How to Stand When Others Fall - Part B

You consider the possibility that Jesus Christ could come before. I say amen at the end of this sermon you live a different way to be. This will keep himself pure. Just as every day bombarded with things that would distract us from God.

Connect with Skip Heitzigs. Exhibit C shares encouragement for tell you about an exciting opportunity you have to encounter the roots of your faith in the land of the Bible.

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Now we want to let you know about a resource that helps to guide even deeper into God's truth@McDowell about the tactics book waiting for. I enthusiastically recommend tactics Right thing to comment on how Jesus spoke out for truth we might think that Jesus never raised his voice. He would never call anybody out. However, there was a side of Jesus that was contentious.

The Jesus that took tables in the temple, and overturned them and took out a web and throw people out of the temple that Jesus and the gospel and guard against false teaching methods series to the continued with Skip, I think this teaching series on Bible teaching ministry on $35 or more today by Gregory Kunkel called tactics your game plan for communicating the truth about Christianity with confidence and grace to get physically connect.com or call 892 June. So let's join Skip Heitzigs, but you love building ourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the holy Holy Spirit lives in you and it's simply a way of saying left the Holy Spirit direct you when you talk to him guide you will direct you to be in accordance with his will. People say will Skip how can I pray for you and I think I probably frustrate them when I say praise the Lord leads you and want to hear that they want to hear some specific things that I'm dealing with. But I just so you know what the Lord will speak to you. Maybe something I need to be prayed for, but I don't know what that is. So, just as the Lord leads to know why am I that general. Here's why. The purpose of prayer is not to get my well done and have the purpose of prayer is to get God's will done on earth. That's why Jesus is that when you pray for our father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

So pray praying in the holy spirit. The third ingredient that is keep living in favor keep living in favor go to verse 21. Keep your selves in the love of God Is to be one of my favorite verses in all of the New Testament are probably my favorite verse in the book of Jude. Keep yourselves in the love of God who does that mean how I keep myself in the love of God what to what it doesn't mean he's not saying that your salvation depends on your effort is not saying keep yourself safe. As you can. You didn't save you and you don't keep yourself that way… Right. It's his sovereign work on.

That's what counter to our contradict a lot of the Scripture to contradict a lot of the book of Jude verse one says we are preserved by Jesus Christ. Verse 24 now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and present you all so is not saying keep yourself saved, nor is he saying keep your self in a place where God can love you and I a people all the time and I do know how God can love me and I'm thinking I know how we can love you, either because I know how we can love me but I've gotten past that so long ago, I discovered that God loves the unlovable Selleck well I gotta do something so God can love me he is not saying keep yourself in a place where God can love you because he loved us when we were at our worst also.

And while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. So what is it mean keep yourself in the love of God simply this, keep your self in a place where you are experiencing the love of God keep yourself in a place where you are enjoying the love of God. That's what it means. The living Bible renders this verse stay always within the boundaries where the love of God can reach and bless you if you were to go out in the sun and I was just out in the sun with some of you before the service, enjoying the sunshine is a beautiful sunny day out as I like yesterday with the wind and craziness.

Just it's gorgeous.

And if you go outside in the sun is shining and you are keeping yourself in the sunshine right you know you can be in the sun, but not experience or enjoy the sun set, once you step outside your in the sunlight. How do you keep yourself from enjoying what I'm glad you asked.

You could if you wanted to carry one of these with right in a while you would on a day like this, but liked out sons out and you could do this, you need to get a new one out there ago okay so I'm in the sun but I'm not feeling it. In fact, that race was a little cold.

Go take your umbrella down.

Stupid.

Okay, yeah, they're dead. That's good about feeling right now right so I'm in the sun but are not keeping myself in the sun there is in impediment: umbrella so you know, it is possible to have God love you but you're not joining you're not experiencing it because some things in the way I give an example in the Scriptures in the upper room and Jesus had all of give you this example are throwing my umbrella. This is so fun to do is justify seeing this in the movies. So I'm in the upper room. There were a couple of disciples.

There were 12 of them, but there were two of them right next to Jesus, one on either side of him. One was named John. One was named Judas.

Jesus love John and Jesus love Judas John was keeping himself in that love of Jesus, Judas was not John next to Jesus leaned in and leaned his hat on the bosom on the on the rest of Jesus to be close to his heart.

He was keeping himself in the love Judas was in that room next to Jesus with an umbrella he was. Not keeping himself.

In fact, he was plotting how he was going to leave and lay his hand on Jesus to betray him to the Roman government.

