Diabolical - Agenda #2 - Maintain the Status Quo, Part 1

Did you ever see the movie fiddler on the roof of one of the most popular songs in that movie is called tradition.

Something about tradition that makes us feel secure and connected. But there's a dark side to tradition as well. Even the traditions of a dark side that is so powerful that it can destroy the very things it's meant to preserve so how do you know traditions gone dark. Stick around. Welcome to this Edition of Living on the Edge with the mission of these daily programs is to intentionally disciple Christian Bible teaching in the middle of our series.

Diabolical agenda for planet Earth including you as to ensuring we have an enemy will use anything everything to destroy us.

This program will learn about another is a quick reminder if you miss a portion of this program. Let me encourage you to download the Chip Ingram is a great way to catch up anytime now. Here's Chip with his message maintain the status quo from acts chapter 7. This is a series if you know not about quote spiritual warfare, overt demonic activity. This is about the subtle agenda of evil how it gets played out.

Sometimes what were used to. Is it right know nothing about that sometimes what's accepted what you've heard what your great-grandfather told your grandfather who told your dad or mother that told you that's accepted that you don't even question. It's just a worldview. Sometimes it's not right it's not true. You name.

Think about it I'm to suggest sometimes is not only not right. It's diabolical. It's evil. It hurts people and yet the enemy has us going down a path because it's a tradition is just accepted.

Let me give you a few examples. How about the world is flat for hundreds of years people were locked into the world is flat and some great Christians who God made very smart challenge that they were labeled as heretics was accepted and normally did wasn't true, or you member the old movies or if you like my wife likes the Turner channel that shows all the black and white movies TCM or something you Humphrey Bogart John Wayne, everyone got cigarettes.

It was so cool right cigarettes are cool cigarettes make you cool all generation got into cigarettes. I got cooled in the cancer. My dad was a 3 1/2 pack a day guy Marine cool 16 World War II, he couldn't quit for the life of or when I grew up like a suntan was how the deeper the tan, the healthier you are member those days and we all get that your grandma get out the sunlight get out of the dark room, got there and play. Take your shirt off. I did get freckles everywhere and then they cut a piece of cancer out of my throat skin cancer. Did you get it. Here's all I want you to get. We all have traditions. I'm using the word tradition in its clear definitional sense, not like all tradition as we put up like a Christmas God bless you.

Here's what a tradition is a tradition is an inherited established customary pattern of thought or action or behavior like a religious practice or social custom. And then I love the second half of this. It's the passing down of elements of the culture from generation to generation, especially by oral communication, so it seeps in your brain.

You've heard a century kid everyone doesn't everyone accepts it. I'm get a suggest Satan's number two agenda to ruin to kill to destroy is to maintain the status quo. Whatever wherever where you're at how removing maintain the status quo in your life maintain the flask on your marriage, your spirituality in churches in culture just maintain the status quo to see truth is powerful truth brings change. Truth liberates truth feels so this is very very subtle effect. Here's my thesis up putting your notes. My thesis is this traditions are not wrong, but they are dangerous.

I'm not saying that traditions are wrong. Things are handed down but there dangerous follow along carefully. Traditions are the highway by which we pass on the values and principles that matter most. Okay that that's how we pass on things that matter, then circle and exporting notes where you unfortunately unfortunately over time the means the traditions we practice to remember those values and truths can take precedence over the truths themselves, but this was so true in Jesus day and it's so easy to look back and see it then, but harder now but follow along as I read just a short passage from Matthew chapter 15 then some Pharisees and teachers of the law came to Jesus from Jerusalem and asked why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders, they don't wash their hands before they eat ceremonially washing their hands. Jesus replied and why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your traditions. For God said honor your father and mother and anyone who curses his father or mother must be put to death, but you say this, the man says to his father or mother. Whatever help you might otherwise have received from me will. It's a gift devoted to God. He is not to honor his father with thoughts notice this line you nullify the word of God for the sake of your tradition, you hypocrites.

