Hebrews 13:9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
Illustrate: I love to watch horror movies. Not the bloody type – that's disgusting. But the scary type. I watched a movie the other day about a serial killer who drove an Uber. Uber is a company that hires private citizens to pick people up in their cars, kind of like a taxi. The problem is, Uber drivers aren't checked out like a commercial taxi driver is. You don't whose car you are getting into. And yes, you could get into the back seat of a serial killer's car. Or worse! Be careful what you choose to carry you through life, or it may carry you to death.
That's what our Scripture is about today.
Be Careful What Truths Carry You Through Life
God's command to the New Covenant Christian – to all of us - is quite clear:
Be not carried about with divers (diverse, many types of) and strange doctrines
If you are a Christian, you need to be careful what 'truths' carry you through this life. No, let me modify this last statement. If you are human, saved or unsaved, you need to be careful what 'truths' carry you through this life. Listen Beloved,
If the devil cannot DAMN you, he will DECEIVE you.
Word Study: We are warned not to be "CARRIED ABOUT" (Greek peripherō [pronounced per-ee-fer'-o]) by many types of "STRANGE" (Greek xenos [pronounced xen'-os], meaning "alien or novel, concepts that are new but not part of the plan") "DOCTRINES" (didachē, [pronounced did-akh-ay'], meaning "teachings, directives, instruction by which you live your life). Let's break this down further. When people heard that Jesus was nearby, the Scripture says:
Mark 6:55 … {they} began to CARRY ABOUT [peripherō] in beds those that were sick, where they heard {where Jesus} was.
There are false doctrines in the world, false teachings that have nothing to do with the Biblical New Covenant nor scripture. Avoid them.
False truths will RUN AND RUIN your life.
What Do You Believe About DOCTRINE?
BIBLE DOCTRINE is so important.
One of the greatest LIES the devil ever spread through the Church is that you can be saved, but do NOT have to follow Christ and the Bible. Those who are saved MUST follow Christ and His Word. Period.
Repentance: Jesus came preaching REPENTANCE as the door to salvation. REPENTANCE means to turn from following your golden calves, and turn to following Jesus and His Word. Jesus said, "I am not come to call the righteous, but SINNERS TO REPENTANCE" (Matthew 9:13; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:32; 24:47). Jesus taught His disciples to "preach that men should REPENT" (Mark 6:2), and declared:
Luke 13:3, 5 I tell you, Nay: but, EXCEPT YE REPENT, ye shall all likewise perish.
The first sermon preached in the Church Age was:
Acts 2:38 … REPENT, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
You cannot be saved and retain your false doctrines. When you come to Christ, you come committing yourself to Him and His Word. You are committing yourself to His Kingdom, both now, and into eternity. Salvation is a complete commitment of the disciple's life to the Lord of Glory. Salvation is NOT a buffet!
The Lie Of Solo Christianity
Hebrews 13:1 Let brotherly love CONTUNUE (Greek MENO, remain).
Some people have said, "I can be a Christian by myself. I need no "church". I am a "church" unto myself". This is a lie from Satan. Jesus Christ established the Church. The Church is built upon the rock of truth that Jesus is THE Christ, THE Son of the Living God (Matthew 16:16, 18). Jesus said "I will build MY CHURCH, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it". The Bible says "the LORD added to the Church daily those who were being saved" (Acts 2:47, NKJV). God gave command to the Pastors at Ephesus:
Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.
The Church belongs to Jesus. The reason that Christ has given us the Church and its spirit filled leadership is to keep us from being carried about by false doctrine. The Apostle writes of this in:
Ephesians 4:11-14 (ESV) And {Christ} gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.
God has given us His Word and His Spirit, along with His called Bible teachers, to feed the believer, to teach the truths of the Scripture. The Church itself is built on the premise of LOVE:
Hebrews 13:1 Let brotherly love CONTUNUE (Greek MENO, remain).
The mark of a healthy Church is that LOVE is what holds it together. Not selfishness, but love. Not pride, but love. The Apostle wrote in:
Romans 13:8-10 (ESV) Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law. 9 For the commandments, "You shall not commit adultery, You shall not murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet," and any other commandment, are summed up in this word: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself." 10 Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfilling of the law.
You OWE it to your brother or sister in Christ to LOVE them. When Christ made His Church, He filled it not with perfect, always good natured people. Christ filled His Church with broken creatures saved by the Grace of God. We are given two great Commandments in Scripture by Jesus:
Matthew 22:37-40 (ESV) … You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38 This is the great and first commandment. 39 And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. 40 On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.
