"THE OSTEEN EFFFECT"
Galatians 1:1-9
Galatians 1:6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
Introduction: Throughout 2,000 years of church history there have been many examples of those who would pervert the Gospel of Christ and they have deceived many. We have seen some extreme examples of this in our own lifetime. Here are some of the most well known:
- Jim Jones and "The People's Temple". His entire congregation followed him to South America and over 900 of them (including many children) drank cyanide laced Kool-Aid in a mass suicide.
- In 1997 Marshal Applewhite, the leader of the "Heaven's Gate" cult convinced 38 people to commit suicide in order to reach what they believed was an alien space craft following the Hale--Bopp comet.
- In the early 90's David Koresh (who claimed to be Jesus) and his cult the "Branch Davidians" moved into a compound in Waco Texas. Koresh became the polygamous husband of all the females and there were many reports of sexual abuse and statutory rape in the compound. In a 1993 raid by the ATF & FBI... 76 Branch Davidians died in a fire that was set by the cult itself.
A group does not have to be as extreme as these that we have mentioned to be a considered a cult. There are several groups today who are just as deceived as those we have already mentioned.
- The church of Scientology
- Jehovah's Witnesses
- The Latter Day Saints
- The Nation of Islam
- Islam
- Witchcraft
- Astrology ...and many others
These groups already possess massive numbers of followers and are growing rapidly. It is amazing that people would turn away from the true Gospel and follow these false teachings, but it happens daily. Many of those who would join a cult are those who have general knowledge of the bible, and many of them have even made a profession of faith.
> One vivid example is "Mormonism" or "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints"
- 80% of converts to Mormonism are professing Christians
- 40% of converts to Mormonism are Baptist
Those are staggering statistics and they should concern us greatly. And the TRUE followers of Christ must do a better job with discipleship and equipping believers to identify and combat false teaching. But the problem of false teaching is not solely found in what we would refer to as a "cult". Many churches that began with Jesus Christ and the Word of God as their foundation have been infiltrated and deceived by false teachers."
Kevin L. Jones
This brings me to what I believe is even more dangerous to the true faith. It is the large mega-church ministries led by larger than life personalities, a personality cult if you want to refer to it that way. It is my personally held belief that the largest church in America today is one of these personality cults. That explains my title for today's message, "The Osteen Effect." I'll say more as we get into the message but first let's examine the text and see that Paul refers to:
I. THE CRISIS OF THE TRUTH
a. The concern he expresses
First, let me set the scene for what Paul has to say about what he heard about the drift of the Galatians and expresses a "surprised concern" about the fact that these Galatians were "...so soon removed..." from their faith in the true "...Gospel of Christ..." to "...another Gospel..." In Scripture the word "...another..." has two meanings. Sometimes it means one of the same kind and sometimes it means one of a different kind. Here it is the latter of the two. This other gospel is one of different kind than the one Paul had preached to them and that they had believed. Paul's gospel had saved them but this other gospel has seduced them!
b. The conduct he examines
The word "...removed..." means; Ye are so quickly removing (houtōs tacheōs metatithesthe). The present middle indicative of metatithēmi, to change places, to transfer. "You are transferring yourselves" and doing it "so quickly" either from the time of their conversion or most likely from the time when the Judaizers came and tempted them. So easily some of them are falling victims to these perverters of the gospel. That is a continuous amazement (thaumazō) to Paul and to men today that so many are so silly and so gullible to modern as to ancient charlatans. Robertson's Word Pictures
c. The cause he exposes
In verses 3-5 Paul reminds the Galatian believers of the true gospel:
Galatians 1:3 Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ,
4 Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father:
5 To whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
The focus of the true gospel was the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, that salvation was by grace through faith in Jesus and that we were to devote ourselves body, mind, soul and spirit to the glory of God and to love Him supremely! What the Galatians were hearing and following unfortunately was something different, it was another gospel.
II. THE CAUTION ABOUT THE TROUBLERS
Just recently the co-pastors of the Lakewood Church in Houston Texas have been in the news but for all the wrong reasons. The co-pastors I'm referring to are Joel and Victoria Osteen who are leading what is estimated to be a 40,000 member congregation that meets in what used to be the Compaq Center where the Houston Rockets used to play. They average about 16,000 per week in multiple services. What has spurred my interest in the Osteen's started a few weeks ago when I watched a 37 second video of Pastor Victoria Osteen that has come under fire by many in and outside of the evangelical community. In her message Mrs. Osteen says and I quote, "...I want to encourage everyone of us to realize when we obey God, we're not doing it for God-I mean, that's one way to look at it-we're doing it for ourselves, because God takes pleasure when we are happy...That's the thing that gives the greatest joy..." She continued: "So, I want you to know this morning-just do good for your own self. Do good because God wants you to be happy...when you come to church, when you worship him, you're not doing it for God really. You're doing it for yourself, because that's what makes God happy. Amen?" I can assure you that she got a hearty amen from the crowd! What is wrong with what Victoria Osteen said?
a. The purveyors of this other gospel
The Bible warns us that in the "last days" there would be a great "falling away" from the true faith. The impetus for this movement would be false teachers and prophets who would preach "another gospel."
