Blind Guides of Modern-Day Religion

Brother C. H. Dickerson

Are You Leaning on God or on Others?

As we study the Word, we realize that God sent the Law and the Prophets to prepare the way for Christ. The Scripture tells us that the light was a schoolmaster to bring us to Jesus Christ. When Christ came, the Pharisees became blinded because they did not want to walk in the light. In Matthew 13:15 Jesus said, "For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them." When light came, the Pharisees closed their eyes. As a result, they did not see the Truth and did not walk in the Truth. As Jesus looked upon this situation, He called the religious leaders of that day "blind guides."

Physical light can be either beneficial or harmful. Vegetation needs light, and it is necessary for it to grow. On the other hand, automobile lights placed on vehicles to light the way so the driver can see to drive in the dark can be harmful and blinding if one does not switch the high beams to dim when he meets other drivers on the road. God has called each saint to be a guide, to show others how to live godly lives and make Heaven their home. You see, being a saint of God is entirely different from having a form of religion. God wants you to show this lost and dying world that salvation will save them from a life of sin, turn their lives around, and make them new creatures.

In Acts, Chapter 26, you can read that God called Paul. You may think of Paul and say, "Well, he had a calling." As a child of God, you have a calling, and the Lord has called you for the very same purpose that He called Paul. Jesus told Paul in Acts 26:16, "But rise, and stand upon thy feet. . . ." Christian friend, you need to stand upon your feet and not lean on anyone else. We are living in a day when people are leaning on others more than they are leaning on God. This is not a family religion. God requires individual service. It does not make any difference what your mother and father do or what your husband or wife does. When you get saved, God wants you to stand on your own feet and take a stand for the old-fashioned Gospel.

Called for a Purpose

Salvation will save you from a life of sin, turn your life around, and make you a brand-new creature. When you get hold of old-time salvation, you will be standing on the Rock. You will not be shifted, and no one will be able to change your mind. We are living in a time when many blind guides are leading people, and they are shaving the Truth. Nevertheless, God's people are still standing on the Solid Rock, and they will not be shifted in any way, shape, or form. They stand as witnesses and guides to this lost and dying world. People in the world need help, and it is up to the saints of God to give them that help. As a child of God, you can help them by living God's eternal Truth and not deviating from it in any way.

Jesus told Paul in Acts 26:16, "I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness. . . ." I want to emphasize that God wants you to be a witness to this lost and dying world so that others can see there is something to this great salvation. When you look at many religious people today, you cannot tell them from the world by the way they dress, by the places they go, by the way they talk, and by the way they act. They act and look as the world does, but God's people are different. Saint, you need to show them that Jesus did not die in vain. God's plan of salvation can lift a person above the quagmire of sin.

Jesus continued to say to Paul: "I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; Delivering thee from the people . . ." (Acts 26:16-17). Saint, God never called you to look to see who is around before you testify. When you get old-time salvation, you can stand up and say what God wants you to say. God can deliver you from the people.

Verses 17-19 go on to say: " . . . and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee [He has called you for one purpose, and that is], To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me. Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision [he was faithful to what God called him for]." Christian friend, as you stand before the judgment bar of God, the focus will not be so much on what you have not done as much as it will be on whether you have been a faithful witness. Have you been faithful to the calling that God has called you for, to show this salvation to the world?

Omitting the Weightier Matters

Though the Pharisees and Sadducees had religious works, Jesus told them in Matthew 23:23, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." Also, in verse 25 He spoke of their being full of extortion and excess, or not having self-restraint: "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess."

As we study this, we are not going to deal with Jesus' day as much as we are the day and age in which we are living, because this trait of omitting the weightier matters has reached every age.

In the Book of Revelation, in the first of the seven letters that Jesus wrote to the church, the church at Ephesus (representing the first church age) had omitted a weightier matter: they had left their first love. In the fourth letter, which He wrote to the church at Thyatira, He told them that He knew their works. He was simply letting them know that they had omitted the weightier matters. They had too much of their own works, and they also allowed false teachers to come in and seduce the people. Jesus wrote to the church at Sardis, in essence, "You have a name that you live, but you are dead."

