Failing to Discern

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement Verse of the Day - Romans 1:28-32 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a debased mind, to do those things which are not fitting; being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful; who, knowing the righteous judgment of God, that those who practice such things are deserving of death, not only do the same but also approve of those who practice them. Daily Scripture Reading - Romans 1-2 Puritan Catechism Question #31 - What benefits do they who are effectually called, partake of in this life? Answer - They who are effectually called, do in this life partake of justification (Rom. 8:30), adoption (Eph. 1:5), sanctification, and the various benefits which in this life do either accompany, or flow from them (1 Cor. 1:30). Confessing Our Faith A daily reading from The Second London Baptist Confession of Faith, 1689, as amended by Charles Spurgeon. Chapter 5 – Divine Providence Devotional Thoughts In examining our current sermon series we are studying what it takes to "Learn to Discern." But before we can learn to discern, or even what discernment is, we need to make a note of Romans 1:28-32. These verses show us what happens when people refuse to acknowledge God. In truth, each and every person is born with a knowledge of God and His Law in their hearts and minds. However, it is within our fallen human nature to work very hard at repressing that knowledge. You see, to admit the truth, that there is a Holy, Almighty God means that we as His creation are accountable to Him. And fallen, fallible man hates nothing more than accountability to a Perfect, Infallible, Higher Being. We crave the fulfillment of our own lust and pride, living to sin. And we will do literally whatever it takes to get away with it! When we do this, if not for the intervention of God and His grace by the power of the Spirit, we will chase sin until it consumes us. We will believe the lie that sin is satisfying and we will learn the hard way that committing sin is like drinking salt water. The more you drink the thirstier you get until you die from dehydration! Sin leads to sin which leads to sin. It never finally or completely satisfies and it will eventually kill us. If we reject the gospel and the truth that we are born with, we reject that knowledge of God and refuse to retain the truth in our hearts and minds then God will give us over to a debased mind. In other words, when we consistently and constantly abandon God in our thoughts He will abandon us to our sin. He will turn us over to be consumed by our impurity. That truly is a frightening thought. But it happens all around us every day. Sinners who fight for all they are worth to deny the existence of God. And God turns them over to that vain, futile thinking. When this happens there is evidence. Jesus tells us we will know men by their fruit. A good tree bears good fruit and a bad tree bears bad fruit or no fruit at all. Those who are turned over to their debased minds to be ruled and ruined by their own sinfulness bear identifiably wicked fruit. The text lists them for us:

... being filled with all unrighteousness, sexual immorality, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, evil-mindedness; they are whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, violent, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, undiscerning, untrustworthy, unloving, unforgiving, unmerciful ...

Unrighteousness is the opposite of righteousness. To be righteous is to be right with God, so to be filled with unrighteousness is to be filled with that which makes us wrong with God. Sexual immorality, wickedness, and all the rest that is listed here tips us off that a person who lives like this and acts like this and talks like this and thinks like this does not know Jesus Christ (Rev. 21:8). In studying this terrible passage we must take note of a particular sin that makes the list. Often we think of sin in degrees - some being worse than others. And when we think of categories of sin we usually think along the lines of those things which are impure, immoral, or idolatrous. We admit immediately and willingly that murder, sexual immoraltiy, and disobedience is sin. But how often do we think that it is a sin to be undiscerning? And yet there it is in verse 31. Those who are turned over to their own devices and debased minds are undiscerning. That means that we can classify a lack of discernment as sin! Did you get that? We often wrongly think that discernment is a gift and we either have it or don't. But the Scripture lists a lack of discernment as a sin, as a mark of living in depravity! So what does it mean to discern? Discernment is the ability to know the difference between good and bad, right and wrong, the sound and unsound. In the Old Testament it is referred to as "understanding." In the New Testament it is spoken of as knowing the difference between sound and unsound doctrine, recognising the differences between the truth and a lie. As Christians then we are responsible for learning how to discern! To fail to discern is sinful. To close our eyes and refuse to inform our consciences so that we might sin and get away with it is no excuse. For us, sin is a matter of life and death! And to willingly neglect the truth and to live with our eyes closed shut while good and evil stare us in the face is to sin against God, ourselves, our families, and our church. Again, this is worth stating over and over again. It is the responsibility of every Christian to learn, to be discipled in the Word, so that we can know how to be discerning. To fail to discern is to walk in darkness. The next few days then we will look at what we must learn in order to discern. We will study those things that prevent us from discerning rightly and those things which are necessary if we are to walk in the light and hold fast to the truth. Are you ready to learn to discern? If so, I will see you tomorrow! Links for Further Study (links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time) Exposition of Romans 1 by John Gill Inexcusable Irreverence And Ingratitude by Charles Spurgeon Bible Reading For Further Study

