This transcript was generated automatically and may contain errors.

Hello and welcome back to your class, Iowa Doctrine 101. I'm glad to see you took your class. Seriously last week and have dressed for iOS actual Four Season the spring of deception where you think it may just be spring. But in fact you actually get Iowa's fifth season third winter. That is exactly right. Can anyone tell me what comes after third winter the pollinating and then potholes and then it's actually spring that is exactly right. Welcome to class. All right, let's start with some Basics. What is Iowa's state bird Hawkeye? No Cardinal no tornado also, no Panther.

No, Iowa state bird is The Goldfinch. Oh, that's on me, man. That's me. Sorry, my bad. My bad. That's a good I own apology. No worries there. That'll help you get some points back later rapid fire when I say these responses what I actually mean is no yeah. Yes. Yeah. No, no, Yeah, no. Oh, no, you're fine.

Yeah, no. Yeah, I'm sorry, but unfortunately, yes. Yeah, no for sure. All right. Everybody got that. Yeah, no for sure. Everything that the light touches is Heaven is what's known as Iowa. What's that red place over there? That's Nebraska.

You must never go there. All right time to review our basic IO and food groups. Say it with me now. Okay, Casey breakfast pizza sweet corn. Jello salad Ranch tenderloin Scott ruse great. And any one of these can be substituted for anything on a stick at the Iowa State Fair exactly.

Picture this the tornado siren in your neighborhood just went off. Do you go to your a basement B bathtub C front porch see front porch in a lawn chair. Yeah, no for sure. But remember you have to take a video for the local news. Otherwise, it didn't count finish this phrase with me. The weather wouldn't be that bad without the win humidity.

Yes. Time for a math problem on average. How long is an Iowan? Goodbye. I mean it's at least 15-20 minutes with a couple. All right. It's about that time and you have at least four goodbyes. We have one living room. Goodbye. I want doorway. Goodbye from ports. Goodbye driveway. Goodbye, and you have to wave. Goodbye as you drive away. That is exactly right. Well done. I am just so proud and that ends our class for today. Now, let's get out there and show them what Iowa nice is all about. Let's go.

Oh, no. Wait. No, my bad. No no, no you. Close those guys are hilarious, right Iowa Doctrine. So kind of what we believe is how we behave right? So my wife gets so frustrated with me, I believe in Iowa nice, right? So we're driving.

I don't care. I don't care where we're at. I'm the Iowa nice driving. She gets and then we're in our neighborhood and and of course I'm like waving everybody and waving I've almost hit cars like three times. She's like just walking around. You don't have to wave everybody. It's great though.

But you know, what? Here's what I believe I believe I have a nice. I'm an Iowa nice guy. Be friendly. Talk to people wave that makes everybody feel better. Okay, because what we believe right drives our Behavior what we believe drives our Behavior, it does especially in this beautiful and crazy thing called The Church.

Now we're gonna spend the next several weeks in the new series. It's lessons from first and second Timothy. Okay, and and there's three biggies that we're gonna hit you can see those that were and these are three that just jump off the page in this letter. It's cool though, right because here we are in this season of PLC transition of you know, which I'm grateful and excited about and by the way, we've we still got a few even coming up this week of our next chapter events are gonna be an indie we're gonna be an Osage and in case you haven't been able to be one at your campus. We've got one online the next chapter of it online May 16th, so you could just really hear what's going on and where we're at and all those things so so that's coming. But but what we're gonna walk into is this These three lessons. These are the big lessons that there's Paul the writer of first and second Timothy that he's passing on to Timothy and here's what he does. Okay.

These these two. In fact this first second Timothy and Titus that really go together. They're called pastoral letters and that's exactly what it sounds like Paul is writing to these other pastors Timothy and Titus. We're gonna focus on Timothy and he's coaching them. He's encouraging him. He's addressing some very specific problems right that Timothy was facing and remember anytime we go to the Bible anytime. We we go to it. What are the principles of reading the Bible? Is this that every time you read it you have to remember I'm reading somebody else's male.

