Don’t Ever Give Up on the Truth

Hello and welcome to leading the way with Dr. Michael you sent, author of more than 50 books including the brand-new never give up net over recent years we've heard stories of people unable to share the moments of life with family heartbreaking stories of loved ones missing out on sharing final words of comfort today on leading the way.

Departing words from the apostle Paul.

He wrote words to Timothy just before his execution. But there also for you and me. Words that challenge Timothy and today you to never give up on the gospel. So if your situation allows this to second Timothy chapter 4 in your Bible or your Bible lap and listen together as Dr. Michael Yousef begins this powerful message.

This is a very lost over eight messengers series from the very lost words of the apostle Paul Gloster personal but is written, imprisoned before he was beheaded and went to be with the Lord. Effective summary of the entire message is never give up never give up on biblical truth. Never give up on the infallibility of the word of God. Never give up on the phrase that once delivered, never give up on the biblical orthodoxy told us why because it is God breeze about message that he lives in some of your lives across a very lost words before he went to be with the Lord. Don't give up, no matter how unpopular the gospel of Jesus Christ becomes in our culture and our society are new schools in your compass will ever give up. As the last words of his written from the great apostle turn with me please.

Chapter 4 beginning of verse nine of the weight of the end.

But before I even get to the passage before I expound these last few verses of the second epistle to Timothy, I want you to notice something that is not written, I want you to focus with me just for a little bit about something that is not here is how can I do that I will assure you, you notice that in these last words of the apostle Paul. There is not a tinge of bitterness.

There is not a hint of regret, there is not a major of remorse and there is not a thought of anguish earlier in the chapter he said I am completely satisfied that I fought the good fight, I stayed in the battle and in the heat of the battle. I didn't deflector the enemy adding cut run. I fought the good fight. Then I ran the race. I run the marathon that was set before me I did not stop. I did not look for a shady spot but I ran the whole race and I've kept the faith unmolested. Unmodified unwanted down. I kept the faith weblog. This is a clear indication to me that the great apostle Paul kept shorter counsel of God. The capture of accounts and therefore when the time came for them to die. He was ready, but there was a little bit of sorrow in his heart, but you know… Not feeling sorry for himself. The real sorrow that he has in his heart is not for himself. The only sorrow he had with those who have defected from the faith, but those with turned her back on the faith that is the deepest sorrow that you see here the lack of courage on the part of other believers.

That's only sorrow that he has alerted him that I please. This is important. The apostle Paul mentions 17 names in the short present 17 games. In this passage alone, and here he does not suggest for a moment that all of these friends and colleagues have forsaken him or defected the faith. No is that some of them scattered around preaching the gospel, but he said there are some in Rome who have been afraid in the state away and is not minimizing the presence of Lucas is all left except Luke is not minimizing the effect of globalization stating a fact book is the only one who was there standing by his side, but you can literally feel the depths of his anguish over being abandoned and cut off from the many churches that he has found you can feel his anguish of being cut off from friends who have served. He was feeling anguish because he separated from friends, but he prayed for that administer to others being cut off from friends whom he dearly loves. But the greatest pain that he is experiencing in these last moments of his life.

The greatest pain he is experiencing in this passage that we see in those last words is that of former companion who was his companion in ministry. He was his colleague in ministry, but now he defected to the world. Dimas is mentioned three times in the Scripture three times in these three times were merely the biography of this man known justice Dimas that's all we know about him and those biography represents a downward spiral downward spiral in his spiritual walk and spiritual life, a man who started well but he ended up badly. You see, the first time he's mentioned is in Philemon. Verse 24. Paul said Dimas, my fellow worker, my dear colleague in the ministry and then the next time he gets mentioned isn't Colossians chapter 4 and you just mentioned as Dimas and finally here in second Timothy chapter 4 the third time he is mentioned. Dimas has forsaken me for who you have loved this present world of Lord please let this never be said of me with my never be said of you ordered to him right there can be very few things that breaks the heart of a servant of God than seeing people who had every reason to do great things for God, but Charles the low road but also know that there is nothing that breaks the heart of a parent more than seeing their child who has great potential to accomplish great things for God, but the support there is nothing more heartbreaking for spouse who knows that his or her spouse had great potential for God and the other opted for mediocrity and justice.

Paul had his Dimas Abraham had his loft, Isaac and Rebekah had their initial all. However, her must've longed for and was broken hearted when his nephew Lot chose this area that he chose and ended up in Sodom and Gomorrah, how he longed that he would follow in his footsteps, but he didn't. How Isaac and Rebekah must've cried buckets of tears over Esau's wrong choices when other Paul tells us that he wept over the rebellious believers in the church of Corinth, and here he grieves over Dimas who have decided to pursue the Mirage of worldly success. Instead of serving the King of Kings. What a letdown hoarded disappointment over the heartbreaking situation that blood would listen to me when you have a lot in your life or initial order Dimas who breaks your heart, I want to tell you on the authority of God's word. Don't ever, ever, ever stop praying for them. Goblins of the press purges that whenever God bring somebody to the kingdom from a family. He has a plan for the rest of the family and Paul affirms that the first consist chapter 7 Philip Brooks said in the Christian life. The deeper depths of sorrow. The higher heights of joy that come together and so don't ever give up praying for them. Don't you ever give up praying for them.

You might not see it in your lifetime for your sake, I pray that you see it in your lifetime, but if you don't, don't ever stop praying for your particle God will bring her God will bring him to himself.

God will do it and he will answer your prayers.

That's a prayer you know that he will answer Dimas has forsaken before he loved the present age. The me ask you is there a Dimas in your life is breaking your heart is a someone whom you dearly love and you want to help so badly but all they do is reject and refuse as a someone is there someone in your life, in whom you have invested your life and invested your time and all you get back is ingratitude. Is there someone in your life, in whom you have placed heart AND ended up disappointing you big time. Descartes. Descartes say that with the car never give up praying for them.

Paul is heartbroken over Dimas's defection and that is why he asked for Timothy to come as quickly as possible.

Listen to me, the great apostle, the great apostle to the Gentile handpicked by God from being a persecutor to being the great apostle Paul who wrote the vast majority of the New Testament felt the discouragement that comes from disappointment, so don't ever feel bad about being discouragement every now and again. In fact, twice in this passage him thousands of how your perioperative come to Rome in verse nine he said do your best to comfortably soon.

Verse 21.

Do your best to come before winter and is something very important for all of us listen carefully after great apostle Paul needed encouragement from Timothy, his young colleague who are we to Sean encouragement from anyone at any age or in exchange. Sometimes I think we all like that little boy and they kept saying to him, don't be afraid of the dark. Don't be afraid of the dog. God is with you.

God is with you and he says yes I know that but I want somebody with a skin on. I think most of us like that. Listen to me. Even the great apostle Paul felt alone and abandoned. Now here's one thing that you need to understand about loneliness because people confuse that loneliness and aloneness are two different things. Not the same. Sometimes a person is so lonely and yet he or she is in the room filled with people you can be alone without being lonely. There are some who are enrolled but not lonely.

Loneliness can be the loneliness of vision.

When nobody is able to see or share your vision, loneliness can be the loneliness of leadership. No one can understand it unless it been through it. Loneliness can be the loneliness of conviction where you stand in your school and in your classrooms and on your campus when you stand up for the truth of the gospel along loneliness can be the loneliness of conviction and nobody sharing that conviction that's near you look at verses 16 and 17 in verse 16 he said at my first trial left court trial. He went on record trough in the first trial he went to who should know tempter must support everyone deserted me, may not be held against him that amazing is praying for their forgiveness. Just like our Lord did on the cross. Verse 17 but the Lord stood by my side, and he gave me strength. Praise God, even the best of Christian friends can go wobbly on us when we are under attack from the world and will not happen.

There can be no greater loneliness this and live in a time when even Christian friends are happy to be around us. As long as we are benefit to them. But as soon as the benefits are gone, they abandon us.

We know that they'll be surprised when you see it.

Paul stands in a long line of men and women of God who stood alone is not the only one that is not the only one that is very loneliness the Lord appeared to him and minister to him in a personal way, in a special way larger blessings, heart, and after great victory he learns for over 100 miles and then he goes in the amount of horror and then they sent him all along. Nobody undoes another 7000 needs have not bowed down to bail you and Neil alone. Nonetheless, the Lord minister to him in a loving way of reflector Paul Miller think of how absurd it is to obey God and build a big ship in the desert.

These people never seen rain, let alone deluge of it during the construction time know that his neighbors, and I'm speculating poor old Noah poor. Now he's lost it and he flipped his court. Finally know he thinks is obeying God is voiceless. We told them little bit of religion go a long way. We want him against too much religion. We told him not to get to fanatic about hearing God's voice because when you that this excessive religion will get to him one day, but I now live now building a ship on the dry land was going to go with that chip that was well and good until windows of heaven opened, and the earth opened and the floods came, there were drowning in the waters probably were crying out to know probably apologizing for marking him probably asking for forgiveness.

But it was too late because the Bible said God shut the door.

Not now. But God, God shut the door in the same way.

Beloved friends listen to me. In the same way those for marking the Bible. Those who are belittling the supernatural. Those who want a God who accommodates to them. Those who want to come to God that way on the last day there were regretted regret that action that will regret the lifestyle that will be too late will be too late. Joe perhaps standout is the ultimate in feeling loneliness of abandonment.

