The Only True Standard
Last Sunday I felt inspired. In fact, I preached like my hair was on fire. There was an excitement in the air and in my heart. There seemed to be a great urgency. After church, the reviews came in. It's always interesting to look through the emails and see what people have to say. Although we have hundreds in the auditorium, we have thousands watching via live video streaming. It's interesting how two people can hear the same message and while one thinks it's the greatest message they've ever heard, the other one is offended, hurt, and says they will never watch again. But as a minister, I must remember a very important truth. The message I present must never be to please men or get good reviews. It must be the message that God wants me to give.
Which brings me to my point. Whether you are in the ministry or not, you must make a decision. Are you going to live your life trying to please God or to please people?
Shortly after the Holy Spirit moved upon the people on the Day of Pentecost, the religious leaders stepped in and began to tell the apostles what they could say and what they couldn't say. Peter stood up and asked the question, "Are we going to be pleasers of God, or pleasers of men?" (Acts 5:26-29).
Today we must ask ourselves the same question and this question is not just for preachers. Everyone must decide how they are going to live their life. Do we stand for the things of God or do we go with the flow and become politically correct so that we do not offend men? Of course, a Christian is not to blatantly offend people. And of course, we must be kind and considerate and choose our words well. We should not be offensive, nor arrogant and prideful in what we say. However, we cannot take a stand against the laws of God just to be accepted by others.
In some ways it may be easier for a preacher because he stands in the pulpit and everyone expects him to side with God. But for the average church member working on the job, attending school or social functions with friends, it may actually be more difficult to take a stand for truth. Homosexuality, abortion, adultery, and fornication are always wrong in the eyes of God. His Word proclaims it from the beginning of the book to the end. God doesn't change. And although society would make us think that we are discriminating, that is not true. To stand firm on the laws of God is not discrimination, it's wisdom.
In centuries past, groups of people were enslaved and abused because of the color of their skin, the color of their eyes, or the color of their hair. I have always been disgusted by this type of behavior. I think the way God thinks. The Bible says man looks at the outward appearance, but God looks at the heart. When you are born on this earth, you are not able to choose the color of your skin, the color of your hair, or the color of your eyes. And it is sad that entire cultures have been eliminated because of color. That is true discrimination. However, to stand for the truth concerning things that are sin is not wrong. While a man is not able to choose the color of his skin, it is his choice whether he has sex with a man or a woman. Color is not a choice, but sin is and to say that sin is discrimination is pure deception.
Satan is a deceiver. From the very beginning, man was driven out of the Garden of Eden because he fell for the deception of the serpent. Deception will cause you to perceive right as wrong and wrong as right. The Bible says that a sign of the end times is that men will deceive others and be deceived themselves. (2 Tim. 3:13.)
Over the years I have had people sit in my office and try to convince me they were not deceived. But the truth is, people who are deceived don't know it. That's why it's called "deception."
So the conclusion is this. We cannot rely on the laws of man to determine what is right or moral. There are many things in our culture that are not illegal, but they are immoral. When we live our lives seeking His truth and applying it to our lives, then there will be no doubt that we are living the proper lifestyle. The only true standard for truth and righteousness is the Word of God.
Scripture References:
But Peter and the other apostles answered and said, "We ought to obey God rather than men" (Acts 5:29).
Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ" (Colossians 3:22-24).
But evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived (2 Timothy 3:13). | 
Thu Oct 28, 2021 8:37 pm by Camille
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