#86 -- Gospel and Spiritual Growth
Valley –
THE TEACHING OF THE WORLD SYSTEM IN ITS
EDUCATION AND RELIGION
The world system and its secular education correlate well with its religious systems. Its educational system teaches forms of morality which have religious flavors. Secular philosophy with religious philosophy are components of any doctrine it teaches. The result is designed to curb the sin nature of unbelievers and carnal believers and to distract spiritual believers. All of its teaching has within it the capability of taking a believer's attention of who and what he or she is in Christ and focusing it on the philosophical things of the system discussed in the last two weeks. Hebrews 13 confronts this amalgamation of religious and secular teaching from the world system and what it can do to the believer who attempts to live by its tenets.
Hebrews 13:7 encourages the Hebrew Christians to remember those who are leading them. This leadership comes through the speaking of the Word of God. The leaders also practice that which they preach in such a way that the saints can observe them. They provide an example of how one appropriately uses the faith = that body of Biblical teaching that tells one how to have victory over his or her spiritual enemies and how to live in present tense salvation. If the leader has a consistent manner of life, it can be observed as to its result and imitated by the saint. It is interesting that Paul and the Holy Spirit slipped verse 8 in here. "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever." Men who lead may not be consistent but Jesus Christ always is. Men who lead today are pastor-teachers in the office of bishop. In the era of Hebrews these men included at least the apostles. Their teaching is dominated by doctrine to be believed and practiced. This provides counter teaching to that which comes from the system.
The core of this message was verse 9. "Stop being carried
away (or misled) by various and foreign doctrines for one's faith and practice
(didache)." These teachings directly confronted the
believers living out present tense salvation.
"Doctrines" begins the verse in the Greek making the word
emphatic. This means that these
teachings were presented as essential for practice or behavior. Evidently these teachings were attractive to
the Hebrew Christians and involved foods either eaten or not eaten. The teachings were appealing to the heart of
these Christians and so involved their rationale, feelings or emotions and
their will. These teachings had made
some inroads into how they felt and what they thought. These doctrines were related to Judaism and
its perversion by the world system.
Because of this Paul tells them to stop something that had already
begun. This doctrine is described by two
words in the AV "divers and strange."
The word "divers" is found ten times in the New Testament and
means "varied, variegated, diverse, multicolored." In the Gospels it is used of various diseases
that Jesus healed. In 1 Peter
Paul goes on to say that it is a good thing that the
believer's heart be confirmed. The
saint's thinking, feelings and desires are unwavering having been made constant
or firm by a quality of grace. This is
far better that foods that are presented as making a
Christian a better Christian or a weaker Christian. These dietary fads had their origin in the
Mosaic Law and multiple teachings from that point forward. The teachers taught that what one ate was
either enhancing Christian teaching or replacing Christian teaching for
practice. Paul is clear when he says
that this kind of teaching is not profitable to those who are walking in these
dietary doctrines. That is to say, these
people order their lives by these varied and strange teachings that are not for
grace believers at all. Other elements
of the Mosaic were evidently parts of this doctrine because of the references
to the heavenly altar (
I had planned to cover II. dealing with the doctrine of Balaam and the doctrine of the Nicolaitaines but ran out of time. We shared the Lordian table at the conclusion of the service which was a time of blessing. There will be no synopsis next week because of the Mother's Day holiday. At Valley we do not have an afternoon service so that families can take Mom out to dinner or be together as families. I am sending the whole outline and possibly will send a revised outline on the same material in two weeks. I am trusting my God in these days for his strength. The provisions of grace are so sustaining!
Focused on the future in Him,
DKS
1 John 2:15
Proposition: To present three areas of the teaching of the world system in the realms of education and religion that can affect the church and a Christian's life.
Introduction
A. The Correlation of Secular Education and Religion in the World System
B. The Contents of the Teaching of the World System
C. The Control of the Works of the Flesh by the Doctrine of the World System
D. The Consequences of the Teaching for the Christian
TRANS: Paul warns the Hebrews to avoid being carried away with varied and strange teachings for their practice. These are concepts that contradicted those that these believers had been taught and which contradict the teaching taught by the apostle.
