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

The light theologian CS Lewis once said the safest road to hell is a gradual, the fact of the matter. Satan rarely drops a giant Paco in the middle of our past is more effective to attack this in subtle ways to get us off course we realize it drifted far from God in part from this plan.

Here's the question how do we avoid Satan's dangerous distraction today stay with. Thanks for listening to this edition of the year with Living on the Edges of international discipleship ministry, Bible teaching in just a minute will continue in our series.

Diabolical agenda for planet Earth.

Last time we were in acts chapter 7 heard about the confrontation. The religious leaders program shovel finish. That's I like the lessons we can learn from students. Be sure to stick around after the teaching for additional thoughts from Chip on the dangers of religious traditions don't want to miss it.

Okay, let's listen now to part two of Chip's message maintain the status quo from acts chapter 7 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 he was in the congregation the desert with our fathers when Angel spoke to him on Mount Sinai, and he received the living words to pass on to us the 10 Commandments that our fathers refused to obey him. Instead, they rejected him and in their hearts they turned back to Egypt and they told Aaron make us gods will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who led us out of Egypt, we don't know what's happened to him. He's up on the mountain get the 10 Commandments is with God.

That was a time when they made an idol in the form of a calf and they brought the sacrifices to it and they held a celebration in honor of what their own hands and made the notice this, but God turned away and gave them over to the worship of heavenly bodies and disagrees with what is written in the book of the prophets see when they told the story when the Pharisees looked at the truth. They looked at it through the lens of their tradition and control and power in the parts they wanted to hear. He's not telling the story of Moses and how yes another prophets coming like him and then he tells a story. He says the people rejected this law that you guys think is so great which God gave and is it was rejected by them." Amos chapter 5 God speaks thing did you bring me sacrifices and offerings for 40 years in the desert, O house of Israel. You have lifted up the shrine of Malik.

This is a a false God, they would take their small baby children and they were thrown into the fire to appease this God, the altar of your God rest from the idols that you made to worship.

Therefore, I will send you into exile beyond Babylon is of he's telling the story about Moses the way he tells a story. Notice he says the blessings came from Midian. Moses came to deliver. He did have the law.

The law was rejected was all about faith.

Now he's going to move to Joshua so he's address the issue about the land he's address the issue about the law and its real purpose and now is can address the issue about the temple as they they've now got God inside of a box in control. This is God's presence. We we got you not only us. We have no more to talk about the origin of where do we get the temple and is going to tell the history in a way that breaks through their tradition notice. The location is the wilderness again were not in Palestine.

The promises victory over your enemies. He's going to talk about Joshua going to the promised land and overcoming his enemies and then the focus is can be the tabernacle's purpose is to talk about its God's presence. Every time member of the cloud would move for the fire by night and then they would take the tabernacle was portable and they would move wherever God move the tabernacle. The point is, the tabernacle wasn't to be warships. The tabernacle was a place that always identified the living moving dynamic presence of God in obedience is always moving and changing whatever God he moves you move he moves you moved, he stopped you stop and is like a chain saw cutting underneath of the core of their tradition and so far the issue of the land has been decimated the issue of the law and how they view it is being crunched and now he goes after their view of the temple that they put their trust in. We pick up the story in verse 44. Our forefathers had the tabernacle testimony they had with them in the desert. It had been made as God directed. Moses according to the pattern he'd seen, having received the tabernacle our fathers under Joshua brought it with them when they took the land from the nations. God drove it out before them. It remained in the land until the time of David to enjoy God's favor and asked that he might provide a dwelling place for the God of Jacob, but it was Solomon who built a house for him. So should we have the tabernacle and then they had the promised land. David had in his heart, but Solomon is the one who built it. However, this is what he adds, the most high God does not live in houses made by men as the prophet says now he quotes Isaiah 66 one into heaven is my throne, God speaking in earth is my footstool. What kind of house we built for me or where will my resting place, be has not. My hands made all these things now again for us sometimes not sorta being steeped in the Old Testament, nor being Jewish nor being a rabbi. We don't. We really don't get how deeply he's puncturing what's going on. Isaiah 66 is a classic classic passage Isaiah's is a prophet.

