Change Movement Sermons Series

PROFANING THE HOLY

In ancient times things that were sacred and devoted God were described as "holy."  Especially were the items associated with the worship of God in his temple considered holy. To misuse or mishandle God's sacred things was the sin of profanation (Lev. 19:8). For profane hands to touch that which was holy was a great offense to God and a shock to the sensibilities of his righteous servants. "They shall not profane the holy things...which they offer unto Jehovah and so cause them to bear the iniquity that bringeth guilt" (Lev. 22:15).  God charged unfaithful priests with doing "violence to my law, and have profaned my holy things; they...made no distinction between the holy and the common..." (Ezek. 22:26).

When Korah, Dathan and Abiram challenged Moses and Aaron for the leadership of Israel, it was not only rebellion but profanation (Num. 16:1-40).  When Uzziah the king of Judah sought to enter the holy place and offer incense it was a profane deed for which God severely punished him (II Chron. 26:16-21).

Some acts of profanation were flagrant and diabolic.  Such it was when Antiochus Epiphanes, king of Syria erected an image of Zeus in the temple of God and then ordered a swine to be sacrificed and its blood scattered over God's sacred things.  Other profanations were not deliberate or malicious, nevertheless they were harshly dealt with by Jehovah. When David was moving the ark of the covenant from Kiriath-jearim to Jerusalem, he failed to follow the divine procedure that it be carried by staves, on the shoulders of the Levites (Deut. 10:8; I Chron15:2).  They carefully  placed the ark on a new cart draw by oxen. When the oxen stumbled,  Uzzah, one of the attendants, fearing the ark was going to fall,  reached out to stabilize it. Not being a Levite, he was not authorized to touch the ark. God smote him and he died (I Chron. 13:10).  This harsh lesson emphasized for all ages the importance of absolute respect for all things holy to Jehovah.

The church of Christ, purchased by the dying blood of God's Son is holy (Acts 20:28).  So is His testament, ratified and sanctified by his precious blood (Matt. 26:28; Heb. 9:17-18). Holy also are the doctrine, ordinances and practices ordained by the founder, head and savior of the church.  We are warned against teaching "a different doctrine" (I Tim. 1:3).

No mortal man is authorized to tamper with or change the holy things of Christ's  religion.  To add to or take from them is to invite disaster (Rev.22:18-19).  When preachers and teachers presume to ignore, modify or change the holy practices, principles and doctrines given by Christ they are placing profane hands on that which is holy! 

• When God says that we are to "hold the pattern of sound words" (II Tim. 1:13) and promoters of change deny that there is a divine pattern, they profane the Word of God.

• When change agents attempt to change the praise ordained by heaven from "singing and making melody with your heart" (Eph. 5:19) to sing and making melody on an organ, they have profaned that which is holy!

• When they seek to change the Lord's Supper from a sacred memorial (I Cor. 11:25) to a joyous festival and part of a fellowship meal  they have profaned the holy.

• When they would replace the proclamation of the gospel (Mk. 16:15; Rom. 1:16) with stories, jokes and promotions of common, ordinary things, they are profaning the holy.

• When they turn the worship of God into a theater for entertainment it is profanation.

• When they would elevate women to position of public leadership in the church even though God has specifically denied that to them (I Cor. 14:33-34; I Tim. 2:11-12), they have profaned God's holy things.

• When they seek to gain possession of houses of worship and schools built and paid for by other Christians for the honor and glory of God and use them for their new doctrines and practices, such is profanation.

• When they discount and make fun of the sacred name "churches of Christ" (Rom. 16:16), such is profanation.  Such sarcastic expressions as the "Churches of Christ of the yellow pages" smells of profanation.

• When they dare to tell sinners that they can be saved by grace, before they are immersed in the name of Jesus for the remission of their sins (Acts 2:38), they are profaning the holy.

• When they deny that Christians are in any way or sense under the law of Christ, even though the Holy Spirit teaches that we must be submissive to the royal law of Christ (Jas. 2:8), the perfect law of liberty in Christ (Jas. 1:25) they are profaning the Holy will of God.

• When they seek to broaden the fellowship of Christ's family to those not born into it (John 3:3,5), they profane it.

• When the pit their human wisdom against the revealed will of God that too is profanation.

Given the severity with which God dealt with profaners of his sacred things in days past, the prudent man will take care not to take any unauthorized liberties with God's Word, his church, his doctrine and his worship today. 

Lest we be found complicitors with profaners, every man and woman should roundly reject any and every man who proposes to make changes to the holy things of God.  We don't want to partake of other men's sins (I Tim. 5:22) nor their punishments.