SOME WERE SENT, AND OTHERS JUST WENT
Romans 10:13-15; Jeremiah 23:21-26
Introduction
We live in a world that is saturated with false preachers and false teachers who preach false doctrine. Millions of people are being led astray daily by their smooth style, enticing words, and watered down message. There are some who started out in the church of Christ but somewhere along the way someone came along and perverted the truth and cause them to stray away from the ark of safety.
Brothers and sisters I’m reminded of what Paul said in Galatians 1:6-9
6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:
7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.
9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.
The basic fact behind this epistle is that the gospel that Paul preached was a gospel of free grace. After him, there came men preaching a Jewish version of Christianity. They declared that, if a man wished to please God, he must be circumcised and then dedicate his life to carrying out all the rules and regulations of the law. Every time a man performed a deed of the law, so they said, that was a credit entry in his account with God. They were teaching that it was necessary for a man to earn the favour of God. But to Paul that was utterly impossible.
Paul's opponents declared that he was making religion unproblematic (too easy) and in doing so, they thought he was trying to ingratiate himself (get in with men). All that Paul's Jewish opponents could see was that he had declared that circumcision was no longer necessary and the law no longer relevant.
Church and there are those today who have come along and have perverted the gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The word pervert means to change, taint, distort, misrepresent, to alter. There are some preachers who are misrepresenting the word of God. And the reason why they are misrepresenting the word of God is because they have never been called by God. This is what God is saying as he spoke through his prophet Jeremiah in Jeremiah 23:21-30:
21 I have not sent these prophets, yet they ran: I have not spoken to them, yet they prophesied.
22 But if they had stood in my counsel, and had caused my people to hear my words, then they should have turned them from their evil way, and from the evil of their doings.
23 Am I a God at hand, saith the LORD, and not a God afar off?
24 Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.
25 I have heard what the prophets said, that prophesy lies in my name, saying, I have dreamed, I have dreamed.
26 How long shall this be in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? yea, they are prophets of the deceit of their own heart;
27 Which think to cause my people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his neighbour, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal.
28 The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat? saith the LORD.
29 Is not my word like as a fire? saith the LORD; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?
30 Therefore, behold, I am against the prophets, saith the LORD, that steal my words every one from his neighbour.
Oh huh we got some preachers that are stealing in the name of the Lord. Taking God’s word and changing it up for their own benefit. Oh huh you see when you steal something you just can’t keep it the same way it was but you got to change it up.
(Ex. Stealing Bicycles)
There are some who are stealing the words of the Lord and using them in the name of religion. But I heard the words of Apostle Paul when he said over in Colossians 3:17:
17 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
Everything must be done in the name of Christ. In other words Paul says do it:
- according to his command
- in compliance with his authority
- by the strength derived from him
- with an eye to his glory
When it comes to religion, there must be authority (authorization, approval, sanction, consent ) for everything that we do! And we had better do it the way God said do it or else we’ll fall under the condemnation of God. I remember the sons of Aarron, Nadab and Abihu in Leviticus 10, the bible says that they offered God some strange fire. The bible says that God specifically wanted a certain kind of fire (Leviticus 16:2) but they gave God something different. And about that time there went out fire from the Lord and consumed them. Anytime the word of God is altered, is changed, is added too or subtracted from - that’s strange fire.
- Denominationalism…
- Instrumental music in the worship…
- Baptizing Babies…
- Calling the preacher reverend…
- Choirs during worship…
- Man-made creeds…
- Taking the Lord’s Supper once a month…
- Women Preachers is sho-nuff strange fire
We live in a world where men have decided what’s good for the Lord’s worship and what’s good for the Lord’s church. I’m reminded of Saul over there in the book of 1Samuel 15 when the Lord told Samuel to utterly destroy the Amlekites. But Saul decided that he would spare King Agag and all the best cattle, sheep, and fatted calves of the land. Why are you doing that Saul? He thought that they would make a good sacrifice for the service of God. Sometimes we get like Saul, we decide what we think is best for the service of the Lord.
My friends I stopped by today to tell you that God:
- Designed the church without us
- Sought the church without us
- He bought the church without us
- He became the head of the church without us
- He became the Savior of the church without us
- He holds the church without us
And if God did all of that without us why all of a sudden do we think that God need us to make decisions about his church. Some folk think that the church cannot operate without them. I got news for you just go ahead and die! We’re going to roll you in here and sing a few songs and some folk going to try and lie for you. I’m going to preach you’re funeral. We’re going to eat some chicken, collard greens, macaroni and cheese, and sweet potato pie and the church is going to roll on!
God, want us as leaders, to just tell the folk what I told you. But there are some folk whom God didn’t send but they just went out anyway. Anybody that does not preach:
- One Lord, One Faith, and One Baptism - God did not send
- One Church – God did not send
- Five steps of Salvation – God did not send
- Church is the Bride of Christ and wears the name of Christ – God did not send
- Baptism is essential to salvation- God did not send
- New Testament pattern of worship (singing, giving, praying, preaching and communion) – God did not send
Man has got to learn that he has to do things God’s way no matter how good his intentions are. I’m reminded of David over in 1Chronicles 13 when they were returning the Ark of the Covenant back to Jerusalem. The Ark of the Covenant (God) was the most sacred object of the Hebrew faith – for it represented the presence of God. Anywhere the Ark of God was the people were blessed.
