The Charge to Guard the Gospel - Pt 2 - 2nd Timothy 1:1-18

Well, good morning Welcome to Faith Bible Church for all of you at home are we're there with you as well

And you know, we know that you can worship. We're worshiping corporately here today.

This is Probably God's best for us but there for a number of other reasons and health issues and so on you're at home and You can worship there as well.

So Any time of the day or night we can worship our Lord, it's not just here

It's it should be all the time. So but we're thankful that you're tuning in and that you're here this morning

Welcome to we don't have any visitors today that I can tell but some very friendly faces and we're blessed to have you all here this morning a couple updates

Ilgen and Lauren are gonna be moving here. They'll be here on the 18th There'll be some period just probably a

Sunday and then he'll probably be preaching the following Sunday But we have we got to work that through he's ready and raring to go

He is just it's like, you know a stallion He's just holding them back because he just wants to go and that isn't that the best and that's the way that's the way

I think God would please God immensely Yes, young blood so and more on a somber note

Most of you know, but Penny Emmett passed away this week.

She went home to be with her Lord and Savior and It's been a it's been a tough road for her physically and in a number of ways and we're just We're thankful to God that we know she knew the

Lord and she's with him today and she's in a much better place And no pain no sorrow no grief.

No misery to be with her Savior, so It's just us left behind and those that are living with it and living out of the memory that it's hard on But she is at peace.

She is at rest so just keep family and church family Barb and Victor who were very close with her and and a bit gone through this journey with her and Very closely.

I just remember Penny and George her husband who passed away a number of years ago They were the first people we met at the entrance to the church.

They were the greeters and that was that was our first impression of Faith Bible Church, and it was warm and welcoming and What would have what a pleasure that was and so She will be missed

This morning. I'd like to encourage us a little bit as we prepare our hearts for worship that I'd like to read

Psalm 138 that here even in the face of Adversity and the world around us and even challenges within the church at large

David gives us an example of praising God in the good times and also in the difficult times in the times of trial

Always we can give praise to God. So I'd like to read this. You can just listen with as I read it

I will praise you with my whole heart Before the gods I will sing praises to you.

I will worship Toward your holy temple and praise your name for your loving kindness and your truth

For you have magnified your word above all your name in the day when I cried out you answered me and made me bold with Strength in my soul all the kings of the earth shall praise you.

Oh Lord when they hear the words of your mouth Yes, they shall sing of the ways of the Lord for great is the glory of the

Lord though The Lord is on high yet. He regards the lowly But the proud he knows from afar

Though I walk in the midst of trouble You will revive me you will stretch out your hand against the wrath of my enemies and your right hand will save me

The Lord will perfect that which concerns me your mercy Oh Lord endures forever

Do not forsake the works of your hands. Amen. So if you join me in prayer

Lord God, we come to you today Lord having the confidence that you are who you say you are that father

You have shown yourself faithful For for the millennium Lord and and we see your evidence of your faith in our lives today father

Let us hold on to the truths of the gospel message father as pastor John has been sharing with us so fervently

Lord I pray today that we would have a heart that desires to know the truth and Lord that that truth is what will guide us that will govern our lives that Lord we are to give you glory in all things and that is is one of the many ways but the primary way that we

Can do that Lord? So today I pray that we would please you with our songs and worship songs and hymns

And the message father and the preaching and teaching of your word father that we would just be glad in your majesty

Your greatness your goodness and Lord, we pray for those out in our

Congregation Lord and and family and friends that are suffering that are having difficulty and trials and and health issues father

But that you would be in their midst that they would be holding on to you and the truth of your word father

So Lord, we thank you and give you praise in all things. We commit this service to your care in Christ's name.

We pray. Amen David well, good morning

And it's time to worship the Lord every time this time to worship the Lord All right at this time, we're gonna worship the

Lord in song and let's stand God be the glory

You and please be seated at this time

Good morning Scripture reading this morning.

