WHY BE A CONSERVATIVE?

INTRODUCTION--

1. The most successful, and most popular appeal in religion today comes from the "left," that is, from Liberalism, especially that form of religious liberalism that thrives on a social agenda. (It is not "Theological Liberalism.")
   
   1. Congregations of this sort are bursting at the seams, because they cater to the whims and preconceptions of their members.
      
      1. They feed, entertain, and persuade people to be devoted to them by feeding their self-centered nature (a "feel good about self" religion).
         
      2. Their religious activities usually involve either political efforts to lobby for social and moral change, or direct social services toward the poor, the divorced, the lonely, the seniors, and the mentally distraught.
         
   2. To attract new members, they build gymnasiums and cafeterias; and many of them mount expensive seasonal theatrical extravaganzas.
      
   3. The result of such liberal activities is that the churches are filled with people who are basically ignorant of the proper way to apply the Word of God, and who are very likely to remain ignorant.
      
2. Conservative churches often struggle to find those people whose desire to be religious does not embrace these artificial appeals.
   
   1. They offer only the Gospel as their attraction.
      
   2. They feed the members on "soul food," destined to save them eternally.
      
   3. Their goals are spiritual, not social (except indirectly).

LESSON-- Why then be a member of a conservative church?

1. What is a religious conservative? (Dictionary definition [general]: "Favoring traditional views and values; tending to oppose change.")
   
   1. During this meeting, we have been reviewing the actions of those who desired to resurrect the doctrines and practices of the primitive apostolic church founded by Christ. ("I will build my church." Matthew 16:18)
      
   2. Being the heirs of that resurrection, we wish to "conserve" the truths that have been gained by their efforts and sacrifice.
      
   3. The decision to be a conservative does not spring from a negative characteristic imbedded in our hearts, but from the conviction that it is right.
      
2. But why conserve the primitive, when the liberal approach appears to be so much more succesful?
   
   1. First, because the Scripture commands the preservation of unity in truth. Ephesians 4:1-6 "I therefore, the prisoner in the Lord, beseech you to walk worthily of the calling wherewith ye were called, 2 with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; 3 giving diligence to keep (preserve, NASB) the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as also ye were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all, and through all, and in all."
      
   2. Conservatives are conservatives because they dare not be anything else.
      
      1. The Scriptures impress upon them the importance of doing only what is "written," or having a "Thus saith the Lord" to authorize the doing.
         
      2. Jesus said on one occasion, "The scripture cannot be broken." John 10:34 35 "Jesus answered them, Is it not written in your law (a Psalm), 'I said, ye are gods?' 35 If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came (and the scripture cannot be broken), 36 say ye of him, whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, Thou blasphemest; because I said, I am the Son of God?" (Or, the bible says what it says!)
         
      3. Jesus set the example by answering every temptation of the Devil with the phrase, "It is written," and one of those things written was that "man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God." (He quoted Deuteronomy 8:3, which says, "He humbled thee, and suffered thee to hunger, and fed thee with manna, which thou knewest not, neither did thy fathers know; that he might make thee know that man doth not live by bread only, but by everything that proceedeth out of the mouth of Jehovah doth man live.")
         
      4. Solomon knew the importance of this principle, when he wrote, "This is the end of the matter; all hath been heard: fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole (duty) of man." Ecclesiastes 12:13
         
3. Only the Word of God will save men from their sins.
   
   1. 1 Corinthians 1:21 "For seeing that in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom knew not God, it was God's good pleasure through the foolishness of the preaching to save them that believe."
      
   2. Mark 16:15-16 "And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to the whole creation. 16 He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that disbelieveth shall be condemned."
      
   3. 1 Peter 1:22-25 "Seeing ye have purified your souls in your obedience to the truth unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another from the heart fervently: 23 having been begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, through the word of God, which liveth and abideth. 24 For, All flesh is as grass, And all the glory thereof as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower falleth: 25 But the word of the Lord abideth for ever. And this is the word of good tidings which was preached unto you."
      
   4. Romans 6:17-18 "But thanks be to God, that, whereas ye were servants of sin, ye became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching whereunto ye were delivered; 18 and being made free from sin, ye became servants of righteousness."
      
