Feb 26 2017 Correctness Enslaves, but Truth Sets Free

Lord, we pray for Hannah – help her to – give her very specific people – she is getting a lot of support here – we pray You would open up other avenues of support – we ask that You would provide for her by summertime that she can proceed with Your work. Help us to come before You in humility – not only as people, but as a church. You are trying to speak to us individually, but also as a church. Hep us to gain a perspective how You work with people as a group – working with a body – a family – a family of faith. Help us to hear from You that we might know Your will for our church.

The church in Ephesus was started by Priscilla and Aquilla – and you might say the first seminary was started there, as Paul went there and taught for two years.

John was on the island of Patmos – and Ephesus was closest – and then Smyrna, along the trade route.

Revelation 2:"To the angel of the church in Ephesus write: These are the words of him who holds the seven stars in his right hand and walks among the seven golden lampstands. 2

The One who holds the seven stars – is Jesus. He is the one who is responsible and the one the church needs to look to.

He walks among the seven gold lampstands – He is present among His people – He walks among us – He is involved with His people and it tells us that He knows what is going on. If we face difficulty and struggles. He is also watching His people. He watches over us and watches us.

Revelation 2:2 I know your deeds, your hard work and your perseverance

Jesus first gives them compliments and praise – a good pattern to follow. Deeds = overall spiritual condition and walk.

They are hardworking and persevere; In the face of trouble and hardship – they keep plugging away – not a flash in the pan. The characteristics of this church – they are DOERS! They don’t just sit around.

2b I know that you cannot tolerate wicked people, that you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them false. 3 You have persevered and have endured hardships for my name, and have not grown weary.

So there are these people who call themselves apostles who are teaching bad doctrine – the church is solid and are putting an end to heresy and false teaching.

This is important because there will always be false teaching. One thing I have found on blogs and social media – when false teaching goes forth, there are so many who believe themselves to be the gatekeepers of proper doctrine – who think they’ve GOT IT! But the reality is – most are just gatekeepers of their own opinions – and there are plenty of people who say, No, that’s not what the Bible teaches.

It is important to defend classic Christian orthodoxy – the tenets of the faith – with those things, we must battle false teaching. The problem is, most of the debate today is not on those things, but on a whole bunch of other stuff. Not the things of the creeds.

Then they were waiting for the shoe to drop:

4 Yet I hold this against you: You have forsaken the love you had at first.

What he is talking about – there was a point where the Ephesians loved God and others deeply – and somehow, they have forsaken that. They have given up - what appears to be a great church

Rev. 2:6 But you have this in your favor: You hate the practices of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate.

What was going on here – the Nicolaitans were engaged in the idolatrous celebrations of the city. They engaged in them, because that is where business takes place – an economic advantage – a place you made all your deals. Good business requires you to do this. The Nicolaitans felt they needed to be involved in the system – but in doing so – the Ephesians felt they were worshiping other gods. The Nicolaitans were involved in sexual immorality – a thing the Ephesians hated. The Church in Ephesus hated Idolatry and immorality, they were doctrinally pure - it would be considered the perfect church! But…

Rev. 2:5 Consider how far you have fallen! Repent and do the things you did at first. If you do not repent, I will come to you and remove your lampstand from its place.

You think they just need a minor adjustment – love one another a little better! But Jesus says, if you don’t repent, you are OUT! That is SEVERE! I am going to eliminate the church if you don’t change! This is no minor adjustment that needs to happen – they LOST the most important thing! Here is what is going on – the Church in Ephesus loved their rightness and righteousness more than they loved God and others. They were proud and self-righteous, believing they did things well – but they forgot the Great Commandment (to love God and neighbor) and the Great Commission.

History tells us the church changed. But Jesus had a stern warning for them. If you go back to when the book of Ephesians was written – 15 years earlier – they were known for their love for all God’s people.

Ephesians 1:15 For this reason, ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all his people,

John Ortberg, in Soul Keeping – “Dallas Willard was a philosophy prof at USC…

“Being around Dallas – I tried to impress him all the time – somebody said, if you are the smartest person in the room, you are in the wrong room. Nevertheless, something about Dallas was so safe that I found myself offering unsolicited confessions. “I can’t even talk without trying to sound impressive.” I wanted to impress him, yet at the same time, I was ashamed of that wanting and knew life would be better without it, and that somehow this was a smart guy whose identity was not in his IQ.

