*

Complete in Christ
Spiritual Intimidation--Part 2
by

John MacArthur
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Selected Scriptures Introduction

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I believe that you can always determine a person's true character by what he seeks to gain and what he really loves. In fact, you could easily evaluate your own character by that same approach. Ask yourself this question: " hat are the three things I am currently seeking most earnestly!" "hat will be a good monitor of whether your preoccupation is heavenly or earthly...#odward or selfward. If that doesn't work, ask yourself this: " hat are the three things I love the most! And if you can't figure out how to answer that question, ask yourself this one: " hat are the three things I think about the most!" "hat will get to the answer. $esus put it like this: "%or where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" &'t. (:)*+. ,ou can tell what a man's true character is by the preoccupation of his mind. hat he or she thinks about reveals where their treasure is. here is your heart! here is the concentration of your life! hat do you think about most of the time! "he believer is to be heavenly-minded. "hat is what $esus meant when .e said, "...lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven...for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also" &'t. (:)/a, )*+. It is the same thing that 0aul said, "...whatever things are true, whatever things are honest, whatever things are 1ust, whatever things are pure...think on these things" &0hil. 2:3+. hat is your preoccupation! 0aul says that your preoccupation is to be on things above and not on things of the earth &4ol. 5:)+. Revie* 6ow, from our discussion of 4olossians ):3-)5, false teachers thought that spirituality was something you pursued through four avenues: .uman wisdom or philosophy, legalism, mysticism, and asceticism. "he errorists were saying that true spirituality is found in 4hrist plus human wisdom7 4hrist plus keeping certain rituals, routines, and man-made laws7 4hrist plus certain visions, the worshiping of angels, and certain strange and wonderful and marvelous deeper or higher e8periences7 and 4hrist plus total self-abasement, total self-denial, and the total slavery of self to a life of poverty. And underneath human philosophy, legalism, mysticism, and asceticism, flourishes all the vices. And the only way to divorce yourself from all of that is to take your mind, your heart, your thinking processes, and your motives into the presence of $esus 4hrist. 9ince 4hrist is everything, don't worry about all of those false teachings, 1ust concentrate on .im--.e is all you need. :ut I want you to notice something important. I want to take some time to elucidate this because it will deal indirectly with the problem of spiritual intimidation. ;et's look first at...

I+ (,& -.%(RI/A0 P&RSP&%(I1& A+ 1alidating the Principle 0aul always moves from doctrine to behavior. In all his epistles in the 6ew "estament we first find great statements of truth followed by a call to behave in accord with truth. 9ince 4hrist is "the fullness of .im that filleth all in all" &<ph. *:)5b+7 since 4hrist is "the head of the body..." &4ol. *:*3a+7 since 4hrist is the one in whom "dwelleth all the fullness of the #odhead bodily" &4ol. ):=+7 since 4hrist is completeness &4ol. ):*/+7 and since 4hrist is sufficient7 focus on 4hrist. 0ractical e8hortation is based first on a clear doctrinal foundation. "hat is always 0aul's approach. *. ".< ><90?69< "? @?4">I6< hat we do as believers must be based on solid doctrine, not on intimidation. "hat is 0aul's point. @on't be intimidated to do something that you know is not biblical. 0aul wrote to the #alatians and said, ".ow could you possibly get caught up in $udaism and legalism again when you know the gospel! ,ou have departed from what you know is true, and that is incongruous" &#al. *:(-A+. ,our spirituality is based on what you know--on solid doctrine. 6ow the intimidators don't worry about doctrine. "hey say, ",ou are not spiritual if you don't do this or this." "hey make us feel guilty even though they can't defend their position biblically. It is a dangerous thing when any believer pursues a kind of behavior that contradicts the 9cripture. hen you do that, you are stepping into the fire. It doesn't matter when someone says, "I'm sorry you are out because you haven't e8perienced this," or ",ou don't have the higher knowledge of the deeper life." "he only thing that matters is what the ord of #od says. And 0aul has said that all you need is 4hrist plus nothing. @on't be intimidatedB ). ".< ><A;I", ?% I6"I'I@A"I?6 "he four errors that the 4olossians were facing are visible in other forms in our society. a. Philosophy "here are people who say, ",ou 4hristians are 1ust fundamentalists. ,ou don't know anything. ,ou are so narrow- minded. hat you really need to do is e8pand and understand some philosophy and human wisdom to go along with the ord of #od." 9ometimes being called a fundamentalist &a very straight, narrow, orthodo8 evangelical+ can be intimidating. I have been accused of being narrow-minded, pigeonholing all of my theology, and being a biblicist. ?ne time I spoke on a college campus and was introduced as: "$ohn 'acArthur, whose hope is built on nothing less than 9cofield's notes and 9cripture 0ress." 9o I have been through the kind of intimidation that makes you feel like a mental midget because you believe the :ible and don't know everything about philosophy. "hat is intimidating. "hen there are people in our society who would intimidate us with... b. 0egalism "here are many 4hristians who say, "I don't care what you teach, and I don't care that you believe the gospel7 you don't preach against this and you don't say that people have to do this." "hey have developed a system of spirituality based on legalistic things.