Isaiah was right when he prophesied you people honor me with your lips but your hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain. Their teachings are but rules taught by men. Did you notice how many times the word tradition and nullifying the truth for a little bit more time. Basically what they did is that if you had some money and you are responsible. Take care of your parents as they aged. What you day sake. This money is core bond and that means it's dedicated to God and so was like putting it in little account over here that you were going to give to God needs that your parents I'd really love to help you but I can't because in course. The Pharisees were getting the money is good traditions is bad traditions but all traditions have an element of danger is here's here's what happens. Good traditions, religious traditions, social traditions, traditions around court and important values.

First you doing to remind you that important thing then over time they start to become a little bit more important, and they consume the truth and then pretty soon they bury the truth and then pretty soon they eliminate the truth altogether and so you have people practicing tradition thinking they are doing exactly what's right that's white so diabolical. You're never ever in more danger in your entire life than when you're convinced how your thinking how you're behaving and how your acting is in line with what's true and right in the fact the matter is you going south when you think you're going north. Notice the contrast between truth and tradition. Truth liberates tradition perpetuates truth gives life tradition nullifies the word of God. Truth brings change traditions the status quo truth defines reality. Traditions are built for stability. Truth is threatening his neck. You hear new truth. I need to address this in my marriage I need to do something with one of our kids block on an attitude I had a friend who said to make you need to deal with this.

It's threatening tradition is comforting. Spin this way I'm used to this way will do it this way. And finally, truth is dynamic, but tradition is static. Let me give you Satan's agenda and this is exactly how it works. Satan's agenda put his goal is to do this to separate the truth from the tradition so deceptively that sincere people.

People like us mean it if you weren't sincere you would be here. We want to learn about you, Lord. We want to follow you and want to live this collage would be pleasingly want to grow were sincere and the enemy wants to take some traditions in your personal life.

Some traditions in your family and some traditions in this church and some traditions in Christendom and get us all just little by little separating the truth from the tradition so slowly and so deceptively that we would hold to a form of godliness. That's why Paul says it and we would deny its power.

The scary were you to see the classic study in the New Testament on this working to see a man who will defy hundreds of years of tradition at the cost of his life. If you have your Bibles open to acts chapter 6 or your PDA or mobile device what you have, let me give you the scene in the background. Stephen was chosen as one of the seven to help distribute the food, but God gave him these miraculous powers to begin to do miracles authenticate this new work of God, and then he was being challenged.

He was talking on Jesus as the Messiah and soak the implications for the law on Jesus as the Messiah. Therefore, there's implications for the temple and for the future of Judaism and in the opposition came in so he's accused of blasphemy. That's the charge now you need to understand the capital offense if he's found guilty, he dies the two charges from the last part of chapter 6 or this one you speaking against the holy place of the temple into your speaking against the law of Moses now background wise pull out your pet if you got it. The historical setting is this the Jews in Jesus day had come to venerate and worship the land. Palestine, the law given by Moses and the temple that unique location more than the purpose of the land. The law for the temple.

In other words tradition over time had so separated from the truth, but the tradition ruled. So the Jews were saying this special temple Palestine. This holy land and the law that we received were superior were better they traffic then it they memorized it they had an oral tradition called the mission of the 1000s and thousands of other add-ons to it and the rabbis would say the mission of the oral law is like a fence around the written law and so I mean if you grew up as a Jewish boy or Jewish girl. I mean there were rules upon rules and rules about the rules and that's the world we come to but they forgot that the land was just a place where God would birth promises to Abraham, they forgot that the law was given help us see that no one can keep it. And there's a Savior coming, they forgot that the temple is just a place where God's presence would commonly manifest itself, but you can never got box got in its living.

It's vital it's relational so notice now Stevens defense. He challenges the status quo tradition concerning the land. The law in the temple with the right this were down truth. He challenges all three. These are the three most sacred things that the Jews of this time, hold onto the challenges all three with the truth that demand faith radical change and then following God's promise to deliver the Messiah Jesus now as we walk through this. Here's what you need understand if you're like me and you would never read this before in terms of really stunning it. You could read their putting Stephen on trial and it's just sounds like what he's talking about Old Testament history.

