The Corridor of Confusion
Pastor Vern Hall
The Free Gift Gospel Mission
Kingsport, TN
1 Corinthians 14:33- For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.
Introduction: When I was a young in my faith I had many questions about the Christian way of life. I had many questions about the Bible and about Jesus Christ, and about other religions. And like so many other young converts, I would take my questions to those people who were supposed to be my brothers and sisters in the Lord seeking help and guidance. But instead of help and guidance, I was met with scowls of indignation and protests. These people who were supposed to be faith filled Christian encouragers took the attitude, “How dare you even question these things.”
That was a very painful time in my life. It was never as if I was doubting the Bible or questioning what the Bible says just for the sake of being contrary or argumentative. I wasn’t just trying to stir up trouble. I just wanted to get a better understanding of what these things mean. What better resource did I have in my life than to approach professing men of God whom according to the Bible were supposed to have such of depth of Biblical knowledge that they could even “convince the gainsayer,” but more often than not I was given a response such as “just trust the Lord”, or “just believe the Bible.” Well praise the Lord! I want to say right now friends, I rejoice in trusting the Lord and believing the Bible. We ought to tell people to trust the Lord and believe the Bible. I’ve said it myself and will continue to say that to those who may need to hear it, but when that response comes about to cover our inability to answer basic questions of faith, because we’ve not done our homework in searching the scriptures, that type of response tends to be found wanting and furthermore I’ll say God is not pleased with us when we neglect to study his word and we neglect to give a reason of the hope that is in us with meekness and fear.
When Satan gets a young Christian in that corridor of confusion it can be a very dark and lonely experience. I want to say this to each person here this morning, if you are in that corridor of confusion, you’re not alone. I’ve personally been through that way before, and I’m here for you to help you in any way I can, but most importantly, Jesus Christ is here for you and He would have it made know today that God is not the author of confusion. But don’t let the enemy work you over like he used to do with me. Just because you have questions doesn’t mean you’re full of the devil. We all need time to grow in faith and develop in our spiritual maturity. So this message is for you who are standing in the midst of that corridor of confusion this morning. May the Lord use these words to bring you out and lovingly reinforce those basic truths of the faith he’d have us to learn. If the Lord would use us this morning, I want to mention a few points that will help us thought that corridor of confusion.
I. Don’t Just Take the Preachers Word For It!
The first thing I want to say is never just take the preachers word for it. Now there are still a great many so called preachers out there today who will tell you that you ought to just believe what they say and their word is the final verdict on the matter. Their word is the word of God
and there is no need for you to question the matter any further. They give the word….you
believe it….and that’s final. Friends, don’t buy into it. Any man who claims to be a preacher and says he has an exclusive handle on the truth and nobody knows the truth except him in a
lunatic. Likewise, when you find a group of people, cult, or so called church who claims they are the only ones who know the truth, and THEY are the only ones going to heaven, you’ve
found a confused bunch of people. You see, Satan has his fingerprints inside that corridor of confusion and he has his minions and helpers scattered far and wide. Don’t believe anybody who says they are the only ones going to heaven, because the Bible teaches me that anyone can go to heaven who believes and trusts in Jesus Christ. He’s the way, the truth, and the life, and
you’ve believed in him you’re going, I don’t care who are or what assembly you belong to.
You see, this notion of just believe what you’re told was one of the catalyst that propelled us into the dark ages. Those in the catholic church started telling the people that they were too ignorant to understand what God says in his word, so what did they do? They took the Word of God away from the people, twisted 1 Corinthians 2:14 and said because you are ignorant, and the natural man receives not the things of God, you just stop reading the Bible and we command you to believe whatever the priests tells you to believe. READ VERSE (1 Cor. 2:14) And that’s what they did! I sure am glad I didn’t live in the dark ages, where they took the Bible away and just told me to believe whatever the priest told me to. Friends, I got saved 11 years ago in a free will Baptist church, but I didn’t make it through one service before I realized that I wasn’t going to believe one word the free will Baptist told me without searching the scriptures and finding out for myself. That’s what we all need to do. I encourage everyone in here to do the same thing. Don’t take my word for it, find out for yourself. A man is just a man, and even a man with the indwelling of the Holy Ghost is liable to lead you in the wrong direction. I would never do it intentionally, but you need to find out for yourself. Don’t just take my word for it. Personally, I find it encouraging to know that somebody has questions. That tells me that they are really searching. It’s that one that just believe whatever they’re told that worries me. You ought to question things. I’m not talking about to the point of just being belligerent and standoffish, but make sure what you are being asked to believe is true. I’ll tell each of you up front. There are many things I don’t know, and I’ll just come out and tell you I don’t know, but there are a few things the Lord has shown me in his word, and I ought to do what I can to help people who are in that corridor of confusion.
Turn to Acts 17:10-11. READ
Paul and Silas were in Berea here. They had just been sent out of Thessalonica because they had caused such a stir by preaching the gospel. The Bible says their brethren had to send them out of the city by night, and they went to Berea where they people were more noble. They received the word readily and searched the scriptures daily to find out if the things Paul and Silas said were
true. Every one of us in this place this morning should be like these Bereans. Search, study, dig in the scriptures, and find out what the truth is. Which brings me to my next point.
II. Where Should We Focus Our Search?
Where do we need to search in our hunt for the truth? Beloved, I present unto you this morning, that when you are in that corridor of confusion, we need first and foremost to search the scriptures. These Bereans went to the scriptures. They didn’t go to the Gnostics. They didn’t consult philosophical writings. They didn’t go to the mystics and the soothsayers. They didn’t go to Miss Cleo. No, they searched the scriptures. Jesus Christ said himself in John 5:39 (turn there)- Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me. The scriptures will bring you out of confusion quicker than anything else you could ever find.