   5. 1 Corinthians 15:1-2 "Now I make known unto you brethren, the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye received, wherein also ye stand, 2 by which also ye are saved, if ye hold fast the word which I preached unto you, except ye believed in vain."
      
4. Devotion to the Word of God brings honor to the devotee.
   
   1. Luke 18:19-21 "And there came to him his mother and brethren, and they could not come at him for the crowd. 20 And it was told him, Thy mother and thy brethren stand without, desiring to see thee. 21 But he answered and said unto them, My mother and my brethren are these that hear the word of God, and do it."
      
   2. Luke 11:27-28 "And it came to pass, a certain woman out of the multitude lifted up her voice, and said unto him, Blessed is the womb that bare thee, and the breasts which thou didst suck. 28 But he said, Yea rather, blessed are they that hear the word of God, and keep it."
      
   3. 2 Timothy 2:15 "Give diligence to present thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth."
      
5. Despising the Word of God brings wrath on the despiser.
   
   1. Numbers 15:31 "Because he hath despised the word of Jehovah, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off; his iniquity shall be upon him."
      
   2. 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 "And Jehovah, the God of their fathers, sent to them by his messengers, rising up early and sending, because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling-place: 16 but they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and scoffed at his prophets, until the wrath of Jehovah arose against his people, till there was no remedy."
      
   3. Proverbs 13:13 "Whoso despiseth the word bringeth destruction on himself; But he that feareth the commandment shall be rewarded."
      
   4. 1 Kings 20:35-36 "And a certain man of the sons of the prophets said unto his fellow by the word of Jehovah, Smite me, I pray thee. And the man refused to smite him. 36 Then said he unto him, Because thou hast not obeyed the voice of Jehovah, behold, as soon as thou art departed from me, a lion shall slay thee. And as soon as he was departed from him, a lion found him, and slew him." (The next fellow the prophet asked did what he was told!)
      
   5. Proverbs 1:7 "The fear of Jehovah is the beginning of knowledge; But the foolish despise wisdom and instruction."
      
6. There are attitudes toward the Word of God that all need to follow.
   
   1. Exodus 9:19-21 "Now therefore...hasten in thy cattle and all that thou hast in the field; for every man and beast that shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die. 20 He that feared the word of Jehovah among the servants of Pharaoh made his servants and his cattle flee into the houses. 21 And he that regarded not the word of Jehovah left his servants and his cattle in the field."
      
   2. Numbers 22:18 "And Balaam answered and said unto the servants of Balak, If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of Jehovah my God, to do less or more."
      
   3. Numbers 24:13 "If Balak would give me his house full of silver and gold, I cannot go beyond the word of Jehovah, to do either good or bad of mine own mind; what Jehovah speaketh, that will I speak."
      
   4. 1 Thessalonians 2:13 "And for this cause we also thank God without ceasing, that, when ye received from us the word of the message, even the word of God, ye accepted it not as the word of men, but, as it is in truth, the word of God, which also worketh in you that believe."

CONCLUSION-- These are but a few passages that teach us to preserve and respect and obey the Word of God.

1. We need to follow the example of the Apostle Paul.
   
   1. 2 Corinthians 2:17 "For we are not as the many, corrupting the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God, speak we in Christ."
      
   2. 2 Corinthians 4:2 "But we have renounced the hidden things of shame, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by the manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God."
      
2. We must reject the wisdom of men, and love the truth.
   
   1. 1 Corinthians 2:12-13 "But we received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is from God; that we might know the things that were freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Spirit teacheth; combining spiritual things with spiritual words."
      
   2. Colossians 2:8-10 "Take heed lest there shall be any one that maketh spoil of you through his philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ: 9 for in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, 10 and in him ye are made full, who is the head of all principality and power:"
      
   3. 2 Thessalonians 2:7-12 "For the mystery of lawlessness doth already work: only there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way. 8 And then shall be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to nought by the manifestation of his coming; 9 even he, whose coming is according to the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 and with all deceit of unrighteousness for them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11 And for this cause God sendeth them a working of error, that they should believe a lie: 12 that they all might be judged who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness."