You heard of the Mason Dixon line, haven’t you?
You know what Mason said to Dixon, "You've got to draw the line somewhere."
We need standards in our:
(1) NEIGHBORHOODS
Illus: Sometime we read and hear about people complaining about standards in their neighborhood.
That is, before they moved into a nice neighborhood in which they have chosen to live they signed a contract that state clearly:
• Certain things they can do or can not do.
• Certain thing they can have in their yards and can not have.
But some people after they move into these neighborhoods they decide to completely ignore the contract.
When they are notified they are violating the contract and carried to court they say, “This is my yard and I can do with it whatever I want to do with my yard!”
No, you can not!!! If you signed a contract that limits what you can do and can not do you are bound by the contract that you signed.
We have COMMUNITY STANDARDS.
We need standards on our…
(2) HIGHWAYS
That is, we have SPEED STANDARS.
When we got our driver’s license part of the test we took was a driver’s test and agreed to certain SPEED LAWS.
We could not get our license until we agreed that we knew what the speed laws varied in the city and on the interterstate.
Now some when they get caught for speeding will look the patrolman in the face and say, “This is my car that I bought and paid for and I will drive it as fast as I want to drive it any where I want to drive it.”
No you want!!!
The test you took to get your license to drive on the road stated certain speeds standards for certain location.
We need standards in…
(3) EDUCATION
We need standards for students what is required to make a passing grade.
We need for teachers to take the national teacher’s exam.
But it is important that we have ACADEMIC STANDARDS for our STUDENTS AND OUR TEACHERS.
We need standards for our…
(4) SPORTS
For example, what would baseball be like if there were no standards? We have the standard THREE STRIKES AND YOU ARE OUT.
This same standard is used for every game for every team.
Football has a standard that a team must carry the football one-hundred yards before they can SCORE a touch down.
This is the same standard used in every game and for every team.
Standards are good!!!
BUT LISTEN IT IS IMPORTANT WE HAVE STANDARDS WHEN IT COMES TO GOD’S CHURCH.
WHAT IS THE STANDARD FOR God’s church? It is the Word of God!
Illus: I do not know about you but my wife and I get sick and tired of hearing people say on some of these news station always saying, “I think this or I think that!”
Without sounding rude, I really do not care what they think. When I hear the news I want to hear the FACTS not someone opinion. Once I hear the FACTS I can draw my own conclusions.
And the same thing when I go to church I do not want to waste my time hearing a preacher say, “Here is what I think!”
I want to hear the STANDARDS OF GOD’S WORD THINK!!!
But the problem seems to be that CHRISTIANS ARE AFRAID TO TAKE A STAND ON THE STANDARDS OF GOD’S WORD BECAUSE IT OFFENDS PEOPLE THAT WE KNOW!
Illus: For example, an umpire was standing behind the catcher calling the strikes and the balls. The fellow at bat was a very big fellow and so was the catcher. The umpire was a very small fellow.
• The pitcher pitched the first ball, and the umpire yelled, “Strike One”.
• The very large batter turned around and gave him a look like he was fixing to break the bat over his head.
• The next pitch he yelled, “Ball One” and the very large catcher got up, and looked like he was about to shove the ball down his throat.
• The umpire was very nervous. When the third ball was pitched, he yelled “Two”.
• And both of them said, “Two what”?
• He said, “Too close to call!”
God’s Word sets STANDARDS for what we must do to please the Lord. It is obvious that the STANDARDS OF GOD’S WORD are not being followed.
Let us look at two things
I. LET’S LOOK AT THE PROBLEM
When it comes to living by BIBLICAL STANDARDS, we need to consider-
A. ARE WE RIGHT IN OUR METHOD
Prov. 14:12 tells us, “There is A WAY WHICH SEEMETH RIGHT UNTO A MAN, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
Our society in which we live, makes you think of Judges 21:25, where we read, “In those days there was no king in Israel: EVERY MAN DID THAT WHICH WAS RIGHT IN HIS OWN EYES.”
God’s church need to follow the Word of God and have BIBLICAL STANDARDS!
When we measure things by the wrong standard, things will always be “off”.
One of the best ways to get yourself into trouble is to follow people.
Illus: Consider the crash of the Air Force Thunderbirds in the Nevada desert years ago. The entire team, in perfect formation, flew their jets straight into the ground. Why? They had their eyes glued to their leader, whose “stick” had malfunctioned. And once they discovered he was going to crash it was to late for them also.
The STANDARD OF GOD’S WORD should always determine our direction, NOT FOLLOWING SOMEONE ELSE WHO IS OFF COURSE!
Illus: Did you know that if you build a house with a level that is not accurate, everything in your house will be crooked?
