Why God Allows Trouble in the Church and How to Deal With It (Part 2)

Watch the video of this sermon on YouTube: Why God Allows Trouble in the Church and How to Deal With It (Part 2) The outline is attached at the bottom of this page. To listen to or watch the previous sermon in the series, click here: (Part 1) For a sermon series on church discipline, click here: Church Discipline 2. Heresy will not spread in the church if Christians obey God's commandments regarding it, which are: A. If you come up with a novel doctrinal idea, get counsel from the pastor quickly before you fully convince yourself of it and end up destroying yourself and others (Pro 18:17; Pro 12:15; Pro 11:14; Pro 24:6; Pro 14:12 Pro 21:2). B. Don't listen to heresy (Pro 14:7; Pro 19:27; Pro 17:4; 2Jo 1:10). C. Don't repeat it to others. D. Don't continue a dialog with him if he has rejected the truth (Pro 23:9; Pro 29:9; Job 32:1). E. Rebuke and shun it (2Ti 2:16-18; Psa 101:3). F. Shun v. - 1. trans. To abhor, detest, loathe. (last usage in 1250AD) 2. a. To seek safety by concealment or flight from (an enemy, his pursuit, etc.). Obs. 3. To avoid (in mod. prose use always to avoid persistently or habitually) from repugnance, fear, or caution; to keep away from (a person or his society, a place, etc.); to avoid encountering or exposing oneself to (dangers, conditions), using or having to do with (a thing); to eschew, abstain carefully from (an action, an indulgence, etc.). a. with obj. a person, his company, etc. G. Tell the heretic to talk to the pastor about it because the pastor is ultimately who the heretic has a problem with (Pro 25:9). H. Tell the pastor about it because he is the overseer who is tasked with watching over the church (Heb 13:17). i. A good pastor will take heed unto the doctrine to save the church from heretics (1Ti 4:16; Pro 4:13). ii. The pastor is responsible for convincing the gainsayers with sound doctrine (Tit 1:9). a. Convince v. - 1. To overcome, conquer, vanquish; fig. to overpower. b. The pastor's defense of the truth should be irresistible by the enemies of the truth (Act 6:10). c. He should confound the heretics (Act 9:22). d. He can only do so by God's help and grace (Isa 54:17). iii. The pastor must shut their mouths to prevent them from subverting whole houses (Tit 1:10-11). a. Jesus Christ put the enemies of truth to silence with the scriptures (Mat 22:29-34; Mat 22:41-46). b. Jesus will give his ministers a mouth and wisdom that their adversaries will not be able to gainsay or resist (Luk 21:15). iv. The pastor must admonish the heretic twice and then reject him (Tit 3:10-11) and call for his exclusion from the church (Gal 5:19-21). 3. Heresy must never be listened to or believed, even if it comes from one's own family. A. Jesus Christ and His truth must be chosen above one's own parents, siblings, or children (Mat 10:34-39). i. Those who will not do so are not worthy of Jesus Christ (Mat 10:37). ii. Those that choose the truth of the gospel over family will be blessed in this life and in the next (Mar 10:29-30). B. In the Old Testament, family members were to be the first to stone their family member who went after other gods (Deu 13:6-11). C. The tribe of Levi chose God over father, mother, and brethren and killed them for their idolatry and were blessed for it (Exo 32:26-28 c/w Deu 33:8-11). D. King Asa removed his own mother from being queen because of her idolatry (1Ki 15:13). E. Gideon obeyed God and destroyed his own father's altar of Baal, cut down his grove, and offered his bullock on the altar that Gideon built (Jdg 6:25-27). F. Eli was cursed for honoring his sons over God and God killed his sons for it (1Sa 2:29-35). G. Moses chose to suffer affliction with God's people over staying with his own family (Heb 11:24-26). V. Why does God allow the church to experience affliction and adversity? 1. God permits Satan to tempt and torment us, but He only allows Him to go so far. A. God permitted Satan to take all of Job's possessions, but He restrained him from touching Job (Job 1:9-12). B. God once again allowed Satan to torment Job, but this time only his body; He restrained him from killing him (Job 2:4-6). C. God allowed Job to be afflicted for his benefit and blessed him in the end (Job 42:12). 2. God allowed Israel to experience trials to prove them (Deu 8:2-3) and ultimately to do them good in the end (Deu 8:16). 3. Tribulation worketh patience which worketh experience which worketh hope (Rom 5:3-4). 4. When we suffer, we have fellowship with Jesus Christ because He suffered (2Co 1:5; 1Pe 4:12-13; Rom 8:17; Php 3:10). 5. When a brother turns on you, you are walking in the steps of Jesus (Joh 13:18). 6. When we endure the trial, God knows that we love and fear Him (Gen 22:12).