How To Establish Religious Authority #7
A. Let me begin this lesson by asking the same questions we have
asked in the last few weeks. As we strive to be New Testament
Christians, How do we determine what we will believe, and what
we will practice as we offer worship to God? Do we follow the
instructions of Gods Holy Spirit inspired Word, The Bible,
or do we make those decisions and determinations by taking a vote
of the membership? Do we, as do the adherents of rationalism,
reject the miraculous events recorded in the Bible. Or maybe Ill
just be content to limit God to my own very limited, finite human
reasoning ability. We can discard, everything in Gods word
we do not like, or dont want to believe, and just keep the
good moral truths and principles that are left?
Do I become Existentialist? Do I ignore Gods Word and look
in my own mind and imagination for the reason for my existence.
If I can do that then I dont have to look to the Bible to
discover how to worship God. It doesnt matter that Jesus
said, You must worship God in spirit and in truth.
I can make up, in my own mind, what I want to be spiritually and
what I want to accept as truth and God will have to be satisfied
with that. Why not just become Pantheistic? Let nature be God.
Nature is God, everything is God. The whole Pantheon, the entire
vastness of the universe and everything in it is God. I can put
flowers in my hair, play a flute and dance in the woods and worship
everything I see. God is in everything and everything is in God.
And, even we, are as much God as is everything else.
We talked about these religious philosophies and practices last
week. And after services, some one commented, Those beliefs
and practices are far-out. Yes, they are far-out. But they
are commonly held beliefs in the world, Lubbock and you can find
some here in Spur. But, what is alarming is that, in a subdued
form, these same beliefs have infiltrated the beliefs of people
in the Church today. People come together in a Bible class, but
there is no one, who understands the Bible to teach the class
and so you just have sharing sessions.
Each reads a portion of a text and then shares with every one
else what that text means to them. Then sister whats-her-name,
shares with everyone what the passage means to her. Brother so-in-so
shares what this scripture means to him and how it invades his
soul. Someone else says, To me it means this. Everybody
interprets the passage in terms of what it means to them.
Problem? It does not make any difference what it means to you,
the point is, What does it mean? The point is, What
did it mean when the Holy Spirit inspired Paul to write what he
wrote? What did the Holy Spirit intend for it to mean? What
did Paul intend for it to mean?
In the First century there were some things that Paul wrote by
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit that some people misunderstood.
Because they misunderstood what Paul wrote, or spoke, they misinterpreted
what Paul meant and they lost their souls. The apostle Peter writes
about it an warns us not to make the same mistake, 2 Pet. 3:15?16.
This is how people get caught up in the Mystical Method
of interpreting the Bible. Very popular today. But, it is so subtle
and subjective that it can lead you to interpret the Bible to
teach almost anything you want it to teach. And it sounds and
feels so good that most people are totally fooled and misled by
it. You dont have to worry about figuring out what the Bible
text means because the Holy Spirit will be work in your mind so
you can understand what the text means. Do you know what this
method does? The Holy Spirit helps you understand the text the
way you want to understand it.
It gives you whatever interpretation you need to prove, uphold,
support what you wanted to believe in the first place. Guess what
they call it? the illumination of the Holy Spirit.
and It is one of the primary methods used and taught by every
denomination. People use it to make the Bible teach any doctrine
they want.
Suggest, very subtly, that the Holy Spirit was sent to operate
in us in some kind of mysterious way to help us control our thoughts,
to guide us in the path of righteousness. Question? How, when
was the Holy Spirit sent to be our guide? Through what medium
is He our guide? Eph. 6:17, This word is the sword of the
Spirit. If you think the Holy Spirit is working in you and
giving you new ideas and information, Why do you need a Book that
is 2000 years old? My own brother told me God had spoken to him
and said his son, who got drunk, chased women, stole and burgled
and vandalize property of people he didnt like and one night
in a drunken stupor killed himself, was in heaven. My response
was no hes not because God spoke to me and said, he didnt
tell you that. Who believe? Both lying.
Now whose telling the truth? 2 Pet. 1:19?21. I have the
Word of God made more certain... How is it more certain?
I have it down in black and white. I can read it and guess what?
It reads the same way every time I read it. When you teach something
different than what is written down here, I know you are not telling
the truth. Who am I going to believe, you or Gods Word?
And Peter says, I can tell the difference because what you say
is as obvious as the difference between daylight and dark.
(2) It is quite evident that the world is full of false prophets
and false teachers. 2 Cor. 11:13?15, warns us there will be, false
apostles, deceitful workmen, masquerading as apostles of Christ.
And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.
It is not surprising, then, if his servants masquerade as servants
of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.
1 Tim. 4:1?3, The Holy Spirit warned us by saying, People who
ignore Gods Word and lead people astray are described by
the Holy Spirit as either, Satan appearing as an angel of
light, or as false messengers, false teachers, deceitful workers
who masquerade as teachers of truth...They have departed from
the truth and are led by deceiving spirits and teaching the doctrines
of demons who speak lies.
(1) To ignore scripture invites Satan into your life. It always
brings demonic involvement. Splitting congregations is always
caused by deceiving spirits and demonic doctrines. 1 Cor. 1:10-11;
Phip. 1:27?28; Eph. 4:3-6, these are direct commands from God.
(1) Charles Ball, Bill Roberts, Eric Swenson deliberately split,
divided the body of Christ in Spur, Texas. By doing so they joined
the ranks of those of whom it was spoken in Jude 18?19, In
the last times there will be scoffers who will follow their own
ungodly desires. These are the men who divide you, who follow
mere natural instincts and do not have the Spirit.
(2) The message is clear. Be careful how you interpret and teach
Gods Word. 2 Pet. 3:16?17. Teaching Gods Word is the
most important task in the world. Lead people astray and you will
answer to God.
(2) Acts 20:32.
Spur - 03/23/03 am
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