July 12, 2026

BUILT TO LAST: TEND THE TRUTH!

July 12, 2026

Dr. Matt Willmington

Our lives are filled with things we value: items saved from our grandparents or parents, or items from the time our children were babies. Perhaps we have things whose sentimental value is greater than anything money could buy. Is your faith of great value to you? How do you guard it? Is your Bible a treasure to you—not because of its normal value, but because it contains the word of God? Today, we will look at the Bible as that valuable artifact that Christians hold dear because it is God’s word to us: God-breathed, written by various authors with a unified theme, not able to have been assembled by men. It contains the commands of God to mankind, the stories of men whose lives God interrupted, stories of great men of faith, history, and the future. It is one-of-a-kind. From its pages, we learn how to fear God, how to get wisdom, understanding, knowledge, and prudence. Inside it, as 2 Peter 1:3 says, “His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.” We know from the Bible that we can be saved, that we can believe whatever God has promised us. We know Him because we have His word to us. Jesus told us, “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4).” And Jeremiah wrote, “Your words were found, and I ate them, and they became to me a joy, and the delight of my heart (Jer. 15:16).”

Focal Passage: 1 Timothy 1.

Beware False Teaching:

  • Read 1 Tim. 1:1-2. What do you see Paul doing in these first two verses? What do you remember about Timothy? Why did Paul ‘adopt’ him as a ‘son in the faith’?
  • Read vv. 3-4. Who were these people who were teaching false doctrine? Where were these false teachers found? Do we have false teachers inside the church today? What did Paul say they taught, rather than the plan of salvation?
  • What did Matt mean that false teachers ‘Major on the minors’? How do they ‘reveal new knowledge’? Why do we see them ‘dividing the disciples’? Do they ‘spotlight Jesus’?
  • Where does much of the false teaching we absorb come from if we are not careful? Can you give any examples from some of the podcasts or YouTube videos that are currently circulating that teach false doctrine? Is it wrong to warn others about those who are teaching falsehoods today? Why did Matt warn us to keep away from a myriad of various teachers? What does the local church provide that the internet cannot do?
  • Read vs. 5. What three things do we strive for as we grow in Jesus? Do you often do a self-examination to see if this is you? “For if these things are yours and abound, you will be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (2 Pet.1:8).

Choose True Teaching:

  • How do we know, recognize, and grasp sound doctrine? Discuss what is at the CORE of our faith? (These are the non-negotiables of Biblical doctrine.)
  • What is our CONVICTION? How do convictions differ from the non-negotiables? How do you treat ‘gray areas’?
  • What are OPINIONS? Do we really need them? Should we ever get dogmatic over opinions? (Be sure everyone understands dogmatism). Why is the King James Version of the Bible a great example of something held in a dogmatic way?
  • Read 1 Tim. 1:12. As Paul switches his thought in this passage, what does he immediately begin to do? What things occur during your day that cause your heart to erupt into praise?
  • Read vs. 13a. Do you find yourself thinking of God’s goodness to you, considering your past? What past did Paul list? Why do we not want to tell people what God forgave us from? Is it because there is so much shame? Did Jesus take that shame to Calvary?
  • In vv. 13b-17, why does Paul say God extended mercy to him? How does he express God’s grace? Do you ever see God’s grace to you as overflowing on you, covering you with faith and love?
  • Paul was convinced that by God choosing him to be a useful vessel, those who had known him as Saul, when he destroyed the lives of many Christians, would think, ‘if God saved someone as bad as Saul, surely He will save me as well’. Have you known someone who was so terrible a sinner that you thought they were too bad to be saved—yet God saved them? Can you tell us their story?
  • Read verses 18-20. What is Paul telling Timothy to remember, and why? Is he warning Timothy to choose true teaching, rather than becoming ‘shipwrecked’ as others have? Who are some you have known who have given up on Jesus because of their own mistakes? Why did they do that?

CLOSE:

Have you ever sat under a teacher at a church Sunday School, and at the end of the class, asked yourself, “What did he say?” This is common in small country churches where teachers take a position of bringing a weekly Sunday School lesson, even though they haven’t poured their heart into understanding the Scriptures the week before. This is often the case when a Christian—at any level of his Christianity—is known in the community. Maybe he’s a coach, a Civics teacher, or a Band Director. If you are in such a class, you may be under a false teacher, especially if they state, “I think that (speculation),” or “I don’t understand when God meant here, but it would seem to me that…” Almost all older adults have had that experience in one or more of the churches they have known. Perhaps this is why James, in 3:1, says, “My brethren, do not let many of you become teachers, knowing that they shall receive stricter judgment.” Teachers are held to a higher judgment by God.

What can be done about it? If you are in such a church, and know your Bible, ask God to give you the courage to teach, if that is His will. Then ask the teacher if you could substitute. Often, when the class finds a teacher who is qualified, many will ask if that person can teach more often. Christians in a class are hungry for the pure word, and almost always are willing to have a teacher who loves God, loves His word, and loves people teaching the class. Will you do that?

Sandy Day

July 12, 2026

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