The Change Movement – The Fuel For Change (1)
Categories: Sermon Outlines, Topical Sermon OutlinesINTRODUCTION:
A. Keeping the church pure and true to the Book is taught often in the New Testament
1. Ephesians 5:25-27
2. Titus 1:9, 13; 2:1
B. But there are those who are trying to restructure the church
1. Trying to change the church to fit modern culture and their own desires
2. These are called “Change Agents”
C. In our last lesson we discussed the “Roots of Change”
1. We discussed cultural, theological, political and scientific currents that are the roots of the present “Change Agent” movement.
2. In this lesson we will discuss “The Fuel for Change”
3. One of the fuels for change is…
DISCUSSION:
A. REBELLION
1. Israel had survived centuries of slavery and oppression at the hands of Egypt.
a. They had escaped by the hand of God and now found themselves in the Paran Desert anxiously awaiting news from the spies sent to scout out Palestine
b. Numbers 13:30-33
c. The entire nation stayed up all night weeping – they thought their national hopes and dreams were dashed, and by morning they were making alternate plans to appoint them new leaders who would lead them back to Egypt
d. Joshua and Caleb spoke up — Numbers 14:7-9a
e. Their hesitation to comply with God’s instructions amounted to rebellion
2. During the final year of his life, Moses, at the age of 120, he delivered a farewell address to the nation whom he had served as leader for forty years
a. He wrote a song that was to serve as a sort of national anthem to remind the people that their future disobedience would inevitably bring them trouble
b. Deuteronomy 31:27
c. Their inconsistent compliance with God’s words amounted to rebellion
3. God instructed Saul to engage Amalek in battle
a. They were to be completely annihilated
b. Saul complied with the order to go to war, but he made some modifications to God’s instructions
c. God considered the compromise a failure to follow Him
1) On the other hand Saul insisted that he had obeyed — 1 Samuel 15:13, 20)
2) He even presented his efforts as giving honor to God — 1 Samuel 15:15, 21
d. Notice Samuel’s assessment — 1 Samuel 15:23
e. Saul’s failure to comply completely with God’s instruction was an act of rebellion
4. While Zedekiah was king over the southern kingdom of Judah, a prophet named Hananiah arose
a. The message he presented to the remaining inhabitants of Jerusalem was a positive message optimism, encouragement and reassurance
b. He assured them that within two years the Babylonian oppressions would come to an end
c. There was great excitement, even Jeremiah was excited
d. However, God informed Jeremiah that Hananiah was a false prophet, and was informed to make the following pronouncement — Jeremiah 28:15-16
e. Hananiah died within two month. Why? Because he promoted rebellion against God’s will
5. Looking back to the 1960s, one is surely struck by the fact that rebellion was a central feature of what took place
a. Many of that younger generation created the generation gap, anti-Establishment, antiwar –
b. All this is nothing more than open rebellion against authority
6. Presently we are seeing the fruits of the 1960s decade of rebellion against authority
a. A full-scale breakdown of authority is in effect
b. America has more crime and more criminals than ever before. What are criminals? People who refuse to submit to the authority of the legal system
c. This lack of respect for authority is even seen in many of our lawyers…always looking to beat the system/ technicalities
d. Teachers retiring early because of uncontrollable classrooms
7. Can we not see that the fuel for change in churches of Christ is simply an extension of the widespread refusal to submit to authority?
B. THE SHIFT TO EMOTION
1. Another factor which is fueling the push for change is the extent to which emotion and feeling affect doctrine and religious practice
a. Care must be taken to refrain from justifying religious practices by confusing spirituality and emotional sensation
b. The “Change Agents” equate emotion and feeling with being spiritual
2. Many today are fashioning worship to suit what man thinks and feels is spiritual.
a. But, my friends, the starting point is all wrong!
b. The “Change Agent” begins with human preferences and builds his entire case on the need to cater to human preferences so people can “experience” religion
3. The true meaning of spirituality
a. Biblical spirituality is not so much what one feels as what one comes to know and do.
1) The “spiritual” person in the Bible is the one who earnestly seeks to come to an understanding of God’s will and then diligently obeys that will
2) Spirituality occurs through our response to Biblical teaching
a) 1 Corinthians 2:13-15
b) 1 Corinthians 14:37
c) 1 Peter 2:2
b. Spiritual worship entails responding rationally to God’s will – with worship that is approved by Him
1) Many are suggesting that our worship would be more spiritual if we would “hold up holy hands,” have dramatic presentation, etc.
2) They may create more excitement – but not more spirituality
c. Those who wish to revolutionize worship practices need to realize that this leads to ruin
1) Leviticus 10:1-3
2) Isaiah 30:9-13
3) Jeremiah 6:13-19
3. The interplay between emotion, reason and behavior
a. The conversion Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26-39) provides a good example…
1) Acts 8:26-30 — Notice first that Christianity is first and foremost a cognitive experience — Intellectual awareness, mental comprehension, must occur first and must take priority over every facet of religious experience
2) Acts 8:31-36 — Notice that the second facet of religious experience is an obedient response — compliance with the stipulation of God
3) Acts 8:38-39 — Here is the proper place of emotion in Christian religion
b. Here is the correct balance between human reason, divine doctrine, and human emotion
1) Human emotion is to be brought under the control of the human mind as that mind is governed by the words of God
2) Emotion must be rooted in rationality
3) Rationality must take priority over emotion
CONCLUSION: