Doctrine
Divides
John 18:19 “The high priest then asked
Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine.
20 Jesus answered him, I spake
openly to the world; I ever taught in the synagogue,
and in the temple, whither the Jews always resort;
and in secret have I said nothing.
21
Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I
have said unto them: behold, they know what I said.
22 And when he had thus spoken, one
of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the
palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high
priest so?
23 Jesus answered
him, If I have spoken evil, bear witness of the
evil: but if well, why smitest thou me?
24 Now Annas had sent him bound unto
Caiaphas the high priest.”
Skip down to verse 28
28 “Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas
unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and
they themselves went not into the judgment hall,
lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat
the passover.
29 Pilate then
went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring
ye against this man?
30 They
answered and said unto him, If he were not a
malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto
thee.”
1. What Is Doctrine?
2. What
Accusation?
1. What Is Doctrine?
Verse nineteen: “The high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine.”
Whatever doctrine is, it divides people from one and another. People are divided over doctrine. Then, can doctrine be good for us?
Now, this is a good question.
In this sin cursed world DIVISION is health for our bones.
We just do not realize it, do we? I am not messing with you. Just be patient with me.
We [that is mankind] do not have the mind of God, do we?
We in our natural state are at enmity with God. [Gal 5:17] “For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.”
We have a flesh problem. Our reaction to the things of God is contrary to God [to the nature of God].
Division is a good word. The word DIVISION is really a very pleasant word … according to God. [Proverbs 16:24] “Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.”
We have a problem seeing it God’s way. What is the solution? Here is the solution. We need ... to just acclimate to God’s ways of looking at things. Doctrine brings the contrast, so that we can see differences, so that we can see error.
A bright red color object stands out vividly when placed in the foreground of a white background. God “divided” the day from the night. DIVISION is something God uses. We see this in Genesis chapter one in verse four. “And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness.” [Genesis 1:4]
In the book of Exodus God “put a division” between two nations, God divided them. “And I will put a division between my people and thy people: to morrow shall this sign be.” [Exodus 8:23]
Doctrine divides men for good reason. The earth was divided in the days soon after the world-wide flood of Noah. [Genesis 10:25] “And unto Eber were born two sons: the name of one was Peleg; for in his days was the earth divided; and his brother's name was Joktan.”
Look with me in Genesis again, this time in Genesis chapter eleven in verse six. God divided the nations for their GOOD.
This thing of man building a one world government is contrary to the will of God because it brings evil. “And the Lord said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do.” [Genesis 11:6]
God scattered the people, instead of promoting their unity. Unity is NOT the important thing unless it is concerning the body of Christ. [Ephesians 4:3] “Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”
God instituted DIVERSITY at the tower of Babel by the confounding the LANGUAGE of mankind. [Genesis 11:9] “Therefore is the name of it called Babel; because the Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth.”
Division is God’s way in a sin cursed world. In fact, the very purpose in Jesus Christ coming to the earth was to bring:
DIVISION.
You say: “give me proof.” You do believe the BOOK, do you not? Ok!
Look with me at Luke chapter twelve, verse fifty-one: “Suppose ye that I am come to give peace on earth? I tell you, Nay; but rather division:” [Luke 12:51]. How is that for a bombshell?
Now, let’s get back to the question at hand. What is doctrine? Well the answer is staring us right in the face here. It is in verse twenty-one: “Why askest thou me? ask them which heard me, what I have said unto them: behold, they know what I said.”
Doctrine is: whatever Jesus Christ has said to us, “what I said.” [John 17:17] “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.”
2. What Accusation?
Verse twenty-nine: “Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man?”
Now, we come into “the hall of judgment: and it was early” ... to see the raw deal. The raw deal is having two-faced men making accusation.
Men hate division but they sure love to make accusation. This very thing [making accusation] is rooted in our sin nature. Where did we get it from?
We received our propensity to make accusation from our father the Devil. [John 8:44] “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it.”
Wow! “Are you saying Brother St.James that we are of the Devil?”
Friends, I am saying, that we all come into this world as the sons of disobedience which makes us kindred in spirit to the Devil himself. “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience:” [Epheisans 2:2].
Remember, that Satan is an accuser of the brethren. [Revelation 12:10] “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.”
This is what Satan did to Job a long time ago. [Job 1:9] This is what these religious leaders did to Jesus Christ. They accused HIM of being a malefactor in verse thirty: “They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee.”
Now, a malefactor is “one who commits a crime; one guilty of violating the laws, in such a manner as to subject him to public prosecution and punishment, particularly to capital punishment; a criminal.”
Look at it! The ONE, WHO was without sin, “who knew no sin” [2 Corinthians 5:21b] was accused by the very ones, who are guilty of the blackest of SIN before a HOLY and a JUST GOD.
There is one thing more I can add to this ... by way of testimony.
Before Rick St.James got saved, I was a horrible sinner, neigh, much worse than this, I was a worm!
I could have been one of them that day [but for the GRACE of GOD] that nailed HIM to Cross of Calvary.
I could have been one them [but for the GRACE of GOD] that accused Jesus Christ of being a dirty criminal. “If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee.”
If you would like read my testimony, just click here.
My friend, what about you?
What would have done with Jesus Christ that day [if you would have been there]?
What are you doing with Jesus Christ today?