This number of graduates is the largest we've had in several years.
When I first saw the list, I started thinking about what many Christian leaders have been saying for the past 15 years or so
about the religious beliefs of most high school students in this country.
And as I'm going to mention a little bit later on, what we're going to look at is the predominant view of adults in this country as well.
What we're going to see is disturbing.
About three years ago, I preached a message that described these beliefs of Americans in general now under the heading moralistic therapeutic deism.
If you remember that, would you raise your hand?
Okay, there's a few. Good.
Maybe it's not so good that more hands didn't go up, but I'm going to look on the positive side.
This phrase, moralistic therapeutic deism, was coined by a sociologist, Christian Smith, from the University of North Carolina.
In 2005, or their research was compiled and published in 2005, after they had conducted over 3,000 interviews with American teenagers between the ages of 13 and 17.
Now, in doing this research, listening to these young people explain what they believe or didn't believe,
Christian Smith and his team of researchers came up with what they call the mainstream belief system of American teenagers.
This is not describing any denomination, any particular group.
It's just what they came up with after all these interviews, and they call it the mainstream belief system of American teenagers.
Here are the five statements that describe those beliefs.
Number one, a God, little g, exists, who created and ordered the world and watches over human life on earth.
Number two, God wants people to be good, nice, and fair to each other, as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.
Number three, the central goal of life is to be happy and to feel good about oneself.
Number four, God does not need to be particularly involved in one's life except when God is needed to resolve a problem.
Number five, good people go to heaven when they die.
Now, here's one summary statement of those five points.
God exists to meet my needs and help me be a nice person who feels good about myself.
When I put that list of one through five on the screen, some of you probably scratched your head and thought, what's wrong with that?
I hope this summary statement helps you to see what's wrong with that.
Now, do you know where Smith and his team said that teenagers learned these beliefs?
They learned these beliefs from their parents and their churches.
But they explained it was not that their parents actually taught these things.
It was not that any church had this as a part of their basic doctrine.
They said it's what they saw.
What they saw in their parents.
Just how little their parents actually believed and put into practice in their daily lives.
And concerning the church, they observed how their churches had tried to blend in with the culture of the world.
And so, these young people, not just yes and no answers, but in discussing their beliefs,
what they had heard, what they had seen, as they put it all together.
They came up with this moralistic, therapeutic deism as being the predominant belief system of American teenagers and American adults.
That's one thing that I'll follow up to these studies.
Many Christian leaders have pointed out, pointed to a lot of different evidences.
That this is the predominant view of Americans today.
And disturbingly, a lot of people in churches, a lot of professing Christians think this way, believe this way as well.
But what I want us to look at this morning is, this is a belief system that is not found in Scripture.
And if it's not found in Scripture, it cannot be true.
I think this is something worthy of us interrupting our series on the family to pay close attention this morning.
I want us, as we go through this message, to...
I've got... let me put it this way.
I've got three reasons for this message.
Number one, I want to make sure that no one here believes this false teaching.
I want to make sure that you, when you leave here as high school graduates going off somewhere,
you didn't hear this garbage from this pulpit.
You didn't hear it anywhere in our church, many of our other pastors, Sunday school teachers.
And I don't think you heard it from any parent.
But I want to make sure this morning that no one believes the kind of things that I've mentioned and will look at.
Number two, every Christian needs to be aware of this and be able to spot this false teaching.
Don't be misled by it.
Number three, every parent, grandparent, and Sunday school teacher needs to make sure that you don't unintentionally teach it by your words or your actions.
This is needed.
I've been a pastor for a long time now.
I've been around a lot of Christians in a lot of churches.
And including our own church from time to time.
I hear church members say things along the line of,
I hope I'm good enough to get into heaven.
I even heard it said one time by one person,
I think I've earned my place in heaven.
I'm not exaggerating.
Church people,
people who attend Pickens First Baptist Church,
sometimes think this way and make statements like this.
We need to hear this.
We need to be clear.
Let's start.
Number one,
the Bible does not teach the moralistic idea that God simply wants us to be good.
The Christian faith is about much more than helping people be good.
The false teaching of moralism says this.
I'm going to use the survey of Smith's five statements here.
Number two,
God wants people to be good,
nice,
and fair to each other as taught in the Bible and by most world religions.
Number five,
good people go to heaven when they die.
The Bible does not teach that.
Now,
I'm sure some of you say and scratch your head and said,
are we not supposed to be good?