I. THE
PREVENTION OF A STABILITY OF HEART BY A DIVERSITY OF FOREIGN DOCTRINES – DO NOT
BE CARRIED AWAY BY VARIED AND STRANGE DOCTRINES FOR PRACTICE – THE ALTERNATIVE
OF CONFIRMING THE HEART BY GRACE – MISDIRECTION OF THE BELIEVER BY DIVERSE AND
FOREIGN TEACHING AWAY FROM JESUS CHRIST – Hebrews 13:9
A. The Communication of One Who Taught the Hebrew Believers as Their Guides – 13:7
1. Who Verbalized the Word from God
2. Whose Conduct Which One Observes as to the Results
3. Whose Faith They Imitate
B. The Consistency of the Preeminence of Christ – 13:8
C. The Carrying Away of the Saints Prohibited – 13:9a
1. The Prohibition
2. The Packing Away
3. The Presentation of Doctrine for Practice
a. Diversified or Varied Doctrine
b. Foreign or Strange Doctrine
D. The Concepts Contrasted – 13:9b
1. Good for the Heart to Be Confident by a Quality of Grace
2. Not with Foods Which Do Not Profit Them That Are Walking in Them
E. The Change in Altars and Participation –
TRANS: The church in Pergamos was involved in several types of doctrine that are identified in the text with specific names. The first is identified as the doctrine of Balaam.
II. THE
PRESENCE OF THOSE STRONG IN THE PRACTICAL DOCTRINE OF BALAAM IN THE CHURCH AT
PERGAMOS – TEACHING THAT COMPROMISES MATTERS OF RELIGION AND MORALITY – THE
ALTERATION OF RIGHT BY WRONG – A MECHANISM TO SABOTOGE A BIBLICAL LIFESTYLE –
Revelation 2:14
A. The
Position of the Church at Pergamos –
1. The Home of Satan's Throne = Center of the Government of the Cosmos at the Time
2. The Holding of the Character of Christ
3. The Hesitation Concerning the Faith Missing
4. The Hardship That Involved the Martyrdom of Antipas
B. The
Problem with the Doctrine of Balaam in the Church –
1. The Issues Against the Church at Pergamos
2. The Identification of Ones Firmly Holding the Doctrine of Balaam
a. The Presence of People in the Church
b. The Manifest Power of Those Holding the Doctrine for Practice
3. The Instruction of Balak by Balaam
a. The Record of Balaam's Involvement with Balak (Num. 22:1-24:5 [31:8])
(1) The Curses Replaced with Parables
(2) The Connection with the Daughters of
(3) The Closing of Balaam's Life – Num. 31:8
b. The Reality of Throwing Down a Scandal Before
c. The Specific Results Planned
(1) To Eat Idol Sacrifices = Religious Works of the Flesh
(2) To Fornicate = Sexual Work of the Flesh
TRANS: The church at Pergamos also had those who held strongly to the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes. This was a doctrine that affected the roles of believers in the churches. The ecclesiological problem persists in Christendom to this day.
III. THE PRESENCE OF THOSE STRONG IN THE PRACTICAL DOCTRINE OF THE NICOLAITANES IN THE CHURCH AT PERGAMOS – TEACHING THAT COMPROMISES THE BODY OF CHRIST IN THE LOCAL GATHERING – THE ALTERATION OF THE ONENESS IN CHRIST TO A HIERARCHAL SYSTEM OF GOVERNMENT – A MECHANISM FOR MEN TO MANIPULATE CHRISTIANS INSTEAD OF GOD – Revelation 2:15
A. The Manifest Power of Some Holding False Doctrine for Practice
B. The Major Position of the Nicolaitanes
1. Victory Over (ni,kh)
2. The People (lao,j)
3. The Distinction Between People and Leadership
4. Power to Clergy Over the People (Laity)
C. The Presence of a Common Problem
D. The Perspective of Jesus Christ – "Hates"
E. The
Program for Repentance –
TRANS: The world system provides a kind of teaching that makes sense through its educational premises and then through its religious emphases.
© by David K. Spurbeck