Sermon Tone Analysis

*Heresy & Hyper-doxy*

*/July 8, 2007/*

*Special Speaker: Josh Kelley*

 

 

 

This morning, I am talking about what is my biggest *passion* as a teacher and pastor: To see you, the church *equipped* to properly and effectively *study* and *apply* God’s Word.

*Goofiness *

 

Growing up in the Pentecostal movement, I have seen the Bible used in some incredibly *sloppy* and *bizarre* ways.

In one particular group I worked with, there were several *well*-*meaning* but *poorly* *trained* teachers and leaders who took passages so far *out* of *context* that it made my head spin.

It was very disconcerting to see the people I was *supposed* to *trust* saying things that actually *contradiction* Scripture.

Most of it was rather *minor* *goofiness*, but I have also heard things that are *flat* *out*, no-longer-Christians, *heresy*.

That experience left me with two life-changing realizations:

 

1)  I would be responsible to God for what I believed.

2)  I needed to learn how to study the Bible for myself.

So went to Bible College, where I studied *theology*, *hermeneutic*, *exegesis*, *Biblical* *history*, and learned *Greek* and *Hebrew*.

Our professors hounded this passage into us:

 

Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who *correctly* *handles* the word of truth.

/2 Timothy 2:15 NIV/

 

This became our mantra.

To this day, I still hear my professors’ voices whenever I am tempted to misquote Scripture.

*Arrogance *

 

But while I was there I saw an entirely different problem: Students who really knew how to “*correctly* *handle*” the Bible and were very *orthodoxy* *theologically*, but were some of the most *arrogant* and *self*-*righteous* people I had met.

·         Sad to say, most of them were in the *Greek* program with me.

·         I am also sorry to say that *I was* one of them.

Whenever I visited a church, I’d listen to the sermon waiting to *pounce* on some *hermeneutical* *mistake*.

I remember one particular occasion, my buddy and I were laughing at some pastor’s *exegetical* */faux/*/ *pas*/.

Afterward, the Holy Spirit *convicted* us about our *attitude*.

·         That was the first time I saw just how *obnoxious* my *arrogance* must have been to God, and I started to deal with it.

And then I graduated and started to work in a church, and I was a little *surprised* to find out that no one really cared about the *nuances* of the Greek *adverbial* *participle*.

*Two extremes*

 

In the past nine years of being a pastor, I have these two extremes too often: *Heresy* and *hyper*-*doxy*.

·         Hyper-doxy is a term of my own coining.

It’s kind of like orthodoxy, but it’s really *hyper*.

Hyper is a Greek prefix meaning “an *excess* of *measure*.”

But you probably *don’t* *care* about that.

You probably know the type: They can run circles around you *quoting* the Bible or discussing some *nuanced* point of *theology*, but something just ain’t right.

·         Initially, they might *impress* or *intimidate* you, but the more you get to know them, the *less* of *Jesus* you see in them.

And because of seeing these two extremes, I have developed a *passion* to see believer *avoid* both *heresy* and *hyper*-*doxy*, because both are *lethal* to the church.

·         In order to avoid these, we must not be Biblically *illiterate* or Biblically *arrogant*.

\\ *truth and lies*

 

The term “*heresy*” is not particularly popular today.

It brings to mind the Spanish *Inquisition* or *thought* *police*.

But it simply means beliefs that *clearly* *contradict* the Bible.

·         And if people believe a *dangerous* *lie*, it’s *not* *loving* to tell them that it’s simply an *alternate* *truth*.

The book of 2 Peter was written to refute one of the earlier heretical teachings, which said that Jesus was *not* *going* to return to earth.

·         Early Christians thought He would come back in *their* life time, and His delay caused a *crisis* of *faith*.

The way Peter addressed these *false* *teachers* instructs in how to avoid not only heresy, but *hyper*-*doxy* as well.

As you read 2 Peter, it becomes clear that this false teaching about Jesus’ return wasn’t some *minor* *point* of *end* *time* *trivia*.

·         Because they lost sight of the returning *righteous* *judge*, they advocated *living* *godless* lives, especially *sexual* *immorality*.

This is an important point: Wrong thinking leads to wrong behavior.

