Living Between the Extremes - Lesson 1 - Introduction

A couple of questions to consider…
Are we any better off than others?
Would anyone want what we have?

Here is why I believe we need this series of Lessons…

What is worse adding to scripture or taking away from it?





Revelation 22:18-19, ‘For I testify unto every man that heareth 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: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.’

I don’t wish to call these people Legalists or Liberalists.
I am going to call them Adders and Subtractors.
Legalism takes one part of scripture, emphasizes it and overlooks others.

Liberals do the same thing.
Unsaved people would say I am on the legal side.
Others who see my CD and movie collection
Would say I am on the liberal side.

- It doesn’t matter what I say.
- It doesn’t matter what you think.
- What does the Bible know?


Introduction

This first class is an overview of what we will be covering in later classes.

Proverbs 20:23, ‘Divers weights are an abomination unto the LORD; and a false balance is not good.’

Let’s think of the word tolerance
Not in the form of tolerate but in terms of degrees.

When you set a thermostat in a home it has a tolerance in it
Of approximately one degree over and one degree under.
It would be next to impossible to maintain an exact temperature.
If it were possible the furnace would be on then off, on then off.
Making the efficiency of the device tremendously less.

Are we too rigid?
Do we have no tolerance?
Not in terms of tolerate
But in terms of a plus and minus?


Job 31:6, ‘Let me be weighed in an even balance, that God may know mine integrity.’

Are we searching the scriptures for ourselves?
Are we parroting what others have told us?
Running with something we heard on a tape or the radio?


I Corinthians 13:11, ‘When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.’

We mature or at least we should.
Not saying the child was wrong,
But he may have been.

Pastor Moses said this before…
‘If the Bible has an opinion about a matter, we have an opinion about a matter.’
‘If the Bible is silent about a matter, we are silent about that matter.’

Mormons don’t believe we should drink caffeine, are they right?





They use this verse to plead their case…

I Corinthians 3:16-17, ‘Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.’

We use those verses to beat up smokers so which is it.
We use that verse for one, both or neither?





Let’s review what defile means…

Mark 7:20-23, ‘And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man.’

From within


Hebrews 12:15, ‘Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled;’

Bitterness – again internal


James 3:6, ‘And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.’

Tongue – from within


Possibly we use that polluting the temple verse out of context.
Maybe we should whip that verse on gossipers.
“No I like Gossip.’
‘No I like Caffeine.’
‘No I like to Speed.’
‘No I like watching boot-legged movies.’


Let’s read Jesus’ own words on defilement.

Mark 7:15, ‘There is nothing from without a man, that entering into him can defile him: but the things which come out of him, those are they that defile the man.’


Conclusion

We used to be children
And we believed as children.
We believed what we were told.

As we got older we were able to think for ourselves.
We saw that people have lied to us in the past.

Things we used to believe were not true.
Other things are locked into our memory banks.

Some truths in our memory banks need to remain there.
Others may be untrue and we don’t want to let go of them.
We like them.
They make us feel good.
They make us feel comfortable.

We think those ideas make us better than them.

Proverbs 11:1-3, ‘A false balance is abomination to the LORD: but a just weight is his delight. When pride cometh, then cometh shame: but with the lowly is wisdom. The integrity of the upright shall guide them: but the perverseness of transgressors shall destroy them.’

If they are truths, hold onto them.
If they are ideas – rethink them.

If they are true they will stand up to scrutiny.
Possibly we are afraid of putting them to the test.

Let’s find the balance.
Let’s find the safe area
Where we can rest.

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