Bible Doctrines Lesson 2

COURSE INTRO

I. COURSE INTRODUCTION The temptation, Im you may have faced coming into this course, is to think: Oh, goody! A course on Doctrine! This is GOING TO BE BORING

If thats what youve been thinking (coming into this course), Youre in for a pleasant surprise. We are going to have a blast in this course. One thing this course is going to do, is ANSWER a lot of QUESTIONS for you (PROBABLY NEVER HAD ANSWERED)! As we go through the major doctrines of the Bible were ALSO going to take little side journeys, and find out what the Bible says about o Dinosaurs and the Ice Age o Well talk about Angels & Demons o Whats the Unpardonable Sin? o Can a Christian lose their salvation?

PLUS Whole lot of things KEEP YOU SOLID in an age of deception.

II. WRONG CONCEPTS OF DOCTRINE LIKE I SAID: A lot of people CRINGE when they hear the word Doctrine. They automatically think its going to be: Dull and Impractical Religious and Legalistic Over the Heads of most people Or, just plain BORING. But, thats not DOCTRINE at all. So, lets set the record straight.

1. WHAT IS DOCTRINE?
1.) The word doctrine comes from the Greek word DID-ASK-ALIA which means that which is taught or BELIEVED. Doctrine then, REFERS to what Christians believe.

Actually it comes from the word didasko, which means, to teach or instruct by word of mouth. The word didasko has inherent in it, NOT ONLY the goal of increasing the UNDERSTANDING of the pupil The thing aimed at when teaching (didasko-ing) is the shaping of the WILL of the pupil.

So, doctrine isnt a bunch of worthless information. (Or Head Knowledge.) It actually has within itself the POWER to bring CHANGE into your life.

FOLKS LISTEN: Change for the most part a.) Doesnt come by PRAYING for change! b.) I can lay hands on you til I rub every hair out of your head and you still wont change! c.) Change comes PRIMARILY as you renew your mind with the Word of God!

Romans 12:2 says, Be transformed changed how? By the renewing of your mind.) (Thats How PERMANENT CHANGE COMES!) It would be safe to say then, that there is no effective change of a persons will, character, or life without a KNOWLEDGE of the Word of God or Bible Doctrine.

2. WHAT PAUL SAID ABOUT DOCTRINE (Handout!) /// Paul seemed to think that doctrine was important!)

(a) Obedience to Doctrine Frees Us From SIN

Romans 6:14-18 For SIN SHALL NOT HAVE DOMINION OVER YOU: for ye are not under the law, but under grace ... But God be thanked, that ye WERE the servants of sin, but ye have OBEYED FROM THE HEART that form of DOCTRINE which was delivered you. Being THEN made free from sin ...

(b) Leaving SOUND Doctrine is Grounds for Withdrawing Fellowship

Romans 16:17 Now I beseech you, brethren, mark them which cause divisions and offences contrary to the DOCTRINE which ye have learned; and avoid them.

(c) Doctrine NOURISHES Us

1 Tim. 4:6 If thou put the brethren in remembrance of these things, thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, nourished up in the words of faith and of good doctrine, whereunto thou hast attained.

(4) We are to Give ATTENTION to Doctrine

1 Tim. 4:13 Watch your life and doctrine closely (NIV)

(5) Elders that Labor in Doctrine are Worthy of Double HONOR

1 Tim. 5:17 Let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially they who labor in the word and DOCTRINE.

(6) Doctrine Equips us for SERVICE 2 Tim. 3:16-17 All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for DOCTRINE, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness. (SO) That the man of God may be MATURE, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.

(7) We REBUKE with Doctrine 2 Tim. 4:2 Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke,exhort with all longsuffering and DOCTRINE.

(8) The Time Will Come When Men Wont TOLERATE Sound Doctrine
2 Tim. 4:3 For the time will come when they will not tolerate sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears. (Dont want to be taught. Want to be ENTERTAINED.)

(9) We CONVINCE Skeptics with Doctrine

Titus 1:9 Holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught, that he may be able by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers. How are they going to be convinced BY SOUND DOCTRINE!

Thats not most Christians attitude! (They think) Well show em the POWER! Faith doesnt come by seeing a miracle! Faith comes by hearing the Word! All miracles do is get peoples attention. But, they dont make people believe!

But, wouldnt people believe if they saw an UNDENIABLE MIRACLE?

a.) Luke 16:26-31 Rich Man and Lazarus And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence.
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Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house:
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For I have five brethren; that he may testify unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment.
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Abraham saith unto him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them.
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And he said, Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.
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And he said unto him, If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead. A loved one could die You could have the funeral Put him six feet under He could be raised from the dead

Walk into the room SOME PEOPLE STILL WOULDNT BELIEVE!

b.) Luke 24:36-41 PROOF!

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And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you. 37 But they were terrified and affrighted, and supposed that they had seen a spirit.
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And he said unto them, Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your hearts?
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Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.
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And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet. And while they yet believed not ...

Theres someone raised from the dead and they still didnt believe. MIRACLES: Dont MAKE people believe!

c.) Acts 14:7-12 And there they preached the gospel.

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And there sat a certain man at Lystra, impotent in his feet, being a cripple from his mother's womb, who never had walked:

The same heard Paul speak: who stedfastly beholding him, and perceiving that he had faith to be healed,
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Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.
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And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men.
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And they called Barnabas, Jupiter; and Paul, Mercurius, because he was the chief speaker.

Here, they saw the miracles, and attributed them to their false gods. v. 18 They scarcely were able to stop them from worshipping them.

Watch how it works:

d.) Acts 13:6-12 And when they had gone through the isle ... unto Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Barjesus:
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Which was with the deputy of the country, Sergius Paulus, a prudent man; who called for Barnabas and Saul, and desired to hear the word of God.
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But Elymas the sorcerer (for so is his name by interpretation) withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith.

Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him.
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And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?
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And now, behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand.
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Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord. The miracle got his attn, but what convinced him the DOCTRINE.

(10) Those that abide not in the DOCTRINE of Christ have not God 2 John 9.

If you meet someone that doesnt believe what the Bible teaches about Jesus hes not saved. If you mess up what you believe about Jesus youve lost the whole thing! So thats going to be one of the first things we look at. But Before That: Were going to look at Doctrine of the Bible.

START OFF: by CONFIRMING the FACT that the Bible is the Word of God: Why would I do that? Well IF I have NO CONFIDENCE that the Bible is REALLY the Word of GOD that it is INSPIRED and AUTHORITATIVE and CONTAINS NO ERRORS (Scientifically or otherwise) WHY WOULD I BOTHER TAKING THE TIME TO STUDY IT? If its JUST A BOOK that was WRITTEN BY MEN and MAYBE CONTAINS the Words of God ALONG WITH CONTRADICTIONS and SCIENTIFIC ERRORS then HOW CAN I TRUST WHAT IM READING?

And, if I CANT TRUST what Im READING then WHO CARES WHAT IT SAYS? Lets all GO FOR COFFEE! Now of course, we cant deal with EVERY area here.