The New Testament warns us about believing a lie

Paul2 Thes. 2:10-12

JesusLk. 6:39

Many say sincerity is enough

In religionAll religions“Believers”

Is this true in other matters?Investments?Home?Health?

There is a great DANGER in believing a lie!

Illustrated in 1 Kings 13Young & Old Prophet

Background

Solomon’s death1 Kgs. 11:42, 43

Rehoboam becomes king1 Kgs. 12:1

Jeroboam seeks relief for the people1 Kgs. 12:2-5

Background

Rehoboam listens to the wrong men1 Kgs. 12:6-13

Jeroboam leads 10 tribes in rebellion1 Kgs. 12:16

Jeroboam establishes a false religion1 Kgs. 12:26-33

The Man of God believed a lie

Sent to denounce false religion1 Kgs. 13:1-6

Refused to eat with the king1 Kgs. 13:7-10

Persuaded by the older prophet1 Kgs. 13:11-19

The Man of God believed a lie

Consequences revealed1 Kgs. 13:20-22

Young prophet is killed1 Kgs. 13:23-24

Lessons from the young prophet

God had spoken & was understood1 Kgs. 13:8, 9• Spoken to us

Heb. 1:1-2• Understandable

Eph. 5:17; 2 Pet. 1:12

Lessons from the young prophet

Religious men can be sincerely wrong1 Kgs. 13:18• Saul / Paul

Acts 7, 8, 9• Cornelius

Acts 10

Lessons from the young prophet

Older men are not always right1 Kgs. 13:18• Peter, Barnabas

Gal. 2:11-14

Lessons from the young prophet

When we know what God has said, we must abide by it

Gal. 1:8-9

Modern lies which lead men astray

Cannot say anything negativePhil. 3:2, 18-19; Lk. 13:32; Mt. 16:23

“You gotta accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative; latch on to the affirmative; and don’t mess with Mister In-between” (Dee Bowman, Christianity Magazine, Jan. 1984).

Modern lies which lead men astray

People may divorce and remarry for a reason other than sexual immorality.

Matt. 5:31-32; 19:9

It is significant that Jesus' statement according to Matthew 19:9 is an expansion spoken to the Pharisees of what he had said earlier concerning them in the Sermon on the Mount (Matt. 5:20, 32). Notice that in both places (actually in every place) Jesus spoke first of a man committing adultery by divorcing his wife and marrying another...

In either case, it would be a matter of a woman disposing of one mate in order to acquire another--a two-fold act Jesus termed adulterous, in and of itself...(Jerry Bassett, Coburg Road Bulletin, Church of Christ).

The very act, Jesus said, of a man divorcing his wife and marrying another woman,..., was itself an act of adultery (Rethinking Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage). Jerry Bassett

John 8:1-4

The sin was in breaking the covenant by the wife (or husband) in order to marry another and not in a "continuous sexual adulterous condition." Therefore, repentance demands they do not break such a covenant again (Homer Hailey, The Divorced and Remarried Who Would Come To God).

Colossians 3:5-7

Modern lies which lead men astray

You can fellowship those who teach soul-damning error

2 Jn. 9-11; Eph. 5:11

And there are some people who have been very critical of brother Hailey and I agree with those people who are critical of him on the Bible teaching with regard to divorce and remarriage. But I differ with them on their interpretation and application of the fellowship issue (Bob Owen, Feb. 1995, Concord, NC).

Homer Hailey believes that those who are baptized into Christ may remain in their present marital state [i.e. 2nd or 3rd] (Ed Harrell, Christianity Magazine, Nov. 1988).

Later cites Romans 14 as the authority to fellowship one he admits teaches error.Claims Romans 14 allows for differences on important doctrinal and moral questions.

Modern lies which lead men astray

The earth was created over millions of years

Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:11; Mk. 10:6

“This Big Bang theory is now the standard explanation for how the energy and matter resulting from the beginning came to be distributed as it is today…Genesis affirms the fact of the beginning but not the process. Therefore there can be no conflict between Genesis and science as to process. …

“… However, the physical data does argue strongly for a beginning consistent with Genesis. In this, the data supporting the Big Bang theory is the Bible believer’s friend and the atheists’ nemesis” (Hill Roberts, Genesis and the Time Thing).

“Taken all together, if the bounding assumptions are valid, these indicate an age of the universe between 12 and 16 billion years and an age of the earth of approximately 4.6 billion years” (ibid.).

“The ‘days’ of creation in Genesis 1 cannot be literal…” (Shane Scott, Sentry Magazine, Vol. 21, No. 1).

Modern lies which lead men astray

The flood was localGen. 7:19-22; 8:21; Psa. 104:5, 6;

2 Pt. 3:5, 6

“Geologically, the flood of Noah was very short, a mere hiccup…It would not be likely that such an event would leave much of any geological record, especially if it was a world flood in the sense of their view of the local world…”

“… The ’93 floods of the upper Mississippi, though widespread in destruction, have left very little of permanence in the regional geology other than some new sediment deposits in the Mississippi delta” (Hill Roberts, Genesis and the Time Thing, pp. 33, 34).

Modern lies which lead men astray

The serpent is a “motif”Gen. 3:1, 14; 2 Cor. 11:3

“It is also worth considering that the account of these events may be, to some degree, accommodative and symbolic. Genesis may use the serpent motif because it is borrowing imagery from the mythological culture of that day regarding a cosmological foe of Deity” (Marty Pickup. “The Seed of Woman.” The Gospel In The Old Testament. Florida College Annual Lectures, February 3-6, 2003. Daniel W. Petty, ed. P. 61).

“It is possible, therefore, that Genesis recounted man’s primeval fall using the language and symbology that was best suited for its original audience. Since ancient creation myths gave a serpentine form to the being who opposed the order of creation, it was fitting that the tempter in the garden be depicted in this way (Boyd 156). Such a literary device may have been quite obvious to the original audience of Genesis” (ibid.).

What lie will be next?

The plagues were not real?The parting of the Red Sea was fake?Manna & quail are a myth?The fall of Jericho was symbolic?Jonah & the fish is a literary device?Jesus & the resurrection is mythological?

It matters what you believe!Do you love the truth?It may condemn you.It will save you.