The same thing is true for the spiritual life. When we use the WRONG STANDARD, we will be off every time.
Illus: I want to ask you a question, you do not need to respond, when you were in school did you ever cheat on a test. Don’t give me that angelic look.
But if you have when the grades came you got the same grade the other fellow got.
I did this one time before I was saved and when the grades came back I told the girl that I copied from she was one dumb girl.
I also told her what are you trying to do make me fail my grade!!!
The fellow beside me was copying my paper and of course he failed the test also.
Our whole section that I was sitting had the same question, failed the same problem, made the same grade.
The only problem with that, I told her she was dumb but that meant I was as dumb as she was!
God’s Word is OUR STANDARDS!!!
ARE WE RIGHT IN OUR METHODS?
Also, we need to ask ourselves-
B. ARE WE RIGHT IN OUR MOTIVES
It is not enough to DO THE RIGHT THING according to God’s STANDARD. We also need to ask ourselves, “WHY AM I DOING WHAT I AM DOING?”
It is important that we have the RIGHT METHOD, but it is equally important that we have the RIGHT MOTIVE.
For example, God’s Word says in John 14:15, “If ye love me, keep my commandments.”
Notice:
• Before the Lord tells us to keep His commandments,
• He first tells us to LOVE HIM!
I Corinthians 10:31 Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.
Our motive for OBEYING THE STANDARD OF GOD’S WORD, IS OUR LOVE FOR HIM!
• Some say, “I ATTEND CHURCH every Sunday, because I would be afraid not to give the Lord those few hours on Sunday.” Listen, there is a better reason for coming to church, and it is because YOU LOVE THE LORD.
• Some say, “I TITHE every Sunday, because I would be afraid not to give the Lord the portion that belongs to Him.” Listen, there is a better reason for tithing than fear, it is because you LOVE THE LORD.
• Some say, “I WITNESS to lost people every day. I would be afraid not to witness to the lost daily.” Listen, there is a better reason for witnessing than because you are afraid. You should do it because you LOVE THE LORD.
• Our MOTIVE for obeying the STANDARDS OF GOD’S WORD SHOULD ALWAYS BE BECAUSE WE LOVE HIM.
And the reason that many do not live their lives according to the STANDARD OF GOD’S WORD, is NOT because they are ignorant of what it teaches, they SIMPLY DO NOT LOVE HIM.
It is only when we have the RIGHT METHOD and the RIGHT MOTIVE that the Lord can work in our life.
We have looked at THE STANDARDS but now let us look at…
II. THE SOLUTION
Illus: Have you ever driven down the highway and noticed a large bumper sticker on the back of a truck that asked, “How is my driving?”
This is something we as Church and as Christians need to ask ourselves.
Look at II Cor. 13:5, “Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves…”
Some feel they are alright because they compare themselves to OTHERS.
That is, it is possible for a church to compare their church WE ARE DOING GREAT, BUT IN THE SIGHT OF GOD THEY ARE NOT!!!
HERE IS THE PROBLEM WITH THAT, OUR POINT OF REFERENCE IS WRONG!!!
Illus: If a person is taking an art course in school, they might ask the teacher, “How am I doing?” They might be told they are doing very well compared to others in the art class.
But when the point of reference is Michelangelo, they are not doing well at all.
There are those who think they are doing well because they compare themselves to others.
Illus: If the fellow next to you is as crooked as a snake, and you are like him, that makes you as crooked as a snake.
Illus: Every day a man used to walk by a jewelry store, stop and set his watch by the big clock in the window. One day the jeweler happened to be standing in his doorway.
• He greeted the man in a friendly way and said; "I see you set your watch by my clock.
• What kind of work do you do that demands such correct time each day?"
• "I'm the watchman at the plant down the street," said the man. "My job is to blow the five o'clock whistle."
• The jeweler was startled. "But...you can't do that," he blurted out. "I set my clock by your whistle!" (Unknown).
Look at II Cor.10:12. We read, “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise.”
What makes a thing right or wrong, is the STANDARD OF GOD’S WORD.
The solution to this problem of following the WRONG STANDARDS is to follow the RIGHT STANDARD. HIS WORD!
Conclusion:
Have you noticed that in some of these chain restaurant when you walk in them they all look like.
I do not know how they do it but you can go into a Waffle House and not only does the restaurant look like so does the employees.
It is the same with churches today if you go in one it is amazing how most of them look alike!
That is, they are all carbon copies of each other.
But it is refreshing to walk in a church where God’s people have STANDARDS!
RIGHT IS ONLY RIGHT IF IT AGREES WITH THE BIBLICAL STANDARDS OF GOD’S WORD.
When it comes to standards we have looked at:
I. THE PROBLEM
II. THE SOLUTION
