Truth and Perseverance #2

Please choose Christ in front of them and they want to talk about who their ancestor from 2000 years earlier was this is spiritual, not spiritual life hello and welcome once again to the truth with hungry founding pastor of truth Community Church in Cincinnati, Ohio Pineville right today is Don continues teaching God's people. God's work is going to wrap up his blood at the important of perseverance from the series title in defense of proof last time Don covered his first point true disciples continue in the word of God.

Now let's join our teacher for part two of his message called truth and perseverance on the truth. Jesus is saying. The reality of which we are talking about is the reality of regeneration. The reality of the new birth produces someone who is permanently changed and one mark of that change is an ongoing love for the word of God so that someone who falls into a long-term pattern of indifference or rejection of the word of God was never a Christian to begin with. Now this is undoubtedly the hardest point for Christian parents of adult children to embrace and accept.

I can't tell you how many parents I've spoken with over three decades of ministry will say things that contradict what I know they know to be true. Well I remember when Johnny was little and he prayed at my knee and receive Christ at my knee. And yeah, he's working on his fourth marriage now.

Yeah, he's a drunk. But I just know that the truth is in him.

I just know that he's actually a Christian. Even though nothing about his life for 30 years is given the slightest indication of any interest in truth, any interest in obedience to Christ. He's never darkened the door of the church in all that time. This is a composite picture. Yet parents because they don't want to think of and don't want to face the reality that maybe their child is one of those described so often in Scripture, they'll deny what Scripture says about true conversion in order to maintain the illusion in their mind that their son is still going to heaven that's deadly a son like that, a daughter like that cannot be affirmed in the faith, beloved, they have to be challenged to examine what that prior profession was, and to be told and warned it doesn't matter if you pray that my knee it doesn't matter if you stood at an altar. It doesn't matter if you were baptized. The truth Community Church. If your subsequent life is been one of rejection and hostility to the word of God and an opposition to truth. We have to be more loyal to the word of God and what it says about true conversion than we are, even to our flesh and blood, beloved parents like that and I'm not accusing anyone in the room here.

I'm genuinely not just stating broad principles here parents you're not doing your doing your kid any favors by talking about them like that. Far better to to drop the fa�ade to drop the brave face far better to abandon the inconsistency with what you know to be true from God's word.

Far better to say my heart is broken over you.

My heart is breaking by the fact that you have not continued in the word of God. I can't affirm you as a Christian, even though I want to. How can you claim to know Christ when everything about your life is worldly even if it's not immoral there's just no love God in your soul. There's no desire for Christ in you, oh my dear flesh and blood. I plead with you to examine yourself and not continue on this cold indifference. This outward hostility. This life of rebellion against God. I plead with you to examine yourself and see whether you're in the faith and if parent if you're like my life was and to embrace the fact that maybe you were you been a false convert all this time. Far better to recognize that to humble yourself to admit it to go to Christ afresh in plead with him for the new birth to plead with him to save your soul. Far better to do that than to maintain the charade better to sacrifice your pride now and have your soul saved than to continue the charade and have Jesus point to see the flashing neon light that says hell about that gate. That's where your to go see beloved, what we believe about these things has immense consequences. This is that this is the most practical thing that we could talk about is the nature of true conversion in the way that we deal with our families, but even more importantly, the way that you deal with your own soul to take an honest measure of your soul. I know that none of us love the word of God perfectly. I certainly don't I know that none of them that we run hot and cold. I know that I do you do we can be honest about all of those things without denying that there is an underlying reality that when my mind is clear and when I you know and when I'm in the presence of God.

I want his word. I want Christ I I I reject I denounce that part of me that is unfaithful. I, reject and announce that with the fullness of my heart. I embrace Islam love this word is as that which is my life. Where am I to go. You have the words of eternal life. I can go anywhere else. Love it is something like that in your heart are not or are you just satisfied with the trinkets and the trifles of life on this earth. If I work so Scottish tears in my heart would come out on the tears and show tears on my face to plead with you to that end. These things matter and your soul is eternal in your soul is of infinite value.

God is given you a soul with the responsibility to pursue its well-being. Forget about what it might look like before man to acknowledge you what I've been a fake Christian for 40 years. Forgot about that better better better to be a real Christian for a year and then go to heaven then to maintain your pride like the Jews did and and being unwilling to confess any spiritual problem in your life to maintain appearances before man and live eternity with the devil. What you gain in that exchange book. I'm just a pastor, pleading with you for your soul. That's all not angry at anyone, just a pastor, pleading with your soul. Jesus said if you continue in my word, your true disciple of mine.

