By Bishop
Elijah H. Hankerson III, BA, MA, DD
(Unless otherwise stated, all
Scripture quotations are from the New International Version)1
GREETING
Psalm 134:1-2.1 Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord,
which by night stand in the house of the Lord.2 Lift up your hands in the
sanctuary, and bless the Lord.
ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.
Life Center Service Tonight. 7 pm.
2. Friday Evangelism meeting at
Baltimore Convention Center Friday at 1:00 PM in Room 331.
3. Join me next week in Houston and
also Ohio.
4. Please register for the
International AIM Convention under “COGIC Department of Evangelism.” July 1-5,
Tampa, FL.
5. Missouri Midwest Ecclesiastical
Jurisdiction Holy Convocation 4th Annual Holy Convocation July 21-26. In 2020 I
will be celebrating 5 years as a jurisdictional bishop. Special guests include:
Bishop Paul S. Morton, Bishop J. Drew Sheard GBM, Dr. Joyce Rodgers, Bishop
Todd Hall and many more
LESSON PURPOSE
This is not a lesson on the Masons. It
is a Bible lesson, focused on Scripture regarding questions and concerns about
the Masons.
These Bible lessons are not designed
to make decisions for you. But, they are designed to place your focus on the
Word; so that God Himself, through His Spirit may grant you all the answers you
need.
I. Brick
masons were very prominent in the building of the Tower of Babel.
But, there is no biblical evidence
that a fraternal order or secret society was or was not formed. Even if it was
- God was displeased with the motive of the construction and sent judgement.
Genesis
11:3-4. 3They said to each other, "Come, let's make bricks and
bake them thoroughly." They used brick instead of stone, and tar for
mortar. 4Then they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, with a
tower that reaches to the heavens, so that we may make a name for ourselves;
otherwise we will be scattered over the face of the whole earth."
Genesis
11:6-7. 6The LORD said, "If as one
people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they
plan to do will be impossible for them. 7Come, let us go down and confuse their
language so they will not understand each other."
II. The
Israelites were brick masons in Egypt.
But, there is no biblical evidence
that they formed a fraternal secret society; as they were oppressed slaves and
not voluntary workers.
Exodus
1:11. So they put slave masters over them to oppress them with
forced labor, and they built Pithom and Rameses as store cities for Pharaoh.
Exodus
1:14. They made their lives bitter with harsh labor in brick and
mortar and with all kinds of work in the fields; in all their harsh labor the
Egyptians worked them ruthlessly.
III. David
assembled the workers for the Temple construction.
1
Chronicles 22:2. So David gave orders to assemble the
foreigners residing in Israel, and from among them he appointed stonecutters to
prepare dressed stone for building the house of God.
IV. Solomon
partnered with King Hiram of Tyre to build the Temple.
His people were known for being great
builders. If his workers were a part or not a part of a secret society with
traditions and rituals; the Bible does not say. There is no evidence in
Scripture that Masonry started with the building of Solomon's Temple.
1 Kings 5:1 Contemporary
English Version.
King Hiram of Tyre had
always been friends with Solomon’s father David. When Hiram learned that
Solomon was king, he sent some of his officials to meet with Solomon.
1 Kings 5:10-18 Contemporary
English Version.
10 Hiram
gave Solomon all the cedar and pine logs he needed. 11 In return, Solomon gave Hiram about one hundred twenty-five
thousand bushels of wheat and about one thousand one hundred gallons of pure
olive oil each year.
12 The Lord kept
his promise and made Solomon wise. Hiram and Solomon signed a treaty and never
went to war against each other.
13 Solomon
ordered thirty thousand people from all over Israel to cut logs for the temple, 14 and he put Adoniram in charge of these workers. Solomon
divided them into three groups of ten thousand. Each group worked one month in
Lebanon and had two months off at home.
15 He
also had eighty thousand workers to cut stone in the hill country of Israel,
seventy thousand workers to carry the stones, 16 and over three thousand assistants to keep track of the
work and to supervise the workers. 17 He
ordered the workers to cut and shape large blocks of good stone for the
foundation of the temple.
18 Solomon’s and Hiram’s men worked with men from the city of
Gebal, and together they got the stones and logs ready for the temple.
V. One thing
is for certain the stone workers were highly skilled.
1
Kings 6:7. In building the temple, only blocks dressed at the quarry
were used, and no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard at the temple
site while it was being built.
VI. Does
the Bible condemn secret societies or societies of SECRETS?
The closest thing to a secret society
in Scripture were the Gnostics. The Scriptures do not paint them in too good of
a light.
1
Timothy 6:20-21. 20Timothy, guard what has been entrusted to your care. Turn
away from godless chatter and the opposing ideas of what is falsely called
knowledge, 21which some have professed and in so doing have departed from the
faith. Grace be with you all.
1
Corinthians 2:6-8. 6We do, however, speak a message of wisdom among the
mature, but not the wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are
coming to nothing. 7No, we declare God's wisdom, a mystery that has been hidden
and that God destined for our glory before time began. 8None of the rulers of
this age understood it, for if they had, they would not have crucified the LORD
of glory.
VII. The
Word teaches against taking oaths.
Numbers
30:2. When a man makes a vow to the LORD or takes an oath to
obligate himself by a pledge, he must not break his word but must do everything
he said.
