Our scripture reading for today, brothers and sisters, to which I invite you to turn with me at this time, is found in the Apostle Paul's first epistle to his young son in the faith, Timothy. 1 Timothy chapter 4. In the New Testament, after the epistles to the Thessalonians, you'll come to 1 Timothy chapter 4. 1 Timothy chapter 4. We begin today a series of messages concerning the theme spiritual disciplines of the Christian life. And there are many. I will be prayerfully selecting which ones the Lord would have me preach on this summer. And we hope to begin the specifics of those selections next Lord's Day evening. And if you are not going to be traveling for that 4th of July weekend, we urge and exhort you to please plan now to worship with us also next Lord's Day evening as well as this evening for that matter. But here in 1 Timothy, The Apostle Paul writes to his young son in the faith whom he has left in the city of Ephesus. Paul ministered in Ephesus for some three years, the book of Acts tells us, and then he moved on to Macedonia. And he left Timothy behind to pastor, to shepherd that young church. As several years went by, some false teaching crept into the church. Timothy needed further instruction and exhortation and encouragement. And that is what is contained here in Paul's first epistle to Timothy. We begin reading in 1 Timothy 4, verse 1. Our scripture reading takes us through verse 8. But please note, brothers and sisters, that we will be focusing in especially on verses 7 and 8. Verses 7 and 8 constitute our text for today. 1 Timothy 4, beginning in verse 1. Hear then the word of the Lord. The Spirit clearly says that in latter times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving. by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer. If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed, have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales. Rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. Thus far, the reading of God's holy word. And as always, brothers and sisters, I ask and urge you to keep your Bibles open and handy as we look to God's word together on this Lord's Day. Your congregation of Jesus Christ, the headline of this past Wednesday's edition of the North Jersey Herald News reads as follows. A call to worship. Evangelist Billy Graham makes farewell crusade in U.S. Here we have a picture of Dr. Graham holding a press conference in the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center in New York City. And here we have a quotation which he made in the course of this press conference. He says, and again I quote, I'm going to refuse to answer questions on subjects maybe Twenty years ago, I would have answered, because I think that at my age, I'll have one message." End of quote. And that one message, of course, is the same message which his son Franklin Graham has been speaking far and wide on both local New York City and national news media, namely, that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have everlasting life. Well, friends, think about this. This 86-year-old preacher says, at this point in my life, I'm going to focus on just one message, on one message. And similarly, the Apostle Paul, at that point in his life, said to his young son in the faith, Timothy, essentially, Timothy, you need to focus on one mission. You need to focus on one mission. And brothers and sisters, it is the same mission with which you and I are also confronted as we work our way through our text today as recorded for us in 1 Timothy 4, verses 7 and 8. You see, here we find that while strictly shunning all that which would serve to contradict or compromise or in any way undermine the clarion call of the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ, The Lord our God calls and commands and commissions His people everywhere to actively and aggressively seek to gain a level of godliness, personal godliness, which can be attained only through our personal and practical and passionate participation in several of the spiritual disciplines of the Christian life. The spiritual disciplines of the Christian life. As we begin this series of studies on the spiritual disciplines of the Christian life, by way of introduction, we're going to focus today on that which might be termed the ABCs of all of these several spiritual disciplines. Namely, avoiding the absurd, benefiting our bodies, and concentrating on consecration. The ABCs. Avoiding the absurd. Doing that which benefits our bodies. and concentrating on consecration. First of all, then, let us consider the A of these ABCs of the spiritual disciplines of the Christian life, namely, avoiding the absurd. For example, in the first several verses of our Scripture reading in 1 Timothy 4, we find a bit of the context of our text. And friends, always remember, as someone has so wisely said, any text without a context is a pretext. And so we set just a bit of the context by looking at verse 1 of 1 Timothy 4. Paul says the Spirit, that is, the third Person of the Blessed Trinity, the Holy Spirit of the living God. The Spirit clearly says that in latter times, some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits' notice and things taught by demons. Some translations say, and you could say a bit more literally, doctrines of demons or doctrines of devils. such as, for example, drop down to verse 3, Paul gives examples of what some of these doctrines of demons, these doctrines of devils might be. He said, they forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. And what did Jesus