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Dividing the Word of Truth
(2
Timothy 2:15)
This
is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to
be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1Timothy 2:3-4
Romans by the Book Lesson
99
Welcome to HBS and
thank you for “dropping by.”
Have you ever been
asked a question and had so much to say in response to that subject that you
didn’t know where to begin or end?
That’s where I’m at with Romans 12:1; that’s one. The second item I want to mention before
starting is I know some people will be disappointed with parts of this lesson
or all of it while others may be taken aback by it. So I want the group to be aware that I am not
anti Church. The Church is of God and
exists ultimately for His glory and to make known His eternal purpose to the
nations.
However, the churches by and
large do not practice the principle of “Man
shall not live by bread alone, but by every word of God” (Luke 4:4), as God intended. Instead, since they follow the many differing traditions of men, endless
disagreements separate, divide, and create more and more churches of men. They do not “walk together,” as one because
they do not “agree”—either with each other or with God!
You’re not going to
hear sermons on this subject, not that this is a sermon. I’ve been around awhile, and I’m telling you honestly some of the things
I’m bringing to your attention today I’ve not heard one sentence on from the
pulpit. It’s like the 800lb gorilla in
the room no one wants to talk about. But
at HBS, were going to discuss the Truth.
Please
open your Bible at Romans 12:1
Last
week I ended our lesson with this statement:
Israel’s acceptable worship was at the Temple in Jerusalem,
performing the prescribed rituals, as God ordained them. This is what the LORD God had commanded
them to do, so this is what they did.
However,
Paul writes, “Your worship, the worship God has commanded
for the members of the Body of Christ, in
this Dispensation of Grace, is to
present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy (set apart), acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. But,
down through the centuries God’s Church, with a few exceptions, has ignored
Romans 12:1’s teaching and they’ve copied the Jews religious system instead
minus the animal sacrifices.
God
clearly marked the change in the dispensations with an exclamation point. This was done when He permitted the Jewish
Temple to be destroyed by the Roman army under General Titus in 70 AD. This fulfilled prophecy effectively denied
the Israelites access to Him through their religious rituals, and the Jews have
been without temple worship ever since (Matthew 24:1-2). However, Christendom has built their own lavishly
decorated imitation temples with altars and railings and even a little box within
the altar they call “the tabernacle” where many believe God lives.
Cathedrals
and great churches first arriving on the scene in the Constantinian Period were
built for the express purpose of worshiping God with special furniture, holy
relics, accompanied by religious rituals performed by the priesthood, and
calendars listing holy days and seasons.
Even “Bible believing Christians” have not escaped the error of this
wrong worship with their “morning, and evening worship services,” their
religious rituals, holy days, and holy seasons.
I
was baptized into and spent the first 17 years of my life entrenched in the
Catholic faith. I was an altar boy for
three of those years. My church home’s ceiling
soared high above my head; so high in fact to see the ceiling fully I would
have to lay on the floor, flat on my back to take it all in. But the main altar is what grabbed your
attention the moment you entered the building; it was massive and ornately
decorated. There were two smaller altars
off to the sides and they too were magnificent.
The altar railing was made up of white marble as was the altar floor. Statues of Jesus, Mary, Joseph, and the
saints were arrayed around the sanctuary, with contrasting marble columns, and
gold accents, the sweet smell of incense permeated the building, and an
assortment of candles were stationed everywhere you looked; it was beautiful
and extremely impressive.
I’ve
traveled to Vatican City and to St Peter’s Cathedral in Rome, Italy. I’ve studied this church’s history, and observed
firsthand the wealth that’s attached to this particular church group, so this
is my testimonial on the subject.
They
early church fathers spared no expense while constructing these cathedrals and
lesser buildings with the intention of producing a “wow” effect within people. They expected the masses to experience a “sense”
of awe, as if they were coming into the very presence of God. The solemn High Mass on Christmas Eve
produced this affect within me every time so I’d have to say they
succeeded.
Churches
are still utilizing this principle today.
They’re erecting Megachurches with the capability of seating
thousands. They ensure that they have a church
choral group
completely
decked out in brightly colored robes in place.
An orchestras and band playing Christian standards and songs selected
from the top 40 contemporary Christian music list is also essential. The wooden pew is gone and has been replaced
by plush seating throughout. They aim to
cater to the need of the individual and the family. One
church I attended had a Starbucks in the front lobby… They’ll tell you that this is all about
worshiping God, but is it? Many of these
activities have an entertainment characteristic.
I
spoke to a pastor of a non-denominational church after Sunday “service” one
day. They had a dynamic rock band with a
lead vocalist that could have won American Idol, strobe lights, professional speakers,
and a sound system you wouldn’t believe existed in a church. He said he wanted the people who visited his
church and the regulars who came every Sunday to enter and leave with but one
word on their lips and that was “Wow!” I
had to admit I was impressed with the band and the singer, but my question to
him was, “What about the message?