In the seventh letter that Jesus wrote, to the Laodiceans, which represents our age, He said the people do not even realize they are blind. In other words, they have the Truth, but they are too preoccupied with other things. Jesus let us know that the people of this age are lukewarm. In other words, the Truth is being taught, but people are not measuring up as God wants them to. Now, He was not saying that of everyone, but this is the trend of the age in which we are living. Too many people are occupied with things that have no eternal profit.

Today we are living in one of the busiest ages ever. The first things that people cut back on in their busy schedules are prayer, reading the Word of God, and assembling themselves at the house of God. They are so preoccupied with material things that have no spiritual benefit. No matter how much you gain of this old world's goods, it is of no benefit to you spiritually. One of these days you will face physical death, and all earthly things will lose their value.

Eternity is the everlasting part of the church. Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 15:24, "Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God." To get into the kingdom of God, you have to get into the church. The kingdom of God, the body of Christ, the kingdom of Heaven, and the church all mean the same thing. When the end comes, God is going to deliver the church up to be with the Lord forever and ever.

Today men still persist in their love and affections for this present, evil world. Paul wrote to the people at Galatia in Galatians 1:4 and told them why Christ really died. He said, "Who gave himself for our sins, [He died on the Cross of Calvary to save us from our sins, not in our sins, so that we do not have to sin. Though we are in this old, sinful world, we do not have to be partakers of it.] that he might deliver us from this present evil world." Friend, you can have victory over the things that the world is doing. You do not have to dress or act as the world does. Christ died to raise you above those things and to give you victory over them.

The saints of God love to serve God. They love the Truth and the way that God has given them. In fact, they love it so much that many have chosen to suffer persecution, hardships, and martyrdom rather than to give up God's eternal Truth. The true saints of God yet today stand for the Truth, though it is not popular. Friend, the only way you can live above sin and make Heaven your home is to go God's way and do what He wants you to do.

Perverting the Gospel of Christ

There is a danger in our day, because men are declaring an entirely different message from the Lord's. In the Lord's day, He emphasized quality. As you read the Scriptures, you can see that the saints had one purpose in mind, and that was to build up the church. To do this, they had one standard wherever they went, they saw the one church, and they were one people. Today instead of building up the church, some people are more interested in building up their own congregations, whatever the cost. It does not make any difference to them whether they steal someone else's sheep or how they do it, just so they build up their own congregations.

I have never seen the devil as bold as he is in the day and age in which we live. He is so bold that he (working through people) will come into the midst of the saints and try to sow discord and try to steal another brother's sheep. Some are trying to teach another Jesus, and some are trying to teach another standard. Nevertheless, there is only one Bible standard, one people, and one church. When someone comes around and tries to tear down a congregation, tear down the Bible standard, or talks bout another congregation, you had better get away from him or her quickly, because that person will take you down spiritually.

Paul wrote in Galatians 1:1, "Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead.)" Paul was simply stating that men did not choose him to be an Apostle, but God chose him. He also made it known that he was going to please God, whether he pleased men or not. Why? Because God chose him.

In verses 6-7 he said: "I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel: Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ."

Paul warned the church of the danger of those who preach a different kind of message, and it causes defilement of the temple. In 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 he let us know there is a danger in defiling this temple. He wrote: "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? [To whom was he talking? He was speaking to the saints of God, those who were saved and walking in the light.] If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."

You are the only one who can defile your temple. When Paul was talking about defiling the temple, he was speaking of living below the Bible standard. When you live less than that, you are defiling your temple. God said if you defile your temple, He will destroy you. Christ came to save people from their sins and set them free from this present, evil world. If you go back and fool around with this old world or if you live less than what God's standard is, you are defiling the temple. God said He would destroy you.

There is a danger in seeking the way of least resistance. From the material aspect, I believe each of us is looking for the easiest way to do things. If you were working on something, and using a wrench would make the job easier, no doubt you would invest in one because you would want to do the job the easiest way possible. Now, if you are not careful, that same way of thinking can creep over into spiritual things. Often people want to do things the way of least resistance, but God knows what is needed. Sometimes He chooses to take you through hard places.

God's Message to His Watchman

Acts 20:28 states, "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers." Oh, what a difference there would be in the church today if people would abide by that message. In other words, preacher, you are to take heed to yourself, and then to all the flock over which the Holy Ghost has made you the overseer.