Obviously,
we need to be as good as we can.
The gospel of Jesus Christ does come with moral commands and expectations.
The problem is,
we can't be good on our own.
We can never be good enough for God to accept us as his children just by the way that we live.
The Bible clearly teaches that we cannot live a morally pure or upright life on our own.
The first point of the gospel is that we are sinners by nature and by choice.
We naturally choose to live life our way, my way, as opposed to God's way.
Children are the best examples of this.
You know,
I think about when I try to explain this point,
there's no better way to explain it than to say,
look at children.
No one teaches their child to disobey their parent.
Nobody in their right mind will teach their child to disobey their parent.
No one teaches a child to be just selfish,
to take things away from another child,
to hit another child over the head with their toy in the nursery, even in church.
No one has to teach a child how to tell a lie to avoid being punished.
Children just are born into this world with a sinful nature,
with a tendency,
look out for me.
And as they grow and mature,
can make their own decisions,
even as little fellas all the way up,
you see that they choose to be selfish.
Now,
the idea that everyone is a sinner before God
does not mean that everyone is purely evil.
Some people mistakenly think
that when the Bible talks about
we've all sinned,
come short of the glory of God,
some people have the idea that
the Bible is saying we're all just
purely evil people.
That is not
what it means when the Bible talks about
sin in our lives.
Everyone is created in the image of God.
Every human being
is created in the image of God.
And we have an inner sense of right and wrong.
Some people refer to it as the conscience.
The Apostle Paul talks about it in Romans chapter 2.
God has put it within us.
This basic moral law.
This basic understanding of what is right
and what is wrong.
And here's how it comes out.
Let's go back to children.
Some children are more compliant than others.
If you've got more than one child,
probably you had one
that you could just sort of look at.
He or she would straighten up.
Or you could have had two like me
that you had to horse whip
to get their attention
to make them do anything.
Now, for any liberals to worry about that,
I'm just, I'm joking.
I did whip them, spank them.
I would do it again if they needed it.
If they were little, I'm talking about.
They could whip me now, size-wise.
But you know what I'm talking about.
Adults are the same way.
Some people in this room
just do more what's good and kind.
Some people just are more self-giving
than others by nature.
It's not because they're Christians.
So, just look around.
In your family, among your friends,
there are varying degrees of goodness
and evil.
The problem that the gospel addresses
is that we're sinners
who cannot be good as God defines goodness.
And that's the point.
Some of us are good
in comparison to others.
But we cannot be good
as God defines goodness
because God's standard is perfection.
We're talking about almighty God,
holy God.
His standard is perfection.
If we want to be good
or do what is right
in a way that pleases God
on our own,
we've got to be perfect.
Let me show you a verse of scripture
that makes this real clear.
James is writing a letter to Christians.
He's trying to help them understand
they cannot earn their salvation
by their good works.
He says,
for whoever keeps the whole law
and yet stumbles at just one point
is guilty of breaking all of it.
You might be a very good person
and you know
what the scripture teaches
about how you ought to live.
And for the most part,
you do that.
You're conscientiously doing that.
But are you perfect?
If you ever break one
of God's commands,
you are guilty
of being a lawbreaker
before God.
So even the best person you know
is not perfect.
Well, therefore,
we all stand before God
as sinners,
guilty of breaking God's laws,
not living up
to his standards of perfection.
Listen,
that's where we all are.
That's how we enter the world.
That's how we are
as we grow up
and make choices.
Well, the penalty for our sin,
the scripture says,
is death,
which ultimately means
eternal separation
from God in hell.
This is the bad news
of the Bible.
You know something?
The Bible clearly presents this.
The Bible writers,
they care enough about
human beings
to tell the truth.
This is a reality.
We're born with a sinful nature.
We make sinful choices.
The penalty for sin is death.
And that's all of us.
And that's the bad news
of the Bible
that we all need to listen,
understand,
accept.
You cannot
wish it away.
The good news
is that God loves us.
And he has provided a way
for us to be
forgiven
of our sins.
He's provided a way
for us not only
to be forgiven,
but to actually become
his children.
And when we're forgiven,
we become
his children.
He puts his spirit
in us
and that's how
we are able
to live
a morally
pure life
that will please
God
and be satisfying
to us.
Here's what God
has done
more specifically.
God sent his son
Jesus
into this world
for the purpose
of saving us.