"hey make you feel intimidated for not being spiritual because you don't follow the little list. c. Mysticism "here are the charismatic people who want you to be intimidated because you haven't had a vision, or you haven't had an ecstatic e8perience, or you haven't met an angel, or you haven't gone to heaven and come back. ,ou are 1ust an average, run-of-the-mill, normal 4hristian. ,ou haven't reached the supersaint level. d. Asceticism "here are the ascetics who say, ",ou can't own that car, live in that house, and wear that coat and still be a 4hristian." "hey say that poverty, self-denial, self- abasement is 4hristianity. 9o we can be intimidated by the same thing that the 4olossians were being intimidated by. :ut don't ever be intimidated unless there is a reason for it, and the only valid reason is that they are bringing up something that is biblical. If the intimidation isn't based on the ord, then 1ust continue what you are doing and don't listen to them. "he Apostle 0aul says, "@on't let them intimidate you. 4hrist is all you need." "hat's what the ord of #od saysB .e is all7 .e is sufficient. 2+ 1iolating (he Principle 6ow whenever you violate the principle that your response must be based on the ord of #od, you will get yourself in a lot of trouble. I want to give some illustrations of that: *. CDDA. &) 9amuel (:5-*E+ "he story goes as follows: @avid, the king, desired to move the Ark of the 4ovenant. 6ow in 6umbers 2:*-*E there is a very clear word about how the ark was to be moved. "he ark was the representation of the presence of #od and was never to be touched. "he ark had some rings on the side and poles were to be run through the rings. "he poles were to be carried only on the shoulders of ;evites. "here was to be no other way of transportation of the ark. a. 3nacceptable 4orship *+ @avid's 'istake 9econd 9amuel (:5 begins: "And they set ark of #od upon a new cart...." hat in the world were they doing putting the ark on a cart when the :ible said that the ark was to be carried by poles on the shoulders of the ;evites so it wouldn't be touched! I think that @avid thought he was doing #od a big favor by putting the ark not 1ust on a cart, but on a new cart. @avid actually took his cue from the 0hilistines. In * 9amuel ( they had the ark, but soon grew tired of having it because they were receiving tumors and plagues. 9o they brought it back to the Israelites on a cart. @avid took his lead from the 0hilistines and put the ark on a cart. Ferse 2 says, "And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was at #ibeah, accompanying the ark of #od7 and Ahio went before the ark." "hey all thought it was a great day as they were bringing the ark back to the place where it belonged. Ferse E says, "And @avid and all the house of Israel played before the ;?>@ on all manner of

instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals." "hey were all having a tremendous time worshiping and praising #od. ,ou say, "Isn't #od pleased with their worship! Isn't #od thrilled with their praise!" )+ CGGah's 'istake Ferse ( says, "And when they came to 6acon's threshing floor, CGGah put forth his hand to the ark of #od, and took hold of it7 for the o8en shook it." As they came to 6acon's threshing floor, the ark was bumped and it looked like it was going to fall. 9o CGGah, caught up in the worship of #od, reached out so the ark wouldn't touch the ground. 6ow that was an act of worship and an act of honor to that ark. CGGah was doing what his heart told him to do. Ferse A says, "And the anger of the ;?>@ was kindled against CGGah7 and #od smote him there for his error, and there he died by the ark of #od." ,ou say, " hat is the deal!" #od doesn't want your worship unless it goes along with .is ord, and .is ord says, "@on't touch the arkB" #od didn't accept the worship. "here are people who say, " ell how can you criticiGe the 0entecostals or the 4harismatics! "hey are worshiping #od. "hey are trying to love and praise #od. 9urely #od wouldn't allow them to be in error." ,ou can ask yourself the same question: hy did #od let that ark bump on 6acon's threshing floor! #od could have stopped it7 .e could have flattened out the road. :ut it was a lesson for all time that #od is worshiped only when .is ord is obeyed. hen CGGah touched the ark he disobeyed because no man, at no time, and under no circumstances was to touch the ark. ,ou do not ad-lib your worship. ,ou do not decide, "I am going to worship #od in a whole new way that I have e8perienced." #od isn't interested in that. #od's anger was kindled, and CGGah dropped dead. .e was a dear man who did what his emotions told him. If his mind had been ruled by the ord of #od, he would have kept his hand back and he would have remained alive. :ut he was ruled by his feelings. "hat is very dangerous. @on't worship #od with your feelings independent of .is ord. #od might have wanted the ark off the cart so that the ;evites would have to pick it up and carry it the right way. 9o often people who would intimidate us will say, " e are worshiping and praising #od. "his is 1ust our way of doing it." #od isn't interested in your way7 .e is interested in .is way. b. Acceptable 4orship @avid felt bad. Ferse 3 says, "And @avid was displeased because the ;?>@ had broken forth in anger against CGGah7 and he called the name of the place 0ereG-uGGah to this day. And @avid was afraid of the ;?>@ that day, and said, .ow shall the ark of the ;?>@ come to me! 9o @avid would not remove the ark of the ;?>@....And the ark of the ;?>@ continued in the house of ?bed-edom, the #ittite, three months7 and the ;?>@ blessed ?bed-edom, and all his household" &vv. 3-**+. .e had a tremendous time and kept his hands off of the ark. @avid probably thought, " hy should I leave the ark with ?bed-edom so he is happy and receiving all the blessing!" Ferse *) says, "...9o @avid went and brought up the ark of #od from the house of ?bed- edom into the city of @avid with gladness. And it was, that when they who bore the ark of the ;?>@ had gone si8 paces Hthey brought it the right wayI, he sacrificed o8en and fatlings. And @avid danced before the ;?>@ with all his might7 and @avid was girded with a linen ephod" &vv. *)b-*2+. @avid took off all his kingly attire and was hoofing it up and

having a great time. Ferse *E says, "9o @avid and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the ;?>@ with shouting, and with the sound of the trumpet." 6ow the same thing occurred in both verse *E and verse E. ?ne was acceptable and one was not because one was in accord with #od's revealed truth and the other one wasn't. #od does not want people to ad-lib their worship to .im in their own prescribed method, .e wants worship that is consistent with .is revelation. 9o people will still say, " e are worshiping #od. ?ur hearts and motives are right," but so were CGGah's. .e 1ust didn't have enough knowledge of the ord of #od to protect himself from #od's chastening. ). 9AC; &* 9amuel *E:*-)5+ ;et me show you another illustration that basically gives you the same thought. "his is the story of 9aul, and he was involved in a similar situation. a. (he %ommandment of the 0ord In * 9amuel *E:* "9amuel also said unto 9aul, "he ;?>@ sent me to anoint thee as king over .is people, over Israel7 now, therefore, hearken thou to the voice of the words of the ;?>@." "he basic thing for anyone is to listen to the words of the ;ord. "hat is the criteria for blessing. Ferse ) says, ""hus saith the ;?>@ of hosts, I remember that which Amalek did to Israel, how he laid wait for him in the way, when he came up from <gypt. 6ow go and smite Amalek, and utterly destroy all that they have, and spare them not7 but slay both man and woman, infant and suckling, o8 and sheep, camel and ass" &vv. )-5+. #od was removing a cancer from the world. b. (he %ontentiousness of Saul Ferse 2 says, "And 9aul gathered the people together, and numbered them in "elaim, two hundred thousand footmen, and ten thousand men of $udah. And 9aul came to a city of Amalek, and laid wait in the valley. And 9aul said unto the Jenites, #o, depart, get you down from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them7 for ye showed kindness to all the children of Israel, when they came up out of <gypt. 9o the Jenites departed from among the Amalekites. And 9aul smote the Amalekites from .avilah...to 9hur Hfrom border to borderI....And he took Agag, the king of Amalekites, alive..." &vv. 2-3a+. "hat was a terrible mistake he made. #od said, " ipe out everybody." :ut he took Agag. hy! It was an act of pride--he wanted to drag the vanquished king into town and show off his victory. 9o 9aul "took Agag, the king of the Amalekites, alive, and utterly destroyed all the people with the edge of the sword. :ut 9aul and the people spared Agag..." &vv. 3-=a+. hy! It was nice to have the guy around so they could gloat over him. Ferse = continues, "...and the best of the sheep, and of the o8en, and of the fatlings, and the lambs, and all that was good, and would not utterly destroy them7 but everything that was vile and refuse, that they destroyed utterly." #od told 9aul what to do--to wipe them all out. :ut 9aul kept some back. Ferse */ says, ""hen came the word of the ;?>@ unto 9amuel, saying, It repenteth me Hgrieves meI that I have set up 9aul to be king7 for he is turned back from following 'e, and hath not performed my commandments. And it grieved 9amuel, and he cried unto the ;?>@ all night" &vv*/-**+. 6ow there is a sensitive manB hat made 9amuel cry! A man who didn't obey #od's word. c. (he %onfrontation by Samuel

