• How to keep good doctrine
  
• READ Matthew 16:5-12
  
• In this story- Jesus is moving around once again, and his disciples follow him and forget to take bread for the journey. Jesus tells them to beware of bad doctrine. They interpret it as “he’s mad we forgot bread” Jesus rebukes them for thinking among themselves, reminds them of the past experience with bread, and tells them- its not about bread- its about doctrine. Then the disciples are like “oh, doctrine”
  
• Doctrine is important to a Christian-  a principle or position or the body of principles in a branch of knowledge or system of belief : DOGMA
  
• Its our dogma- its what directs who we are and what we believe- simple truths that are non-negotiable that keep us in the truth- we have to know what we believe and why we believe it
  
• And in this day and age of internet and tik-tok preachers/youtube etc. it is very easy to be led astray. This is why church membership is good- go and learn what we believe- study our stuff
  
• 100 years ago- you would only listen you your local preacher, only read your Bible (if you could read) and not much else.
  
• Nowadays anyone can write a book, start a ministry, write a song,  get their message out and influence people’s minds, and frankly, just because they say its Christian, it not always is-
  
• And that’s great if they are spreading good seed- but for well-meaning people that don’t know how to discern good doctrine- you can easily be led astray because you aren’t living by principles of the word concerning doctrine. Especially if you don’t discern it as it comes
  
• So how do you keep good doctrine?
  

1. Good doctrine is aware of what people spread
   
2. V6 “Beware the leaven”
   
3. These disciples have just come from the miracles of loaves and fishes- they have seen what Jesus has done- and Jesus, not wanting to let a lesson go to waste, offers and example to those around him referencing bread- Beware of the leaven he says
   
4. What they all knew- which maybe you don’t know is that a small amount of leaven is used to make bread- I use 2 tbsp to 7 cups of flour in my bread- and that little bit takes over the bulk of the bread and makes the bread do what it does- small amount- big loaf-
   
5. But you have to mix it, it has to go all throughout- but you have to get it in- well mixed
   
6. So Jesus says- pay attention to what is getting in spread in you (Arnold telling guy to scream)
   
7. Just bc famous not right- Not everything outthere that says its Christian that is out there is good, moral, holy, good and righteous. Not only are their wolves, but deceived people. People want followers and $
   
8. You have to go into something with your eyes open- it can lead you astray- it can lead you to no longer believe what the Bible says and it is no longer sound doctrine.
   
9. In my life- approached no less than 12 times to join MLM- “why are we meeting” No- not inter.
   
10. Listening- “where are you leading me- who is being glorified”
    
11. 1 joh 4:1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God; because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
    
12. You have to be involved in the process or else this little bit of yeast will spread into your whole belief system, and you’ll turn around and you wont believe what you used to.
    
13. 2 Peter 2:1-3 “false prophets among the people”
    
14. This has been a problem all throughout the history of Christianity
    
15. 2 Timothy 4:3-4  For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.
    
16. Simple truths like Jesus is 100% God and Man, Penal Substitutionary Atonement, Sinless life, the Trinity, Water Baptism, Innerancy of Scripture, Forgiveness of sins, Miracles of Jesus, Truth of the OT/NT, Resurrection, etc
    
17. And these false doctrines, always have a kernel of Truth, which is why they are so deceptive-
    
18. Jesus paid it all!-(so you don’t have to do anything)
    
19. Jesus forgives it all (So there’s nothing you can do to lose your salvation)
    
20. Its all what you believe (so you don’t have to do anything)
    
21. Jesus loves you as you are! (So you don’t have to change)
    
22. God knows and loves you individually (So you don’t have to join a church)
    
23. Everyone is equal before God (so pastors/churches aren’t needed submitted to)
    
24. Jesus died for all! (So everyone is going to heaven regardless)
    
25. Historical context of the scriptures helps interpretation (So you can change anything)
    
26. 1 Timothy 6:3 If anyone teaches otherwise and does not consent to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which accords with godliness,
    
27. Gal 1:6 I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel,
    
28. And you need to stay grounded! Watch what leaven is being spread!
    
29. Online preachers, books, separating you from Church fellowship but connected to them?
    
30. Many of these preachers are fine with you isolating and listening only to THEM
    
31. There’s people out there you can listen to- my friends- washer, Wilkerson, old billy graham
    
32. You don’t need new revelation- you need to live out the basics you’re still not doing!
    
33. Listen to preachers that use the whole Bible, teach basic universal doctrines, give GOD glory, are costly, are discomfortable to the flesh, aren’t connected to a current trend,
    
34. Stay away from emotional arguments, cultural trends, obscure arguments, new revelation
    
35. Doctrines that require less, go softer on sin, focus on self pleasure, discovery, satisfaction. Gauge spiritual success on worldy scales. Agree with current ethos
    
36. 1 Corinthians 14:33 For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints. Acts 20:29 Isaiah 5:20
    

• Good doctrine Doesn’t reason among itself
  
• V7 “and they reasoned among themselves”
  
• This right here was the key to their misunderstanding of what Jesus wanted for them and what they were supposed to be doing- They didn’t go to Jesus- they “reasoned among themselves”
  
• Every single problem in every Christian and Church in all of history is because people did not Go to the scriptures, stay in church fellowship but gathered around them other people that would agree with them- the people agreed it was a good idea, but it wasn’t a God idea
  
• Proverbs 3:5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
  
• The pinnacle of our Spiritual formation is not us being able to come up with our own ideas about who God is, what he should be and how we should live our lives-
  
• What WE thing and what WE want is not what the Bible teaches
  
• Jer 17:9 “The heart is deceitful above all things, And desperately wicked; Who can know it?
  
• Romans 8:7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be.
  
