Counterfeit Christian

Transcription

1 Sermon #1159 Counterfeit Christian No one wants to waste his life; everyone seeks a meaningful existence. But what do you hope to get out of your time on the planet? What is your highest objective? Man pursues the same basic goals today that he did thousands of years ago. The prophet put these competing aims in perspective twenty-six centuries ago in Jeremiah 9:23-24, Thus says the LORD: Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches; But let him who glories glory in this, That he understands and knows Me, That I am the LORD, exercising lovingkindness, judgment, and righteousness in the earth. For in these I delight, says the LORD. You see, my highest purpose is to know God: greater than wisdom; greater than might; greater than riches. We recognize the truth of God s existence when we reflect on the beauty and complexity of the world around us. Some men willfully close their eyes and suppress these self-evident, and, for some, inconvenient truths (Romans 1:18-19). The Bible highlights the lives of men and women who take the less traveled high road in seeking God. Since God s ways are higher than man s (Isaiah 55:8-9), He reveals Himself more fully through nearly 800,000 words of Scripture. Although God makes Himself known in various ways in the Old Testament, we find only a shadow or outline of what He ultimately intends for us to know. Hebrews 10:1, For the law, having a shadow of the good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with these same sacrifices, which they offer continually year by year, make those who approach perfect. Thankfully, God willed that we see Him more clearly in the New Testament era. God blesses us with literacy, Bible availability in our language, and a superabundance of Bible-related resources. Compare this to the limited knowledge even of the Jews under the Old Law. Compared to the Jews, however, the Gentiles knew nothing. Quoting from Jeremiah s prophecy, the Bible says in Hebrews 8:10-11, I will put My laws in their mind and write them on their hearts; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. None of them shall teach his neighbor saying, Know the LORD,' for all shall know Me... " Are you one of the billions of people who claim to know the Lord today? In the first century many Jews placed themselves in this category, but did not pass the test. The Holy Spirit warns in Titus 1:16, They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work. Counterfeit Christians, after our song When I discovered a book titled, Christian Atheist, the oxymoron intrigued me. You likely share my first thought: there is no such thing. The author, however, established his point when he based his title on Titus 1:16, They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him... After reflecting this Scripture, Are you a Christian atheist? Are you a counterfeit Christian? We find shocking examples of bogus believers in the Bible. Do you remember what the Hebrew people did when God gave Moses on Mount Sinai the two tablets of the Testimony written with the finger of God? The Bible says in Exodus 32:1, the people gathered together to Aaron, and said to him, Come, make us gods that shall go before us; for as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him." Instead of rebuking them as a godly leader would do, Aaron rounded up the people s golden earrings and made from it a golden calf. The people blasphemously declared in Exodus 32:5, "This is your god, O Israel, that brought you out of the land of Egypt!" Listen! Do you hear that? Of course not! There is a 1

2 Counterfeit Christian by Brett Hickey, sermon # of 5 shameful silence. Still no correction from Aaron; instead he built an altar before the calf and proclaimed, "Tomorrow is a feast to the LORD." The Bible says in Exodus 32:6-7, Then they rose early on the next day, offered burnt offerings, and brought peace offerings; and the people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. And the LORD said to Moses, Go, get down! For your people whom you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. How could the people of God do something so offensive in worship to God? You know what happened? They professed to know God, but in works they denied Him! They knew what God expected, but they offered a substitute while seemingly still wanting credit from Jehovah. Way back in Exodus 17:14, the Lord said He would wipe out the Amalekites for attacking God s people. The wheels of justice grind slowly but exceedingly fine. Years later, God gave unambiguous orders to King Saul in 1 Samuel 15:3, Now go and attack Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and do not spare them. But kill both man and woman, infant and nursing child, ox and sheep, camel and donkey." The Israelites slaughtered the Amalekites that day, but not all of them as God asked. King Saul spared King Agag and the best of their livestock. This deeply disturbed the Almighty and moved the prophet Samuel to cry out to the Lord all night. Shockingly, we see no remorse, no guilt from King Saul. You know what he did in the aftermath of his great blunder? He built a monument to himself not unlike the dancing surrounding the worship of the golden calf. Everyone carried on as if all was well. It gets worse! Look at the first words out of King Saul s mouth when he saw the prophet in 1 Samuel 15:13, Blessed are you of the LORD! I have performed the commandment of the LORD." When Samuel confronts Saul about the sounds of the livestock, the king blames the people. After the prophet rebukes the king for his disobedience (like many today), Saul reasserts his innocence and insists that he DID obey God. Do you know what happened? King Saul professed to know God, but in works he denied Him! In 2 Kings 17, the Israelites reject Jehovah s pleadings with them to forsake idolatry, including the worship this time of two golden calves. The Bible says, Therefore the LORD was very angry with Israel (2 Kings 17:18) and removed Israel out of His sight, as He had said by all His servants the prophets. So Israel was carried away from their own land to Assyria... Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath, and from Sepharvaim, and placed them in the cities of Samaria (2 Kings 17:23-24). Because the people of these nations did not fear the Lord, Jehovah sent lions in among them killing some of them. When they spoke to the king of Assyria and explained why the Lord punished them, the king arranged for one of the priests they had carried away from Samaria to dwell in Bethel, and (teach) them how they should fear the LORD (2 Kings 17:28). But, instead of turning wholeheartedly to the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Bible says in 2 Kings 17:33, They feared the LORD, yet served their own gods Their half-hearted devotion demonstrated again a people who professed to know God, but in works denied Him. More people worldwide claim to know the God of the Bible today than ever before. Though many of them do not practice Judaism, fifteen million Jews descend from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Around 1.8 billion Muslims claim Allah the God of Abraham. They admit, of course, that the Allah of Islam is not the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. About 2.2 billion people consider themselves Christians today and claim to serve the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. In a very general sense, as Jeremiah predicted, more people know God than ever before over 4 billion. 2

