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"...Shepherd the flock of God which is among
you, serving as overseers..." (1 Peter 5:2)
Elders
Morris Bass, Rick Holt , Joe
Price |
"...let them serve as deacons,
being found blameless..." (1 Tim. 3:10)
Deacons
Aaron Bass, Rich Brooks, Mike Finn
John Hague, Dan Head |
"And take...the sword of
the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17)
In this issue:
Always Obey God
False Accusation and
Slander (Part 4)
Sermon Outlines:
Always Obey God
Joe R. Price
The four
young men were far from home. They, along with others their age, had been
selected to receive the best education possible. They were intelligent and
good-looking; strong of mind and body. Everything would be provided for
them – no expense would be spared. The best teachers, the best
accommodations and the best food would all be at their disposal to prepare
them to serve the most powerful king of the day. These four young people
were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael and Azariah, and in Daniel 1 you can read
about the special treatment they received from King Nebuchadnezzar.
But,
there was a problem: The food and drink set before them was forbidden – to
eat it meant defilement before their God. So, Daniel asked that they be
allowed to eat vegetables and drink water rather than the forbidden food
(Dan. 1:8-13). They were not afraid to stand up and obey God. A period of
testing showed these young men to be blessed by God for their decision and
action of faith (Dan. 1:9, 14-21).
Perhaps
there were other young men who went ahead and ate the food set before them.
They may have convinced themselves it was okay because they were such a long
way from home, nobody knew what they were doing, and besides, it was a great
honor to eat the king’s delicacies. Perhaps they reasoned, “Why should we
dishonor the king and place ourselves in danger over food?” But, Daniel and
his friends knew what we must remember to live by: it is always more
important to obey God than to please ourselves and others. As the apostle
Peter said, “we ought to obey God rather than men” (Acts 5:29).
When
your friends try to get you to do things that are against the will of God,
follow the example of Daniel and his friends. Even though others may
indulge themselves, if it violates God’s word it is sin, and you must not
defile yourself. Like Daniel and his friends, look for ways to do what is
right and remain pure instead of going ahead and sinning against God. Don’t
allow others to pressure you into sin (Prov. 1:10-16). God will be pleased
with you and bless your faith when you obey Him (Jas. 4:6-10).
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False Accusation and Slander (Part 4)
Joe R. Price
Knowing
the Difference (continued)
Identifying false teachers and their false teachings is not slander. Jesus
warned us of false prophets and said we “will know them by their fruits”
(Matt. 7:15-16, 20; cf. 1 Ths. 5:21). Therefore, we are commanded to
“have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose
them” (Eph. 5:11). If we cannot identify false teachers by their false
teachings, or it is slanderous to do so, why did Jesus say we will “know
them by their fruits?” When one’s teaching does not accord
with “the pattern of sound words,” his teaching is false; his fruit
is rotten; he is a false (prophet) teacher (2 Tim. 1:13; Matt. 7:15,
20-24). It is not slanderous to say so; it is necessary in order to avoid
error and walk in truth.
When the
false prophet Elymas withstood the truth and tried to turn Sergius Paulus
away from the faith, Paul unhesitatingly identified him and his error:
“O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all
righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord?”
(Acts 13:6-10) Are we to charge Paul with slander for publicly opposing
this false teacher by name? If so, then the Holy Spirit is also to be
blamed, for Paul was “filled with the Spirit” when he thus spoke (v.
9).
Paul did
not slander Peter when he publicly withstood him (Gal. 2:11-14)? The Bible
says, “But when I saw that they were not straightforward about the truth
of the gospel, I said to Peter before them all…” Public error called
for a public rebuke that all might be saved.
Neither
was Paul a slanderer when he identified Hymenaeus and Philetus as men who
had “strayed concerning the truth” and who, by their cancerous error,
overthrew the faith of some (2 Tim. 2:16-18). The truth was clear, the fact
of their false teaching was established, and the warning was given (2 Tim.
2:15).
For the
sake of example, suppose with me that Hymenaeus and Philetus were not
teaching the resurrection was already past. Suppose some were falsely
charging them with error on the subject. Suppose further that Paul heard
the charge that these men were “false teachers,” but instead of establishing
the accuracy of what they taught, he spread the hearsay to others. By such
a reaction on his part, the misrepresentation was multiplied, the men were
marked as false teachers, their reputation was besmirched and their work in
the gospel was hindered. Clearly, such treatment, based on false accusation
would have been slanderous and sinful. Do we please our father when we
treat one another like this today?
Suppose
with me further that Paul confronted Hymenaeus and Philetus over the charge
of error against them. They replied by presenting the evidence that their
teaching did not violate God’s word. What if, after thorough investigation
and careful consideration of all the available evidence, no error could be
laid at their feet? What should one conclude? How should these men be
treated? Should not the false accusation cease, the slander silenced,
repented of and repeated no longer? But instead of that, suppose Paul
continued to make and spread the false charges; would he be God’s servant by
doing so?
Whose
purposes would be served by continuing to spread a false report? Only the
devil’s purposes would be served. Under the above set of circumstances, the
false accusation should forever cease and the slanderous report no longer
spread. To do otherwise is to perpetuate sin and defame the reputation and
work of faithful disciples.
