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Introduction:
Introduction:
I want to welcome you again this morning.
First, to those joining us online, we are so thankful for our online technology that allows you to be a part of our church family today.
I also want to welcome those who may be joining us for the first time today. I hope your time with us today is encouraging and helpful, and I look forward to meeting you.
I would also say if you are new to our church today, it would be helpful for you to know that we practice a form of preaching called “Expository Preaching”. What that means, is we believe the Bible is best taught by taking books of the Bible and then breaking them down from beginning to end, chapter by chapter, verse by verse. Our goal, to better understand not only what God’s Word says, but what it means in our lives today.
Over the past couple of years we’ve been doing that through the NT book of Acts. A book written by a First Century disciple named Luke who wrote it for a couple of reasons:
First, to give us a history of how the church started, who was there, and the circumstances that surrounded it.
Second, in a way, to give us a template on how to accomplish the mission that Jesus gave us to take the gospel to the entire world. With that said, if you haven’t been with us I would encourage you to go online to http://www.mcf.life or to our Facebook page where you can watch previous messages.
Today however we are picking back up in Acts 20
as the Apostle Paul continues his journey towards Jerusalem.
However, as we’ve learned, along the way Paul is going to make a couple of stops. One of those stops is in the port city of Miletus. A stop that Paul takes in order to meet with a group of elders from the city of Ephesus before he sails on towards Jerusalem.
And what we’ve learned, is that Paul wanted to meet with them in order to give them a final goodbye and some parting words.
A final goodbye speech that will consist of four sections.
The first section is a review or recounting of Paul’s history with the church at Ephesus as Paul reminds them of how he approached and led them to faith in Christ.
The second section entails how Paul is being led by the Spirit and the hardships he believes lie ahead.
The third section involves Paul’s words of warning for the church in Ephesus and of what they may face in the days to come. Something that we looked at last week and will continue today.
And finally it will end with some final thoughts and a blessing as Paul prays for them and encourages them.
But as we’ve discussed, not only is this a goodbye speech, it’s also meant to serve as a lifestyle model. A model of Paul’s faith journey. A model he hopes the church at Ephesus will be inspired to pattern their faith journey after.
That being said, if you haven’t been with us the last few weeks, I would encourage you to go online to www.mcf.life or our Facebook page where you can watch or listen to messages leading up to today.
Today, however we are going to finish out the third section of this goodbye speech as Paul focuses on the future of the church at Ephesus.
You may recall from last week, Paul’s biggest concern for the church at Ephesus is that they continue to be a vibrant, healthy and growing church. But in order for that to happen, there are some commitments the church at Ephesus is going to need to make.
And what was true for the church at Ephesus is true for any church that wants to remain vibrant, healthy, and growing, including our church.
So, what does it take?
Last week we looked at two of the three commitments that Paul encourages the church to make in order to maintain and remain healthy and growing.
Commitment #1 - To share the whole gospel with the lost no matter what.
Paul put it like this:
26 Therefore I testify to you this day that I am innocent of the blood of all, 27 for I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.
As Paul begins to give the church at Ephesus instructions for the future, he reminds them of the importance of staying true to the whole Gospel. A commitment that is key to the survival of the church for a couple of reasons:
Reason #1 - If we don’t tell people the truth about Jesus, then they won’t have an opportunity to repent and be saved, which means there won’t be a future generation of believers.
Reason #2 - If we don’t tell people the truth about Jesus, then we will be held accountable by God.
That’s what Paul means when he says, “…I am innocent of the blood of all.”
What Paul is saying is that he’s done his job. He’s told them everything they need to know about how to be right with God. And now their fate is in their own hands.
As a result, Paul is no longer accountable for what happens to them moving forward. They will either choose to follow Jesus or they won’t.
And this is an important aspect of continuing to be a vibrant, healthy and growing church, because the fact is, if a church isn’t committed to proclaiming the truth of the gospel, not only will it fail to reach people, but eventually Jesus will hold that church accountable.
