Sunday Sermons
Abide in the Teaching
My children recently asked me why people are not content to just follow what the Bible says. That’s a good question! Not being satisfied and appreciative for the truth that God has given man has been a common problem throughout time. Repeatedly God had to warn even His own people not to add or subtract from His Word (Deuteronomy 4:2; Proverbs 30:6), and such warnings are also very frequent in the New Testament as well (Galatians 1:6-9; 2 John 9; Revelation 22:18-19). Even elders and former faithful members are not immune from this temptation (Acts 20:28-31; 2 Timothy 4:3-4).
Recently I encountered an article that had some good thoughts concerning the temptation of wanting to go beyond what the Bible teaches. “Never allow yourself to want the church to be more than the Lord intended it to be. The Lord, who shed His blood for the church, never intended it to be a ‘social club’, so don’t desire it. He never intended the church to be an ‘arm of politics’, so don’t desire it. Christ never intended that His church be ‘compatible with the world’, so don’t desire it. As some preachers of old have said, ‘Just let the church be the church’. Never allow yourself to get carried away with the ‘big church syndrome’. If a congregation is big in numbers as a result of ‘seeking and saving the lost’, it is a wonderful thing. On the other hand if people get carried away with the ‘bigness craze’, it can cause a church to compromise the truth and do some strange things. Along with the ‘bigness craze’ comes the fear of losing members” (What Does the Future Hold? W.R. Jones, Truth Magazine, 5-15-2003, p. 13). I like this statement, “do not desire it”. The faithful Christian should only desire to please God (2 Corinthians 5:9), but problems happen when conflicting desires start entering into a person’s heart. In this lesson I want to look at various Bible examples of when people departed from God’s instruction and look at the motivation or circumstances that lead to such a tragedy. Here is my attempt to answer a very simple question, “Why are people not content to simply follow what God has said?”
Cain and his sacrifice: Genesis 4:3-5
The New Testament makes it clear that Abel offered his sacrifice by faith (Hebrews 11:4), which infers that such was lacking in Cain’s offering. Added to this, we are told that faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17). Therefore, Abel offered what God had commanded, and Cain did not. People add to, subtract from, or simple ignore what God has said because they do not really believe that God means what He says or that God is going to really punish such violations. Carefully note that Cain offered what was convenient for him to offer. He was a farmer (Genesis 4:2), and thus he presented to God as an offering the fruit of the ground (4:3). To this day people have the exact same attitude, that is, they expect God to accept as a substitute for His will, whatever they are interested in or good at. For example, what if the person skilled in Karate or gymnastics, wants to bring such skills into the worship service? The person who is talented with a musical instrument is often offended when they are told that God did not command the use of this skill, but rather gave the clear command to “sing”(Ephesians 5:19). Be aware that when Cain switched what he wanted to offer for what God had commanded, that God labeled his deed as evil (1 John 3:12). Not only was killing Cain an evil act, but what lead up to this confrontation was also wrong. In addition, John notes that Cain is an example of worldly thinking (1 John 3:13). Cain is also an example of someone who wanted Bible commands to be flexible so they can easily fit into our particular lifestyle, personal preferences, likes and dislikes, and what is convenient for us. The denominational world with their slogan, “attend the church of your choice” is an example of Cain’s attitude, as if man has the right to create churches for everyone’s personal preferences.
Jeroboam: 1 Kings 12:26-33
Basically, Jeroboam changed the divine worship in the Northern Kingdom of Israel from the motive of supposed personal survival, “Now the kingdom will return to the house of David….and they will kill me” (1 Kings 12:26-27). Like Cain, this was also an act of complete unbelief, for it was God who had appointed Jeroboam as king over these northern tribes (1 Kings 12:31),and had informed Jeroboam that the reason the house of David would lose most of the kingdom was because of the idolatry that Solomon had endorsed and supported (12:33). God had also promised Jeroboam that if he remained faithful, God would build him an enduring dynasty, just as He had done for David (12:38). Jeroboam’s attitude is alive and well in the religious world today. People may not be afraid of losing their lives, but they are afraid of losing members. Anytime that someone argues, “The church has got to change with the culture”, or “my kids are not going to stay with it”, is making the same basic unbelieving claim that Jeroboam made. Again, what ever happened to “faith”? What ever happened to faith in the great commission? (Matthew 28:19-20) Or faith in God as being all wise and knowing what men and women really need? Or faith that the Bible is a perfect and complete guide for all the ages (2 Timothy 3:16)? God clearly said that the church that Jesus established is indestructible, “In the days of those kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which will never be destroyed” (Daniel 2:44); “and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it” (Matthew 16:18); “to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:21); “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken” (Hebrews 12:28).