It's taken from first Thessalonians chapter 5 verses 1 through 11 first Thessalonians Chapter 5 1 through 11

But concerning the times and the seasons brethren, you have no need that I should write to you

For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord and so comes as a thief in the night

For when they say peace and safety then sudden destruction comes upon them as labor pains upon a pregnant woman

And they shall not escape But you brethren are not in darkness So that this day should overtake you as a thief

You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness

Therefore let us not sleep as others do but let us watch and be sober For those who sleep sleep at night and those who get drunk are drunk at night but let us who are of the day be sober putting on a breastplate of faith and love and As a helmet the hope of salvation for God Did not appoint us to wrath but to obtain salvation to our

Lord Jesus Christ Who died for us that whether we wake or sleep we should live together with him

Therefore comfort each other and edify one another Just as you also are doing

May God has blessing to the reading and hearing of his holy word Let's stand and sing my hope is in the

Lord and have faith in God Have faith in God everyone

Thank you all for singing please be seated I am now pastor Trump I Want to show you a couple things real quick.

So first Thessalonians Dave. Thanks so much for that reading and And also you want to be in 2nd

Timothy, of course So we're continuing this wonderful series

I hope you're encouraged as I am living in the last days living in perilous times difficult times trying to glean specific truths from the

Word of God That you know that we can carry around in our pocket or hide in our heart as we face

The various things that are going on there's so much going on in the world right now I don't know if you've been following because my understanding is

You're not going to read you see about this on the national news The protests against and the attacks on Jewish people around the world

If you have a computer look it up in every major city major protests

Supporting the Palestinian Attempt to kill the

Jewish people. I mean in a United States of America Thousands of people swarmed a

Main Street in Chicago waving the Palestinian flag Beating up Jewish people in New York City Jewelers there's a section of Of Jewelry stores and pawn shops and things like that.

There's a it's called the Jewish quarter in New York City they're being attacked on their way to work beat up and Paul writes to the church of Thessalonica concerning the times the seasons brethren

You have no need that I should write to you In other words, he had grounded them so much in what to expect in the last days that he didn't need to say this

For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night

Remember we talked about the chronology of the last days, right? We have this broad from the resurrection of Jesus Christ to the second coming is called what the last days, right?

And then we have that phrase in the New Testament the end times right which would be towards the latter part of The last days everybody following me and then we have the day of the

Lord The day of the Lord throughout the Bible is normally associated with a day of judgment

So this is a rabbit trail. We don't have time to really develop. But when you see that phrase day of the

Lord In the New Testament context, it has kind of a twofold meaning one would be the return of Jesus Christ Another could be depending on the context

God's judgment on this earth God is not going to flood

The world again, right when you see a rainbow you should be reminded of that however, he will destroy the present earth with fire and There will be a new heaven and a new earth

For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord comes as a thief of the night meaning what you don't know when for when they say peace and safety then sudden destruction comes upon them as Labor pains upon a pregnant woman and ask anybody any lady that's ever given birth.

They can tell you about that I don't want to go through it and They shall not escape

Now this is what I wanted to call your attention One reason why

I had this as our scripture reading because if you look I don't have I'm not going to read it all

Look at this verse 6 therefore

Let us not sleep as others do But let us watch and be sober

Beloved believers They need to watch and be sober

God has given to us an Inheritance a treasure to guard and we can't do it sitting at home watching

TV seven days a week We have to be alert Yeah, we need to sleep.

We need to eat But this is an active charge. Let us not sleep as other do

Verse 7 for those who sleep sleep at night But see believers verse 8 are

Of the day and we have to be sober that's not talking about not drinking wine or getting drunk this is talking about being alert and and have your faculties and Understanding what we are dealing with one of the

One of the causes for what's going on in this country and the world Comes back.

Please. Listen to me comes back to the church to you and I Look at Hebrews over just a couple of books

Hebrews 10 Hebrews 10 24

Actually Verse 23 Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering what does it mean to hold something fast

Hang on for dear life Hang on for dear life the confession of our hope the gospel without wavering for he who promised is faithful and here's a charge to us and Let us consider one another

In order to stir up love and good works, let me tell you something God has literally done a miracle in this church

You have been here since last December right as God has worked you have no idea the hours

Victor and Harold have put into How can we keep the doors of this church open the lost sleep on our knees?

Praying that God and God is God has brought us a young man This you are going to love this guy.

Okay, who's that? What's that old suit commercial? I guarantee it Remember that I Guarantee I I'm telling you

I have spent hours with this young man. He is solid and He can't wait to come here.

They're coming a month earlier three weeks early because they want to be with us Hallelujah Let me tell you that is a shepherd

If he wasn't if he was a hireling first Peter five, you know what he'd be doing. He'd be chilling to the last possible minute

That's not what he's doing he's packing up though to get in the U -Haul and on his way Here's what

I want to challenge you with look at this Please look please read please understand.

