Core Values – Sound Doctrine
Jude 3 "I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints."
2 Timothy 3:16-17 "All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work."
In Washington D.C. there is a building called the "National Institute of Standards & Technology." This facility is responsible for storing perfect samples of weights and measurements. They have what are called “prototypes” of pound weights and kilograms. Measuring rods for feet, yards & metric measurements like meters. For example, they have a “Meter Standard” a reinforced bar of platinum alloyed with exactly 10% iridium. When they want to know the exact measurement of a “meter” they cool this bar down to 0 degrees Celsius at a sea level of 45 degrees latitude then they know they will have the exact tip to tip measurement of a meter. That bar is known as “prototype #27, because the original is kept in a suburb of Paris at the International Bureau of Weights & Measures.
Years ago, the State of Kentucky had a law that every classroom in its in public schools had to post the 10 Commandments. The Supreme Court ruled against the state of Kentucky ordering it to take down all copies of the Ten Commandments from the walls of its schools saying: "Having the commandments on the wall may induce a student to read, meditate upon, and actually obey what is therein written."IN OTHER WORDS, the Supreme Court of the United States of America recognized that the Word of God had the ability to transform the character of people who read it.
Hebrews 4:12 "For the word of God [is] quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and [is] a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." Commenting on this passage, one scholar observed that the student doesn’t so much study the Bible, as the Bible itself studies him or her. That is, the bible is living thing, serving as a tool for the Holy Spirit.
When we examined George Barna’s report on what American churches believe last week, we saw the following percentages when Christian denominations were polled on whether they agreed with the following statement, “The Bible is totally accurate.”
· All Adults 41% * Adventists 64%
· Assemblies of God 77% * Baptists (any type) 66%
· Catholics 26% * Church of Christ 57%
· Episcopal 22% * Lutheran (any type) 34%
· Methodist (any type) 38% * Mormons 29%
· Non-denominational Christian 70% * Pentecostal/Foursquare 81%
· Presbyterian (any type) 40%
List to what great men in the past have said about the Bible.
· Abraham Lincoln: "I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man. All the good from the Savior of the world is communicated to us through this book."
· W. E. Gladstone: "I have known ninety-five of the world’s great men in my time, and of these eighty-seven were followers of the Bible.”
· George Washington: "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible."
· Napoleon: "The Bible is no mere book, but a Living Creature, with a power that conquers all that oppose it."
· Daniel Webster: "If there is anything in my thoughts or style to commend, the credit is due to my parents for instilling in me an early love of the Scriptures. If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instructions and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity."
· Horace Greeley: "It is impossible to enslave mentally or socially a Bible-reading people. The principles of the Bible are the groundwork of human freedom."
“Antique Roadshow”. Have you seen this PBS hit, which features everyday people who ask experts to determine the value of their family heirlooms? “This bowl has been in my family for generations. My grandmother brought it with her when she immigrated from Europe.” The expert examines the glazing, the shape, the markings on the bottom and then pronounces its value. “This is no ordinary bowl. It’s worth one thousand dollars!” Makes you want to dig through your kitchen cabinets and find out if you have any ancient treasures hiding there. Let me give you some advice. If your bowls say “Rubbermaid” on the bottom, they are not ancient treasures.
You may not have valuable antiques in your living room or masterpieces hanging on your walls, but each of you has an invaluable ancient treasure. It’s on your book shelves, or lying on your bedside table. It’s probably lying beside you right now. Go ahead and pick it up- that Bible of yours. It doesn’t matter if it’s paperback or leather bound, written in King James English or the language of the streets. Your Bible is a priceless ancient treasure and you should feel honored to possess it.
The pretty gold edged pages of your leather Bibles have been purchased by the blood of people like Isaiah the prophet, and Matthew the apostle. Like Paul the evangelist and Felix the shepherd. And like William Tyndale the translator, as well as hundreds and thousands of others who have worked to enlighten people across this world to the ancient words of our Creator and Savior. The Psalmists says, “Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light for my path . . . Your statutes are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart” (Ps 119:105, 111) .
The Bible is not the “book of the month”, it’s the book of the Ages!!! No book has been the object of more attacks/more scorn than the Bible. No book has ever been despised and rejected like the Word of God.It’s been burned/ridiculed/outlawed, but amazingly, the more it is attacked, the more it multiplies!.
· Voltaire in his day said, “in 100 years the Bible will be a forgotten book, only to be found in museums.” 100 years later, Voltaire was dead, and his house was purchased by the Geneva Bible Society for the printing and distribution of Bibles!
· Bob Ingersoll, a well-known atheist of last century, used to travel a circuit delivering messages on why the Bible is not true, said, “in 15 years I’ll have the Bible in the morgue……he died 15 years later to the day! He was in the morgue, but the Bible lives on! Many a man has preached the funeral of the Bible, only to find out that the corpse outlives the pallbearers!
