WRONG THINKING

1. Sometimes people say things that seem to stay with us as the years pass.

2. While in the Air Force I worked with a man who worded things in interesting ways.

3. One of his favorite lines was, “You thought wrong.”

WHEN WE LOOK AT ACTS 8, WE FIND A MAN WHO “THOUGHT WRONG.”

a) A man named Simon became a Christian.

b) Sometime after his conversion he tried to buy the power to pass on the Holy Spirit.

c) Verse 20 says Simon “thought” he could buy the gift of God with money.

2) When Luke wrote the word thought, he used a very special term (nomizo).

3) This term means that a person was thinking or supposing something, but their view was incorrect.

4) Stated another way, people had a faulty idea or wrong conclusion.

5) Tonight I want to look at many of the places in the New Testament where this term is found.

6) We start with 3 chapters in Mt. (5; 10; 20) and then move to Luke 2 and Lk. 3.

7) The first place this word is found is in a well known passage, Mt. 5:17.

8) Here Jesus spoke about His relationship with the Old Testament law.

9) Perhaps He gave this teaching because it laid a foundation for later material in this chapter.

10) Jesus later said in Matthew 5, “Ye have heard it said but I say unto you.”

11) People might have been wondering what Jesus had in mind concerning the Old Testament law.

12) Here is what He told them – Mt. 5:17 – READ.

a) Jesus told people, “Don’t think I am discarding Moses’ law.”

b) Jesus didn’t do that. Gal. 4:4 says Jesus was “born under the law.”

c) Jesus lived under this law and He obeyed this law because it was in force during His life.

d) In the next verse of Gal. 4 (4:5), Paul said Jesus “redeemed those who were under the law.”

e) Thus, Mt. 5:17 means Jesus “fulfilled” the law (completed it) so a new law could be given.

f) Jesus did want first century people to think He was trying to destroy the Old Testament law.

13) Today we also have people who make false assumptions about the Old Testament.

14) These false conclusions are different from the ones drawn by first century Jews, but they are just as wrong.

15) From Mt. 5 we slip over to Mt. 10:34.

16) This verse is also a well known passage.

17) Jesus warned people about what the New Testament would bring.

18) The Old Testament law would be fulfilled (Mt. 5:17), and this would allow a New Testament to come.

19) When the New Testament arrived Jesus said it would create difficulties for people.

20) Here is the exact reading of His statement – Mt. 10:34 – READ.

a) It appears that people were thinking that Jesus planned to make everyone feel good.

b) The Lord said, “don’t think that” (do not be taken in by that false conclusion).

c) Jesus said He was pain and problems.

d) God doesn’t want to hurt people, but He knew what the New Testament Scriptures would do.

e) God’s word affects people because it requires people to make a choice.

f) Some accept the New Testament and love it. Others hear it and hate it.

g) Because of man’s strong reactions to the Bible, Jesus said He was brining a sword.

21) Today, anyone who thinks that Christianity will make everyone happy is thinking incorrectly.

22) Our third reference from Matthew is found in the 20^th chapter, Mt. 20:10.

23) In this reference the thought is introduced at the start of the chapter.

a) According to Mt. 20:1, there was a man who needed to hire some workers.

b) He went out early in the morning and hired laborers for a certain amount of money.

c) He went out a few hours later and hired additional men for the same amount of money.

d) He comes out two more times and hired men at each of these later times for the same wage.

e) Then he went out when there is only one hour left to work and hired yet more men.

24) In this culture, people were paid at the end of the day; they were day-laborers.

25) All this information leads us up to verse 10 – READ.

a) Certain men “thought” (the same word used in Acts 8) they would receive more.

b) The men who had worked all day believed they would get more than those who had worked an hour.

c) When everyone was paid the same, there were some complaints.

d) Did the business man cheat any of the workers? No.

e) He offered a certain wage to people who needed a job, and each worker said, “we agree to that.”

f) Assuming that we will get more than what was agreed to is a bad assumption.

26) We now leave Matthew and turn to Lk. 2:44.

27) Joseph and Mary had come to Jerusalem and they were heading back home.

28) Both Mary and Joseph “thought” Jesus was part of group returning home.

29) Mary and Joseph were good parents, and they sincerely believed the Lord was with them.

30) Being good is not enough.

31) Being sincere and supposing something is correct are also not enough.

32) In our secular and spiritual lives, “supposing” that something is true is of no real value.

a) We might suppose that all people are honest, but that doesn’t make it so.

b) We can believe that God will save us, but if our belief is not based upon the Bible, it is untrue.

c) Lk. 2:44 further attests to the danger of assumptions and suppositions.

d) In this case it meant a child was overlooked when a family headed for hoem.

