12/21/78

DOCTRINE OF THE FOX DISTRACTION

1. This doctrine is taken from Matt 8:18-20. “Now when Jesus saw a crowd around Him, He gave orders to depart to the other side. And a certain scribe came and said to Him, `Teacher, I will follow You wherever You go.’ And Jesus said to him, `The foxes have holes [dens], and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay His head.’” (NASV)

1. Our Lord’s first command to depart is tantamount to the acceptance of doctrine.

2. This believer, though a student, has failed to distinguish between the security of the plan of God and human security. True security is freedom to learn doctrine.

2. The analogy between our Lord and the fox will turn away the scribe, whose emotional zeal is meaningless in facing the small distraction called the security test. The analogy is really between the scribe and the fox.

1. The Lord compares the scribe to the fox in terms of weakness.

2. He compares the fox and Himself in terms of strength. Our Lord’s strength is in His freedom.

3. The pseudo intellectual’s strength is in his ability to steal.

4. Our Lord is not as good as a fox because He is free and has none of the accouterments of society’s human security. So He shows the scribe he has the bad characteristics of the fox.

5. By making Himself lower than the fox, our Lord is in fact greater than the fox. Because, no matter how low you are, if you have freedom, you’re great.

3. Emotional fervor and good intention is not equivalent to following Christ or advancing in the plan of God.

1. Emotion destroys moral courage. Therefore, this believer will make the wrong decision.

2. Emotion puts blessing before doctrine. The plan of God puts doctrine before blessing.

3. A believer’s emotions are never functioning properly until doctrine comes first.

D. Security consciousness and spurious emotion hinder learning and believing the Word of God.

1. The scribe chooses security rather than freedom.

2. When you choose freedom, you are positive to doctrine. Freedom motivates you to fight and die for your country.

3. Security motivates cowardice. All pseudo intellectuals are cowards. The scribe has no concept of freedom.

4. Freedom keeps your motivation pure. Spurious emotion divorces you from reality.

E. So the fox distraction refers to negative volition based on living by your emotion and being distracted by human security.

__________________________________________________________________________

---------------------------------------------------------------------------