It's not uncommon to hear unbelievers and false prophets claim that the
Bible is not relevant in today's times. It's hard to believe that some who
claim to believe in God are saying the same thing. What rubbish! Rick
Flowers addresses this question in the following sermon.
May God bless,
Carl
my website -- http://www.nettally.com/saints/
my blog -- http://www.anniemayhem.com/cgi-bin/wordpress/
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Are The Bible And Church Relevant Today?
by Pastor Rick Flowers
2 Timothy 3:10-3:17
10 You, however, know all about my teaching, my way of life, my purpose,
faith, patience, love, endurance, 11 persecutions, sufferings - what kinds
of things happened to me in Antioch, Iconium and Lystra, the persecutions
I
endured. Yet the Lord rescued me from all of them. 12 In fact, everyone
who
wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted, 13 while
evil
men and impostors will go from bad to worse, deceiving and being deceived.
14 But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have become
convinced of, because you know those from whom you learned it, 15 and how
from infancy you have known the holy Scriptures, which are able to make
you
wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. 16 All Scripture is
God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training
in righteousness, 17 so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for
every good work.
The word Relevant means "Logically connected with and im****tant to the
matter in hand; appropriate, germane, pertinent."
To some the Word of God and the Church of Jesus Christ do not always seem
"Logically connected" or "im****tant to the matter in hand." They may be
logical to the believer, but not to the unbeliever. Consider Isaiah's
words
in 55:6-11:
Isaiah 55:6-11
6 Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is
near:
7 Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts:
and
let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our
God, for he will abundantly pardon.
8 For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,
saith the LORD.
9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than
your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.
10 For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth
not
thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that
it
may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater:
11 So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not
return
unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall
prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.
In the January, 1966 edition of an American journal called The Christian
Century, the editor wrote of receiving a small "assemble it yourself"
package by mail. After spending an hour in frustration trying to put the
pieces together, he discovered in the box a message from the manufacturer.
Printed on a neat, white card were the words, "If all else fails, follow
the
directions."
Most in our generation today are puzzled, bewildered and confused, not
knowing the way to worthwhile living. Now comes the question, "Whose
directions are we to follow?" Men once took their directions from the
Bible.
However, over the past forty years, our nation has all but abandoned this
trustworthy resource. As a result, we are still reaping the bitter fruits
that come from neglecting God's counsel!
- In the 1960s the Supreme Court ruled that prayer and Bible reading in
public schools violated the Constitution.
- They prohibited the teaching of Creationism and replaced it with the
theory of evolution.
- They removed God's standard of truth and instead gave children the
responsibility of determining right and wrong on their own.
- To determine whether the Bible is relevant, one need only look back over
the last 40 years of our nation's history.
- If people don't believe the Bible is relevant today, it isn't because we
tried it and it failed, but because we have ignored it and have virtually
destroyed the morality of the last generation!
As we enter week #2 of the "What If It's True" series, we will address the
question, "Are The Bible And Church Relevant Today?" Let's read 2 Timothy
3:10-17:
2 Timothy 3:10-17 - 10 But you have carefully followed my doctrine, manner
of life, purpose, faith, longsuffering, love, perseverance, 11
persecutions,
afflictions, which happened to me at Antioch, at Iconium, at Lystra-what
persecutions I endured. And out of them all the Lord delivered me. 12 Yes,
and all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will suffer persecution.
13
But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being
deceived. 14 But you must continue in the things which you have learned
and
been assured of, knowing from whom you have learned them, 15 and that from
childhood you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you
wise for salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. 16 All
Scripture
is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for
reproof,
for correction, for instruction in righteousness, 17 that the man of God
may
be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.
Any church that is founded upon the sound teaching of the Word of God is
as
relevant today as the Bible is. The church is a place where we learn 1)
what
God's Word says and 2) how to appropriate those biblical principles in our
lives.
The problem today is that most come to church for the music, rather than
the
message. We've become more concerned about programs than we are about
progress in our spiritual lives. We welcome comfort and convenience,
rather
than conviction and confession. People would rather have their "ears
tickles", than to be confronted with the truth of the Scriptures. The
problem lies not in the Content of the Word of God, but in the Complacency
of our society!
When the Holy Spirit begins to convict of sin, they start looking for
another, more compassionate church to attend. usually a place with a
watered
down message. If that's what you're looking for this morning, I just want
to
go on record as saying that you are in the wrong place! When it comes to
communicating God's Word, my prayer is two-fold: 1) That we will always
speak the truth in love and 2) that we will always speak the truth!
