Program Transcript # 1369 Dare We Compromise? The Truth In Love P.O. Box 865 Hurst, TX 76053 www.thetruthinlove.com www.ttil.tv requests@thetruthinlove.com
Dare We Compromise? Program #1369 Robert Dodson Good morning, and thank you for joining us on The Truth In Love. I want to tell you a story about a man hunting a bear. When he came upon the bear, the bear said, I'm hungry, and I'm going to eat you. The hunter said, I want a fur coat, and I'm going to shoot you. The bear said, Put down your gun. I think we can come to a compromise and both get what we want. So the man put down his gun, the bear ate the man, and both got what they wanted. The bear was no longer hungry, and the man had his fur coat. Peter warns us, Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). The devil wants us to put down our Bibles and compromise the truth. If we do so, he will devour us. Sometimes compromise is necessary and important in our relationships with each other if it does not involve a matter of right and wrong. But when it comes to the truth, we dare not compromise, lest we rob God and His church of their greatness and glory. As the wise man said in Proverbs 23:23, 2
Buy the truth, and do not sell it. I hope that you'll stay tuned this morning as we continue to talk together about what the Bible says concerning keeping the truth and not compromising what God has to say. Dare we compromise the inspiration and authority of the Bible? There are those who would say that the Bible is a good book, but they'll not accept it as the word of God. They say that it is full of errors and that it's been changed through the years, and that it's just man's interpretation. Yet the Bible claims to be God's word. Thousands of times we read phrases like the Lord says or thus says the Lord. The apostle Paul taught that all Scripture comes from God (2 Timothy 3:16-17). The apostle Peter explained that the Scriptures are not some man's interpretation, but were given by the direction of the Holy Spirit. 2 Peter 1:20-21 says, Knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit. Consider that if the Bible is not free from error, complete and absolutely authoritative, then there's no infallible standard by which to determine the will of God. If the Bible is not really God's word, then the claims of the Bible are false. It's not a good book, it's a lie. Either the Bible is the word of God or it is not. There can be no compromise. Secondly, I want us to notice that God's plan of salvation for mankind cannot be compromised. There's a great deal of confusion in the religious world today as to what one must do in order to be saved. Many think that one is saved by faith alone, before and without any other act of obedience. Yet the Bible says that even the demons believe (James 2:19). How many demons are saved? 3
I want you to look with me in James 2 as we consider what James has to say about faith and works. James makes it very clear that the faith that saves is a working faith (James 2:14). What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? Of course the answer is no. James goes on to say in verse 17, Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead. We continue on in verse 24, You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only. Finally he says in verse 26, For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. Yes, the faith that saves is a working faith. It's not the works of the law of Moses; it's not the works of merit whereby we could boast about what we've done to earn salvation. Paul said in Ephesians 2:8-9, For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. It's not a dead faith, but a living, active faith. It is a faith working through love that truly avails for our salvation according to Galatians 5:6. This is the obedience to the faith that Paul wrote of in the book of Romans. In fact, this great book begins and ends speaking of the obedience of faith. Let's notice how Paul teaches us this beginning in Romans 1:5. Here he says, Through Him (that is, Jesus Christ), we have received grace and apostleship for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name, among whom you also are the called of Jesus Christ. Notice that he speaks of obedience to the faith. In Romans 4, notice this in verse 12 where he talks about the faith of Abraham. He says, And the father of circumcision to those who not only are of the circumcision, but who also walk in the steps of the faith which our father Abraham had while still uncircumcised. Faith was not dead. It was living and active. Look at Romans 6:17 where the apostle Paul describes our baptism into Christ, and he says in verse 4
17, But God be thanked that though you were slaves of sin, yet you obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine to which you were delivered. They were delivered (according to Romans 6:3 and following) when they were baptized into Jesus Christ. They were set free from their bondage in obedience to that form of doctrine. Also we notice Romans 16:25-26. As the apostle Paul closes this book, he uses this same kind of language. Here he says, Now to Him who is able to establish you according to my gospel and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of the mystery kept secret since the world began but now made manifest, and by the prophetic Scriptures made known to all nations, according to the commandment of the everlasting God, for obedience to the faith. Yes, the Bible clearly teaches that, in order to be saved, one must obey the gospel and that involves a number of steps