Let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works That's what we're to be doing for one another when we gather on Sundays and God willing as we begin to fellowship again with With or without the state's blessing if you ask me, but that's not my decision

Alone When we come to church when we worship together

When we pray for one another are we stirring up? Love and good works

Did you get a chance to share the gospel this week? Boy, I don't want you to ask me that I'm retired

I'm not feeling too well Look at this

Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together as is in the manner of some

But exhorting one another and so much the more as you see the day

Approaching beloved, please. Listen to me. I love you. I love you

See here in the early church people already stopped attending church

Please don't listen to me. Listen to God not forsake the assembling of ourselves together as Is the manner of some?

We will not know the effects of kovat on the church By the way, thank you for those of you that talked to my daughters

That I should still get the in -and -out regardless if I said COVID. Thank you very much I'm very thankful to those of you that went to her because I did get my in -and -out but not that day

All right, dad, but not today compromise Okay, please listen to me

We do not understand we do not understand yet or appreciate The incredible effects of kovat on the church not because people have gotten sick, but because we're not meeting together

Once you stop me, I know I can tell you stories about people that are not going to go back to church. Why?

They'd rather worship in their pajamas on the sofa I'm telling you a good friend of mine pastors a church 200 people.

They're running 150 Not because people are afraid of getting sick

Because it's just easier to grab a cup of coffee and plop down on the sofa. Come on Isn't it?

But see this is what this is warning us against We need each other

To stir each other up. I need to be here. We're not going anywhere because here we're getting stirred up Amen All right

Enough of that. That's a free sermon Go to 2nd Timothy Because we're want to continue in this series of messages

Seeking by God's grace To learn some of the faith truths and gospel truths that are found in God's Holy Word That can help us stand firm in difficult days and we began last week dealing

With these verses and I'll start reading at verse 12 just to get us plugged back in For this reason

I also suffer these things what the reason that he was appointed as a preacher apostle and teacher of the

Gentiles, right? Nevertheless, I'm not ashamed embarrassed or afraid

For I know whom I have believed and I'm persuaded that he is able to keep what I've committed to him until that day

Now, here's the charges. There's two of them Hold fast the pattern of sound words, which you have heard from me in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus that good thing

Which was committed to you entrusted to you keep by the

Holy Spirit who dwells in us This you know that all those in Asia have turned away from me

Among whom are Phygellus and Hermogenes They've left him

Everybody in Asia the churches of Galatia Ephesus Colossae Laodicea Hierapolis Not Thessalonica because that's in Greece The Lord grant

Mercy to the household of Onesiphorus for he often refreshed me. He was not ashamed embarrassed afraid of my chain

But when he arrived in Rome He sought me out very zealously and he found me the

Lord grant to him That he may find mercy from the Lord in that day and you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus So we've established that the church the early church was living in difficult days

And it's in that context that Paul charges Timothy in verse 13 to hold fast

Meaning tightly the pattern of sound words, which he heard from Paul and then verse 14

He charges him to keep that good thing Which was committed to him so hold fast or guard the gospel

Which was the good thing that was committed to him and please please please don't miss this important truth

How was he to keep that good thing in verse 14? by the

Holy Spirit a reminder That the life we now live we also live how by faith

We're saved by faith and the life we now live we live by faith. We cannot hang on in a hurricane, right?

Which is what we're living through So this morning we need to continue to understand

That one aspect of standing firm in the last days involves believers

Obeying this vital and this very sober charge to guard the gospel.

Amen. Let's pray Father God, we thank you so much for this day.

What a joy to be together Have faith have faith in God to God Be the glory great things.

He has done so loved II the world that he gave us his son Father may the Holy Spirit today

Be our teacher May I stay out of the way of what you might have for your sheep today including me

We commit these things to you For the glory of God and the exaltation of Jesus Christ.

We pray in Jesus name. Amen So when you go through the

New Testament, you can trace the problems that were going on the challenges that were going on in the early church

Back to false teachers You know sinful nature of man obviously is in there

I don't have the time to develop all that but we've been talking about false teachers coming into the church and Changing a little here a little there

When it comes to understanding the gospel that Jesus Christ preached and died for right?

They also sought Listen they also sought to corrupt the nature the character and the attributes of Jesus Christ they questioned was he really

God come in the flesh? Was he really a man the Gnostics said he couldn't be a man.

