How To Establish Religious Authority #23

A. Two lessons ago we saw that the Bible is the inspired Word of God. God revealed His Word to men in
a way that they could teach other people personally and they were also inspired to write it down so it would be preserved permanently for other generations to read it for themselves. It is a permanent record for all generations of mankind to read and understand the mind of God. We can read it over and over so we don’t have to Guess what God wants. If we have a question about God and what He wants from us we and look in this book and find God’s answer to our question. It’s always there and we don’t have to speculate. If we forget we can always go back and the same answer will always be there. The answers to all those questions are already answered in this Book.
1. If someone, like Benny Hin, Robert Tilton, Rod Parsley, Oral Roberts, Paul and Jan Crouse, or one of the people on the TBN Television Network comes into you home on your television set, and says, “God spoke to me and says, ‘This is what you are to do.” What do you do? What do you do when someone knocks on your door and says, “Hi, we are with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, can I tell you the real truth about God in your life?” What do you do if another couple knocks on your door, hands you a Watch Tower track and says, “Hello, we’re Jehovah’s Witness and we want to talk to you about the end times?” What do you do when the person across the street knocks on you door and says, “I’m your neighbor and I want to invite you to our wonderful, exciting worship services at the Methodist Church. Our pastor is such a wonderful person and a dynamic speaker.” What do you do when you’re sitting at the coffee shop and a man reaches out to shake your hand and says, “Good morning, I’m Reverend Jolly, Pastor of the Fellowship Baptist Church and I’d like to invite you to our contemporary worship services. We have a four piece band, two praise leaders and a 30 member choir. You will find our worship services to be truly exciting and spirit-filled? We love you and want you to be part of our wonderful fellowship.” What do you do when a man walks up and says, “Hello, I’m Mohamed Kalif Missoui, I’m the mullah from the Allah Be Praised Mosk. Did you know that Islam is the fastest growing religion in the world? Would you be interested in Islam and the true God Allah.” Does this illustration seem a bit exaggerated? But it occurs every day in America in real life and on television. How do you choose between all these sincere, exciting opportunities and know you’re making the right decision?
a. If someone wants to study God’s Word you must establish a final authority as the basis for that
study. Your answer is, “I believe the Bible and only the Bible to be the Word of God and that it is
the absolute and final authority in all matters of religion. If what you believe is based on the Bible
only we can study together.”
(A) If what this person believes is true it will be in the Bible. Why do I know that? Because It’s Gods Word and it does not and it has not, and it will not change. Therefore, I never have to be afraid to believe and defend what’s in the Bible. Matt. 24:34-35; Mk. 13:31; Lk. 21:32?33, all say the same the same thing. 1 Pet. 1:23?25. Jesus said In Jno. 12:48?49. God’s Word will never be changed, it will never become void, it will be the standard by which we will be judged in the last day.
(B) If the Bible is not the Word of God, if the Bible is not what it claims to be. If we can ignore it’s claims, If we can change it’s words with impunity and not be held accountable for what that Word says, Why are we here? If the Bible is not true then it is not what it claims to be. It is nothing more than a gigantic hoax. If it’s not what it claims to be then nobody has any hope. There is no God, there is no Savior, there is no forgiveness of sin, there is no resurrection of the dead, and we are without hope. How do I know that? Because what all these people are saying is not in the Bible. Benny Hinn, Robert Tilton, Rod Parsley, Oral Roberts, all the people on the Trinity Broadcasting Network, God’s Learning Channel, Mormonism, Jehovah Witnesses, Methodist Church, Baptist Church, Islam are all, originally founded on the Bible. Yet, everyone of them has altered the teaching of the Bible and reject the final authority of the Bible by changing it to accommodate their own particular brand of belief.

b. God does not speak to us directly today. But, the Holiness, Pentecostal movement claims they are still receiving direct revelation from God today. Heb. 1:1?2. Jesus told the apostles the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth, and He did. Jude 3. There is no more revelation to be given today. What we have today in the Bible is it and we are to defend it to the death.
(A) The Mormons say the Bible has been corrupted and is no longer reliable and so we need a “Latter Day Revelation” which they call the Book of Mormon. Their 8th article of faith says, “We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly, we also believe the Book of Mormon.” There is no doubt or suspicion cast on the Book of Mormon; only the Bible is translated incorrectly. Orson Pratt states “It is abundantly proved by various learned writers that the Greek copies of the New Testament are awfully corrupted in almost every text.” Orson Pratt in his book “The Seer” pg. 159, read.
(B) Jehovah’s Witness have their own translation of the New Testament and it is different from the Bible we have. It’s called The New World Translation of the Christian Greek Scriptures. They do not believe in baptism for the remission of sins. They do not believe that Jesus is deity as we do. Footnote on Jno. 1:1, “Originally the Word was, and the Word was with God, and the Word was a god.” Foot note at the bottom of the page states, pg. 773, read.
(1) The Methodist have given no less respect for God’s Word than have the holiness
groups, Mormons or Jehovah’s Witness. In the original language in which the New
Testament was written there are three verbs and only one of them states the action
of, and the definition of the act of baptism. They are baptisma, epicheo and
rhantidzo. Epicheo means to pour something on or pour something out.
Rhantidzo means to sprinkle. Baptisma means to sink, dip or immerse something.
None of these words sound alike and none of these words have the same meaning.
Which of the three verbs did Jesus and the Holy Spirit command when a person was
to be immersed in water to have their sins forgiven? What makes the sprinkling
Methodist any different from the Pentecostals, Mormons or Jehovah’s Witnesses?
(2) The Catholic church is no different. They are the first group to depart from the faith and to replace immersion with sprinkling and calling it baptism. Faith of Our Fathers, pg. 266, read. The Baptist church has done what all these others have done. The Hiscox Standard Baptist Manual teaches that you are saved at the point of faith and you don’t have to be baptized to be saved. On pg. 84, it states, “Baptism, is an act of obedience...but, it possesses no power in itself to remit sin, change the heart or sanctify the spirit.” Muslims say, “The bible is corrupted and had been replaced with the Quran. Jesus is not the Son of God, He is only a prophet whose words have been replaced by the Prophet Mohamad.” What’s the difference between Islam and denominationalism.
(3) Why is there division, confusion inconsistency in Christianity today? Why are there over 400 different denominations in Christianity today, all of them teaching different doctrines and requiring different commands and reasons for becoming a Christian?
As you can see, the reason is obvious. They all want to change the Bible and
replace the words of the Bible with their own brand of belief. Only one answer to the
problem. Accept God’s Word exactly as it is without you own personal bias and
pre-conceived, man-made beliefs. Jude 3.
(4) If the Bible is Not the Unchangeable, Infallible, Word of God as it claims to be.... If Jesus is not the resurrected Son of God who died and shed His blood for our sins, as He claims to be. Then you can pick and choose any way you want to worship any god who suites you. It does not matter—It’s all a lie and there is no absolute standard. If the Bible is the Word of God and Jesus is the Son of God who speaks for God where does that put you and me. Acts 20:32.

Spur - 07/20/03 am