The Folly and Tragedy of Subjectivism
Categories: Sermon Outlines, Topical Sermon OutlinesINTRODUCTION
A. The Old Testament books of history are prophetic
1. These books are numbered among what are called the “Former Prophets”
2. They were called prophecies because the histories they recorded were considered exemplary.
3. These books showed God’s principles in action, and formed prophetic warnings to God’s people.
4. Among these is the book of Judges – if Judges is read only as a set of exciting stories from the past this is missed.
B. For a moment go back with me to the time of the judges
DISCUSSION
A. THE PROBLEM PATTERN IN THE NATION OF ISRAEL
1. A disturbing pattern develops early in the book of Judges.
a. A vicious circle developed…b. It was a saddening pattern that occurred time after time
2. Israel entered into a land who had a polytheistic culture, and their religion was linked to: The worship of nature, Religious prostitutes, Human sacrifices
3. Israel came into this environment with a religious faith resting on an entirely different basis
a. Instead of polytheism, theirs was a belief in Jehovah whose sovereignty in nature and history caused other gods to pale into insignificance.
b. Israel’s faith was complemented by a highly moral approach to life, which grew out of their unique covenant relationship with God.
c. However, the period of the Judges was a time of unprecedented anarchy.
d. Judges 21:25
4. The Bible carefully notes their moral and religious decline
a. Israel failed to complete the conquest of the land as was commanded by God
b. As a result, she was surrounded by Canaanite religion with its appeal to man’s sensual nature.
c. The problem relationship between Jehovah and the Canaanite gods became acute as the number of mixed marriages multiplied
5. In Judges 1 we see that the Israelites did not drive the Canaanites out, and instead lived among them.
a. After some time, the Israelites began to dwell among the Canaanites _ Judges 1:31-35
b. Then the Canaanites began to drive Israel out!
c. Judges 18 records the migration of the Danites, and shows the religious apostasy underlying their inability to conquer the land God gave them
d. Now the Canaanites had a recognized border – they were no longer hiding out in Israel – they had their own land
6. How could this be?! How could this happen?!
a. The Israelites ignored what God said _ Judges 2:1-2
b. Israel knew God’s will toward the Canaanites, yet they ignored His desire and made treaties with the heathen
c. They had forgotten the mighty works God had done for them _ Judges 2:7, 10
d. Compromise with evil killed Israel!
B. THE PROBLEM PATTERN IN THE NATION OF AMERICA
1. When we look across our great land we see the same type of pattern that the Israel of old set forth.
2. William J. Bennett reported sobering statistics in the September 1993 issue of the American Family Association Journal…
In the early 1960s, the Census Bureau began publishing the index of leading economic indicators. Those eleven measurements, taken together, represent the best means we now have of interpreting and predicting future economic trends. The index of Leading Cultural Indicators, a compilation of the heritage Foundation and Empower America, attempts to bring a similar kind of data-based analysis to cultural issues. It is a statistical portrait (from 1960 to the present) of moral, social, and behavioral conditions of modern American society. It indicates that our cultural condition is not healthy.
Since 1960, the U.S. population has increased 41%; the gross domestic product has nearly tripled; and total social spending by all levels of government has risen from 143 billion to 787 billion. Spending on welfare has increased 630%, while spending on education has only increased 225%. Notice also that during this time violent crimes have increased by 560%, illegitimate births by 419%, the divorce rate has quadrupled, children living in single-parents have tripled, there has been more than a 200% increase in teenage suicide, and there has been a drop of almost 80 points in SAT scores ……. (1960 – 1993)
3. These results did not come about due to following fundamental Christian doctrine!
4. Clearly the powers exercised by the institutions of social control have been constrained, and people, especially young people, have embraced a way of life that values self-expression over self-control.
C. WHO WAS TO BLAME FOR THE ANARCHY IN ISRAEL?
1. The parents were to blame
a. Judges 2:10
b. That could only have occurred where parents had neglected their duty to teach their children
c. Deuteronomy 6:4-9
d. If God’s law had written on their hearts by continual teaching, Israel would not have forgotten…
e. But parents were not alone in their failure
2. The priests were to blame
a. Israel’s spiritual leaders had failed miserably
b. A false sanctuary accompanied by a false priesthood was established (Jdg. 17-18)
1) Instead of keeping the faith, the Levites prostituted themselves and disgraced the law
2) They hired themselves out to falsehood
c. The leaders, instead of seeking God’s guidance, were seeking the guidance of false teachers (Jdg. 18)
d. The leaders of Israel did nothing to stop the moral decline of Israel (Jdg. 19)
3. The message to Israel was clear.
a. They should have been giving birth to all kinds of good works for God.
b. Instead, they were playing the harlot and dying.
c. The leaders in Israel should have been guarding the people, but they were not – social disaster was the result.
d. Had the leaders in Israel been sounding forth the law of God in every place, Israel would have been clean, an honorable place to live.
e. Whenever the word of God is not preached ruin and destruction follows.
D. WHERE DOES THE BLAME LIE FOR THE CURRENT TRAGIC CONDITIONS?
1. Parents are to blame
a. Ephesians 6:1-4
b. Anyone whose eyes are open see an alarming number of our young people drifting away the old paths
c. Parents today have to take a stand.
1) Joshua 24:15
2) Genesis 18:19
3) We must make demands of our children
d. Many Christian families are in disarray!
1) Instead of being a beacon of hope, many of our families are wallowing in the putrid swamp of sin.
2) Too many kids are rebellious against the law of God because they are just like their parents
2. Religious leaders are to blame
a. Preachers today stand in the place of the Levites in that they are to teach God’s will
1) 2 Timothy 2:2-3
2) 2 Timothy 4:2
3) Their function is not to maintain a good standing in everyone’s popularity poll
4) Their function is to speak the truth in love (Eph. 4:15)
b. Many prominent preachers, professors, and presidents of Christian universities are failing God’s people – not standing in the gap boldly asserting the primacy of God’s word
c. Many of our Christian schools and youth ministers are teaching our young people error.
CONCLUSION
A. What are we going to do about it?!
1. Do our job as parents!
2. Have courage to stand against false teachers!
3. Preach and teach the truth in love!
B. I pray that we are not – or we will stop traveling the route of Israel in the days of the Judges
C. We must once again stand upon God’s word as our only creed
1. We must maintain the ability to place our finger on the very text upon which our eternal hope rests
2. We must accept no religious leader but Christ
3. We must speak where the Bible speaks and be silent where it is silent