Ferse *) says, "And when 9amuel rose early to meet 9aul in the morning, it was told 9amuel, saying, 9aul came to 4armel, and, behold, he set him up a place, and is gone about, and passed on, and gone down to #ilgal. And 9amuel came to 9aul. And 9aul said unto him, :lessed be thou of the ;?>@7 I have performed the commandment of the ;?>@. And 9amuel said, hat meaneth, then, this bleating of the sheep in mine ears, and the lowing of the o8en which I hear! And 9aul said, "hey have brought them from the Amalekites7 for the people spared the best of the sheep and of the o8en, to sacrifice unto the ;?>@ thy #od..." &vv. *)-*Ea+. .ow can you knock that kind of motive! 9aul was going to worship #od. 9aul had a better idea than #od: " hy 1ust slaughter them all, we can sacrifice them to #od." Ferse *( says, ""hen 9amuel said unto 9aul, 9tay, and I will tell thee what the ;?>@ hath said to me this night. And he said unto him, 9ay on. And 9amuel said, hen thou wast little in thine own sight, wast thou not made the head of the tribes of Israel, and the ;?>@ anointed thee king over Israel" &vv. *(-*A+! In other words, "@idn't the ;ord make you what you are when you were a nobody!" And the implication is: " ho gave you the right to usurp the authority over the #od who made you what you are!" Ferse *3 says, "And the ;ord sent thee on a 1ourney, and said, #o and utterly destroy the sinners, the Amalekites, and fight against them until they be consumed. hy, then, didst thou not obey the voice of the ;?>@, but didst fly upon the spoil, and didst evil in the sight of the ;ord! And 9aul said unto 9amuel, ,ea, I have obeyed the voice of the ;ord, and have gone the way which the ;?>@ sent me, and have brought Agag, the king of Amalek, and have utterly destroyed the Amalekites. :ut the people took of the spoil, sheep and o8en, the chief of the things..." &vv. *3-)*a+. 6ow that it isn't such a good idea, 9aul is blaming the people. "he response is in verse )): "And 9amuel said, .ath the ;?>@ as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the ;?>@! :ehold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams." ,ou are better off to obey the ord of #od than to come up with your own independent self-styled system of e8periential worship. I don't want you to be intimidated by people who say, " e have an e8perience of worship that's not like yours. 'arvelous things happen. e reach out and the ;ord appears to us. All kinds of mystical things occur." And you say, "I can't find them in the :ible." "he :ible says that #od doesn't want self-invented worship, .e simply wants obedience. And to rebel against that "is as the sin of witchcraft..." &v. )5a+. If you are going to disobey the ord of #od, you might as well go see a medium and play around with the occult. "he people today who are claiming to have all of these worship e8periences that cannot be defended biblically, may be sincere and have the right motive like CGGah and 9aul, but they are wrong. And the response of 9amuel to 9aul was: ",ou will no longer be king. It's all over for you" &v. )5b+. 5. ".< 0>?0.<" &* Jings *):)=-*5:)(+ ;et me take you to another illustration. "his is a most fascinating story. After the reign of 9olomon, the kingdom of Israel was split into two parts: the 6orthern Jingdom with ten tribes and the 9outhern Jingdom with two tribes. "he 6orthern Jingdom was ruled by $eroboam I and the 9outhern Jingdom by >ehoboam. "he splitting of the kingdom occurred because of the sin of 9olomon. a. ,is .bedience *+ "he 9in of Israel

