Compromise Say It Isn't So Series

Power point moves are in red.

(1a&b&c)Compromise

Say it isn’t so #8 2006

(2) picture

All my life I have heard that evil word in relation to the church. Compromise. Churches have split, people have left in anger, some have been disgusted about that terrible, terrible thing called compromise.

I have heard:

God does not compromise. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow.

Compromise is back sliding.

Compromise is of Satin.

As always I will be looking at this issue through the Word of God.

(3)Lets start at the beginning.

In the beginning God made man and woman in his image. They lived in the garden of Eden, and life was great. We do not know for how long they lived there, but we do know that God created them perfect and Holy.

(4)Gen. 1:31 “God saw all that he had made, and it was very good.”

Now God gave Adam some instructions,

(5)“you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat of it you will surely die.” (2:17)

He gave Adam a wife, Eve, and the last verse of chapter two Is,

“The man and his wife were both naked, and they felt no shame.”

Then we quickly move into chapter three.

God went from His perfect plan of the perfect garden amd a perfect life, to a compromise plan. Adam and eve would live a hard life, and have to face death.

(6) picture of desert

From this point on the Bible is full of compromise.

Chapter 6 in Gen says, “The Lord saw how great man’s wickedness on the earth had become, and …The Lord was grieved that he had made man on the earth and his heart was filled with pain.. So the Lord said ,

Gods decision

(7)“I will wipe mankind, whom I have created, from the face of the earth.”

God’s compromise, verse 8

(8)“But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” Embellish how Noah built the ark and God spared His family rather than destroying man.

(9) Noah’s ark.

Lets look at Jacob:

Chapter 32:22-31 Tells us a story of how Jacob wrestled with God. Now do you really think that God could not have defeated Jacob?

(10)Picture of God and Jacob wrestling

When you have the ability to defeat someone and you choose to pull back, that is compromise. God not only compromised with Jacob, He blessed Him.

One more; and then I will get to the main point today. Ex 32:9-14 (NIV)

"I have seen these people," the LORD said to Moses, "and they are a stiff-necked people. Now leave me alone so that my anger may burn against them and that I may destroy them. Then I will make you into a great nation." But Moses sought the favor of the LORD his God. "O LORD," he said, "why should your anger burn against your people, whom you brought out of Egypt with great power and a mighty hand? Why should the Egyptians say, ’It was with evil intent that he brought them out, to kill them in the mountains and to wipe them off the face of the earth’? Turn from your fierce anger; relent and do not bring disaster on your people. Remember your servants Abraham, Isaac and Israel, to whom you swore by your own self: ’I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and I will give your descendants all this land I promised them, and it will be their inheritance forever.’"

(11)Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened. Ex 32:9-14 (NIV)

(12) Moses begged God to spare the people, and then got so angry himself that he threw the tablets down and broke them.

Then the LORD relented and did not bring on his people the disaster he had threatened

Did you hear that: God relented. If you have in your mind to do one thing and you are convinced to do another thing then you are compromising.

My son gave me a book to read this week. It is called Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell.

Rob Bell is a very effective youth leader and founding pastor of Mars Hill, one of the fastest growing churches in American History.

He starts it with a short story of a velvet picture of Elvis that was painted by R. (that all I know about the painter) but he uses it only as an example.

(13)

“What if”, he says, “when he was done with this masterpiece, R. had announced there was no more need for anyone to paint, because he had just painted the ultimate painting? What if R. had held a press conference, unveiled his painting and then called on all painters everywhere to put down their brushes, insisting that since he had painted the ultimate painting, there was simply no need for any of them to continue their work??” p.10 Velvet Elvis