Jesus loved them both. One was keeping himself in the love of God, one was not keeping himself in the love of God so simple thought, be occupied or even pre-occupied with the thought that God loves you. Let that thought dominate your life. Remind yourself of that frequently God loves me. I'm his beloved. I'm his treasure he loves me. Keep yourself in the love of God. One way to do that is to respond in obedience to what he said to obey him. You'll find that when you live to please God, you are more pleased with yourself and when you live to please yourself in that upper room. Jesus said a number of things, but one of the things he said was that as the father loved me. I also have loved you.

Abide in my love continue stay plugged in to my love abide in my love. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my father's commandments and abide in his life. So an easy way to keep yourself in the love of God isn't just reminders of last week unless we got loves me but you know what God tells me to do something when I find a principal in the Scripture. I'm going to do it. I'm obey it, to make that a quick response is 1 Good Way to keep yourself in the love of God. Let me give you 1/4 ingredient. I keep expecting the future.

Keep expecting or keep anticipating the future to look in verse 21 again. Keep yourself in the love of God here is looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Almost every commentator of the Bible scholar that treats this verse says without a doubt June is referring to the coming of Jesus Christ for his saints for his believers that we are told to look forward to his coming. Which by the way is one of the great themes in the New Testament are so many of the books of the New Testament have that as its theme the Lord looking for means to look earnestly for her to live with expectation for, and it describes in eager anticipation for the coming of Jesus Christ.

We are looking for Jesus to come know when you hear that when somebody says who Jesus is coming soon. I wonder how you hear that, I wonder what you think about that. I wonder if you are a little bit fearful and somebody says Jesus is coming and you think he is. Why what did I do wrong like one when I was a kid my mom would say your data be home soon will outside your office right now right because that meant something to me it meant him to face judgment for what I did with my mom if on the other hand you here Jesus is coming in you go yeah I can't wait.

That's a good indication that you're keeping yourself in the love of God and part of that is in eager anticipation in eager expectation for him to come, sadly, the teaching on Jesus return is also silent in many churches today. I used to be taught a lot more second coming rapture millennial kingdom. A lot of these eschatological themes are frequently taught in church, but it seems that more and more today churches are either confused about eschatology or pastors can't even pronounce the word eschatology or they just decide to remain silent on this subject that is spoken about so often in Scripture. I was invited to speak at a church back East and one of the assistant pastor's ministry later said that I should talk about something related to end time events that led to do that so much of the Bible is about, that would be great word of encouragement. So I was preparing to do that. That day I got a call from the pastor who said don't talk on.

He said my church is not ready to hear that. I said women you been doing this 11 years.

They're not ready yet. After 11 years. I mean, Paul the apostle was talking about that three weeks in Africa planted the Thessalonian church and faith. He thought they were ready to hear it, but okay.

I mean this is this is your gay guy. This is due before the Lord.

I will talk there's a number of other subjects I can talk about that are biblical subjects, but I found that interesting.

Don't talk on that these silent on that you realize that all the historical church creeds. The Orthodox Church creates that that talk about what the church believes in all of the creeds include an emphasis on the second coming were waiting for him to come back were looking for him to return.

And the reason for that is the church fathers understood that is an emphasis that is a biblical manner said that roughly 1845 times is a lot of times in the Bible it talks about predicts or alludes to the second coming of Jesus. So naturally you would think Jude would say listen you want to stay strong you want to keep from falling. Stay in the word stay praying you keep yourself in a place we are enjoying God's love and you are living in anticipation and expectation for him to return listen to the words of Alexander McLaren, one of my favorite Scottish preachers.

He said the primitive church thought more about the second coming of Jesus Christ and about death or about heaven, they were not looking for a cleft in the ground called the grave but for a cleavage in the sky called glory. They were not watching for the undertaker but for the upper taker. He nailed it. That's right now what I want you to notice in verse 21 is how he talks about waiting for the return of Christ. He calls in the mercy did you notice at looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. So waiting for Jesus to return is waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. What is a call at that will think about the rapture of the church is one of the most merciful things God could do to say I'm in a snatch believers up before the time of judgment on the earth, the great tribulation.

That is like the pinnacle of the apotheosis that the consummating expression of mercy, by the way, just in case you wonder this because III get I get on believers is a why do you Christians always look for signs are always looking at signs you know Cova 19 M is this a sign for Jesus coming back or what's happening in Israel, the Middle East, this must be a sign it's because the Bible conditions us to look at life that way because he said he's coming and he said there's a whole list of signs of a going to happen so naturally willing to start interpreting all the headlines that happen around us is does that fit the biblical narrative is that a sign of his coming as part of the eager anticipation. We want to know what time it is and see if that fits him. By the way, something else to live this way is one of the most purifying ways to live your seat if you consider the possibility that Jesus Christ could come before.