hen $eroboam took the ten tribes and established the kingdom in the north, he was afraid that the people in the north would not maintain an allegiance to him. If they were always going to the south to the "emple to worship, they would keep their roots in the south. 9o he decided to build a couple of places in the north for worship. %irst Jings *):)= says, "And he set the one in :ethel, and the other put he in @an." "he problem with that was that #od didn't want worship to take place in :ethel and @an, but in the "emple in $erusalem. Ferse 5/ says, "And this thing became a sin7 for the people went to worship before the one, even unto @an. And he made an house of high places, and made priests of the lowest of the people, which were not of the sons of ;evi" &vv. 5/5*+. $eroboam picked out a few poor people and made them priests. :ut he couldn't do that. "he priests were to come only out of the tribe of ;evi. orship was to take place in $erusalem and was not to be ad-libbed. ,ou can't say, " e have a great idea. e'll do our own thing up here." If it isn't scriptural, then don't do it. Ferse 5) says, "...9o did he in :ethel, sacrificing unto the calves...." $eroboam had his priests go through all the $ewish ceremonies, only in :ethel and @an. "hey had no business doing them there. )+ "he 9ending of the 0rophet #od said, "I have to send somebody up there to straighten out this situation." %irst Jings *5:* says, "And, behold, there came a man of #od...." "his man of #od was a prophet and a preacher. .e traveled all the way from $udah to the north because there apparently was not a prophet in the north whom #od could use. Ferse * continues, "...out of $udah by the word of the ;?>@ unto :ethel...." .e happened to arrive when $eroboam was worshiping #od at the altar and burning his sacrifice. "his was a bold young man. Ferse ) says, "And he cried against the altar in the word of the ;?>@, and said, ? altar, altar, thus saith the ;?>@: :ehold, a child shall be born unto the house of @avid, $osiah by name7 and upon thee shall he offer the priests of the high places who burn incense upon thee, and men's bones shall be burned upon thee." In other words, "Altar, you have had it. "here is coming a man named $osiah, and he is going to burn bones on you." "he ultimate desecration for a $ew was to touch a dead body. "o burn the bones of a dead person on an altar was to desecrate and pollute that altar for good. 9o this man of #od said to $eroboam, ",our altars have had it. "hree hundred years from now, a man is coming by the name of $osiah who will dig up dead bones and burn them all over your altar &) Jings )5+. $ust to make sure that $eroboam didn't think that the prophet was 1oking, verse 5 says, "And he gave a sign the same day, saying, "his is the sign which the ;?>@ hath spoken: :ehold, the altar shall be torn down, and the ashes that are upon it shall be poured out. And it came to pass, when Jing $eroboam heard the saying of the man of #od, who had cried against the altar in :ethel, that he put forth his hand from the altar, saying, ;ay hold on him. And his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up, so that he could not pull it in again to him. "he altar also was torn down, and the ashes poured out from the altar, according to the sign which the man of #od had given by the word of the ;?>@" &vv. 5-E+. #od says, ",ou don't invent your own worship, you obey 'y prescription." Ferse ( says, "And the king answered and said unto the man of #od, <ntreat now the face of the ;?>@ thy #od, and pray for me, that my hand may be restored to me again. And the man of #od besought the ;?>@, and the king's hand was restored to him again, and became as it was before. And the king said unto the man of #od, 4ome home with me, and refresh thyself, and I will give thee a reward. And the man of #od said

