Come Follow Me LDS- 1-2 Timothy Titus Philemon Part 2, New Testament

'Itching Ears'
- Paul's Final Words are on the Doctrine of Christ
- The concern about sticking to core doctrines
- Enduring & Suffering as followers of Christ and His example
- The attributes of many in the last days
- A 'Form of Godliness'

 

 

Come Follow Me

LDS Mormon New Testament 1 Timothy 2 Timothy Titus Philemon Bible

 

in this episode we talk about itching

years here we go alright so in this

episode we are going to cover second

Timothy Titus and Philemon and so we've

got quite a bit to go through here so

we're again this is one of those

episodes we're going to kind of dip down

into just a few scriptures from each of

these epistles and try and get into

Paul's mind a little bit and see

kind of what he's trying to get across

to us what is his message especially

here in second Timothy 2nd Timothy is

likely the last epistle attributed to

Paul as far as chronological order he's

apparently writing this probably from

Rome this is his second imprisonment

under Nero now and he's probably already

had a hearing in Rome where he knows

what the outcome is going to be he knows

he's in his last days here lamb to the

slaughter here basically and so what I

find really fascinating here is to see

what Timothy or what Paul wants to

put down in words for kind of his

last words we get a few examples like

this and from the Book of Mormon for

example we have Lehi’s last words to

his sons that we have in the blessings

that he had that he gives

we have Mormon and Moroni and we kind of

see what they're really focused on as

they write their very last words and you

know their message is basically very

similar to Paul's overall message which

is faith hope and charity and spiritual

gifts they're really going in focus on

these things for Paul

all as we look through second Timothy

here what he really wants to focus on

where this is the beginning of

Christianity his focus is on doctrine

his focus is on look we have to stay on

course here with the doctrine of Christ

there are too many examples already of a

falling away of apostatizing already

in Paul's time through different

doctrines basically through the

philosophies of men coming in to the

church and a Hellenized region and the

doctors of Alexandria basically really

having a strong influence already

because he's going in among the Greeks

among the Gentiles here among the pagans

where these philosophies are very rooted

already although Judaism also has a lot

of these Hellenized philosophies as part

of their doctrine as well they're in a

Hellenized Roman province as well

they're in Jerusalem so a few points

here that I want to get across here that

that that Paul writes to Timothy he says

here in chapter 1 verse 7 something I

find very interesting

he says for God hath not given us the

spirit of fear but of power and of love

and of a sound mind so again what we've

talked about this recently but what is

it that Paul is telling each one of us

about who we are and about what the

expectations of us are as children of

God he's saying look we are here

especially if we have the gospel we do

not have the spirit of fear we have a

spirit of power and of love and of a

sound mind that's what's been given to

us so anything that pulls us away from

that is not from the Lord so if we are

more anxious and we have a crippling

fear over something that does not come

from the Lord and I think it's important

to face that right is something that you

Paul tells us elsewhere in fact that

fear and love cannot coexist in other

words if you're fearful of something

then you may be short in the amount of

love that you have and where would we

see that as an example especially within

families within a marriage and with

a family where we have a laboratory of

charity right the ability to build

strong bonds and the ability to try to

overcome our fears through sacrifice and

you can see that in a strong marriage

right that strong marriage is built from

my observation and personal experience

through the ability to sacrifice and the

ability to not fear the ability to reach

out in love and power and a sound mind

and where those two things that coexist

love and fear well you're kind of

spinning your wheels at that point so

the ability as Paul explains here to

understand that we don't have a spirit

of fear that does not come from God that

is not what is in our spirit that is

more of a carnal issue something that

pulls us back is when we have fear so

to overcome those fears is very godly

and important and helps us to grow into

who we are supposed to be and to live up

to an expectation that the Lord would

have of us and a potential that the Lord

has given us so I think that's a real

important issue for us to understand I

think that we see in a lot of studies in

our time today how anxiety is increasing

a lot and fear is increasing a lot in

depression that might hold us back and

yes there are chemical issues there and

the relationship between you know a

chemical problem a biological problem

and a problem of our mind in other words

something we have control of is still

pretty under misunderstood I think at

this point we don't know enough about

that how much the mind can affect the

body and how much the body can affect

the mind but regardless over all levels