If God has called you to be a pastor, you have all you can do to manage your own congregation without trying to run someone else's. You are to keep your nose out of everyone else's business. Whenever someone tries to manage another brother's congregation, he is outside the bounds of God's Word. The Word of God says you are to take care of the congregation over which God has made you the overseer. If you will do that, you will have your hands full. You will not have time to run anyone else's congregation.

God also said you are to feed the Church of God, which He has purchased with His own blood. Then, in another Scripture, He told where the man of God is going to get the message. Ezekiel 3:17 reads, "Son of man, I have made thee a watchman unto the house of Israel: therefore hear the word at my mouth." God is particular where you get what you preach. God said to get the Word at His mouth and to give the people warning.

In Ezekiel 2:6-10 He said: "And thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns be with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions: [If there was ever a day when God's people were in the midst of scorpions, it is in the day and age in which we are living. They have one thing in mind, and that is to destroy the Truth and God's people.] be not afraid of their words, nor be dismayed at their looks, though they be a rebellious house.

"And thou shalt speak my words unto them, whether they will hear, or whether they will forbear: for they are most rebellious. But thou, son of man, hear what I say unto thee; Be not thou rebellious like that rebellious house: open thy mouth, and eat that I give thee. And when I looked, behold, an hand was sent unto me; and, lo, a roll of a book was therein; And he spread it before me; and it was written within and without: and there was written therein lamentations, and mourning, and woe."

Many people talk about religion and claim that they are right on the inside and that they are on their way to Heaven. However, when God gets hold of an individual, He cleans him up on the inside and the outside. If a person is not clean on the outside after he has had time to see the light, he is not clean on the inside. If a person is clean on the inside, he will clean up the outside. You cannot sit around God's church, look and act as the world does, and be in worldly company all the time, and then say that you are clean on the inside. No, when God cleanses the inside, you will detest the things of this old evil world.

I thank God for a salvation that gets on the inside and comes to the outside. When a person gets saved, it will not be long until you will see the outside become just as clean as the inside. That is what God wants. God's people are a gazingstock. We are living testimonies to this lost and dying world.

Guard Against Being Corrupted From the Simplicity of Christ

Acts 20:22-24 says: "And now, behold, I [Paul] go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there: Save that the Holy Ghost witnesseth in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions abide me. But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God." In other words, Paul did not receive what he had in a school somewhere, but he received it from Jesus Christ.

Verses 25-27 read: "And now, behold, I know that ye all, among whom I have gone preaching the kingdom of God, shall see my face no more. Wherefore I take you to record this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God."

If you are a minister, God wants you to declare the whole counsel of God. You should not pull back; you need to stand your ground. When you stand on the ground that God has given you and follow the commandments and the standard that He has given, you are not going to see people come into your congregation by the droves. You will see them come in, but only one here and one there. God wants people who are holy, people who will let Him work in the midst. God's people still have unity, and they are still working together. It is a privilege to go to the house of God and hear the good songs of Zion and feel the sweet Spirit of God.

Paul said in 2 Corinthians 11:1-4: "Would to God ye could bear with me a little in my folly: and indeed bear with me. For I am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ. But I fear [this is the reason Paul said he was jealous over them], lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. For if he that cometh preacheth another Jesus, whom we have not preached, or if ye receive another spirit, which ye have not received, or another gospel, which ye have not accepted, ye might well bear with him."

Paul was telling the people at Corinth that he was jealous over them because he had preached the Gospel to them and had espoused them to one husband, Jesus Christ. He did not want others who would let down the standard to preach to them. He was concerned that they might follow them and fall away from the true and living God. Every true pastor ought to be jealous over his people from this standpoint, lest someone sow a seed of discord among them. If a pastor is jealous over his people as he ought to be, when he sees someone trying to sow discord, it ought to stir him and cause him to take a stand against that person.

Too many people have the idea, "Well, that won't bother me, because I am so strong in the things of God." Friend, Paul said, in essence, "I fear, lest that old serpent, the same serpent that beguiled Eve through subtlety in the garden, try to sow corrupt seed in you." God said to stay away from all those things, but Satan says, "It won't hurt you." God said to keep His commandments and ordinances and stay away from anything contrary to them, but today the devil says, "That won't hurt you."