unto the king, If thou wilt give me half thine house, I will not go in with thee, neither will I eat bread nor drink water in this place7 for so was it charged me by the word of the ;?>@, saying, <at no bread, nor drink water, nor turn again by the same way that thou camest" &vv. (-=+. .e says, "I have one commitment in my life--obey the word of #od." Ferse */ says, "9o he went another way, and returned not by the way that he came to :ethel." "his guy was right on. 6ow it would have been an honor to be invited to eat with the king. "his prophet could have been considered a hero. .e could have figured, ""he king has heard and seems to have repented. If I go with him, I'll compromise a little on #od's word and witness to the king." :ut he says, "I'm not interested in witnessing to you. I'm not interested in doing anything with you. #od told me not to mess around with you, 1ust to get out of here a different way than I came." b. ,is -isobedience *+ "he Intimidating Ignorance 6ow on the way he ran into another preacher. "hat is a problem for a lot of people. "hat can be very intimidating. e who are preachers can be intimidated by other preachers. Ferse ** says, "6ow there dwelt an old prophet in :ethel7 and his sons came and told him all the works that the man of #od had done that day in :ethel...." "his old prophet was also a true prophet. .e must have thought, " hat a bold young man. .ow marvelous that he did that. hy didn't I have the courage to do that! hy didn't didn't #od call me! I would like to meet and fellowship with that young man of #od." 9o he sent for him. Ferse *5 says, "And he said unto his sons, 9addle me the ass. 9o they saddled him the ass, and he rode on it, and went after the man of #od, and found him sitting under an oak. And he said unto him, Art thou the man of #od who camest from $udah! And he said, I am. "hen he said unto him, 4ome home with me, and eat bread. And he said, I may not return with thee, nor go in with thee7 neither will I eat bread or drink water with thee in this place" &vv. *5-*(+. .e sounds like a broken record. "hat's the same answer he gave before. #od told him what to do. ,ou might say, " ell we've got to fellowship with everybody." 6o. #od drew some lines for him. #od didn't want him to create his own ministry, #od wanted him to obey the one .e gave him. 6ow watch how he is intimidated. Ferse *A says, "%or it was said to me by the word of the ;?>@...." "hat settled it for the young prophet. :ut verse *3 says, ".e said unto him, I am a prophet also, as thou art7 and an angel spoke unto me by the word of the ;?>@, saying, :ring him back with thee into thine house, that he may eat bread and drink water...." Is that ever intimidatingB "4ome to my house." "I can't. #od said not to." ":ut an angel came to me and told me that you are supposed to." "hat's very intimidating. 9omebody will say to you, "I know the :ible doesn't talk about that, but I had a vision. I had a direct word from the ;ord. An angel came to me." $ust remind yourself of #alatians *:3, ":ut though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed." "hat is the devil dressed up as an angel of light. "he young prophet is now in the dilemma of accepting the known, revealed word of #od or believing that #od is speaking through someone else's e8perience. )+ "he Indicted Jnowledge hat did he do! Ferse *= says, "9o he went back with him, and did eat bread in his house, and drank water." .e acted in direct violation of #od's word because he was intimidated by an older prophet who was also a preacher, and who probably had a

wonderful ministry. 9o the young prophet forsook what he knew was the truth of #od and opted out for e8perience. :eloved, that's e8actly what is going on today. 0eople are turning away from the clear ord of #od. "hey are buying everybody's vision and e8perience as a criteria. Ferse )5 shows what happened to the young prophet: "And it came to pass, after he had eaten bread, and after he had drunk, that he saddled for him the ass, that is, for the prophet whom he had brought back. And when he was gone, a lion met him by the way, and slew him..." &vv. )5-)2a+. #od sent a lion to kill him. ,ou say, " hy did #od do that!" Ferse )2 continues, "...and his carcass was cast in the way, and the ass stood by it, the lion also stood by the carcass." "he lion didn't eat the body or attack the ass. #od wanted us to know that because that was not a hungry lion, but a divine agent of 1udgment. #od took the life of that prophet that fast. hy! .e set someone else's e8perience above what he knew was the word of #od. "hat's a dangerous thing to do. "hat's not the criteria. ,ou don't invent your own worship activities or your own selfstyled religion, and you don't take someone else's e8perience as authoritative if it violates what you know to be the revelation of #od. 0eople may say, "I've had this e8perience," and all you have to say is, ":ut I have the ord of #od." ,ou do not need to be intimidated by people who say that you are missing some e8periences. 'y :ible tells me clearly that these things are not for today. I am not going to let their e8perience intimidate me because l am not about to get eaten by a lion. .ow did that happen to the young prophet! Ferse )( says, "And when the prophet who brought him back from the way heard of it, he said, It is the man of #od, who was disobedient unto the word of the ;?>@7 therefore, the ;?>@ hath delivered him unto the lion, which hath torn him, and slain him...." #od did not hold the old prophet's ignorance as accountable as .e did the young prophet's knowledge. In this case, there was less of a chastening from #od for one who was ignorant of the truth than for one who knew the truth and turned his back on #od's truth for someone else's e8perience. 4hristians, you don't need to be intimidated by human religion. $ust bank on the ord of #od. "o obey it is better than your own self-styled sacrifice or self-made religion. e are not looking for spectacular e8periences, we are looking for obedience. e have already e8perienced the one radical change in our lives--we have entered into a new life. <verything we need is already ours. I will tie those illustrations in with 4olossians as we look at... II+ (,& -.%(RI/A0 PR&.%%3PA(I./ hat is 0aul saying! .e is saying, ",ou don't need to be intimidated. Accept what the ord says you have. And that is that in 4hrist you have everything." In 0hilippians 2:*= 0aul says, ":ut my #od shall supply all your need according to .is riches in glory by 4hrist $esus." :y 4hrist $esus all of #od's riches are yours. ,ou are complete in .im. A+ (he Reality hat is true spirituality! "rue spirituality is 1ust to concentrate on 4hrist &4ol. 5:*+. It is 4hrist-consciousness. I have told the story of the old Indian who came to church and sat in the front row week after week. 9omebody came up to him one week and said, " hy do you come early and sit there!" .e said, "'e come early7 me sit down7 me think $esus." "he preoccupation of the 4hristian is 4hrist. %ocus on .im. @on't let anybody

