Doctrine Equals Discernment

If you don’t have discernment, you have spiritual aids, and you can be sucked up and seduced in a myriad of ways. What happens to people without theology? Without discernment? They get caught up in emotion, mysticism, irrationality. They get led astray by false teachers. It is desperately critical for us to have our senses brought to a fine point, as Hebrews 5.14 says, so that we can discern good and evil. Don’t despise preaching, but be able to see the truth and the error. Whatever is good, embrace it, cling to it, hold fast. Whatever evil, whatever scheme it might be, shun it, stay away from it.

One of the things, of course, that we try to do here is help you to discern things. This morning, I gave you some statements from Mormonism. Why did I do that? To pick on the Mormons. No, just to let you know that if you look closely at that, you just hearing those things, know those are lies. You know that because your senses have been heightened to discern the truth from error. And the people who are caught up in that, they’re our mission field, and they need to be rescued out of that kind of error.

Even the armour of the believer in Ephesians 6 talks about the sword of the spirit. This sword is a very precise instrument. There are several words for sword. This one is a very precise instrument, machayra, small dagger, like a scalpel. The word of God has to be used with precision. Spiritual discernment is critical. If you have spiritual discernment, you become a priceless person. You have answers. You understand. You can pass that on to the people you love, to your children, and to many others. One final comment, at least for tonight. We’ll do some more next week.

The church is known for these four things, and one more I’ll give you. The pursuit of holiness. The pursuit of holiness. The pursuit of holiness. We have been called 2 Corinthians 7.1 to cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. In the language of 1 Thessalonians 4.7, God has called us to sanctification. The New Testament just makes so much of this. 1 Peter chapter 1. You might turn there, verse 11. Peter in verse 13 says, prepare your minds for action. Keep sober. Fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ as obedient children.

Do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behaviour. And then borrowing from Leviticus where it says this many times, you shall be holy for I am holy. A couple of years ago I gave a message at a shepherds conference entitled Sanctifying Shepherds. The responsibility of a pastor and a shepherd is to be a sanctifying influence in the life of his people, not a corrupting influence. Which means that you don’t lead them toward the world, you lead them toward the Lord, toward heaven, toward what is pure, what is holy.

In Ephesians 5, again we find familiar instruction along this line. Therefore be imitators of God, be God-like, walk in love as Christ loved you, and gave himself up for us an offering and sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma. Immorality, any impurity, any greed, must not even be named among you as is proper among saints. This kind of sin shouldn’t even be named among us. And where it appears, Jesus said in Matthew 18, go to that person, confront that sin, call that brother to repent. If he doesn’t repent, take two or three witnesses.

If he still doesn’t repent, send the church. And if he still doesn’t repent, put him out, put him out, Matthew 18. There should be no filthiness, no silly talk, coarse jesting, for you know this with certainty that no immoral or impure person or covetous man who is an idolater has an inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God. Why would you want to act like the people who aren’t in the kingdom? You used to be darkness, verse 8, now you’re light. Everything has changed. He goes on to talk about all of this, all the way down in this wonderful chapter.

Even into marriage and relationships and families, the pursuit is always holiness. Maybe just two other passages and then I’ll stop. 1 Thessalonians 3 11. Now may our God and Father himself and Jesus our Lord direct our way to you, and may the Lord cause you to increase and abound in love for one another and for all people, just as we also do for you, that he may establish your hearts. Listen to this. Without blame in holiness before our God. Without blame in holiness before our God and Father when Jesus comes. When Jesus comes, you want to be found blameless.

You want to be found in holiness, of course. Back in 1 Corinthians 11, I’m jealous for you, verse 2, with a godly jealousy. I betrothed you to one husband so that to Christ I might present you as a pure virgin, but I’m afraid that as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, your minds will be led astray from the simplicity and purity of devotion to Christ. I want you to be a chaste bride. I want you to be holy. Now let’s end where we started. Turn to Hebrews chapter 10. We started talking about worship and let’s end there.

Hebrews chapter 10 and verse 19. This is how we worship. We worship with confidence. We enter into the holy place, the presence of God who inhabits his people’s praise. He is here. We have confidence. We enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, the new covenant, which he inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, his flesh. And since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near. We’re back to worship. Let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith.

And then this, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water, that’s coming with clean hands and a pure heart. To borrow the Old Testament Psalm, pursuit of holiness, pursuit of holiness. Thank you for joining us in this exploration of doctrine equals discernment. Until next time, remember to keep the faith, stay strong, and continue to shine your light in the world. To hear these daily devotions of your daily bread, please log on to goddessgovernment.com. Goodbye, and may your faith always lead the way. [tr:trw].