of anxiety and fear are rising and that

does not come from the Lord right that's

not what the spirit that the Lord has

given us so I think that's important to

understand

and then in 13 he starts going over more

about this message that he really wants

to get across as his last words his

famous last words are about doctrine

which falls apart here as we know but in

13 he says hold fast the form of sound

words which thou hast heard of me in

faith and love which is in Christ Jesus

right so he's saying look I'm giving you

the proper doctrine and there's a lot of

philosophy and false words and

fables that end up coming in here and

diluting that those words but this is

very important to me Timothy that you

understand that these words that I have

given you are sound words and what you

might hear elsewhere or not so hang

tough here hang tough on these this

doctrine because we have a tsunami of

Jewish fables and of paganism and of the

philosophies of men that fight against

this true word and this true doctrine of

Christ he says for example here in Asia

as he already says in 15 this thou

knowest that all they which are in Asia

be turned away from me right they've

already the churches there have already

turned away from what Paul has taught

and what the doctrine is of the doctrine

of Christ and then he goes back to a

theme that I've pointed out before that

is crucial I think in Mormon doctrine

and that is about becoming and

the example of Christ and when I say the

example of Christ yes its rooted in the

way he lived and what not but you know

parables are something different that's

not his example

that's his example of teaching how does

he teach but that's not the example of

how Christ lived and what we find in the

way he lived is an example for how we

should live right in and of course the

epitome of that is his own sacrifice in

Gethsemane and on the cross so the way

that he suffered and took on the sins of

everybody else so that is something that

is different and focused on much more

within the LDS Church than it is in

broadly in Christianity or broadly and

Christianity the focus is much more on

do you believe in God and therefore if

you do you are saved and mercy and

charity and grace of God is way up

here once you believe in him and works

are discounted completely in other words

what we're doing and choosing and how we

live and what we're doing to sacrifice

how we take on the burdens of others is

diminished as compared to our belief in

Jesus Christ and so Paul not only

teaches that that's not true and it not

only teaches that works and mercy or or

grace are both necessary throughout all

of the epistles but he shows us how

those being combined what God did to

give us his grace through Jesus a

sacrifice is not only the power for us

to lean on and to believe in but behind

that is the faith to repent in that

sacrifice and that's core Mormon

doctrine that we repent and we make

decisions and we obey and we do works

and we serve and we take on the burdens

others as followers of Christ and

following his example and becoming like

him which is something that broadly

Christianity tries to push apart here

right that to mid them is a little bit

blasphemous as to us actually becoming

like him but that's our focus that's

what we want to do and Paul talks about

that again here he says in verse 10 of

chapter 2 therefore I endure all things

for the elects sake that is those that

are chosen you remember we've heard the

phrase many are called but few are

chosen and that's kind of hard to

understand sometimes but the chosen are

those that in reality first choose for

themselves who they want to be and how

they want to live and we talked about

the elect here in verse 10 we heard

we've heard that term many times as well

well to elect something is the same as

to choose something so the elect and the

chosen are the same so many can be

called to something but those that

actually end up being the elect or the

chosen are far fewer because it's based

on their choices their elections on who

they want to become follows up here in

verse 10 says that they may also obtain

the salvation which is in Jesus in

Christ Jesus

with eternal glory so Paul like Christ

here following Christ's example doesn't

just go out and preach to believe but he

himself suffers and endures all things

as Christ did for the sake of the elect

for the sake of the church for the sake

of those that are willing to repent and

become like the Savior in verse 12 if we

suffer we shall also reign with him if

we deny him we all he will also deny yes

so again there's that theme if we suffer

especially for suffering in his name and

because he have the whole again

philosophies of men paganism Jewish

fable

and the law of Moses and all of

these things that are pushing against

the doctrine of Christ and against the

church really that would all be part of

the great and spacious building right

those that are partaking of the fruit in

Lehigh's vision you have the Great and

spacious filled building there that are

all trying to influence those that are

there and making and persecuting them

and trying to pull them away from the

tree of life but he says look those that

stick that out that's that suffer in the

name of Christ and I would add here

suffer for their fellow man like Christ

