The Need for Sound Doctrine

Turn please the book of 2nd Timothy. 2nd Timothy and we're going to read in chapter 4. I'd like to carry on a few thoughts about doctrine. Doctrine.

2nd Timothy in chapter 4. We're going to read together at verse number 1. I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ who shall judge the appearing and his kingdom. Preach the word. Be instant in season and out of season.

Reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long-suffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but after their own lust they shall heap to themselves teachers having itching ears and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou at all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry.

Now to the Old Testament please. First of all the book of Isaiah and we're going to get some examples of what this looks like when men will not endure sound doctrine. Isaiah in chapter 30.

We'll read together at verse number 8. Isaiah 30 verse 8. Now go write it before them in a table and note it in a book that it may be for the time to come forever and ever that this is a rebellious people lying children children that will not hear the law of the Lord which say to the seers see not and to the prophets prophesy not unto us right things speak unto us smooth things prophesy deceits get you out of the way turn aside out of the path cause the Holy One of Israel to cease from before us wherefore thus saith the Holy One of Israel because he despised his word and trust in oppression and perverseness and stay there on therefore this iniquity shall be to you as a breach ready to fall swelling out in a high wall whose breaking cometh suddenly at an instant. Now to Jeremiah chapter 10. Jeremiah chapter 10 and this really is a verse that's been speaking to my own heart I just want to take four words at verse number 24.

Oh Lord correct me. Oh Lord correct me. Chapter 11 verse 20 verse 20.

But O Lord of hosts that judges righteously and detrius the reins and the heart let me see thy vengeance on them for unto thee have I revealed my cause therefore thus saith the Lord of the men of Anathoth that seek thy life saying prophesy not in the name of the Lord that thou die not by our hands. In other words we don't want to hear anything from the Lord or we're going to kill you. Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts behold I will punish them the young man shall die by the sword their sons and their daughters shall die by famine.

And book of Amos please chapter 7. We're taking the time to read these three prophets just that we might understand that what Isaiah was was realizing wasn't just common to him as a messenger of God. Jeremiah the same thing. Amos chapter 7 verse number 10.

Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel. Now you remember that Bethel in the Old Testament is house of God. So we're going to apply this to the assembly today.

