Nov. 13, 2007 - The Authority of Scripture - Part 3

Posted in The Authority of Scripture

F.                 Personal Feelings.

1.                  Many defend their religious practices by, AWell, I like it.@  We live in a Ame first@ society.  People want to exalt themselves to the position of GodCwanting to be accountable only to themselves.  You hear statements like: AJust follow your heart!@ or, ABe true to yourself!@ or, ALet your conscience be your guide!@  They make up their own rules by what feels right or by what they want.  They define truth on the basis of what they personally like or dislike.  They take stock in religion that is Abetter felt than told@ they say.

2.                  Martin Luther once wrote a poem that began with a very good line: AFeelings come and feelings go, and feelings are deceiving.@  I believe the Bible teaches that as well.

a.                   Pr. 14:12, AThere is a way which seems right to a man, but its end is the way of death.@

b.                  Pr. 28:26, AHe who trusts in his own heart is a fool, but he who walks wisely will be delivered.@

c.                   Jer. 10:23, AI know, O Lord, that a man=s way is not in himself; nor is it in a man who walks to direct his steps.@  

3.                  Jesus didn=t say, AThe baptism of JohnCdid you like it?  Did that fit you?  How did you feel about it?@  No, He said, AThe baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from man?@

4.                  Many people believe that religious truth is subjective, it is whatever I personally want to believe.  But Jesus said, AIf you abide in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free@ (John 8:31-32), and prayed to the Father, ASanctify them in the truth; Thy word is truth@ (John 17:17).

5.                  But everyone=s own belief is right of courseCno matter what the belief is, no matter if it contradicts the beliefs of other people, and no matter if it contradicts the plain teaching of ScriptureCbecause you have to be true to yourself and follow your heart.  That=s absurd! 

6.                  Many people treat the word of God like a cafeteria.  You get your tray, plate, and utensils.  You start to move along and see the salad bar, so you make a salad of your choice.  Then you choose a main entree, a vegetable, maybe you get a bread roll, and then you choose a dessert.  You don=t choose everything, you just pick and choose what you want.  So many people pick up the New Testament and say, AWell, I don=t want to follow this particular teaching here, but I don=t mind following this teaching over here.  Let me move along to something that is more suitable to my liking.

7.                  2 Tim. 4:3-4 AFor the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires; and will turn away their ears from the truth, and will turn aside to myths.@  Just believe and go to wherever your ears are tickled and you will almost assuredly be turning to myths. 

 G.                 Personal Sincerity. 

1.                  AJust be sincere and you will be saved.@  This is the idea that it doesn’t matter what we believe and where the belief came from, as long as we believe we are doing it for God and are sincere in it.  Well, of course, I sincerely believe that is wrong. 

2.                  I remember one of my friends and I sincerely thinking the ice on that little pond would hold usCwe went back to class after recess with half of our bodies soaked to the skin.

 

3.                  Yes, we need to be sincere to please God (the Bible strongly condemns hypocrisy), but sincerity in and of itself is not sufficient. 

a.                   In Rom. 10:2, Paul spoke of the Jews of his day and said, AFor I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not in accordance with knowledge.@  He makes it clear in that context that they are not going to be saved in that condition.

 

b.                  Many say...

(1)               AIt doesn’t matter as long as we have faith; the important thing is faith.@  But Rom. 10:17 says, A...faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.@ 

(2)               ABut I love Jesus.@  But Jesus said, AIf anyone loves me, he will keep My word...@ (John 14:23).  

c.                   Turn with me to Matt. 7 and let=s look at what Jesus had to say in verses 21-23 about some religious people at the end of time.

(1)               He said, ANot everyone who says to Me, >Lord, Lord,= will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he who does the will of My Father who is in heaven.  Many will say to Me on that day, >Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?  And then I will declare to them, >I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness.=@

(2)               They had faith and they were no doubt sincere in the things they were doing, but it was not in line with the will of the Father.  It is entirely possible to be sincere and feel satisfied about your spiritual condition and yet be lost.

d.                   In Acts 26, Paul spoke about his former manner of life when he persecuted the church and said, ASo then, I thought to myself that I had to do many things hostile to the name of Jesus of Nazareth.@  Earlier in Acts 23:1 he said, AI have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day.@  He sincerely believed that he was doing it for God, but he was sincerely wrong.  In 1 Tim. 1, he called himself the Aforemost@ or Achief of sinners@ (1 Tim. 1:15-16).

4.                  The suicide bombers sincerely believe that they are doing it for God; the 9-11 attacks came from sincerity.  Does that sincerity make it right?

 

5.                  Jesus didn’t say, AWhat do you mean >by what authority= am I doing this?  God doesn’t require us to have authority for what we do in religion as long as one is sincere.@

6.                  Personal sincerity is not to be our standard of authority.

II.     The True Standard of Authority.

A.                 Architects follow a blueprint, manufactures follow a mold, and tailors follow a patternCthe exact same is true for the New Testament; there is a Biblical Apattern@ that every church is to come from. 

1.                  As you read through the New Testament, it won=t take you long before you start finding verses like these:

a.                   Rom. 6:17, ABut thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed.@  AForm@ is from the Greek word tupos, meaning Apattern@ or Amold.@

b.                   1 Cor. 4:17, AFor this reason I have sent to you Timothy, who is my beloved and faithful child in the Lord, and he will remind you of my ways [This is the apostle Paul] which are in Christ, just as I teach everywhere in every church.@  There is an apostolic pattern that was taught Aeverywhere in every church@ and the preacher=s job, according to this verse, is to remind the people of it.

 

c.                   2 Tim. 1:13, ARetain the standard [Or Apattern,@ again from the word tupos] of sound words which you have heard from me, in the faith and love which are in Christ Jesus.@

 

Nov. 18, 2007 - Thank you...