did are the ones that are going to reign

with Christ because they're following

his example not just learning of Christ

and not just believing in him then he

comes back again to doctrine here in

verse 15 and he talks about here in

verse 15 and he says study to shew

thyself approved unto God rightly

dividing the word of truth so follow his

outline here about the doctor and he's

talks about look you need to study you

need to study the scriptures is what

he's really focusing on get the Word of

God implanted in your head and in your

heart and then he follows up with that

in 16 but shame profane and vain

babblings things that don't mean

anything things that are gonna pull you

away that would be looking at Lehigh's

vision right where we've got the rod of

iron that you should be holding on to

the scriptures he's saying the vain

babblings would be like the fog that

would be out there the mist or the fiery

darts or anything that's going to lure

you away from holding on to the rod of

iron he says here for they will increase

unto more ungodliness and the result of

that is in 17 and their word will eat as

death a canker and he says this is what

happened in Asia right because he

follows up with those that are

responsible for this in Asia and so as

we let the philosophies of men move in

and we let things that are ungodly in

especially into the church and into the

doctrine which happens really easily you

can see it all over the place now then

there is a falling away from the truth

there's a falling away from the doctrine

of Christ and then in Chapter three he

goes over something that we've heard

before where he talks about how things

are gonna be in the last days and see if

this doesn't describe our situation

right now

for men shall be lovers of their own

selves that's the first thing he brings

up again this is the Great and spacious

building of Lehi it is founded first and

foremost on pride whereas the doctrine

of Christ is suffering for others and

being the servant of others the plain the

great and spacious building is built

on pride looking internally looking to

ourselves first carnally covetous

boasters proud blasphemers disobedient

to parents an interesting point the more

you can break up the family in any way

the more you're going to move people

from the tree of life over to the

greatest spacious building unthankful

whole unholy then he continues without

natural affection trucebreakers false

accusers incontinent fierce despisers of

those that are good that's interesting

why would someone be a fierce despisers

of those that are good and I think that

somewhere in there I believe is Envy I

really believe that I believe that Envy

and anything the politics of envy are

something very dark and I think that

those that are despisers of those that

are good are basically people that want

to pull those people back down with them

because then they don't have to compare

themselves to those that are good or

things that are good traitors heady

high-minded lovers of pleasures more than

lovers of God and then here's the

important thing we've gone over this

before evil is not blatantly dark it

would never work if it was right we get

the idea of Hollywood with evil and

Hollywood Hollywood with things that are

from Satan

you know as this obviously dark and

horrible type of a creature and

obviously dark and horrible teachings

and feelings and everything else and

that is not the case that is not the

great evil that's out there are

very few people that turn to that the

way that evil happens is that there is a

form of godliness in other words there

was a morality a separate morality that

is put into place that people adhere to

that they bond to and they believe this

and these are ideologies of morality of

a specific morality that are not the

morality of God that's how evil happens

right the people that were Nazis had a

specific morality they weren't all just

thinking that they were evil there was

justification in what they did and those

that allowed that to happen had a

justification for it those that are on

the opposite side of the political

spectrum that would have been for

communism and Marxism in the Soviet

Union with Lenin to start off with right

what's the morality there the morality

is disparity the morality is in separate

classes that we don't want separate

classes it's politics of envy which

happened on the other side as well

between the Jews and the Germans there's

politics of envy there and so there is a

feeling of morality for the poor they

would say or there is feelings of

morality for equality and bringing a

flattening a hierarchy right which

doesn't work it only works through

telling tyranny and it doesn't work even

then but things that are ungodly have a

form of godliness there is a morality

that is put out there that allows people

to get behind it these are ideologies

that are not sound inward as Paul would

say so again verse 5 they have a form of

godliness but denying the power thereof

from such turn away this is what even

Joseph Smith experienced even within the

Christian sects

in New York right that there was a form

of godliness but they denied the power

thereof the revelation that someone

individually could get and of course

Joseph Smith's experience in the first

vision is exactly the opposite of that