For this reason, Peter makes it very clear that these doctrinal issues are *life* and *death* *stuff*, not just matter of *opinion*.

We are *playing* for *keeps* here:

 

But if anyone does not have [these things], he is *nearsighted* and *blind*, and has forgotten that he has been cleansed from his past sins.

Therefore, my brothers, be all the more eager to make your *calling* and *election* sure.

For if you do these things, you will never fall... /2 Peter 1:9-10 NIV/ 

 

By saying “if you do these things, you will *never* *fall*,” he is also saying that if you *don’t* *do* these things you *will* *fall*.

So here is the real warning of 2 Peter, and this message: We must *watch* *ourselves* to ensure that we do not adopt the *wrong* *thinking* and *corrupt* *actions* that surround us.

We are not talking about disagreements about minor issues, matters that Christians can disagree on.

This is the *core* *stuff* of the Gospel:

 

1.

Was Jesus the Son of God and the only way to the Father, or just a good man?

 

2.

Did His death and resurrection pay the penalty for our sin, or was he just a peasant martyr?

3.

Have you submitted to Him as your Lord, as well as savior?

You get *these* wrong and you no longer have *Christianity*.

You might have a *cult* that reads the *same* *book* that we do, but it will not be Christianity.

Don’t think this is *theoretical* – I’ve watched people turn from *truth* and *godliness* to *error* and *perversion*, people who used to be part of this church.

Peter shows us how to avoid this fate:

 

And we have the *word* of the *prophets* [which was the Bible Peter knew] made more certain, and you will do well to *pay* *attention* to it, as to a *light* *shining* in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.

Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation.

For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.

/2 Peter 1:19-21 NIV  /

 

Peter draws us back to the Bible.

It is our *guide* and *source*, inspired by the Holy Spirit.

To avoid false teaching, we each, *individually*, need to *know* and *understand* God’s word.

*No excuses*

 

Because here’s the thing: Come judgment day, *Mormons* can’t say “But Joseph Smith said...” and *JW’s* won’t be able to say “But I was taught...”

 

And *you* won’t be able to say, “But *Bruce* *said*..., but *Josh* *said*...” In the final analysis, *each* *one* of *you* is *accountable* to God for what you believe.

·         Every believer is responsible for what they believe.

·         We each have a Bible, and we are responsible to *read* and *understand* it.

Our role as pastors is not to hand feed you truth, but to *train* you up to be able to *handle* *God’s* *word*.

Listen to what Paul says about the pastor’s role:

 

It was [Christ] who gave some to be apostles...and some to be *pastors* and *teachers*, to prepare God's people for *works* of *service*, so that the body of Christ may be *built* up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the *knowledge* of the Son of God and become *mature*, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Then we will no longer be *infants*, tossed *back* and *forth* by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of *teaching* and by the *cunning* and craftiness of men in their *deceitful* *scheming*.

/Ephesians 4:11-14 NIV  /

 

The pastor’s job is simply to *equip*, which is what we are trying to do.

*Hyper-doxy*

 

So what about avoiding hyper-doxy?

This is where 2 Peter gets really interesting to me.

Earlier I read that we must have “*these* *things*” But what are “these thing”?

Certain *doctrines*, a *creed* to know?

 

...make every effort to supplement your *faith* with goodness, *goodness* with knowledge, *knowledge* with self-control, *self*-*control* with endurance, *endurance* with godliness, *godliness* with brotherly affection, and brothe*r*ly *affection* with love.

For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they will keep you from being *useless* or *unfruitful* in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.

But if anyone does not have them, he is nearsighted and blind... /2 Peter 1:5-9 NIV /

 

Christian *doctrine* is expressed in terms of Christian *behavior*.

·         Something believed but not lived isn’t truly believed.

And that really defines what hyper-doxy is: a *fanatical* *attention* to Christian doctrine (especially the *obscure*, *minor* ones), without attention to *love*, *humility*, and *joy*.

The godly life is a matter of *balance*.

I love how Paul put it:

 

Watch your *life* and *doctrine* closely.

Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

/1 Timothy 4:16 NIV/

 

 

*What now?*

I want to leave you with a couple of things that I think might help you “watch your *life* and *doctrine*.”