Doesn’t all of this glitz and glamour overshadow God’s Word?” He disagreed with me. He said it was the overall package he
presented that mattered and not just one feature of it. He told me God was in “all of it…” Really…?
Would
you be surprised if I told you that this attitude feeds one of the major concerns
in the church today? Too many churchgoers
have an entitlement mentality instead
of a servant mentality and statistics
prove this out.
Because
the entitlement mentality (what are
you doing for me) exists in the
church today people are leaving one church after another, searching for the
“right” church for the wrong reasons.
Here
are a few quotes taken from exit interviews of people who left local
congregations:
“The
worship leader refused to listen to me about the songs and music I
wanted.”
“The
pastor did not feed me.”
“No
one from the church visited me.”
“I
was out two weeks with an illness and no one called me.”
“They
changed the times of their worship services and it messed up my
schedule.”
“I
told my pastor to go visit my cousin and he never did.”
Did
you catch the central theme in these comments?
They all centered on “me.” The
church didn’t fulfill their need/desire. Today
people expect their church to respond to their needs as if it were a country club…“Oh
Cabana Boy!” This is occurring, in part,
because they are not being introduced to the knowledge of the truth while
they’re attending church.
Paul
teaches us that the primary role of the church is proclaiming the
Word of God and not to supply a building for the purpose of worshiping God.
This
Truth may shock some of you but this is what your Bible says and so does mine: I write so that you will know how
one ought to conduct himself in the household of God, which is the church
of the living God, the pillar and support of the truth
(1 Timothy 3:15). In the end, no other definition, devised by men, is
acceptable. This definition of the
Church Jesus Christ built will guide us throughout the remainder of this
lesson. The Church God designed has and
teaches “the Truth.”
Therefore,
when looking for a church, and people use a wide range of criteria in evaluating
them today (like a Starbucks in the main lobby), but only one reason
should guide them. The most important
reason in selecting a church home rests in the strength of their preaching and
teaching of God’s Word. Why do I say
this, I didn’t. Scripture beat me to
it: "It is
written, 'MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS
OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'" (Matthew
4:4)
If
the Bible is being taught accurately (rightly divided for instance) by the
church then the congregation will be strong, the people will mature in their
faith, and the church’s ministry will grow.
Of course, the opposite is also true and is closer to reality.
Getting
back on point: is it anything goes when
it comes to acceptable worship in the
Dispensation of Grace or do we listen to God and base our worship of Him on what He has
revealed to us in this book?
Paul
spoke of a temple that would make any church building constructed by man pale
in comparison, but reflect on the fact that he wrote to Gentile Believers in
the Dispensation of the Grace of God and I’ll paraphrase, “Brethren, that’s not
your worship, your worship is simply to present your bodies a living sacrifice.”
Our
worship today doesn’t instruct us to
travel to a certain building, regulated by a certain day of the week, on certain
holy days of the year for God’s “earthly people” Israel that was appropriate and
acceptable. But God has set His
“heavenly people,” the Body of Christ, free from that kind of worship. Now we can worship
God any time and in any place. We can worship Him continually 24/7/365.
We
don’t need the priesthood, a building, or a special day. Our worship service is not just one hour on
Sunday, it’s a life dedicated to Him in thanksgiving and worship: Through
Him then, let us continually offer up a (living) sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the
fruit of (what) lips that
give thanks to His name. And do not
neglect doing good and sharing, for with such sacrifices
God is pleased. (Hebrews 13:15-16)
We
can worship the Lord Jesus Christ
while sitting in the church building, or roller blading down the street,
driving our car or sitting in heavy traffic, washing the dishes or preparing a
meal, putting on our shoes in the morning or setting our alarm clock before
retiring at night, - at any time in any place worshiping the Lord Jesus Christ is alright, for He is worthy!
Romans 12
1: I beseech you therefore, brethren,
by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice,
holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
Paul
begins this chapter by pleading with the members of this congregation in Rome,
in love not under the Law, to present their
bodies a living sacrifice
voluntarily. This is the first thing I
want you to understand; it’s not a command.
The word beseech clearly
indicates this. The Law was strict, so
strict in fact if someone walked too many steps on the Sabbath they were stoned
to death for that mistake. But in God’s
Dispensation of Grace should you decide not to praise Him with your lips or offer aid and assistance to
people with needs, God’s not going to strike you down, or withhold salvation
from you. Serving
others is your reasonable worship but no one is going to drag
you kicking and screaming to the altar of sacrifice.