He's prophesying about when Israel is in sin and has turned away from God. Now he gives verse one into but I will guarantee all 70 of the scholars they know verse three, four, five and six and it's it's like a lawyer here who has someone on the stand and he makes the point .1 .2, but in the news media .345 have been there and he just makes point wanted to and then he walks away and cutlets and simmer.

Why Romans 10, the implications are unbelievable. Will let me just for your sake tell you what's in Isaiah 66 you can just listen. Verse three he says God of said heavens.

My footstool, my hands made all things. Nothing can continue. Verse three. This is the one I esteem.

He who is humble and contrite in heart, and trembles at my word. What was the problem of the Pharisees. What did Jesus say their arrogant, their way is the way they're not contrite when the face with the truth and they don't tremble at God's word.

They manipulated now God says some things that if you were a rabbi, your blood pressure is gone from about 140/82 about 200/160 because what you knows what God says after that is. This is how he feels about people who respond in these kind of ways. This is God speaking. But whoever sacrifices speaking to people who worship him falsely. Whoever sacrifices a pool in the temple is like one who kills a man, and whoever offers a lamb is like one who would break the neck of a dog, and whoever makes a grain offering is like someone who would present pigs blood, and whoever burns Memorial incense is like one who worships an idol. You see those pictures they've chosen their own way and their souls delight in abominations so I will choose harsh treatment for them and bring upon them what they dread, and then he gives the reason why he's rejecting Israel for when I called. No one answered.

When I spoke. No one listened they did evil in my sight, and they chose what displeases me he has made the case for the land he's made the case for the temple and is made the case for the law that you are nullifying the truth of God and all of his purposes in all those things by your traditions and it put you in control and comfort in power and religiosity and you have rejected the one who gave the law and you have rejected everything that God promised to our father Abraham in the land and the whole purpose was to bless all the nations, and so his finale is strong notice.

Finally, we get to his comments about Jesus. The location he talks about is our hearts to the real issue is always about the heart. It's about inside you, not external religious stuff, eternal life is the promise its deliverance from sin and death is the fulfillment of the law. Did you notice in each one. He talked about descendents then he talked about deliverance with Joseph and then deliverance with Moses and deliverance he sang. This is the final deliver.

The focus is the rejection and killing of the Messiah and for Stephen. Faith means you believe to the point that if they kill you. You refused to compromise on the truth. Notice these harsh but accurate words. Now he's made his case. Here's his application use stiffnecked people with uncircumcised ears and hearts you're just like your fathers, you always resist the Holy Spirit with their profit. Your fathers didn't persecute but even killed those who predicted the coming of the righteous one. And now you betrayed and murdered him. What waterline you've received the law tradition that was put into effect through angels but have not obeyed it. That's truth result when they heard this, they were furious and they gnash their teeth at him.

But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. Look, he said I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God, and if they covered their ears yelling at the top of their voices and they rushed at him and they dragged him out of the city and they begin to stone them. So much for the trial. So much for justice while they were stoning and Stephen prayed, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit than he fell on his knees and cried out, Lord. Do not hold this sin against them. Does that sound familiar at all when it said this, he fell asleep. As you turn to the last page. As I said it's it's a very interesting history lesson is, but I don't I don't think God's purposes for us to look back and understand how they didn't get it. I think God's purposes for us to have the decision at a crossroads to say am I gonna look at life through a Pharisee and tradition, or am I gonna look at life through a seat. Stephen truth regardless of how painful it might be. I find this for lessons that just pop out of his story that I think at least for me are very applicable and I think probably for you. Lesson number one. Simply put, is truth demands transformation truth demands transformation. James one says when we receive truth and we don't act on it.

We just were here's were not doers of the truth. Jesus said, it's when you know the truth when he said no, he meant by way of application when it abides in you when you act on it. When you respond when you're the Abraham of God's preaching lead.

If you're Moses you return. If you're Joseph you and Dorothy are just where you fight but truth is based on promises given to you and your following in relationship.