In fact, according to Revelation 2, Jesus not only holds churches like this accountable, he removes them. Which in my opinion is why so many churches are in decline today. Because at the end of the day, Jesus wants a church that represents his passion to reach a lost and dying world. And the only way you can do that is by proclaiming the truth no matter what.
That then led us to the second commitment, and I would state it like this:
In order to continue to be a vibrant, healthy, and growing church:
Commitment #2 - We have to be committed to caring for the people that God brings to us.
The Apostle Paul stated it like this:
28 Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.
In this passage Paul highlights the importance of shepherding the people who make up the church, which he refers to as the church of God, or the body of believers. And this is important for a couple of reasons:
Reason #1 - The Holy Spirit has put us over them.
In other words, God has given us the responsibility to care for one another. Which is an amazing responsibility.
And the fact is that responsibility starts with me as the Lead Shepherd as I oversee the larger body of believers, which in our case is MCF.
But it also extends to you as together we take care of one another. As together we strive to meet each others needs. As together we work to bring hope, encouragement, and strength into one another’s lives.
Reason #2 - The people that make up a flock, or a church, are people that Jesus died for. People Jesus gave his life for. Which means, they are people who are extremely important to God. Which makes our job as shepherds that much more important as we work to care for the needs of the people that God brings to our church.
As I said last week, this is of upmost importance if a church wants to continue to be a vibrant, healthy, and growing church as the church becomes known as a place where people are welcomed, find hope, are strengthened, are healed, are cared for, and further developed in their walk with Jesus.
Bottom line we have to be a church committed to telling people the truth and caring for them as God makes them a part of our church body.
This now leads us to the final commitment a church must make in order to continue to be a vibrant, healthy, and growing church.
And in my opinion, this is a commitment often ignored and is the reason many churches falter and where many of the problems for churches come from.
And so in order to introduce this final commitment, I want to begin by pointing you to a story that I think we are all familiar with. An old story that most of us were introduced to at a young age. It’s a story often referred to as “Little Red Riding Hood”.
How many of you remember reading or being told that classic fable?
You may recall the story begins as a young girl is on her way through the forest to visit her grandmother. A journey that her mother warned her could be dangerous, and as a result she orders Little Red Riding Hood to stay strictly on the path.
And mom was right about the danger, because along the way a Big Bad Wolf begins to secretly stalk Little Red as he lurks behind trees, bushes, shrubs, and patches of grass.
The wolf then approaches her and asks where she is going. Being naive, Little Red tells the wolf she is on her way to her Grandmother’s house of course.
It’s at this point the wolf suggests that Little Red leave the path in order to pick some flowers as a present for her grandmother. And as Little Red thinks about it, she agrees and so she leaves the path to find flowers.
Meanwhile, the wolf hurries ahead to the grandmother’s house and gains entry to the home by pretending to be Little Red. It’s at that point the wolf gobbles the grandmother up, dresses up like the Grandmother, and waits for Little read to arrive.
And its at this point that the story becomes super familiar to all of us, as Little Red enters the home and begins to notice that Grandma looks a little different than she lasts remembers, which leads her to say:
“Grandma, what a deep voice you have!” Which leads the wolf to respond, “The better to greet you with”.
She then says, “And goodness, what big eyes you have!” Which leads the wolf to respond, “The better to see you with.”
“And what big hands you have”, she says, which leads the wolf to respond, “The better to embrace you with”.
Which then leads her to notice the most obvious, “And grandma what a big mouth you have”, which leads the wolf too gleefully respond, “The better to eat you with!”
At which point the wolf jumps out of the bed and eats her up.
And believe it or not, in the first version of this story, that’s where the story ends as the wolf then goes to sleep with a full belly.
What a great Children’s bedtime story, right?!
Now, at this point you might be thinking, “Ok Pastor, I remember that story. Not sure I like that version. A little morbid. I guess I’m just wondering though what this story has to do with being a vibrant, healthy, and growing church?”
The reason I bring that story up, is because what Paul is about to say in many respects represents a similar kind of story, as Paul paints a picture of the dangers that lie ahead on the church at Ephesus’s journey. Dangers that if not taken seriously could lead to the destruction of the church.
