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The Church Moving Forward #3, Dangers to Avoid

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Sermon on Moving Forward

INTRODUCTION:

A. We have been discussing the idea of the Church Moving Forward.

1. The church needs to be thinking about the future

a. Looking forward, thinking forward, planning forward, and moving forward

b. This is critical! The church’s future depends on it!

2. Philippians 3:12-14

B. In our past lessons we discussed:

1. Challenges to accept

a. Making a difference in the world

b. Evangelizing our local community

c. Developing leadership

d. Abiding in God’s word

2. Enemies to defeat

a. Ignorance

b. Apathy

c. Unbelief

d. Sin

C. In this lesson we are going to discuss DANGERS TO AVOID

1. What if, after you entered the building today, I discovered that we had a rattlesnake loose in the building

2. Now, I could keep quiet about it, since I wouldn’t want anyone to get upset, and I wouldn’t want people to get hurt trying to get out.

3. However, it must be handled, I think all would agree that if a rattler was loose under your pew, you’d want to know about it.

4. This is the reason we must discuss dangers that lie before the church, for they will stop, or kill our ability to move forward into the future.

DISCUSSION:

A. THE DANGER OF FALSE DOCTRINE

1. Definitions:

a. “False” means that which untrue – a lie

b. “Doctrine” is teaching – that which is taught

c. If a doctrine is false is cannot produce what it claims

2. The Bible has many warnings about the dangers of false teachers who dispense false doctrine or teaching

a. Matthew 7:15

b. Acts 20:28-30

c. 1 Timothy 4:1-3

d. 1 Timothy 6:3-5

e. 2 Timothy 4:3-4

3. There are at least a couple of ways we might deal with this problem

a. We could try to identify every false doctrine, flag them, and then avoid them

1) This would be a very cumbersome task and virtually impossible

2) Besides, if we spend all our time with the bad, we will fail to learn the good

3) Obviously, there are some things that are false that we must examine, but I am speaking of an approach that focuses on that which is false

b. Or, we could identify that which is true, focus on that truth, learn and practice that truth, and thus eliminate all that is false – then we can detect that which is false

1) God gives us the truth so that we can know how to please Him in our faith, our worship, our service, the way we live our lives, and etc. – doesn’t it make sense to focus on that truth?

2) False doctrine is a perversion of the truth – to overcome it we must focus on the truth

4. The Bible is our source book of truth

a. 2 Timothy 3:16-17

b. 2 Peter 1:3

5. We must focus on the truth to overcome error

B. THE DANGER OF DIVISION

1. Division among believers has plagued the church since after it began …

a. Romans 14:1

b. Romans 16:17-18

c. 1 Corinthians 1:10-12

d. 1 Corinthians 11:17-18

2. Jesus knew that even Satan could not accomplish his work if his forces were divided

a. Matthew 12:25

b. Division will destroy every effort regardless of its merit, and it will also destroy the work of God

3. Jesus prayed specifically that His people would be united

a. John 17:20-21

b. Our unity is a determining factor in the world’s acceptance of Jesus

4. Let us determine that we will move forward in the future as a unified body of people, and that we will do all within our power to avoid the dangers of division.

5. NOT unity in diversity, but unity based solely on God’s word

C. THE DANGER OF EXTREMISM

1. Now the next two dangers are, in many ways, extensions of the two that I have already discussed: false teaching and division

a. This third danger is called “Extremism”

b. What I have in mind is the tendency of some to go to extremes with what they believe or practice or teach

c. It was very much a problem of the Pharisees

d. One of their stated goals was to live the letter of the law to the very best of their ability – NOW THAT IS A NOBLE DESIRE – but extremism caused them to become unbalanced and thus unpleasing to God

2. Look at what Jesus said to them

a. Matthew 23:23-24 _ They concerned themselves about small matters, but left vital things unattended

b. Matthew 23:27-28 _ dead on the inside – hypocrites

3. We need to be very concerned that we do swing too far to the left (liberalism) or right (anti-ism, or non-institutional)

a. There is an old saying that states, “You can fall off a log on either end.”

b. We need to balance out the whole will of God, rather than over-emphasizing one aspect _ Acts 20:20, 27

4. Extremism is frequently the root cause of both false doctrine and division, therefore, let us beware of the danger

D. THE DANGER OF OVER-REACTION

1. Over-reaction is similar to extremism, except here we are talking about how people react to things and not just how they act of their own accord.

a. Over-reactions comes in response to something that someone else does

b. Over-reaction often comes in the guise of things that will repair false teaching or division.

1) Example of repairing a false doctrine: Martin Luther saw that the Catholic church promoted a work only oriented salvation – but he overreacted and helped create the faith-only doctrine, both of which are wrong

2) Example of repairing division: in an effort to promote unity, some have decided it doesn’t matter about doctrine (e.g. Ruby Shelly, Max Lacado, Mike Cope)

2. Balance is the key, with our eyes always fixed on the word and will of God, determined to know and practice those things that are both true and unify us.

3. Remember _ Matthew 7:13-14

CONCLUSION:

A. If the church is to move forward into the future we must realize the dangers of:

1. False Doctrine

2. Division

3. Extremism

4. Over-reaction

B. We must avoid these dangers, or the work of the church will be destroyed Are you doing your part…?

See also:

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