· John Cummings said, “the empire of Caesar is gone, but the Word of God still survives, the legions of Rome are moldring in the dust, but the Word of God still survives, the avalanches that Napoleon heaped upon Europe have melted away, but the Word of God still survives, the pride of the Pharoahs has fallen, but the Word of God still survives.
· Tradition has dug for it a grave. Many a Judas has betrayed it w/ a kiss. Many a Demas has forsaken it, but the Bible still survives!”
John Wycliffe gave his life to translating the Bible from Latin to English, against the wishes of the pope, by the way. (Wycliffe had spoken out against the pope that he was not infallible) After his death, the church actually dug up his bones and burned them, and threw the ashes into the Thames River…what a beautiful picture, though, of what he did for the Bible, for the river carried his ashes to the ocean, and ocean currents spread them over the world, and everywhere that waves lap the shore, the Word of God has been distributed.
The truth of this statement has lead many to pay the ultimate sacrifice so that you could open your Bibles here today. It’s been translated in over 2000 languages. It’s served to overthrow ruthless governments, sparked mass migrations across oceans, and more than once changed the course of history. Many have tried to destroy it, but it has outlasted all of it’s attackers. It is the eternal word of God, the greatest story ever told, the ancient treasure we all possess and the message of hope that grounds our lives. It’s the Bible like you’ve never seen it before - a precious treasure, just waiting for you to dust it off and open it up. Why don’t you discover it anew today.
The major division between professing Christians today is: no longer the denominations. The division is between those who believe the Bible is true, and those who do not. I want to say, w/ out stuttering or stammering, that everything we do here is built upon the fact that this is the very Word of God…and w/out the assurance that this IS the Word of God, and that every word of it is true, we have no certainty about the way of salvation, we have no promise of a home in Heaven, and we have no standard to live by. If a church does not believe that the Bible is the word of God, then it has become nothing more than a social club…dedicated to the betterment of the community, always trying to make the world a better place to go to hell from!
We live in a day in which everything that is not nailed down is coming loose…and the devil is pulling nails as fast as he can! It’s time to get it nailed down. Many in our society today hate it…they hate the whole concept of absolute truth/absolute authority…nobody’s gonna tell me what to do. Some despise God’s Word, others deny God’s Word (I don’t believe it), others distort God’s Word (twist it to say what they want), others dissect God’s Word (cut out the parts they don’t like), others disregard God’s Word (it’s irrelevant, unimportant), …Even churches have replaced theology with “meology”! Don’t despise it/deny it/distort it/dissect it/disregard it…but delight in it and defend it!
“The Bible is a book above and beyond all other books…as a river is beyond a rivelet/as the sun is beyond a candle in brightness/as the wings of an eagle above the wings of a sparrow in strength/…it is supernatural in origin, eternal in duration, inexpressible in value, immeasurable in influence, infinite in scope, divine in authorship, human in penmanship, regenerative in power, infallible in authority, universal in interest, personal in application, and inspired in totality! The Bible is the book that has walked more paths, traveled more highways, knocked on more doors, spoken to more people in their mother tongue, than any other book has ever known, or ever will know.”
a. Teaching should be biblical and based on the historical roots of our Christian faith
· Not Name it Claim It
o There are some folks that preach so much about money, prosperity, and sweet sugary stuff that you rarely hear about the power of the cross, God’s grace & forgiveness
o There are some that preach about POWER, but the gospel is the POWER of God to salvation
o There are some who preach about legalism, but there is only one way for man to be right before a Holy God – through the forgiveness and cleansing of the blood
· Not Greed disguised with out-of-context verses
o The central message of the cross has been traded for a soothing massage by the clergy
· Not the American dream, ambition, and materialism cloaked with token verses
· Not "Doctrine of the Month" new revelation club
o Not the gold dust falling, “holy laughter & barking” and the 7 mysteries of the anointing, when we fail to declare the to the lost “there is only one name given whereby we must be saved”
· Not Legalism nor cultural conformity or liberalism
o Cultural relevance does not mean conformity – sin is still sin, God’s commands are absolute and don’t need to be re-evaluated, explained away, or redefined.
o Stealing, Killing, Gossipping, Gluttony, Pride, Prejudice, Greed, Fornication, Adultery, Homosexual acts, and lust are condemned by the Scriptures as sin – not “oops”, mistakes, but filthy, stinking, evil that must be repented of!
· Not Pentecostal excesses – goofy-proof
o Not the “fall down in the floor out of habit” altar services
o Not the unbiblical manifestations – let all things be done decently & in order
o Power of the Holy Spirit does not mean that “anything goes”
o The Holy Spirit works within the confines of what He defined in Scripture
§ Minister threw Bible to floor: ’I don’t need that Book anymore, I am beyond that. ’I have the Holy Spirit. I AM A PROPHET. God sends my instructions direct.