• So we can’t trust ourselves or our own reasons and Ideas- it’s a path of destruction
  
• And its totally against what the world teaches- to them Chrisitanity is repressive, controlling and antiquated- to them it subjugates women, stifles sexual expression, elevates the patriarchy, is xenophobic, against other religions, hateful, backwards etc.
  
• Much of modern thought is connected to unlearning what the Bible and the catholic church taught- and some of it has been bad- but its not all bad
  
• It’s the idea that all truth can be known and all problems fixed apart from the Bible
  
• Live this life now however you want, there is no afterlife, so it doesn’t matter
  
• Jeremiah 17:7 “Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, And whose hope is the Lord.
  
• Pro 28:26 He who trusts in his own heart is a fool, But whoever walks wisely will be delivered.
  
• I get it- to many people, what I do, and what I believe puts me in the idiot corner
  
• Ok- I love the God life. I love forgiveness, his grace, spirit, church, word etc.
  
• Jeremiah 10:23 O Lord, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps.
  
• Everything I’ve tried on my own has failed- everything done in him has succeeded
  
• This bible- Literally the first book mass printed- changes lives- it’s the center of truth
  
• Proverbs 3:7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; Fear the Lord and depart from evil.
  
• Romans 12:16b says- Do not be wise in your own opinion.
  
• When you get wise in your own opinion you accept sexual deviancy, easy divorces, think all religions are ok, That Jesus wasn’t enough, that you don’t need to attend church, tithe, be a member, be committed, submit to your pastor, be respectful.
  
• Your ideas about the bible get filtered through what the world wants you to believe– listen to dead guys
  
• Message prep, pray, read script, compare with other parts, read 10 commentaries of dead guys (wisdom)
  
• Jeremiah 9:23 Thus says the Lord: “Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, Let not the mighty man glory in his might, Nor let the rich man glory in his riches;
  
• We must Glory in God alone! And I get it- some will say “Pastor you’re telling us to not think for ourselves” Yes- that’s exactly what I’m saying. Don’t misquote me- quote me directly- don’t think for yourselves- think what the Bible tells you to think (you are probably not going to discover something new)
  
• That means if the Bible says to do or not do something- you do it- you just do. You don’t have to explain it, understand it, defend it. I’m done fighting about it
  
• So much of what the world does is incompatible with the Bible- I’m not going to reason it away
  
• Faith- why cant I do what Gabe does- he’s a guy ‘we uphold the patriarchy in this house’
  

• You keep good doctrine when Remember what God has done
  
• V9 “do you not yet understand or remember”
  
• In this story- they just came from a miracle of Jesus- and Jesus says to them- did you forget what I just did? You’ve turned yourself so carnal so quickly- that you are missing the allegorical truth that I am trying to teach you about the spreading of bad doctrine
  
• Its not about bread bro- you’d know that if you remembered what I did- Jesus says- I can take care of bread- I can’t take of you not paying attention to what you’re ingesting spiritually- pay attention!
  
• So REMEMBER Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
  
• How does that figure into doctrine? Well, what God did in the past is what he’ll do in the future- What you read about in the OT is who Jesus is in the NT- “I the lord do not change” God doesn’t change! He is who he is- remember who is is- and it will help you understand what Good doctrine is today- it doesn’t change with the times- Trans is now- it was already settled
  
• Good doctrine frees you from Bondage- it doesn’t put you in bondage-
  
• Deuteronomy 6:12 then beware, lest you forget the Lord who brought you out of the land of Egypt, from the house of bondage.
  
• Good doctrine keeps commandments
  
• Deuteronomy 8:2 And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not.
  
• Good doctrine keeps the supremacy of God- Isaiah 46:9 Remember the former things of old, For I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me,
  
• So do that- Look to the past of what God did- not the future of what you THINK- how has it been in the past? Can I get an indication of what God would think about it now?
  
• Psalm 77:11 I will remember the works of the Lord; Surely I will remember Your wonders of old.
  
• Luke 22:19 And He took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me.” (communion is remember)
  

• Don’t follow doctrines of men
  
• V12 “the doctrine of the Pharisees”
  
• The Doctrine of the pharisees was simply- hypocrisy- teaching one thing and doing another- we covered that pretty well last week- Don’t be a hypocrite- God doesn’t like it- listen to last week
  
• Titus 1:14 not giving heed to Jewish fables and commandments of men who turn from the truth.
  
• Deuteronomy 12:32 “Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it; you shall not add to it nor take away from it.
  
• The doctrines of God are very simple. They are not complex. They are easily discerned and you know them to be true. The Bible is clear and the HS is a great teacher
  
• Trust the Bible. Trust the Holy Spirit. Be wary of man made doctrines
  
• What is a man made doctrine? You must use this is communion, the worship service must go like this, not until this age, with this education, with this history, Calvinism, arminism, antinomianism, Marcionism, cessassionism, man- made
  
• The Bible is clear- but you might be limited in your understanding.
  
• Hebrews 13:9 Do not be carried about with various and strange doctrines.
  
• Ephesians 4:14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,
  
• This is why I use scripture after scripture- quote after quote- I don’t want you to believe things based on one mis-twisted scripture- I want you to know that the bible is clear about it-
  
• The Bible says I watch over you as one who must give an account- those who have no relationship with you have not that level of commitment. I am accountable to God for what I preach.
  
• Now let me say this- tradition isn’t bad- we’ve covered this before- but making something a doctrine of man- that supersedes what the Bible teaches- can quickly lead you astray-
  
• Its like this- There’s nothing in the Bible that says that you have to come and kneel at the stage- but we do it- The Bible says that people raise hands in worship, but its not a requirement, you don’t have to stand in worship either- but its what we do- its when you take those things and make them into a LAW that you go astray-
  
• So- stick with good doctrine and you wont be led astray.
  

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