Satan's Misdirection Tactic

1Corinthians 5: 12-13 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. Expel the wicked man from among you.

The modern day western church has become quite susceptible to the schemes of the enemy in these the last days. Matters of heaven and hell hang in the balance. Eternity hangs in the balance. The church however seems to be continually distracted. We can get distracted by things that have no eternal consequence. As a result, the work we are supposed to be doing for the kingdom is muted.

In Paul's first letter to the Church at Corinth he dealt with many problems the new church was facing. Chapter five starts with Paul addressing the fact that a church member at Corinth had been sleeping with his step mother. Before our key verses today, Paul explains the error of their thinking:

When I wrote to you before, I told you not to associate with people who indulge in sexual sin. But I wasn't talking about unbelievers who indulge in sexual sin, or are greedy, or cheat people, or worship idols. You would have to leave this world to avoid people like that. I meant that you are not to associate with anyone who claims to be a believer yet indulges in sexual sin, or is greedy, or worships idols, or is abusive, or is a drunkard, or cheats people. Don't even eat with such people. 1Corinthians 5: 9-11 (NLT)

It seems the Corinthians were applying the standard they were supposed to be living up to, to the world at large instead of the church. And so it goes still today. How many "Christian" emails bemoan the state of the world and the level of sin it is in? How many "Christian" political causes are designed toward "affecting culture" in the world? Dominion Theology is founded on the belief that somehow we are to change the culture of the world. But the Bible teaches us that the things of God are foolishness to the world:

The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. 1Corinthians 2: 14

The world does not understand why we have faith. It does not understand why we believe what we do. The Bible describes them as walking in darkness; the same darkness we once walked in:

But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light. 1Peter 2: 9 (NLT)

What does this verse call on us to do as believers? SHOW others the goodness of God. But modern western Christianity is determined to bring the world the morality of Christianity instead of the goodness of God. How does this continue to happen in light of the clear direction from Scripture? Because the enemy is very good at what he does. He gets us distracted.

From the days of the first century Corinthian church until today the devil is always getting us to look at the level of sin in the world as a means to get us to not look at ourselves. Modern day church sermons are often geared to make us feel better about ourselves when we ought to feel worse and realize that it is only through the blood of Jesus Christ that we have any righteousness at all.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven's Most Holy Place because of the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God's house, let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ's blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Hebrews 10: 19-23 (NLT)

Are we supposed to try and positively affect the culture we live in? Of course but with our deeds, not our words:

"You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. Matthew 5: 14-16

So they may see your good deeds. Too often we have things backwards in the church. When it comes to the world, we are quick to deal in judgment but when it comes to our brothers and sisters, we claim "who am I to judge?" This mindset is often defended by misunderstanding Matthew Chapter Seven, which reads:

"Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Matthew 7: 1-2

The following verses however show that the subject Jesus was addressing was hypocrisy, not judgment:

"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye. Matthew 7: 3-5

These verses are not imploring us to avoid judging sin correctly in our brethren. It is instructing us to first look at ourselves before we criticize someone else for the same thing we struggle with. Ironically, that is the same principle we are talking about today in regard to the world. God wants our focus on our sin and becoming more holy to be inward focused. Ourselves and the church as a whole. Not outwardly to a fallen world. If we finish this section from Matthew it should become even clearer:

"Don't waste what is holy on people who are unholy. Don't throw your pearls to pigs! They will trample the pearls, then turn and attack you. Matthew 7: 6 (NLT)

It is all distraction. Our outward focus distracts us from maturing as Christians because we feel better about our state of being than we ought. Our outward focus also misinforms the world of the real problem. Sin is only the symptom. The problem is the lack of a relationship with Jesus Christ. That is the problem we should be addressing with the lost. If they accept Christ, then the Holy Spirit will do the convicting of the sin.

Throughout the Old Testament God continually rebuked Israel for their state of sin, not the world. In fact, God would even use some of the most sin-riddled and morally bankrupt nations as His instrument of judgment against His people. The Babylonians would carry Judah off into captivity and the Assyrians would disperse the ten Northern Tribes. We the Church have been grafted in to the branch of God through Jesus Christ. We are now the body of Christ. We now need to be reflective in our walk to mature in God; not be distracted by the enemy who tries to get us to focus on everything but ourselves. One of the most popular verses used by distracted Christians is from Second Chronicles:

if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. Now my eyes will be open and my ears attentive to the prayers offered in this place. 2Chronicles 7: 14-15

These verses are often used by well-intended Christians to rally people to pray for America that if only the people in this country would turn from their wicked ways God will heal this land. Wait a minute they are walking in darkness and the things of God are foolishness to them. Take a closer look at these verses and you will see God is imploring these actions in regards to HIS people. The people who are called by HIS name. That would be Israel in the Old Testament and Christians; or the church today. It is the church that needs to humble itself according to these verses. It is the church that needs to pray and seek the face of God according to these verses. It is the church that needs to turn from its wicked ways according to these verses.

Realize that if the world humbled itself it would only do so according to the standards it sets up. If they prayed and sought the face of God, quite often it would be a God they were making up as they went along because they do not understand the things of God. Even if they turned from their wicked ways it wouldn't matter because none of these things address the relationship problem they have. They would still lack the relationship they need with their Creator. They still need the reconciliation that can only come through Jesus:

For if, when we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son, how much more, having been reconciled, shall we be saved through his life! Not only is this so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Romans 5: 10-11

This is what leads Paul to declare in our key verses that it is not his place to judge those in the world that is left to God. All will have an opportunity to hear the Gospel message of Jesus Christ and decide for themselves if they want that relationship or not.

The church is the instrument God uses to deliver that message to the fallen world. But what message are we delivering? Is it a message of love?

So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples." John 13:34-35 (NLT)

This is a new commandment for us to follow given by Jesus Himself! It is through love that the world will see we are the disciples of Christ. Not through faux righteousness and pseudo-morality. The healing of the land starts with the church. It starts with those who are called according to His name not those who are walking in the darkness of the world.

What message are we delivering? Is it a message laced with condemnation? Is it a message that seeks to place us above the recipient? The Apostle Paul had evangelized the known world and written the principle doctrines that would become the New testament, yet here was his opinion of himself:

This is a trustworthy saying, and everyone should accept it: "Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners"--and I am the worst of them all. 1Timothy 1: 15 (NLT)

It is not about the sinner it is about the Savior. That is the ultimate price for the distraction we fall too easily for. The enemy wants us to be judgmental to a fallen world because it accomplishes two goals for him. First it takes our eyes off of our own walk and makes us feel better about it by comparing ourselves to the world. Secondly, it takes our eyes off of Jesus. Imagine it this way we are holding the keys to a jail cell that is holding someone captive. We approach the cell and instead of giving them the key or opening the door we proceed to reprimand them for being in the cell in the first place.

Even though it is the same cell Jesus found us in too...

Reverend Anthony Wade August 30, 2010