Friend, if you fail to avoid anything contrary to God's Word, it will kill you, spiritually speaking. God said to stay away from old Babylon, and He also said to avoid people who sow discord. You may get the idea, "I am strong enough in the Word of God and the things of God that it won't hurt me if I listen to someone." On the contrary, it will hurt you. It will sow a seed, and you will defile your temple. When you defile the temple, God said, "I will destroy you."

Paul told the congregation at Corinth, "I am jealous over you with a godly jealousy." The reason he was jealous over them was that he had stood and preached the Gospel to them. Paul was afraid that someone would come in and preach another gospel to them and cause them to defile their temples. If Paul was concerned about that, every true man of God ought to be concerned about it today.

God's Law Does Not Change

Too much preaching today is just to make people feel guilty rather than to warn them of the world to come. We are living in a time when people are more concerned about seeing people at an altar than they are in seeing people dig deep and get a good, solid experience with God. The saints do not always have to go to an altar to dig deep and obey the Truth. Sometimes all they have to do is listen to a good, solid Church of God message, and it will cause them to withdraw themselves from this world more and more.

I want you to realize that this life is the only dressing room for eternity that we will ever have. When you get under Holy Ghost preaching, you ought to see some places in your experience where you take off some things and put on some things. You see, it is not how people feel today. If you merely get people to feel bad and that causes them to go to an altar of prayer rather than to have godly sorrow, it will not be long until they will forget that and be back to the same thing. People need to realize that they are crucifying Christ afresh, and then they will get straightened out, live for God, and quit playing around.

Today many people omit things in the Scriptures that God clearly requires His people to do. In Luke 11:42 Jesus said, "But woe unto you, Pharisees! for ye tithe mint and rue and all manner of herbs, and pass over judgment and the love of God: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." In the day and age in which we are living, too often the same weight of judgment is not used in every case.

In our text of Scripture, in verse 23, Jesus talked about omitting the weightier matters. He said, "Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone."

God has given us a law, and it does not change, no matter who you are. God's commandments measure the pastor and then the people. The same judgment is ruled out. If you are not careful, my friend, you will get into the very same thing that the Pharisees and the Sadducees did and omit the weightier matters. You see, some people strain at a gnat and swallow a camel. That means they wrest the Scriptures, and the things of God that ought to be done are left undone and they accept lesser things.

Are You Focusing on Eternal Matters?

God absolutely demands some things. There are no ifs, ands, or buts about that which He demands. First, God demands that you continue in the faith. It is not enough to get saved, but you must continue in that. Paul taught in Colossians 1:21-23: "And you, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled In the body of his flesh through death, to present you holy and unblameable and unreproveable in his sight: If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister."

God wants you to be grounded and to build on the Rock. He wants you to get settled in your experience. Then you will not be moved away from the hope of the Gospel which you have heard preached. God demands that you get settled and continue in the faith, if you are going to make Heaven your home.

Second, God demands that you lay aside every weight and grow in grace. Peter talked about growing in grace. When you first get saved, grace might be a little short, but God wants you to grow in grace. To lay aside every weight means that you lay aside anything that upsets you or weighs you down so that you do not have time for the things of God. These weights will cause your mind to be drawn to everything but the things of God.

Why do you need to lay aside every weight? God demands to be first in your heart and life. God knows that you must work and spend time with your companion and your children, but He does not want you to become weighed down to where you cannot enjoy the things of God. You must take time to pray, take time to read and study the Bible, and take time to assemble yourself with the saints at the house of God. Sunday is the Lord's day, and you ought to spend that day for the Lord. If you are not careful, you will get so busy that you hope the preacher hurries so you can get home and do what you want to do.

Third, God demands that you seek those things which are above. Paul wrote in Colossians 3:1, "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God." In biblical days the saints did not have a board to decide whether to accept or reject something. They did what God said, and that was all there was to it. Holiness and righteousness were taught.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:33, "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." When Paul came on the scene, although people had been taught circumcision of the flesh, he changed that. God showed him and he taught it as circumcision of the heart, and the saints accepted it.

Too many people are focusing on temporal things today, and those temporal things will pass away. There is nothing wrong with having a house, money, a car, a job, and so on. Nevertheless, these things are going to pass away. The only thing that has eternal value is what you have done for Christ. Temporal things are keeping people from serving God, keeping people out of the worship services, and keeping people from spending time praying and reading God's Word; yet those temporal things are going to pass away.

