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Biblical references in Gahanna-Jefferson Church of Christ's nondenominational sermon outlines are linked directly to text of the King James version of the Bible. Bible quotes you hear in the streaming audio may be from the New King James version of the Bible.
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Introduction:
1. Christianity is a religion of faith.
A. "For we walk by faith, not by sight" (II Corinthians
5:7).
B. "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him"
(Hebrews
11:6).
C. "Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God"
(Romans
10:17).
2. Opinion is what men speculate when God is silent.
A. For example, you could ask, "What kind of fruit did Eve eat?"
B. Any answer you give is an opinion--God was silent on this matter!
Body:
I. Is It Possible to Worship God in Vain even if we are sincere? (Matthew
15:1-9)
A. In this text, there are two undeniable facts:
1. The Scribes and Pharisees were worshiping God.
2. Their worship was in vain because God had not authorized their worship (Mark
7:1-4).
B. Is it sinful to wash your hands?
1. Yes, if you bind hand washing as a religious rite!
2. According to Jesus, any act, no matter how pure in itself, is sinful when performed as a religious rite when God has been silent.
3. Worshipers today are condemned when they do not "walk by faith."
C. God desires to be worshiped "in spirit and in truth" (John
4:24).
II. Where do we get such an Idea?
A. The Scriptures teach that God rejects every attempt men make to worship Him when they do it in a way He has not commanded.
B. Saul in his war with the Amalekites (I Samuel
15).
1. The command came from God (I Samuel
15:3).
3. The confrontation with Samuel (I Samuel
15:13-14).
4. God demands obedience, not mere sacrifice (I Samuel
15:19-23); (Hosea
6:6), "For I desire mercy and not sacrifice, and the knowledge of God more than burnt
offerings".
1. It is not exactly clear what they did, except that they performed something God had not commanded.
2. They might have been honest and sincere--yet they were destroyed.
D. The disobedient prophet (I Kings
13).
1. The command came from God (I Kings
13:7-10).
2. He was lied to by the old prophet (I Kings
13:14-19).
3. He received a penalty for believing a lie (I Kings
13:20-28).
E. There are only two ways to treat the commands of God: obey or disobey.
1. Obedience consists of doing what God has said, nothing more or less.
2.Disobedience consists of any departure from God's order.
III. Are We At Liberty To Add Or To Subtract From The Word Of God?
A. What choices do we have? (II John
9)
B. What about if He didn’t say? (Hebrews
7:14; 8:4).
D. Can Harmless things be made sinful (Matthew
15:1-9).
Conclusion:
1. Our God is indeed a God of love, but He is also a God of justice.
2. God will not allow His words to be tampered with.
3. Have you obeyed the gospel of Christ?
4."Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven"
(Matthew
7:21).
-- Don Treadway, April
2002 --
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