What a wonderful message my mom preached last Sunday.  If you havent listened to it yet I encourage you to give it a listen.  

There were so many things about last weeks message that blessed me.  One of the things that stood out was the question my mom posed about the erroneous doctrines she believed.  Why didnt she see those doctrines werent from God?  Why was she deceived by them to begin with?  What is it that left her blinded to what those doctrines were really all about?  

We are going to look at what it is that can leave us open to be tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine, and what can act as a discerner for us and keep us from being tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine?

Doctrine isn’t necessarily only pertaining to theology.  It can also pertain to what we believe about anything in our lives.

Eph 4:11  And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;
Eph 4:12  For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:
Eph 4:13  Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:
Eph 4:14  That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;

The apostle Paul says the faith that came in Jesus; he says the knowledge of the promise of immortality that is come to us in Jesus keeps us from being tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine. 

If we look at the letter of james in chapter 1 beginning with verse 5 it says 

Jas 1:5  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.  
Jas 1:6  But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
Jas 1:7  For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
Jas 1:8  A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

The people James is writing to were in the midst of tribulation.  They sat with a desire for life but didn’t mix their desire for life with the faith that came in Jesus.  They wanted peace but didn’t mix their desire for peace with the word of truth, and that allowed a lust for life to be born in them and caused them to go after other doctrines.  

….. in the letter to the hebrews, the hebrews were lusting after the blessing and life they desired through the works of the law because they didnt see the substance of the life they longed for was contained in Jesus.  They didnt mix their longing to be cleansed from sin and death with the faith that was revealed in Jesus, and that left them being confused in their doctrines.  

James says a double minded man is unstable in all his ways. 

If a persons life is not built upon the rock that is Christ’s indestructible life they will be double minded.  They’ll be led astray by the carnal mind telling them they lack and telling them how they can satisfy the lack they feel.  They’ll be led astray by the carnal mind telling them what they can do to justify themselves with a life that is right.

That will make them unstable in all their ways.  Tossed to an fro with every wind of doctrine they come across.  Always learning but never being intimate with the word of truth.  There is no life in the things they are looking too so they are left unstable, always being tossed from this thing to that thing.  All the time searching for the life that is only found in Christ.

James says if any person lacks wisdom let them look to God.  

Wisdom about what?  Wisdom about where they can find their desire for life satisfied.  Remember these people encountered tribulation and were desiring peace.  

If any person lacks wisdom about where they can find the peace they desire.  Let them look to God who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing, when He begat us to a living hope through the word of truth that is Jesus.  James is saying let them look to what God has done in Christ for the wisdom they desire.  As Paul says Christ is become unto us wisdom.  

James says let them ask in faith.  Faith is a noun here, its the gospel truth itself.  Let them ask in faith, not wavering by looking to some other doctrine, knowing that God has freely given us every good and perfect gift we desire for our lives in Christ. 

Jas 1:14  says every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.

We are tempted with strange doctrines; we are tempted to take on beliefs that aren’t consistent with Christ, when we are drawn away of our own lust for life.  Not mixing the desire we have for life with the faith that was revealed in Jesus.  

If we do not see the substance of everything we’ve ever wanted for our lives is contained within the faith that came in Jesus.  If we don’t seek to find our desire for life satisfied in what God has done in Christ, our desire will turn to lusting after life through the world and its systems and through the strength of the flesh.  And that will leave us susceptible to strange doctrines and being tossed to and fro by every wind of doctrine that comes to us, telling us how we can see our desire for life satisfied.  

If you dont see your desire for life satisfied in the life that manifested in the man Christ Jesus, you will search for life in all sorts of things.  You’ll be blind to where life is found.  You won’t see what has life in itself to give and what doesnt have life in itself to give.  You will never find the satisfaction you long for, and that will leave you open to all sorts of strange doctrines and worldly wisdom.  

A strange doctrine is any belief that tells you the desire you have for life can be satisfied in something other than Jesus.  Its any belief that tells you the desire you have for life can be satisfied through the good the world has to offer or through the strength of the flesh to perfect your own life.  

The birthing place for strange doctrines is the belief you come behind in some good thing that is needed to experience life and have godlikness.  Example of Eve in the garden …..

We are able to be deceived in our doctrines and what we believe the moment we think we come behind in some good thing that is needed to experience life and godlikness, and we think God is lacking in providing it to us freely as a gift through Jesus.  

James says Do not err my beloved brethren …. The peace you long for; the life you long to see manifested can only be found in what God has done of His own will to begat us to an indestructible life in Christ ….. every good and perfect gift comes from the Father of Lights in Heaven and what He has done in Christ to rescue our lives from this world and hide our lives with Himself in Christ.  

Cant be tossed to and fro when you are grounded in the knowing that all the nutrients needed for life are contained in Christ and given freely in Christ.  Whenever you feel a desire for life or you feel pressed by the tribulation you encounter what will happen is you will fellowship with the Father and how He has given you the life you long for in Jesus.  

Eternal life acts as an anchor to the soul.  It is unto us discernment.  Eternal life acts as a discerner for us, keeping our hearts from any wisdom that is earthy or born from corruption or death or lack.  

Possessing eternal life speaks a word in the heart.  It intercedes in your heart.  It says you are righteous, even as Jesus is righteous.  It persuades your heart that your cup runneth over.  It tells you that now you have all things pertaining to the life and godlikeness you have always desired.  It tells you that as the man Jesus is now, seated at the right hand of God, sinless, without spot or blemish, having a life that overcomes death, and makes death bow down, so are You in this world.  As hebrews says even though our physical eyes may not see all tribulation yet under our feet, we see Jesus, and we know we have overcome the tribulation in him.  

The idea that I need to tithe to be blessed by God.  The idea that I need to perform the works of the law can only make sense if I think I lack something that is needed for life and godlikeness. 

I may sit with a desire for a certain government but I can never be tossed to and fro in my beliefs by what I see in the government because I see that God has begotten me again to an incorruptible life through the word of truth that is Jesus.  I see that every good and perfect gift I desire is contained in the faith the Father has given as a gift in Jesus.  So if the governments of the world fall apart I wont be tossed to and fro by doctrines that say the power unto a godly life and the power unto the gospel going forth is found in the governments of this world having the proper laws.  I wont be tossed to and fro by a doctrine that tells me my freedom is wrapped up in how it goes with the governments of the world. 

The idea we need to cleanse ourselves from sin by our good works and self effort doesn’t look good for food if we are grounded in the truth that God has cleansed us once for all time in Jesus.  The idea we can attain to the blessing of God by giving 10% doesnt look good for food if we are grounded in the knowing that the blessing of life we desire is contained in Christ alone, and God has given us all things freely in Christ.  The idea that we need to preserve ourselves from the injustices and the corruption and the death in the world doesnt look like it can feed us with life if we see the justice we long for is contained in the resurrection of Jesus, and we see that God has cleansed us once for all time from the death in the world by coming and supping with us in our house and causing death to pass over us through Jesus.  

We seek Jesus and what God has done in Jesus.  We do not seek experiences, or power, or authority, or the peace the world offers.  We sit at the feet of Jesus and receive nutrients from him and the life he has in Himself.  

If I see that God has already freely given me all things that pertain to life and godlikeness in Christ then I wont look to the world and its systems or any other system to be justified with life, and that will keep me from being tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine.  As the apostle Paul says let every thought we have be taken captive by Christ.  

Explain using Jesus not being tossed to and fro on the cross