Jesus spoke in the Sermon on the Mount about false prophets - "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves" - Matthew 7:15
Then again when speaking about the end times He said that -"...many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many" Matthew 24:11
The Apostle John, in his first Epistle spoke of those who were deceivers - 1 John 2:18 Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time.
He covers this subject again in - 2 John 1:7 for many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist.
THE CHURCH'S GREATEST TROUBLEMAKERS
Preacher and Bible commentator, John Stott, said this in his exposition of Paul's letter to the Galatians:
"To tamper with the gospel is to trouble the church... Indeed the church's greatest troublemakers (now as then) are not those outside who oppose, ridicule and persecute it, but those inside who try to change the gospel... Conversely, the only way to be a good churchman is to be a good gospel-man. The best way to serve the church is to believe and to preach the gospel."
(Source: Stott, John R.W. The Message of Galatians, "The Bible Speaks Today" Downers Grove, Ill; Inter-Varsity Press, 1968. From a sermon by Clark Tanner, "The Gospel Not of Man," 11/5/2009)
The Osteen's are purveyors of another gospel my friend. Let me read a quote from an article entitled "The Osteen Predicament" "In their sermons and books, both Joel and Victoria Osteen give full-throated endorsement to the prosperity gospel, a theology which states that those enduring hardships, poverty, and sickness have only their lack of faith and confidence to blame for their suffering...There are of course some enormous theological problems with this theology...where you obtain God's blessings by speaking them into existence. The first is that it has no basis in the Scriptures and conveniently ignores all of the words that Jesus speaks about the question of suffering, the cost of discipleship, and the blessedness of persecution. The second is that it offers nothing but despair to those who are faithfully enduring the crosses Christ has given them to bear, and third, is that such a doctrine simply doesn't square with the lives of those who were the first to tell us about God's blessings in Christ." According to the gospel preached by the Osteen's the Apostle Peter and the Apostle Paul would have been really lousy Christians who couldn't unlock God's potential blessings!
b. The packaging of this other gospel
Millions of people today have moved from what I would call orthodox Christ centered, gospel focused Christianity to something else, to another gospel. This other gospel is wrapped in a Madison Avenue veneer and has all the professional quality stage production values of a Broadway show with strobe lighting and fog machines, the best top flight musicians and singers, celebrity guests parading on stage to add star power to the proceedings, an extravagant lifestyle (one mega-church in Florida just recently revealed that they provided their pastor with a $60,000 per year clothing allowance because he never wears the same outfit twice) and a message that emphasizes the "power of positive thinking" (does that sound familiar to any of you older folk, aka Norman Vincent Peale) that has been mixed with what is now referred to a "Prosperity, health and wealth and name it and claim it" theology. What the Osteen's have done is the latest and the slickest version of this kind of theology.
"The Osteen's are phenomenally successful because they are the exaggerated fulfillment of the self-help movement and the cult of celebrity rolled into one massive mega-church media empire. And, to cap it all off, they give Americans what Americans crave--reassurance delivered with a smile." Quote from The Osteen Predicament
c. The peril of this other gospel
The peril of this other gospel in many ways is not what they say, which is bad enough, but what they do not say. The Osteen's and many others like them display a dangerous theological ignorance. When interviewed by Larry King on August 20, 2005.
KING: Is it hard to lead a Christian life?
OSTEEN: I don't think it's that hard. To me it's fun. We have joy and happiness. Our family -- I don't feel like that at all. I'm not trying to follow a set of rules and stuff. I'm just living my life.
KING: But you have rules, don't you?
OSTEEN: We do have rules. But the main rule to me is to honor God with your life. To live a life of integrity. Not be selfish. You know, help others. But that's really the essence of the Christian faith.
KING: That we live in deeds?
OSTEEN: I don't know. What do you mean by that?
KING: Because we've had ministers on who said, your record don't count. You either believe in Christ or you don't. If you believe in Christ, you are, you are going to heaven. And if you don't no matter what you've done in your life, you ain't.
OSTEEN: Yeah, I don't know. There's probably a balance between. I believe you have to know Christ. But I think that if you know Christ, if you're a believer in God, you're going to have some good works. I think it's a cop-out to say I'm a Christian but I don't ever do anything...
KING: What if you're Jewish or Muslim, you don't accept Christ at all?
OSTEEN: You know, I'm very careful about saying who would and wouldn't go to heaven. I don't know...
KING: If you believe you have to believe in Christ? They're wrong, aren't they?
OSTEEN: Well, I don't know if I believe they're wrong. I believe here's what the Bible teaches and from the Christian faith this is what I believe. But I just think that only God with judge a person's heart. I spent a lot of time in India with my father. I don't know all about their religion. But I know they love God. And I don't know. I've seen their sincerity. So I don't know. I know for me, and what the Bible teaches, I want to have a relationship with Jesus.
