Sermonette: Offering Profane Fire
#1854s
Craig Sablich
Given 10-Jan-26; 18 minutes
description: God's laws against pagan practices, and prohibitions against idolatry and strange worship, do not just mean worship of other gods, but worship in a way that seems to be right in our own hearts and not in the way that He commanded. From the perspective of people who did not grow up in the truth and grew up in "Christian" households, we see that they did not set out to worship the true God in an unholy manner, but that because of tradition, worldly culture, and traditional instructors of the Bible, they followed God in ways that He did not approve. Deuteronomy 12:30-32 instructs us what type of worship is expected of the followers of Christ and says that we should not add or subtract based on what we feel should be our own input and feelings. We should never look to worldly examples for their forms of how they worship their gods to apply to the One. God does not have a specific word for "pagan," but all forms of inappropriate worship are equivalent to paganism. The Nadab and Abihu story in Leviticus did not analyze their intent but the judgement was just as harsh no matter what their motives were. We are to walk in the way that Christ wants us to and not in the way the world wants to walk with Christ.
transcript:
Well, you know how it is, brother, when the holiday season rolls around, it has a way of reaching deeper than we expect. And for those of us who grew up in a traditional Christianity, it's not just about decorations or music, it's memories, love, of family, of belonging. And all of that, all the nostalgia and emotion was tied to what we were told was the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Now think about this for a moment. Most of the people sitting in church today are 2nd or 3rd generations. They never had to face the challenges of coming out of traditional Christianity. But for those of us who did, think back to those times when you first realized something just did not add up. And here is the thing, We were not trying to worship in the wrong way. We thought we were worshiping the true God the only way we knew how. But we did not go looking for errors. We did not wake up one day wanting to leave everything we had always known. We were not rebelling. We were not rejecting God. Most of us hadn't even seriously read the Bible. But once we were compelled to start reading God's word for ourselves, something became clear. Things just did not connect. What we were reading did not line up with the traditions we grew up with. As this year's season approached, my thoughts went back to a conversation I had a while back with a relative who asked how I could walk away from the Catholic Church. I tried my best to explain. I tried to use the right language, the right examples, at least what I thought would help express what had been shown to me. Then came the question everyone asked, So what church do you go to now? Well, I hesitated because it is not really about a church building or an organization or even a denomination. It's about a way of life, a system of belief God Himself designed. But he pressed the question, so I gave him an answer. Well, he must have looked it up while we were still talking because without hesitation, he said, That church started in the 90s. How could you possibly think that's the true church? And I'll be honest, that conversation still bothers me. Not because of what he said, but because of how poorly I felt I answered. See, I found myself defending an organization when really the whole issue had nothing to do with an organization at all. But it had everything to do with authority. That memory led me down to download a copy of the History of the True Church, a book many of us read decades ago, early on in our conversion. But you know how it is, brethren. Over time as our understanding grows, those early lessons can fade into the background, not because they were not important. But because we assume we've already learned them. But sometimes we need to bring them back to the front of our minds. Now as it happened, I was reading that book during the holiday season, and to me, the contrast could not have been clearer. It reminded me of what Jesus said in Luke chapter 6 verse 46. But why do you call me Lord, Lord and do not do the things which I say? That's what we noticed. That was the disconnect. It was not that the teachings we grew up with were not sincere. The problem was the contradiction they created. Christianity is teaching people to worship God but not in the way he required. But the things God clearly commanded or treated as optional, outdated, or unnecessary for the new Christian. But now we are taught to read the Bible, not to defend what we are being taught. But to examine it, to prove it, to see if it's true. Not to trust the authority of men but the authority of God. There is a particular word or phrase that tends to grab our attention when the holiday season comes around. Pagan worship And I wouldn't think any Christian should want to be associated with that term. But here is something that surprised me when I really started studying this word. The Bible doesn't actually contain a direct Hebrew or Greek word that matches our modern English word pagan. Instead, scripture uses words like idols, idolatry, nations, Gentiles, or heathen. And here is the point. Biblically speaking, pagan worship is not just about statues or mythological gods. It's about worship that is foreign to God that were never commanded by him. If we look at Hosea chapter 5 verse 7, the word translated pagan comes from the Hebrew zir, meaning strange or profane. In Ezra chapter 10 verse 2, the Hebrew word nakiri carries the same idea, foreign or strange. Now here is the part modern Christianity struggles with. The term pagan worship in the Bible is used to describe any form of worship that originates outside of God's instruction. It might have sincere intent, but it's foreign, unauthorized, and simply not commanded by God. In other words, it's unauthorized worship. And that's exactly what Nadab and Abayo learned the hard way. In Leviticus chapter 10 verse 1, we read. They offered profane fire before the Lord, which he had not commanded them. Now these men were not mocking God. They were not rejecting him. They probably thought their intentions were good. But here is the key, they chose to worship him their way. They disregarded God's clear instructions and used fire that did not come from the altar just as he had strictly commanded. In doing so, they revealed a careless, even arrogant disregard for His Holiness. And the consequences were severe. Fire came out from the Lord and consumed them. Well, why? Because God determines how he is worshiped. Good intentions have never been enough. Here's another thing to think about. One of the greatest deceptions of modern Christianity is the idea that ancient worship practices was primitive and modern worship is somehow advanced. It's not. It's the same practices God condemned anciently, just with new names. The same ancient calendars, the same festivals blended with borrowed traditions. God warned against these things and exact things in Deuteronomy chapter 12 verse 31. You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way. Then he makes this principle even clearer in verse 32. Whatever I command you, be careful to