BLESSED EXHORTATIONS (PART 8)

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In Christ, Mark

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The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by eating ceremonial foods, which is of no benefit to those who do so.

Hebrews 13:9

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

While you would think that you could go into any Christian church and be able to trust that the person preaching or the small group leaders are teaching God’s Word properly and in truth, the reality is that this is unfortunately isn’t the case. For there are more than a few false teachers who have infected congregations today and it shouldn’t be a surprise because Jesus Himself promised it would happen:

“Watch out for false prophets. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thornbushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.” Matthew 7:15-20

On more than one occasion, Jesus labeled His disciples as sheep. In John 10, it is under the context of Him, Jesus, being the “Good Shepherd” of His sheep, those who are a part of His sheep pen (Vv. 1-16). Not only does a good shepherd guide his sheep and ensure they are cared for, they ensure their protection, even willing to lay down their own life to defend and save the flock.

In biblical times (and it’s been true ever since), wolves have been one of the biggest enemies of the sheep, always looking for opportunities to ferociously attack and kill the sheep who go astray or are unattended.

This is the analogy we find Jesus using as He warns about the dangers of false prophets, those who state they have a message from God but then proceed to speak words that are counter to His Word and deliberate omission of teaching certain parts of God’s word is nothing short of dishonest and misleading to believers who need to hear the scriptures in full, not just in part.

As we look at our verse for today, we find the author of Hebrews warning the Jewish Christians to beware false teaching that had infiltrated the church, false teaching manifested by their peers, false teaching that attempted to attach Old Testament laws and regulations to Christianity, despite Jesus having established that a person was saved only by belief in Him and not by works.

What was the specific issue at the center of the false teaching?

In this instance, we read that it was all about “not eating ceremonial foods” and going back to Jesus, He had already addressed this matter in His teaching found in Mark’s Gospel:

“Again Jesus called the crowd to Him and said, “Listen to Me, everyone, and understand this. Nothing outside a person can defile them by going into them. Rather, it is what comes out of a person that defiles them.”

After He had left the crowd and entered the house, His disciples asked Him about this parable. “Are you so dull?” He asked. “Don’t you see that nothing that enters a person from the outside can defile them? For it doesn’t go into their heart but into their stomach, and then out of the body.” (In saying this, Jesus declared all foods clean.)

He went on: “What comes out of a person is what defiles them. For it is from within, out of a person’s heart, that evil thoughts come—sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. All these evils come from inside and defile a person.” Mark 7:14-23

Jesus’ point was that food had nothing to do with a person’s righteousness and standing before God. The heart needed to be the center of attention in regard to the matters of holiness versus sinfulness with an unchecked heart sure to defile the believer in the sight of the Lord. To prevent this, look again at our passage where the scriptures remind us how a heart can be strengthened by grace, knowing that Jesus died to save them even though they didn’t deserve it (unmerited grace).

For it is grace, not food, that lies at the center of the Gospel and its promise of eternal life to anyone who places their belief in Jesus, any sheep willing to enter the pen of the Good Shepherd who will protect them from the dangers of the wolves and their false teaching.

What are our blessed exhortations for today?

They include the following:

Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus.

Remain anchored to Him.

Seek His guidance and listen for His voice.

Meditate on His words found in the scriptures.

And allow Him to lead and guide you through the power of the Holy Spirit.

Do this and you will avoid being misled and misinformed by those who sinfully spread falsehood under the ruse of being a Christian preacher or teacher.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

PS: Feel free to leave a comment and please share this with anyone you feel might be blessed by it. Send any prayer requests to TheChristianWalkPrayers@gmail.com.