Jesus lived a perfect,
morally
pure life
throughout his time
here on earth.
He lived the perfect life
that we couldn't live.
And then Jesus died
on the cross
as our substitute
according to the plan
of God
to pay the penalty
for our sins.
He died in our place,
suffered the punishment
that we deserve
so that we wouldn't
have to
experience that punishment.
And then God
raised Jesus
from the dead
to prove
he's accepted
Jesus' sacrifice.
That Jesus is
who he said he was.
He did what he said
he came to do.
He came back to live.
He's alive today
in heaven.
One day he'll come back
to this world
the scripture tells us.
Now,
this is the basic
gospel good news
of God message
from the Bible.
But that's not all
the Bible says
about our relationship
with God,
being right with God.
We've got to respond
to this gospel.
We've got to respond
to what Christ
has done for us
in order to experience
God's gracious salvation.
The apostle Paul
summarized it
like this.
He was talking
about how he had
traveled the world
and what he had
been preaching.
He says,
I have declared
to both Jews
and Greeks
and in his mind
that's everybody.
There's two kinds
of people in the world.
There's Jews
and Greeks.
I have declared
to both Jews
and Greeks
that they must turn
to God
in repentance
and have faith
in our Lord Jesus.
Paul is saying
that the way
of salvation
is open to anyone
who will repent
of their sin.
Admit that you have
failed God.
Change your mind
about living
your selfish way,
your disobedient way.
Sort of like
you make a debout face.
You turn from your sin
and you put your trust
in Jesus
as your Savior
and your Lord.
We're not talking
about just believing
the Bible.
Most people
in this room,
I'm going to guess,
you believe
John 3.16.
For God so loved
the world,
that he gave
his only son,
that whoever believes
in him will not perish,
but have eternal life.
Most people
in this room,
you believe.
That's in the Bible.
I believe it.
But do you believe
it just like you believe
a lot of facts
that you read
in history books?
Or do you believe
in this Jesus,
this son of God,
personally,
that he died
for you
to pay the penalty
for your sin?
Are you trusting him,
counting on him,
depending on him
to be right with God?
Are you truly
honoring him
as the Lord
of your life,
the ultimate leader
of your life?
When we choose
to live life
God's way,
when we choose
to trust Christ,
to follow him,
listen to this,
the Spirit of God
lives in us,
and he gives us
the desire
and the ability
to live that morally
good life
that pleases God.
Look at this passage
of Scripture.
Paul writes,
to a church,
therefore,
my beloved,
as you have always
obeyed,
so now,
not only as in my presence,
but much more
in my absence,
work out your own salvation
with fear and trembling,
for it is God
who works in you
both to will
and to work
for his good pleasure.
Paul is writing
to Christians,
people who are
trusting in Jesus.
This is his way
of telling them,
now you need to grow,
you need to mature,
you need to become
more like Jesus.
And the way that happens
is,
it's not that you try
to be good.
It's not that you try
to do your best
to just do this or that.
The idea is,
if you're a Christian,
the Spirit of God
lives within you,
and he works in you
to give you the desire
to please God,
to obey him.
He gives you the ability
to act on that desire
to live this morally pure life.
Do you see evidence
in your life
that you are a Christian
based on what
the scripture says
that a Christian is?
If we're really
God's children,
it will show,
it will show
in the way
that we love him,
the way that we obey him,
the way that we are
developing Christ-like character,
the way that we're
treating the people
that we live with,
that we interact with
every day.
Following Jesus
will lead us
to develop a loving
relationship
with our Heavenly Father.
Real followers of Jesus
have a desire
to know God better
by reading his word,
listening to God
speak through his word.
Real followers of Jesus
have a desire
to have a real relationship
with God
as their Heavenly Father,
and we want to talk to him.
That's what prayer is,
talking to God.
Once we know
how to please God
by spending time with him
in his word and prayer,
once we know
how to please God,
the Holy Spirit
will give us
those desires
and abilities
to do it.
Now,
the Bible does not teach
this moralistic idea
that all we need to do
is just try to be good.
And if we do our best
to be good
and we do more good
than bad,
we go to heaven
when we die.
That is a lie.
There is nothing
in the Bible
that even implies
some kind of
teaching like that.
So I want to ask you,
are you a Christian?
Why would you say that?
Are you trusting Christ
and him alone
as your Savior?
Have you
and are you still
turning from sin
as just a way of life?
Are you seeking,
do you have the desire
to be more and more
like Jesus?
To please God
more and more
by discovering
how he wants you to live
and then living that way?
Do you have the desires
within you
that come from
the Spirit of God
who indwells you
when God saves you?
Number two,
the Bible does not teach
the therapeutic idea
that our major problem
is low self-esteem
and that God's main concern
is to make us feel better
about ourselves.
This therapeutic teaching,
number three,
the central goal of life
is to be happy
and to feel good
about oneself.
Now,
everybody wants to be happy.
Everybody wants to feel good
about themselves.
Problem is,
we decide
the best way
to make us happy
and feel good
about ourselves.
The problem is
we put ourself
at the center of life.
That's the problem.
In today's
therapeutic age,
human problems
are identified
as anything
and everything
except the result
of our sinful choices.
Solutions are identified
today in terms
of treatment plans
and self-help programs.
But rarely do you hear
people talking today
about
the problem
comes from
my sinful choices
and I need to repent.
I need to change
the way that I
am choosing
to respond
to the truth
of God's word.
Now,
let me say this.
For sure,
every problem
we deal with
is not a sin problem.
It is not.
There are some
personal issues.
There are some
relational issues,
emotional issues.
It would do
a lot of people
good to talk
to a true,
trained,
biblically sound
counselor.
It's like you go
to a doctor,
physical doctor,
MD for a health
problem,
physical health.
There's people
that could help you
with some issues
if you give them
the opportunity.
Every problem
is not a sin problem.
Hear me say that.
But many of the
problems we deal
with
are a direct
result
of our sinful
choices.
And when that's
the case,
we'll never
find answers
when we ignore
or deny
our responsibility
for our sinful
choices.
Let me give you
an example.
The last two weeks
we've been talking
about marriage.
We've been talking
about God's design
for marriage.
Let's just say
Genesis 2,
24 right now.
It's God's intent
for a married couple
to leave their parents,
be united
to one another
in a one flesh
relationship.
It may be
that some of your
marital problems
are from your
sinful choice
of refusing
to let go
of your parents
and make your spouse
the number one person
in your life,
humanly speaking.
It may be
the problem
in your marriage
is your sinful choice
just to be
a selfish person
and expect your spouse
to live for you,
to please you,
rather than you
living for him
or her
to serve him
or her.
as a part
of your own life
because you're
that one flesh.
The Bible
has a lot
to say
about how
we relate
to self
and most
of it
can be
classified
in terms
of humbling
ourselves,
not exalting
ourselves
and denying
ourselves,
not
indulging
ourselves.
The Bible
repeatedly
calls us
to guard
against
exalting
ourselves
by warning
us against
the sin
of pride.
Look quickly.
Jesus made
this clear.
He says,
for everyone
who exalts
himself
will be humbled,
but the one
who humbles
himself
will be exalted.
Peter echoed
this.
Clothe yourselves,
all of you,
with humility
toward one another.
Stop.
Just go back
to marriage
or just
your home.
Spouse,
husband,
wife relationships,
parent,
child relationships.
Could it be
that some
of the tension,
some of the
hostility,
some of the
issues that
you're dealing
with in your
home is
because you're
just a prideful
person.
You expect
everybody in the
house to sit
up and take
notice and wait
on you.
It's all
about me.
Children think
that.
Parents think
that.
Some wives
think that.
Some husbands
think that.
And that's
the foundational
problem.
You're a prideful
person.
You're arrogant.
Your spouse
is supposed to
serve you
no matter what.
Your children
are supposed to
bow down to you
no matter what.
Or your parents
are supposed to
do whatever you
want them to do
no matter what.
Peter says,
clothe yourselves,
all of you,
with humility
toward one
another.
For God
opposes the
proud, but
he gives grace
to the humble.
Our major
problem is not
low self-esteem.
God's main
concern is to
not make us
feel better
about ourselves.
That's heresy.
That's in fact
the opposite
of what the
scripture teaches.
Let's look at
one more.
The Bible does
not teach
deism, that
God created
the world, but
does not remain
actively involved
in guiding
everything according
to his purpose.
This moralistic
therapeutic deism
teaches that a
God exists who
created and ordered
the world and
watches over human
life on earth.
Good, as far as
it goes.
But look at the
next one, number
four.
God does not
need to be
particularly
involved in
one's life
except when
God is needed
to resolve a
problem.
For sake of
time, I'm
going to skip
over the
teaching that
God is involved
in every detail
of life.
