The Mirage

Good morning and welcome in today today we’re going to take a look at the following thescripture.

Rom 16:17

17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisons and offences contrary to the doctrine which ye have learned; and avoid them.

When you mark something it is to take notice of it. 

We live up in northern Minnesota  and it seems like each day the loggers are cutting wood somewhere. The foresters will go out into the woods and take a spray can and mark the trees  that need to be cut down and sold. As we walk through the woods it’s pretty easy to see the ones that they have marked out.

As we live the Christian life we are supposed to take notice and mark out those who are rejecting Christian doctrine.  The ones who do so are called heretics.

I’ve always taught my family that if we make mistakes in our lives we have forgiveness with God as long as we apologize and confess. There’s one thing that we can never do and that is to reject and go completely against which scriptures teach. That is called believing a lie.  A heretic can repent but they have to come to a place where they accept the truth of scripture. There’s one thing that joins us all together in the church it’s the teachings of the Bible. To reject a love of christ and His teachings is heresy.

It’s becoming more and more like the days of Noah just as the Lord Jesus prophesied. Many people are departing from the truth of the Christian faith.  I’m a sinner who is no better than anybody else but what I do recognize is that in this world that we live in today, people are starting to turn from the truth of scriptue.  It’s a Christianity without biblical truth.  It’s spirituality without a conversion of the heart. It’s religion without any guidance and direction from God.

The Bible teaches Christians to be merciful, but these people are not. The Bible teaches us to be forgiving with others, but these people are not.  The Bible teaches us to forgive others 70 x 7 but they refuse to do this when others apologize. These are the doctrines of Christianity and for which Christ died.

The doctrines of the Christian faith are found in the teachings of the King James Bible.  A doctrine is a belief or set of beliefs that are taught and need to be obeyed.  A doctrine is a set of principles or beliefs, especially religious ones. Modern Christianity is turning into a religion without any doctrine.  They preach love but the truth is they don’t love the teachings of what Christ Jesus taught.

Can you imagine trying to fix a motor on a car without a manual? Can you imagine trying to fly a helicopter without any kind of instruction?  This is what many people who profess to be Christian today are trying to do today. They are taking God’s manual that he gave us and throwing it out the window.  In the Bible’s he lays out the doctrines and the teachings that he wants us to continue to keep in the church.

Today we are discussing people who are caught up in contrary doctrine.  These are people who really don’t believe the truth of scripture but they are caught up in a lie. They are called heretics. In the church we have grace and forgiveness with Christ but you cannot believe a lie. You cannot believe things that go in complete contravention to what Jesus taught.

Contrary means to be opposite in nature, direction and meaning.  When people are in this mindset they completely turn against the truth. In the scriptures we have an example of people who did this very thing.

2 Tim 3:8  “Now as Jannes and Jambres withstood Moses, so do these also resist the truth: men of corrupt minds, reprobate concerning the faith.”

I will repeat it again as I have for 20 years to my family, don’t reject biblical truth. It is what fixes us and shows us that we are in error. It’s a state of rebellion against God and His leading. If you turn away from it you are rejecting correction. Without correction we can never change our ways.

As I’ve said already, I’m no better than anybody else. Just like you I’m a sinner, but we all have to accept the same form of doctrine in order to inherit the kingdom of God someday. If you think that’s a joke you’re not going to think it’s a joke at judgement day. Fear Him who has the power to throw you into hellfire.

Each of us need to accept the same doctrine in order to get to heaven. We all need to accept what the scriptures teach. Direct disobedience to the commands of Christ does not honor nor please him.

To become pleasing to God we have to obey and do His will rather than our own.  This is why we need to mark those who cause divisions in the church. The Apostle did not want any divisions at all in the church. He did want us to take note of those who were causing divisions because they wouldn’t believe the truth of scripture. The truth is this.

If somebody apologizes you have to forgive them. If you don’t, you are a heretic. An unforgivable sin is not to forgive others and be reconciled to them. Jesus died so that we could have forgiveness with God and be reconciled to him.

Forgiveness is the basis of the christian life. If you cannot forgive and forget when somebody confesses fault then you are a heretic. That goes completely against the reason why Jesus came to the Earth and died on the cross for our sins. That is why the scriptures teach if you do not forgive others, God is not going to forgive you. This is why the apostles preached forgiveness to the church. It is everything that Christ stands for. The people we are supposed to take note of today are those who were caught up in contrary doctrine which is heresy.  Heresy goes completely against the teachings of Jesus Christ

Again, I’m no better than any of you. I do believe the teachings of the scriptures. Heresy is having an opinion or a doctrine that is at variance with established Christian belief. Something that is in variance is not in agreement.

Imagine telling your dad that you are going to go rob a bank and he tells you, don’t you ever do that my son, that is variance. Something that is at variance is not in an agreement.

Today you can show many people the scriptures who profess to be Christian but they completely turn away from what it teaches. It’s like trying to teach them the English language but they completely reject it. I don’t say this to condemn others. God knows my heart. My desire is that they turn and believe His Word. These things are definitely happening in the world today.

You can take people to the scripture today and they completely turn away from what it says.  That is heresy.

Think about the days of the old pirate ships. They certainly appeared like decent merchants but they were there to rob you. Christianity is evolving into the same thing. It is changing and very different than people who believe in God’s Word. It is filled up with deceivers and Liars.

Today there are pirates who profess to be Christians whose sole purpose is to turn people from Christ and the things that he taught.  They appear Christian, they look like a Christian, but they do not believe the things that Christ taught.  It is because there are a heretic.

Most of you understand what a mirage is.  It appears from far off that it will quench your thirst while you are out in the desert. The truth is that it deceives the the eyes.

There are many people today who profess to be Christian, but when you look closely it’s a mirage. When you really take a look at them closely they really don’t believe the things that are taught in Scripture.

When I was a young child I used to tumble rocks and agates.  Sometimes I would find rocks that looked like gold but they weren’t because they were called fool’s Gold. Welcome to today’s contemporary modern Christianity. If the truth offends people so be it, but I guarantee you, this is what is going on right now. It’s Christianity without Christ and what he taught.

Just because it looks like gold on the exterior doesn’t mean that it is gold on the interior.  Welcome to today’s modern form of Christianity. They have a form of Christianity but reject what Christ taught. How can they even claim Christianity as their religion?  I may be a sinner but I do believe in the things that Jesus taught.

Have you ever avoided something before? Up here in Northern Minnesota sometimes when you are down by the lake in the spring you’re going to run into a snappping turtle. My wife and my children have run into some fairly big ones on our walk to the lake who could take care of one of your fingers is a big hurry. We keep away from them. We keep separate from things that might hurt us. God wants us to do the same thing. To come out and be separate from the world.

Don’t allow yourself to be deceived by a mirage. Believe the truth of God’s word which will expose fact from fiction.

That’s where I’m going to stop for right now but Lord willing, we’ll talk to you some more tomorrow. Till then bye-bye everybody. ♥️

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