WhyDon'tWeSeeTheBibleAlikeLast Updated: 2/4/2012 6:50 PM

“Why Don’t We Understand the Bible Alike?”

Times & Locations Preached: Orleans, IN February 4, 2012

Scripture Reading: Phil. 2:1-7

Accompanying Song: #“Give Me the Bible”

Subject: Doctrine, False

Objective: To reveal the reasons we do not see the Bible alike and admonish brethren to take a stand against false doctrine.

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Introduction:

  1. It is no secret that the world does not see the Bible alike.
  1. We need to briefly mention that the Bible is written with the intention that it be understood (Eph. 3:4).
  1. The fact of the matter is, there is so much religious confusion for two very obvious and simple reasons:
  2. Because of false teachers
  3. Because of false disciples
  1. Unfortunately, one of our most admirable traits, if we are not cautious, can also be one of our vulnerabilities:
  2. The good-hearted nature of a Christian wants to:
  3. Calling names almost seems unchristian-like so we pause before admitting anyone is a false teacher.
  4. Give people the benefit of the doubt
  5. Consider they might just be honestly mistaken
  6. Those attitudes are fair to a point, but the reality is that false teachers exist!
  1. Let’s be honest, with thousands of denominations out there, there are many false teachers around us.
  1. Preface our lesson: Not all people who teach/believe falsely do so out of an evil mindset:
  1. Our study will reveal several reasons people may not see the Bible as we do
  2. Some may be sincere, but mistaken people
  3. Others may be false teachers for much more nefarious reasons
  1. Let us begin with a biblical mindset. Before we run around pointing fingers at the denominational world in which there is plenty of fault, let’s also be big enough to admit that the new testament often speaks of false teachers within the Lord’s church.
  1. Therefore, let us be cautious with a healthy measure of trust for one another and consider to first carefully assure that the beam is out of our own eye before removing the speck from anyone else’s.

Body:

  1. False Teachers
  2. How To Identify a False Teacher:
  3. They Appear to be Faithful Christians:
  4. Our first concern might make us feel overwhelmed How to differentiate a false teacher from a teacher of truth: Not to worry, Jesus said (Mat. 7:15-23)
  5. “false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing”
  6. Why “sheep’s clothing”? They want to conceal their true identity!
  7. Not to worry; no need to run about suspiciously tugging on the proverbial coat of every lamb…false teachers will soon identify themselves “by their fruits”
  8. The responsibility then, lies upon us to be fair and diligent students of the word. When we fulfill that obligation, identifying the false teachers will not be all that difficult.
  9. Amazing, Convincing:(Mk. 13:21-23)
  10. Some may appear to have the ability to show very convincing signs and wonders and tell some shocking and amazing things
  11. Lesson: never get lead astray by the showmanship/presentation but rather focus on CONTENT! Does what they are saying match what the scriptures say?
  12. They Appear to be Godly(2 Tim. 3:5) “having a form of godliness” – some false teachers will APPEAR to be godly people!
  1. Why We Have False Teachers:
  2. As stated earlier, I do not believe all false teachers are false teachers because they intend to be. Some may be sincere, yet still teach falsely. Let’s discuss a few reasons that would explain why teachers teach falsely.
  1. They may not use the scriptures as their source of authority.
  2. (1 Tim. 3:16-17)

a.)“All scripture” – some fail to look at the sum total of all God has to say about a particular subject

b.)Scripture is from God – wiser than we; greater authority than all others

c.)It is “given” – God gave to man with a purpose

d.)“inspiration” – these are not mere men’s thoughts but the words contain the precise meaning God intended for man to hear

e.)“profitable” – they are good for us; to reject/ignore them would be unprofitable

f.)“doctrine” – what to believe

g.)“reproof” – to provide the evidence for what we believe so as to convict someone about what to believe

h.)“correction” - correct things that might be wrong with our belief

i.)“instruction in righteousness” – that we could know how to live right in God’s eyes (you couldn’t know that if you aren’t well acclimated with scripture

j.)Makes man “complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work” – nothing more is needed; perfects our understanding; indicates that people unfamiliar with scripture have less than perfect understanding

  1. Ways we establish authority:

a.)Direct command (Mat. 15:4)

b.)Approved Example (Phil. 3:17)

c.)Inescapable Conclusion (Ac. 10:44-48)

i.)Prior, they thought the gospel was not intended for the Gentiles – shocks the Jews with Peter when the Gentiles receive the Holy Spirit just as the Apostles had in the beginning

ii.)Prior to these events, God gave Peter a vision telling Him that He should not call what God has cleansed, unclean.

iii.)Now the Gentiles are obviously just as accepted by God as the Jews were since the Holy Spirit fell upon the Gentiles just as it had on the apostles in Ac. 2

iv.)The question Peter asked his Jewish brethren was, “"Can anyone forbid water, that these should not be baptized who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have?”

v.)The inescapable conclusion Peter drew was, how could they? Therefore he baptized them!

d.)When men do not use the Bible as their sole source of reasoning in matters of faith, doctrine and practice, error and division soon follow!