say concerning the truth in His great high priestly prayer of John 17, verse 17? Jesus prayed to the fathers saying, sanctify them by the truth. Thy Word is truth. And so down in verse 6, we read as follows. Look with me, please. If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister. The Greek says you will be a good diakonos. It's where we get our word deacon from. You will be a good servant. You will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching The Greek word here is didaskalia. And it's the same word, interestingly enough, used back in verse 1 where it says, the things taught. That's the word didaskalia. It's things taught by demons. Here it's used in the sense of a good didaskalia, a good teaching, sound doctrine, if you will, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching which you have followed. And friends, remember, as is true for so many of us gathered here in worship, Timothy had the blessing of a godly heritage. He had a godly grandmother named Lois. He had a godly mother named Judas. He was taught the things of the faith from his mother's knee. And boys and girls, young people, if you have been so blessed of God, if you have been taught the things of God from your mother's knee, if you have been in covenant with God literally from the time you were born, do not resist that. Do not rebel against that. Praise and thank God for that. The riches of your inheritance in Christ Jesus. He said to Timothy, you continue in the truths. of the faith and of the good teaching, the sound of the Scalia, which you have followed." Now friends, look at verse 7 with me. Paul says, have nothing to do with. Literally, the original language says, but, contrast, refuse, avoid, reject. It's an imperative in the original. It's a command with which Timothy cannot negotiate and neither can you or I. He says, "...have nothing to do with godless or profane that which is not consecrated unto God, that which is not set apart for God, have nothing to do with godless or profane myths and old wives' tales." Old wives' tales. New American Standard translates that phrase, worldly fables. Fit only for old women. A term used only here in the New Testament, in the original language. Worldly fables fit only for old women. Avoid. Reject. Refuse at all costs. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wise tales. Rather, contrast. Train yourself. Again, another imperative which has a sense of ongoingness. King James Version says, exercise thyself. New American Standard says, discipline yourself. The Greek word, young people, is gumnadzo. It's where we get our word gymnasium from. And it's a reference to severe physical training, strict self-discipline, if you will. Train yourself and keep on training yourself to be godly. To be godly. What is godliness? Godliness is having a reverence for God which results in holy living. Godliness, having a reverence, having such a fear of God that results in holy living. Train yourself. Discipline yourself. Exercise yourself. to be godly. Writes the great biblical commentator, Matthew Henry, and I quote, those who would be godly must train themselves to be godly. It requireth a constant exercise. What will it avail us to subdue the body if we do not subdue sin? End of quote. Now, friends, think about that. Think about what we have just read. In fact, go back to verse 1 just for a moment. And remember that the Spirit clearly says that in latter times, some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Doctrines of demons. And is it not true that we are seeing this everywhere in these latter days in the world around us? Increasingly today. Consider, for example, the preposterous publication of Dan Brown's book, The Da Vinci Code. I read in the paper the other day. It's a bestseller. And if you're unfamiliar with the Da Vinci Code, in this particular book, Dan Brown posits the, again, preposterous proposition that Jesus was a mere man. He was only a man. And he married Mary Magdalene. And they had children together and so on. And people are buying and unfortunately believing these things. And I've come across more brothers and sisters that I care to remember in the Christian church who are reading and captivated by the Da Vinci Code. Brothers and sisters, listen. Look at the Word of the Lord with me. The Apostle Paul says in verse 7, have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales. Have nothing to do with them. And that's just one example. of what we see out there in the world. We are even seeing such doctrines of demons being taught also in the broader church of Jesus Christ. Are we not considering, for example, what theologians refer to as the new perspective on Paul? The new perspective on Paul. If you're unfamiliar with the term, this is a theology, again I'm going to call it, a preposterous proposition that the Apostle Paul actually was preaching that we are saved not by faith alone, in Christ alone, by grace alone, but that we are saved by faith plus the good works we do. We're saved by faith plus good works. The new perspective on Paul. And brothers and sisters, Such a doctrine of demons seeks to remove, to unlinch what Martin Luther called the linchpin of the Protestant Reformation. The fact that we are justified by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. And what justified means, boys and girls, is that God views me just as if I'd never sinned. It means, young people, that we are declared not guilty before God's heavenly court, no matter who we are, no matter what we have ever done, by grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone. In fact, not only so, turn over with me please to 2 Corinthians 11. Just go back several pages to the left. 2 Corinthians 11. Notice how the Apostle Paul here warns this church in Corinth, and you and me as well, in the midst of so much sin and decay and corruption physically and spiritually in that day and in our day. 2 Corinthians 11. Look with me please at verses 13-15. The Apostle Paul declares, for such men are false apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ. And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. It is not surprising then, if his servants masquerade as servants of righteousness, their end will be what their actions deserve. And so again, back in the words of our text, look with me please at verse 7. Once again at verse 7. Paul says, have nothing to do with godlessness and old wives' tales. Rather, train yourself to be godly. Train yourself to be godly. And how do you train yourself to be godly? You begin, brothers and sisters, we begin by avoiding the absurd. Avoid the absurd. Ah, but now as we continue our study of the ABCs of the spiritual disciplines of the Christian life, let us notice secondly that the Apostle Paul also speaks of engaging in that which benefits the body. Engaging in that which benefits the body. For notice the first part of v. 8 with me, if you would please. Here Paul says, for physical training. Stay with me. King James translates it for bodily exercise. New American Standard says for bodily discipline. Now, some commentators, including John Calvin, surprisingly enough, interpret this phrase for physical training to refer to such things as abstaining from marriage or abstaining from certain foods. That is, denying ourselves certain bodily pleasures or benefits for supposedly a greater spiritual gain. And brothers and sisters, look over the passage with me. Meditate on it prayerfully. Do you not agree with me that were Paul to agree with Calvin in essence, were Calvin to be right in saying physical training refers to abstaining from those kinds of things, he would be contradicting himself in the very same passage. In other words, Paul would have just said, beware those, avoid those, stay away from those, refuse those, reject those who teach, do not marry or abstain from certain foods. And then to go on to say physical training, those kinds of things are of some value. No. I really don't believe that's true with all respect to the great reformer. I think Paul means what he says. He says for physical training, bodily exercise is of some value, is of some value. And again, stay with me here. The word training there, physical training is the noun form of the verb train in verse 7. Here it's the word gymnasia. And young people, it refers to those who are training for gymnastics, for gymnastic competition, doing the pommel horse, or the uneven parallel bars, or the balance beam, or something like that. It's a literal reference to physical training, and he says it is of some value. Now, if you have a King James Version, please look at it for a moment. I think the King James Version says something like, physical training profiteth little. It seems to be very derogatory. It seems to be a little negative when Paul is simply making a comparison, a relative comparison, but a positive comparison nonetheless. And I checked the New King James version on this, and there's a bit of a correction there, interestingly enough. The New King James, if you have that, says, For bodily exercise profits a little. You see the difference? It profiteth little. In other words, it's not worth anything. Or, if profits a little, it has some value to it. For physical training is of some value. Now, question. Well, focusing on spiritual discipline, why do you suppose the Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, would say anything at all about the positive benefits of physical training? Why would he say anything at all about the positive benefits of bodily discipline? Well, reason. Turn with me please to 1 Corinthians 3. Again, several pages back to the left. 1 Corinthians 3. In 1 Corinthians 3, Verses 16 and 17, the Apostle Paul challenges us this way. He says, don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him, for God's temple is sacred. And you are that temple. In similar fashion, turn over a page or two, please, to 1 Corinthians 6. 1 Corinthians 6. And drop down to verse 18, please, the last couple of verses of that chapter. 6, verse 18, here Paul exhorts us, saying, flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. Notice, do you not know that your body, this is your physical body, is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own. You were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your body." If you've got your own Bible, underscore that. The Bible says, therefore, honor God with your body. Now, my brother, my sister, and the Lord, do you do that? Do you do that? Do I do that? For example, do we seek to eat right? Sleep right? Ride, walk, or exercise to whatever ability the Lord has providentially given us, so that we will maintain these physical bodies, these temples of the Holy Spirit, made in His image, which the Lord has entrusted to us. Young people, when you're out with your friends, when you're out on a date, Do you give unequivocal, uncompromised allegiance to the will of God as revealed in this portion of the Word of God? To honor God with your body? And is that expressed, for example, in where you go? In what you do? In what you eat? What you drink? and in