What does entitlement mean?

• I deserve something. Society owes me.

Does our society struggle with the concept of entitlement?

• Yes!

Parenting – raising our kids and avoiding entitlement.

• Disciplining a child can help guide the child away from entitlement.
• Hebrews 12:3-11

Our society – dealing with entitlement in others!

• II Timothy 1:7
• Pursuing contentment rather than happiness?
• I Timothy 6:6-12
• Hebrews 13:5-6

Our spiritual family – keeping the entitlement culture out!

The church and its members

Biblical description of the church

• Universal

  • Hebrews 12:15-24 – Old Covenant vs New Covenant

  • Acts 9:31 – The size of the church (in the universal sense) multiplied.

• Local church

  • Galatians 1:21-24

  • I Corinthians 1:1-3

Universal church

• Jesus said He would build it – Matthew 16:18
• Bought it with His blood – Acts 20:28
• Loves it and gave Himself for it – Ephesians 5:25-29
• Wants it pure, blameless, holy – Ephesians 5:27
• Maintained in His word – John 17:17
• His body – Romans 12:4-5

Church – body of Christ

• We are not just individuals
• Members of each other
• One body – I Corinthians 10:16-24
• Seek our neighbors’ good
• Desire that all be pure – Colossians 1:21-23
• All the saved are added to it – Acts 2:41, 47

Local church

• Where all collective activities are undertaken – Acts 20:7

  • Saints have much or most Christian associations – Acts 2:44-47

  • Analogy of the body – I Corinthians 12:12-27

    • Baptized, obedient believer is member of the body

    • We all work together – Philippians 2:1-4

      • Single-minded purpose

      • Part of a whole, each member has a purpose, value – Ephesians 4:11-16

Introduction

• Colossians 2:21 – “Do not handle, do not taste, do not touch!”
• Colossians 2:20-22 – Context.

Consider the original meaning …

… in that culture.

• Proverbs 31:31 – “let her works praise her in the gates”
  • “Gates” was a common cultural idiom.
• Matthew 5:20 – “scribes and Pharisees”
  • Matthew 23:1-3; Mark 7:3 – More information about scribes and Pharisees and why Jesus rebuked them.
• Matthew 18:17 – “as a Gentile and a tax collector”
  • In that culture, Gentiles and tax collectors were hated and the Jews would not associate with them.

… to those people.

• Jeremiah 29:11 – “… plans for welfare”
  • The context is the exile in Babylon.
• John 16:13 – “the Spirit … will guide you into all truth”
• I Corinthians 7:27 – “Do not seek a wife.”

… using those words.

• “Samaritan”

  • This word has a good connotation today, but it didn’t then!

  • John 4:9

  • John 8:48 – They used it as a bad name to call someone!

• “church”

  • Acts 8:3 – The word church means “people.”

• “fellowship”

• “baptism”

Even if specifics have changed, find what is relevant to us.

• Jeremiah 29:11

• I Corinthians 14

  • I Corinthians 14:5 – Our concern should be edification.

  • I Corinthians 14:40 – Worship should be orderly.

• II Timothy 3:15 – Young people can study scripture. The Old Testament is valuable to study.

• None of the Bible was written to us, but it was written for us!

Beware of wild interpretations that stray from the original meaning.

• Example: “Puff the Magic Dragon”
• Example: Jehovah’s Witnesses and Daniel 4:23-25

Bringing it all together

• Test case: Matthew 24

  • Matthew 24:1-2 – The destruction of the temple was the context.

  • Matthew 24:34 – The events would happen within the lifetime of those present. The temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., which fits the prophecy by Jesus.

• Ecclesiastes 10:3-12:14
• Ecclesiastes 10:5-7 – One’s wisdom does not always benefit him.
• Ecclesiastes 10:8-11 – One does not always see the benefit of his hard work.
• Ecclesiastes 10:12-14 – Having a lot to say does not mean one is wise.
• Ecclesiastes 10:15 – A fool has trouble doing simple things and what he does accomplish is much more difficult.
• Ecclesiastes 10:16-20 – The importance of kings and the influence of their leadership: a king should be a good steward and not lazy. Be careful what you say, even in private. Words have a way of getting out.
• Ecclesiastes 11:1-2 – Work and maybe you will see a return.
• Ecclesiastes 11:3-4 – There is always an excuse not to work. If you focus too much on the risks, you will never do anything. See Proverbs 22:13.
• Ecclesiastes 11:5-6 – Work because you don’t know what will prosper.
• Ecclesiastes 11:7-10 – Enjoy the days of your youth!
• Ecclesiastes 12:1 – Compare Genesis 8:1; Exodus 20:8; Jeremiah 15:15; 31:34. “Remember” is not just about mental recall. It’s about picking a direction of action.
• Ecclesiastes 12:2-5 – Solomon may be figuratively talking about the ailments of old age.
• Ecclesiastes 12:8 – Solomon ends where he began – vanity (Ecclesiastes 1:2).
• Ecclesiastes 12:9-10 – Solomon left behind a tremendous body of work.
• Ecclesiastes 12:11-12 – Books are wearying!
• Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 – Solomon’s conclusion – fear God and keep His commandments. This applies to all of us.

Introduction

• Isaiah 59:2 – Sin separates us from God.
• Deuteronomy 6:24; I Timothy 4:8 – Not sinning is a benefit now and in eternity.

Sin invites trouble to my life!

• II Samuel 11:2-15; 12:14 – David’s sin with Bathsheba.
  • David caused the death of Uriah and of his infant child.
• Hebrews 12:15-17 – Esau could never recover what he lost when he gave away his birthright.
• Luke 13:4-5

Sin gives me a guilty conscience.

• Genesis 42:21-22; 50:15
• Matthew 27:3-5 – Judas hanged himself in guilt!
• Hebrews 9:14
• I Corinthians 15:9; Ephesians 3:8 – Paul carried his guilt of persecuting Christians the rest of his life.
• I Timothy 1:15; Acts 24:16 – Paul tried to put his sin behind him the rest of his life.

Sin might ruin my conscience.

• I Timothy 4:2
• Titus 1:15 – It’s possible to defile your conscience.
• Ephesians 4:17-19

Sin gets me into bad habits.

• Acts 8:9-10, 18-19
• Hebrews 10:25 – Missing worship can become a habit.

My sin affects others.

• Galatians 2:11-13 – Barnabas was caught up in Peter’s hypocrisy.
• Luke 17:1-2
• Our lives are like ripples in a pond – we affect others.
• Even if no one else is aware of your sin, you are a different person because of your sin. You are not as spiritually-minded as you could be otherwise.