so a form of godliness to me does not

just mean a religion right it's a

morality I think that's what a godliness

or a God would represent I have no other

gods before me for many of them in the

ancient times yeah that could mean a

different God right that could be Bale

that could be Aphrodite or Venus or Zeus

for that matter that was put into the

temple of Jerusalem in the second

century BC but for us it's the same

thing right what those gods represent

for the most parts because they all

represent something specific is similar

with us it can be after a carnal lust or

it could be after a an ideology that is

a that provides a specific morality that

people get behind but that is contrary

to the doctrine of Christ and the

doctrine of the gospel and then verse 12

he backs up again going back to the

example of Christ yea and all that will

live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer

persecution right so that's an important

thing and it's again that's a light you

Lehigh's vision it's exactly what that

is and again hitting in on the doctrine

here in chapter 4 that Timothy says in

verse 3 for the time will come when they

will not endure sound doctrine but after

their own lusts shall they heap to

themselves teachers having itching ears

what that means is that if you've got

an engineer you're attending to it

you're rubbing it right and so it's

saying look we're looking for

something else that we that we can

satisfy ourselves with we're looking for

other words we're looking for other

doctrines that we can bring in here more

philosophy that we can bring into the

doctrine of Christ into the church in

other words the word that they hear

where the doctrine of Christ isn't

enough it doesn't satisfy them they

haven't

to hear more something different as well

that happens all the time and I would

argue that it's happening a lot more

today than it has in the past and I

think the internet accelerates that

itching and that the engineers can be

very contagious as well and in verse six

he says to Timothy for I am now ready to

be offered and the time of my departure

is at hand so he's saying look I'm he's

probably had this hearing already where

he knows what's gonna happen with him

and so these are last words from Paul

and his focus here is the doctrine of

Christ and the example of Christ can we

keep this doctrine solid because there

are so many forces against it we have so

much of the great and spacious building

that is leering and casting stones at

those that are at the Tree of Life and

at the doctrine of the Tree of Life and

we've got to hang on to this doctrine to

the doctrine of Christ the world works

with the second law of thermodynamics

which is that everything corrupts right

put a piece of metal out in the desert

and after a while it starts to rust

well that's with everything including

doctrine including pure doctrine

including the church the church has

never lasted it's always corrupted in

the past it's always fallen apart we're

told this time around it won't but in

Paul's time it did right it fell apart

not completely Christianity lasted but

the core doctrines and the priesthood

fell apart they corrupted they rusted

out and you can see that this is already

happening in the time of Paul and that

those are his last words are to focus in

2 Timothy on holding on to the doctrine

of Christ holding on to his words that

he's given Timothy this looks to be his

greatest concern and then in Titus we

get a lot of similar themes from Paul in

Chapter 1 going down to verse 14 he says

again not giving heed to Jewish fables

these are the additional rabbinical

stories as we've already talked about

above and beyond what is plain and

simple like Nephi states above and

beyond the doctrine of Christ its

philosophy right its philosophy that is

not positive philosophy can be very

positive but when we talk about the

philosophies of men we have to

distinguish that from the gospel from

the philosophy of God philosophy means

the love for wisdom and wisdom of men is

different from the wisdom of God he says

something interesting here in verse 15

after that he says under the pure all

things are pure in other words if you're

righteous and you're living a righteous

life you can identify pure things really

well and how do you act to those pure

things let's call them sacred right

there is a reverence there a sacredness

that is identified and treated as such

but unto them that are defiled and

unbelieving is nothing pure this is

something I've observed and noticed when

I am looking at somebody and their words

and what they're teaching or what

they're claiming or announcing I think

it's really important to distinguish if

this person has reverence for sacred

things sacred things like what like

family sacred things like marriage

sacred things like religion sacred

things like a relationship whether

you're in the church or out of the

church a relationship with God

these are very sacred things the ability

to our First Amendment is something

about something that is very very sacred

that that's the freedom of speech which

is again falling by the wayside

little by little here this has a lot to

do with those four phases of the

priesthood that I talked about but those

that do not have a reverence for these

things for things that are sacred that

you have identified that changes