We love God with our ALL. We love those in proximity to us, especially our brothers and sisters in Christ. This is not just an emotional thing, but a physical thing. We are to DO GOOD to those we love. We are told:
Hebrews 13:2 Be not forgetful to entertain STRANGERS: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.
We are to avoid STRANGE doctrines, but not STRANGERS in our midst. We are to LOVE VISITORS to the Church. You might have an angel beside you!
Jesus defined LOVE as DOING the right thing. He said:
Matthew 5:44-45 … Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you … that you may be the CHILDREN OF YOUR FATHER IN HEAVEN ...
Be kind to the unkind. If your brother of sister treats you badly, DO GOOD to them anyway. You say, "But Brother David, I don't FEEL like it!" It's not based on FEELING, but on OBEDIENCE. Do it because Jesus said do. There are CONSEQUENCES for NOT LOVING as Jesus said. Jesus said:
Matthew 6:14-15 (ESV) … if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, 15 but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
Christ put His Church together as a team, a group to do battle TOGETHER. We read:
Hebrews 12:3 Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them; and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.
The unity of the Church is to be so close that, as the Apostle said:
1 Corinthians 12:24-27 (ESV) ... God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
Those who say "I can be a Christian without the Church" are either very confused, or are lying to themselves. If you can walk away from Christ's Church, dear friend, you may be DAMNED and not know it! The Bible tells us that:
Ephesians 5:25-27 (ESV) … Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
If you are a Christian, you need the company of other Christians. You need the Church.
The Lie Of Lawlessness
Hebrews 13:4 Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge (krinō, pronounced kree'-no)
Some have taught the twisted doctrine that "since I am saved by Grace, I can live any way I want to live". This is not a new concept. In the early Church this false doctrine was called
Antinomianism, which teaches that Grace rejects any laws of God, and supplants the law with freedom to behave any way you feel is best.
Antinomianism is found in the local Church flying the "rainbow flag". It is sad that a segment of our society has taken the Biblical Rainbow – which is a reminder of God's judgment of the Noahic flood, and of His graciousness (the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh, Genesis 9:15) – and have turned it into licentiousness. God still judges sin. We are told:
Marriage is honorable in all, and the bed undefiled
God is not against human sexuality. God is against human sexuality being used in the wrong way. God approves of sexuality in MARRIAGE as God has defined marriage. How did Jesus define "marriage"? When asked about it, Jesus referred to Genesis:
Matthew 19:4-6 (ESV) … Have you not read that he who created them from the beginning made them male and female, 5 and said, 'Therefore a man shall leave his father and his mother and hold fast to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh'? 6 So they are no longer two but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate."
It is God Who created marriage in the Garden of Eden. Biblical marriage is one man and one woman bound together for life. God directed that in the marriage that they "be FRUITFUL and MULTIPLY and FILL THE EARTH and subdue it" (Genesis 1:28). Two men cannot "be fruitful". Two women cannot "multiply". Jesus recognized this. Heterosexual as well as homosexual sin is Biblically forbidden. We are told in:
1 Corinthians 6:9 (ESV) … the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality ...
We are told that God's Law condemns …
1 Timothy 1:10 … the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine ...
God is not against sex. He is against misuse of sex. Misuse of sex has introduced a plague of abortion – the murder of an innocent baby's life – in this country. We are told:
whoremongers and adulterers God will judge (krinō, pronounced kree'-no)
Word Study: Those who misuse their sexuality will be JUDGED of God (krinō, pronounced kree'-no), What does that mean? It means that those engaged in such behavior – a behavior that is NOT love but self satisfying LUST – will be condemned of God. They do not have to be. Those engaged in sexual sin can repent and turn to Christ. The Bible says:
John 3:17-18 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn (krinō, pronounced kree'-no) the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: (krinō) but he that believeth not is condemned (krinō) already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.
Those who come to Christ by faith, believing in His Grace, repenting of their former lives are "WASHED, you are SANCTIFIED, you are JUSTIFIED in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ by the Spirit of God" (1 Corinthians 6:9-11). Those who come to Christ by faith are changed, brought under and into the Kingdom of God. But to those who insist that they can remain in sexual sin and yet be saved, I refer you to the last two books of Scripture. It is here that God tell us who will NOT be in Heaven, but cast into the lake of fire forever and ever:
Revelation 21:8 … But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.
Revelation 22:15 … For without {Heaven} are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.
Beloved, those who are in sexual relationships without marriage – Biblical marriage – are headed toward the judgment of God and eternal damnation. The grace of God does not free us from the command of God. The Grace of God frees us from religious ceremonies, feasts, animal sacrifices, dietary laws and sanitation ordinances. Grace frees us from the Old Covenant shadows – but nonetheless brings us into God's Kingdom and the rule of His Word.
The Lie Of The Prosperity Gospel
Hebrews 13:5-6 Let your conversation {Greek tropos, literally "way of life"} be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 6 So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.
One of the more insidious lies that has crept into the Church is the lie of the Prosperity Gospel. They take Bible verses like
Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
"You see, God wants to PROSPER you. He wants Christians to be RICH, to have LOTS OF MONEY". Those who teach these things are doing their best to get your money. The three richest Pastors in the world:
Kenneth Copeland (Eagle Mountain Church, $760 million)
David Oyedepo (Living Faith Church, $150 million)
Joel Osteen (Lakewood Church, $100 million)
have gotten rich preaching a Prosperity Gospel. Others like Benny Hinn ($70 million) and Steven Furtick ($55 million) have found riches by telling their listeners to give generously to God so that He can make you rich. But is this what God is talking about when He speaks of "Prosperity"? When God said "I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth" (3 John 2), was God saying we who are Christians are supposed to be rich in money and lands?
No! Our Lord Jesus was not rich. Judas Iscariot, the man who betrayed Jesus with a kiss, kept the purse of the disciples. It is not a sin to be rich. It is a sin to love money. The Bible says,
1 Timothy 6:10 For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.
Love of money has drawn many away from salvation in Christ. There are rich believers. Abraham was a rich believer. Job was a rich believer. Both had money and materials far beyond those around them. Solomon was not only the wisest person in the world, but he was the richest. But God also has poor believers. Jesus said, "The POOR have the Gospel preached to them" (Matthew 11:5; Luke 7:22). Though God allows believers to have wealth, He wants us to love Him and live for Him whether we are rich or poor. God does not want us to "covet" or desire what someone else has. He says,
be content with such things as ye have
What do you have? You have genuine riches. You have a God Who gave His life for you. You have an inheritance stored up for you in Heaven. You have eternal life. You have Jesus, the Good Shepherd, Who will never leave you nor forsake you.
And Jesus never changes. We read:
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.
Jesus never changes. He has said,
John 10:9 I am the door: by Me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture.
Jesus is the Door to Heaven, the Door to salvation. You have a Savior, a Shepherd, who "GIVES HIS LIFE FOR HIS SHEEP" (John 10:11). Jesus has said to those who receive Him as Lord and Savior:
John 10:28-30 … I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. 29 My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand. 30 I and my Father are one.
Jesus has said to those who believe in Him, "I have you IN MY HAND. My Father has you IN HIS HAND. You are His possession. You are My possession. You are bought with a price. You belong to Me, and the Father – and we are ONE and in ONE ACCORD that no one will take you out of our hand". Oh Beloved, you may not be rich in the material possessions of this world, but if you are in Christ you are spiritually rich. You are God's, and God is yours. God watches over you daily, for you are His child.
Heed The Word Spoken
Hebrews 13:7 Remember them which have the rule over you, who have spoken unto you the word of God: whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation {way of life}.
17 Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give account, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief: for that is unprofitable for you.
I am sure there are some who are thinking, "Who are YOU to tell me anything?". Truthfully, I am no one. I have "spoken unto you the word of God". I "watch for your souls", and must one day stand before God and give an account of this stewardship He has given me. I want to see you prosper and grow. I pray you will prosper and grow. But it will not happen if you do not heed the Word of God.
There are no shortcuts to salvation. You must REPENT, and confess yourself a sinner. You must turn to Jesus Christ, and trust Him as your Lord and Savior. From the moment of salvation, you become HIS sheep, HIS possession. You are to walk with Him, heed His Word, obey His commandments till the end.
Hebrews 13:9 Be not carried about with divers and strange doctrines. For it is a good thing that the heart be established with grace; not with meats, which have not profited them that have been occupied therein.
You are not under an Old Covenant of animal sacrifice and dietary restriction. You are under a New Covenant, secured by the Blood of Christ, and insured by His resurrected glory. He makes intercession for us continually. Let us serve and love Him with all our hearts.
May God the Holy Spirit draw you to His side today. Amen and Amen.
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