When Belief takes a Wrong Turn
Philippians 3:4-11
Is it possible to believe you are right and you are really wrong?
There were six men of Hindustan,
to learning much inclined,
Who went to see an elephant,
though all of them were blind,
That each by observation
might satisfy his mind.
The first approached the elephant,
and happening to fall
Against his broad and sturdy side,
at once began to bawl,
"This mystery of an elephant
is very like a wall."
The second, feeling of the tusk,
cried, "Ho, what have we here,
So very round and smooth and sharp?
To me ’tis mighty clear,
This wonder of an elephant
is very like a spear."
The third approached the elephant,
and happening to take
The squirming trunk within his hands,
thus boldly up and spake,
"I see," quoth he,
"the elephant is very like a snake."
The fourth reached out an eager hand,
and felt above the knee,
"What this most wondrous beast
is like is very plain" said he,
"’Tis clear enough the elephant
is very like a tree."
The fifth who chanced to touch the ear
said, "E’en the blindest man
Can tell what this resembles most;
deny the fact who can;
This marvel of an elephant
is very like a fan."
The sixth no sooner had begun
about the beast to grope,
Than seizing on the swinging tail
that fell within his scope;
"I see," said he, "the elephant
is very like a rope."
So six blind men of Hindustan
disputed loud and long,
Each in his own opinion
exceeding stiff and strong;
Though each was partly in the right,
they all were in the wrong!
If all you have is religion, you don’t have enough!
Some people think that it is enough to have had a relationship with Jesus at some point in their past. They claim that they are still religious, although they rarely find time for worship service, substituting an occasional walk in the woods chasing “Bambi” for meeting with the one whop knows them best and loves them most. These same folk think that they can demand God’s attention whenever they find themselves in trouble, as if they have God’s 911 number on the speed dial of their spirit, yet they rarely give Him thanks of seek His direction. Perhaps when they feel guilty for not relating to Him, they come to church or pray a quicky before bed or at mealtime.
Did Jesus waste His time coming to earth, dying on the cross, just so that we could add religion to our resume’?
Jesus did not come and give His life just so you could be religious!
God wants an one-on-one relationship with you!
He has paid the price to make sure that happens. If Christianity were just simply accepting a bunch of religious ideas, Jesus would not have had to have gotten involved at all. But because God has always sought fellowship with man, and you and I have always tried to ignore God’s prompting.
Religion is not enough!
I want to introduce you to a man whose belief took a wrong turn. Here’s what he said about his own religion:
Philippians 3:4-6
4 … I myself have reasons for such confidence. If anyone else thinks he has reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more:
5 circumcised on the eighth day,
of the people of Israel,
of the tribe of Benjamin,
a Hebrew of Hebrews;
in regard to the law, a Pharisee;
6 as for zeal, persecuting the church;
as for legalistic righteousness, faultless.
(NIV)
He was so convinced of his religion that he neglected why the religion was there in the first place.
I want to introduce you today to a man who was so sure that he was right that he had to be blinded before realizing how wrong he really was.
In order to introduce you to this man whose belief had taken a wrong turn, let’s take a quick tour through a few days in the life of the early church as recorded in the book of Acts, beginning in chapter 2.
Just fifty days after Jesus died on the cross from the dead,
everything about this man’s religion changed!
Acts 2:1-11
1 When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place.
2 Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting.
3 They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them.
4 All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.
5 Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven.
6 When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard them speaking in his own language.
7 Utterly amazed, they asked: "Are not all these men who are speaking Galileans?
8 Then how is it that each of us hears them in his own native language?
9 Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia,
10 Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome
11 (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs-- we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!"
(NIV)
Everything they had ever known about religion was now dispelled by people they did not know speaking truth in languages unlearned by them!
The truth cut to the core!
Acts 2:37
37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
(NIV)
Acts 2:38-39
38 Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
39 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off-- for all whom the Lord our God will call."
On that day, 3000 abandoned religion for a relationship!
And afterwards, Jerusalem had a huge increase of religious activity. The more people shared what Jesus had personally done for them, the more the people around them were converted. They got saved! Everything and everyone was changing, laying aside their old ways and taking on the new ways of The Way. Even long-standing traditions, religious regulations and rules were being neglected because of this new teaching.
Saul of Taursus, no doubt was in Jerusalem that day. Every Jewish man was to attend the three high holy days of celebration as a ritual part of their religion: The Feast of Passover, The Feast of Pentecost, and the Feast of Tabernacles. Saul loved the Law! There was nothing that thrilled him more than to get into a heated debate over some minute point of the Law. One author describes Saul’s childhood and training this way:
Paul’s parents were Pharisees, members of the party most fervent in Jewish nationalism and strict in obedience to the Law of Moses. They sought to guard their offspring against contamination. Friendships with Gentle children were discouraged. Greek ideas were despised. Though Paul could from infancy speak Greek, French, and Latin, the family spoke Aramaic-Hebrew at home.
Paul’s family were wealthy citizens of Taurus, his father was a tentmaker of the prized Black tents of Tarsus. They were free as Roman Citizens, but highest in their own minds were the fact that they were born Jews, of the kingly tribe of Benjamin, the prized son of Israel. Around the house, Paul was known as Saul, just like his most famous relative the King.
He knew his religion well, having studied under the best. He was the star student of the Great Gamaliel. Saul had by this time been recognized as an up and coming lawyer. If he had not already been named to the Sanhedrin, the high court of the Jews, he was at least in their company, agreeing to their defense of their religion.
If religion must be defended, is it really right?
The Sanhedrin had tried to silence the followers of Jesus by crucifying Him. Now the Sanhedrin realizes that their plan backfired and Jesus’ followers seem to be multiplying faster than rabbits. This must stop!
So they try to shut up the followers of Jesus by incarcerating Peter and John:
Acts 4:3
3 They seized Peter and John, and because it was evening, they put them in jail until the next day.
(NIV)
But that doesn’t stop the Wave of the Way:
Acts 4:4
4 But many who heard the message believed, and the number of men grew to about five thousand.
(NIV)
So the teachers of the Law tried to reason with Peter and John:
Acts 4:18-20
18 Then they called them in again and commanded them not to speak or teach at all in the name of Jesus.
19 But Peter and John replied, "Judge for yourselves whether it is right in God’s sight to obey you rather than God.
20 For we cannot help speaking about what we have seen and heard."
(NIV)
“Seen and Heard” means that this is a
First-person experience!
Can you say that? I cannot help myself! I love the Lord and I don’t care who knows! There are certain things that I must do out of love for Him and there are certain things I cannot do, no matter what you do to me, because I love Him!
Do you have RELIGION
or do you have a RELATIONSHIP?
May the testimony of our lives always be: “I’m not religious; I just love the Lord! Paul went from being a very religious man to this:
Philippians 3:7-11
7 But whatever was to my profit I now consider loss for the sake of Christ.
8 What is more, I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ
9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ-- the righteousness that comes from God and is by faith.
10 I want to know Christ and the power of his resurrection and the fellowship of sharing in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death,
11 and so, somehow, to attain to the resurrection from the dead.
(NIV)
Is He all you need?