everything and that's I think what he's

talking about here this is what happens

if you are defiled or unbelieving right

if you haven't yet or and hopefully

you will but if

someone hasn't turned their hearts to

God they don't have a reverence or a

respect for certain things that's a

problem and again he talks about they

might have a certain morality right but

he says here in 16 they profess that

they know God so the same type of thing

right there there's the form of

godliness in the sense at least in their

words and again if we look at godliness

as morality I think that's a lot of what

Paul means by this a certain morality

then we can see that there is a

distinction between those that see

things sacredly sacred things sacredly

and those that don't

in chapter 2 we get in verse 7 in all

things showing thyself a pattern of good

works here again we have the coupling as

Paul has gone back and forth with us

throughout all of the epistles a

coupling of good works and repentance

and following the commandments on one

side that he couples with the grace of

God in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ

right both are necessary just as we you

know there's been a lot of talk about

grace in the last 10 years and there's a

lot of talk for example about the verse

I want to say second Nephi 25 somewhere

around there I think about the verse

that says that we are saved by grace

after all though we can do and that how

there's always been in the past this

idea that that verse means we have to do

everything as perfectly as we can and

then God makes up the difference and so

there's been a lot of talk about how

that isn't true recently in some of

these talks these more popular

talks on grace recently but I think what

Nephi is saying there in my opinion is

that both are necessary you need to try

number one to do your best that's works

are crucial but that salvation

ultimately beyond that comes from God we

can't earn it there is no merit there

enough big enough that we will ever be

out of debt to the Savior

so to me I hear I read that Scripture

and I think both are necessary that's

what that means to me there's not

necessarily a gap between the two and he

makes up the difference the focus

here is what we're becoming after all we

can do right what are we becoming

because that's the goal the whole reason

for the sacrifice of Jesus Christ and is

seminarian on the cross is for us to

become something the gift is what he did

for us but the gift is not who we become

the gift is the opportunity because of

that sacrifice so both works and grace

are required and he gives the other side

of that here in chapter 3 of Titus verse

5 not by works of righteousness

basically are we saved which we have

done but according to His mercy he saved

us right salvation isn't earned that's

what he's saying we need to do all that

we can do and try to become what our

potential is and follow the example of

Christ as Paul as many times pointed out

but ultimately salvation comes through

the sacrifice of Jesus Christ because

that's where the opportunity is without

that opportunity there is no salvation

and then lastly we go over to Philemon

and Philemon is a very short epistle

one chapter here that was written to

someone who has a slave and the slave is

basically a runaway slave

well that slave Onessimus is it runs into

Paul somehow and Paul converts him and

here Paul says two things I think are

important number one he says to Philemon

look if this slave of yours has wronged

you in some way

I will pay for it so who is he acting

like they're right he's acting like the

Savior that's what he wants to do he's

putting himself in the role to save you

there he is atoning for the servant

which we are all servants or slaves to

some degree right we are all beggars

as we learn in Messiah and Paul says

look I will pay for this

anything that is owed to you let me know

and you know that I will cover it what

he really wants is for these two

gentlemen here Onessimus and Philemon to

be bonded together his brothers so what

he wants to say is they look look beyond

your differences look beyond your

classes you are brothers and of course

that's important for all of us within

the church especially right what is the

big thing that always happens in the

cycle of pride in the Book of Mormon we

see this class division right all of a

sudden it's pointed out that people are

wearing very costly apparel that seems

to come up all the time that doesn't

seem like a very big deal to us but for

them then that was everything how they

presented themselves how they

distinguished themselves one from

another so you had this class division

and that was usually the beginning of

things starting to unravel within the

church and here Paul is saying look

you've got a slave and you've got a

master don't look at yourselves as slave

and master treat yourselves as brothers

so that's the extreme example there of

bringing everybody together it's just

like when we talk about the spiritual

gifts and the Jews and the Gentiles

we're all different but the idea here is

to take those differences and offer

charity to one another offer each of our

strengths our spiritual gifts one to

another so that we can try to become

like Zion and be of one heart and one

light I'll talk to you next time