The Bible’s Answer To Situation Ethics
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· 17 viewsSituation ethics is not God’s way for us to live.
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The Bible’s Answer To Situation Ethics
TEXT: Judges 21:25
ETS: Everyone in Israel lived according to his own desires.
ESS: Situation ethics is not God’s way for us to live.
OSS: Believers will repent of living by situation ethics and return to God’s way.
PQ: What does the Bible say about living “my way”?
UW: Facts
TOPIC: “The Bible’s Answer To Situation Ethics”
Judges 21:25
25 In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.
INTRODUCTION:
A- Popular song of yesteryear…”I did it my way”
B- Today’s society seems to live by the same philosophy.
Notice what the Bible says about this issue….
I. THE PRINCIPLE PROMOTED BY THE WORLD
I. THE PRINCIPLE PROMOTED BY THE WORLD
A. Situation ethics is not a new phenomenon.
1. Israel in the days of the Judges lived it out (Judges 21:25; Judges 17:6).
25 In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.
6 In those days Israel had no king; all the people did whatever seemed right in their own eyes.
a. This is the practice of situation ethics pure and simple.
b. The results were devastating for Israel.
1.) Continual wandering from fellowship with God.
2.) Judgment continually fell upon the nation.
B. Situation ethics is the prevailing view in America today.
1. There is a desire to throw off all restraints.
a. The ACLU is fighting any moral conscience in this nation.
b. All references to Judeo-Christian values are being removed from government, business, and education.
c. The homosexual activist groups are pursuing recognition as “normal”.
2. The desire to decide what is right and wrong based upon feelings and circumstances.
a. In the World:
1.) People want to decide what is right or wrong sexually based on consent and feelings.
2.) Businesses are governed only by the profit margin. Any practice that leads to that is acceptable (Enron, Anderson, and others).
C. What does the Bible say? (Deut. 12:28-32)
28 Be careful to obey all my commands, so that all will go well with you and your children after you, because you will be doing what is good and pleasing to the Lord your God.
29 “When the Lord your God goes ahead of you and destroys the nations and you drive them out and live in their land,
30 do not fall into the trap of following their customs and worshiping their gods. Do not inquire about their gods, saying, ‘How do these nations worship their gods? I want to follow their example.’
31 You must not worship the Lord your God the way the other nations worship their gods, for they perform for their gods every detestable act that the Lord hates. They even burn their sons and daughters as sacrifices to their gods.
32 “So be careful to obey all the commands I give you. You must not add anything to them or subtract anything from them.
1. We cannot walk in the artificial light of human understanding.
2. The guidelines for living are found in God’s Word.
II. THE PROBLEMS PRODUCED BY SITUATION ETHICS:
II. THE PROBLEMS PRODUCED BY SITUATION ETHICS:
A. False religions that lead men to Hell.
(Judges 6:25-31).
25 That night the Lord said to Gideon, “Take the second bull from your father’s herd, the one that is seven years old. Pull down your father’s altar to Baal, and cut down the Asherah pole standing beside it.
26 Then build an altar to the Lord your God here on this hilltop sanctuary, laying the stones carefully. Sacrifice the bull as a burnt offering on the altar, using as fuel the wood of the Asherah pole you cut down.”
27 So Gideon took ten of his servants and did as the Lord had commanded. But he did it at night because he was afraid of the other members of his father’s household and the people of the town.
28 Early the next morning, as the people of the town began to stir, someone discovered that the altar of Baal had been broken down and that the Asherah pole beside it had been cut down. In their place a new altar had been built, and on it were the remains of the bull that had been sacrificed.
29 The people said to each other, “Who did this?” And after asking around and making a careful search, they learned that it was Gideon, the son of Joash.
30 “Bring out your son,” the men of the town demanded of Joash. “He must die for destroying the altar of Baal and for cutting down the Asherah pole.”
31 But Joash shouted to the mob that confronted him, “Why are you defending Baal? Will you argue his case? Whoever pleads his case will be put to death by morning! If Baal truly is a god, let him defend himself and destroy the one who broke down his altar!”
1. Cult growth is occurring at an astounding rate.
a. Mormons
b. Jehovah’s Witnesses
c. Christian Science
2. Religions of men that are producing catastrophic results:
a. Islam
b. Satanism
C. Secular Humanism / Atheism
B. Rejection of God’s moral laws wreaks havoc in society.
1. It did so in ancient Israel. (Judges 19:20-30).
20 “You are welcome to stay with me,” the old man said. “I will give you anything you might need. But whatever you do, don’t spend the night in the square.”
21 So he took them home with him and fed the donkeys. After they washed their feet, they ate and drank together.
22 While they were enjoying themselves, a crowd of troublemakers from the town surrounded the house. They began beating at the door and shouting to the old man, “Bring out the man who is staying with you so we can have sex with him.”