The ark of God had been in Kiriath Jearim for many years. The neglect of the ark symbolized Israel's neglect of God. Bringing the ark back to the center of Israel's life reflected David's desire to remind the nation of its true foundation — God. Church I stopped through here to tell you, neglecting those things that remind us of God — the Bible, the church, and contact and fellowship with Christians — will cause us also to neglect God. We must keep God at the center of our lives at all times.
The bible says that David and his men went to Kiriath Jearim and recovered the Ark of the Covenant from the household of Abinadab. And the bible says that they put the ark on a new cart. We got to be careful about putting the ark on a new cart. What you talking about preacher? We’ve got to be careful of “new stuff” in the Lord’s church. There are some folk that think we need a new kind of preacher –women preachers!
But I stopped by today to tell you that God didn’t send them but they went anyway. I stopped by to tell you that when God needed somebody to be the forerunner for Jesus he found a man named John the Baptist. When God needed somebody to bring the Messiah into the world he found a woman and that woman gave birth to a Savior who was a son. And that son went on and found 12 men and trained 12 men to preach the gospel. But one of those 12 men betrayed him and it just look like that since he had 11 men he could have chosen at least 1 woman. But God in his omniscience, in Act 1 replace him with another man name Matthias.
Not only that but the bible says in Acts 2 that Peter stood up with the 11(men) on the day of Pentecost. Then my friends Jesus decided that he needed someone to be the preacher to the Gentiles. He already had 12 men and it look like he could have at least had one woman but he chose another man. God never sent a woman out to preach and to hold authority over a man 1Timothy 2:12 says:
12 But I suffer not a woman to teach, nor to usurp authority over the man, but to be in silence.
(Priscilla and Aquila Acts 18:24-26) (Anna the Prophetess Luke 2:25-38)
That doesn’t mean that a woman can’t do anything in church it just means that a woman must know and accept her place given by God and make the most of her ministry within the realms of where God has placed her. Women are a crucial part of the church. And when the sisters all decide to leave, my next sermon will be “Farewell Brethren For I’m Going With The Sisters”.
The story ends by saying that Uzza died after putting his hands on the Ark of the Covenant trying to keep it from falling. Even though Uzza’s interntions were good, God’s word still must be obeyed. The Levites were the only ones responsible for moving the Ark of God.
That tells me that man better be careful about how he put his hands on the stuff that God had sanctified.
God has sanctified:
- The One Church
- Doctrine
- Baptism by Immersion
- New Testament Pattern of Worship
- Accapella Singing
- Lord Supper
- His Saints
And we need to continue to hear the voice of God speaking through his word. Some of us have become impressed with TV evangelist. Impressed with:
- Potter’s House
- T.D. Jakes
- Creflo Dollar
- Fredrick Price
- Rod Parsley
- Zach Timms
But just because you’re impressed doesn’t mean that God is impressed. You got to hear the voice of God just like Isaiah after Uzza died. When he said “I heard the voice of God and he said who will go and who will I send”. You see we’ve got to understand that we’ve got to hear the voice that came down all the way from the dawn of creation.
That’s the same voice that Adam heard when God came walking in the Garden of Eden and said “Adam where art thou”
That’s the same voice that Noah heard when God said that it repenteth me that I made man. I want you to build an ark out of “gopher wood” cause it’s gonna rain.
That’s the same voice that Abraham heard when down in the Ur of the Chaldeans when God to Abram to leave your kindred’s house and go to a place that I’m going to show you
That’s the same voice that Abraham heard when God told him to go up to Mt. Morah and offer up your son Issaac as sacrifice.
That’s the same voice that Moses heard when God told him that I want you to go down to Egypt and tell Pharaoh to let my people go.
That’s the same voice that Samuel heard when God told him to anoint David as King of Israel and reject Saul because he disobeyed my commands
That’s the same voice that Jeremiah heard when God told him before you were born I sanctified you in your mother’s womb.
That’s the same voice that Jonah heard when God told him to go to Ninevah and and preach to my people but he decided to go to Joppa instead headed to Tarshis and God caught him up in the belly of a fish.
That’s the same voice that Jesus heard when he was in the Jordan river and he was baptized, God spoke and said “this is my beloved son in whom I am well pleased”.
That’s the same voice that Saul heard when God said go on down the Tasus and it will be told to you what you need to do.
That’s the same voice that John heard out on the Isle of Patmos. When he said I heard the voice of someone say write and send it to the seven churches of Asia.
Why you’ve done all that you could do in this life and your labor here is done that same voice is going to say “blessed are the dead that die in the Lord”
When you’ve rested beneath the clay in that great getting up morning when the dead in Christ shall rise first that same voice is gone say get up from here come and receive your mansion, robe, and crown.
That’s the voice you need to hear today if you’re not a child of God…