Endure Sound Doctrine
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<< ‘Endure Sound Doctrine’ >>
Well I’d like to exhort you today and I’ve got a title for our
teaching .. it’s simply this ‘Endure Sound Doctrine’ and we’re going to take it from Paul’s encouragement to Timothy in 2 Timothy chapter 4 verses 1 to 5 and here is where he exhorts him to be faithful to his calling and ministry and to preach that Word, because they’re going through it aswell – you can pick it up as you read it.
No different – trials are no different, the way the enemy works and attacks the body of Christ has been the same right through the centuries ..
Preach the Word
2 Timothy 4:1-5 I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at[a] His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 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; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.
Now the question that’s always raised with regard to this is ‘how do you know you are receiving sound doctrine?’. That is actually a very good question and it is one that we can all sometimes take forgranted. … most will say ‘we adhere to sound doctrine’ and we know that the enemy – his attack – was on the Word of God and he attacked – as we know – Adam and Eve right there in the garden.
He brought to light the question of God’s Word. He caused them to think, he caused them to judge, he caused them to question God’s Word and God’s faithfulness and of course we know how he started to do it – ‘Has God said ..’ and still that is challenged today. Many critics would say exactly the same over this ministry and over what we preach and teach – ‘how do you know that you are receiving sound doctrine?
We can all come up with answers as to why we think or believe that we are but only God can really answer that one. Man will try to defend that he or she is holding to sound doctrine, but God is really the only one who can support His Word that He has given to man.
He knows that it’s constantly under attack, that man tries to change or deviate it or question it but.. the Word of God is that two edged sword .. and will constantly be under attack until the Lord Jesus Christ comes to reign and they will see the Word made flesh living and reigning amongst man.
What effects does [doctrine] have on us? This is the first question to raise if we’re truly honest – what effect does God’s
Word have on me.. does it change me, does it cause me to re-evaluate, does it take me before God in prayer to seek Him about some things, does it have that conviction – what does it
actually do to me? … …