What do I mean by that? Well first and second Timothy our letters written to a certain person or a certain place like the Romans or the Corinthians, right? But certain person Timothy. At a certain time, right 2000 years ago or so in a certain place. Okay, so we always got to remember that. Oh, by the way, here's a really cool thing. We just this past week. We we did our our sermon planning as a team and in the fall coming up this fall, we're gonna do a series it's gonna be a small group series and it's called like the Skeptics Guide to the Bible and we're gonna we're gonna dig in and teach you again. We've done this before but do it again and you know how to read the Bible how to interpret about. Yeah, but what about that Old Testament stuff and yeah, but what about that that I don't like and so we're gonna nail all that that's coming up in the fall. But anyway, let's stick to where we are right now today.

One of the very specific coaching encouraging and teaching that Paul's giving to first and second Timothy and these two letters to Timothy. He was facing these crazy false teachers. Okay, and they were they were they were not only teaching on biblical or they were having biblical Concepts. They were kind of twisting to do their own thing which which is bad enough but was actually it was actually leading people astray from the real Jesus. And so that's a serious and and a big thing. So so here's what we're gonna do. We're gonna we're gonna look at these two letters And I'm encouraging you like just sit in these for the next three or four weeks. Just sit in these two letters just read them and go over what we talked about take your notes do all those things. But but here's the first one. Okay, the first big lesson that we get is because it's it's a big part of these two letters. Is this Doctrine matters?

Because what we believe drives our Behavior, right? So just like Iowa nice what we believe drives. How we how we behave but this thing called The Church in particular Doctrine matters because what we believe drives our behavior, let's demystify Doctrine. Okay, Doctrine really is just another word for teaching right and what we would say we'd say doctor does this teaching from the Bible that drives our Behavior, we would we would grab teaching from the Bible that is we would believe is true and life changing and from God himself and we would let that drive our Behavior. So so again come back to it right Doctrine matters because what we believe drives our Behavior All right, so let's go to the text now, I'm gonna just walk you through first take it to me. I'm going to show you first a second Timothy. I'm going to show you just how big of a deal this was and then we're gonna kind of bring it home to us at Prairie Lakes right now.

Okay, so everybody get the first and second Timothy now, it's New Testament, okay. So Matthew Mark Luke John acts Romans. Those are those are pretty pretty easy ones to get you get first second Corinthians. Then you get Galatians Ephesians Philippians Colossians, and then you get first and second Thessalonians first and second Timothy in Titus. There's all these t words together first second Thessalonians first second Timothy Titus and and I want you to turn there. Okay, listen use your Bible use one that's in the chairs or whatever your campus use your phone. I'm a little frustrated with one thing. Here's I got some guys in my life that are very kind of discouraged in themselves or frustrated or even a little bit shameful like gosh. I've been following God for a long time. I just don't know the Bible and I'm just like do you open it? Right? Do you read it every single weekend? We we say, here's what we are. Here's what we're going. We read them. We put them on the screen, but man I encourage you just right now pull your phone out just type in Bible and it'll come up. Okay, and and follow along we think that's that's just really really important. All right, so let's get the first Timothy.

And I'm gonna start showing you now where this idea of Doctrine matters. All right. So right away in in first Timothy just it's Paul just look at verse one real quick Paul and a possible Christ Jesus by the command of God our savior and of Christ Jesus our hope what a great line to Timothy my true son in the faith grace mercy, and peace from God the father and Christ Jesus our lord then he gets to he gets to verse 3, right and just just catch this we'll have it up here for this one. Okay. So this is off the bat right other than say. Hey, what's up buddy? Glad you hear you're my true son the Lord praise God and he goes boom and he just jumps into it as I urged you when I went into Macedonia stay there in Ephesus so that you may command certain people. What's he say not to teach false everybody say the word doctrines there.