33) In the next chapter of this book, Lk. 3:23, we read about another bad supposition.

34) Matthew’s genealogy of Jesus is in the first chapter of Matthew.

35) Luke saves this information for the third chapter of his gospel.

36) Here is what he said in Lk. 3:23 – READ.

a) People “thought” Jesus was the Son of Joseph, same word.

b) By using a special word, Luke said the thinking was incorrect; people drew a false conclusion.

c) We can probably understand why people believed as they did.

d) First century people, just like now, know how babies are brought into the world.

e) In this instance, the conclusion was false.

37) It is not always an easy thing to do, but Christians have a special obligation.

38) When we see people drawing false conclusions, we need to tell them they have reasoned incorrectly.

39) When people suppose or assume something to be true when it is not, we need to show them their error.

40) That will not always be received well, but this is something we must do because of the golden rule.

41) From Luke’s gospel we turn to the other book he wrote, Acts 7:25.

42) Luke records how Stephen recited some Old Testament history before a hostile Jewish audience.

43) Part of the history lesson involved Moses.

44) You may remember that Moses saw an Egyptian mistreating a Hebrew slave.

45) Moses killed the abuser.

46) Moses did that because of an assumption on his part – Acts 7:25 – READ.

a) As we look at this verse we find another valuable lesson.

b) When we do things we may think (suppose) others understand the basis for our behavior.

c) We often assume that others automatically grasp what we are thinking/trying to accomplish.

d) In some many instances, this is not the case.

e) Certainly the world does not understand the kind of teaching we do within the church.

f) When we teach God’s word and believe others know that, many in the world see us as hateful.

g) Assumptions affect us in other ways; it can happen within the church.

h) It is frequently unwise to assume that people will understand what we are doing.

i) This didn’t work too well for Moses, and often today, we still have problems in this area.

j) If it looks like something should be explained to others, offer an explanation.

47) For the next Acts reference we have Acts 14:19.

48) Throughout the first century, Jews persecuted Christians.

49) One of the Christians Jews really hated was Paul.

50) Many of the hostile Jews were like modern protestors.

51) They went to wherever Christians we preaching and they protested.

52) They tried to cause problems and discourage people from becoming Christian.

53) In this case they persuaded people to oppose the gospel and they were involved in stoning Paul.

54) Luke says they “supposed” (same word) that they had killed the apostle Paul.

55) These people drew a conclusion but they were wrong.

56) It is usually a bad thing to make assumptions about God and even God’s people.

57) If we are going to draw conclusions in the spiritual realm, it must be based upon facts.

58) Next from Acts is Acts 16:27.

a) Paul and Silas had been beaten and placed in jail.

b) About midnight an earthquake shook the prison house and the cell doors were opened.

c) The restraints on the prisoners were opened.

d) Verse 27 says the jailor “supposed” the prisoners had escaped.

59) Here is one more demonstration of an assumption that was a very bad assumption.

60) Had this man not been stopped by Paul, his assumption would have led him to commit suicide.

61) Today we allow assumptions and false conclusion to still injure us and others.

a) How many times have we heard someone say something like this:

b) “She didn’t talk to me so she must be mad at me”?

c) “We are not liked/appreciated because _________”?

d) People have left Christ because of assumptions.

e) All kinds of relationships have been broken because of incorrect suppositions.

f) By using a special word in the New Testament, we are warned about drawing false conclusions.

62) Acts 17:29 is next, and this reference will be read.

63) This chapter has the famous “Mar’s Hill” discussion.

64) Paul met up with people who were “very religious.”

65) Here is what Luke records in verse 29 – READ.

66) We ought not to “think” of God in certain ways.

67) That is, Paul said, “be wary of drawing false conclusions concerning God.”

a) Today not many religious teachers warn about making assumptions concerning deity.

b) We can also say the same about God’s word.

c) Paul offered this kind of warning, and we must do as he did.

d) It is possible to assume things about God or the Scriptures.

e) In our world, this is extremely common. People say God will or can do this or that.

f) Time after time these statements are radically opposed to the Scriptures.

g) God tells us this is something to avoid.

68) If you are taking down references you might also jot down Acts 21:29.

69) My last passage is 1 Tim. 6:5.

70) Paul said that people “supposed” godliness was a “way of gain.”

71) People assumed that religion was a way to make money.

72) So many people in life have surrounded themselves with false assumptions and suppositions.

73) They are like the kind of person who builds their house on the sand.

74) God says we do not need to live in that way.

75) We can find the truth, know the truth, and obey the truth.

76) That kind of life allows us to live each day with confidence and assurance.

77) Are we careful about drawing false conclusions?

78) Is our life at this moment resting on faulty assumptions?

79) We can have a solid foundation by living according to God’s word.