That is a good thing…to search the scriptures daily when you hear something taught…to see if it is true or not. And just in case there is any misunderstanding here, the early church folks did not have a ‘bible’ like we do…as in a New Testament. So the ‘scriptures’ they studied would have been from the Law and prophets. At some point, they would study the gospels and letters from Paul and others that began to circulate, and which would eventually become our NT. Just wanted to clarify that. ;-)
Let me ask you this- if you consider yourself to be familiar with or a student of….the bible… You most likely have a basic framework of understanding in varying degrees. I’d assume you have been taught a doctrine that lines up with the teachings of the church you associate yourself with and that would be expected. And I would think if you have been around for any length of time, you are aware that there are many ‘doctrines’ out there. Depending on the sign out front of any particular church; and it’s safe to assume that those doctrines will differ either slightly, greatly, or somewhere in-between.
There’s a good reason why we have close to over 400 ‘denominations’ today in the ‘Christian’ world. Seems many of them offer up an assortment of ways to ‘get to heaven’. Can we just agree up front…that they can’t all be right?
Now take a breath and relax…as I am not here to introduce some new doctrine. Rather, I just want to offer up some scripture for you to examine just like those folks in Berea did. But before I leave you with some thoughts, questions, and verses today, I’d like to pose this question/challenge for you:
If/when you hear something taught from scripture, and I mean just flat out a simple bible verse…if/when that verse or scripture seems a little ‘off’ or maybe doesn’t really ‘fit’ with your particular way of ‘believing’, what is your first response, inwardly? Does it seem like an uncomfortable jolt or kick inside of you? Do you find yourself quickly wanting to reject or resist it because it doesn’t really ‘fit’ with your brand of believing? And if you decide to dive in to study this ‘new thing’ which you hear, do you set out to see if it is true indeed, or do you find yourself wanting to dig up all those verses you know already in order to refute or shoot down and reject that verse you heard that seems ‘off’ or foreign to your way of thinking.
Seriously….think on that a minute.
T
he reason I bring this up is, we have been conditioned to resist…the Word. We find it much easier and palatable to embrace verses that ‘fit with our doctrine’ and just kind of ignore or skim over those verse that don’t. The problem with this that I see, is anytime you find yourself just wanting to ignore, explain away, or flat out reject scripture…is when you do this, guess who you are actually rejecting? - Jesus, who IS the Word. ( John 1:1,14)
It is a quick test to see as if what truly has your heart. If a ‘doctrine’ has your heart, you will tend to only see those verses when you read your bible that ‘fit with your doctrine’. Believe me, I’ve been there. We all have. But if Jesus has our heart and we come across scripture that might be unfamiliar or new, then we know better than to reject it because we know His word is truth. We might have to make some adjustments to how we have previously believed or thought. I would go as far to say that some of us need to actually repent for allowing a doctrine to take His place in our hearts.
All I am suggesting here is that we at least give thought and consideration asking the Holy Spirit to help us understand what the verse means and how it ‘fits’. Have you not at one point in time been assembling something…and you put part A, B, D, & E together…then you find Part C maybe on the floor or covered up…and you realize that it belongs but first you have to go ‘undo’ Part E and D, add part C and then continue on. That is kind of how this is. :- ) We just don’t want to ‘throw away parts’ because we are not sure where they go.
I was raised in the Catholic faith. Had a basic understanding in a sense of who Christ was, but was not taught scripture. I found a degree of ‘security’ in my ‘label’. I can remember my first year as a college student at Arizona St. walking across campus and occasionally running in to some Campus Crusaders for Christ. They would approach me and want to ‘share Jesus’ with me. Do you know that my first reaction when this occurred was a sense of discomfort? Why do you think that is? If a stranger approached me and asked me my thoughts on a local sports team or politician or some current event, I would gladly engage.
And you know what my ‘go to’ line was when approached by these zealous students who wanted to share Christ with me was? - “I’m a Catholic! Thanks, but no thanks.”
I wish they could see now. ;-) ( I have a fond memory of a neighbor who years ago when we first met, introduced himself to me saying: “I’m a Baptist”)
So here is my ‘bible study challenge’ for you today. I know there are more than a few verses in there that give us pause and seem so difficult to understand, let alone embrace. But…they are there.
Why would a God who is just, and loving and compassionate seem to make some pretty steep demands …with warnings, I might add, if what He was asking of us was impossible to achieve or obtain. I’m going to list some verses shared by Jesus and some of the writers of the NT. Look them up, read them, pray over them, and ask God for insight. But for goodness sake, don’t dismiss them or run from them or be afraid of them. It is the Word.
“Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” (Matt 5:48)
“Whoever says, ’You fool!’, shall be in danger of hell fire.” (Matt 5:22)
“Go and sin no more lest a worse thing come upon you.” (John 5:14)
“He who says he abides in Him ought himself also to walk just as He walked.” (1 John 2:6)
“Whoever abides in Him does not sin.” (1 John 3:6)
“Whoever has been born of God dose not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin, because he has been born of God.” (1 John 3:9)
“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven.” (Matthew 7:21) (What is His will?)
“For Moses truly said to the fathers, ‘The LORD your God will raise up for you a Prophet (Jesus) like me from your brethren. Him you shall hear in all things, whatever He says to you. And it shall be that every soul who will not hear that Prophet (Jesus) shall be utterly destroyed from among the people.’ (Acts 3:22-23)
That’s enough for this morning. But let me remind you that the very first word or ‘command’ God ever gave was to Adam and Eve. He put one particular tree in the garden that He told them they were not to eat off of and if they did, they would ‘surely die’. (Gen 2:17)
It wasn’t long before the serpent showed up and the first words out of his mouth was “Has God indeed said…you shall die?” (Gen 3:1) Which was followed up just a few verses later with “You will not surely die.” (vs.4)
When God lays down His expectations for us as new believers, He does not do that to discourage us. Yet that is how many respond when they see verses like the ones above. I would submit to you that He meant every word He gave us and fully intended to perform that Word in us. It’s not enough to just sit there and say “I believe!” He really wants us to ‘take up our bed and walk’.
Has God said?
Yes…yes He did as a matter of fact.
See you tomorrow.
Comments
Post a Comment