It is any longer or to devote themselves to myths and endless geneal. these such things promote controversial speculations rather than advancing God's work, which is by faith. Okay, so so there it is. He writes the Lord. He says here is here. This is it this is one of the biggies and it's coming at you right now. You got to command these people not to teach false doctrines because what what Paul knows, who's this? Is that what you believe right? What you believe is going to determine how you behave and if you have false belief that your behavior is not going to be in line with what what God wants. So even go down just a little bit farther, right you kind of goes through this list of here's all these things that can kind of result in and then down to like 10 and 11 down in that area. Here's what he says second opportunity says this and for whatever else is contrary to the sound Doctrine and notice how we describes it that can forms to the gospel concerning the glory of the Blessed God which he entrusted to me the sound gospel, right which he entrusted to me. So he he pounded away at this. I want you to turn over now. I want you to be in first Timothy now, I want you to turn over to chapter 4 and again, this is just I'm just just driving you through this book and in chapter four one through five. He hits it again, right? This is a big deal and he says this he says the spirit.

clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith. And follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. I just sit on that just for a minute. He says there's gonna be some people who literally get so turned around by false Doctrine get so turned around by false teaching.

If they that they literally walk away. From their faith they walk away from the faith. Okay, and then he says in verse 2 such teachings come through and this is this is Paul right? Sometimes like people get frustrated. Like, you know me a little bit like man, you say some pretty harsh things or you're not sugar coating that or you you call it. Okay? Okay. Here's what Paul says such teachings come through hypocritical Liars.

Whose Consciousness have been seared as with a hot iron? They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods and what he's doing he's going down kind of a list of this is like an early gnosticism, which was a really false teaching of the church and had to do with the spirit. The spirit wasn't the everything material was bad and it was a holy thing. In fact the Book of John first second third John really deal with that then go to verse 4 and he says for everything God created is good. Nothing is to be rejected if it is received with Thanksgiving because as consecrated by the word of God and prayer so he just walked through Saint Timothy, man. You you've got to deal with this you got to deal with this you got to deal with this right and then he in so he starts the letter with command these people to not do this. And now let's go to the very last two verses of First Timothy and look at this. This is Timothy 6:20 and 21. So he ends at least his Timothy.

Guard what has been entrusted to your care and what he means is this truth. Okay. This truth has been a trusted you turn away from Godless chatter. And the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge. It. Just had to take a time out just for a quick it second here. Godless chatter That would almost be.

In our day, it would be like turn away from constant scrolling. Turn away from the constant turnover of stuff. That's just coming at you turn right turn away from that because it's the opposing ideas of what is falsely called knowledge.

Which some of professed and in so doing have departed and there it is again departed from the faith in the ends with Grace be with you all. Okay. So now let's just flip the second team if they want you to see how this keeps going because he wrote two letters to Timothy. Now. This is the second one that came a little while later. Okay, so everybody turned a second Timothy, I'm gonna walk you down just just a couple things here. Okay, so you get the second Timothy and right away in chapter one verse 13 He says this to Timothy Paul says what you've heard from me Timothy.

Keep us the pattern of sound teaching with faith and love in Christ Jesus. And again, he says guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who lives in us and and then the next chapter right in verse 14. He says keep reminding God's people these things warn them before God against quarreling about words. It's of no value and only ruins those who listen do your best to present yourself to God as one approved a worker who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of Truth and he just Nails it again. You just you can almost feel for Timothy is a young Pastor who's dealing with these teaches that are coming in they're stirring up stuff and look he describes it more in second Timothy 2:16. He says avoid Godless chatter.

Because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. See what's happening there. Doctrine right matters because it drives Behavior more and more ungodly.

And then he says they're teaching will spread like gangrene. Then he names two dudes among them are high meneus and filetus who have departed from the truth. They say that the resurrection is already taking place in what they mean by that is the resurrection people not of Jesus nevertheless God solid foundation stands firm sealed with this inscription quote.