Dangers that involve individuals who won’t have the churches best interest in mind. Who are these individuals? As we pick back up in Acts 20, Paul describes them like this:
29 I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock; 30 and from among your own selves will arise men speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them. 31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.
As Paul continues, he now highlights a third commitment a church must make in order to remain a vibrant, healthy, and growing church, and I would state it like this:
Commitment #3 - We must be committed to identifying and chasing off wolves that could bring harm to the church.
In this passage Paul says in his absence, one of his primary concerns is that wolves are going to infiltrate the church and destroy the work of God.
So, maybe a great first question would be, “When Paul says wolves, what is he talking about? Is he talking about actual wolves? Does Ephesus have a wolf problem?”
Obviously Paul isn’t talking about actual wolves, but instead is using the term wolf in a metaphorical way. Which means, by using the term “wolves”, he’s referring to individuals who are deceitful and eager to plunder the flock, which in this case is the church at Ephesus.
In other words, Pauls concern is that when he leaves, deceptive individuals will try to infiltrate the church and destroy all the work he’s done. And by using the term “wolves” he’s indicating the type of predators they are. That just like a wolf tries to take out a flock of sheep, there will be people who try to destroy the work God is doing in a church.
And this is one of the reasons Shepherding is so important because without a Shepherd, the sheep are sitting ducks.
So, in order to help us understand what Paul’s concern is and how it applies to us, I want to approach this passage from two different angles.
First, I want to spend a few minutes giving you some general principles concerning what we are going to call “Church Wolves”.
Second, I want to spend some time identifying a few key types of wolves we need to be aware of in the church. The kind of wolves that typically do the most damage to a church.
So, to get us started, let’s look at a few Church wolf principles when it comes to church life.
Wolf Principle #1 - Regardless of the church, every church is going to have a wolf problem from time to time.
I think it’s important we all understand this. In fact, Paul asserts it’s a certainty when he says, “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock...”
Paul says, “It’s going to happen?”
Which is why Paul says we need to be alert. Because like it or not, there are going to be individuals who come into the church that don’t have the best interests of the church in mind.
Wolf Principle #2 - Church wolves are fierce and ruthless.
Paul writes, ““I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock...”
The greek word translated for “fierce” here literally means they will be cruel and burdensome.
And as a result, they will not spare the flock. Which means they will act ruthlessly with no thought of the harm they are brining.
And if you think about it, that’s how wolves operate. They identify their prey, and then without any thought to the harm they will bring, they attack.
It’s kind of like Little Read Riding Hood. The wolf didn’t care about the grandma or Little Red. All he cared about was filling his stomach. And so he ruthlessly sought to fulfill his own desires while destroying them in the process.
Wolf Principle #3 - Church wolves come from the outside in and from the inside out.
Notice what Paul says. He says, “I know that after my departure fierce wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock...”, which indicates they will come from the outside in. But then he goes on to say in verse 30, “and from among your own selves will arise mean speaking twisted things, to draw away the disciples after them...” Acts 20:30
Notice what Paul says. He says wolves aren’t only something that come from outside of the church, but from within as well.
Which means, as Paul is talking to these elders, what he’s literally saying is, “From this very group of elders, some of you will become wolves.”
That’s kind of scary, right? But it shouldn’t surprise us. Because even Jesus himself had a wolf among his flock. Jesus put it like this:
21 But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table.
In Jesus’s case, the wolf was Judas who would later betray him.
All that to say, wolves don’t just come from the outside but from many times manifest from the inside out.
Wolf Principle #4 - Church wolves can only be stopped by alert and passionate shepherds.
Paul puts it like this:
31 Therefore be alert, remembering that for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.
Once again Paul warns the elders to be alert. To be on guard. To be watching for individuals who would work to bring harm to the church. Which is exactly what a good shepherd does.
But not only do they need to be on guard, Paul says they need to be willing to passionately defend the sheep. That’s what he means when he says, “…for three years I did not cease night or day to admonish every one with tears.”