Truth brings transformation, but you can traffic in truth, you can read the Bible every day you go to men's Bible study you can come to church regularly. You can listen to Christian radio and you can feel like I must be okay right I'm yummy. I'm in the Bible. Well, could it be that coming to church and hearing God's word is a part of a tradition, but the diabolical part would be what if you're not responding to the part of truth for God speaking to you and coming to church and reading the Bible and even being a Bible study makes you feel safe and comfortable on okay but what if the truth of God is you need to address the issue in your marriage. You need to forgive your mate go get counseling make it right.

Whatever the truth is, your finances are out of control and I've been whispering at whispering it, whispering it and you go to a ladies Bible study afterwards by 15 pair shoes what the truth is you have a sexual addiction you flirt at work and I want to save you and save your marriage and you need to help get clean. What is the truth is that you live with a low level resentment of one of your folks or next night and you're just you smile on the outside but you're an unhappy resentful person on the inside and you're bound by it and you drink the poison of unforgiveness. Thinking it's gonna kill somebody else.

What if the truth is that your schedule is crazy and the denial of its gonna slow down and soon as we do this or soon as we do that and your kids are neglected in your given him stuff instead of you. If that's the truth but the truth is you're a religious person. You're just not very loving you tell everyone help close non-Christians are, you know, either closed. You're not a very nice person to be around you, self-righteous. What if that's the truth I can live with all those things completely unaddressed and go to Bible study and check off read Genesis 22 this morning and Matthew 22 and I can't wait to we go to our small group and we talk about the stuff that I'm comfortable with just as long as we don't deal with issues. See when you look at Christendom across America. Is this not true or not having all the zombie Niagara.

My grandpa's Christian I script around all these people who said they were. They lied and cheated and commit as much adultery did stuff that everyone else does. I said I wanted part of you. How much of that is in us.

Second lesson the basis of God's blessings are relational, not ritual. Jesus would say here in Matthew 15 go and learn what I mean. I desire compassion, not sacrifice. There is no formula. Okay, it's not read the Bible go to Bible study give 10% and I even went on a mission trip and now God, you owe me a great marriage a great life bring the right manner right woman all my kids turn out right were upwardly mobile and that's evangelical Christianity.

Much of America. It's our view of ritual our attempt to put God in a box have a formula and say a seven before C3 on the little bending machine of God. Now make me happy. Make me wealthy kidney from cancer of all my kids turn out right. I really want to get them in these kind of schools and when you do that thank you Jesus I give you all the credit. I didn't sound a lot like leaving returning enduring fighting and being an instrument of God in a fallen world that fulfills his agenda.

Note any of those things or all of those things that happens to give you. He's just good, but they're not the goal. Third lesson perverted traditions must be exposed and abandoned.

Get that from acts chapter 7 I meet this guy went against hundreds and hundreds of years of tradition hundreds of years of the law on the temple in the land could cut just to name a few. What what what if how many of us you know included. How many of us have this tradition that we just buy gifts and go into debt every Christmas and buy stuff because we feel obligated and not because the people need it and not because we really want to do it but it's just I tradition and to not do it well.

What would they think what he do that. Did you understand the peer pressure Wyoming. Why is it end of January half of March. You know you're underwater again. When will I walk around with my wife in the store for some people that I really love and care about one thing.

There's not a thing in the world they need why we bind them anything, whereas I got from someone I it was one of those meaningful gifts you I got from some of the note dear Chip and Teresa I want you know how much I love you both how much I really care about you both. By the way, the picture you see is a picture of a goat that I bought for you that will be in a family in Africa that starving. I thought it would mean a lot. What if we all did to three. Those Thanksgiving coming the day. A country who says in the plots of God. Look what he's given us. Let's thank you from the heart. What's our traditions now it's the Lions at 11 o'clock. The Cowboys at 2 o'clock Gladney at 5 o'clock and materialism at Black Friday. The next day. Is it true or not. It's a tradition leaving. What does your five-year-old think thanksgivings about you teaching them what your seven-year-old think what your teenagers to come on honey three in the morning when I get shopping, you know what will get those tennis shoes I wear shoulder pads this year someone got shot last year.

I'm did you or okay those of the funny ones tradition upward mobility is a God-given destiny and right for you and your family wherever you're at need to make more. Whatever house it's gotta be better whatever kind of car you can upgrade what would happen if you had a job that you love with more time and deep relationships and made less money and your kids ready.