I say amen at the end of this sermon you're gonna live a different way to be pure.

John said whoever has this hope hope of his coming, keeps himself pure. Just as he is pure though it is kind of like my mom's in your data be home soon. Okay smile be good.

I do it I mean there's something to be said for living in the fear of the Lord, because Jesus is going to come. It's a very, very purifying motivation so keep building your faith.

Keep praying with fervor. Keep living in favor keep expecting the future want to close on a final ingredient. Keep reaching the faithless. I'll try to make this quick look at the last two verses on some have compassion, making a difference, but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire hating even the garment defiled by you notice talk about her, the people he's been talking about the whole book the apostates people will fall away the did the defectors, the detractors, the backsliders of people who don't want anything to do with it.

Or perhaps are still part of the congregation butter are dug in. He's talking about them and he's saying by these two verses don't completely write them off. It's the easiest thing to do sort of particular hands of men wipe the dust off your feet.

Very goners. Forget them. Let them go.

Anything not so fast.

Don't dismiss them. Those who pose the greatest menace to the church can often become the greatest mission of the church. Let's think about how to rescue them back bring them back. Listen to James chapter 5 brother and if anyone among you wanders from the truth and somebody turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from error the error of his way will save his soul from death and cover a multitude of sin, so we don't write them off.

We do something with them. What we do with them. Well, it depends on the condition of their heart are the weak and failing, doubtful, or they just their heels are dug in and their obstinate end and they're just rebellious. It depends, and he seems to be talking about both kinds in these two verses so verse 22. He's referring to the wavering, the doubting was 22 on some have compassion, making a difference or distinction.

These are people who are saved but not secure their converted but they're not confident there would Peter calls in second Peter chapter 2 on stable souls filled with doubt. There filled with confusion and the reason that there are even waffling in wavering and doubting is because they been attacked by wolves and wolves attack sheep just like false teachers attack Greek Christians week vacillating doubtful.

Christians are easy prey. So what we do with those people who are unstable. We don't antagonize them. We don't criticize them. We evangelize transect, come on, you went nowhere man up follow Jesus know you want to have compassion on them because your compassion will make the Jesus you proclaim that much more attractive and the false teachers will lose that attraction. So in some have compassion, making a distinction no good example of this, Jesus Jesus on one hand, stood up and denounced the Pharisees warning scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, and he just unloaded on next chapter he's eating dinner with the Pharisee next chapter eating lunch with another Pharisee another time.

He's having a evening conversation with another Pharisee, why, why denounced them as heretical and wrong and errant and apostate in Judaism and yet will hang out with for this very reason, and it paid off. Nicodemus was a Pharisee who came to believe in Jesus. Joseph of Arimathea was a Pharisee who came to believe in Jesus because of the compassion shown to them by Jesus himself, but then there's verse 23 and this isn't the wavering.

This speaks of the wandering one. This is this is a person who's who's left the fellowship and are a part of that apostate group already says but others save with fear, pulling them or yanking them, seizing them out of the fire hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. Remember what the Angels did in Sodom and Gomorrah with a lot to get out of town to town. He's lingering is okay with you guys see – you guys and so an angel took him by the hand and led him out of town before that fire fell and so with some people. Your compassion with other people. Your confrontive it with some people you are soft, but others were more severe.

It's like, dude, your house is burning from and the rebuke is stronger so it depends on the heart. But here's the bottom line it's not falling into water the grounds a person's lying and it it's staying in it is not falling into sin, but lying in sin that'll destroy the soul so if you have fallen, you can get up in the antidote to your falling. Whether you just sort of weak and vacillating following a little bit and doubting that's okay, you taken several steps away from God earn about this. If I believe in this keep, but I the solution to falling is following following. I challenge you today to turn around.

The Bible calls that repentance and follow the Savior follow the Savior bring to him your doubts. Rename your fears bring to him your rebellion. Confess that to him.

Let him deal with it.

He can handle it handle a lot of people like you and I before giving your life, commit your life to recommit your life that reps of Skip Heitzig six message from his serious bike for the right now want to share about an exciting opportunity you have to take your knowledge of God's word even deeper speculation about the end times is at an all-time high in Christianity is the only faith looks nearly 1/3 of Scripture for future events.

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