  1. They may be false because they teach beyond their level of understanding. (2 Pet. 3:16)
  2. (1 Pet. 4:11) – when one speaks as the oracles of God he is warned to “do it as with the ability which God supplies”

a.)Why would Peter be inspired to say this?

b.)Because some men may be tempted to speak about things they beyond their ability to understand.

i.)Possibly wanting to impress others with their command of the scriptures/vast knowledge

ii.)Gnosticism was prevalent in ancient times

  • Men claiming to have greater insight into the scriptures than anyone else!
  • (Not because they were inspired but because they held the belief that one could rise above the physical plain and into a spiritual element that would give them greater understanding than anyone else.)
  1. They may be false because maynot be obedient to God’s will. (Jn. 8:32-40)
  2. Jesus taught them the truth but they were unable to accept it because, Jesus said, "you do what you have seen with your father."
  3. They were not really Abraham’s children because they did what their father (the devil – Jesus indicates their father is not God)

a.)They showed that they were not Abraham’s children because they did not accept the truth and obey God as Abraham did.

b.)Sometimes men are lost because of doctrinal blindness.

c.)Careful! Can even happen within the Lord’s church!

  1. They may be false teachers because they may be poor students of the scriptures.
  2. Mat. 22 records a confrontation between Jesus and the Sadducees.
  3. They do not believe in the resurrection.
  4. They ask Jesus a question about the resurrection – if a women had been married to seven brothers and never had any children, which of these brothers would she be married to in the resurrection?
  5. (Mat. 22:29) Jesus responds,"You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.”

a.)They did not know the scriptures (the Sadducees only believed in/accepted the Torrah, the first five books of the Bible)

b.)Since they scoffed at the idea of a resurrection, they did not believe in God’s power to do so.

c.)When people are not good Bible students…or they doubt what God is able to do, they are bound to have some mistakes in the things they believe!

  1. They may be false teachers because they may not want the pure message of the scriptures(2 Tim. 4:3-4)
  2. One thing that discourages me…Sadly, many people want to be CALLED a Christian without paying the price of BEING DIFFERENT like a Christian.
  3. Those who go to church, they SEE what the Bible says, they UNDERSTAND what those words on the page are saying and, on one hand reject what the Bible says while on the other hand CLAIM TO BE A CHRISTIAN!
  4. I believe every individual should be granted the freedom to make their own decisions about what they will believe (not that it makes your belief right, but you ought to be granted the right to make decisions about what you believe for yourself)…after all you will ultimately face the judgment for what you believe.
  5. But if you read the Bible…
  6. …and find yourself in disagreement with it…
  7. …then you have the freedom to choose to reject its teachings…
  8. …but if you reject what it says, please do not call yourself a Christian!
  9. Illust.:
  10. Sometimes I wear a Nebraska football jersey.
  11. But just because I wear the jersey doesn’t make me a member of the team.
  12. Just because I wear the title “Christian” does not make me one!
  13. Just like one needs to pass tryouts to be accepted on a football team…
  14. We must prove through example that we are a Christian – we are known by our fruits (Jn. 14:23)!
  15. Illust: “Chrislam” Article
  1. Dealing With False Teachers: Identify> Avoid> Expose
  2. Romans 16:17 “…I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.”
  3. (Eph. 5:11) “have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them.”
  4. (2 Thess. 3:14)“And if anyone does not obey our word in this epistle, note that person and do not keep company with him, that he may be ashamed.”
  5. (1 Tim. 6:3-5) “If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness, he is proud, knowing nothing, but is obsessed with disputes and arguments over words, from which come envy, strife, reviling, evil suspicions, useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.”
  6. (2 John 1:10) “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him”
  7. I bring out these passages to drive home a point: For those who feel “We should not be too hard on them, let’s summarize what God, through the scriptures has told us to do:
  8. We must identify (“note”) them (Rom. 6:17)
  9. “Avoid” ; “no fellowship”; refusing to “keep company”; “withdraw”; “not receive him into your house nor greet him”(Rom. 6:17; Eph. 5:11; 2 Thess. 3:14; 1 Tim. 6:3-5)
  10. We must “expose” them (Eph. 5:11)
  1. False Teachers Produce False Disciples
  2. Immediate rejection – unwilling to consider (Lk. 24:9-11)
  3. The women have just come from finding the empty tomb and report the missing body of Jesus and of how two men in shining garments told them “He is not here, but is risen!” (vs. 6)
  4. The report was true, but sounded too great, to improbable and too impossible to believe, so they did not believe the truth!
  1. Begin w/false major premise (Mk. 12:18ff)
  2. Sadducees do not believe in the resurrection
  3. They came testing Jesus about marriage after the resurrection – if a woman had been married to seven brothers while on earth, whose brother will she be in the resurrection?
  4. They thought this to be a perplexing and laughable question – a real problem for these brothers
  5. The reason they did not understand the answer to the question about the resurrection: they began with a false major premise because they
  6. Did not know the scriptures