Carefully note that the changes that Jeroboam instituted were very popular and well received (1 Kings 12:30), yet they would lead to the eventual downfall of the nation (2 Kings 17:21 “Then Jeroboam drove Israel away from following the Lord and made them commit a great sin”). It is very shortsighted to adopt beliefs or practices that are popular yet unscriptural if you are only building an organization that is moving farther and farther away from God. What is the use of attracting a large number of people if you are only bringing them into further condemnation? Equally note that what Jeroboam started never stopped until God brought the nation to an end, “The sons of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; they did not depart from them” (17:22). Errors, once introduced, tend to never go away.
Uzziah: 2 Chronicles 26:16
Here we are immediately told that apostasy was the result of pride, “but when he became strong, his heart was so proud that he acted corruptly, and he was unfaithful to the Lord his God”. Solomon noted self-destruction is often the predictable result when arrogance is allowed to enter one’s thinking, “Before destruction the heart of man is haughty” (Proverbs 18:12). “The special evil of pride is that it opposes the first principle of wisdom (the fear of the Lord) and the two great commandments” (Kidner p. 120). I also find pride connected with other well-known apostasies, for example the Gentiles abandoned God, “professing to be wise, they became fools” (Romans 1:22). Parents have long noted that often a firstborn child will somehow think that they are part of the parenting team, in like manner, men and women who reach various earthly places of prominence are often tempted to think that they are somehow on an equality with God and are thus competent to advise Him, criticize Him, and think that they have a better strategy for happiness than the one found in Scripture. I often find religious scholars sitting in judgment over Scripture, rather than submitting themselves to its teaching and wisdom. When Paul rebuked the Corinthian congregation for harboring a member in extreme immorality, Paul noted, “You have become arrogant and have not mourned instead” (1 Corinthians 5:2). In a cosmopolitan city like Corinth, it is tempting to become “too sophisticated for God” and His standard of morality. Many feel that the Corinthians were actually "proud" about what the man was doing. “Some have conjectured that the sinner was a rich man to whom the church showed respect of persons” (Willis p. 161). “Were they smirking about the case? At the nerve of the fellow? Were they just amused by the whole thing?” (McGuiggan p. 61). Whatever the actual relationship of their pride to the incest, it has blinded them both to the fallen brother's true condition and to their own.
Here is a warning for us: An abundance of talented members and spiritual gifts, did not keep habitual sin from being practiced in the church at Corinth. The need for church discipline will never cease. Even in the most talented of congregations, with great speakers (Apollos and Paul), and excellent teaching programs, some members (since man has a free-will) will still fall into sin. It seems to me that when a religious group throws Scripture to the wind and embraces some outrageous doctrine, and part of the motivation is pride, that is, to be the first group to walk through a certain forbidden door.
In the case of Uzziah, this Judean king may have felt that he has earned the right to enact his own Scriptural legislation, after all, under his leadership Judah had prospered tremendously (2 Chronicles 26:6-15). He could have said, “Look at how much I have done for this nation!” Yet he forgot that he would have been a complete failure without God’s help (26:5 “God prospered him”). Success often goes to a person’s head and they think that such a success was due entirely to their own efforts, or that God will prosper and support them no matter what they do. Others are tempted to think that their success is proof that all their ideas are infallible or that God will approve of anything they propose. Often those in apostasy will seek to justify their practices and violations of Scripture by saying, “But look at what we are accomplishing!” “Look at how many people we are baptizing!” “Obviously, God is blessing us and approving of our actions!” Yet the Bible plainly informs us that God allows error to grow and prosper without any of His approval or blessings, “Many will follow their sensuality” (2 Peter 2:2). In fact, throughout the Old Testament, the faithful were often in the minority (1 Kings 19:18). Human achievements never give us the right to become co-judges with God (Revelations 20:12). The great and the small among men, will both stand before the same judge and will both be judged by the same standard.
The Pharisees: Matthew 23:5-6
The desire to promote oneself, love for the praise and flattery of men, is another motive behind a discontent with Scripture, because in God’s program, we are to humble ourselves, and God will exalt us in due time. In addition, in God’s book, following Jesus often means forfeiting the limelight (Luke 6:22), and letting Jesus get the praise and attention instead of ourselves. Paul warned the Ephesian elders against the temptation to want to start their own little groups (Acts 20:30), rather than protecting and guarding the one group that Jesus purchased with His blood, that is, the church (20:28). Instead of wanting to create and start our own human religious organizations and ministries, let us be thankful that God already provided the ultimate relationship, the best organization, and the premier body of people, the church (1 Timothy 3:15).