The idea here is that Paul continually and passionately, with tears, worked to prevent wolves from entering the church. In other words, he went out of his way to make sure the flock was safe. He gave everything he had to protect the church.
And in the same way, he’s challenging the elders to defend the flock, the church, with the same tenacity and passion.
Because at the end of the day, the only thing that keeps wolves out is an alert and passionate shepherd or shepherds.
So, those are the principles we need to be aware when it comes to church wolves. The question now is, “How do we go about spotting a wolf?” In other words, how do we identify such individuals.
Before we get to what to look for, I’d like to begin by giving you a general principle that we can apply across the board to identify any type of wolf. And the principle could be stated like this:
Wolf Identification Principle - A wolf is anybody or anything that draws attention away from the mission of the church, brings focus to themselves, and fails to keep Jesus central.
So, to help us get a grasp on this principle and how to apply it, I want to give you some examples of the different types of wolves that tend to creep into a church along with those that tend to come from within.
So, to get us started, we are going to start with the most obvious:
Wolf #1 - The Wolf of False Teaching & Doctrine
So, how do you spot this kind of wolf? Well, there are typically a couple of tells that give this wolf away.
Tell #1 - The wolf of false teaching presents doctrine that is contrary to Biblical teaching.
Which means this would be any person who would teach something that is contrary to scripture when it comes to salvation, faith, and Christian living.
We see this at times within certain denominations or sects of Christianity who have broken away from scriptural teaching.
For example, Jehovah Witnesses and Mormons would qualify as false teachers who present a gospel that doesn’t line up with the Word of God. In fact, what they believe doesn’t have any scriptural support. And what’s deceptive about their teaching is on the surface it would appear they believe what most churches believe.
For instance, Mormons would tell you they believe Jesus is the Son of God, which on the surface seems to coincide with what we would believe.
But dig a little deeper, and what you’ll discover is that what they really believe is that Jesus isn’t just the Son of God, but the first Son of God, which means there will be others, namely practicing mormons, who upon death will become gods and breed their own celestial family as they rule their own world.
When it comes to salvation, yes they believe Jesus died for the sins of humanity. As a result, they don’t believe a person has to put their faith in Jesus and that everyone will be saved. However, there will be different levels of salvation depending on how you lived on earth. So in a sense they believe in a universal salvation, which doesn’t line up with scripture either.
Speaking of scripture, they don’t believe the Bible is inerrant and believe that the only parts of the Bible can be trusted, specifically the parts that line up with the book of Mormon that was written by the founder of Mormonism, Joseph Smith in 1830. According to Joseph Smith, the book of mormon is the most correct book of any book on earth and the Bible needs to line up with it.
All that to say, while on the surface they appear to be scripturally correct, they in fact are not.
Tell #2 - The wolf of false teaching focuses on their ability to deliver versus putting the focus on Jesus who is the deliverer.
In other words, it’s a teacher or preacher who instead of pointing people to Jesus as savior, is directing people to themselves.
Probably the most extreme example of this in recent history would be Rev. Jim Jones.
You may recall Jim Jones was a charismatic preacher in the 1950’s and 60’s who built up a church called “The Wings of Deliverance Pentecostal Church”. A church that was noted for helping the homeless and fighting for human rights.
Eventually Jim relocated his church to California where he adopted the name “The Prophet” and started diverting church funds for his own personal use.
This then led Jim to proclaim himself messiah of the Peoples Temple in San Francisco which ultimately led him to start his own community called “Jonestown”where as a self proclaimed messiah, convince over 900 people to drink poison laced Kool-aid.
Now some might say, “Wow, how did those people become so fooled by this guy?”
To be honest, it’s not hard for something like this to happen, because unfortunately people are often drawn to charismatic personalities and people who they perceive as gifted or special in some way.
For example, why do you think people are so drawn to Hollywood stars.
Or why are people so enthralled by a magnetic vocal performer. For example, when Elvis Presley and Michael Jackson were at their peak it wasn’t uncommon for fans to pass out in front of them or go crazy trying to get close to them. I know, crazy, right?!
