Sound Doctrine

“For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;”  (2Tim. 4:3)

In 1980 I came to a place in the ministry of the Lord where I found myself, along with my family, temporarily living in an out-of-the-way place in Texas that was a lonely 12 miles away from “anywhere”.

There the Holy Spirit began speaking to me for approximately two months, instructing me through the Scriptures concerning five areas where erroneous teaching has entered into Christian theology today.

These teachings the Lord gave me are steeped in Scripture and revelation knowledge which He instructed me to compile into a teaching series entitled The Sound Doctrine Seminar.

The Lord assured me that when this seminar is taught, He would manifest the Word of Wisdom.

Many of these Scriptures you may find familiar, however I believe the Holy Spirit will open our understanding as we study them and give us new insights into their true meaning.

“The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,” (Eph. 1:18)

“For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:” (Isaiah 28:10)

This is not my doctrine. I didn’t sit down and try to compile some new teaching or Bible study about what other theologians thought. This isn’t even my opinion.

The Holy Spirit taught me as I sat under a shade tree during a record breaking heat wave, telling me what Scriptures to turn to in my Bible, both in the Old and New Testament, and then explaining to me how they related one to another.

Jesus said in the Gospel of John chapter seven verses 16 and 17:

“Jesus answered them, and said, My doctrine is not mine, but his that sent me. If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” (John 7:16&17)

And the Apostle Paul said in Galatians chapter one verse 12:

“For I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus Christ.” (Gal. 1:12)

Throughout the entire time that I was being instructed by the Voice of the Lord, the Holy Spirit would keep bringing me back to the following passage of Scripture contained in the Psalms.

Every time I would open my Bible, it would fall open to this portion of Scripture. If I borrowed someone else’s Bible and opened it, it too would fall open to these Scriptures in the Psalms.

God caused me to understand that these verses of Scripture, which I call “Our Prayer”, are foundational in this teaching because they tell us the attitude that our hearts should have in order to receive the instruction of the Holy Spirit.

In Psalms 119 verses 129 through 136 underneath the heading of “Pe”, the Word of God tells us:

“PE. Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore doth my soul keep them.

The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

I opened my mouth, and panted: for I longed for thy commandments.

Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me, as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.

Order my steps in thy word: and let not any iniquity have dominion over me.

Deliver me from the oppression of man: so will I keep thy precepts.

Make thy face to shine upon thy servant; and teach me thy statutes.

Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law.” (Psalm 119:129-136)

And this is the particular verse from that portion of Scripture that the Lord laid heavily upon my heart:

“Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law.”

This pertains to the error that has crept into the church today.

In Hosea 4:6 the Word of God says:

“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children.” (Hosea 4:6)

There are many people who start well in their Christian walk. They begin to get involved in the work of the Lord. They get moving and going in the right direction concerning the things of God and then before you know it they have fallen away.

The Word of God says, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”

During the next few posts, we are going to be battling three principalities, three “enemies” if you will.

They are Satan,

Self (also called the carnal man, the carnal mind, or the flesh),

And ignorance.

Ignorance of the Word of God.

The Bible says that at one time God “winked” at such things, but now He commands men everywhere to repent.

“And the times of this ignorance God winked at; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent:” (Acts 17:30)

And He commands us.

Jesus says in the Gospel of John chapter 15 verse seven,

“If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” (John 15:7)

So the Lord expects us to know His word, to understand His word, and then to apply it in our life.

Tomorrow- The Error of Pride

Available online for $4.99 at bn.com for the NOOK, at amazon.com for the KINDLE, at the iBookstore on iTunes for the iPAD, and at Lulu.com for the PC and all other e-book reading devices