• Psalm 47:7; 111:10; 119:34, 73, 104, 125, 130, 144, 169
• Proverbs 1:2, 5; 2:2, 6, 11; 3:13; 4:5, 7; 9:6, 10

Recommended Songs for Worship

• Give Light, O Lord
• Give Me, O Lord, Right Views of Thee

Blind Leaders

TIME in the Word - Daily Devotional Together for Inspiration, Motivation, and Encouragement Verse of the Day - Matthew 15:13-14 But He answered and said, "Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch." Daily Scripture Reading - Matthew 13 Puritan Catechism Question #33 - What is adoption? Answer - Adoption is an act of God's free grace (1 Jn. 3:1), whereby we are received into the number, and have a right to all the privileges of the sons of God (Jn. 1:12; Rom. 8:17). Confessing Our Faith A daily reading from The Second London Baptist Confession of Faith, 1689, as amended by Charles Spurgeon. Chapter 24 – The Civil Magistrate Devotional Thoughts These two verses today, Matthew 15:13-14, are so packed with information that we must heed. They are not only relevant to our discussion about learning to discern or about how we are called to hear and understand and do the truth even though it may be offensive. These verses are relevant to so many areas of our lives. So let us look briefly at what Jesus says to His disciples. Jesus has spoken the truth, contradicting the man made traditions with which the Pharisees and scribes were trying to discredit Him and His disciples. He stated the truth plainly and the disciples noticed that this offended the religious leaders who had come to challenge them. And when the disciples told Jesus that these religious hypocrites had indeed been offended, He replied:

Every plant which My heavenly Father has not planted will be uprooted. Let them alone. They are blind leaders of the blind. And if the blind leads the blind, both will fall into a ditch.

He starts by telling His disciples that men are like plants, and if they have not been planted by God the Father then they will be uprooted. He then tells the disciples to leave them alone and identifies them as blind leaders who are leading the blind and when the blind lead the blind inevitably they both fall into a ditch. Let us see what He is saying here. God's Garden Throughout the Word of God we see parables and analogies that use plants to make a point. Isaiah and Jeremiah identify Judah as a vineyard planted by God. The Psalmist refers to those who meditate on the Word of God as a "tree planted by the rivers of water." And just a few chapters back, in Matthew 13, we read a list of parables about soils, seed, planting, and growing. John 15 speaks of Christ as the vine and we are His branches. And the Holy Spirit produces in us fruit. So this is not something new or unusual. In Matthew 13 Jesus referred to the world as a field and said that a man planted some wheat and his enemy planted some tares. The wheat grew and the tares grew, and the only difference between the two is that wheat bears fruit but tares do not. Otherwise they look identical in the field while growing! So identical that the tares are not to be pulled up until the time of the harvest (judgment) for fear that wheat might be pulled with the tares. And with that backdrop, in an agricultural society, Jesus says that the scribes and Pharisees who are seeking to discredit Him and who use the traditions of men to make void the Word of God are in fact plants that have not been planted by God! They are tares! The enemy is planting them and encouraging them in their mission to destroy Christ and the gospel. However, we have this assurance - the tares will be pulled up, they will be uprooted, and they will be thrown into the fire and judged. They are not God's plant, they are not a branch in the vine, they are not in the vineyard of the Lord. He has not planted them and so they will be uprooted. But let us then look at what Jesus says. I find this next phrase fascinating and am truly still trying to work through the significance of what it means! Leave Them Alone Jesus identifies the scribes and Pharisees as having not been planted by the Father. They will be uprooted. And so Jesus says next, "Let them alone." Leave them to their judgment. Leave them alone. Do not harass or bother them, do not mock or provoke them. Leave them alone. God will deal with them in time. Now why would Jesus say this? What is the rationale behind leaving false teachers alone? Why should the disciples be told to leave them alone? Often today it is believed that we are to actively work to confront false teachers and go after them for all we are worth, unmask them, fight them, debate them, expose them, and stand against them until they repent or die! I understand that there is a proper place for apologetics. I have great respect for men like Ravi Zacharias and James White and others who do an excellent job at defending the Word of God in the face of the culture around us. But we do need to stop and think about this admonition. There are religious leaders spreading false doctrine, voiding the Word of God with their traditions, and Jesus says, "Leave them alone." If we all took the time necessary to study every cult and false teaching out there and if we all worked around the clock to expose every error, then all we would do day in and day out would be to study heretics and heresies. And here is the truth that we can glean from this statement and from the testimony of Scripture. Within the church - get that? it is an important distinction - within the church there are to be safeguards against false teaching and false teachers. Without the church however we have a different responsibility. Within the church we have been given pastors (elders) who have as part of their mandate from Christ the duty to protect the congregation against false teaching. Further, each member of that church is also responsible to test whatever the elders teach and preach against the Word of God so that they are sure that what is being taught is the truth. Without the church are we then responsible to confront each error and stand against each heresy? No. Outside the church we are responsible to proclaim one message - the gospel of Jesus Christ. We have not been given a mandate to subdue the culture around us with a christian-like standard of living or even a Biblical system of morality and law. We have instead been called to preach the gospel and invite sinners to come to Christ so that they might be saved. Our goal is not subduing the false teachers or even refuting them at every turn. Our aim is to preach Christ, to present the gospel. Why? Because the gospel is the power of God to salvation - and to be blunt, if the people in the culture around us are not regenerated by the power of the Holy Spirit then no amount of morality really matters at all! For without Christ there is no morality, no righteousness, and no goodness. Within the church our goal is doctrinal purity - hearing and understanding and living (doing) the truth. Without the church our goal is evangelism! So Jesus tells His disciples that these guys are going to be uprooted and judged. God the Father did not plant them. Leave them alone. Blind Leaders Jesus tells His disciples that these tares among the wheat are worse than just tares. They are in fact blind leaders. They do not know the truth (ever learning but never coming to a knowledge of the truth), they do not have wisdom, they surely do not have discernment (understanding), and so we see that they are blind. They cannot see the truth. They cannot see their error. They cannot see reality! And the people who follow them are also blind. Their eyes are shut, they are ignorant of the truth, they have no wisdom or discernment, and they are being led far astray from the Word of God and reconciliation with Him. Blind leaders are men and women who elevate tradition above the Word of God. They teach to tickle ears. They fear men more than God. They try to make the offensive truth appealing and at the same time deny the gospel and the Word of God. They center their theology on man instead of on God. They trust their own understanding and learning and reject truth. They refuse to retain a knowledge of God in their minds and they have been or will quickly be turned over to their own depravity. Simply stated, blind leaders and blind followers are people without discernment. And what happens when the blind lead the blind? This almost sounds like a cruel joke but it is a serious reality. If a blind person leads another blind person, neither of them can see where they are going. And eventually they will both veer off a safe course and fall into a ditch! Can you imagine people getting offended and upset because we would speak out against the idea that the blind should be lead by the blind? Well, Jesus makes His point. Those who worship tradition and deny the Word of God, those who have no discernment, truly they cannot see. And unless God opens their eyes they and those who follow them will slip off the the road into a ditch. Don't let yourself be tripped up and dragged down into a doctrinal ditch! Ask God to open your eyes so that you can see! Learn to discern, for only then can you see the Way, the Truth, and the Life. Links for Further Study (links to study each daily topic in more detail if you have the desire and the time) Exposition of Matthew 13 by John Gill Reaching the Happy Thinking Pagan an interview with Ravi Zacharias Bible Reading For Further Study

• Psalm 92:13; 128:3; 144:12
• Isaiah 5:1-7; John 15:1-8

Recommended Songs for Worship

• Be Thou My Guardian
• Put Thou Thy Trust in God