Well, there's a second mark of true discipleship. Go back to John chapter 8 true disciples continue in the word true disciples. Point number two.

Know the truth. True disciples know the truth. For those who continue in the truth one Mark one way that you can know that your continuing in the truth, not simply by you know your fidelity to a daily quiet time.

It's deeper it's broader it's more significant than just that those who continue in the truth their knowledge and their understanding grows real look at John chapter 8 verse 32 Jesus says and you know, if you continue in my word, then your truly disciples of mine and this is joined together. There is a spiritual sandwich here. You might say that's that's joined together here and in addition to continuing in my word, something else will happen. You will know the truth you see as you continue in the truth is a real Christian, your knowledge of Scripture. Your understanding of God's word rose in this knowledge of truth concerns. The person of Christ and recognizes him as the promised Messiah and recognizes him as fully God and fully man in one person. It it it it recognizes who Christ is, it understands it understands that at the cross he accomplished redemption for his people. It understands that that cross was a one time event. Contrary to Catholic teaching that is re-crucified every time of the mass is celebrated but in addition to those things. This knowledge of the truth also includes an recognition and submission to the authority of his teaching the authority of his teaching lesson if you know and understand that the Lord Jesus Christ is God in human flesh, then, that has immense consequences for coming to his word and seeing what it says it means that his Word is authority, not just in general throughout, diffuse through the universe and throughout the world. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away. Matthew 24, 35, the beloved. His word is authority for you.

His word is authoritative over your soul. His word is binding on his disciples for life and for doctrine, we are not free as Disciples of Christ to celebrate and participate in pride month. For example that's an impossibility for the true Christian because God's word condemns pride itself. In addition to the lifestyles being separated. Pride goes before destruction the Christian understands that and resisted, even though it's celebrated ad nausea that's just an illustration. When God's word comes in and identifies sin in your life. The sin must be rejected. You see beloved. See beloved to know the truth is more than simple mental acquiescence to it is more than just saying all I agree with that. That's not a knowledge of the truth in biblical terms. Look look look look look look if you know that Christ is Lord and you know the Lord means that he is the final authority and he is Lord over your sold Luke 646.

Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not do what I say. Beloved, there cannot be that bifurcation in your mind hi I acknowledge him as it Lord but I'll you know, in the final analysis, all live like I want know that is not Christian salvation.

You see, to know the truth as Jesus speaks about it is to know. It includes a moral commitment to the truth that includes a submission to its authority. It's a moral commitment to the truth that includes a submission to its authority. If you really know Christ and understand these Lord, and you understand that the 66 books of the Bible are his word, then the authority of Christ as Lord mediated through his word means that it has authority over your own soul. You can't live any other way.

You can't live in disregard to Scripture and call yourself a Christian, you will know the truth and you see beloved, and when you remember the context of the Jews. We looked at earlier. No one really knows the truth if they respond to with defiance. No one really knows the truth that denies the inerrancy and the authority of the word of God. No one really knows the truth that lives in conscious unrepentant sin know to be sure in this life, we we only know in part, our knowledge is imperfect, but there's not a defiance against what we know there's not a there's not a settled rebellion and then repentance against the moral authority of God's word so Christ gives his disciples a confident knowledge of truth. They grow in the faith despite setbacks and outward challenges.

Beloved, and I understand I understand with that we go through times and you know and at adversity. Severe adversity hits you and and and you and you feel some of the questions that we that we seen in the Psalms over the past eight years. On Tuesday nights I get that that's not inconsistent with what I'm saying but at the bottom there is there is a love for the truth. There is a desire for the truth. There is a submission to the truth to know the truth is to respond to it inwardly like that third and final ice time gets away from us yet again we seen that true disciples continue in the word true disciples know the truth. Thirdly, true disciples are set free. True disciples are set free. This is what the truth does verse 32.

Again, we saw if you continue in my word, then your truly disciples of mine number one true disciples continue in the word secondly true disciples will know the truth and then there's another and these things joined together linked together like links in a chain you'll know the truth. And thirdly, the truth will make you free. 1/3 result of genuine conversion is expressed by freedom, not the political freedom that we celebrate on July 4.

This Jesus is talking about a spiritual freedom.