§ Letter to John MacArthur: Let me give you a piece of advice that might just save you from the wrath of God: put away your Bible and your books and stop studying. Ask the Holy Spirit to come upon you and give you the gift of tongues.
· "I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, and born of the Virgin Mary. He suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried; he descended into hell. The third day he rose again from the dead. He ascended into heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead." I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting. Amen."
· In the verbal inspiration of the Bible.
o Heaven & earth shall pass away, but My Word will never pass away
· In one God eternally existing in three persons; namely, the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost.
· That Jesus Christ is the only begotten Son of the Father, conceived of the Holy Ghost, and born of the Virgin Mary.
· That Jesus was crucified, buried, and raised from the dead. That He ascended to heaven and is today at the right hand of the Father as the Intercessor.
· That all have sinned and come short of the glory of God and that repentance is commanded of God for all and necessary for forgiveness of sins.
o I believe it down to my toes!
o There is only One Way to the Father, One Hope for the World, It is Jesus Christ, the only name given whereby we must be saved!
o I believe it so much that we as a church must exist for this purpose – to see lost people redeemed to Jesus Christ and made His discipled servants
· That justification, regeneration, and the new birth are wrought by faith in the blood of Jesus Christ.
· In sanctification subsequent to the new birth, through faith in the blood of Christ; through the Word, and by the Holy Ghost.
· Holiness to be God’s standard of living for His people.
· In the baptism with the Holy Ghost subsequent to a clean heart.
· In speaking with other tongues as the Spirit gives utterance and that it is the initial evidence of the baptism of the Holy Ghost.
· In water baptism by immersion, and all who repent should be baptized in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.
· Divine healing is provided for all in the atonement.
· In the Lord’s Supper and washing of the saints’ feet.
· In the pre-millennial second coming of Jesus. First, to resurrect the righteous dead and to catch away the living saints to Him in the air. Second, to reign on the earth a thousand years.
· In the bodily resurrection; eternal life for the righteous, and eternal punishment for the wicked.
a. Categories of Cults
II. Pseudo (False) Christian Cults
1. Jehovah Witnesses Mormonism Christian Science
2. Unification Church (Moonies)
3. Oriental Cults (including Hinduism, Buddhism, TM, Hare Krishna, Zen, Yoga, etc.)
4. Human Potential cults (New Age, Scientology)
5. The Occult ? Spiritism, Astrology, Witchcraft, Satanism, Native American/ Shamanism
III. Characteristics of cults
1. They all claim special revelation and privilege
2. Those that use the Bible invariably interpret it in disharmony with standard biblical understanding.
3. They distort the true biblical doctrines that effect salvation sufficiently to void salvation
4. If it doesn’t use the Bible, it is a non-Christian religion and does not participate in the benefit of divine revelation.
5. Some cult groups add to the Bible.
a. Mormonism ? the Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price.
IV. Christian Science
1. Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures.
2. The Jehovah’s Witnesses ? New World Translation
3. Revelation 22:18 "For I testify unto every man that hears the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:"
V. All cults add to the finished work of Jesus on the cross
1. At the end of the life of Jesus, he cried out from the cross, "It is finished." So it must have been a success. But by human standards, his ministry at that point would have been judged a failure
2. Hebrews 12:2 "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God."
3. Cults add works of righteousness to the finished work of salvation accomplished by Jesus on the cross.
4. James 2:17 "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."
5. Ephesians 2:8-9 "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: [9] Not of works, lest any man should boast."
6. The twisting of Scripture.
a. Take Scripture out of context
b. Read into the Scriptures information that is not there
c. Pick and choose only the Scriptures that suit their needs
d. Ignoring full counsel of Scripture
e. Combine scriptures that don’t have anything to do with each other
f. Incorrect definitions of key words
g. Mistranslate the Scripture.
7. Jesus - ALL THE CULTS DENY the full divinity of JESUS CHRIST
a. Copeland is perhaps the best known proponent of the charismatic’s "little gods" teaching (see below). He says Jesus told him: "Don’t be disturbed when people accuse you of thinking you are God... They crucified Me for claiming I was God. I didn’t claim that I was God; I just claimed that I walked with Him and that He was in Me. Hallelujah! That’s what you’re doing..."
1. Spirit-filled faith and worship should be balanced with intellect and emotion
2. Biblical principles are not dependent on the affirmation or acceptance by culture
3. We believe in balancing a message of prosperity through the biblical pattern of tithing and giving bring God’s blessings to enable us to further advance the Kingdom of God
4. We believe in the spontaneity of the Holy Spirit, with all things proved by Scripture