I like to use this illustration. When a man finds the woman of his choice, they get married. After they get married, children come along, and if the wife is not careful, she will spend all her time on the children and neglect the husband. Those children are all going to get married one day and leave the home, but she will still have a husband. This is similar to what God is saying. People are neglecting serving Him for temporal things. There are people today who were once strong in the things of God, but their jobs or houses or prestige got in the way. Now you do not see them around the house of God. They failed to realize that all those things are going to pass away.

Friend, you might have a high-paying job with a good pension, but one day those things are going to pass away. Perhaps you once served God and sang, preached, testified, or taught a Sunday school class for Him; but you have allowed something temporal, such as a better job, to take first place in your life and moved away. We are living in a day when once large, stable businesses are closing, causing thousands of people to be out of work. Friend, you might have left God for those things, but they will pass away; then you will still be confronted with what you have done with God.

A Better and an Enduring Substance

Paul talked about an enduring substance, and he also told how you could get it. As a Christian, you need to come to the place where you realize that you have something greater in you than what is in the world. God has flocks of overcomers, and He has called pastors to feed those individual flocks where He has placed them. No one cares for a flock like its own, true pastor, and the only one who can feed the flock is the pastor. Jesus made this quite clear when He spoke to Peter and said, "Feed my lambs" and "feed my sheep."

God's true sheep will not listen to another shepherd. The Word of God tells you that in John 10:3-5: "To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him: for they know not the voice of strangers." This is what God's sheep will do. Someone may say, "He was talking about Christ." Yes, he was, but Christ also placed an undershepherd over each flock, and God's sheep will not follow anyone else. In John 8:47 Jesus said, "He that is of God heareth God’s words: ye therefore hear them not, because ye are not of God."

Again, the Hebrew writer stressed in Hebrews 10:34, "For ye had compassion of me in my bonds, and took joyfully the spoiling of your goods, knowing in yourselves that ye have in heaven a better and an enduring substance." This enduring substance is something that will last for the soul, or the inward man. God wants you to go after something that will benefit you spiritually. He does not want you to go after temporal things and abandon the things of God. He wants you to go after an enduring substance.

Your physical body is earthly; it came from the earth. God has ordained that you are going back to the dust, and only He knows when. It may be today or tomorrow. Too much time is spent on the outward man and not enough time is spent on the inward man. When it comes to the inward man, most people do not think much about him. Sometimes Christians leave their estates to sinful children, but not many estates are being left to the church.

Today much emphasis is being placed on quantity instead of quality. We need to see a complete selling out of God's people. People need to deepen down in their experiences with God, and it will only come through complete dedication to Him. Also, you need to follow the star, a godly pastor who preaches the Truth. The Book of Revelation says he is the star, or the angel. You are to follow him if he is preaching the Gospel. The world is watching, and what people are seeing is what they are going to follow. God wants you to sell out to Him completely and hand down this Gospel to others.

Are You Setting the Right Goal?

Paul said in the Colossian letter: "Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Colossians 3:2-3). Friend, what is your goal? Are you working hard to hand down an estate to your children? Are you cutting corners on the things of God or working hard to hand down a lasting example to your companion, your children, and your grandchildren? Is your goal to see how much of this old world's goods you can accumulate? You could hand down something lasting to your children, something that they could look at and say, "Dad and Mom were truly saints of God."

Friend, only things that are lasting are the things of God. Your children and grandchildren are watching your life. Are you putting the things of God first? What is your primary concern? What do you want to hand down to your loved ones more than anything else? Is it a large estate? Because of that, do you neglect the things of God and the church? Do you neglect giving God what belongs to Him so that you can hand it down to your children after you are gone or are you working to hand down something enduring?

`Again, God said if you defile your temple, He will destroy you. Christian friend, God has called you to live a holy life so that people can see Christ through your life. God is looking at your heart. May God help you to seek the right goal so that you can hand down the right thing. One song writer wrote, "Only one life, will soon be past. Only what's done for Christ will last." I remember a plaque that used to hang on the wall of my dad and mom's home that read, "Only the things that are done for God will last."

Friend, are you putting your all into living for God? If you have failed to do that, you ought to start now so that you can hand down something that will last throughout the endless age of eternity.

(Cassette C-4559M)

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