a.)The Sadducees only accepted the Torah (1st 5 books of O.T.)

b.)All O.T. scriptures describing the resurrection were not in the 1st 5 books of the Bible (Job 19:26; Psa. 16:10; 49:15; Isa. 26:19; Dan. 12:2; Hos. 13:14)

c.)With only the Torah to read, there would be a lot one would not understand!

  1. Nor did they believe in the power of God – did not see that God was able to raise men from the dead
  1. If you do not know what the scriptures or believe in the power of God there are going to be a lot of things you will disagree on with others who understand them!
  2. Good example today of those who begin w/false major premise: belief that men are born totally depraved, unconditionally elected, inherited sin, predestination and salvation by faith alone. If true:
  3. Man can do nothing to save himself

a.)God must act upon the individual because man is too morally bankrupt

i.)Makes evangelism an act of futility

b.)Baptism has no bearing on salvation

  1. Nothing (including all the sins one could commit in the world one may commit) can either cause you to be any more lost or saved!
  2. Infant baptism
  1. Do not truly believe in the scriptures (Jn. 5:46-47)
  2. Jesus read their hearts – they didn’t really believe the scriptures of Moses
  3. Every prophecy of the Messiah fit His description PERFECTLY
  4. No one would deny this (not to mention His claims of being the Messiah, His teaching ability [though untrained], His ability to perform miracles and so forth).
  5. They could see the scriptures but denied that they could possibly apply to Jesus!
  6. So it is with men still to this day…
  7. If they do not truly believe that the scriptures are our final authority…
  8. They will not accept their conclusion when we try to study them together.
  1. Lack of Knowledge (Ac. 19:1-5)
  2. Some people develop beliefs BEFORE reading to see what scriptures actually teach
  3. Paul found some disciples at Ephesus who did not receive the Holy Spirit when they believed
  4. They had not even heard of the Holy Spirit
  5. Paul then asks what they were baptized into
  6. They respond, “John’s baptism.”
  7. Paul reminded them that John taught that people should believe on Jesus, who came after John.
  8. “When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.” (vs. 5)
  9. These disciples believed what they did simply because they had never heard the need to be baptized into Christ
  10. Some people are in the same boat today – believe as they do simply because they heve never been exposed to the truth
  1. Wrong focus – some have “What’s in it for me?” mentality (Jn. 6:26)
  2. The day before the crowd has been following/taught by Jesus.
  3. He has
  4. Interested in being part of a group if they get something
  5. This group interested in getting fed; not interested in following Christ

Conclusion:

  1. We can see clearly from the scriptures several reasons why the world is full of religious division. Simplified, it boils down to two reasons:
  2. False teachers
  3. And their product, false disciples
  1. Brethren, we must be
  2. Diligent Bible students so that we can differentiate a false teacher from a teacher of the truth.
  3. Mentally and emotionally strong enough to be willing to mark one who is a false teacher
  4. Be Biblically literate enough and trained to expose false teachers wherever they exist!
  5. We do this in an attitude of love and concern for both the soul of the false teacher and those he/she may be leading astray!

Invitation:

  1. Maybe you have been mislead by a false doctrine in the world.
  2. Are you a Christian? If not we want to encourage you to seriously consider becoming one at this time.
  3. If you believe yourself to be a Christian, what did you do to become one?
  4. Did you believe in Jesus (Jn. 8:24)?
  5. Did you repent of your sins (Lk. 13:3, 5)?
  6. Did you confess Christ before men (Mat. 10:32-33)?
  7. Were you baptized in the name of the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit (Mat. 28:19)for the remission of your sins (Ac. 2:38)?
  8. Were the things you believed based upon a proper understanding of the word (Rom. 10:17)?
  9. If you are a Christian, but have backslidden, we would encourage you to repent at this time. If you need the prayers and the encouragement of the saints, that is what we are here for!
  10. Make your wishes known before leaving this place!

Michel D. MahlerPage 1 of 8