Then Amaziah the priest of Bethel sent to Jeroboam king of Israel saying Amos has conspired against thee in the midst of the house of Israel the land is not able to bear all his words for thus saith for thus Amos saith Jeroboam shall die by the sword and Israel shall surely be led away captive out of their own land also Amaziah said unto Amos O thou seer go flee thee away into the land of Judah and there eat bread and prophesy there but prophesy not again anymore at Bethel for it is the king's Chapel it is the king's court and a Lord of blessed to us the reading of his precious word in the last days men shall not receive sound doctrine and our brother Joel has explained the doctrine to us it is the foundation for what we believe and why we believe it and I would just like to just simply look very practically today at and it's my life as it's been correcting me and hopefully the Lord will apply it to whoever needs to hear it this morning I've been exercise this fall as I've been going through the Old Testament and the different different things that trip up God's people the different things that cause hindrance to our growth and hindrance to our blessing and and first of all I've been looking at it for me and what is it there that is that is hindering my communion with the Lord and my and and the the beauty of his presence and in Heightsville you might remember we looked at the idea that that the the people of Israel were all about ritual and there was no reality to their life they were going through all the motions and they were going through all the all the right things but it was for a wrong way and it was for a wrong motive and there was nothing for God in the way that they lived in the way that they represented God on this earth and today I would just like to simply look at the doctrine the doctor the nation of Israel as we've read together has come to the point in their existence that they don't want to hear from God they're not interested what God has to say they're not interested in the holiness of God they're only interested in how they feel for an Isaiah he he said they said prophesy unto us smooth things we just want to hear things that make us comfortable we want to hear things that put us at ease that put us at rest that's what they were interested in and they were not interested in what God had to say Jeremiah it says there prophesy not and in the name of the Lord unto us they were interested in the authority of the Lord they were interested in what he had to say could that ever happen to me could that ever happen to you and in Amos Amaziah the priest of all people he says I get out of here we don't want to hear that in the house of God could it ever happen in your assembly you know we get all taken up with the events of the world and and they used to scare me to death I find them rather interesting now trying to change my attitude trying to change my outlook and in fact if we would if we would get rid of the news we might do better but listen what's the most important thing that's going on in this life for you it's your personal relationship with God it's not what's going on in Israel today that is the most significant thing in this world for you it is your personal communion with the Lord is your personal relationship with him and then next it's our relationship with him in assembly capacity and what's taking place out there is all according to the program of God and the timing of God and the providence of God but really the only thing that you can affect the only thing that you can change is what's going on inside of you and how is that going to change it's going to be by the Word of God and the power of the Spirit of God and these people were not interested in that do not prophesy unto us right things tell us deceits and you look around at the great religious ecclesiastical movements in our country and perhaps the world and what is it it's that where people preachers and pastors are making their congregation feel good and they're feeling good and they're promising them blessing and they're promising them prosperity and there they are they're they're salving the conscience of the people it's a massive movement but when it comes to the smooth words that the people want to hear three things that smooth words can never do smooth words can never convict the soul of sin whether it's a believer or an unbeliever to give men and women the smooth words that they're longing to hear of those that that that puff up their flesh and in and pat them on the back they can never cause conviction of sin and so as God's people here today we're not interested in that we want to know when we need to be corrected and what a stumbling stone it is for us that as we listen to the ministry and we listen to it we try to read the Word of God and we're only seeking to prop up our lifestyle and we're not interested in change in Jeremiah in chapter 10 where we read the cry is this Lord correct me I don't know what you come to this conference looking for today but I come that the Lord might correct me if there's something that is in the way that it might be taken out of the way but you're in Isaiah's day they were not interest prophesy deceits can you imagine the people would say tell us lies intentionally that's the state of the nation of Israel we would rather hear lies than the truth Jeremiah's day prophesy not in the name of the Lord we don't want to hear a word from the Lord we're not interested in his authority we're not interested in what he has to say we do not want to acknowledge his his lordship and what about you and I today he is the Lord he has supreme authority he will always have and be the supreme authority but there was people they didn't want to hear anything in that name that name is a despised name today isn't it it is a rejected name and yet there are a few of God's dear people here and there that seek to gather in that name and when we profess to gather in his name what are we saying that he has authority here that he is exalted here that he reigns here in this local gathering he is the Lord he is the Lord it's the practical thought about the house of God the priest not in Israel you go to Judah we don't want to hear it in Israel we want just go to Judah go down there and give your messages go down there and give your your visions but not in the house of God could that happen in your assembly could it happen in your own soul it could and it has and it will happen again if we're not careful the house of God is a delightful place the assembly where God is chosen to place his name and the presence of the Lord is real is unlike any other place but the time will come yeah the time is here when men will refuse sound teaching I want to be very practical I would be very pointed with the help of God not to offend anyone but to challenge first of all those of you that are saved and you're not in assembly fellowship and we're going to go right up the list you're sitting in the back seat and you're observing the Lord's people and you're observing the breaking of bread and you think it's a nice you think it's a lovely idea it's a lovely concept but there's a few things that you would do different when it comes to God's assembly God has given us the pattern right and a pattern is used to reproduce the same thing multiple times and so it's God's it's God's desire it's God's will that there would be local assembly church gatherings in every place