Matthew
5:33-37. 33"Again, you have heard that it was said to the
people long ago, 'Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the LORD the vows you
have made.' 34But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven,
for it is God's throne; 35or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by
Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36And do not swear by your
head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37All you need to say
is simply 'Yes' or 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
James 5:12. Above all, my brothers and sisters, do not swear-not by
heaven or by earth or by anything else. All you need to say is a simple
"Yes" or "No." Otherwise you will be condemned.
VIII. The
Jewish faith, from which Christianity originated, was separatist.
Therefore the Bible does not
specifically address being a part of fraternal organizations; because this was
not a part of the culture.
Deuteronomy 18:9. When you enter the land the LORD your God is giving you, do
not learn to imitate the detestable ways of the nations there.
Ezra
6:21. So the Israelites who had returned from the exile ate it,
together with all who had separated themselves from the unclean practices of
their Gentile neighbors in order to seek the LORD, the God of Israel.
Nehemiah
13:3. When the people heard this law, they excluded from Israel
all who were of foreign descent.
Isaiah
52:11. Depart, depart, go out from there! Touch no unclean thing!
Come out from it and be pure, you who carry the articles of the LORD's house.
John 4:9. The Samaritan woman said to him, "You are a Jew and I
am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?" (For Jews do not
associate with Samaritans.)
John
18:28. Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the
palace of the Roman governor. By now it was early morning, and to avoid
ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace, because they wanted to be
able to eat the Passover.
IX.
Christianity was therefore also an even stricter separatist, ascetic branch of
Judaism.
2 Corinthians 6:14-18 New Living Translation.
14 Don’t
team up with those who are unbelievers. How can righteousness be a partner with
wickedness? How can light live with darkness? 15 What harmony can there be between Christ and the devil? How
can a believer be a partner with an unbeliever?16 And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols?
For we are the temple of the living God. As God said:
“I
will live in them
and walk among them.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
and walk among them.
I will be their God,
and they will be my people.
17
Therefore,
come out from among unbelievers,
and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord.
Don’t touch their filthy things,
and I will welcome you.
and separate yourselves from them, says the Lord.
Don’t touch their filthy things,
and I will welcome you.
18
And
I will be your Father,
and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.”
and you will be my sons and daughters,
says the Lord Almighty.”
Matthew
15:22-24. 22A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying
out, "LORD, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is demon-possessed
and suffering terribly." 23Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples
came to him and urged him, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after
us." 24He answered, "I was sent only to the lost sheep of
Israel."
2 John
1:10-11. 10If anyone comes to you and does not
bring this teaching, do not take them into your house or welcome them. 11Anyone
who welcomes them shares in their wicked work.
2 Thessalonians 3:6. In the name of the LORD Jesus Christ, we command you,
brothers and sisters, to keep away from every believer who is idle and
disruptive and does not live according to the teaching you received from us.
2 Timothy 3:5 Contemporary
English Version. Even though they will make a
show of being religious, their religion won’t be real. Don’t have anything to
do with such people.
1
Corinthians 5:11. But
now I am writing to you that you must not associate with anyone who claims to
be a brother or sister but is sexually immoral or greedy, an idolater or
slanderer, a drunkard or swindler. Do not even eat with such people.
2 Thessalonians 3:14. Take special note of anyone who does not obey our
instruction in this letter. Do not associate with them, in order that they may
feel ashamed.
John 15:19. If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.
As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the
world. That is why the world hates you.
James 4:4 Contemporary
English Version. You people aren’t faithful to
God! Don’t you know that if you love the world, you are God’s enemies? And if
you decide to be a friend of the world, you make yourself an enemy of God.
X. We have to
be very careful with titles that would take away from God's glory.
While the Masons have some
questionable titles; we must also be careful in the Church, not to honor men
more than we do God.
Matthew
23:9-11. 9And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one
Father, and he is in heaven. 10Nor are you to be called instructors, for you
have one Instructor, the Messiah. 11The greatest among you will be your
servant.
John 13:13. Ye call me Master and LORD: and ye say well; for so I am.
1 Corinthians 1:29. That no flesh should glory in his presence.
XI. AS THE CHURCH WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THEY WE DO
NOT HAVE A DOUBLE STANDARD. It is easy to condemn Masons for having pagan rituals; but by the same
token there are many holiday practices that Christians do that are of pagan
origin.
Matthew
7:3-5. 3"Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your
brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? 4How can you
say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time
there is a plank in your own eye? 5You hypocrite, first take the plank out of
your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your
brother's eye.
Romans 2:1. You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on
someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because
you who pass judgment do the same things.
XII. We
should allow the Holy Spirit to lead us what to be a part of.
And, not be led by our own ideas or
what we think might either be right or wrong.
Proverbs 3:5-6. 5Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on
your own understanding; 6in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your
paths straight.
Proverbs 16:9. In their hearts humans plan their course, but the LORD
establishes their steps.
Romans 8:14. For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children
of God.
XIII. Even
if for fun or recreation; Christians must be careful of the use of shrines,
mosques, etc.
1 John
5:21. Dear children, keep yourselves from
idols.
XIV. Are Masons demonic?
Demons in the Bible infiltrated people
and even animals. The Word is pretty clear about what is demonic.
James 3:13-18. 13Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show
it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
14But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not
boast about it or deny the truth. 15Such "wisdom" does not come down
from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. 16For where you have envy and
selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice. 17But the
wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving,
considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
18Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.
