Stumbling Blocks to Faith: "Me" I. Introduction A. Matthew 16:13-23 1. Peter's confession and then Peter as stumbling block 2. Peter speaks for the Twelve when he says that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of the Living God (vv. 13-19) 3. Jesus then begins to tell them about what will happen to Him (v. 21) 4. Peter, however, does not want to accept this teaching, and because of this our Lord called him "Satan," and charged him with having his mind on the things of man and not of God (vv.22-23) 5. We see Peter's character in these two events... 6. ...but importantly, we see that his last statement is motivated not by God nor the confession he just made, but by his own belief! 7. Peter's "me"--his personal feelings and judgments-- came out when he rebuked the one whom he called Lord! 8. This "me" in him was called "Satan!" 9. We should see, therefore, that "me" can be a significant stumbling block to faith B. The Prevalence of "Me" 1. Our current society is obsessed with "Me" 2. The unofficial philosophy of our day-- postmodernism and its inherent relativism-- establishes "Me" as the ultimate standard for all truth 3. Our economic system-- capitalism-- establishes as its goal the enrichment of "Me" no matter what the cost to anyone else 4. Our system of government, theoretically, establishes "Me" as the basic unit of election 5. Everything around us and everyone around us live according to "me, me, me!" C. Is this the way of Christianity? D. Let us examine the Scriptures and see what they say about this "Me" attitude II. What is "Me?" A. Before we examine the Scriptures about the "Me" attitude, let us define it so none may be confused 1. "Me" is when we allow ourselves to represent the standard of judgment in matters 2. "Me" is when we think for ourselves what is right and what is wrong 3. "Me" is when we attempt to interpret the Scriptures to fit our own preconceptions, and not allow the Scriptures to change our conceptions 4. "Me" is when we allow our upbringing, society, culture, and education to establish what we believe and not the Word of God B. Different Quantities of "Me" 1. Let none think that these definitions apply only to overall beliefs 2. We can be Biblically minded in many issues but allow "Me" to govern our belief about a few 3. "Me" represents any time when we allow ourselves to be the standard as opposed to the Word of God C. Caveats 1. We are to have our own faith, and this means that many times our faith will conform to our personality 2. This is acceptable and even encouraged as long as we are not contradicting or violating the Word of God in any way 3. Romans 12:4-8/1 Corinthians 12:4-31 4. We all have different gifts and different uses in the Body, and these gifts and uses are going to be determined by our own, individual abilities 5. We also must remember that in matters of established liberties that one can be more restrictive than the word of God explicitly says and we are not to condemn as much D. Otherwise, however, we should be wary about "Me" III. The Scriptures and "Me" A. What, then, do the Scriptures say about this "Me" attitude? B. Proverbs 3:5-8 1. We need to not lean on our own understanding, but that of the LORD's 2. He makes our paths straight when we do such 3. It is healing and refreshment to us C. James 4:10, 13-16 1. We are to humble ourselves before the Lord to be exalted! 2. We must recognize that the Lord directs our lives, and it is arrogance to assert that we ourselves do! D. The Depravity of the "Me" Mindset 1. The Scriptures point often to the "darkened" mind 2. Romans 1:18-23 3. The "Me" attitude led (and leads) people to reject God and live in their sins 4. Romans 6:15-21 5. Those who choose to serve sin and not God are condemned, and do so because of their "Me" attitude 6. James 1:13-16 7. James explicitly says that sin begins with allurement according to one's own desire-- Me! E. There are also many examples in the Bible of the "Me" attitude F. Israel in the Period of the Judges: Judges 2:10-23, Judges 21:25 1. Everyone in Israel "did what was right in his own eyes" 2. This led to unauthorized worship practices (Judges 17-18-- Micah, his idol of YHWH, his son as priest, etc.) 3. This led to Baal worship (Judges 2:10-23) 4. The entire Judges cycle of disobedience -> oppression -> repentance -> deliverance by judge -> peace -> disobedience based on this "Me" attitude! G. Jeroboam, son of Nebat: 1 Kings 12:26-33 1. Jeroboam said "in his own heart" that his people might go to Jerusalem to the Temple and want to rejoin Judah 2. Therefore, he established unauthorized temples and worship 3. Israel was carried away by this sin throughout its existence and was delivered into captivity for it (2 Kings 17:21-23) H. Ananias and Sapphira: Acts 5:1-10 1. They wanted to do as the other disciples and sell their property and give it to the Apostles... but they kept some back, appealing to their "Me," yet did not want to give the appearance that they were supporting their "Me" 2. For their deception-- not the act of keeping some money for themselves-- they died I. Simon Magus: Acts 8:9-24 1. Simon was once considered mighty in Samaria... 