that look the same because they're according to the pattern was in a place not too long ago and and there were some things that were happening and I got called in by the elders and I thought oh no I'm in trouble now and they asked me what I thought about a certain a certain thing that was being introduced in that assembly and I said brethren God's pattern is like a recipe okay your sisters know about a recipe what do you put on your little recipe card when when some kind person says that was a delicious dish can I get your recipe what do you put on it do you go through the time and the hassle to put everything on that little index card that shouldn't be in that recipe nonsense if you put those things on there the list would never end but what you put on that pattern card on that recipe card is only the things that you want in that recipe and if that person wants to truly and honestly reproduce that they will only put the things that are on that recipe card now I've had some of your sisters chocolate chip cookies and they're absolutely delightful and some of you put a little bit of almond extract in some of your that's the best right but there are all sorts of things that could go in chocolate chip cookies that are healthy that are good for you but they're not on the recipe now if you start putting celery in your chocolate chip cookies we're gonna have to have a chat it doesn't belong there right that's not going to be something that people are going to reproduce and so when it comes to the local assembly dear young people here whether you're in the back seat and you're looking on and you're thinking there could be a little different if I was in charge I would do that just a little bit different I might bring this in or this assembly gathering I can see the idea of it but it but it could be it could be more exciting could be more exciting God has given us the pattern to the local assembly only to bring things into the local assembly that are on the pattern now if they're not in the pattern and they're good they still don't belong they still don't belong there are things in Christian living that are good that are not found in the local assembly why would that be because God has designed the local assembly to bring him the most glory God has designed the local assembly and given us the pattern because this is how he wants it plain and simple we cannot add to its value by adding things we cannot add to its effectiveness by adding things we cannot add to its function in any way by adding and rather we take away from the glory and the wisdom of God so it is a recipe it's a recipe to be followed and so the smooth words that we that we that people want to hear is they want change to make them either feel more accepted or to bring their feel more important by bringing their ideas in right so smooth words can never convict us convict the conscience smooth words can never slay a sin a smooth words are never if there's no conviction then there's going to be no change and there's no conviction that when I've got sin in my life and people are people did you know that in many places and if many assemblies assembly discipline is going out the window and the idea that these dear these dear people bring in I'm not even to call them brethren and these dear people are bringing in is it is not necessary for assembly discipline in this day and age in which we live that is God's pattern and just to say something to get you to think it if you know someone who's been put under assembly discipline has been restored to the local assembly I dare say probably a hundred percent I would say it was the best thing ever happened can't hide sin in the assembly can't coddle sin in the assembly smooth words will never slay a sin the smooth words will never set apart the Lord in our gathering and they'll never magnify him they'll never set him apart in his holiness in his beauty and in his righteousness and in his glory in his majesty smooth words won't do that they can't do that and so therefore we're missing the whole point of the whole thing and they said speak unto us smooth words prophesy not again anymore in the house of God why because it's the King's Chapel that floored me when I read through there a couple weeks ago because the house of God belongs to the King it's a King's Chapel and that Chapel means a consecrated a holy place a house and that once was which once was the house of God now is is the King's Chapel and and the King is an interesting study is as God prophesied in Deuteronomy and chapter 17 I think or is it 14 and 17 doesn't matter anyway he says the people are gonna want a king when they come into the land and what happens the people come into the land and in Samuel's day they want a king and they wanted a man to rule over them God was doing a perfect job but they wanted a man and they wanted a king and God says this is to Samuel the king is going to take their young people the king is going to take his 10% that take the king is going to take their lands give him a king and that which was supposed to be for God out of the willingness of their heart as they would as they would give the first fruits and God would be the judge over them in righteousness and they wanted a man and now by this point the house of God is called the King's Chapel it's called the King's Court the King's house God's been kicked out of his own house and it's no wonder that they're off into captivity and the day will come where men will not receive endure sound doctrine what about older ones we've talked about the young people observing can I just say this if you're in a scripturally gathered local assembly and you're seeing things and you're thinking about joining that assembly but there's things that you would like to change go talk to your the overseer that assembly first before you even asked to be in the assembly and ask them why is that not here but let me bring it a little deeper for those of you that have been in an assembly fellowship what is it whether you'd like to change I was in a place and got too long ago and I overheard a sister saying to someone that and I'm not gonna say what it is she wanted to bring in but she said I can't be what to wait I can't wait to be the first sister to do that wasn't part of the pattern spend the assembly for years what about scanning the audience here overseers I'm guessing 10 to 12 assembly overseers or representatives are here at least what is it that you'd like to change because where does the false teaching come in it creeps in unawares right the teaching brethren here today anything that we would like to see changed and the overseers here today in Blue River are responsible for the content of the of the doctrine here taught and if we say anything wrong it's their responsibility to tell us and rebuke us but why are we not content the problem that's in here that's the problem you see old Lord correct me and the doctrine is given for correction isn't it it's given by inspiration of God is profitable for instruction for correction exhortation all these things but the time has come we have itching ears some of us here today and we're just looking for someone to agree with us Lord correct us that we'd be looking to agree with God and to bow to his doctrine and bow to the scriptures for the preservation of individuals and the preservation of the local assembly Lord speak to us today wholesome words sound doctrine for his honor and glory