how you dress. Honor God with your body. You know, boys and girls, young people, stories told of a little boy about the age of some of the boys here in worship today, whose dad helped him make a toy boat. And they worked real hard on that boat, and he would bring it down to the lake near their house, and he would sail it, and he'd have all sorts of fun with it. And one day, the wind got ahold of that boat, sailed out across the lake, and he lost his boat. He was gone. Well, one day he was walking along the sidewalk downtown, and he looked in a store window, and guess what he saw? He saw his boat, the boat that he and his dad had made in the window. And so he went in and he said to the shopkeeper, hey, mister, that's my boat. I made that boat. And the man said, you can have the boat for $20. No, you don't understand. I made that boat. And the man said, you can have the boat for $20. Well, that little boy went out and he started mowing lawns and he started washing cars and he started doing all kinds of chores. So he had his $20 and he went back into that store and he said, hey mister, here's this $20. Can I have my boat? The man gave him his boat. And that little boy carried that boat home and his dad said to him, son, are you glad to have your boat back? They said, Dad, I'm really glad to have my boat back because you see now, it's twice mine. Once, because I made it. And twice, because I paid for it. Think about that. My young friends in the Lord, listen. As far as Jesus Christ is concerned, you are twice His. Once because He made you. Wove you miraculously together in your mother's womb just as He wanted you to be. And twice, because He paid for you, He shed His own blood to ransom you and set your soul free. Glory be to God. Consequently, the Word of the Lord. Honor God with your body. Let us do all that we can to maintain these physical temples of the Holy Spirit of the living God who dwells within us. And brothers and sisters, let us always remember, as the Word of the Lord declares, that physical training is of some value. And so in these ABCs of the spiritual disciplines of the Christian life, yes, let us avoid the absurd. Certainly. But secondly, let us also seek by God's grace to do that which benefits the body. That which benefits the body. Avoiding the absurd. Doing that which benefits the body. And now the C of these ABCs of the spiritual disciplines of the Christian life concerns the fact that we must concentrate on consecration. Concentrate on consecration. What in the world does that mean? Boys and girls, to concentrate means to focus attention on. Your mom or your dad may say to you, honey, concentrate on your homework and not on teasing your brother or your sister. Concentrate. Consecrate means to set apart unto God. And so to concentrate on consecration means to focus our attention on being set apart unto God, you see. Concentrate on consecration. Look at verse 8 with me, if you would, please, once again. Here Paul says, for physical training is of some value, but, contrast, in other words, relatively speaking, to a far greater extent, godliness A reverence for God which results in holy living. Godliness has value or is profitable for all things. For all things. Writes the great reformer John Calvin, there is no reason why you should weary yourself to know purpose about other matters. You will do that which is of the highest importance if you devote yourself with all your zeal and with all your ability to godliness alone. End of quote. How so? Why so? Why does Calvin say that? And more importantly, why does the Apostle Paul say that? Godliness has value for all things. Reason. Look with me at the text. Holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. Holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. And that's the difference. That's the difference. You see there, friends, a person could could take excellent care of their physical body. They could eat right, sleep right, exercise right, do all those things, and live a relatively happy and productive life, and still end up spending an eternity in hell. And still end up spending an eternity in hell. That's the fact of the matter. And that is why in Psalm 1, for example, turn back with me please to the book of Psalms, that first psalm which sets the theme of the entire Psalter of all of the Psalms. In Psalm 1, we read these blessed words, "...Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, or stand in the way of sinners, or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the Lord, and on his law he meditates day and night." He is like a tree planted by streams of water which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither. Whatever He does prospers." Now notice the contrast. Verse 4, "'Not so the wicked. They are like chaff that the wind blows away. Therefore, the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For the Lord watches over the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. The way of the wicked will perish. Similarly, turn to Psalm 73 with me, please. Psalm 73. Have you ever wondered why seemingly in this life the wicked prosper and the righteous suffer? Have you ever wrestled with that question? I have. And so does the psalmist here in Psalm 73. And in Psalm 73, verses 12 through 17, he says, this is what the wicked are like. Always carefree, they increase in wealth. Surely in vain have I kept my heart pure. In vain have I washed my hands in innocence. All day long I have been plagued. I have been punished every morning." Now, friends, notice verse 15. If I had