The Lord knows those who were his and everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness, right? So he just he just walks down and he goes and he goes and and he goes, let me just do one more just real quick. It's just fascinating, right? This is a big deal.

Flip over to chapter three of second Timothy and and go over like verse 14 and I know I'm kind of cutting in the middle of one but this is kind of a some summation here. But as for you talking to Timothy now Paul saying Timothy, but ask for you, buddy. continuing what you have learned and have become convinced of because you know those from whom you learned it and how from infancy you have known the holy scriptures which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith and Christ Jesus and then he says this All scripture is God breathed and is useful for teaching rebuking correcting and training in righteousness.

So that the servant of God may be thoroughly equipped in every good work, right? So it this is this is this is crazy, right? Doctrine matters right sound teaching matters because it drives Behavior it matters what you believe it matters that you know and study the word it matters that you show up on the weekend. And you hear sound Doctrine being taught it matters that you get in a group and you read scripture together and you study together it matters.

Because what you believe determines how you behave? It starts here here and here and it works itself out to how you behave in this world. And if your mom or dad How you parent your kids? If you're a boss how you treat your employees if you're an employee how you lead up the chain, right?

How you how you serve those around you it matters it matters. So here's what I want to do. I want to spend the last 15 minutes of our time together with this. Let's hit a couple of our plc. Doctrines like biblical truths that we believe, okay. And that drive our Behavior around here.

Okay. So let's do that. Okay. So let's do the first look I'm just picking a few as examples. Okay, so so here would be the first one like one of our doctrines like so what do we what do we believe what's our doctor? What's the sound doctrine that we believe about Jesus Christ? Okay. So we have a we have a big statement written out. He's the son of God, right? He's full of human get fully God, but here's where here's where we just want you to see the Salvation through Jesus alone that he's the only one who saved.

By his death and Resurrection by living a perfect life. He's the only hope that you and me have for salvation. Remember that John 14:6 that that it's like that that Tipping Point of the Bible where Jesus says nobody right? I'm the way and the truth and life. Jesus says it nobody comes the father but through me and and it's by grace.

through faith Here's the problem with with religion. Okay religion is this and that's why we always say we're not religious. We are not religious because religious is this religious is I need to do certain things so that I can get certain things. Right? So I'm gonna do these good religious things and then we may not say it out loud, but we really mean it then God kind of owes me right he kind of owes me that's what religion is when we talk about Jesus Christ and salvation through Jesus Alone by grace through faith. It's a relationship. It's a relationship based on what Jesus has done. It's only what he's done. Okay, so we talk about a personal faith line decision in which the only thing that you do right you can never earn salvation you never deserve and certainly not me right you never do.

But when you said here's the only thing that you have to do for salvation. Is finally surrender. I quit I give up I can't do it. I can't fix myself. I can't fix the world. I can't I can't and I can't earn heaven. And I can't earn the love of God. I can't and when you finally surrender when you're sick of yourself, we call it stepping over the faith on it, which you say. I'm done Jesus. You're it. You've done it for me.

And I receive that from you. And and open your stay in your your second Timothy here and I I want you just to see this where where he brings this out. Right? So in second Timothy 1 in in verse 9, he kind of gives like a little summary, right? He says talking about Jesus he says, He has saved us.

And called us to a holy life. Not because of anything we've done but because of his own purpose and Grace this Grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the beginning of time, but it has now been revealed through the appearing of spearing of Savior of our savior Christ Jesus who has destroyed death and has brought life and immortality to light through the gospel.

Right and then and then over into it you see this riddled all through first thing Timothy and in chapter 2 verse 8. He says remember Jesus Christ. Raised from the dead descended from David. This is my gospel. And so so here it is, right.

