Satan’s Devices To Discredit To Distract To Divide To Discourage To Delay Plan To Resist

Man’s Plan “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12).

Man’s Plan Traditions

Traditions 1) Traditions can be good or bad. “Now I praise you, brethren, that you remember me in all things and keep the traditions just as I delivered them to you” (1 Corinthians 11:2). “Beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ” (Colossians 2:8).

Traditions 2) Tradition defined: “a handing down…, denotes a tradition, and hence, by metonymy, (a) the teachings of the Rabbis, interpretations of the Law, which was thereby made void in practice, (b) of apostolic teaching…” (Vine, p. 1170).

Traditions 3) The washing of hands. “Then the Pharisees and some of the scribes came together to Him, having come from Jerusalem. Now when they saw some of His disciples eat bread with defiled, that is, with unwashed hands, they found fault. For the Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they wash their hands in a special way, holding the tradition of the elders. When they come from the marketplace, they do not eat unless they wash. And there are many other things which they have received and hold, like the washing of cups, pitchers, copper vessels, and couches” (Mark 7:1-4).

Traditions 4) The charge - the answer. “Then the Pharisees and scribes asked Him, “Why do Your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with unwashed hands?” He answered and said to them, “Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written: ‘This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far from Me. And in vain they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men” (Mark 7:5-7).

Traditions 5) The rejection of God’s law. “For laying aside the commandment of God, you hold the tradition of men--the washing of pitchers and cups, and many other such things you do.” He said to them, “All too well you reject the commandment of God, that you may keep your tradition” (Mark 7:8-9).

Traditions 6) Human traditions – man’s plan! (a) Instrumental music (b) Burning of candles or incense (c) Bowing before an icon (d) The worship of Mary (e) Easter (f) Christmas

Man’s Plan Traditions No Scripture

Lack of Knowledge of the Scriptures 1) Question of the Sadducees. “The same day the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him and asked Him, saying: “Teacher, Moses said that if a man dies, having no children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were with us seven brothers. The first died after he had married, and having no offspring, left his wife to his brother. Likewise the second also, and the third, even to the seventh. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had her” (Matthew 22:23-28).

Lack of Knowledge of the Scriptures 2) The answer. “Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels of God in heaven. But concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God, saying, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? God is not the God of the dead, but of the living” (Matthew 22:29-32).

Lack of Knowledge of the Scriptures 3) Jesus’ words to the Jews. “You search the Scriptures, for in them you think you have eternal life; and these are they which testify of Me” (John 5:39).

Lack of Knowledge of the Scriptures 4) Ignorance is not bliss. “Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of God’s righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God” (Romans 10:1-3).

Lack of Knowledge of the Scriptures 5) A noble example. “These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness, and searched the Scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore many of them believed, and also not a few of the Greeks, prominent women as well as men” (Acts 17:11-12).

Man’s Plan Traditions No Scripture Human Wisdom

Human Wisdom 1) Paul’s message. “For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks foolishness, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men” (1 Corinthians 1:21-25).

Human Wisdom 2) Man’s inability. “There is a way that seems right to a man, But its end is the way of death” (Proverbs 14:12). “O LORD, I know the way of man is not in himself; It is not in man who walks to direct his own steps” (Jeremiah 10:23).

Human Wisdom 3) Think about Cain. “And in the process of time it came to pass that Cain brought an offering of the fruit of the ground to the LORD. Abel also brought of the firstborn of his flock and of their fat. And the LORD respected Abel and his offering, but He did not respect Cain and his offering. And Cain was very angry, and his countenance fell” (Genesis 4:3-5). “By faith Abel offered to God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, through which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and through it he being dead still speaks” (Hebrews 11:4).

Human Wisdom 4) Some know more than God? (a) Worship (Jn. 4:23-24). (b) Mission of the church (1 Tim. 3:15). (c) Organization of the church (Phil. 1:1). (d) Morals (Gal. 5:19-21). (e) Our nation (Prov. 14:34).

Man’s Plan Traditions No Scripture Human Wisdom New

Something New 1) Those at Athens. “Then certain Epicurean and Stoic philosophers encountered him. And some said, “What does this babbler want to say?” Others said, “He seems to be a proclaimer of foreign gods,” because he preached to them Jesus and the resurrection. And they took him and brought him to the Areopagus, saying, “May we know what this new doctrine is of which you speak? For you are bringing some strange things to our ears. Therefore we want to know what these things mean.” For all the Athenians and the foreigners who were there spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing” (Acts 17:18-21).

Something New 2) A new doctrine. “I just don’t believe in condemning people and being judgmental. Yes, there’s a way of condemning people and knocking them down and getting them to feel bad. That maybe can turn some people around, but I believe in just speaking the truth and letting them know they have good things in store” (Joel Osteen). “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers” (2 Timothy 4:3).

Something New 3) A new way to worship. “The younger set, according to Osteen are attracted to a church setting with “the best lighting and the best sound system,” a youth ministry program that attracts hundreds, and where every service kicks off with 30 minutes of upbeat contemporary music - not hymns played by a live band. “It’s not a churchy feel,” Osteen, 40, said. “We don’t have crosses up there. We believe in all that, but I like to take the barriers down that have kept people from coming” (Joel Osteen). “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth” (John 4:24).

Something New 4) To some it is a new building. “Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple, and His disciples came up to show Him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, “Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (Matthew 24:1-2).

Man’s Plan Traditions No Scripture Human Wisdom New

“They will put you out of the synagogues; yes, the time is coming that whoever kills you will think that he offers God service” (John 16:2).