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"WOULD WE HAVE BELIEVED THEM?"
 
INTRODUCTION
 
1. I have often wondered...
 a. How many of us living today
had we been living in the first
 century...
 b. Would have been receptive to the preaching of those like:
 1) John the Baptist?
 2) Peter?
 3) Paul?
 
2. Most of us would probably say
"Of course
for we receive them now!"
 a. But maybe that is because what they taught has become socially
 acceptable...
 b. And more often than not
their teaching is presented to us in a
 non-offensive manner
 
3. But how was the truth originally presented? By what manner of men?
 If we had been there
would we have believed them?
 
4. I hope in this lesson to challenge our thinking along these lines...
 
[Imagine
then
would we have believed men like...]
 
I. THE HARSH HERMIT?
 
 A. JOHN THE BAPTIST
WHO...
 1. Did his preaching in the wilderness
forcing people to come 
 out to hear him? - Mt 3:1-2
 2. Dressed himself in camel's hair and a leather girdle
eating a
 diet of locusts and wild honey? - Mt 3:4
 3. Called religious people coming to be baptized a "brood of
 vipers"? - Mt 3:5-7
 
 B. I SERIOUSLY DOUBT WE WOULD...
 1. IF we balk at having to travel some distance to study God's
  Word!
 a. As is sometimes the case today (e.g.
going twice on
 Sundays
etc.)
 b. But consider what Jesus taught in Mt 12:42
 2. IF we tend to judge people by the clothes they wear!
 a. It is easy to be affected by the "Dress For Success"
 philosophy
 b. But we need to remember God's perspective - 1 Sa 16:7;
 Ja 2:1-4
 3. IF we get upset or offended when a preacher points out our
 faults!
 a. Some would have preachers never preach "negative" sermons
 b. But even Jesus demonstrated that sometimes the occasion
 calls for strong measures - Mt 23:13-15
 
[Or how about the...]
 
II. THE HILLBILLY HYPOCRITE?
 
 A. THE APOSTLE PETER
A MAN...
 1. Whose "country ways" demonstrated his lack of formal religious
 training? - Ac 4:13
 2. Who denied Jesus three times? - Mt 26:69-75
 3. Whose hypocrisy on one occasion split a church? - Ga 2:11-13
 
 B. IT IS UNLIKELY...
 1. IF we expect a man to be formerly educated before we would 
 want him as a preacher!
 a. In some churches
a preacher is required to have a degree 
 to be considered acceptable
 b. But the wrong kind of learning can be a dangerous thing -
 cf. 1 Co 1:18-29
 2. IF we aren't willing to give others another chance who fail 
 us
especially more than once!
 a. If Peter had been treated like we sometimes treat fallen
 preachers today
would he have
 remained an apostle?
 b. Fortunately
the early church took to heart what Jesus
 taught Peter about forgiveness - Mt 18:21-22; Lk 17:3-4
 
[And then
what about...]
 
III. THE NOTORIOUS NERD?
 
 A. THE APOSTLE PAUL
WHO...
 1. Had been a blasphemer
persecutor of the church? - 1 Ti 1:13
 2. Was not a fluent speaker? - 1 Co 2:3-4
 3. Had a physical appearance described as "weak"? - 2 Co 10:10
 
 B. I DOUBT WE WOULD HAVE KINDLY RECEIVED PAUL...
 1. IF we hold a person's pre-Christian life against them!
 a. Such people must not believe in the power of the gospel to
 transform lives
 b. But consider what it did for the people of Corinth - 1 Co
 6:9-11
 2. IF we don't care to hear preachers whose sermon presentation
 lacks "polish"!
 a. Many people will not go to hear preachers who may be young

 inexperienced
or who are not eloquent
 b. Yet "smooth words and flattering speech" can oftentimes be
 used to deceive - Ro 16:17-18
 3. IF we tend to judge people by their physical appearance (size

 weight
etc.)!
 a. So people first judged Abraham Lincoln
 b. Again
we need to remember God's perspective on things -
 1 Sa 16:7
 
CONCLUSION
 
1. What I am suggesting is that how we receive people today is a strong
 indication as to whether we would have received such as John
Peter

 Paul and even Jesus! - cf. Mt 13:54-58
 
2. While we would like to think we would have been quick to listen and
 believe their message
perhaps we might have acted differently!
 
3. I hope that we appreciate the importance of looking beyond the
 messenger and how his message might be presented
to the message
 itself
 
4. But there is another way to determine if we would have believed them
 back then: HAVE WE OBEYED THEM TODAY?
 a. It may be speculation on our part to say we would have believed
 these men back in the first century...
 b. But one thing is sure...if we are unwilling to obey them today

 we certainly would not have done it then!
 
How about you...?

－－《Executable Outlines》