of faith that each one of us must take. Let's notice that we must believe on Jesus. He said in John 8:24, For if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins. This is where we begin in coming to Christ, by believing on Him and trusting in what He did for us at Calvary to pay the price for our sins. We must then repent of sin. We must make a decision in our heart to turn away from sin and to live for God. As Peter said in Acts 3:19, Repent and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out. We must confess our faith in Jesus as the Son of God. As Paul said in Romans 10:9-10, Confession is made unto salvation. Then, having believed and repented of our sins, and upon the confession of our faith, we need to be immersed in water for the remission of sins. It is in this act of faith that we complete our obedience to Christ in order to become a Christian and have our sins forgiven. As Peter said in Acts 2:38, Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins. In Acts 22:16 the preacher told Saul of Tarsus, the penitent sinner, to arise and 5
be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord. Having done those things, if we want to be saved in the end, we must live faithfully or we'll lose the salvation that we found in Jesus Christ. Be faithful until death, Jesus said, and I will give you the crown of life (Revelation 2:10). We dare not compromise God's plan of salvation. Let's notice thirdly this morning the undenominational nature of the church. There are thousands of different kinds of churches in the religious world today. Each one has its own name, creed, terms of entrance, form of worship and organizational structure, yet they all claim to be a denomination of the Lord's church. Notice that the Lord's church was built by Christ according to Matthew 16:18, and that it began in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost after His resurrection. You can see how the gospel was preached in Acts 2, and men who were repenting and being baptized were added to the Lord's church. That's where it had its beginning. That's when and how the church began. We also notice that Jesus Christ is the head of the church which is His body (Ephesians 1:22-23) and that there is only one such body (Ephesians 4:4). The various denominations that exist today were not founded by Christ, but by men. They all had their beginnings in different places and long after Christ established His church in Jerusalem about 2,000 years ago. Christ is not the head of many different kinds of churches, but of the one body, His church. I heard a denominational preacher say that God made all the different churches because we're all different. In fact, Jesus prayed that His disciples be united by the truth as one, not as many different religious groups which believe and practice many different things. Let me read with you John 17:20-21 where we read a part of Jesus' prayer concerning His church. I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word; that they all may be one as 6
You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. That's what God wants for His church. That's what Jesus prayed. The apostle Paul condemned division in the church. Look at 1 Corinthians 1:10-13. In this passage, the apostle Paul was very concerned about something that was happening in the congregation at Corinth. He did not want that to continue. He said in verse 10, I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. The apostle Paul wanted no divisions in the church. He did not want denominationalism. Neither does our Lord Jesus Christ. As we continue on in this text, we'll see the kind of problems they were having. In verse 11, Paul said, For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe's household, that there are contentions among you. Now I say this, that each of you says, I am of Paul, or I am of Apollos, or I am of Cephas, or I am of Christ. Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul? The church here had divided into various factions. These factions were built around different teachers or preachers like Paul, Apollos and Cephas. Such division was contrary to the will of God. Jesus Christ was crucified for us. We were all baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, and therefore we will be united together in His church. The church of Christ is to be undenominational, or by definition undivided. That doesn't mean that all denominations are acceptable, but that no denominations or divisions are acceptable. The Lord's church is not made up of many denominations. It is the one body of saved souls. The Lord adds these saved souls to His church according to Acts 2:47. That's 7
what the church is. The church is those who have been purchased by the blood of Jesus Christ (Acts 20:28). In 1 Corinthians 12:13, the apostle Paul tells us that we are all baptized by one Spirit into one body. That is the Lord's church. Instead of compromising with denominationalism, God calls all men out of denominations to simply be Christians, members of Christ's church. If we simply believed and obeyed the Bible, there would be no denominations because there's nothing in the Bible about denominationalism. The Bible only will make Christians only, not denominationalists. The Bible teaches that there is only one church. Dare we compromise? I also want you to notice the true worship of God. Since the first century, many man-made innovations have been introduced into worship such as mechanical instruments of worship, praying to Mary and the saints, image worship, holy