You see, as human beings we have a tendency sometimes to put unhealthy faith in the fame, personalities, and charisma of certain individuals.
And unfortunately the same thing happens in the church world as well as people sometimes put too much hope and faith in a charismatic preacher or teacher.
And please here me, I’m on saying you can’t have a favorite preacher/teacher or somebody you enjoy listening and learning from. I’m just saying if that person ever becomes the basis of your hope, then you’re walking down a dangerous road. Or if they’re the only one you think speaks truth, to be honest, that can be dangerous.
Because at the end of the day, Jesus is the only one who can save you. Which means, regardless of who your favorite preaching/teaching personality is, if they ever stop putting the focus on Jesus, then I’d encourage you to find a different preacher/teacher.
All that to say, if you want to spot the wolf of false teaching and doctrine all you have to do is ask two questions:
Question #1 - Are they teaching what is Biblically correct?
Question #2 - Are they making Jesus the central focus.
This now leads us to some wolf’s that aren’t always as obvious. Wolf’s that I think often cause the most damage to the church.
Wolf #2 - The Wolf of Religious Thinking
This wolf is often hard to spot because it presents itself as something good and necessary for a person to be right with God.
So, how do we spot it? Like the wolf of false teaching and doctrine, it has a couple of tells.
Tell #1 - The wolf of religious thinking values tradition and rituals over faith and relationship.
In other words, instead of pointing people to a relationship with Jesus, the wolf of religous thinking points people to a religous heritage or ritual as the means for being right with God.
For example, this is the wolf that says, “In order to be right with God you have to belong to a certain church or denomination”. Or, “In order to be right with God, you have to perform certain rituals.”
The problem with that though, is the Bible doesn’t even come close to supporting that kind of thinking.
In fact, the Bible actually speaks against this kind of thinking.
An example of this is found in Galatians 1 as Paul argues against the beliefs of a group of Jewish Christians known as the Judaizers.
The Judaizers were Jews who had put their faith in Jesus. But along with faith in Jesus, they were still holding onto the Jewish law and traditions as part of their faith.
As a result, when Gentiles put their faith in Jesus, Judaizers were insisting that along with faith in Jesus, they needed to become Jewish and practice the Jewish traditions and rituals in order to be saved.
But again, nothing in the Bible supports this and it’s the furthest thing from the gospel. Which is why Paul addresses it with such passion. Look at what he says to the church in Galatia concerning this:
6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. 9 As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed.
Paul says he is astonished that the church at Galatia has bought into the idea that they have to follow a certain set of rituals and be associated with a certain religious way of thinking in order to be saved. In fact, he calls this false teaching another gospel.
And he’s so bothered by it that he says, But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.” And then he repeats that same line again.
And translated literally, what Paul is saying here is, “If somebody tells you that it’s anything but Jesus, to hell with them.”
Because for Paul, the gospel is one thing. Its faith in Jesus and Jesus alone.
He puts it like this in Romans 10:
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
Paul says it’s a matter of faith, not ritual or religion.
Now, does that mean religion and rituals aren’t important? Of course not. There is a place for both. But what we can never do is allow religious thinking convince us we need something other than Jesus, because we don’t.
And to be honest, this is the challenge of many in our county and community, because for the most part Marshall county is a religious county.
And I know that because on a weekly basis I will have people come up to me and say something like, “Hey, I’ve been watching you online, and I’d really like to attend MCF, but I’m Lutheran, or I’m Presbyterian, or I’m Catholic”.
And they say that because they are stuck in religious thinking. Stuck in tradition. Stuck in this idea that a title, a tradition, and a ritual are what makes a person right with God. And I’m going to tell you right now, it’s a wolf in sheep's clothing that is keeping many people from experiencing true freedom in Jesus.
This leads us to another wolf:
Wolf #3 - The Wolf of Disunity
In my opinion, this is one of the most destructive wolves in the church. And it’s destructive for a couple of reasons:
Reason #1 - It’s destructive because it’s a wolf that doesn’t enter from the outside in, but from the inside out.
