Victory in the Ring! - Part B

You may be filled with fault but God says I am declaring you pronouncing US conflicts.

That's justification. He makes a declaration because Jesus took our sin and God treated Jesus like you and I deserve to be treated so that God could treat us like you give our lives to Christ connect with Skip Heitzigs of today as he shares about an important and victorious declaration.

God is made about right now we want to tell you about a resource that will help you grow stronger in your faith.

Here's what Norm Geisler's tactics, there is no better block to include Christians to think clearly, there Skip I think on the need to engage in active spiritual warfare. You'll never fight God's battles for myself, you'll never contend what really matters. Just cruise and interlacing boiled have to decide to get out as part of the house and join the fight become a contender for biblical truth for the House ethics message series through the computer skip.

I think this teaching series on the ring to defend the gospel and guard against teaching banks get to connect more people to the truth of God's word and give $35 or more today will also send you the book tactics by Gregory couple to speak the truth about Christianity with confidence and grace call hundred 92 to get report connectwithskip.com into the message which you say you will be he who sustains you to keep to have a great promises in and the reason he is so adamant that he will keep you is because he was the one who saved you. You have nothing to do with salvation. Are you did is accept, receive and believe. So if you have nothing to do with that, then you'll really have nothing to do with this. He who saved you is the one who keeps you now, but let's just get a look at it from two different angles. The road to heaven is always been dangerous from a human perspective. Our journey from earth to heaven has always been a dangerous journey brought potholes in the road. There are those letter letters roadblocks are also to things that happen to the question we have trials we have temptations we have accusations we can be subject to false teaching. So it seems to be a very perilous journey because we are special targets of Satan, even Paul when he spoke to the people of Lysistrata I Coni him and Antioch in the book of acts we are told to strengthen the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, saying we must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God speak about all the potholes in the road from a human perspective. This is a dangerous journey, but from God's perspective. This is a very safe and secure journey from God's perspective. The road is totally safe and absolutely secure.

We don't keep ourselves. He keeps us any more than we save ourselves now that word in verse 24. Keep is a military term means to guard or to watch over and the picture that is painted by the word is that God is at his post, he is standing guard over you over your soul to ensure eternal safety. There are so many texts of Scripture that speak to the security of the believer.

I don't have time to go to the mall but to tell you there there in abundance, but I do want to take you to one in particular and you not to turn there, but you'll remember what I said when I say in John chapter 10 Jesus speaks of himself as the good what the good Shepherd and the good Shepherd is watching over his flock are his sheep. So the analogy the picture is Jesus of the shepherd where the sheep and listen to this promise my sheep hear my voice and I know them and they follow me and I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand. I've always been fascinated by the fact that of all the analogies Jesus could have given of our relationship to God. He chose this one and that of all the animals to relate us to he chose sheep alliance not elephants, not tigers, and bears, sheep anybody who knows anything about sheep knows this.

They are not known for their perseverance. They are not known for their endurance. Sheep are not great survivors. In fact sheep without a shepherd are called dead. They don't make it the care of sheep is totally dependent on the quality of care provided by a shepherd sheep are helpless. Sheep are helpless if you leave them alone.

You know that if you leave the sheep alone. They often get off balance. They controlled their side. When they rolled to their side they can get up and up. They try to get up, they find themselves on the back with her feet straight up in the air. They can't manage like a dog or a cat to get back up. It's called being cast CAS geocache sheep gets on its back and eventually it cuts off the circulation. It stops breathing and it dies is pretty helpless right if you leave a sheep alone topless when she gets her tactics helpless. She don't call their friends help. In fact, sheep do nothing. They stand there.

They don't even have one little delete just not even have help mentor they just stand there and get beaten up and attacked and chewed out by the predator also cheaper helpless when they eat because they're indiscriminate about what they eat they eat anything they eat everything, believe many poisonous roots and they die so that sheep is going to persevere and endure.

It has to be kept by shepherd. That's the point of Jesus saying my sheep hear my voice. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish, neither shall anyone snatch them out of my hand.

Now go back to the book of Jude verse one where we started a few weeks back. Jude here rights to his audience and he calls them called sanctified by God the father and with the network preserved and preserved in Jesus Christ.

So he begins the same way hands or I should say he ends the book the same way he begins, he begins raising your preserved Jesus Christ in Jesus Christ. Now under him who is able to keep you from stumbling. This is a beginning to end. The promise when he begins in your life you will carry to completion. Whatever God starts. God finishes Philippians 1 verse six he who began a good work and you will completed until the day of Jesus Christ. Do any of you have any unfinished projects at home.

You're going to get to it. You tell yourself that you told yourself that some of you for years you'll do that one day you'll finish that project. You might be in the millennial kingdom after you finish the project.

