Sound Doctrine -- The Key to Life

Sound teaching is hard to find these days, yet you wouldn't know that from looking at all the major mega churches popping up here, there and everywhere. In fact, simply turning on the t.v. and clicking through the channels will reveal the droves of people flocking to see teachers who seem to appear out of nowhere overnight. And the people in the congregations hang on their every word completely mesmerized. What's up with that? Where's the discernment?

Why are there so many "Christians" everywhere who don't look or act any different than the rest of the world? Why do most "Christians" live more like the world than Jesus? These are questions that unbelievers have...questions that make the church look so hypocritical. Why wouldn't an unbeliever want to "give their life to Christ" when all it means to them is that they get heaven added to an already pretty decent life? What EXACTLY is the Church calling unbelievers to?

Discernment is needed to see that there is a difference between the kingdom of light and the kingdom of darkness. We live in a day where there is little spiritual discernment because we live in a day when spiritual truth is minimized. Indeed, we live in a day that Paul referred to when he said all men would want is to have their ears tickled. Well, there's a lot of tickling going on, but not much else of any lasting value.

Up until about five or six years ago I would have told you that I gave my heart to Jesus Christ in 1979. A very dear Catholic friend of mine was killed the night before our high school graduation, and all I knew is that I wanted to go to heaven when I died to be with him. The first exposure to an altar call, and I was on board. I believed I was a Christian because that's what I was told. I said a prayer and truly wanted to go to heaven, but looking back I don't believe I was offered a saving gospel; consequently, I didn't really know what it meant to trust Christ for salvation. I went from charismatic churches to no church to Catholic churches back to no church to Baptist churches back to no church and literally finally gave up on all "church". Nothing ever seemed right; I always found fault with the teaching because it never seemed to line up with what I was reading in Scripture. During that period of time I went through major periods of alternating between in-depth Bible study and what I would call times of complete "backsliding." I guess to say I was confused would be an understatement.

It was in a time of major "backsliding" in 2001 that the Lord got my attention in a major way by taking my daughter from me. She was killed in an automobile accident before her 17th birthday. In fact, only four days before she was killed I was making a toast at my brother-in-law's wedding, and as I was lifting my glass I very clearly said in my heart this prayer to God, "I quit! I'm tired of not fitting in with the world, so I don't want to be a "Christian" any longer."

Four days later Missy was dead, but it was a wake-up call that turned my heart around 180 degrees. It wouldn't be the only wake-up call that I would need in my spiritual walk because there were far more areas that needed to go in my life than I would have ever imagined; but my Father has always disciplined me and chastened me as only He could know would result in my submission to His will for His glory and my good. This God who "woke me up" to what is truly important in life had stolen my heart for good.

For the first time God taught me what His Sovereignty looked like. And I got it. He was in charge, not me. Over the next few years I grew to understand who He is, and it was a very sweet time of fellowship for me.

Through all the ups and downs (and trust me, there have been a FEW), one thing that has been there for about fifteen of the thirty years of my journey has been the teaching of John MacArthur. While it is true that I only listened to his teaching occasionally, (along with many, many others who were all over the board in what they believed) it wasn't long after Missy's accident that I started consistently listening to Grace to You. Before long I noticed my mind being totally renewed by the sound teaching of the Word of God by this faithful minister who steadfastly taught the Scriptures verse by verse, painstakingly elaborating on every doctrine of God's precious Word. All the confusing teaching in my mind started to fade away as the Bible started coming together for me for the first time. It wasn't just a book to try and make sense of with some interesting stories and some "good advice" sprinkled in. It was one big story. His story! And I found that His story included me. He was speaking to me through His Word, teaching me His precepts. It was life! And it was good!

The more I grew by exposing myself to this type of sound teaching by men just like John (although they are few and far between in comparison to how many other "preachers" there are out there), the better I understood my purpose in life and could show others through the Word where they, too, can find this same life. This is the life that John is talking about in 1 John that can only be shared in God -- true fellowship.

So often I will have someone in Bible study say to me, "What about so and so? Are they a good teacher? I listen to them all the time!" I say, "Back up the truck! Do not listen to that teacher. Don't even expose yourself to them in any way. It's true what they say, 'Garbage in, garbage out.' Trust me, it will only confuse you." They say, "But they use the Bible!!!!" This may be shocking, but that means nothing! Satan knows the Bible better than anyone walking on the earth today, and those who work for him know it, too!

Satan has his teachers literally everywhere today. We need to be able to spot them. Discernment is the key. What do they look like? We'll take a look at them tomorrow.