Do You Want To Hear The Word?

¹ Then the LORD spoke to Moses: ² “Tell the Israelites: When someone sins unintentionally against any of the LORD’s commands and does anything prohibited by them—

 ³ “If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he is to present to the LORD a young, unblemished bull as a sin offering for the sin he has committed."

-Leviticus 4:1-3 (HCSB)

Yesterday, we talked about how sin can destroy each one of us. We talked about how we must not continue in sin after we've given our lives to Christ. Today, I want to look at something that I think is a major problem in our Christian culture. In our world today, people put an incredible amount of faith into other people. I'll go as far as to say this: For many people, who claim Jesus as their Savior, follow their Pastor or TV Evangelist more than Jesus. Let me rephrase it. Many people follow put more faith in their TV preacher than in God. In our world of social media, we create idols without even realizing it. I know people who will defend their favorite TV preacher, who will not defend Jesus. They put their entire faith into the teachings of their favorite TV preacher. What if that preacher isn't preaching the Word or God, and instead preaching the doctrine of man?

We read in Leviticus 4 about four different groups of people who may have unintentionally fallen into sin. For the sake of time and space, we'll look at just one. For the record, the rest of Leviticus 4 gives instructions on sin offerings for the congregation (verses 13-21), the ruler (verses 22-26) and common people (verses 27-35). I encourage you to take a look at those verses. 

Look at verse 2, "Tell the Israelites: When someone sins unintentionally against any of the LORD's commands and does anything prohibited by them-" Sometimes, we put so much faith into someone's teaching that we neglect to be certain what he is saying is true. Let me put it this way. I love watching preachers like David Jeremiah and Charles Stanley on TV. I love their preaching, but I make sure what they are quoting from Scripture is the truth. I've came across many preachers who encourage their listeners to close their Bible  and focus on them. Is that right? Are these people putting that much faith in their preacher? Look at verse 3, "If the anointed priest sins, bringing guilt on the people, he is to present to the LORD a young, unblemished bull as a sin offering for the sin he has committed." If our preacher or Bible teachers sins, it brings guilt on the people who he leads. Why? Because they are following his teaching, and if his teaching isn't Biblical, then the people who is in his congregation are not receiving the Word of God. To be a preacher means a big responsibility. Unfortunately, there are too many people who are in it for fame and fortune. 

Look what God says to Ezekiel about the importance of bringing His message to the people. Ezekiel 3:17-19 says, “¹⁷Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth, and give them warning from me. ¹⁸When I say unto the wicked, Thou shalt surely die; and thou givest him not warning, nor speakest to warn the wicked from his wicked way, to save his life; the same wicked man shall die in his iniquity; but his blood will I require at thine hand.¹⁹Yet if thou warn the wicked, and he turn not from his wickedness, nor from his wicked way, he shall die in his iniquity; but thou hast delivered thy soul. (KJV)" The basic warning for preachers and teachers is that if we don't deliver the message God has for His people, and they die in their sins, the preacher will be held accountable. Yet, if the preacher delivers the message, and the people reject it, and die in their sins, then the preacher is not responsible. How many of the preachers around the world are adhering to this principle? 

Finally, Paul writes in Second Timothy 4: 3-4, " ³For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; ⁴And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. (KJV)" The time has now come when people don't want to hear the truth of the Word of God any longer. They want just a little taste of the good stuff, like Heaven and the blessings of God. People don't want to hear about sin, and living in sin. Therefore, many preachers today are exchanging the true message of the Word of God, and giving people the messages they want to hear. May God have mercy on the pastor who does that.

Do you want to hear the truth of God's Word? Are you telling others the true message of the Gospel? Think About It. 

Watch Out!

²⁸ “So guard yourselves and God’s people. Feed and shepherd God’s flock—his church, purchased with his own blood^[c]—over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders.^{[d] 29} I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. ³⁰ Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following. ³¹ Watch out! Remember the three years I was with you—my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many tears for you.
 ³² “And now I entrust you to God and the message of his grace that is able to build you up and give you an inheritance with all those he has set apart for himself.
-Acts 20:28-32 (NLT)

We've been in this study of the last words of Paul to the Elders of the church at Ephesus. So far, we've discussed the desire of Paul to finish the work he was put here to do (Acts 20:22-24). We discovered the importance of sharing our faith with others, and how Paul shared the Gospel with them (Acts 20:25-27). And now, we see Paul giving them instructions as the leaders of the church, but also warnings about the future. Let's take a look.

Verse 28 says, "So guard yourselves and God's people. Feed and shepherd God's flock-his church, purchased with his own blood-over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders." Paul is giving the elders of this church important instructions. Paul was leaving, was going to Jerusalem, they would now be in charge of the church. Paul was turning it over to them. He first instructed them to "guard yourselves and God's people." They had to stay on guard for themselves, and those in the congregation. What do they have to stay on guard for? Verses 29-30 reveal that, "I know that false teachers, like vicious wolves, will come in among you after I leave, not sparing the flock. Even some men from your own group will rise up and distort the truth in order to draw a following." Paul was warning them to guard themselves, and also their congregation against false teachers. False teachers tear apart the church and cause many to lose faith. False teachers only goal is themselves, not to tell others about Jesus. Maybe we'll take a look at characteristics of false teachers soon. False teachers were a problem in Paul's day, and they are a problem today. Paul tells them that "False teachers...will come in...even some men from you own group....distort the truth....to draw a following." False teachers were going to come in and destroy the church. Notice what they do, "distort the truth in order to draw a following." That is why the second part of Paul's instructions are so important.

"Feed and shepherd God's flock-his church, purchased with his own blood-over which the Holy Spirit has appointed you as elders." They had to watch out for false teachers. It's important to teach the Word to others, so that they can see the errors, or distortions, in a false teachers teaching. Paul told these elders of the Ephesian church that they had to "feed and shepherd God's flock." In other words, they had to feed the flock a proper diet of the Word of God. Paul wrote about this in Second Timothy 4:2-4, "² Preach the word of God. Be prepared, whether the time is favorable or not. Patiently correct, rebuke, and encourage your people with good teaching. ³ For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear. ⁴ They will reject the truth and chase after myths." We must preach the word of God. We must  teach others sound and wholesome teaching. It seems that verses 3-4 are pointing to our day and time. I just read a post on Facebook from a local Pastor friend that a colleague, another Pastor, told him not to preach too hard about sin, because it will cause people to leave his church. What? That is directly what Paul was teaching Timothy, and what Paul was warning the elders at Ephesus about. "For a time is coming when people will no longer listen to sound and wholesome teaching. They will follow their own desires and will look for teachers who will tell them whatever their itching ears want to hear." May God have mercy on the teacher who doesn't teach what God puts in their hearts, and listens to what man wants taught instead. My.

Friends, you don't have to be a preacher in a church to spread the Word of God. You just have to share it. Get into the Word, and allow the Word to get into you. Do you take time to study the Word? If someone came to you with a false teaching, would you know it was a false teaching? If you're a Pastor today, are you imitating Paul's instruction to "feed and shepherd God's flock?" Paul had further instructions for the elders of the church. Verse 31 says, "³¹ Watch out! Remember the three years I was with you—my constant watch and care over you night and day, and my many tears for you." Paul reminded them that during the three years he was with them,  he watched and cared for the flock night and day, and shed tears for them. This is a great example of the work of the Pastor. Too many times Pastors feel they have a 9 to 5 job, but that isn't so. Paul watched, cared for and shepherded the flock night and day. Are you willing to do that? Think About It.