This is about Abraham and in this is about Joseph and this is about Moses and then this is about, you know, the next guy, Joshua, and when you just read it cursor you think he's kinda given an Old Testament history and when he gets done. They want to killing. I mean, isn't this a little overreaction that was honestly and I realize I'm missing something here. See he is poking he is poking and he's pulling down the most deeply held traditions. So as I read this passage and you follow along. Here's the three things I want you to get this is what he's doing and use it sort of as a filter. So as we walk through it together because this is the difference between between the tradition and the truth three timeless truths. First, God's agenda has always been based on his promises, which necessitate progression and change now as I read this and what you see when we talk about Abraham and then Joseph and and others he's going to slip this in a sentence about a promise requires change is dynamic. It's living there has to be faith. Second, God's blessings and purpose have never been restricted to Palestine or to the temple or just the Jewish nation see he's going to tell Israel story, but it is to tell the story and is going to frame it in certain ways were he punches holes into traditions, so by the time he gets to the end they will have got the message. The third timeless truth is that God's people have historically and repeatedly rejected God's man. The prophets in God's plan of deliverance.

I want to walk through this and want you to follow along with me and I'm gonna take those key areas like will location in what landed the blessing come where is the focus on promise. Where is the focus on deliverance and I'll give it to you first and then as I read it I want you to kinda imagine that you were a Pharisee and realize he is messing with everything near and dear to me and then it just a little bit less.

We make this just a history lesson. I want to spend some time and say what traditions do we have personal ones corporate ones family ones that are diabolical that were on a path that we are as sincere as those Pharisees we are as blind as them and it's killing us and is stealing joy and it's ruining relationships so you ready okay Stevens message truth or tradition. He's gonna talk about Abraham first in his defense.

Notice location, aspartame, you notice the promise.

It's about the land and the descendents. His focus is to say God's intent was to bless all nations, and then finally he's gonna say faith that always involves trusting God and for Moses faith meant he had to leave could take a step out of his comfort zone. Let's pick up the story. Chapter 7 verse one he's on trial, the high priest asked him are these charges true to this he replied brother's fathers listen to the God of glory.

He appeared to her father Abraham while he was still in Mesopotamia before he lived in her Ron. He said leave your country and your people God said go to land that I will show you so he left the land of the Chaldeans and decelerated her. Ron and after the death of his father, God sent him to this land where you are now living. He gave him no inheritance here, not even a foot of ground but God promised him that he and his descendents after him, would possess this land, even though at the time of Abraham. He had no child, God spoke to him in this way, your descendents will be strangers in a country not their own, and will be enslaved and mistreated for 400 years, but I will punish the nation they serve and where their slaves, and afterward they will come out of that country and worship me in this place that God gave Abraham the covenant of circumcision and Abraham became the father of Isaac, and he circumcised them on the eighth day after his birth, and later Isaac became the father of Jacob, and Jacob became the father of the 12 patriarchs, not his defense. He starts out we can all agree, like Abraham's man right right and by the way, we all agree there nodding, there's no problem here in the sea.

Now where did he get his calling was it Palestine. It was Mesopotamia okay and okay and and what was the basis was because he followed a lot of rules. None of it was a promise. God did the impossible. It required faith and so he builds sort of step one of his case.

Now he introduces through Abraham, the 12 patriarchs, that's, you know among Joseph in so he picks up the story now is going to talk about Joseph and the location now is Egypt the promise God gives Joseph member he gave him a dream and he said one day you have a position in your brothers and your parents will bow down to you and the focus is Joseph's rejection and God's deliverance.

What you look for that as I read that you can say got God. God saved his people through Joseph but they rejected him. Did you see the how he's kinda starting in.

There's just a little seasoning of someone else's going to get rejected later rejecting Joseph rejecting Jesus rejecting Moses there's a pattern here coming sincere people. Finally, faith means enduring.

Joseph endured rejection hindered prison hindered false accusation, but he's always been a come back to it. Requires a living, vital faith, we pick up the story in verse nine because the patriarchs were jealous of Joseph. They sold him as a slave into Egypt, but relationship God was with him and rescued him from his troubles to give Joseph wisdom enabled him to gain the goodwill of Pharaoh the king of Egypt, and he made him ruler over Egypt and all of his palace meant a famine struck all of Egypt and Canaan and with the great suffering in our fathers couldn't find any food when Jason Jacob heard that there was grain in Egypt. He sent our fathers on their first visit on the second visit, Joseph told his brother's who he was and Pharaoh learned about Joseph family. After this, Joseph sent to his father Jacob and his whole family 75 and all, and Jacob went down to Egypt where he and our fathers died, their bodies were brought back to Shechem and placed in the tomb that Abraham had bought from the sons of Hammer at Shechem for a certain amount of money and so now he starts to build the case and sit in our great history together what God has done.