Here's the other one. Education is paramount tradition. Your kids need to get great scores getting great schools be very upwardly mobile get great jobs so you can feel good about you, not given to Stanford he got this on his SATs and so we had hassles almost all their life in junior high and high schools we pressured and pressured and pressured impression pressure because education is the God of our home who were getting down where we live, especially in similar cultures in others is not education. It support my son made the traveling team. Wow, these 12 years old and so we don't go to church anymore so I'm passing down this tradition sports is what matters you're the center of the universe. I will make you a narcissistic kid, and if unsuccessful, you make $20 million someday and will talk to me like power up your nose.

Think about it or are you in for this one. I'm on a roll, gentle tradition when the Niners play.

Make sure you're on time. When U2 comes to town and I have tickets were not arriving 20 slight we stand outside for an hour and half in the rain to sit we want to sit but I want to know when we go to worship the living God, 15, 20, 30 minutes late enough I come to come for this part of that part in your training your kids tradition Frank Sese Broadway. Please don't hear God's down on you.

Please hear that for some of you the money issue that you need to get your debt and in your budget and your giving order.

God wants to protect you from what will happen. The issue they keep saying about your marriage. He wants to prevent a divorce. He wants enjoying your life with your kids what he knows is a good education is great in sports are fine, but both can become idols he wants to protect you and your kids from death and killing and destruction in their certain traditions in our culture and in the church and in your family that are ruining you and ruining them and it will take a Stephen like boldness and conviction.

I had a a tradition I had to deal with here recently in Living on the Edges had this explosive growth in sight, soaking up earlier in an and doing the things on I'm supposed to just it was in a season of repression I found myself you just that last hour.

So far went to bed. It was enough and it's got wind down here in ESPN. Some of you actually have a tradition of its very strong tradition. The two and half to three hours every night you sit from the TV to tradition and passing it on. So if that's get you where you need to go that I would keep that tradition, if not got a question what I want to save not always well ask why do I do what I do what I do what I do. That's how you get from tradition to truth. That's all I want to tell you is that I found myself every night watching stuff in ESPN against like a commercial, so went to ESPN to express the highlights and that did not what's on annexation cannot beat beat beat beat beat for about an hour my brain going like this and it was every night, every night I did this for a few months.

Mineral is a one sleep in as well and I heard the Holy Spirit whisper. This was three months ago put something good in your mind before you go to bed okay. I will and I would I will be coming home from something light and I'll be thinking I would get back popcorn and watch ESPN for an hour for the vet. Is it wrong knows it said absolutely not the God was whispering you're setting yourself you're building a tradition chip in and sudden listen. So did it for another couple three months that I didn't sleep as well.

May God begin to not whisper as much as I'm in of passages and passages and passages and like you and think him of in the Bible every day. I'm preaching every week.

If this is the area miss what is he wants me just evident that the new year. I had to say. I have developed a little addiction of watching TV for go to bed and up anything good.

And so I started just reading these two chapters before I went to bed and I like to sit on and okay so just for some of you so I went five nights in a row this last week and was so proud of myself and then Friday I didn't ESPN highlights ESPN highlights he is okay breaking traditions is hard.

When I do what God whispered in my ear all the sudden passages going through my mind as I was dreaming God speaking to me.

I'm resting more deeply into why he loves me. Sometimes what you get use to his right diabolical.

The very last point here is that truth bearers refuse to maintain the status quo in their life, their relationships in their sphere of influence human homes in a changing when workplaces and a change when I in you all together say we will be Stevens and Steve Annette and we will take honest looks at the traditions in our lives and we will take so literally that if we know the truth and practice the truth. Then we will know the truth and it will set us free, and where there's freedom, there's always faith and there's power his promises and his relationship there's joy. There's drive to break some tough traditions will be right back with his application team the status quo. You're listening to Living on the Edge and were in the middle of chip series diabolical. Satan's agenda for planet Earth, including you.

Many Christians are naïve decedents teams and head into their day-to-day lives, unprepared and unprotected, but in reality Satan does his best work in subtle ways and unassuming attraction little doubt here a little cynicism there or a calendar loaded down with religious activity. These are dangerous and effective glories and were all vulnerable because were all targets of Satan's agenda chip chart for this series is to open your eyes to the devils, truly diabolical plots both confrontational and unseen as you listen to the series.