In other words, it’s a wolf that manifests itself through people in the church.
Reason #2 - It’s destructive because it manifest itself in more than one way.
In other words, it’s has different forms it presents itself as.
Let me give you a few examples of what I’m talking about.
Form #1 - Disunity that results from gossip.
Whether Christians realize it or not, gossip is one of the greatest dangers in the church. Why? Primarily because it spreads rumors and assumptions that may or may not be true. Rumors and assumptions that lead to judgmental attitudes and dissension within the body of Christ.
And the reason it’s a wolf, is because when you gossip, you take the focus off of being Christ like as you become like one who acts like the world. Which means by gossiping you are bringing worldly behavior into the church.
Worldly behavior that could be detrimental to a person’s faith, their marriage, their friendships, and even their relationship with the church.
And what makes this wolf so deceitful is that it often presents itself through good intentions.
In other words, we think by talking about it with others we are just showing concern. And please hear me, there’s nothing wrong with being concerned about somebody’s situation or about something you heard concerning that person.
But your concern shouldn’t be spread to others. Instead, it should go directly to the person you are concerned about as instead of talking to others, you go directly to them, which according to Matthew 18 is the Biblical way to address concerns. Jesus put it like this:
15 “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother.
Jesus says instead of gossiping and talking to others, go to the person you’re concerned about.
But along with gossip, another form common form of is:
Form #2 - Disunity that results from a negative and critical spirit.
In the church, this is the person who is upset about something, and instead of addressing the problem with the pastor or whoever they are upset with, they internalize their frustration and in most cases start complaining about it to others.
In a way, it’s a form of gossip, but its gossip on steroids as the critical and negative spirit begins to spread like a virus.
And it’s not only dangerous for the church at large, it’s dangerous for the person who gives themselves to it. Because over time, the spirit of criticism and negativity will push the joy of the Lord right out of your heart.
Why? Because ultimately, it takes the focus off of Jesus and puts the focus on your own personal agenda or desires.
I see this happen all the time in churches.
For some churches it takes place as people become critical or negative over worship style, as the church follows a certain genre of worship versus another.
And so instead of focusing on worshiping Jesus, the disgruntled person focuses on not liking the style of music.
For other churches it takes place as people become critical of how the service is conducted, or how the pastor dresses, or even for some how loud the music is.
And so instead of focusing on the message, the disgruntled person focuses on what they don’t like or wish would change.
This happened in my first year at MCF as we made some necessary changes in order to reach people for Jesus. Changes that brought negativity and criticism from some. Criticism that led to gossip. Gossip that led to a potential devision in our church as the focus was diverted from Jesus to the selfish needs and desires of a few in our church.
And what’s sad is when not addressed, the wolf of disunity can keep people from getting saved, and in many cases split or destroy a church.
That’s why it’s important that all of us are committed to keeping the wolf of disunity out as we work to address challenges and concerns in a Biblical way. In a way that brings hope, strength, and encouragement.
The Apostle Paul puts it like this:
29 Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.
Paul says let your speech be for building up, not tearing down. In other words, if you have a problem, concern, or criticism, address it in a way that brings life to the situation and not death.
And let me just say this, if you have a critical or negative spirit towards someone or something in the church, the problem more than likely isn’t the worship, the pastor, or whatever it is you don’t like. The problem is probably something that’s going on in your heart. Something that is causing you to divert your attention away from Jesus. A wolf that you’ve allowed into your heart that is eating you alive.
Because if the church’s focus is Jesus and the church is reaching the lost, then maybe just maybe, the problem isn’t the church. Maybe the problem is you.
This leads us to one final wolf I want to address this morning. We’ll call this wolf:
Wolf #4 - The Wolf of Secular Culture
Unlike the Wolf of disunity, this wolf tends to enter from the outside in, and in my opinion is the most dangerous wolf coming from the outside.
So, a great question would be, “What is this wolf up too?”
