CAFETERIA STYLE RELIGION
Jas. 2:10-11
A. When God instructed Saul to destroy the Amalekites, Saul chose
to do most of what he was
commanded but the presumptuous attitude which caused him
to set aside any of what God
said was described by God as rebellion. 1 Sam. 15:1?3, 7?9, 13?23.
Saul was practicing what we today might call cafeteria?style
religion. When you take one thing and leave another on the basis
of what happens to please us at the moment.
a. We might also call this kind of obedience selective service
to God.
(A) But are we at liberty to pick and choose which
parts of Gods will we prefer to obey.
(1) What does Gods Word say? James, the brother of Jesus
says that is a false
doctrine, Jas. 2:10-11, For whoever keeps the whole law
and yet stumbles at
just one point is guilty of breaking all of it. For he who said,
"Do not commit
adultery," also said, "Do not murder." If you do
not commit adultery but do commit
murder, you have become a lawbreaker.
Whats the point of James 2:10? Whats he talking about?
People who think that obedience in most things will compensate
for their disregard of a few. The good will out weigh the bad.
Some people seem to want to pass the commandments of God through
a filter and throw away anything that does not make
it through.
Some of our filters are: preference, convenience, our own understanding.
Still have a problem. Eventually filters clog up and nothing gets
through!
(B) Great example in Noah. In Gen. 6:14?22, God commanded Noah
build the ark:
Commanded to build it Of gopher wood. With 3 decks having compartments,
with pitch inside and out, 300 x 50 x 30 cubits, with a window
and a door.
Gen. 6:22, says, Noah did according to all that God commanded
him.
(b) But suppose Noah had filtered Gods instructions
to suite himself?
(c) If Noah had kept 80% of Gods instructions, would that
have compensated
for his disregard of the remaining 20%?
(2) You cannot build up extra credit with God by obeying
some of what He
commands and then disobey or ignore some later and saying, Thats
ok, It all
evens our in the end. You need to wake up and smell the
coffee.
(2) If you set aside Gods will when it conflicts with your
own, then youre not obeying Gods will
even when you do what He has says.
(3) Do you know why thats true? Because when you do what
He says
you only do it because its one of the things you want to
do.
(3) In fact, the truth of the matter is , to disregard any part
of Gods will, as if we
were not obligated to keep that part of the Law, is to be a transgressor
of the
law. Thats what James says in Jas. 2:11. You become
a lawbreaker, one
who flouts the law, and defies and dare the law giver to do something
about it.
(1) God asks for an attitude of unqualified, unreserved, no?strings?attached
submission to all of His will for us ? Matt. 22:37-38. Thats
the commandment God gave Israel as a condition of living in the
Promised Land. Deut. 6:5.
(2) Weve talked abut it before. Its called the principle
of unqualified obedience to God.
(3) Ill obey God regardless. Contrast that with,
Ill obey if I feel like it.
2. 2 Chron. 25:2. LOYAL is the word shalem. Perfect,
Whole, KJ, Not with a perfect heart. RSV, Not
with a blameless heart. That means he served with less than
a wholehearted commitment to God.
(1) If you have less than a wholehearted commitment to your husband
or wife you will not have single-minded devotion. Probably end
up cheating on them. People do it to God all the time. Maybe you
can understand it in those more personal terms.
(1) This is what Jesus is saying when he talks about what it means
To be pure in heart, Matt. 5:8. And, James 4:8, says
it a little differently. Double minded is the opposite of being
single-minded in our devotion to God and in our determin- ation
to do His will.
(1) Single-minded means, to love one thing.
(2) How single-minded are you in your love and devotion to God?
(2) Do you refuse to obey Gods command in Heb.10:25?
(1) Are you selective about which sins we will avoid.
(2) Do we make exceptions for ourselves, or believe that the sins
which we commit are more respectable than others?
(2) Regarding some sins as less offensive than others is the very
point of the context of Jas. 2:10-11.
. (1) Obedience to God is not a part time endeavor. Not obedient
when we feel like it.
(1) God is God, and He is God of all His will. We cannot disregard
any of Gods will without disregarding God Himself.
(1) Our task is to truly love the Lord (our) God with all
(our) heart, with all (our) soul, and with all (our) mind
Matt. 22:37.
(2) Acts 20:32.
Spur - 07/29/2001 am
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