Theme

The church of today needs to stand firmly for sound doctrine. Forsake not the ancient doctrines which your fathers instructed you in.

Introduction

Last week, we considered the theme of Walking in the Old Paths and addressed the shift in the modern church away from holiness and separated Christian living toward worldliness and compromise. The focus was on old paths Christian living rather than sound doctrine.

Today, we will focus on the sound doctrine of our fathers.

Sermon Outline

  • The Ancient Landmarks of Israel
  • The Ancient Landmarks of Today

The Setting of the Landmarks

The LORD God told Moses to instruct Israel regarding the division of the Promised Land between the tribes.

Numbers 34:1-2
“And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, Command the children of Israel…”

Moses passed on God’s instruction to the children of Israel, and Joshua fulfilled the word of the Lord.

Joshua 11:23
“So Joshua took the whole land… and Joshua gave it for an inheritance unto Israel according to their divisions by their tribes.”

The division of the Promised Land was done according to God’s plan, not man’s ideas.

Since it was God who gave Israel the land and who commanded the division of the land between the tribes, it was important that Israel should maintain the division between the tribes and between the inheritance of the families within the tribes.

If a family lost their plot of land, there would be no way of purchasing another, since the whole land had been divided.

This meant the landmarks had to remain in place so it would be clear what land belonged to whom.

It was God who established the borders and boundaries of the tribes, which meant it was important to God that those boundaries be kept.

The Purpose of the Landmarks

The landmarks were there to ensure that the God-ordained distribution of the land was maintained.

Why the Land Was Important

  • It was the family inheritance
  • It was a permanent place to call home
  • It was never to be sold or stolen

Leviticus 25:23
“The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine…”

Under the Levitical Law, land could be leased but not permanently sold.

Leviticus 25:13

The land was also intended to be a source of income for the family.

Families could raise crops, sheep, cattle, or other produce to provide for themselves.

Thirdly, the land represented the family’s place within God’s covenant people.

Protection Through the Landmarks

The landmarks were also for the protection of the people.

Proverbs 23:10

They specifically protected the fatherless.

Removing or tampering with landmarks was theft.

Deuteronomy 19:14
“Thou shalt not remove thy neighbour’s landmark…”

Without landmarks, boundaries become unclear, disputes arise, and people take what is not theirs.

When there is no landmark, people put boundaries wherever they like.

The Ancient Landmarks of Today

The Doctrines of the Faith

The doctrines of the Christian faith are the ancient landmarks of today.

It is the responsibility of the local church to uphold the truths of the Word of God and stand for sound doctrine.

1 Timothy 3:15
“…the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.”

Jude 1:3-4
“…earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”

“The faith” refers to the body of truth once delivered unto the saints.

These are the ancient landmarks laid by our fathers.

The Landmarks / Doctrines We Uphold

1. The Trinity

Genesis 1:26
Matthew 28:19
1 John 5:7

God the Father

We believe that God the Father is Jehovah.

He is Spirit, Creator, and Sustainer of all things.

God the Son

We believe that Jesus Christ is God the Son.

We believe in:

  • His deity
  • His virgin birth
  • His incarnation
  • His sinless life
  • His miracles
  • His substitutionary death
  • His bodily resurrection
  • His bodily ascension
  • His present intercession

God the Holy Spirit

We believe that the Holy Spirit is a Person, not merely an influence.

He:

  • Inspired Scripture
  • Convicts of sin
  • Gives life at salvation
  • Indwells believers
  • Seals believers
  • Empowers holy living

2. Literal Six-Day Creation

Genesis 1-2
Exodus 20:11

We believe God created the universe in six literal 24-hour days.

We reject:

  • Evolution
  • Gap Theory
  • Day-Age Theory
  • Theistic Evolution

3. Salvation

Believe the Fundamentals

  • The Bible is God’s Word
  • Jesus Christ is God
  • Jesus bled and died for our sins
  • Jesus rose bodily from the grave
  • Salvation is by repentance and faith in Christ

Act on the Fundamentals

The sinner must:

  • Recognise personal sin
  • Understand they cannot save themselves
  • Believe Christ made full atonement
  • Repent of sins
  • Trust Christ alone for salvation

4. Eternal Security of the Believer

John 10:26-29
Ephesians 1:13-14
Romans 8:16-17
1 Peter 1:3-5

Those saved by faith in Christ are eternally secure.

When a Christian sins, fellowship is hindered, but not relationship.

5. Local Church Assembly

Hebrews 10:25

We believe a local church is an autonomous assembly of believers who gather to:

  • Worship God
  • Hear preaching
  • Receive instruction
  • Fellowship
  • Evangelise
  • Support missions
  • Observe ordinances

6. Two Church Ordinances

Full Immersion Water Baptism

Acts 8:38-39
Romans 6:3-5

Baptism:

  • Follows salvation
  • Does not save
  • Symbolises identification with Christ

The Lord’s Supper

Matthew 26:26-29
1 Corinthians 11:23-32

The Lord’s Supper was given to the church and should be observed in the church context.

7. Future Events

We Believe In:

  • The pre-tribulational rapture
  • The second coming of Christ
  • Rewards for faithful believers
  • Final judgement of the unsaved

The Reason for the Landmarks

God Established the Boundaries

These doctrines are God-ordained and must not be tampered with.

As with Israel’s landmarks, God established the doctrines of the Christian faith through His Word.

Landmarks Protect the Church

A church doctrinal statement helps:

  • Prevent false doctrine
  • Show where the church stands
  • Guard the people
  • Keep false teachers uncomfortable
  • Protect future generations

When There Is No Landmark

People create their own boundaries.

Churches changing doctrine must ensure they are moving toward God’s Word, not modern philosophy.

The church must stand for:

“The faith once delivered unto the saints.”

Conclusion

Remove not the ancient landmarks which thy fathers have set.

Do not go after some new truth recently discovered.

Do not leave the old paths for some new way of doing church or presenting the gospel.

The Word of God has not changed.

Stick with the old paths and stand by the ancient landmarks.