Toward the end of one of his philosophy classes a student raised an objection that was both insulting toward Dallas and clearly wrong. Instead of correcting him, Dallas gently said that this would be a good place to end the class for the day. Afterward, a friend approached Dallas: “Why did you let him get away with that? Why didn’t you demolish him?” Dallas replied, “I was practicing the discipline of not having to have the last word.” So, “Yes,” Dallas said in response to my confession. “Being right is actually a very hard burden to be able to carry gracefully and humbly. That’s why nobody likes to sit next to the kid in class who’s right all the time. One of the hardest things in the world is to be right and not hurt other people with it.”

The Ephesians were right, and they were hurting people with their rightness.

This is important: There is a big difference between holding firmly to theological, moral, and ethical convictions and not letting go, and being right. Those are two different things and that is hard to understand. For most, we allow ourselves to move beyond conviction to rightness. The Ephesians were correct in their doctrine, but in their correctness, they damaged relationships with God and the people.

This is a huge issue in our world right now. Just watch the news. Nowhere is it better seen than in the political and cultural wars.

Trevin Wax: These days, the political realm has begun to infringe upon every other aspect of our common life together: sports, religion, retail, and art. We should resist this development, because this infringement flattens our ability to love our neighbors.

I get my teeth cleaned – the gal there used to have a workout partner, until the election – we talked about the election – and then I told her whom I voted for and she hasn’t talked to me since.

“In a world that is increasingly polarized and politicized, we have an opportunity to show by our attitudes and actions a different way. If we, as Christians, don’t show the world that there is something bigger and more important than politics, who will?” – Trevin Wax

We think WE are the answer for the world as Christians. But we are not. Jesus is. Nothing else will save this country. The problem is pride and self-righteousness with the Ephesians. We live in a world of tolerance and relativism and the thought that there is no absolute truth. When it comes to our understanding of faith and God there are things that are absolutely true in terms of faith and morality – we can say THIS IS TRUE. But for some, their OPINION is absolute truth.

I am all for truth and all against correctness. Truth sets free and correctness enslaves. Self-righteousness is a problem – and it requires a death in us. Unless a grain of wheat falls to the earth and DIES, it remains but a single seed…

I need to go back and examine my rightness. If I realize it is not right, I let it go. No matter how long I have held it – if the Scripture teaches differently, I let it go.

One practical example.

The Pharisees were like this.

Mark 10:42"You know that those who are recognized as rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and those in high positions use their authority over them. 43 But it is not this way among you. Instead whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, 44 and whoever wants to be first among you must be the slave of all. 45 For even the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

To overcome pride and self-righteousness, we need to take the normal ways of getting ahead, and SCRAP THEM FOREVER! Here is how it works in the world… now scrap it!

In order to overcome self-righteousness and pride, we need to love – and it must first be self-sacrificial and cross-shaped. It must BE what Jesus did – we must lower ourselves to become servants and slaves of all. There is NO OTHER standard of love but the cross. We must go to that level. I encourage you to find ways to lower yourself. Look for little things – ways to become servant and slave – and then practice those things. One other example -

Matthew 5: 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

They had elevated their opinions to the level of truth. He will show, through a series of events, how they have done this.

Matthew 5:21 "You have heard that it was said to those of ancient times, 'You shall not murder'; and 'whoever murders shall be liable to judgment.' 22 But I say to you that if you are angry with a brother or sister, you will be liable to judgment;

And we immediately think – what is He doing here? He is talking about self-righteousness of the Pharisees. Anger is a natural emotion – when our will is threatened or thwarted or obstructed – like when someone cuts you off. Be angry and do not sin, Paul says. But we go to the sinful anger. What comes out of the mouth…

Anger is connected and associated with self-righteousness. If you have a problem with anger – you have a problem with self-righteousness. And what we need to do – we need to address it by understanding – why do I think I am right?

We think – I KNOW HOW TO DRIVE – I am the epitome of driving - but that guy is a blockhead…

Maybe a squirrel crawled up his pantleg…?

The church in Ephesus was the church that refused to get dirty, but in their efforts to get clean, they almost ceased to be a church – so it was good they repented.

You know how we talk about doing a moral inventory – it is part of the twelve step program. This is valuable. We need to do a self-righteous inventory. Sit down – and see where your love has been lost – for God and others, and know that it is connected to self-righteousness..