water, burning incense and candles in worship to God, counting beads, taking the Lord's Supper on some other day than the Lord's day or failing to take the Lord's Supper every Lord's day and choirs and solos replacing congregational singing. You can't find any of these things in the worship of the church of Christ you read about in the New Testament. Jesus said, But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24). The word must means that we cannot compromise when it comes to worship. Worship is not acceptable if it is not in spirit, that is, with the proper attitude, from the heart, and in truth, that is, in accordance with God's word. Jesus warned, In vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men (Matthew 15:9). Dare we compromise the worship of God for what we choose instead of what He has told us pleases Him? 8
Let's consider also holy living. There was a time in America when certain kinds of activity were taboo. There was a stigma attached to unholy conduct. Nowadays we're told that we can't judge anybody about anything, and that we must be tolerant. A homosexual is ordained in one of the major denominations. David Letterman is proud of having a child with his girlfriend. Divorce is as common as the common cold. You can get an abortion on demand. Profanity and nudity are becoming more and more a part of primetime television. Unfortunately, this attitude of the world that anything goes has influenced many who should know better. Sadly, even Christians are drinking, dancing, smoking, cursing, gambling, dressing immodestly, shacking up, divorcing for any and every reason, cheating, lying, gossiping and playing the hypocrite. The Bible says, Come out from among them and be separate, says the Lord. Do not touch what is unclean...beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God (2 Corinthians 6:17 through 7:1). Peter wrote, As he who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct because it is written, Be holy, for I am holy (1 Peter 1:15-16). Abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul (1 Peter 2:11). Test all things; hold fast what is good. Abstain from every form of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:21-22). 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. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2). We dare not compromise and let the world determine how we dress and talk and walk, but make the word of God our standard for holy living. There's a final thing that I want us to consider, and that is the reality of heaven and hell. According to the latest statis- 9
tics, many believe there is a heaven but not a hell. Most of those who believe there's a hell don't think they'll go there. But hell is real, and Jesus spoke of hell more than anyone else in the Bible. The word is Gehenna and refers to the Valley of Hinnom, which served as the garbage dump for Jerusalem, where the fires always burned. In Matthew 8:12, Jesus said, But the sons of the kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. In Mark 9:48 He warned, Where their worm does not die, and the fire is not quenched. Revelation 14:11 says, And the smoke of their torment ascends forever and ever; and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whoever receives the mark of his name. We read in Revelation 20:10, The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. In Matthew 25:46, Jesus said, And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life. Those who don't fear God (Matthew 10:28), those who do not know God and those who do not obey the gospel (2 Thessalonians 1:7-9), those who do not love their neighbor (Matthew 25:44-46) and those who practice unrighteousness will go to hell. You can read of the list of those in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Galatians 5:19-21 and Revelation 21:8. Contrary to popular opinion, most are on the broad path that leads to hell. I want you to hear these words of Jesus in Matthew 7:13-14 where Jesus encourages us that hell is not our fate. He says, beginning in verse 13, Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. 10
On the other hand, Jesus has prepared mansions in heaven (John 14:1-3) and these mansions are more wonderful than we could ever imagine. John describes in Revelation chapters 21-22 those jeweled foundations, pearly gates, the street of gold, the tree of life and the awesome throne of God. That's there for those who will turn from their sins and obey Him. Revelation 22:14-15 tells us, Blessed are those who do His commandments, that they may have the right to the tree of life, and may enter through the gates into the city. But outside are dogs and sorcerers and sexually immoral and murderers and idolaters, and whoever loves and practices a lie. Dare we compromise the reality of heaven and hell and forever lose our souls to Satan? Don't sit down with Satan. Don't compromise truth. To compromise truth is to compromise your soul for all of eternity. Jesus encourages us to enter the narrow gate and to walk the difficult path that leads to life. There's no middle gate through which we might enter, nor a middle way of compromise which we might go that leads to God. There's only one way. Jesus said, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me (John 14:6). Won't you come to Him? Won't you let us know how we can help you towards heaven today? 11
2013 The Truth in Love Robert Dodson, Speaker Chad Seaton, Director The Truth in Love P.O. Box 865 Hurst, TX 76053 www.thetruthinlove.com www.ttil.tv requests@thetruthinlove.com 12