We hope you'll feel properly equipped to defend yourself and your family for all the series information and resources for diabolical visit LivingontheEdge.org or call AAA 83336003 Listeners, special offers which are bright at the end of the teachings they were talking about freedom in Christ, something the Lord wants for everyone but you know without the Bible, or solid Christian resources in one's native language. It's nearly impossible. So it's Living on the Edge doing to meet that need will absolutely day you think of the book of acts, and how when the spirit of God came one of the things he did as the allowed people to hear the truth of God's word in multiple languages and today we do that little bit different way is you have to translate the actual text and we have this commitment on our heart and our mind that people would know who God is, what a disciple is, why do believe it, and how life change really occurs. So we actually have a little catechism if you will of four key books and what we then allowed to do in this last year's translate two or three of those in 16 different languages. I mean from multiple languages in India to Africa to all the major languages Chinese, French, Portuguese, Spanish, etc. and it takes about 10 or $15,000 per language and we discussed thinking about it.you know that there just might be some people that have a passion for a language were like that excites you to think of getting the real God or Romans 12, or some key book or content that would really help people that have so few resources all across the world as it were praying to God to raise some people up and they would call and say hey can I get in on this language stuff and we have a resounding yes will if you believe God is calling you to join that future with us would be honored to have you on our team and Waller in our midyear match every gift we receive will be doubled. Thanks to some very generous friends of the ministry. So now is a great time to become a financial partner to send a gift or to become a monthly partner. Just give us a call at AAA 83336003, or if you prefer to donate online or web address is LivingontheEdge.org app listeners just Donate for all of us here. Thank you in advance for your support. Well here's chip with a final thought about the dangers of traditions as we closed today's program I want to make a couple things very very clear. Do not confuse the word tradition with traditional here's what I mean by that I had someone come up after and says why have a tradition of reading the Bible in the morning and praying. I said will is drawn you closer to God. He said will yes I says great keep doing it. He says well it's a tradition I said no, it's a spiritual discipline and a habit. The formal thought of a tradition is the way the highway by which we pass on values and traditions are not necessarily evil or bad, but they're dangerous you can over time think that just because I set aside time and read the Bible and pray. What if I just do it by going to the motions and I'm not being drawn closer to God.

That's the danger, or, for example, there are certain traditions that are more formal they have more ritual in them. They have more structure. They have beautifully written prayers, they they worship and a style that's different than more a spontaneous or contemporary style one.

It doesn't make him wrong, and those are necessarily just traditions.

The issue is this is what you're doing, causing your heart to grow closer to God and love him and love others were all doing something about a way, although spontaneous contemporary churches. Guess what, you know they had their own traditions. Three songs long prayer special song emotional movement okay and hope we all have our traditions, please hear me there.

Neither good nor bad, but the ones that draw us to God that are from the heart that keep us centered in our relationship and love for him were life change and love is occurring and want to continue those for the right reason, the right way.

But over time the very best of our practices can slide into an end in themselves and that becomes the and and God literally get squeezed out.

It's that picture of Jesus in the synagogue and the Pharisees are saying. I wonder if he's going to heal someone here like you mean the worst thing that could happen in churches.

Someone get healed kiddo and when he tells them and stretch forth your hand and he's healed. The next line is, and now they gather together to decide how they were going to kill them. You see, any time were doing things that are things are more important than our relationship with Jesus. That's a tradition that's got ago. As I entered the program with a rapidfire list of those traditions. What's a tradition in your life that just got to go. Name it.

Claimant deal with it, confess it and make progress. Now go for if Living on the Edges making a difference in your life and you'd like others to receive the same blessing we love to have you partner with us. Thanks to the generosity of a small group of friends of the ministry.

Every gift we received between now and July 6 will be matched dollar for dollar to send a gift. Just go to LivingontheEdge.org tap donate on the app or give us a call at AAA 83336003, let me thank you in advance for your support. Well for all of us here, this is Dave saying thanks for listening to this Edition of Living on the Edge