Paul wrote to Timothy about the church of Ephesus.  We saw the hassle that Timothy was having.  That poor guy!  Can you imagine all of these pagans that are coming in from Asia, from Macedonia, from Acacia?  All of these new converts.  People that were hearing of the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus and given the grace of God to believe.  They come in with all of these other beliefs; these fables and genealogies.  Can you imagine all of those religions and then stick on top of it the Judaizers.  You have Gnosticism on the rise.  You’re dealing with men, like Docetes and Cerinthus, and these two different camps of Gnosticism.  You see Paul bringing revelation to the Corinthians and wrestling with all of those different things that we lose sight of so often.  We’re talking about meats that were offered to idols and the cup of devils and these kinds of things.  We’re sitting here asking, what’s the problem with eating that piece of meat offered to false gods?  What’s that all about?  He’s talking about all the environment that tries to bring in false gods.

All of those religions, other than the Judaizers, were so lascivious that it had to do with all these sexual orgies and huge banquets.  Part of their worship was to go have sex with the temple prostitutes and that’s where Paul says, “You can’t join your body to a harlot!”  Amen?  He wasn’t worried about them going to a restaurant and eating a piece of meat that somebody had offered to an idol.  He’s talking about them participating in the ceremony.  They were being taught that was okay because, “Your body is material.  It’s just evil anyway.  You can be right with God in your heart.  It doesn’t matter what you do outwardly,” is what we hear so much in our generation.  We’re not so much having sexual orgies anymore.  We’re just out having sex one at a time with people illegitimately and still saying we’re Christians.  When the Bible gives a list and talks about adultery and fornication and they that do these things will not inherit the kingdom of God; amen?  That’s the environment.  That’s the spirit.  He’s penetrating these things and saying, “You have to become a new creation.  Sound doctrine is obedience to God!  It’s a life of holiness and separation from everything that you were before.”  Sound doctrine is epistles read of men.
So, he goes on here and says to teach them.  Don’t let them teach any other doctrine.  Here’s the end of the matter.  Here’s the doctrine I want you to teach, the end of the commandment.  The end of the commandment is love out of a pure heart and a good conscience and faith unfeigned (I Timothy 1:5).  But he said in verse 7, “these false prophets have swerved from this desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding nothing about what they’re saying.”  But we know that the law is good if a man uses it lawfully.  Knowing this that the law is not made for righteous men but for the lawless and disobedient, for ungodly, for sinners, for unholy, for profane, for murderers and anything else that is contrary to sound doctrine.  See, all that behavior is false doctrine, if it is people saying they’re right with God and living that way.  He says that’s false doctrine.  Sound doctrine is, “Don’t do that.  Don’t live that way.  Don’t say you’re a Christian and not be a new creature.  Old things have not passed away.  You have not repented.  There’s no course change in your life.  Jesus is not your Lord.”

Back to Proverbs 4, forsake not my law.  Oh, beloved, verse 7, “Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore, get wisdom: and with all of thy getting get understanding,” amen?  Take the Word of God.  Take the truth of God.  The next verse says “exalt her and she will promote you.  She will bring you to honor when thou dost embrace her.”