said, I will speak thus, in other words, what I just said, I would have betrayed your children. When I tried to understand all this, it was oppressive to me till I entered the sanctuary of God. Then I understood their final destiny. Then I understood. Their final destiny. There is final and ultimate justice at the judgment seat of God. Make no mistake about it. And finally on this score, and in similar fashion, Revelation chapter 21 says essentially the same thing. Look with me please at Revelation 21, the last book of the Bible, verses 6-8. The Apostle John is in exile on the island of Patmos for the cause of Christ. And here in Revelation 21, verses 6-8, we read, "...he that is the one seated on the throne, the Alpha and the Omega, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, He said to me, it is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. To him who is thirsty..." Friend, are you spiritually thirsty today? The good news of the Gospel is that to him who is thirsty, I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. Don't lose your place. A couple worshipped with us a few weeks ago, and they're away on vacation right now, out of a Roman Catholic background. And I shared some of this with some of you. And I never met them before. They live on the street next to ours in town. And they explained that they were Roman Catholics all their life and never been in a church other than a Roman Catholic church. And I said, do you mind me asking what brought you here today? Do you know someone? Why'd you come here? And they said, we're looking for something more. We're spiritually dry. We're spiritually thirsty. We're looking for something more. and they're soaking up the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Praise be to God. It says, if you're thirsty, Jesus said, I will give to drink without cost from the spring of the water of life. He who overcomes will inherit all this, and I will be his God, and he will be my Son. But notice the contrast. the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters, and all liars, their place will be in the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death. This is the second death. Final and ultimate judgment before the judgment throne of God. You know, friends, in John 10, verse 10, Our Lord Jesus Christ declares, the thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life and have it to the full. And have it to the full. Think about that. Jesus is saying that even and also in this life, you can only have fullness of life when we truly believe in and trust in and rest and remain and abide in Him. I give fullness of life. In fact, that is also why in Philippians 1, verse 21, even though he was in chains for the cause of Christ, the Apostle Paul could so passionately declare, for to me, to live is Christ. To live is Christ. Can you say that today? And then Paul, of course, goes on to say in that very same text, but to die is gain. But to die is gain. How could he say that? Why did he say that? How could he know that? Reason. We close with this. 2 Timothy 4, verses 6-8. Some of the last words penned by the Apostle Paul before he was martyred for the cause of Christ. 2 Timothy 4, verses 6-8, Paul says this, He says, For I am already being poured out like a drink offering, And the time has come for my departure. I have fought the good fight. I have finished the race. I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing. According to church tradition, the Apostle Paul was martyred by the Roman Emperor Nero, probably in the year 67 A.D. 67 A.D. Probably was beheaded, according to church tradition, for the cause of Christ. And yet today, Paul is wearing the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that day, he said, and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for His appearing." He had fought the good fight. He had finished the course. He had kept the faith. Question. Are you longing for His appearing? Am I longing for His appearing? Friends, are we eagerly looking forward to and awaiting the physical, literal, historical, bodily return of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ at His second coming? And will we too on that day receive the crown of righteousness? Because by God's grace alone, through faith alone in Christ alone, we too have fought the good fight and have finished the race. and have kept the faith. Oh, my dear friends in the Lord, rest assured that that will in fact be our legacy in this life and our blessed and bountiful inheritance and eternal life. As through the presence and power of His Holy Spirit, we both practice and apply these ABCs of the spiritual discipline of the Christian life. Amen. Let's bow our heads and our hearts in prayer together before God. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives' tales. Rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value. but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. Oh, our holy, ever-faithful Heavenly Father, grant to each and every one of us today and every day we pray, individually and collectively, the grace to avoid the absurd, to do that which benefits the body and also and especially to concentrate on the full and complete consecration of all that we have and all that we are unto Thee, so that we, as Thy people, by pursuing and practicing these ABCs, will be well on our way toward a sanctifying study of several of the spiritual disciplines of the Christian life. Hear us, Lord, we pray. for our temporal and eternal good and unto Thy eternal glory. In Jesus' name we pray, Amen.