fault in the midst of a
  crooked and perverse generation, among whom you
  shine as lights in the world, holding fast the
  word of life (Ph. 212-16)

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Convicted Members

• God honors those who are true to their
  convictions.
• How then can I do this great wickedness, and
  sin against God? (Ge. 397-9)
• let it be known to you, O king, that we do not
  serve your gods, nor will we worship the gold
  image which you have set up. (Da. 316-18)
• For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek
  to please men? For if I still pleased men, I
  would not be a bondservant of Christ. (Ga.
  110 cf. 614 Ac. 176 Ph. 37-8)
• Make sure our religion is one of conviction,
  not convenience.

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Confirmed Members

• What does it mean?
• Firmly established, to make firm together.
• It is not a sacrament or ceremony, but confirmed
  in faith and added to the church.
• Confirmation is teaching rooted and built up
  in Him and established in the faith, as you have
  been taught, abounding in it with thanksgiving.
  (Col. 27 cf. I Co. 310 Ac. 2471422 1532,
  41 164-5 1823).

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Confirmed Members

• Doctrinally weak preaching produces doctrinally
  weak members, morally weak preaching produces
  morally weak members, etc.
• Balanced preaching confirms the church Preach
  the word! Be ready in season and out of season.
  Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering
  and teaching. (II Tm. 42)
• We need positive (1/3rd) and negative (2/3rd)
  preaching.

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Confirmed Members

• Gods way is to build up establish members.
• that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully
  pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work
  and increasing in the knowledge of God. (Col.
  110)
• Unless the LORD builds the house, they labor in
  vain who build it (Ps. 1271)
• The church is strengthened by words and deeds of
  truth, not entertainment, recreation, etc.
• We must know what we believe and why But
  sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always
  be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks
  you a reason for the hope that is in you, with
  meekness and fear. (I Pt. 315)
• We need reproof and correction along with
  encouragement and indoctrination (II Tm. 316-17).

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Consecrated Members

• What does it mean?
• Separated for common sacred use.
• Hymn Take my life and let it be, consecrated
  Lord to Thee.
• If we belong to God, then we must be separated
  from the world.
• Come out from among them and be separate, says
  the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean, and I
  will receive you. (II Co. 617)
• who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us
  from every lawless deed and purify for Himself
  His own special people, zealous for good works.
  (Ti. 214)

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Consecrated Members

• We are dead to the world and crucified with
  Christ. We must influence the world!
• Remember who you are and where you are going -
  If then you were raised with Christ, seek those
  things which are above, where Christ is, sitting
  at the right hand of God. Set your mind on things
  above, not on things on the earth. For you died,
  and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
  (Col. 31-3)
• Dont try to live on the borderline Can a man
  take fire to his bosom, and his clothes not be
  burned?Do not be deceived Evil company
  corrupts good habits. (Pr. 627 I Co. 1533)
• Consecration solves problems of indifference and
  apathy by a burning desire to follow God.
• I know your works, that you are neither cold nor
  hot. I could wish you were cold or hot... (Re.
  315-17).

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Consummated Members

• What does it mean?
• To bring to completion, perfection.
• Illustration (Hb. 512-66)
• We should become mature teachers For though by
  this time you ought to be teachers, you need
  someone to teach you again the first principles
  of the oracles of God and you have come to need
  milk and not solid food. For everyone who
  partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of
  righteousness, for he is a babe. But solid food
  belongs to those who are of full age, that is,
  those who by reason of use have their senses
  exercised to discern both good and evil.
• We must grow-up Therefore, leaving the
  discussion of the elementary principles of
  Christ, let us go on to perfection

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Consummated Members

• Perils of a lack of progress For it is
  impossible for those who were once enlightened,
  and have tasted the heavenly gift, and have
  become partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have
  tasted the good word of God and the powers of the
  age to come, if they fall away, to renew them
  again to repentance, since they crucify again for
  themselves the Son of God, and put Him to an open
  shame.
• Pauls admonition
• Brethren, I do not count myself to have
  apprehended but one thing I do, forgetting those
  things which are behind and reaching forward to
  those things which are ahead, I press toward the
  goal for the prize of the upward call of God in
  Christ Jesus. Therefore let us, as many as are
  mature, have this mind and if in anything you
  think otherwise, God will reveal even this to
  you. (Ph. 313-15)

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Consummated Members

• The climax of life comes at judgment and the
  completion of our journey.
• It is appointed unto men to die once, but after
  this comes judgment. (Hb. 927)
• For we must all appear before the judgment seat
  of Christ, that each one may be recompensed for
  his deeds in the body, according to what he has
  done, whether good or bad. (II Co. 510)
• How will each of us fare on judgment day?

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Uncompromising Members

• What does it mean?
• Problems or issues arising at a local
  congregation is usually a symptom of a deeper
  attitude problem.
• Changes in attitude result in compromising our
  convictions (i.e. MD, homosexuality, women
  preachers, etc.)
• Root Cause A lack of proper reverence and
  respect the authority toward the Scriptures, or
  the words of God.

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Uncompromising Members

• We need an uncompromising spirit like
• But Naboth said to Ahab, The LORD forbid that I
  should give the inheritance of my fathers to
  you! (I Ki. 213)
• The young prophet But the man of God said to
  the king, If you were to give me half your
  house, I would not go in with you nor would I
  eat bread nor drink water in this place. For so
  it was commanded me by the word of the LORD,
  saying, You shall not eat bread, nor drink
  water, nor return by the same way you came. (I
  Ki. 138)

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Uncompromising Members

• Dont be like Balaam.
• Then Balaam answered and said to the servants of
  Balak, Though Balak were to give me his house
  full of silver and gold, I could not go beyond
  the word of the LORD my God, to do less or more.
  Now therefore, please, you also stay here
  tonight, that I may know what more the LORD will
  say to me. (Nu. 2218-19)
• contend earnestly for the faith which was once
  for all delivered to the saints. For certain men
  have crept in unnoticedthese dreamers defile the
  flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of
  dignitariesWoe to them! For they have gone in
  the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error
  of Balaam for profit, and perished in the
  rebellion of Korah. (Jude 3-12)
• Compromise and neglect of duties are the first
  steps toward drifting away (Hb. 21-3).

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Final Thoughts

• Achieving the goal of enduring sound doctrine
  requires members to be
• Converted, Convicted, Confirmed, Consecrated,
  Consummated, and Uncompromising.
• We must accept the truth, even if it hurts, and
  makes us feel uncomfortable, uneasy, or
  inadequate.
• For the time will come when they will not endure
  sound doctrine, but according to their own
  desires, because they have itching ears, they
  will heap up for themselves teachers and they
  will turn their ears away from the truth (II
  Tm. 43)
• Enduring sound doctrine boils down to
• Our attitude toward Gods words in the Bible.
• Our acceptance of the New Testament as our rule
  of faith and practice.
• How precious is the truth to each of us?