There was a deliver in the deliver was given a promise and in the deliver had to suffer unjustly. Re: Re: Re: Re: Re: start to make some of you know what these these are the smartest guys on the planet right now in terms of Judaism. There 70 of they know the Old Testament backward and forward, and he even uses this Shechem unit Shechem is Shechem is the capital of Samaria teaches, if like salt in their face or salt in the wound, because now Mesopotamia is where it starts. Blessing then the blessing comes out of Egypt and not only that, but here's where he buried our forefathers the blessing the hand of God was even in the capital of Samaria. The Jews hated the Samaritans build this case is pulling down one by one the pillars of tradition and is taking back to the truth.

Next he'll go to the core. Moses is like bigger than Elvis and he's a rock star of rock stars of rock stars and not only is there that he gave the law that he gave the 10 Commandments that he wrote the Pentateuch, all that but there was a lot of extra biblical information about his childhood and amazing stories and I mean he was just venerated nearly worshiped so we can get the longest section with him and then notice of the location here. Where's the blessing occur Midian.

What's the promise Moses, you will deliver my people.

What's the focus here.

God's law is given. That's what the Pharisees like the champion, but it's also rejected and then finally faith means returning please go to make the point that it's dynamic it's relation what's living it's powerful exchange is progressive. God's living for one man faith means stepping out and leaving everything for another minutes going back to where you don't want to go to. There are no formulas it's trusting and believing and so now we pick up the story. Moses the rock star revisited with some of the points highlighted not from tradition, but from the truth. Verse 17 as the time drawl drew near, for God to fulfill his promise to Abraham. The number of our people in Egypt greatly increased.

Then another king who knew nothing about Joseph became the ruler of Egypt.

He dealt treacherously with our people and he oppressed our forefathers forcing them to throw out their newborn babies so that they would die with that that time that Moses was born in and he was no ordinary child for three months.

He was cared for in his father's house and we was placed outside Pharaoh's daughter took him in, brought them up as her own. And Moses was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and he was powerful and speech and action. Now Moses is going to have a midlife crisis is looking for his roots. At age 40, he decided to visit his fellow Israelites. He saw one of them being mistreated by an Egyptian so he went to his defense and he avenged him by killing the Egyptian Moses thought that his own people to realize that God was using him to rescue them but they did not. The next day Moses came upon two Israelites were fighting and he tried to reconcile them by segmenting your brothers what why do you want to hurt one another. But the man who was mistreating the other push Moses aside and said who made you ruler and judge over us. You want to kill me the way you killed the Egyptian yesterday and then when Moses heard this, he fled to Midian where he settled as a foreigner and had two sons now need understand one of the greatest evidences of God's blessing his children. Where does Stephen remind his hearers that God's blessing happens, he gets two sons, not in Palestine, Midian, pick up the story. I am the Lord. After 40 years. He looked closely, an angel appeared to Moses and the flames was at the desert of Mount Sinai when he saw this, he was amazed at the site and whatever look more closely, and he heard the Lord's voice. I am the Lord, the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham and Isaac, and Jacob, Moses trembled with fear and he did not dare to look in the Lord said take off your sandals. The place where your standing is holy ground. I've indeed seen the oppression of my people in Egypt and I've heard their groaning enough come down to set them free. Now, I will send you back to Egypt. This is the same Moses whom they had rejected with their words. Who made you ruler and judge. He sent them to be there ruler and deliver by God himself through an angel appeared to him in the bush. He led them out of Egypt, he did wonders and miracles and signs in Egypt and at the Red Sea and for 40 years in the desert. This is the Moses, who told the Israelites, God will send you a prophet like me from your own people. If you have your own Bible underlined that verse, verse 37. This is not a verse that the Pharisees are quoting. Notice what he saying he owes Moses your hero, the one we all so highly respect who gave us the law. He had his sons and Midian, there was God's blessing. Then he came and he got the hand of God upon them for this deliverance and then remember this is the Moses, who told the Israelites, God will send you a prophet like me what you mean, like me, a deliver someone that will take you out of your bondage and all through the Old Testament we had this picture of Egypt being the sort of place of bondage and sin.

