Putting Casters on God’s Chair
(Compromising the Foundations)
TEXT: Ephesians 4:11-14, II Timothy 4:3, Psalm 11:3
OBJECTS: 1 chair on legs; 1 chair on casters
11 And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
II Timothy 4:3 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;
Psalm 11:3 If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?
THE THRONE OF GOD—THE LEG CHAIR
I. It is Represented by the Word of God—as our Focus
A. It Grounds the Christian
B. It Guards the Christian
C. It Guides the Christian
II. It is Retained by the Power of God—as our Force
A. For Living in this world
B. For Loving this old world
C. For Lifting this old world
III. It is Recognized by the Children of God—as our Future
A. It Guarantees us a home in Heaven
B. It Grants us a mansion to live in
C. It Gives us the rights of heirs with Christ
THE TEACHINGS OF MAN—THE CASTERED CHAIR
I. The Deceived (the Ephesian text)
A. By Choosing to Remain Babes in Christ—their Carnality
B. By Winds of Doctrine—their Changeability
--1. Tossed to and fro—their state of Agitation
--2. Carried about—they are not Anchored in the Truth
C. By Slight of Man—their Cheating (literal Greek sense)—of tossing the dice spiritually
D. By Cunning Craftiness
II. The Determined (the Timothy text)
A. Rejecting Sound Doctrine
B. Reaching for their own Desires
C. Responding to Different Teaching
--1. Teaching that honors the teachers rather than the Teaching—they become collectors (or heapers), so to speak
--2. Teaching that tickles the ears of the hearers—they become more concerned with teachers who please men rather than God
III. The Destruction (the text from the Psalms)
A. Erroneous teaching breeds False Doctrine
B. False Doctrine breeds more Erroneous Teachings
C. More Erroneous Teachings breed more False Doctrine
D. False Doctrine and Erroneous Teachings lead to:
--1. Unconcerned Christians
--2. Unsure Church Members
--3. Unrighteous Conversation (in the Biblical sense—their lifestyles)
--4. Unregenerate Compromises
----a. The Bible loses its Authority
----b. The Godhead loses its Sovereignty
----c. The Church loses its Power
----d. The World loses its only Hope
POINT: The solid chair represents the unchangeable truths of God’s Word, while the casters are the teachings of man
