There were two cars coming to an intersection.  One car was sure to be to the sign first.  This man was heading home from
work.  The other car was driven by a man heading to an appointment and he was, of course, talking on his cellular phone.  The
man who arrived at the intersection first stopped and noted the car approaching on his left was slowing down (Mr. Cell
Phone).  He then began to pull through the intersection when his car was crashed into by Mr. Cell Phone’s car.

     We can see where this story is going.  Mr. Cell Phone, being an important man on an important journey in his expensive
car, can do no wrong.  The other meek, gentleman was to blame according to Mr. Cell Phone.  As the argument pursued they
argued over whether there was a four way stop sign at this intersection.  The calm gentleman asked Mr. Cell Phone to walk to
the corner as he asked him what the octagon shaped sign said.  Mr. Cell Phone refused to read a simple word, “STOP”.  They
argued and argued but Mr. Cell Phone would not relent.  Mr. Cell Phone loudly and boldly proclaimed, “I’m telling you, there
was no stop sign!”,  even as it stood as plain as day right in front of him.        

     Notice what Jesus faced by those rejecting the clear, plain truth: “And they come again to Jerusalem: and as he was
walking in the temple, there come to him the chief priests, and the scribes, and the elders, And say unto him, By what
authority doest thou these things? and who gave thee this authority to do these things?  And Jesus answered and said
unto them, I will also ask of you one question, and answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things.  
The baptism of John, was it from heaven, or of men? answer me.  And they reasoned with themselves, saying, If we
shall say, From heaven; he will say, Why then did ye not believe him?  But if we shall say, Of men; they feared the
people: for all men counted John, that he was a prophet indeed.  And they answered and said unto Jesus, We cannot
tell. And Jesus answering saith unto them, Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things” (Mark 11:27-33).


     Like Mr. Cell Phone, many see the clear facts right before their faces, yet they deny them.  When it comes to the religious
leaders of Jesus’ day, they simply rejected the truth even though it was plain and clear.  Notice: “This is he, of whom it is
written, Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.  For I say unto you,
Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the
kingdom of God is greater than he.  And all the people that heard him, and the publicans, justified God, being baptized
with the baptism of John.  But the Pharisees and lawyers rejected the counsel of God against themselves, being not
baptized of him” (Luke 7:27-30).  There are a lot of folks who are asking questions but not answering them today.  They
want to disprove the truth, just so they do not have to accept it.  When faced with a decision to do right, they ignore the stop
signs and reject God’s counsel against themselves.


     Let’s start with some basics…  Just as clear as the octagon shaped, red sign that says “STOP”, there are clear things
written in inspiration that man chooses to ignore.  Does one have to be immersed in water to be saved?  Yes, they most
certainly do (Mark 16:15-16, Acts 2:38-41, Acts 22:16, Romans 6:3-6, and I Peter 3:20-21).  That was easy, right?  Does
one have to believe to be saved?  Yes, they most certainly must believe in Christ, His word, etc. (Mark 16:15-16, John 8:23-
24, and Hebrews 11:6).  Yet, just as Mr. Cell Phone, many disregard these clear passages.  How about those who think we
are saved by faith only?  Well, we are saved by faith (Ephesians 2:8).  However, as clear as a stop sign, we see that we are not
saved by faith alone (James 2:24; 26).  The clear truth is, we are saved by more than faith, grace, and baptism (Matthew 10:
22, Romans 8:24, Romans 1:16, Acts 2:21, II Corinthians 7:10, etc.).

     Among so-called “brethren”, we have those who redefine terms.  Some say that edification is church sponsored meals and
recreation.  However, just as clear as a stop sign, we can see that such social activities are not a work of the local church
(Romans 14:17, Acts 2:46, I Peter 4:9, and I Corinthians 11:22; 34; cf. John 6:26-27).  Among so-called “brethren” there are
many who say that preaching the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15) means not offending anyone.  They add that our speech is to be
seasoned with salt (Colossians 4:6) which they define as not saying anything strong about anything or anyone.  Folks, if you can
read a stop sign you can see that both of those definitions are false and these “brethren” are as dishonest as Mr. Cell Phone
(Matthew 15:12-14, I John 2:4, Matthew 7:6, II Peter 2:20-22, Matthew 16:23, Matthew 21:31-32, Matthew 23:1ff., Acts 7:
51, James 4:4, Jude 4, Galatians 3:1, etc.).  Some of our so-called “brethren” would profess that we should not get angry
towards those who cause people to be lost and stand in the way of the truth.  Again, as clear as stop on that sign we can see
Paul’s anger and his reaction to Elymas and other examples which clearly show the blindness of these “brethren” (Acts 13:6-
12, Matthew 21:12-13, I Kings 18:17-40, etc.).  These “brethren” would argue against marking false teachers, doing all by the
authority of Christ, using plain Bible talk, and zealously contending for the faith when the Bible clearly tells us to do these things
(Romans 16:17-18, Colossians 3:17, I Corinthians 2:1-5; I Peter 4:11, and Jude 3).  Brethren, too many people refuse to see
the stop sign and they drive right through without regard of what they’ll hit and be judged for.


     With all of the distractions present today, it is paramount to the salvation of our souls that we stop and look in all directions
before proceeding through the intersections of our spiritual journey home.  We need to watch and be sober for many will cross
our paths that will not follow the rules (I Thessalonians 5:6 and I Peter 5:8).  We need to be honest enough to see the stop sign
for what it says.  If we fail, we need to be willing to allow someone to point that out to us (James 5:19-20).  Don’t be Mr. Cell
Phone, for there was a stop sign!
Volume VIII    ~    Issue XXIV   ~   March 9th, 2008
Words of Truth Weekly - Online Edition
What must one do to be saved (Acts 2:37)?  Hear and believe the Gospel (Mark 16:15-16 & Romans 10:17), repent of their
sins (Acts 3:19), confess Christ (Acts 8:37), and be baptized (immersed) for the remission of your sins (Acts 2:38 and
Romans 6:1-6).  Upon your obedience to these requirements of the Lord He will add you to the church of Christ (Acts 2:41; 47
and I Corinthians 12:12-13; cf. Romans 16:16).  One must then remain faithful (Colossians 1:23 and Revelation 2:10).  There is
more to cover than is here.  Contact me today for a study: brianyeager@wordsoftruth.net
Edited by: Brian A. Yeager
“I’m Telling You, There Was No Stop Sign!”
By: Brian A. Yeager
They Reject the Counsel of God Against Themselves
Conclusion
Let’s Not Ignore the “Stop Signs”