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intimidate you with any man-made e8periences, rules, or self-styled religion. "rue spirituality is a call to see 4hrist. I want to draw your attention to ) 4orinthians 5:*3 which says, ":ut we all, with unveiled face beholding as in a mirror the glory of the ;ord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the 9pirit of the ;ord." As a believer you have one preoccupation--4hrist. As you focus on 4hrist and are lost in .is glory, the 9pirit of #od imperceptibly begins to transform you into .is image, from one level of glory to the ne8t level of glory. "hat's true growth, true maturity, and true spirituality. "hat's the only contemplation a 4hristian needs. A 4hristian doesn't need to contemplate human philosophy. A 4hristian doesn't need to become a legalist and e8amine a list of rules. A 4hristian doesn't need to be a mystic spending his time in contemplation until something ecstatic occurs. A 4hristian doesn't need to be an ascetic. A 4hristian needs only to concentrate on $esus 4hrist, and as he concentrates on 4hrist, the 9pirit of #od imperceptibly does .is work. e are changed into the same image by the .oly 9pirit. 2+ (he Resource ,ou say, ":ut how do you concentrate on 4hrist! ,ou have to lift your mind out of the world and set it on the things above. 4olossians 5:*( tells you how do it: ";et the word of 4hrist dwell in you richly...." If you want to contemplate 4hrist, get into the :ible. "he more you study the ord, the more you are saturated by the ord, the more the ord controls your thinking, and the more the ord dominates your thoughts, the more 4hrist is in the front of your mind. If dear old CGGah had poured over the ord, if he knew the ord, and if the ord had governed his life, when his emotions started to react he would have stopped. If 4hristians today were really saturated by and knew the ord of #od, when their emotions started to react they would stop and do what they know the :ible teaches to do, not what their emotions would charge them to do, even though their motives might seem to be so good. 9o let the word of 4hrist dwell in you. %+ (he Result As you study and read the :ible, letting it saturate your life, then 4hrist moves up into your conscious mind, and you get your head into the heavenlies. In <phesians *:5 0aul said that we are "blessed...with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in 4hrist." 9ome of you 4hristians say, "I don't know where all the blessings are." ,ou are mulling around in the muck. ,ou need to get your mind in heaven and leave it there. ?nce you have really made the commitment to think and to concentrate on $esus 4hrist, to pour your thoughts into .im, and to allow .im to be the center of your life, then you are going to see some things happen in your life that you never saw before. 0erhaps you have heard a 4hristian say, "I accepted the ;ord a long time ago, but I never really did anything. "hen I made this commitment, and since then it has been fantastic." hat happened! .e got up into the heavenlies. .e entered the throne room and started to fellowship with $esus. .e got out of the gutter and got his mind off material things. .e put his thoughts in heaven. *. ".< >I#." 4?64<6">A"I?6 According to the 0tolemaic "heory, the center of the solar system was the earth, and everything revolved around it. "hat theory lasted thirteen hundred years. %inally, 4opernicus said that the sun was the center of our solar system and everything revolved