As we saw earlier in the Jews thought the physical lineage from Abraham was enough. Look at verse 33 they answered him were Abraham's descendents, we've never yet been enslaved to anyone how is it that you say you will become free. Jesus is making these profound far-reaching statements about what true conversion produces in the life of a true disciple in word realities, and these Jews are so spiritually dull. So Dan to truth that they want to talk about physical genealogy. You know it today or my dad was a pastor and his dad was a pastor and you know we were all good Baptists you know them and people want to talk that way you know and you know my whole family I was born into a Christian family. If that's where you go for a spiritual discussion. That's where you go to assert your own spirituality, you're right here in verse 33 with the Jews. That's the wrong way to think. One writer says about these Jews and I quote, their sense of inherited spiritual privilege is so strong they can neither acknowledge their own need nor recognize the divine word incarnate before them. They had Christ in front of them, yet they couldn't acknowledge their spiritual need.

They had Christ and thought of them and they want to talk about who their ancestor from 2000 years earlier was this is spiritual, not spiritual life. Jesus wasn't talking to them about physical realities. He was talking about spiritual freedom. Look at verse 34 Jesus answered them, they just talked about physical things.

Jesus immediately changes the subject and talks about spiritual things. Verse 34 truly, truly, I say to you everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin.

The slave does not remain in the house forever. The son does remain forever. So if the son makes you free, you will be free indeed. See beloved true conversion.

One of the marks of a true disciple. One of the marks of genuine truth and perseverance. Is that true conversion liberate you from the bondage that you were previously in to your sin and to say 10 look over at first John chapter 3 chapter 3 verse four everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness and sin is lawlessness. You know that Christ appeared in order to take away sins. And in him there is no sin. No one who abides in him sends no one who sends ideas continually habitually unrepentant late no one who sins has seen him or knows him little children. The apostle John was making the same plea 2000 years ago that I was just making to you a few moments ago. That's because it's biblical and he says in verse seven says little children, you see that the pastoral affection for them little children make sure no one deceives you the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous.

The one who practices sin is of the devil for the devil is sent from the beginning.

The son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil. No one who is born of God practices sin, because his seed abides in him and he cannot sin, because he is born of God. By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious. Anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother. Beloved, when Jesus Christ saves a Christian when he saves the center and converts them into a child of God, something miraculous happens. He breaks the power of sin in the heart.

The prevailing dominating sense of sin, and being unable to get yourself out of sin, being unwilling to leave sinful relationships. For example, a true Christian, Christ comes and breaks that power and replaces it with a greater spiritual liberty a greater spiritual power and inclines the heart and empowers the heart with a love for righteousness and the love for godliness that is greater than the power sin, the previously dwelt there in he came to take away sin became to break the power sin in his disciples so that one of the marks of a true Christian is that somehow there is a change that takes place somehow there is something in the subsequent life after the supposedly moment of conversion that shows that a new life principle is an operation that a new life trajectory has taken root that just grows and its manifestation in maturity over time.

That's why it is so vital for us to keep a short list of our sins to to be confessing and repenting of our sins on an ongoing basis because they are contrary to the very reason that Christ saved us. Christ breaks the power of sin.

Christ opens eyes that had previously been blinded by Satan. Beloved, you will know the truth and the truth will set you free. Free from satanic false doctrine's free from binding sinful life patterns you see to come into union with Christ as a liberating spiritual gift from God himself that cannot fail to show forth the fruit that he appoints to be manifested.

We are his workmanship. Ephesians 2 says united with Christ in order to bring forth good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them. So Jesus here in John chapter 8 has spoken of immense spiritual gifts, being a true disciple knowing the truth.

Spiritual liberty from sin and Satan. These gifts are available only in the truth in Christ and in Scripture beloved this freedom which Christ promises is found only in him.

It's offered to you freely as a gift to be received in a repentant faith that rejects the world that turns from self and sin and humbly comes to Christ and says save me, have mercy on me, the center, beloved, if you are in Christ, he has given you already freedom to rise above your sins, freedom to be free from pervasive guilt, freedom to live in hope and not to just play the part of a perpetual victim the perpetual victim is not the mindset of the true Christian, yes you say people have wronged me, but I am in Christ.

I belong to one who controlled all of that to good for me and I trust him and I rejoice in him. Despite what man is done to me were not the victim in this spiritual change flows from abiding faithfully in the word of God. Over time, beloved, do you feed yourself on Scripture and thus proved to be a true disciple of Christ, a deep desire to study and live by all that is found in God's holy word that is a true indicator that we belong to him will next time Don will take us to his next message from the in defense of truth series with a study called truth and salvation. But thank you so much for joining us today on the truth pulpit with Don green would like to invite you to visit the truth.

Pulpit.com.

We can learn much more about this once again that's the truth. Pulpit.com were out of time for today. I'm Bill Wright. See you next time.

As Don green continues teaching God's people. God's word from the truth