3 Counterfeit Christian by Brett Hickey, sermon # of 5 We ve noted that man could recognize God s existence by considering the origin of his surroundings. The Spirit teaches in Romans 1:20, For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead Since this more passive, indirect evidence did not stick nor did it tell man all he needed to know, God offered man additional help. The Apostle Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 1:21, For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. Preaching from prophets in the Old and the Apostles in the New Testament help man connect the dots so he may truly know God and understand how to please God fully by his daily life and in fulfilling his religious obligations. God reveals Himself most clearly to man, though, through Jesus life and teaching. Jesus tells the disciples in John 14:7-9, " If you had known Me, you would have known My Father also; and from now on you know Him and have seen Him. Philip said to Him, Lord, show us the Father, and it is sufficient for us. Jesus said to him, I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father Jesus also said in Matthew 11:27, All things have been delivered to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son except the Father. Nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and the one to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. True Christianity revolves around knowing the Father and the Son. Jesus said in John 10:14, I am the good shepherd; and I know My sheep, and am known by My own. Jesus prayed in John 17:3, And this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. The two questions today are: #1) do we truly know the Father and Jesus, the Son? And, #2), will we respond accordingly to His teaching through the apostles and prophets in the New Testament? Hardheaded Saul of Tarsus eventually got it the hard way. He wrote as the Apostle Paul in Philippians 3:8, I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ He adds in Philippians 3:10, that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings If we know Jesus like the Apostle Paul, we ll not straddle the fence separating the world and the church; no! we ll be all in just like he was. This evening, you may know a lot about Jesus and not really know Him! Some people diligently read and study the New Testament, but never dig in and apply these teachings properly. Some people claim to have memorized the entire Bible. Amazing! That head knowledge, however, does not guarantee that one pleases God. Listen! God does not provide the Scriptures merely to provide an extended series of Christianity 101. These writings demand a call to action; they force us to choose God or mammon; to build on the rock or on the sand; to take the narrow or the broad way. Which path are you on? Titus 1:16, They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him... One of the beauties of Scripture: it tell us HOW we can know if we know God. Controversy surrounds this issue, but not because the Bible is ambiguous. The Spirit teaches in 1 John 2:3, Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His commandments. Notice the Apostle says nothing about hearing the voice of God or seeing a vision of Jesus or angels --nothing about goose bumps, hair standing on end, or warm sensations flowing through your body. So what does the Holy Spirit teach as the test of whether or not we truly know him? Folks, it s been there in black and white for 2000 years if we keep his commandments. People have it backwards. Their emphasis on a personal relationship with Jesus sounds reasonable, but that language often cloaks a defense for disobedience. Christian atheists (as Craig Groeschel calls 3

