Cherry-Picking The Word Of God

CHERRY-PICKING THE WORD OF GOD

2 Timothy 2:15

INTRODUCTION

A. HUMON: 5 TIPS TO FIND A GOOD HUSBAND

1st TIP: Find a man who loves you & is loyal.

2nd TIP: “ “ “ ‘s fun & makes you laugh.

3rd TIP: “ “ hard worker, makes a good living.

4th TIP: “ “ “ is a good father & loves children.

5th TIP: It’s important that none of these men know each other.

B. THESIS & TITLE

1. The Word of God is something that many of us take for granted. It provides guidance, inspiration, and faith on how to live a life pleasing to God.

2. There are some individuals who approach the Word of God selectively, singling out some verses to promote and ignoring others so as to bolster their preconceived systems.

3. In order to understand the implications of this behavior, commonly referred to as "cherry-picking," we need to explore the implications of this practice on the pursuit of truth.

4. The title of this message is “Cherry-Picking the Word of God.”

I. WHAT IT MEANS TO CHERRY-PICK

A. CHERRY-PICKING DEFINED

1. Cherry-picking is like going to a buffet with many types of foods laid out and picking and choosing which of them you want to eat and rejecting the rest.

2. Many so-called spiritual leaders emphasize certain passages or teachings from the Bible to support their preconceived beliefs, and ignore or downplay other passages that might challenge or contradict their teachings.

3. People who cherry-pick use scripture to justify their sins, to promote their ideology, or for personal gain. In our modern age of sexual freedom, I have often heard unbelievers quote the Bible to believers about the sin of judging others. They don’t want to be confronted with their sins. Of course, we’re not to judge the lost (James 4:12), but the Lord told us we could recognize people’s true condition by the fruits of their lives (Mt. 7:6). We also have the responsibility of rebuking sin (Ezek. 3:18, Lk. 17:3).

B. EXAMPLES OF CHERRY-PICKING

1. MAJOR AREAS OF CHERRY-PICKING: PROPHECY TEACHINGS (making them for today); JOINING CHRISTIANITY & POLITICS (Republicans are God’s party); ONCE SAVED ALWAYS SAVED and denying SPEAKING IN TONGUES.

2. As we engage with the Word of God, let us remember the importance of humility, openness, and a commitment to seeking the truth wherever it leads.

3. Another area of abuse is the prosperity gospel – where only promises of blessing are emphasized while curses for disobedience are ignored.

II. WHAT ARE THE DANGERS OF CHERRY-PICKING?

A. FORMS OF ERROR THAT RESULT:

1. DISTORTION. Jeremiah 23:36, “each one’s word becomes their own message. So you distort the words of the living God.” 2 Cor. 4:2, “We do not use deception, nor do we distort the Word of God.” 2 Pet. 3:16, “[Paul’s] letters contain some things that are hard to understand, which ignorant and unstable people distort, as they do the other Scriptures, to their own destruction.”

2. MISINTERPRETATION. Defined as “To interpret or explain wrongly, to misunderstand.”

3. FALSE TEACHING, 2 Pet. 2:1, “there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them.”

4. IGNORING THE WORD

a. Dan Haseltine, lead singer for Jars of Clay, once said in a Tweet, "I don't particularly care about Scripture’s stance on what is 'wrong.' I care more about how it says we should treat people." he said. “[Resisting gay marriage] feels akin to women's suffrage. I don't think scripture "clearly" states much of anything regarding morality.” What mindless drivel!

b. Many people who claim to be Christians are “living” with someone, i.e., having sex with them, and they talk about “God putting them together,” etc. Nothing could be clearer, if one reads the Bible, that God considers all sexual behavior outside of Biblical marriage to be sinful, excluding them from Heaven (Lev. 18:6-23,29 spells it out; 1 Cor. 6:9-10).

5. JOKE

a. Two old friends met one day after many years, one rich and the other in debt. The indebted one asked the successful one, "How did you end up making so much money?"

b. "Well, one day I opened the Bible at random, and dropped my finger on a word and it was oil. So, I invested in oil, and boy, did the oil wells gush. Then another day I dropped my finger on another word, and it was gold. So, I invested in gold and those mines really produced. Now, I'm as rich as Rockefeller."

c. The indebted man was so impressed that he rushed to his hotel, grabbed a Gideon Bible, flipped it open, and dropped his finger on a page. He opened his eyes and his finger rested on the words, "Chapter Eleven."

B. GOD, NOT MAN, IS THE AUTHOR