2. ...but then Philip came with the power of the Holy Spirit 3. When Peter and John came, Simon wanted to buy the ability to give others the Holy Spirit! 4. He allowed his "Me" to make him miss the path J. We can see from the clear command and example of the Scriptures, therefore, that we are not to live according to "Me" K. How, then, shall we avoid living for "Me?" IV. Application A. Where have so many in the religious world gone wrong and have served "Me?" 1. For various reasons, they have caused their faith in Christ to conform to their culture and/or lifestyle, and not the other way around 2. Matthew 6:24/Romans 12:1-2 3. We must choose which Master we shall serve, and we must either conform to the world or be transformed by the renewing of our minds 4. Any faith that is part Biblical and part conformist is not pleasing to God, for we are to have one Master in our entire life, not different masters over different portions of it B. Whenever people begin to think in terms of themselves and not in terms of God, they then follow "Me" and not Him C. Relativism and Ecumenicalism 1. Many denominations practice relativistic beliefs, affirming that as long as there is agreement about what is deemed the "essentials," normally belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and also the Trinity, other various issues are "opinion" issues and allow for all the groups to have "fellowship" 2. They appeal to John 17 and Jesus' prayer for unity... 3. ...but fail to recognize that Jesus' plea for unity was in the truth of God and not on whatever man feels is the truth of God (John 17:11) 4. This is an instance of "Me," and not God, determining the path of denominational beliefs D. The "New Hermeneutic" 1. There are many, even within churches of Christ, who espouse what is deemed the "new" hermeneutic 2. The Biblical standards of command, example, and necessary inference are not satisfactory to them 3. They establish a hermeneutic for themselves, therefore, which leaves the majority of the judgment up to them and not according to the principles of God's Word 4. This paves the way to justify practices not authorized in Scripture 5. The new hermeneutic pleases "Me;" does it please God? E. Various Other Issues 1. When people cannot find direct authority from God for what they believe, how often do they use the "surely God" argument? a. "surely God would not consider this a sin" b. On what basis do they say such things? "Me!" c. Are we to speak for God or shall we let God speak to us? 2. Marriage, Divorce, and Remarriage a. many brethren have erred from the truth in regards to God's teachings on marriage, divorce, and remarriage because their "Me" do not like what they see! b. They feel compassion for persons in unauthorized relationships or persons who are single because of divorce c. While compassion is not a bad thing to have, it should not lead us down a path of allowing and justifying what God considers sin F. In all of these matters, the difficulty arises when we allow "Me" to determine what we believe and not appeal to God and the Scriptures V. Conclusion A. John 5:19-30 1. Jesus Christ, the Son of God and God the Son, Himself did nothing of His own accord on Earth, but only the will of His Father in Heaven 2. He never allowed His "Me" to supercede the will of His Father 3. Even at His most tempted moments-- in the Garden of Gethsemane (Mark 14:35-36)-- in the end, the will of the Father, not the "Me" of Jesus, was to be done B. 1 Corinthians 11:1: We are to imitate Christ 1. As He never allowed His "Me" to distract Him from the will of His Father, so we are not to allow our "Me" to cause us to stumble from His path 2. We are to strive be this way C. We must not be as Peter-- and the Israelites, and Jeroboam, and Ananias and Sapphira-- and allow our "Me" to supercede the will of God in us D. If you are not a Christian, the will of God for you is to cease living as a slave to sin and to confess His Son, repent of your sins, be immersed in water for the remission of your sins, and become a servant of righteousness (Romans 6:16-18) E. If you have become a Christian, God's will for you is to make His will yours (Hebrews 13:21). Affirm this day to make His will yours, and if you need any encouragement, let us help you as we stand and sing