The Osteen's talk about living your best life now and unlocking God's earthly blessings, but the Osteen's don't talk about the best life won for us in the blood of the Lamb and God's eternal blessings for those who cling to Christi in faith. They don't talk about sin, or forgiveness or redemption or atonement. They don't talk about hell or the crucifixion. The Osteen's comments fit naturally within the worldview and message that they have carefully cultivated. The divine-human relationship is just turned upside down, and God's greatest desire is said to be our happiness. Nowhere in the Bible do you find that God wants us to be happy but you will find that He wants us to be holy! Happiness is no substitute for joy. Happiness, in the smiling version of the gospel in the Age of Osteen, doesn't last, cannot satisfy, and often is not even real.
Also, the peril is in the kind of followers/disciples that it attracts:
ACCEPTING THE MARGINAL
In speaking to church leaders Dallas Willard says:
"The leading assumption in the American church today -- and the Australian one I'll add -- is that you can be a Christian but not a disciple. That has placed a tremendous burden on a mass of Christians who are not disciples. We tell them to come to church, participate in our programs and give money.
But we see a church that knows nothing of commitment. We have settled for the marginal, and so we carry this awful burden of trying to motivate people to do what they don't want to do. We can't think about church the way we have been."
SOURCE: Dallas Willard
III. THE CURSE OF THE TRANSGRESSORS
Finally, let's see what examine what Paul says about those who preach and teach "another gospel."
a. The destruction of all perverters of the gospel of Christ
In his letter to the church in Corinth Paul writes:
1 Corinthians 16:22 If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.
The word anathema means damned/damnation and is the same word Paul uses in our text that is translated accursed. It is the strongest possible language he could use and was not said in haste or frustration. This is the strongest possible condemnation he could speak. Any other gospel deserves this condemnation not just the prosperity theology of the Osteen's. Any gospel that takes anything away from God and bestows it on man must be rejected.
Verse 8 is one of the most important verses of doctrine in the entire Bible! In these verses Paul explains the authority, infallibility and endurance of God's Holy Scriptures!
- Paul says if I come back to you with a message that is different than what I have already delivered "let me be accursed"!
- He takes it even further "if even an Angel from Heaven comes with another message let him be accursed"!
- If I stand in this pulpit and bring a message contrary to the Gospel of Christ "let me be accursed"!
- If someone knocks on your door and brings a message contrary to the Gospel of Christ "let them be accursed"!
- If you encounter someone in the Walmart parking lot who is sharing a message other than the Gospel of Christ "let them be accursed"!
- If you hear someone on the radio or see someone on the T.V who is sharing a message that is contrary to the Gospel of Christ, "Let them be accursed"!
In verse 8 Paul addresses a hypothetical situation, here in verse 9 he transitions to an actual situation. - v9 as we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
This has already happened to them, apparently SEVERAL men had "another Gospel to them that what they had already received" Paul says the same thing about them... LET THEM BE ACCURSED!
If you don't take anything else away from this sermon please hear this...
- BE CAREFUL WHO YOU LISTEN TO!
- KNOW WHAT YOU BELIEVE!
- LOOK TO THE SCRIPTURES!
- PUT YOUR TRUST IN CHRIST ALONE!
* Listen to what John says in - 1 John 4:1-3 "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world."
There were many false prophets in John & Paul's day and there are many more in our day. And those today have T.V, Radio & Internet at their disposal!
Kevin L. Jones
b. The defense of the gospel of Christ
ATHANASIUS CONTENDS FOR THE DEITY OF CHRIST
If Jesus is something less than God, he has no right and no power to forgive our sins. If Jesus can't forgive our sins, we have no hope.
Yes, the doctrine of the deity of Christ is worth contending for. And there is nobody God used more to contend for this biblical truth than Athanasius.
Athanasius was born in the year 298AD in Egypt. In his early twenties he was a deacon in the church in Alexandria (North Africa). During that time, the doctrine of the deity of Christ came under attack by a highly influential pastor named Arius. Arius taught that Jesus was a created being, that he had a beginning, and there was a time when Jesus was not. Therefore, according to Arius, Jesus is the son of God, but not God the son. His heresy was later known as the Arian heresy (named after Arius). It sparked a flame throughout the empire that would dominate the church for 60 years. It was a 20 year old young man by the name of Athanasius, 40 years younger than Arius, that God would use to contend for the doctrine of the deity of Christ (good word to 20 year olds here today, you don't need to wait to have a huge impact in the kingdom. God can use you now).
Athanasius would endure decades of persecution, banished from the church, sent into exile five times, framed for murder, threatened with death, slandered by emperors and bishops, all for standing firm to the doctrine of the deity of Christ. In the end he prevailed, truth was preserved, and the church has stood on his shoulders ever since.
(From a sermon by Mark Connelly, The Deity of Christ, 8/24/2011)
As Christians and especially as ministers of the Gospel we are to be apologist's for the faith not to apologize for the faith! Listen to the words of Jude:
Jude 1:3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Paul told Timothy to:
2 Timothy 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.
3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;
4 And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.
And he writes to the Ephesian elders who he met at Miletus:
Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock.
30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.
31 Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears.
I take no pleasure in exposing error, no minister does but God has given us a charge which we cannot discharge:
1 Peter 5:2 Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;