With no more time than we have to address this im****tant issue this
morning,
we will only touch the tip of the iceberg. It is somewhat difficult to
find
a starting place:
So Let's begin by looking at "Four Reasons Why People Do Not Think The
Bible
and The Church Are Relevant Today."
I. Regard Worldly Philosophy As Being Superior To God's Word
· The world denies the existence of God and the im****tance of God's Word.
· They disregard the necessity of having a personal relation****p with God
and faith in Jesus Christ.
· As a result, our society has established tem****al means to pursue what
they hope will produce lasting fulfillment:
- Secular Education (Denies the existence of God - Knowledge puffs up)
- Shallow Relation****ps
- ***ual promiscuity
- Drugs and Alcohol
- Money
- Power
- Possessions
1. None of these can give lasting joy, peace and happiness!
2. They only leave a God shaped void in their lives!
II. We Have Disregarded The Ten Commandments
These Were Never Intended To Be "The Ten Suggestions")
Consider Some of Them:
- Have No Other God's Before Me/Wor****p Any Graven Image - The gods of our
day are materialism, gratification, education, entertainment and pleasure.
Our jobs often become our god. Be careful not to give good things priority
over God in your life. (Not to mention various religions and cults that
vary
from the clear teaching of Scripture.) Must be careful not to put other
things before God in our lives.
- Shall Not Take God's Name In Vain
1. Can't watch television program or movie that doesn't blaspheme or mock
God.
2. Listen to how people speak in the workplace or even within our
families.
3. Our Nation has no Fear of God, nor Respect for God!
- You Shall Honor Your Father And Mother
1. First problem is that we have gotten away from God's word concerning
Husband/Wife relation****ps and that has affected Parent/Child
relation****ps.
2. I speak from experience from both sides of our families that it has
become increasingly difficult for kids to respect parents.
3. Many parents are, either too busy, too selfish or too ignorant about
their parental responsibilities to be good parents.
4. In addition, children are taught to disrespect authority today. They
are
told to take their parents to court or have them arrested.
5. It doesn't "Take a Village" to effectively raise a child. It takes a
father and mother committed to raising their children with the love and
discipline outlined in the Word of God.
- You Shall Not Kill
1. People kill people everyday and for no good reason.
2. Politics, possessions, disagreements, some just for sick fun!
3. This can be linked to many things.
4. No value of human life, no fear of God, No concern for eternal
retribution, people are plain evil and wicked.
5. All can be traced to the fact that they have been taught there is no
God,
that they came from animals and that they will simply die and go to the
grave.
- You Shall Not Commit Adultery, Steal, Bear False Witness or Covet
1. Adultery is rampant.
2. People steal from their employers, from the government, from strangers
and from God. Shoplifter, embezzler, tax cheat, plagiarizer, Enron
Executive. all steal.
3. People bear false witness, make false accusations, slander and lie.
4. Coveting is what leads to dissatisfaction and debt. We just have to
have
it, at any cost.
When you raise a generation people without regard to these eternal truths,
is it any surprise that they grow up devoid of morals?
III. We Have Ignored The Sound Teaching Of Scripture
God's Word Has Much To Say About Living In Today's World!
Relation****ps: (According to Genesis, God created the family. could anyone
else possibly know better how it should operate than the one who created
it?)
- Husband & Wife - Ephesians 5:22-33
Wives Submit - Ephesians 5:22-24 - 22 Wives, submit to your own husbands,
as
to the Lord. 23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is
head
of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. 24 Therefore, just as the
church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in
everything.
Husbands Love - Ephesians 5:25-28 - 25 Husbands, love your wives, just as
Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, 26 that He might
sanctify and cleanse her with the wa****ng of water by the word, 27 that He
might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle
or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. 28 So
husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves
his
wife loves himself.
Reciprocate - Ephesians 5:33 - Nevertheless let each one of you in
particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she
respects her husband.
Husbands should provide for family, love his wife and Wife submit to her
husband.
Let Me Give You An All Too Familiar Scenario:
1. People think the Bible isn't relevant, that it's outdated for today.
2. They listen to the educational and feminist perspective on marriage.
3. Both mom and dad work outside of the home and kids are in daycare.
4. They work, not to meet the family needs, but to have what they think
they
need.
5. They borrow to the hilt and both have to work to make the payments.
6. They both come home tired and frazzled.
7. The kids get on their nerves, financial pressures on their shoulders.
8. This causes friction within the home and they soon look forward to
going
to work just to get a break.