Paul
is literally begging these Jews and Gentiles to unite as members of Christ’s
Body, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your (plural) reasonable (worship) service. Paul’s not addressing individuals there’s
definitely a corporate dimension to this call.
He’s addressing every Believer for we are the Body of Christ: Now
you are Christ’s body, and individually members of it. (1 Corinthians 12:27)
The
Lord Jesus Christ communicated this call as One who volunteered His life on our
behalf: who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality
with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied Himself, taking the form of a
bond-servant, and being made in the
likeness of men. Being found in
appearance as a man, He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the
point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians
2:6-8)
What
many people miss is that Jesus Christ showed us how to love others. He volunteered His life so that we could be
free not just from our sin and the second death but to serve Him and each other
in ways that would prompt people around us to utter but one word from their lips, “Wow!” Do
nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one
another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the
interests of others. Have this attitude
in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus, (Philippians 2:3-5).
When
we give thanks and worship the Lord by presenting our
bodies as a living sacrifice, it’s
not what we can do for Him necessarily, but what He can do in us, and through
us. This worship is holy and acceptable unto God because it is the
worship of His Son living in us. It is
“worshiping God in the Spirit.” (Philippians 3:3)
What Does This Book
Say?
Back
when I was teaching in the Children’s ministry there was a Christian phrase
that was so popular it could be found on t-shirts, bracelets, and bumper
stickers. It was WWJD or What Would
Jesus Do. I altered this phrase one
week when I adopted it for one of my Bible lessons I titled, what would Jesus desire. The gist of my lesson was if you’re totally committed
in understanding what Scripture says, then you’ll begin by investing
more of your time in the study of God’s Word. Then instead of putting your faith in
something you’ve heard, something you read somewhere, or guessing, or hoping it
all works out right in the end, you’ll know what Jesus desires.
When
the church meets in a building, if it’s not for worship, what is the purpose?
Paul
wrote that when the church comes together, “Let all things be done for edification (Oikodome in the Greek language meaning: building up, edifying, promoting another’s
growth in Christian wisdom). (1
Corinthians 14:26b)
The
church does not meet solely for worship—for our worship is to apply Romans 12:1.
Believers meet for the purpose of edification,
and building up one another, so
that the members can go back to their homes, jobs, and schools, and worship the Lord there all week long in
accordance with the teaching of Romans 12:1.
Of
course, one aspect of “presenting our
bodies a living sacrifice” is to be present and participate in the meetings
of the church for the encouragement and enlightenment of the fellow members of
the Body of Christ.
As
we have seen, acceptable worship in the dispensation of Grace is not
the emotional experience of an individual seated in a great “sanctuary”
observing some ritual or listening to the church choir sing. Worship is not limited to a certain time, day,
or place, regulated by the church calendar, but is the nonstop opportunity of
the Believer, in response to the mercies
of God, who is then motivated by their love of God to thank Him and to serve Him
continuously: But the fruit of the Spirit is love,
joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
self-control; (Galatians 5:22).
Time
for edification by illustration: last
week Dylann Roof entered a church in Charleston, S.C. with hate in his heart
and gunned down 9 people in cold blood.
He’s been apprehended by the authorities and will stand trial for his
actions rest assured. The important
thing to take note of here, which the world-at-large has ignored for the most
part, is that while the majority of America was spewing hatred in response to
his actions, the victims family members gathered at the site of the shooting
praying for one another and for Mr. Roof.
They expressed in unison to the city of Charleston and to the media, in
the midst of their grief, that they had forgiven Mr. Roof for taking the lives
of their loved ones and were praying for his salvation.
These
people of faith took a stand for what they believed. They could have surrendered to hatred. That would have been easy. But instead of joining the crowd, instead of conforming to the patterns of this world,
they obeyed God and the teaching of Romans 12:1. They offered this young man their kindness and their sincere forgiveness,
which was their reasonable (worship) service.
Please
take note; this was the “right response.”
Why can I say this? Jesus set the
bar. One of Jesus’ final 7 statements from
the Cross before He died was this: "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what
they are doing." (Luke
23:34)
Is
it easy to show kindness and to forgive someone who has taken the life of your
mother, your father, your brother, or your sister? No, it’s not easy but it’s your reasonable (logical) service in light of God’s mercies. Their act of unnatural love should have
forced the world to sit up and take
notice, but they were absorbed by their hatred.
Learning
to love the way Jesus Christ loved others is going to take time and some effort
on our part, but as we continually pray asking the Holy Spirit to lead us, to
guide us, and to help us do the things God desires we will arrive at
that place God wants us to be and that is like His Son.
(To
be continued)
©
Copyright 2011
GJ
Heitzman’s Ministry
All
Rights Reserved
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