But when we say, “Search the scriptures” we run into a very common objection with many people. That objection simply says, “You Christians are always trying to use the Bible to prove the Bible. You are always trying to use the Bible to prove the existence of Jesus Christ.” They say that because there are quite a few people in the world today who will try to tell you that Jesus Christ never even existed. That he is just a made up character. Has anyone ever told you that? That the Lord never really existed? Well friends, I’m glad we don’t have to depend solely upon the testimony of the Bible to prove that Jesus Christ existed. We don’t have use the Bible to prove that our Lord is real. The reality is that there are so many secular historical writings that prove the existence of Christ that it is irrefutable. We have more proof today of Christ’s existence that any other historical figure from that time period, ever those figures who are never disputed.
Here are just a few:
Thallus is one of the earliest historians to mention Jesus Christ in his writings. And Africanus verified and quoted his writings around 200A.D. They both spoke of the strange darkness that occurred at the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. These stories of a “strange darkness” were not only spoken of here, but they were written of far and wide and they all coincide at around 33 A.D. at the exact time of Christ’s death on the cross.
Phlegon was another historian who wrote a chronological history around 140 A.D. He also wrote of this darkness, but interestingly added Jesus’ ability to foresee the future in his writings.
The life and death of Jesus Christ was common knowledge in the first few centuries. But today there are many who deny that Christ existed and people are just taking for granted the things they are told. The sad part is, very few have actually made an effort to search for themselves and check out the facts.
You see, the argument that Christ never existed is a fairly new one. It has caught on primarily with the last 200 years due to the fact the so much time has elapsed since Jesus Christ walked on this earth. Before they argued that Christ never existed, the popular argument was that Christ never rose from the dead. They argued that because the existence of Christ was common knowledge. Just within the last 200 years have people been able to stir up confusion about the existence of Christ.
Think about it. If someone told you that your great-grandfather never existed you’d know that person was crazy, but if that was said about the man 2000 years from now, it would be much easier to convince someone that he never existed.
There was also a very important governmental historian by the name of Tacitus. Tacitus was born in 55A.D. which is roughly 20 years after Christ left this earth. That’s getting really close to the source. Tacitus lived through the reigns of over 6 Roman Emperors. Tacitus til this day is consider one of the foremost historians of Rome. In his writings he confirms the execution of Jesus Christ at the hands of Pontius Pilate who governed Judaea during the reign of Tiberius, just as the Bible states. A common objection to this is the question, “Could Tacitus have taken his information from Christian sources?” The answer to that is NO. Tacitus had a position of a government historian and would have taken his information from government records. He was not merely another commentator. It is well known of Tacitus that he was highly critical of all information that was given to him. Also, in his records, Tacitus commonly distinguished between confirmed account of history and non verifiable hearsay. The accounts he recorded of Jesus Christ, were all of the verifiable history kind, and not labeled as hearsay, as Tacitus so labeled over 70 other accounts in only 1 of his history annuls.
Friends, these are only a few of the non-biblical records which prove the existence of Jesus Christ. We might as well face the truth. Jesus is real. We don’t have to use the Bible to prove the Bible. History itself verifies what the Bible says.
III. COMING OUT OF THE CORRIDOR OF CONFUSION
This is where I really got down in prayer with this message. Everything I’ve said in the message up until this point has come freely and easily as I prepared to preach today. This is where I really got down in prayer beseeching the Lord about where to take you to now. Of course, I know there are many people in this corridor of confusion in our day, and some of them are in our midst this morning. You need to know how to come out of that corridor and walk in the peace of stability of mind that Christ would have you to live. As I previously stated, I’ve been where you are. Thankfully the Lord brought me out. So I know how it is. This is how I came out:
1) I kept gradually stepping toward the light. It can get terribly dark in that corridor. But there IS a light. Jesus Christ is that light. You see, God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. Light and darkness are manifested in so many different things we encounter in life, but God allows our morality (even though gripped by sin) to distinguish many times between right and wrong. You
CAN know what is right. Whether you love what is right or chose to do what is right, is beside the point. You can know what is right. And I think you’ll find as I have found, when you step to the light, you’ll be stepping closer and closer to the Lord Jesus Christ. And when you step closer to him, you’ll find the truth coming in view more clearly.
2) There are many voices competing for your attention today. This morning you’ve heard my voice. But my voice is only one. So do you believe my voice, or the many voices outside of this building…..those voices you encounter at work, school, or ever at home. Yes there are many voices, but thankfully there is a voice of truth that you can believe today. You keep questioning and searching for the voice of truth, and he will speak to you, because he loves you. He sees your searching. He knows where you are. His voice was available to me and it is available to you. Just like the song says:
But the voice of truth tells me a different story And the voice of truth says "Do not be afraid!" And the voice of truth says "This is for My glory" Out of all the voices calling out to me I will choose to listen and believe the voice of truth.
Conclusion:
Now I’m coming to a close. I don’t know who this message may be speaking to this morning, but I do know this much. If God ever sent a message through this preacher, it was today. Dear one in the corridor of confusion, you searched and you’ve had questions. Don’t feel guilty and don’t feel defeated. If ever we needed someone to stand up and challenge the status quo, it is right now. So many people out there expect our youth and even our elderly to just go with the flow and believe whatever they’re told to believe. That’s why we’re in the shape we’re in today. That’s why so many people feel out of touch when they come to church. They don’t want to just believe whatever they’re told to believe. They want to come to church but they feel like there’s nothing in it for them, and they’re confused. I’ve been there. If I didn’t search and question things, I wouldn’t be here this morning. I would have bought whatever they were selling, believed what the preacher’s papaw said, and I would not be here today standing in this church preaching about the corridor of confusion. But thank the Lord, he brought me out, and He can bring you out, also. Let’s bow our heads.