observe it. You shall not add to it nor take away from it. And yet this is exactly what Christian traditions have done. They've taken God's instructions, modified them, renamed them, and passed them off as acceptable worship. Throughout scripture, God never authorized the multiple systems of obedience. He makes it very clear that there is one law, one covenant, and one way of worship. Take a look at Exodus chapter 12 verse 49. One law shall be for the native born and for the stranger who dwells among you. Isaiah 56 confirms this too. Even the foreigner who joins himself to the Lord is welcomed into a covenant, but they must agree to keep the seventh day Sabbath, God's appointed feast, and rejecting any form of foreign worship. Now here is again where modern Christianity gets tricky. Today, obedience to God's law is often labeled as legalism. Jewish practices are rejected outright, while man-made holidays and traditions are embraced, presented as the faithful way. But that's not what God actually says. Deuteronomy chapter 10 verse 12 spells it out plainly. What does the Lord your God require of you but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all his ways, and to love Him. And to keep the commandments of the Lord and His statutes for your good. And what does the apostle John teach us about loving God? First John chapter 5 verse 3 reads, for this is the love of God that we keep His commandments. This is not about control or loss of free will. It's about relationships. The love of God is shown through obedience, not by replacing it with something easier or more convenient. As our understanding grew, it became clear that our developing faith no longer looked the way it once did. And when we compared what we were taught growing up to what scripture actually shows, it was obvious, something changed. But it was not God that changed. The early church did not see themselves as starting a new religion. Acts chapter 21 verse 20 tells us that thousands of believers, both Jew and Gentile, were zealous for the law. They never abandoned Moses, never discarded Scripture, and never rejected the way Abraham walked. They were walking those ancient paths more fully because now they had the Messiah's teachings. So if it was not God that changed, what did? It was authority. Daniel chapter 7 verse 25 describes a future power that would intend to change times and laws. History shows exactly how this unfolded. Anti-Jewish sentiment began to grow among many Gentile groups, not because scripture taught it, but because of human reasoning and the pride of men. Church leaders began to distance themselves from anything considered Jewish. The 7th day Sabbath, God's appointed feast, and obedience itself became a problem. Over time, a confusion developed within the church. In 325 AD Roman authorities stepped in and replaced God's instruction with their man-made traditions. God's Sabbath was replaced with Sunday worship. Passover was replaced by Easter. God's calendar was abandoned, and obedience was redefined as legalism. That's why Paul warned in Colossians 2:8 to beware of tradition and philosophy that are not according to Christ. Brethren, God has been warning mankind from the very beginning. But his words often fall on deaf ears. We're all familiar with what God commands in Deuteronomy chapter 12 verse 30. Take heed to yourself that you are not ensnared to follow them. And that you do not inquire after their gods, saying, how did these nations serve their gods? I will also will do likewise. We must hear God clearly here. He doesn't just command us not to worship other gods. He commands us not to worship Him in the same way as those that aren't gods. And yet within a few short decades, human traditions were inserted right into the heart of Christianity, claiming that God enjoyed it. These practices were accepted, renamed, and rebranded, not because God changed, but because his worship was blended with foreign customs. Scripture calls that kind of worship strange, foreign, and abominable. And yet it's practiced wholeheartedly in most forms of modern Christianity. This blending of systems, that's exactly what the Bible calls pagan worship. Christianity has rejected God's authority and replaced it with the authority of human tradition. Brethren, this is not about judging sincere believers. Most Christian people genuinely love God. This is about systems of belief built on foreign traditions. When a religion choose to reject the system of their own God. The very system he established, when it twists or discards his commandments, his commanded feast, his only authorized method of worship. When it redefines obedience itself, that worship becomes strange and unrecognizable to God. In those early days, we began to recognize these contradictions and chose to obey Revelation chapter 18 verse 4. Come out of her, my people. God pleads with His people to remove themselves from the systems of this world. But coming out was never meant to be the finish line. It was not about joining a new religion or converting to Judaism. It was, it was about returning. Returning to God's true Sabbath, to the faith once delivered to God's system, the way he designed it. This is about walking the same path Jesus walked, the path of Abraham, Moses, and the apostles is about returning to God's way, not creating something new. So when we look at all of this, brethren, we see that it's never just about Christmas, Easter, or Halloween. Those are only the surface, the symptoms. Which scripture exposes is far deeper. The foundation of modern Christianity rests on human tradition, not God's authority. The real question is simple. What system of beliefs will we accept that of Christ, the word of God made flesh, or traditions handed down by men? This is not about isolated practices. It's an entire system of worship that no longer asks God how he wants to be worshiped. A system that has become unrecognizable to God. A system of pagan worship. That's why the true church has always taught submission to God's authority, not loyalty to tradition. Everything must be brought under the scrutiny of God's word. We are all here today, brethren, on God's Sabbath because we've chosen to live in his system. We've chosen to return to him, to worship in the way he recognizes, to obey in the way he defines. To embrace the faith that existed before culture, politics, and human tradition reshaped it. So when God says come out of her, my people, he is not calling for rebellion, he's calling for a willingness to listen, to trust him enough to obey and to worship him on his terms. That is simply faith. Faith lived according to God's way of life. And really, that's all he's ever asked of his people. But brethren, this is not a one-time decision. It's an everyday decision. The trappings of the season with all of those warm nostalgic emotions is a weapon in the hands of Satan used in an attempt to draw us away from God. So brethren, we can't let our guard down. We must stay focused on a life dedicated to truth. Consistent prayer, consistent study, consistently proving all things, not focused on our will but on God's will, not under the authority of men. But under the authority of the pure whole word of God. That's the life God calls us to a life fully his, fully obedient, worshiping according to his authority.
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