One of the things that we believe is that Jesus is the only way that Jesus is the is the Hope and he's the only hope that we have right? He's the only hope Ephesians 2:8 through 10. I'm not going to turn there but write that one down and it's where he just he's Paul again says it to a different group of people, right? The consistency of the Gospel is again his first by Grace you've been saved not by works so that no one can boast. So right that one down and go to that but but there it is. So we have this Doctrine about Jesus that we believe.

That that drives our Behavior, right? So we can't do it and there's baptism happening all over Iowa this weekend, right and and and baptism isn't something that gets you saved. It's not baptism is an obedient.

Decision that a follower of Jesus makes you step over the faith Line This inside thing happens to you are forgiven. You are transformed you are now no longer living for you you are living for Jesus and Jesus alone. You are dead to yourself, but you're alive in Christ. And when we bat that somebody says, okay that happened in me. Now. I want everybody to know it.

And the baptism is the public picture. Of the private work of God in a person's life. So when the campus pastor of the small group leader of the mom or the dad whoever the person is that gets to baptize this weekend.

They go under the water and here's the picture dead to myself. I didn't do anything, but I right. But I'm now new because Jesus was raised in the dead so. To it is with me. and it is but it's not salvific. It's not.

We can't add any thing except the grace of Jesus. Good works, don't do it. Getting baptized doesn't do it reading your Bible doesn't do it. You can add nothing. Nothing to Jesus. So let's just take this home just a little bit farther.

So if Doctrine drives my behavior. And my doctor is this is who Jesus is and this is what he's done. And and this is what he's done for me. And I can't earn it don't deserve it. So what's my behavior? I humbly.

and with gratitude and with with with Joy except the gift Jesus thank you. Thanks for your forgiveness. Thanks for your peace.

Last week we I I spent some time on on we can't we got to know who I am. Right who I am who I am I identity in Christ. When you accept Jesus when you step over the faithful and when you're born again all those different terms, it's all that he's done. And here's here's the behavior.

I'm his. And and he's mine. I'm loved. And I don't do anything to get it. I can't earn it. I could quit trying to prove it, right.

More peace and less proving is my behavior what I follow Jesus. More gracious and less judging is my behavior when I follow Jesus. being loved leads to loving others what I believe Drives how I behave?

Let's do another one Let's do let's do the one real quick here about this one. Our Docker about the church a place in people and and for us it's this no matter Church. And being us being no matter followers of Jesus since we're saved by grace, so we didn't earn it and we don't deserve it. No matter who I used to be.

No matter what I've done. Oh matter where I've been no matter what's been done to me. He loves me. He's got me. I'm his and and and and and he's mine.

I used to be this way. But Jesus he he fixed it and this is the the essence of the Gospel. Is this that that it doesn't matter where you came from? There's a matter how many bad things you've done. This is Jesus. You ready? This is Jesus. Jesus himself said he came to seek and save the Lost.

Jesus said yeah, there's this shepherd He had a hundred sheep and 99 were safe if there was one that wasn't in and what's that Shepherd do? The 99 they're okay. They're covered. He goes after the one he leaves the 99. for the one this is the Jesus who when he's walking this Earth, here's what is here's what is accusers accused him of being a drunken a drunk and a glutton and why would they do that? Because he was going after the one no matter no matter how dirty they were. He loves them.

No matter how bad you are. He loves you. No matter how many stuff is how much stuff is behind you? That's the the trail that you you carry around. He loves you. No matter And he died for you so that you could be you could be you could be free.

See Jesus did all this so we could be the people and the place where Jesus can be seen and heard. He didn't call us to a holy huddle. He didn't call us to be recluses and and take refuge and and hide away. He called us to be just like him who left The Refuge who came down to this place and said I'm due I'm here for one reason to seek and save the Lost Paul his letter Timothy. This is this is awesome. And this is right away in in first Timothy right away in chapter one, he and so he talks about the false talk right he gets after him and then he says to Timothy says here's a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance, okay.

Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners of whom I am the worst I'll fight him for that title. But for that very reason. I was shown mercy so that in me the worst of sinners Christ Jesus might look what it says display his immense patient as an example. What what?

As an example. For those who would believe in him? And receive eternal life. Here, here's Paul. And you know he's saying I want people who don't know him.

To see me. And the only way they're going to see me is if I step in with them not push away and that's why we're no matter. That's why we do exactly what we do our Doctrine this doctrine of the Church of this people and place of no matter church that turns out no matter disciples. No matter followers. It drives our Behavior be ready and open always and be engaged in your little Iowa. We preach this all the time and launch campus is a big Iowa. So there's a place for those who feel left out to walk in for those who think they screwed up too bad can be accepted and love for those can go on a journey in a place where they could be loved and accepted.

It matters friends. Let me just do a real quick correction, right? Somebody asked me again kind of like hey, I think I get the no matter but But like what about like sand, I'm like, okay. Okay. I got you. I got you. Listen. It does matter that you don't sin.

It doesn't matter that you're called to a holy life. Okay, it does matter. But it doesn't matter where you've come from. It doesn't matter how many mistakes you've made. And if you sin again if you fall away if you get caught up with the relationship if you get caught up with money, if you get caught up and worried more about your job than anybody else if you caught up and broken up in a relationship with the spouse or anything like that, right?

He still loves you. And he can redeem you from that and that doesn't have to Define you that's what no matter means it does matter that you don't stay stuck it does. Just the last one real quick. We'll hit this one. Just just real quick. Another one. We have a doctrine that we have that that drives. Our behavior is the word of God and this is this is straight from our doctors doctrinal statement. It says we believe that the Bible is the word of God.

Fully inspired without air in the original manuscripts written under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and that has supreme authority and all matters of faith and conduct. Okay. So so we're gonna in the fall we're gonna nail this down, right? This is this is what we do.

We just come to the Bible. We we go to the Bible. What's God say? Well, what's the Bible say does the Bible talk about that or what? What what parts the Bible can we start to learn or glean that we can say this this can inform us how we need to handle this one, right? But we just go to the Bible we say no, it's his word. Well, but the culture goes this way the Bible we're going to go with the Bible.

Well these this this is kind of the thing now, but here's the Bible says we're going to go with the Bible. It's it's what we do, right? It's what we do. We're always gonna turn to the Bible even when it flies in the face of culture. And we do it in a way around Paradise. There's people don't like the way we do it. It's okay. We do it in the way that the Holy Spirit leads us to speak to our lives.

right now This week this month this season. We're not stuck because we we have to get through the Leviticus. We are asking the Holy Spirit to direct us to his word. So he can speak to us about where we live what he's doing right now.

In our lives in Iowa at Prairie Lakes Church. We're always going to turn to it. Hey, okay, don't forget this Doctrine matters. Because it drives. Behavior now before I pray you've got to hear this from me.

also in the very first chapter the first Timothy right after he says he says get after those guys man. Don't let them do that. He says this in verse 5. the goal of this command Is everybody say it with me love?

Which comes from a pure heart? And a good conscious. And a sincere faith. Well, I tell you Dr matters because it drives our Behavior. I can tell you this much and this is true and you can't forget this. that Doctrine divorced from Love It doesn't matter.

Doctrine divorced from Love becomes knowledge and knowledge simply puffs up. And puts you in a spot you never want to be. All right great lessons. great lessons from Paul Doctrine matters Because it dries Behavior.

You dig in. You understand the Bible you take it on you grow and you learn? And we're gonna do everything we can to help you. All right, let's pray right now again cross out together. So God, thank you for your word. Which guides us thank you that we can trust you and we can trust what you say about yourself you say about the world and you say about us.

We're going to follow you. And God what we want is our Behavior. and our beliefs to match up so that Iowa can see and hear about Jesus in his name we pray amen.