Sermon Tone Analysis

Rock Solid Foundation

Confusion or certainty, you choose?

We know the answer, people want certainty.

Our study this morning is a comfort and caution regarding religious confusion and religious certainty.

Let’s journey together this morning in God’s Word.

People want certainty, especially in religious or spiritual matters

With many false teachers, teachings out there it is difficult to have religious certainty

Yet when it comes to God, the God of the Bible, there is a rock solid foundation that is easily identified.

A foundation that God has set His seal on.

God’s seal on God’s foundation (2Tim2:19)

On God’s building the church (Eph2:20-21; 1Cor3:9-10)

Foundation that was built on the apostles and prophets, built on Jesus as the cornerstone.

The church, God’s building and we need to be careful how we build on it.

(insert: Cornerstone picture here)

The seal mentioned in (2Tim2:19) as Barnes Notes proclaims is “an inscription in which it was customary to inscribe the name and design of the edifice on the cornerstone.”

The inscription on the church is Jesus Christ, it is a statement of comfort and a statement of caution, of encouragement and warning.

So, this morning only two points, but many scriptures.

The Lord knows those who are His

Let the Lords depart from iniquity

The Lord knows those who are His

In a time and place of religious confusion, to the Christian there can be religious certainty too for the Lord knows those who are His.

Religious uncertainty/confusion (Mt7:13-14; Act10:1-2; Mt7:21-23)

I think we can agree that we live in a time of religious confusion,religious uncertainty

many proclaim the name of Jesus with sincerity

But many do not, cannot agree on the doctrine and it causes division.

Religious confusion about who is truly saved, though scripture tells us

It is not the majority

it is not necessarily even the devout

or those who confess and do things in the name of Jesus

Yet there can be religious certainty

From the calling by (2The2:13-14) and the adding to (Act2:41, 47)

The Lord is building His church as it states in Mat16:18 “18 “I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”

And then consider 1Th2:12 “12 so that you would walk in a manner worthy of the God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.”

He calls through the gospel

Calling through the gospel to add to the church those who respond

and then a few verses later

To the calling for

Faith and baptism(Mt28:18-20)

Just quote Mt28:18-20 “18 And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.

19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.””

Repentance and baptism (Act2:38; Mt16:15-16)

Then just reference Mk16:15-16 “15 And He said to them, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation.

16 “He who has believed and has been baptized shall be saved; but he who has disbelieved shall be condemned.”

Immediate baptism (Act22:16; Act8:35-38)

oh wait, I said immediate let me give you a better scripture

For purposed baptism (Act2:38; Rom6:3-7; Gal3:27)

For the forgiveness of sins, so to walk in the newness of life

and one more

(Insert- what do you believe picture here)

So, in a time of religious confusion, uncertainty the first thing to do is to come to certainty by obeying the gospel message.

(deliver the gospel here; hold off on the invitation though)

Let the Lord’s depart from Iniquity

Having religious certainty should lead now to taking religious action.

Here we will look at those that belong to the Lord depart from iniquity.

For there even within those who call on the name of the Lord to have still yet some religious confusion, division.

There was religious division in the early church

There was religious division in Antioch (Act15:1-2)

So there was division over circumcision.

Religious division in Corinth (1Cor1:10-13; 3:3)

Here it was they were following preachers (preacher-itus)

And the churches in Asia Minor (Rev2:14-15, 20)

With the churches in Asia they were being influenced by the false teachers

This was nothing new, there was division then, and there is religious division today as:

Foretold by Jesus (Mt13:24-30)

Just summarize Mt13:24-30 “24 Jesus presented another parable to them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

25 “But while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away.

26 “But when the wheat sprouted and bore grain, then the tares became evident also.

27 “The slaves of the landowner came and said to him, ‘Sir, did you not sow good seed in your field?

How then does it have tares?’

28 “And he said to them, ‘An enemy has done this!’

The slaves said to him, ‘Do you want us, then, to go and gather them up?’ 29 “But he said, ‘No; for while you are gathering up the tares, you may uproot the wheat with them.

30 ‘Allow both to grow together until the harvest; and in the time of the harvest I will say to the reapers, “First gather up the tares and bind them in bundles to burn them up; but gather the wheat into my barn.”

’ ””

Foretold by Paul (Act20:29-30)

To the Ephesian elders when Paul called them to Militus

Foretold by Peter (2Pt2:1-3)

Peter gave in the form of a warning

Yet even within the church, where there is religious division and and confusion we can have religious certainty.

If you wonder how:

Here are some suggestions to have religious certainty:

Heed to the apostolic authority

Given to apostles (Jn13:20; Mt28:20)

And we know that Jesus had all authority according to Mt28:20.

Evident in early church (Act2:42; 1The2:13)

and then see in Thesalonica

And I believe is, or should be, evident today (2The2:15; 1Jn4:6)

The church then was told to holdfast, as are we today

and the words from John

So, surrender to apostolic authority and then to depart from iniquity

Depart from iniquity in our lives (2Cor7:1; Col3:5-8)

Paul told the Corinthians: 2cor7:1 “1 Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all defilement of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God.”

Then he told the Colossians

Depart from those practicing iniquity (2The3:6, 14)

Depart from those teaching things contrary to the apostles doctrine ( 2Tim3:1-5)

2tim3:1-4 “1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.

2 For men will be lovers of self, lovers of money, boastful, arrogant, revilers, disobedient to parents, ungrateful, unholy, 3 unloving, irreconcilable, malicious gossips, without self-control, brutal, haters of good, 4 treacherous, reckless, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,”

Now look what it goes on to say in (v.5

Avoid such men as these!

So, how do we wrap up the firm foundation of God, the seal of of God on the foundation, the church?

Take comfort in the firm foundation, the seal that the Christian has knowing that the Lord knows those who are His.

Take caution in departing from iniquity and those who dwell in iniquity.