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around it. hat is the center of your solar system! "he earth or the 9on of righteousness! here is your focus! hat are the three things you love the most, think about the most, and want the most! "he one thing you do need is 4hrist, and to focus and concentrate on .im. "hat's all. .e is sufficient. @on't be intimidated by anybody else's self-made religion. 4hrist is all you need...and you have all of .im. ). ".< >I#." 4?''I"'<6" "here is no second great work where suddenly you have this focus. :ut there is a time in your life when you come to the point where you say, "I am ready to live in the heavenlies. I am tired of fiddling around in the mud. I want to get up there where I belong and en1oy some of the blessings that are there for me." ?nce you get a taste of it, your life begins to mean something. 5. ".< >I#." <K0<>I<64< @r. :arnhouse told a story about a young couple he visited on the mission field. "hey were newlyweds who went right to the mission field after their marriage. "hey were discussing what their engagement had been like. "he young man said, " ell, she never let me kiss her until we were married." And they chuckled about that. :ut then he said, "After we were married and I got the first kiss, the rest came easy." I really think that if a 4hristian ever really begins to e8perience what #od has for him in the heavenlies, and if he gets his mind off of the world and onto the 9on, then the rest comes easy because he will begin to see what #od has for him there. It is tragic to see so many 4hristians stuck in the world and trying to reach out for the world's definition of a religious e8perience in order to make themselves happy, when all they need to do is to drop all of that stuff and concentrate on $esus 4hrist. As they are lost in .im, as they gaGe on .im, and as they are transformed into .is image from one level of glory to the ne8t, they will begin to e8perience what #od intended when .e said, ",ou will be blessed with all the spiritual blessings in the heavenly places" &<ph. *:5b+. 5ocusing on the 5acts *. ). hat is one good way to determine a person's true character! hat should be the preoccupation of every 4hristian! hat sub1ect does he deal

5. In all of his epistles, what sub1ect does 0aul deal with first! with ne8t! hy does he follow this particular order! 2. hat is spirituality based on!

E. .ow are the four errors that plagued the church at 4olosse made visible in our society! <8plain each one. (. hat is the only valid reason for being intimidated! hat mistake did

A. hat was the mistake that @avid made in transporting the ark! CGGah make!

3. hat kind of worship does #od desire! hy didn't #od accept @avid's worship the first time! hy did #od accept @avid's worship the second time!

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=. According to 9amuel, what did #od want more than 9aul's sacrifices! eventually happened to 9aul! */. hy did #od send a prophet out of $udah to the 6orthern Jingdom! need to send a prophet! **. *). hy didn't the young prophet go home with $eroboam!

hat

hy did #od

hat was his commitment!

hat was the dilemma that the young prophet eventually faced! hat happened to his

*5. hy did the young prophet go home with the old prophet! commitment!

*2. In the case involving the young prophet and the old prophet, who did #od hold more accountable! hy! *E. *(. *A. hat is true spirituality! .ow does ) 4orinthians 5:*3 e8plain that definition! hat must every 4hristian do in order to concentrate on 4hrist! hat happens as a result of letting the ord of #od saturate your life!

Pondering the Principles *. .ow do you worship #od! Is your worship based on feelings alone, or is it based on the truth of #od's ord! >ead $ohn 2:)5. According to that verse, how are we to worship #od! hat two elements are necessary for worship! ;ook up the following verses: 0salm E*:*E-*A7 EA:A-**7 */3:*-57 *5=:)5-)27 'atthew *E:A-=. According to those verses, what does it mean to worship in spirit! ;ook up the following verses: 0salm 2A:A7 >omans *:*3-*=, )E7 ) 4orinthians 2:)7 4olossians 5:*(-*A7 * "imothy 2:*5. hat does it mean to worship in truth! hy can't you separate the two! hat changes do you need to make in your worship of #od! >emember CGGah &) 9amuel (:(-A+. :e sure that all of your worship is based on the truth of #od's ord. ). >ead 4olossians 5:*(. @oes the "word of 4hrist dwell in you richly..."! hat one word best describes your daily study of the :ible! .ow often do you study the :ible each day! .ow often do you study it each week! @o the truths of #od's ord govern your life, or do you live your life following the many words that come out of the world! If you want to lift your mind into the heavenlies, you need to make the commitment to study the :ible...and to start todayB As you study, meditate on the truths that #od has for you. Ask #od to reveal to you the best ways to apply what you have learned. And most importantly, look for #od in .is ord--.e is on every page. .e wants you to know .im better. 5. hat are the three things you are currently seeking the most! hat are the three things you love the most! hat are the three things that you think about the most! :ased on your answers, what is your preoccupation, #od or self! hat should your preoccupation be! If your preoccupation is yourself, why! If your preoccupation has been yourself, then you need to make the commitment today to concentrate on 4hrist. >ead 0hilippians 5:3-*2. hat was the goal of 0aul's life! ill you make that goal yours!