4 Counterfeit Christian by Brett Hickey, sermon # of 5 examples of Titus 1:16) allow the subjective voices, visions, and vibrations to overrule the objective evidence of Scripture. Instead of simply submitting to Scripture, they live as if the voices, visions, and vibrations release them from obeying God s word. Watch, though, how pointed the Apostle gets on the subject. He writes in 1 John 2:4, He who says, I know Him, and does not keep His commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. The Spirit bluntly calls out those who say they know God, but disobey God as impostors, charlatans, fakes, frauds, and counterfeits. (S) If I disregard simple biblical teaching while claiming to know God, I m only a cheap imitation, a knock off, and not the real thing. For emphasis, the Spirit inspires the Apostle John to add in the very next verse, But whoever keeps His word, truly the love of God is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him (1 John 2:5). In 1 John 4:6, the Apostle John restates the same truth in other words, We are of God. He who knows God hears us; he who is not of God does not hear us. You don t respond to the apostles teaching, you are not of God. John Kitto writes in Family Bible Notes, Not the professions but the practices of men are the index of their true character. Who wants God to view them as a counterfeit Christian? But that is the warning we hear echo from Titus 1:16, They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him The term Counterfeit Christian may seem harsh, but Adam Clarke explains in his commentary that the word translated disqualified in the New King James Version and reprobate in the King James Bible means Adulterate; like a bad coin, deficient both in the weight and goodness of the metal, and without the proper sterling stamp; and consequently not current. If they did a good work, they did not do it in the spirit in which it should be performed. They had the name of God's people; but they were counterfeit. The prophet said; Reprobate silver shall men call them. No wonder some translations render the word worthless. A counterfeit bill is not worth the paper it s printed on and an imitation Christian is worse than worthless. He harms himself and those whom he influences. After His arrest in the garden, we find Jesus taken to the High Priest s house with Peter following at a distance (Luke 22:54). Within sight of Jesus and the unjust trial, Peter warmed himself at the devil s fire where in a little over an hour Peter denied Jesus three times. Not only can we act like a counterfeit Christian, we can live like a chameleon Christian content to blend in with our environment. When we surround ourselves with Christians, we behave like believers but when we re in the world we blend in with them. If you are a Christian, do you go incognito when you are a way from other Christians? Dietrich Boenhoeffer, one of the few German preachers who boldly opposed Hitler while living in Nazi Germany, and consequently died prematurely in prison, offered this astute comment, There is no secret discipleship. Either the secrecy will destroy the discipleship or discipleship with destroy the secrecy. Which is it with you? If you are contemplating being a Christian, count the cost. Jesus demands absolute surrender to Him and His teachings. Romans 12:1, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. Back to Peter -- And then, after Peter s third denial, the rooster crowed. It was easily the low point of Peter s life, but then we read of one of the most pitiful interactions in the New Testament. Luke 22:61-62, And the Lord turned and looked at Peter. Then Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how He had said to him, Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times. So Peter went out and wept bitterly. Right after cursing and swearing that he did not know Jesus, Peter s eyes met the eyes of the Son of God. Can you imagine the agonizing pain of that disappointing look? 4

5 Counterfeit Christian by Brett Hickey, sermon # of 5 We look back with great disappointment at the Apostle Peter s repeated denials, but the Spirit teaches that we can deny God without even whispering a word. When our actions do not support our claims to be Christians, God takes it as a denial. We don t have time to address specific examples, but we have an abundance of them provided in video, audio, and transcript format on LetTheBibleSpeak.com. Stay with us for closing words, after our song Thank you for watching Let the Bible Speak. Please contact us for a free copy of Counterfeit Christian, or our free study guide on Inspiration, A Better Covenant, or The New Testament Church. Please do us a favor and subscribe to our YouTube channel to watch the new sermon every week at your convenience. Finally, we echo the sentiment of the apostle Paul when he wrote in Romans 16:16, the churches of Christ salute you. Until next week, goodbye and may God bless you. Are you searching for the truth of God's word and have a sincere desire to learn about the Bible? Do you want to know what the Bible says about salvation and about Christ and His church? If you are looking for Bible Founded discussion on these topics and many others, then please accept this invitation to explore "Let the Bible Speak" and then contact us for additional studies. We are members of the church of Christ as found in the New Testament. We are not members of a denomination or earthly religious organization. We are a brotherhood of believers, joined by a common bond, Jesus Christ. We try to live and worship following the patterns found in the New Testament. (For manuscripts of other sermons visit: COPYRIGHT Let The Bible Speak. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. IMPORTANT COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Express permission is granted to distribute any video, audio, or transcript of any broadcast message as long as the material is: unedited and attribution is given to Let The Bible Speak; a hyperlink to LetTheBibleSpeak.com is included for electronic distribution; a text reference is included to for printed distribution; and the original author receives attribution. An irrevocable, world-wide, royalty free license for distribution is granted as long as such distribution has the intent of: supporting the truth as presented; giving glory and honor to God; and spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. 5