Simply put, the goal of this wolf is to bring secular thinking into the body of Christ. To create a church where sinful living is tolerated. To create a church where secular views are adopted. It’s a wolf that wants to lure the church into casually adopting worldly thinking that runs contrary to God’s Word.
And what’s so deceptive about this wolf, is that it presents itself in the sheep skin of acceptance.
Let me give you some examples of what I’m talking about:
One of the most controversial topics among many people today centers around the acceptance of alternative lifestyles.
And when I say alternative lifestyles, I’m talking about a persons decision to choose a lifestyle that runs contrary to God’s natural order. Some examples of this would be transgenderism, homosexuality, lesbianism, and the list goes on.
And if you haven’t noticed, secular culture has done a tremendous job of highlighting and glorifying such lifestyles. I’m going to say just about ever new television series and movie includes some a focus or portrayal of an alternative lifestyle.
I know for Denise and I, several of our favorite television series have added such focuses over the past few years, causing us to stop watching those shows.
You might ask, “Pastor, why have you stopped watching those shows? Are you a homophobe? Are you transphobic?”
No not at all. I’m just not going to watch something that tries to convince me that something is normal when it’s not. Because that’s the goal of the media. To over time lure you into accepting such lifestyles. Because the more you see it, the more normal it’s going to seem. That’s just how it works.
And what’s even more disturbing, is this kind of thinking is slowly creeping in the church as many churches, even some in our community, have started to put their stamp of approval on such lifestyles. Why? Because they’ve bought into the lie of the culture. They’ve bought into the lie that somehow this is normal and the way that God designed them. And that if God accepts them, then we must accept them.
But the fact is, God didn’t create them like that and He doesn’t accept it. Which is why he sent His Son Jesus to die for us. So that, if a person wants to be delivered from sin, through faith in Jesus they can be.
But unfortunately, that’s not the message may churches are preaching. Instead they are preaching a message of acceptance, which on the surface almost seems Christ like. Because the truth is, Jesus does accept us, but He has conditions for acceptance. One of those conditions is a willingness to repent and turn from sin.
Now, some might say, “Wow Pastor Brad, doesn’t sound like people who choose an alternative lifestyle are accepted at MCF”.
No we don’t accept their lifestyle as acceptable just like we wouldn’t accept any kind of sinful lifestyle, but just like anybody caught up in a sinful lifestyle, we welcome them to attend, and while we won’t accept their sin, we will love them despite it.
Because that’s what Jesus did. Jesus loved people where they were at. But He didn’t accept or encourage them to stay in their sin.
We see a great example of this in John 8 as a woman caught in adultery is brought to Jesus. An offense that was punishable by death in Jesus’s day. And the reason the woman is brought to Jesus, is so that the religious leaders can trap Jesus into doing something that will reverse his popularity with the people.
So, their thinking is, if we can get Jesus to condemn this woman, then we can run this story on CNN and show everybody just how judgmental Jesus is and what a bigot He is.
But Jesus doesn’t respond in the way they thought He would. Instead of condemning her, he gets down on the ground and writes something in the sand. What did He write? We don’t know. But after writing it, He stands up, and He makes this statement, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.”
And then amazingly, following that statement one by one her accusers started to leave until nobody was left accept Jesus and the woman. And it’s at this point Jesus makes an amazing statement to her. Listen to how John puts it:
10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”
So, what’s going on here? What’s going on is when nobody’s left but her and Jesus, Jesus offers her something nobody else can. He offers her forgiveness. And then he tells her to go and live in the new freedom she has and to sin no more.
Here’s my point. Regardless of what your sinful lifestyle is, when you come to MCF, my job isn’t to accept your sin or condemn you for it.
My job is to love you and point you to the one who can deliver you. The one who can offer you forgiveness. The one who can set you free from the bondage of sin in your life.
We have a threefold motto here at MCF.
First, We love people where they are at.
Which means, regardless of who they are, what they’ve done, or the lifestyle they are currently living, we are going to love you no matter what.
Now, does that mean we accept your sinful situation? Of course not. But we love you regardless of the sin.
Second, We lead them to Jesus.