We'll get to you know that God has no unfinished projects.

What he starts. He finishes, he is the author and finisher of our faith.

He who began a good work and you will completed till the day of Christ.

What that means is, God will never give up working on you until you are like Christ in his presence, which will get to in a minute like Christ, God never looks at your life, and says I'm done, I quit. I tried to work with you and you are just so hard to work with. Go ahead and get cash go ahead and get stuck know he is good Shepherd. It's like this when you come to Christ. He hangs a sign over your life that says under construction, and he doesn't take that sign off until the day your glorified so now to him who is able has all the ability the power to keep you from stumbling. Now that does not mean you'll never make a mistake it doesn't mean you'll never fall down, you'll never slip up is not a guarantee that you will never have an ethical failure or for that matter a moral failure. For that matter, a doctrinal failure does not mean that you should feel secure.

If you have ongoing patterns of unrepentant sin, but it does mean that every true believer is kept by God and preserved to the end of Osama in hearing this would say what about Judas Iscariot. Why was and he kept I was, and he preserved until the end.

Didn't Jesus promise he would keep his sheep did Jesus pray that the father would keep them just like he kept them well. Listen to what he said in John 17. This is his prayer to the father he said while I was with them in the world. I kept them in your name those whom you gave me. I have kept and none of them is lost except the son of perdition, but the scripture might be fulfilled is referring to Judas Iscariot. You see, Judas never was one of Jesus. The 11 they were the real deal. The other 11 of the 12 they were the real deal. Theirs was an authentic belief. Judas never had that never made that it was always about himself except the son of perdition, so he will keep you, you know, but you have to want to be kept, he he's able you need to be willing Paul the apostle second Timothy one said I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep what I have committed to him until that day. That's Paul's way of saying I know will make it through to the end because I know him.

I know the kind of God years.

I know the character of this God so he protects us he preserves us and help present us look back at verse 24 now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. I hope you've noticed the change here. Verse 24 is on earth. Verse 20 of the first part of verse 24 is on earth. The second part of verse 24 is in heaven.

You noticed that Nottingham was able to keep you from stumbling. That's now that's here. That's her and present you faultless before the presence of his glory. That's heaven now look at how this is written, and to present you faultless does it say you are faultless and sated and so your faultless. I doesn't even say that he'll make you faultless or produce you as a faultless person says how present you faultless. That's very different. I hope you know that you'll never arrive on this earth. You never on this earth will get to a place where you ever have to say I don't need to grow anymore. I've arrived I made it I'm seamlessly perfect. You know, there are some who believe in that doctrine of the doctrine of sinless perfection. I've never medicine was the perfect person I met a couple who claim to be, but I know they're not because it is lied to me.

Funny. Spurgeon once said that he met a man is that he was seamlessly perfect. Spurgeon proceeded to take a picture of water import on the man.

The man started cursing and Spurgeon said I thought so. We never arrive.

Even Paul the apostle said, not as though I had already attained, neither were already perfect, but he will present you as faultless because he has already pronounced you fall. Listen carefully to this because I just described to you. The doctrine of justification you have read the New Testament through once you come across the word justification and if you come here you know what that means. It means a pronouncement of declarations a legal term. It's a forensic term.

It's like a judge puts the gavel down and says you're not guilty. Even if you are, you may be filled with fault but God says I am declaring you pronouncing you as faultless. That's justification. He makes a declaration because Jesus took our sin and God treated Jesus like you and I deserve to be treated so that God could treat us like Jesus deserves to be treated and that's justification. He makes that proclamation or declaration that you are righteous you are justified.

So he pronounced you and one day help present you in his presence faultless backscatter again tell you how monumental this is that a human could ever stand in the glorious presence of God at all. This is so counterintuitive to both the nature of God and the nature of humanity for fallen man to stand in the presence of God's glory strikes terror into our hearts to give an example. Isaiah the prophet had a vision of God and this is how the story goes Isaiah chapter 6 in the year the king is iodide. I saw the Lord sitting on his throne, high and lifted up in the train of his robe filled the temple. Above it stood seraphim, each having six wings with two he covered his face with two he covered his feet, with two he flew. And one cried to another holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is filled with his glory and the posts of the door were shaken by the voice of the one cried out. So here's Isaiah seeing God in his glorious throne room hearing the angelic praise and the very next verse Isaiah says so I said hello is me. I am undone, for I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell amongst the people of unclean lips, but my eyes have seen the Lord of hosts what's going on.