The salvation is through the Red Sea and into the promised land a new life and Stephen is saying there's a new Moses and the new Moses is the Messiah is going to build his case will join the series to this application just been listening to the first part of his message maintain the status quo from a series diabolical. Satan's agenda for planet Earth, including you, Satan's mission for every Christ follower is simple, total destruction.

Unlike God's plans for you which are rooted in grace and love. Satan wants to wreck your relationships isolate you from God and turn you into an ineffective Christian but with God's help, we not only have the power to oppose Satan's tactics, we can actually defeat them through the series triple teachers to recognize Satan's diabolical schemes and defend ourselves against his evil intentions. This is such an important topic so we hope you'll make the time to be with us for this entire series for complete series information and resources discounts for diabolical just go to LivingontheEdge.org or call triple late. 333-6003 that's LivingontheEdge.org or call 8883336003 Apple listeners Special offers which are poor in the middle of our midyear match now.

There may be some people out there who don't know with the midyear match is or why we do it. Could you take a minute and explain that Dave absolutely you know this is something that we've done for a number of years that literally spontaneously happened about eight or nine years ago, and a small group of our ministry partners have this passion to support the ministry, but also to inspire others to support the ministry and actually even beyond our ministry to learn to be generous. And so this month, dollar for dollar, every dollar a person gives all the way through July 6 will be match so it no one becomes 200 becomes 200 you get the idea. And what a lot of people don't know is that you know, like, 30, 40% of the total giving income comes out of this midyear match and so it supports everything from the daily broadcast to staff to pastoral training and will talk throughout the month about what it does and the impact that it has, but I just want to encourage people as they come to get this broadcast, and whether it's on the Abril podcast or the order something from Living on the Edge at our headquarters.

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Every gift will be doubled thanks to the generosity of a group of ministry partners to send a gift. You can either call us at triple late. 333-6003 or go online to LivingontheEdge.org Apple listeners just Donate. Thanks in advance were asking God what he would have you do and then partnering with us. However, he leads will now here's chip with his final application for today as we close today's program.

I just want to give you a heads up that there is a lot of application in our next broadcast. I mean this is a very very long chapter. I mean, Stephen gives this complete overview of the Old Testament, and then you know as I ended the teaching time after they were nodding their heads and agreeing. That's right, that's our great heritage that he started sort of poking at traditions. He started bringing up things and you could just see. I mean if we were there. I think their faces would've gotten redder and redder and redder and pretty soon it would be like wait a second disguise reciting our history and now he's messing with stuff.

And of course they get outraged and literally to the point where they stoned him.

So let me encourage you may want to listen to about these broadcast get them on the app, but here's what I would say the major point is is that the traditions of men nullify the truth of God, and we all have them, and in the traditions that we have that are most dangerous are traditions that we actually are pretty unaware of that we have another words there so locked in our mind or in our group were in her church or denomination or contemporary worship were not contemporary worship or or when we meet or how we meet. I could go on and on and is easy to see in other people traditions are hard to see in ourselves, what about any personal traditions.

I know people that if they miss their quiet time. While I didn't get to read my Bible. I did get to pray.

I'll probably have a flat tire as those somehow it's a good habit, but you think God loves you any less. Can't you talk with him all throughout the day. What traditions in your family.

What traditions in your personal life.

What traditions in your church might it become so important that they're actually nullifying you hearing the voice of God you take just 30 or 60 seconds. Right now and sit quietly and ask God to bring any tradition to your mind that you need to get back to where it ought to be is just an activity, it doesn't mean that's the way God works just before we close. Would you pray for those who are feeling challenged to respond to chips encouragement right now. There's always a spiritual battle when we feel prompted to draw near to God thanks for taking a minute to do that and if there's a way we can pray for you.

Would you let us know call triple late. 333-6003 or email chip@livingontheedge.org.

We'd love to hear from you will and selects time for everyone here.

This is Dave saying thanks for listening.

This edition of Living on the Edge