Know What You Believe Series

October 8, 2017

Morning Worship

Text; 1 Peter 3:15

Subject: The Foundation Series

Title: Part 1 – Know What You Believe

The story is told of a man who was asked what he believed about God and the bible…

“I believe what my church teaches.”

“And what does your church teach?”

“The same thing I believe.”

“Well, What do you and your church believe?”

Well that’s simple. We believe the same thing.”

I looked at several surveys on the Internet this week to find out how much American Christians know about what they believe and what I found out was pretty alarming.

First of all, there has been a steady decline in the last few years of the number of evangelical Christians who believe that the whole bible is the inspired Word of God. And that is exactly where the problem begins. If this book that we hold dearly is not God – breathed, then there is little reason for us to see what it says about life and eternal life.

But – if you claim to believe what the bible says and really believe that is the Holy Spirit inspired Word of God, then, shouldn’t you be able to, at least on the most basic level, be able to explain what we believe and why we believe it.

Secondly – there has been a steady increase in the number of people who believe that the bible, the Torah, the Koran and the writings of Buddha and other eastern religious leaders all convey the same truths, just in different ways.

Thirdly – there is an increasing number of people who believe that even though the bible may be the Word of God, it has very little impact on society.

Maybe we never think about those things… Maybe we just keep coming to church to hear the preacher preach and just trust that he’s got it right.

1 Peter 3:15, Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.

I believe this is God’s word…

I believe it is for me…

I accept it as mine…

And I will appropriate it to my life today…

We just finished in our Wednesday night bible study 2 Peter 2. That whole chapter deals with false teachers and about how easy it is for Christians to be led astray by those teachings. And it appears that the reason is that those false teachings that Peter was referring to appealed to the sinful nature. Now who wouldn’t be inclined to follow someone if, especially for new Christians, you thought that being a Christian meant that there is no required change in your life. You can keep on doing what you have always done and have heaven in your view at all times without any cause for alarm. That sounds pretty appealing doesn’t’ it? But it’s not true.

2 Peter 2:1-2

1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who bought them, and bring on themselves swift destruction.

2 And many will follow their destructive ways, because of whom the way of truth will be blasphemed.

2 Peter 2:17-20

17 These people are springs without water and mists driven by a storm. Blackest darkness is reserved for them.

18 For they mouth empty, boastful words and, by appealing to the lustful desires of the flesh, they entice people who are just escaping from those who live in error.

19 They promise them freedom, while they themselves are slaves of depravity—for “people are slaves to whatever has mastered them.”

20 If they have escaped the corruption of the world by knowing our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and are again entangled in it and are overcome, they are worse off at the end than they were at the beginning.

That is one of the reasons that we must have a solid foundation to build our faith upon. If your foundation is not built on God’s word then you become a target for the enemy to deceive. Listen, I have said this many times before… the Assemblies of God did not save me. It was the grace of God that I accepted by faith that saved me. It was because of the testimony of others who believed and the prayer of a sister for my salvation and then the prompting of the Holy Spirit through the conviction of my sin that moved me to confess my sin and then accept Jesus as my Lord and Savior.

Now, having said that, I could have been saved and then stayed in my previous church. But doing so would have placed me in danger of being deceived, because that church group does not believe that the whole bible is the inspired Word of God; just that parts of it are inspired.