But,
that is not what happened in 2 Timothy 2:14-18. Paul knew what it was to be
wronged by slander (Rom. 3:7-8); he did not slander Hymenaeus and Philetus.
They were teaching error, and Paul correctly used God’s word to expose it.
We should imitate how Paul handled this situation: 1) Be careful not to
misrepresent what another person says, does and teaches; 2) establish the
truth when a charge is made against someone; 3) do not spread hearsay and
gossip; 4) answer error with divine truth; and 5) do not deal in conjecture
and innuendo; to do otherwise only serves and furthers the desires of the
devil (Jno. 8:44).
Conclusion
Disciples of Jesus denounce false accusation and slander wherever they are
found (Lk. 6:40). Christians commit themselves to justice and the honest
treatment of others. Out of brotherly kindness and love let us reject false
accusations against others and refuse to participate in the spreading of
lies (Eph. 4:25, 29-32). Remember, how we speak of others reveals who our
father is: “I speak what I have seen with My Father, and you do what you
have seen with your father…the desires of your father you want to do”
(Jno. 8:38, 44).
Top
You can find the
complete outline of this sermon at
BIBLE ANSWERS
Bible Authority (#4): How to Establish Bible Authority
Scripture Reading:
1 Corinthians 4:14-21
1. How do we know
what is authorized & what isn’t?
2. God has given us a pattern by which we establish authority in religious
matters, Heb. 8:5; 1 Cor. 4:17.
I. HOW TO
ESTABLISH NEW TESTAMENT (GOD’S) AUTHORITY.
A. Command or
Direct Statement in NT, Mk. 16:15-16; 1 Cor. 11:24-25.
B. Apostolic Approved Example from NT, 1 Cor. 4:16-17; 1 Cor. 11:1; Phil.
3:17; 4:9; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 11:20, 33.
C. Necessary Inference from NT, Matt. 3:16; 1 Cor. 11:20, 33; Acts 20:7
(cf. Exo. 20:8).
1.
Necessary inference is inescapable; not…
a. Merely a reasonable inference, Jno. 21:21-23.
b. Merely what we would like to infer, Matt. 12:24 (14); Jno. 7:24.
2. Jesus used NI to teach truth, Matt. 22:31-32; Matt. 19:3-6.
3. Inspired writers used NI, Heb. 7:12.
4. Jesus expects us to correctly use NI, Mk. 2:9-11; Lk. 12:54-59 (cf.
Jno. 9:30-33).
II. MAN-MADE
RULES OR DIVINELY APPROVED PATTERN FOR ESTABLISHING AUTHORITY?
Acts 15:6-21
A. Authority
in Question (15:1, 5).
1.
Apostolic example, 15:7-11 (14:3).
2. Necessary inference, 15:12.
3. Direct statement of Scripture, 15:13-19.
B. Any
One of these Ways to Establish NT Authority is Sufficient to Prove God’s
Binding Authority (cf. Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2).
Conclusion –
Without a
God-approved way to establish Bible authority everyone will go their own
way, not God’s (Matt. 7:21-23).
Top
You can find the
complete outline of this sermon at
BIBLE ANSWERS
Bible Question Box (Dec 2005)
Scripture Reading:
Acts 18:24-28
#1: Is it ok
for a woman to baptize someone?
1. Basis for a
Bible answer is that of the leadership role of men & the submissive role of
women. When & where Christian men can do so, they baptize.
2. But someone asks: “Can’t you conceive of such a possibility?”
-We can conceive many things, but the ability to construct a scenario does
not establish divine authority for it, 1 Tim. 1:3-4 (6:3-4).
3. But someone says: “It doesn’t matter who does the baptizing” (1 Cor.
1:14-17). Yes, but there are additional principles & statements involved.
4. Relevant Bible patterns apply:
a. God has established an order of headship in which men lead & women
follow – we must respect & follow this, 1 Cor. 11:3 (Eph. 5:24; 1 Tim.
2:8-15)
b. Women not permitted to teach or have authority (dominion) over a man,
2:12 (Acts 4:18).
5. Ex. of Apollos, Aquila & Priscilla, Acts 18:24-26.
6. Warning against innovations in churches.
#2: Can I have
some scriptural basis for placing membership in a congregation?
1. NT examples,
Acts 9:26-28; 18:27-28; Ro. 16:1-2
2. The local church’s existence, arrangement & work necessarily imply
membership, Heb. 13:17; Ac 11:26; 4:34; 11:29-30; Matt. 18:15-17; 1 Cor.
5:1, 4-5, 13.
3. Assembled worship of the local church necessarily implies membership, 1
Co.11:18-19; 16:2; Eph. 5:19.
4. The figures used to describe the local church necessarily imply
membership:
a. Local church as a flock, Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2-3.
b. Local church as a body, 1 Cor. 12:14-27.
c. Local church as a family, 1 Tim. 1:3; 3:14-15 (brother, 2 Ths. 3:6,
14-15).
Conclusion
We each
have a place to fulfill in the local church; defined in the NT (Eph. 4:16; 1
Co.12:18, 27).
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