Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Evening Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/ev/ev20060604.htm

PROFITABLY LEARNING FROM THE ERRORS OF THE CULTS
Part IV: Profitably Learning From The Errors Of Freemasonry
(2 Timothy 3:13-17)
  1. Introduction
    1. Many large towns in the United States have a masonic lodge. The average businessman, upon becoming one, may presume he is joining a good group that pleases God as it seeks to help cure diseased and infirmed children through its drives and support of various charitable organizations. For this reason, even born again Christians belong to masonic lodges, and participate in their functions (at the lower degrees).
    2. However, in examining the beliefs of the masonic lodge according to Freemasonry's own authorities, we find it as an organization has a front that is very different from its very ancient pagan base, so we view Freemasonry in light of what 2 Timothy 3:13-17 teaches to learn from its errors (as follows):
  2. Profitably Learning From The Errors Of Freemasonry, 2 Timothy 3:13-17.
    1. To gain a correct view of the beliefs of Freemasonry, we appeal to the group's own authorities as follows:
      1. Jim Shaw, a past 33rd degree Mason, a Knight Commander of the Court of Honor, a Past Worshipful Master of the Blue Lodge, and Past Master of all Scottish Rite bodies, with Tom McKenney wrote the following about Freemasonry in the work, The Deadly Deception (Lafayette, LA: Huntington House):
        1. (Page 143) "Since the true meaning of Masonic symbols (and, thus, the true meaning of Masonry itself) is to be known only by the Prince Adepts of Masonry, we must hear what they say concerning them. They (Albert Pike, Albert Mackey, J. D. Buck, Daniel Sickles and others) teach us that Masonry is but a revival of the Ancient Mysteries (the mystery religions of Babylon, Egypt, Persia, Rome and Greece) . . . These mystery religions were forms of nature-worship, more specifically and most commonly the worship of the Sun as source and giver of life to the Earth. Since ancient times, this worship of the Sun (and of the Moon, stars, and of nature in general) has been sexual in its outworkings and rituals. Since the Sun's rays, penetrating the earth and bringing about new life, have been central to such worship, the phallus, the male 'generative principle,' has been worshipped as representing the Sun's rays. In this way, the phallus has been worshipped and the rituals climaxed with sexual union in the mystery religions of Isis and Osiris, Tamuz, Baal, etc."
        2. On page 128, Shaw quotes "The Kentucky Monitor," Fellowship Degree, p. 95 with this citation: "Freemasonry anticipates ushering in a one-world religion . . . at whose shrine the Hindu, the Persian, the Assyrian, the Chaldean, The Egyptian, the Chinese, the Mohammedan, The Jew and the Christian may kneel . . ."
      2. Reverend Harmon R. Taylor, Pastor of the Clifton Park United Methodist Church in Clifton Park, N. Y. wrote in the periodical, The Biblical Evangelist why he quit the Masonic Lodge. He is the former Chaplain of the Grand Lodge of the State of New York (as follows):
        1. Masonry fails to uphold the Bible's God as the sole God: Harmon cites Albert Pike in Morals and Dogma, p. 718 where Pike asserted: "Masonry propagates no creed except its own most simple and sublime one; that universal religion, taught by nature and reason." Exodus 20:2-6 opposes this idea.
        2. Masonry denies belief in Christ's Incarnation: Harmon cites J. D. Buck in Symbolism of Mystic Masonry, p. 57: "In the early Church as in the secret doctrine, there was not one Christ for the world but a potential christ for every man. Theologians first made a fettish of the impersonal, omnipresent divinity; and then tore the Christos from the hearts of all humanity in order to deify Jesus; that they might have a God-Man particularly their own." 1 John 4:1-3 and Colossians 2:9 oppose this idea.
        3. Masonry undermines the efficacy of Christ's substitutionary atonement: Harmon cites a Masonic authority in Thomas Milton Steward, Symbolic Teaching on Masonry and Its Message, p. 177 as follows: "Did Jesus count Himself, conceive Himself as a proprietary sacrifice and of His work as an expiation? He did not . . ." This error is countered by Mark 10:45 and Matthew 26:27-28.
Lesson: Freemasonry is actually ungodly, unchristian ancient paganism that has been masked with the front of being a modern, charitable and upstanding religious group full of good and "worthy" works.

Application: May we heed 2 Timothy 3:13-17 to (1) avoid Freemasonry's deception, to (2) hold to the true doctrines of God, Christ and His atonement and to (3) do truly good works that God sanctions!