That God is
working out
everything according
to his eternal
plan in your
life, in this
world, and
everything.
I want to
zero in on one
major point that
needs to be made
about this last
heretical idea.
Look at it
again.
God does not
need to be
particularly
involved in
one's life
except when
God is needed
to resolve a
problem.
That's like
saying God is
always there for
me.
Now I know
as Christians
we may not
mean it to
sound as bad
as it does
when we say
well God's
always there for
me.
But let it
sink in what
you're saying
if you really
believe that.
to think God's
always there for
me.
As if he's on
the side
waiting like a
bellhop.
That's one of
the most
blasphemous,
God
dishonoring,
and personally
arrogant statements
a human being
can make.
I want you to
look at what
David Wells,
a theologian,
says about
this.
He says God
is not there
to conform to
us, we must
conform to
him.
He summons us
to know him.
We are summoned
to know him
only on his
terms.
He is not
known on our
terms.
This summons is
heard in and
through his word.
It is not heard
through our
intuitions.
God is not
there at our
convenience or
simply for our
healings or
simply as the
divine teller
handing out
stuff from his
bank.
No, we are
here for his
service.
We are here to
know him as
he is and not
as we want him
to be.
God is not who
you think he is
or want him to
be or imagine
him to be.
God is as he
is and he has
revealed himself
in his word.
I think one of
the best ways to
describe this is
like this.
I'm a father
of two sons.
I've got two
little grandchildren.
If my sons and
my grandchildren
never come around
me, never call
me, never have
anything to do
with me except
when they get in a
bind and then
dad, bop, I'm
going to resent it.
I'm going to see
through it.
They don't care
about me.
They care about
what I can do
for them.
I want to tell
you young people,
graduates, don't
go off to college
and your parents
never hear from
you until you
want something.
You're using
them.
You're abusing
them.
If I was them,
I wouldn't be
abused.
It's
dishonoring.
It's
disgraceful.
That is how a lot
of people and
even some
professing
Christians treat
God.
He's on the
sideline.
He's there when I
need him.
But there's no
relationship.
There's no ongoing
fellowship.
There's no talking
to him, listening to
him, no interaction
with him, no concern
about pleasing him
until I need
something.
If that's your
relationship with
God, you have no
relationship with
God.
You are doing more
to anger him, to
dishonor him, to
disrespect him than
anything by that
attitude.
Hear carefully
this morning.
The concept of
moralistic therapeutic
deism shows the
shallowness of a
American Christianity
and it shows us
there is a false
gospel that many
people have placed
their hope in.
And my prayer is
that there's no one
here that is placing
your hope in such a
gospel.
But if you realize
you have, you are,
admit it to God
now.
Admit that you've
been abusing him,
dishonoring him,
that you've been trying
to work your way to
heaven or whatever it
is.
Confess your sin.
Repent of your sin.
Put your trust truly in
Jesus as your Savior and
Lord.
Seek to truly follow him,
to please him, to serve
him, to do his will.
And you will find in, as
Jesus said, if you'll lose
your life for his sake,
that's when you will
really get the best life.
Because that will be
God's will, God's way.
That's the way you'll most
honor God and please him.
That's the way you'll most
impact other people in the
right kind of way.
And if you really want to
feel the best about
yourself, live life God's
way.
Humbling yourself, loving
him, loving others, serving
him, serving others.
And you can feel good
about that kind of God
honoring, Christ
following self.
Let's pray together.
Lord, show each of us how
we should respond right now.
Father, help us to not be
mistaken in thinking that
somehow or another, if we
just do more good than bad,
you'll accept us in heaven
one day or that we can have
a good relationship with you
now.
Help us to see and admit our
sinfulness, the fact that we
don't deserve a relationship
with you, but that by your
love and grace and mercy, you
provide it through faith in
Jesus.
Lord, show every person in
this room how they should
respond to this message.
For some, dear God, show them
they need to thank their
parents for being faithful to
the truth of your word and
guiding them in the right way.
Or they need to be thankful to
their Sunday school teacher or
some other teacher.
show us how we should respond.
Help us to do that.
And then an attitude of
prayer, let's just do what God
tells us to do.
The heads bowed, eyes closed.
If you'd like, I'd be happy to
pray with you here in front of
this room here in the next few
minutes.
Matthew 16.
Until post time.
Yeah.
Incauchen.
Hayesz.