Thursday, July 18, 2024

Christian Church Bible Deception

 We'll praise Jesus today, everyone. Christians in our culture today often idolize the bible and act as though the bible itself were the final authority and the more sure word of God. They act as though if we know the bible in and of itself, we're achieving a higher Christianity. They treat the bible as though if you go to bible college, go to seminary, and if you know the bible and study it more, you're getting closer to God because you're gaining and gleaning more knowledge. Christians like to talk about the Bereans and about how they were more noble. They like to talk about Paul’s letter to timothy, about how the scripture makes you wise for salvation. And they have all these scriptures that they cherry pick to speak about how the bible is the sure word of God and how the bible itself is the rock and our security. And their entire church revolves around the bible. The sermons revolve around the bible. Churches pride themselves in being biblical. And afterwards, they have bible studies. And they are constantly searching the scriptures. Yet most of them are never coming to the knowledge of the truth. Now, I would never want to discourage anyone from reading the bible. I myself have a degree. And I went to college to learn the bible. And although I wasn't fully following Jesus at that point, I wouldn't trade my degree. I wouldn't say that I wish I didn't have it. I'm glad that I learned what I learned. I'm glad that from when I was young, my parents encouraged me to read the bible and read the bible with me.

But the problem is, Christians are not coming to Jesus Christ. They're not eating his flesh and drinking his blood. You know, you could go on the internet and ask ai technology anything that you want about Jesus. And that ai will spit it back to you as quick as you can imagine. And if that ai is not coming to you, you're not going to be able to read the bible. And if that ai was trying to do good, it would only bring what the bible has already said. And you could think that that itself is the word of God. But in reality, it's ai spitting back to you its version or its interpretation of how it has read the scriptures or many other interpretations of men that are on the internet. We don't want to be led by a person or by technology, some pastor, some church doctrine. Jesus promised us the Holy Spirit to lead us and guide us into all truth. You can find that in john chapter 14 through 16. And so we need to understand that all power and authority has been given to Jesus, not the bible, not some man on earth, not just our interpretation, but that all power and authority has been given to Jesus. That's Matthew chapter 28. And we ought to go to Jesus for life, eating his flesh, drinking his blood, learning about his new covenant from him.

What a lot of Christians don't understand is God is alive. Jesus is still working in his people today. And if we have elevated the bible as the final authority. The more sure word of God. Then we have just taken Jesus off of his throne in our own minds, that is. And we've set up the bible in the throne. And now we're worshipping the bible. As if the bible is sitting on the throne. And we're asking ai what these verses mean. We're asking pastors that have their doctorates in theology what the scripture means. We're asking the lexicon. We're studying Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic. And trying to figure out from the doctrines of men what the bible means. We are literally worshipping the scriptures. And what Jesus said about this to the pharisees is that they're constantly looking at the bible. They're constantly looking at the bible. They're constantly looking at the bible. They're constantly looking at the bible. They're constantly learning but never coming to the knowledge of the truth. The bible is not the more sure word. Jesus is called the word of God. You can learn about his name in john chapter 1. He is called the word of God. And throughout the scriptures, we know that Jesus himself is the word, not the bible. And we know that the rock of our salvation is also Jesus Christ. Jesus gives parables about this. And never was he inferring that the bible itself is the rock. Although the words of Jesus, many of them are recorded in the bible, but the rock is Jesus Christ himself. I want to read this parable to you. From Matthew chapter 7 starting in verse 24. Jesus says, ““therefore whoever hears these sayings of mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock” was the rock the scriptures? Was it the bible? No. The rock was God's word, Jesus Christ. We have to make sure that we are hearing Jesus' words and then putting them into practice just as Jesus said in this parable.

26“but everyone who hears these sayings of mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” 28and so it was, when Jesus had ended these sayings, that the people were astonished at his teaching, 29for he taught them as one having authority, and not as the scribes.

Today many Christians are going to the scribes, the pharisees, those who know the bible, and they're acting as though the bible itself were the rock of our salvation. That's why they elevate the bible to Godhood acting as though the bible were on the throne. They worship the bible, they praise the bible, but they don't come to know and obey Jesus. Read the gospels. Read Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. Pay attention to what Jesus said. Eat his flesh and drink his blood. Learn to put his words into practice that you can be led by the one who can give you life. Just studying the scripture and knowing the scripture more is not going to give you life. For many years I read the scripture, but I was still living a life of sin. I did not have life because I was feasting on the bible. But I came to know life when I came to know the author of life, when I came to know God's son, Jesus Christ. Jesus lives in my heart. His Holy Spirit speaks to me daily. I'm led by him. I'm corrected by him. He keeps me on the straight and narrow path even when I’m not sure which way to go. Many days I’m not sure which way to go and I just say “lord Jesus, please guide me. I'm not sure if I should go left or right. So guide me in my decision making. Close doors and open doors. Help me to stay on the straight and narrow path that I don't mess anything up. I don't want to get off even a degree to the left or to the right.” And if we're serious to follow the light of the world, then he will guide our feet. He will guide our path. And we also can be a light to others. Jesus said, “you are the light of the world. Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good deeds and glorify your father in heaven.”

 so are we living on the words of Jesus Christ? Are we obeying him? Have we put Jesus in his rightful place, on his throne in our life? Or have we elevated the bible to Godhood as the Christians have? In these modern day churches where they worship people on stage, they worship the prophets. They worship bible studies. They worship music. But they don't really worship Jesus Christ with their life. Are we honoring God? Are we pleasing him? Are we living for the light of the world? Are we lights? Or have we been deceived by the Christian culture? I want to pray for you if you're seeking the truth, if you're a disciple who wants to grow in your faith. “so lord Jesus I pray for my fellow brothers and sisters, that they would truly come to know you as the word of God. I pray that we would truly eat your flesh and drink your blood and have life in you, that we could be partakers of your cup, and that your blood would cover over our sins, that we would be made pure and holy, and that our garments would be made white. I pray that all of our stains would be washed away, that we would be left without pride but with humility and truth and justice and all the attributes, that come from our father in heaven. Make us to be the people you want us to be, so that we will be ready for the return of our lord. In your name I pray lord Jesus, amen.”