23 The old man stepped outside to talk to them. “No, my brothers, don’t do such an evil thing. For this man is a guest in my house, and such a thing would be shameful.
24 Here, take my virgin daughter and this man’s concubine. I will bring them out to you, and you can abuse them and do whatever you like. But don’t do such a shameful thing to this man.”
25 But they wouldn’t listen to him. So the Levite took hold of his concubine and pushed her out the door. The men of the town abused her all night, taking turns raping her until morning. Finally, at dawn they let her go.
26 At daybreak the woman returned to the house where her husband was staying. She collapsed at the door of the house and lay there until it was light.
27 When her husband opened the door to leave, there lay his concubine with her hands on the threshold.
28 He said, “Get up! Let’s go!” But there was no answer. So he put her body on his donkey and took her home.
29 When he got home, he took a knife and cut his concubine’s body into twelve pieces. Then he sent one piece to each tribe throughout all the territory of Israel.
30 Everyone who saw it said, “Such a horrible crime has not been committed in all the time since Israel left Egypt. Think about it! What are we going to do? Who’s going to speak up?”
2. Physical diseases that are at epidemic proportions.
a. AIDS
b. Venereal Diseases
3. Physical and sexual abuse increasing exponentially.
a. Physical abuse is affecting myriads of women and children.
b. Human trafficking feeds the moral perversion in society.
c. Sexual abuse in all forms is at an all-time high.
4. Destruction of family relationships and the terrible consequences that follow:
a. Divorce is at its highest rate ever.
1.) Statistics indicate that marital infidelity is rampant.
2.) 60% of first marriages end in divorce.
b. Children suffer the inevitable consequences:
1.) No parental supervision opens the door for trouble.
2.) Instability in the home produces psychological and emotional problems.
3.) Rebelliousness that leads the child to reject all authority.
4.) Difficulty for the child to understand the nature of a loving heavenly Father.
5.) Murder, violence, and theft are rampant in every city.
III. THE POSITIVE SOLUTION: LIVE LIFE GOD’S WAY.
A. Surrender to the only pathway of salvation (Acts 4:12; John 14:6).
12 There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.”
6 Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me.
1. Recognize your need of a savior (Rom. 3:23; 6:23).
23 For everyone has sinned; we all fall short of God’s glorious standard.
23 For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord.
2. Repent of your sinful lifestyle (Luke 13:3).
3 Not at all! And you will perish, too, unless you repent of your sins and turn to God.
3. Receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior (John 1:12).
12 But to all who believed him and accepted him, he gave the right to become children of God.
B. Surrender to the Lordship of Christ and control of the Spirit (Eph. 6:18; Rom. 12:1-2).
18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him.
2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.
1. Accept the fact of the Lordship of Christ for your own life.
2. Yield to the controlling influence of the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 5:18)
18 Don’t be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,
3. Obey all that He instructs you to do through His word.
4. Instruct / disciple the young and young in the faith, using and emphasizing God’s unalterable truth.
5. Seek to be salt and light in then world. (Matthew 5:13-16)
13 “You are the salt of the earth. But what good is salt if it has lost its flavor? Can you make it salty again? It will be thrown out and trampled underfoot as worthless.
14 “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden.
15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where it gives light to everyone in the house.
16 In the same way, let your good deeds shine out for all to see, so that everyone will praise your heavenly Father.
CONCLUSION:
Situation ethics provides only the shifting sands of human emotion. There is a solid basis upon which to decide any issue.
A fivefold test that can be applied to any problem, purpose or plan.
5-Fold Test
(1) Is it according to the Word of God?( Matthew 4:4)
4 But Jesus told him, “No! The Scriptures say, ‘People do not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”
(2) Does it violate any principle of Scripture? (Matthew 15:3; Mark 7:7)
3 Jesus replied, “And why do you, by your traditions, violate the direct commandments of God?
7 Their worship is a farce, for they teach man-made ideas as commands from God.’
(3) Can I do it to the glory of God? (1 Cor. 10:31)
31 So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.
(4) Can I ask God's blessings on it? (Colossians 3:17)
17 And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.
(5) Would I like to be found doing this thing, or be in this place if the Lord Jesus were to come? (Matt. 24:42-46).
42 “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming.
43 Understand this: If a homeowner knew exactly when a burglar was coming, he would keep watch and not permit his house to be broken into.
44 You also must be ready all the time, for the Son of Man will come when least expected.
45 “A faithful, sensible servant is one to whom the master can give the responsibility of managing his other household servants and feeding them.
46 If the master returns and finds that the servant has done a good job, there will be a reward.