Main Things Plain Things

This article is based on the notes from the devotional given at Redeemer Baptist Church's member's meeting on July 23rd, 2026. 

So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart. Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. (2 Timothy 2:22-23)

You have heard me say it many times – keep the main things the main thing. And the main things are the plain things, and the plain things are the main things. I believe I picked that up from Alistair Begg along the way. And whether it's him saying it or myself who says it, it's true, it's wise, it's helpful. We all have this tendency to drift. Even good Christian people drift into sin, into worldliness, or into things that are not bad in themselves, but neither are they helpful. That can be that category of weight from Hebrews 12 – let us lay aside every weight. let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely. There are things in life that aren't sin, but they are not helpful for discipleship. They hinder you as you run after the Lord Jesus.

Jesus taught us in the sermon of the mount to put first things first: "But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." (Matthew 6:33). In contrast to worldly anxiety and fear we are to run after Jesus, trusting Him for it all. Christians can do well at this, or they can be failing at this. Sometimes our faith burns bright, and the things of earth grow strangely dim. Other times we are up all night worrying about our job, worrying about our relationships, worrying about our health, or whatever other worldly thing dominates our consciousness.

We need to remember the many Scriptures that point us up and away from this worldly frame. To aim higher, to flee youthful passions and to pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace. We obviously need to flee that which is sinful or worldly. But again, the category is bigger. Flee those things that take you off the main things. Flee those passions that take you away from growing in godliness, from growing in faith, from growing in love to your brethren and to the lost. There are things that don't help you cultivate a peaceful, trusting, content spirit. Flee those things.

Here is a very practical way to apply this. Do an audit of your thinking. What are you thinking about most days? What content flows through those eyeballs of yours, or enters those eardrums on a daily and weekly basis? What entertainment, what perspectives, what research, what news, what study, what content are you dwelling on?

Paul says elsewhere: Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:8-9)

Look up! Lift your gaze from the ground and consider the great and glorious things of God. Flee youthful passions and pursue Christ, pursue a growing faith, a growing love, a growing peace in your life. These things should be on our minds. This should be the subject of our prayers, our research, our thinking. How can I grow in godliness? How can I love God, love the brethren, love the lost? How can my life be leveraged to advance the Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ? This needs to be the focus of every Christian – whether pastor or member, whether a deacon or a child in the pew.

It is interesting to me that Paul next highlights the peril of foolish and ignorant controversies. In his earlier letter to Timothy he calls the danger that of old wives' tales. Have nothing to do with irreverent, silly myths. Rather train yourself for godliness (1 Timothy 4:7). The King James translated it this way: "But refuse profane and old wives' fables, and exercise thyself rather unto godliness." We need to be honest with ourselves. Are we keeping a focus on Christ? Or has entertainment, politics, conspiracies, hobbies, work, even relationships taken us away from the main things? There is even a way of doing Bible study that takes us into foolish and ignorant controversies and not closer to Christ. What we must do is be honest. Are we distracted? Are we drifting? Is our time being well spent?

And the answer is to repent and to redouble our efforts to pursue Christ. We need to pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, to train ourselves for godliness. If something is getting in the way of that – lay it aside, flee from it. There are only so many hours in our days, and only so many days in our lives, may we be found faithful with the time He has given us. In the end, we are as the Heidelberg catechism puts it: not our own, but body and soul, in life and in death, we belong to our faithful Saviour Jesus Christ. And because He died for us, because He lives forevermore, he now makes us heartily willing and ready from now on to live for him.