9. At work they meet people of the opposite *** who are going through
similar experiences in their homes. They seem to understand what the other
is going through.
10. Soon they bond and enter into an adulterous relation****p.
11. The families split and adults marry others, in most cases, only to
start
the vicious cycle all over again, often with the same results.
12. Children end up being the real victims.
Is God's Word relevant? You better believe it is!
Feminists say, "No way!" But look at what has happened to the family since
abandoning God's way of doing things. The record speaks for itself!
- Parents & Children - Ephesians 6:1-4 - 1 Children, obey your parents in
the Lord, for this is right. 2 "Honor your father and mother," which is
the
first commandment with promise: 3 "that it may be well with you and you
may
live long on the earth." 4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children
to
wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
Children - Obey and respect your parents - You will be blessed.
Fathers - Don't provoke to anger, but love them, encourage them, train
them,
discipline them.
- Self-Esteem - If you don't know what the Bible says about you, you may
not
feel that your life is really worth very much! All human life is valuable
to
God!
Created in the image of God - Genesis 1:27 - So God created man in His own
image; in the image of God He created him; male and female He created
them.
Wonderfully Made - Psalm 139:14 - I will praise You, for I am fearfully
and
wonderfully made; Marvelous are Your works, And that my soul knows very
well.
You Are Valuable - Sent Christ to Die For You! - 1
John 4:10 - In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us
and
sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins.
- Priorities - Earthly things are only tem****ary - Can't take them with
you!
Colossians 3:1-4 - 1 If then you were raised with Christ, seek those
things
which are above, where Christ is, sitting at the right hand of God. 2 Set
your mind (affection) on things above, not on things on the earth. 3 For
you
died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 When Christ who is our
life appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory.
Matthew 6:33 - But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness,
and
all these things shall be added to you.
- Money and Possessions - Don't waste your life in pursuit of these
things!
Riches Take Wings And Fly Away - Proverbs 23:5 - Will you set your eyes on
that which is not? For riches certainly make themselves wings; They fly
away
like an eagle toward heaven.
The Borrower Is Servant To The Lender - Proverbs 22:7 - The rich rules
over
the poor, And the borrower is servant to the lender.
Life Does Not Consist Of What We Possess - Luke 12:15 -And He said to
them,
"Take heed and beware of covetousness, for one's life does not consist in
the abundance of the things he possesses."
Riches Can Be A Temptation And Snare - 1 Timothy 6:9 - But those who
desire
to be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and
harmful lusts which drown men in destruction and perdition.
Giving is the Way To Receive - Luke 6:33 - And if you do good to those who
do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same.
What Good Are Things If You Lose Your Soul? - Mark 8:36 - For what will it
profit a man if he gains the whole world, and loses his own soul?
- Inner Peace - Things cannot give you peace - Only Christ can give you
real
peace!
John 14:27 - Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the
world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let
it
be afraid.
John 16:33 - These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have
peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I
have
overcome the world."
Romans 5:1 - Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with
God through our Lord Jesus Christ,
Have you trusted Jesus Christ as your Savior? If you haven't, you've never
really known peace!
IV. We Are Reaping What We Have Sown
- Our society has rejected God, His Word and His Church, considering them
Irrelevant for Today!
- Struggling Christians have neglected God's Word.
- Victorious Christians have believed and obeyed God's Word.
Each of these three groups will reap what they have sown.
America has kicked God out!
- Kick God out of your courts, you will get laws, lawmakers, judges and
lawyers who will ultimately further victimize the victim, rather than
bringing the offender to justice!
- Kick God out of our schools and you get children who don't respect
authority, teenage pregnancies and ***ually transmitted diseases. Rampant
drug and alcohol abuse, violence and killings in the schools and a record
number of teenage suicides.
But hey. it would have been tragic to have promoted bible reading and
prayer
in those same classrooms. don't you think? (Sarcasm)
- Kick God out of your society and you accept all sorts of ***ual
perversion
as alternate lifestyles. You will have broken homes, rising crime rates,
empty lives and the legalized slaughter of more than one million innocent
babies every year!
Over the past 40 years, America has basically told God not to interfere
with
our legal system, the education of our children, with our government or
our
communities. We don't want or need His blessing or His protection! Yet,
when
planes hit the WTC, it's all His fault!
- When a nation's says to God, "Leave us alone and let us live the way we
want to," what do you expect?
KEY: We need to get back to recognizing the Bible and the Church as being
not only relevant, but necessary if our society is to survive and thrive!
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