He is recognizing that I is a sinful person emceeing a holy God. And I'm saying wow is him. Woe is me, that's typical that's normal. Same thing in the New Testament Peter Jesus gets in Peter's boat one day and said put out just a little bit from the Lancer Jesus stands in the boat and preaches to the crowd on the shore like a natural amphitheater. He gives a sermon in and after the sermon after the amen eyes as Peter launch out into the deep let's go fishing and I'm just gonna kind of impose how I think Peter said it Lord listen. We fished all night which got nothing. Your your great preacher. I'm a pretty good fisherman. I know the Sea of Galilee Fisher at night and if you don't catch anything, and I certainly don't catch anything in daylight.

We fished all night and caught nothing.

Nevertheless, at your command will do so he goes out to humor the preacher lets down his next you know what happens. He catches so many fish. The net begins to break and when the net begins to break.

Peter turns to Jesus and says, depart from me, Lord. I'm a sinful man what what just happened.

Peter just recognize who is dealing with now Peter recognize not only who he's dealing with, but who he really is, is that as a man your perfect you're not what I thought you were.

You must be somebody more than just another guy and I recognize I am sinful in your present happened to the apostle John. John gets a vision of God. The book of Revelation says when I saw him, I fell down like a dead man before his feet that is typical why such a reaction because they knew they were not faultless. They knew the only way to stand before God in his glorious presence is by being faultless.

One day you will be presented before God faultless, sinless in a glorified body. So part of your salvation is justification.

But there's another part of your salvation in the future, glorification one day Skip Heitzigs.

It will stand before God, not even having a sin nature, not even able to commit a single sin in a glorified body that will be Skip 2.0 actually maybe Skip 3.0, maybe 1.0 was me before Christ 2.0 is the day I was born again. 3.0 is a glorified body. I'll be presented faultless will be raised up, resurrected in a glorified body in the presence of God, a boxer, had his friends put on his tombstone these words you can stop counting. I'm not getting up that's novel you can stop counting on not getting up one month. Once you know I am getting up I am going to be resurrected and when I resurrected him to be standing before God, faultless, and something else go back to her verse will present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. No, of course, that'll be the happiest day of our lives. Of course, it almost goes without saying, were going to be joyful to be stoked out of our minds, joyful.and looking at this verse. This does not seem to be a reference to our joy, but a reference to his joy. That's the way it is linguistically without getting into all the weeds joy that he writes about this in our joy in his presence.

It's his joy having us in his presence as faultless a one scholar says Jesus will have the special joy of presenting his bride, the church now think about that and I found this verse this morning as I was getting my thoughts together again, this is Zephaniah chapter 3 the Lord your God in your midst, the mighty one, will save, he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing. You ever think about the Lord singing must have a good voice but the ideas he will sing for you.

He will sing over you with joy.

That's the joy I believe it's talking about. By the way, it was this joy that help Jesus endure the cross to know that Hebrews chapter 12 verse two, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, it's as if you went to the cross being able to just slightly taste. With that joy is going to be like when you and you and you and you me are going to be in his presence presented before God the father as faultless and he would sell joyful that he would sing over so yeah, I'm so the purpose of salvation is just to rescue you from hell.

It's also the present you and have you will be a salvation trophy will bring him joy conclude Skip Heitzigs. It's powerful message for the series by Freda Mueller five is a trip to Israel is a life changer. Bible study will never be the same Skip has lived in Israel and led tours. Many many times.

Here he is to invite you. One is next to her. You know there's always something new to see and experience in Israel and I'm so excited to let you know that I'm taking another tour group to Israel next spring. In 2022 urine for an incredible time as we travel throughout Israel and experience the culture that is so unique to that country will start on the Mediterranean Sea and head north.

Seeing places like Caesarea and Nazareth, the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan River will spend several days in and around Jerusalem and see the temple mount Calvary, the garden of Gethsemane and the Mount of olives and much more. This remarkable itinerary is made richer with times of worship, Bible study, and lots of fellowship. Now I've been to Israel a number of times over the years and I can honestly say that visiting the places where the events of the Scriptures unfolded where Jesus lived taught and healed. It just never gets old.

I can't wait to see you in Israel start planning and saving now to tour Israel with Skip Heitzig information and inspiration. Cruises.com/see ABQ. That's inspiration cruises.com/C ABQ apostle Paul likens the Christian life to a race that it's not a Sprint it's a marathon in the heart of this ministry is to equip you and encourage friends like you as you run your race that's only possible with support from friends like you enter your partnership today will help keep broadcasting messages like the one your hearing today to people around the world simply call 892 1888 to give right now. Again, that's 892, four, is a connector skip.com/down and connectwithskip.com/Downing for helping further catchword around the world come back again tomorrow. Skip Heitzigs and begins a new series called mouse and explains her thoughts to overcome that Skip visitation of connection communications to