One time he reached such a low ebb in his life that he began to believe that even God in whom he has placed all of this trust is also abandoned him and yet God led Joe to and he met him in the whirlwind and that is what Job could say I am 42 five. However, the view by hearing of the ear, but now my eyes have seen you lawyer, no matter how bleak you loneliness or faithfulness might be listen to me you're never alone. You're never alone set up with me will never alone, but I cannot talk about loneliness without hawking my own mind and memory to the many times I have set in the garden of Gethsemane, never once in all the times I go to Gethsemane that I believe, overcome with emotions in the second place that tears me up the sky offices basement. Think of the profound loneliness that are specialists perfect, pure Lord Jesus not only that his friends and his disciples. Selenium abandoned him.

But on the cross was a moment. It could be nanoseconds or could be to second we don't know. I will know when I get to heaven because that's really so profound I can put my mind around it. For that brief moment when you send them my sin was relied on his shoulders. Even the father turned his back on because his eyes are pure to look upon sin in the garden. He asked his closest friends to fellowship with him in prayer. They couldn't.

The last night before the crucifixion. He sprinted in Caiaphas's basement and Lisa for walls with a hole in the ceiling from which they dropped him in there when you go to that place that is Psalm 22 and 22 languages of the world laminated down in the basement so whoever comes from whatever in the world they can read the Psalm Psalm 22, which tradition says that Jesus recited all night before the day of the crucifixion, my God, my God, why have you forsaken me. Why are you so far from saving me so far from the words of my groaning question why does our culture not know how to do would loneliness why so many in our culture suffer in silence. Why are so many afraid to admit the loneliness. Some think the admission of loneliness is a sign of weakness. It is not even some Christians. They think that it is not spiritual to say hey I need fellowship.

I need fellowship at this moment in Paul's life. He was not concerned of how many likes is got a Facebook who is not concerned about how many followers got on Twitter at this moment in his life. He's not caring about social media know he feels forsaken. So instead of brooding instead of brooding over it. He prays for their forgiveness.

May the Lord not hold it against them. Second half of verse 17.

He says I was delivered from the mouth of the lion who is a lion.

Peter tells us who the lioness is rolling around roaring like a lion is forever prowling his forever growling and is setting traps for everyone of us is setting traps for the faithful children of the living God is forever civic traps.

He was setting traps for Paul who want to get Paul to abandon the faith you want to get him to turn his back on biblical truth he was trying to get him to compromise his conviction was trying to get into savings. And Paul rejoices that the Lord delivered him from all the entrapment's of the line. Beloved in the time of loneliness, Satan sits traps.

He sets his straps and this is not a time for you to abandon Christian Fellowship. Why, because when Satan tries to tempt you to think that it is your faithfulness or causing you your loneliness. Then, the Christian brothers and sisters going to remind you of the promises of God and man. Some of you might be goes for your own private Gethsemane right now because of your obedience to the word of God. Satan will try to entrap you on every side and then you can join the apostle Paul in verse 18 and say that God is going to keep me safe and is going to take me safe all the way home. No matter what beloved, listen to me. It is natural to go with the flow, but it is designed to standalone it is natural to flow with people and drift with the tie, but it is defined to stand up and stem the tide. It is natural to compromise your conviction and follow the trends but it is divine to sacrifice temporary popular on the altar of God. Whatever you do, the words of the series of messages never give Catherine I think is delivering a passionate challenge standing firm against the rising tides of culture. Thank you for listening to leading the way IN thanking you sets words today stirred you having a dialogue with one of leading the race, pastoral team members would help you process further and take action to begin a conversation and LTW that ordered/Jesus and as we close out today's leading the way we wanted to take just a moment with Dr. you set here asking about his new book it's called never give up, and Dr. Yousef. I know this is a very personal book for you. So please, if you will share what personal ministry challenges you share in the park and perhaps how God gave you spiritual endurance to face those challenges are, you know, you couldn't have lived as long as I have administered as long as I have without facing temptations and challenges, and some people tried to counter bring doubt to your mind, and I remember I used to be part of a denomination in my goodness they made me offers over positions in all kinds of lucrative stuff and I said no I will not sell my soul and I will not compromise because of whatever it is that my last for a few years. Life is short.

Be 20 years hundred years. We all gonna go and face what I called the audience of one. Everyone of us going to have the audience of one were going to face Jesus. Everyone of us. What would I say to him I have done this sooner than this and of them this for you or homicide.

I've been faithful to the word of God are been faithful in the proclamation of the word of God, and that's what I want.

Pastors lay leaders. People in the pews to read this book and be empowered by the book and share the book get more details about natural gas that we visit LTW.org we had – and lots of other great resources for you there; favorite LTW.org and you can also call and speak to a ministry representative number is 866-626-4356 866-626-4356 is time to say goodbye. Thank you for being with us today and did plan to join Dr. Michael Doucet for the next meeting when he passionately proclaims uncompromising. This program is furnished by leading the way with Dr. Michael you sent