In other words, we tell them about who Jesus is, what He’s done for us, and the freedom He offers.
Finally, we proclaim the truth to them.
In other words, we begin to show them what the Bible says as we teach them God’s Word.
Which we believe will lead to a new way of living.
Sadly, there are many churches that are failing to teach truth. Instead, their preaching a gospel of acceptance that doesn’t lead to spiritual transformation.
The Apostle Paul warned Timothy that this would happen. He puts it like this:
3 For the time is coming when people will not endure sound teaching, but having itching ears they will accumulate for themselves teachers to suit their own passions, 4 and will turn away from listening to the truth and wander off into myths.
Paul says a day is coming when people will not endure the truth, but instead will look for teachers and churches that will tell them what they want to hear. What suits their fleshly desires.
Can I just tell you MCF, that time has come and is here. Which is why we need to be aware of the Wolf of Secular Culture that is working to lure churches away from the truth and accept sin without the need for repentance.
And that’s why it’s important we be committed to in love, telling people the truth, no matter what.
So, those are just a few of the wolves that we need to be on the lookout for. Wolves that when spotted must be dealt with. Wolves that if left unattended can and will bring harm to the work that God is doing.
That being the case, as we close this morning, I’d like to leave you with a few closing thoughts that I believe can help us not only determine if there are wolves among us to be dealt with, but what we need to do in order to deal with them.
Closing Thoughts:
What wolves need to be identified and dealt with in my life?
In other words, as you consider what a wolf is or can be, are there any wolves present or influencing your life?
For example, when it comes to your view of salvation, is the wolf of religous thinking still present in your life? A wolf that is trying to convince you that Jesus isn’t enough. A wolf that wants you to focus on what you need to do versus what Jesus has done for you. A wolf that is keeping you from a relationship with Jesus?
Is the wolf of secular culture present in your life. A wolf that’s trying to trick you into thinking the world’s way is God’s way. A wolf that wants to deceive you into accepting a worldly way of thinking?
What are the wolves in your life? What wrong thinking. What false teaching. What umbilical ideas. What sinful lifestyle do you need to identify and root out of your life?
2. Am I a wolf?
I know that sounds like an offensive question, and maybe it is a little bit. But the truth is, there’s a little wolf in all of us. A tendency to allow the negative in. A tendency to become critical. A tendency to engage in conversations we shouldn’t engage in. A tendency to take the focus off of what’s most important as we focus on what we are most upset about.
If that’s you can I challenge you to put that wolf to death this morning. To not allow the enemy any opportunity to create disunity. To not allow him any opportunity to create chaos. To not allow him to bring dissension into the body of Christ.
You might ask, “How do I put that wolf to death?”
It’s easy. You do exactly what Jesus said to do in John 8. You repent, and then you commit to sin no more. You commit to stop gossiping. You commit to stop being critical. You commit to stop the negativity.
3. Is Jesus my Shepherd?
We started today with the story of Little Red Riding Hood, and a version of the story that doesn’t end well.
The good news though is, the story was eventually adapted to suit a better ending.
Because in the most current version of the story, as Little Red Riding Hood screams, a wood cutter hears her cries, breaks down the door, kills the wolf and frees the grandmother and Little Red from the belly of the wolf as they emerge unharmed.
I know, a little gruesome. But in a way, that’s what Jesus did for us. Because when sin death swallowed us up, Jesus heard our cry, and He came to our rescue. And then through a gruesome set of events called the cross, Jesus set us free from the wolf of sin and death.
Which means, while the wolves may try to come and destroy, we have a good shepherd, a savior, that can, has, and will deliver us.
My question then for you is, “Is Jesus your shepherd? Is He your savior? Because if he’s not, and you’re tired of the wolves in your life, if you cry out to Him this morning, I can promise you He will come to your rescue and he will deliver you.
MCF, the fact is, if we want to be a vibrant, healthy, and growing church, we have to be on the alert for wolves, and we have to be committed to rooting them out when they appear, and we have to put our hope in Jesus who is the ultimate Shepherd.
Let’s Pray