He had to be some kind of the dosage is spirit Right. That's why what did what did he say to Thomas touch feel right?

Remember that? friends Solomon warns in Ecclesiastes There's nothing new

Under the Sun. So what was happening then has happened throughout church history right up until this very day

So we've seen in Scripture how vital it is for believers to understand the gospel that Jesus Christ preached and died for and also what the

Bible teaches about Jesus Christ see being established and grounded in these truths is

As a much a matter of life and death as a scalpel is in the hands of a brain surgeon

That is how important it is these are critical truths in God's Word Paul charges

Timothy to not be ashamed of the gospel in verse 14 He charges him to keep in guard to gospel and remember we talked about this word keep it's an imperative

It's a it's a command and remember I mentioned last week that the word keep was used in association

Association with guarding things right being alert being a sentinel having your gun locked and loaded

Right your armor on you're ready. Whatever's gonna come you're ready. Hey, you're gonna drop them with that AK Effective Guarding requires alertness.

It requires careful measures. It requires diligence. It requires knowledge And we also saw how this good thing is is the gospel right?

It's it is that crucible of treasure Timeless Bible truths, right simply by faith the forgiveness of sin

Justification redemption the good thing is it's it's the it's the it's the cover of a book of Incredible riches and benefits that we have in Christ because of the gospel eternal life in heaven not hell, right?

So this has been deposited. That's what this word is saying, which was committed to you

It has been deposited like I got to go to the bank this week. Johanna got some gifts for her graduation

She didn't have time to to go to the bank So I'm gonna go to the bank for her right and I'm going to deposit

I'm going to entrust I'm going to commit those funds to her account

Please she said Salvation by grace through faith alone.

This has been given to us to Timothy and to all believers, right? Reconciliation with God so we want to get back to it.

I think I can be done on time today How was Paul charging

Timothy to hold fast the pattern of sound words that Timothy had heard from him and keep the good thing and guard the treasure of the priceless gospel and how should

Christians today respond to this charge. First of all, remember last week by comprehending the urgent need to guard the gospel effectively guarding and keeping the gospel starts at the beginning and The beginning is understanding and accepting and obeying the charge

How is Timothy to respond to this charge? How do we sincere believers?

How do believers at any point in history at any point on the timeline of the last days?

Respond to this charge. First of all understand that it's a charge that is to be obeyed.

Amen simple Yeah, that's like Christianity 101. God said it fine.

I'll do it now number two by understanding the vital importance of having a biblical

Christology a biblical Christology As I said last week no biblical

Jesus No biblical gospel. Did you hear me?

If the Jesus that we worship is not Biblical then we don't have we have not responded to the biblical gospel.

Okay Don't get afraid by that term Christology. All we're talking about is what does the

Bible teach about Jesus Christ? Everything that the Bible teaches from Genesis 3 Actually Genesis 1 if we had the time to chase that down but Genesis 3 where the serpent and he's gonna crush the head of the serpent all the way through the

New Testament over 330 prophecies in the Old Testament fulfilled in the man Jesus Christ everything that the

Bible talks about Jesus Christ Christology, right? whether his birth his sinless perfection his attributes his ability to raise the dead

Lazarus Heal the blind heal the lame Whether we're talking about his death his burial three days in the ground his resurrection the list goes on it is it urgent?

It is imperative to understand how vitally important what the Bible teaches about Jesus Christ is to guarding the gospel and how critical and interrelated being grounded in a biblical

Christ is To guarding the gospel and I just want to review quickly

Back in Matthew the verses that we looked at last week remember

Matthew 16 verse 13 Listen the gospel is not founded on just any rock

The gospel is not founded on any Jesus do you understand?

It's not just the Jesus that we want to have It or that we understand it.

It has to be the biblical Jesus, right The biblical

Jesus that is taught revealed in God's holy Inherit inspired word now look again when

Peter when Jesus asks The disciples look at verse 13 who do men say that I the son of man am

Well, some say John the Baptist some say Elijah others Jeremiah One of the prophets

I Had a fantastic experience this week Now I know

If your church, I mean, I I know most of you pretty well by now at least Casually and and I understand that you know, you're retired and kovat and John you've been talking about sharing the gospel

The only person I see is my brother Right, I work from home now,

I don't I don't go to an office How do I how am I gonna share the gospel? Well, can

I tell you something? Just ask God God opened the door for me to share the gospel in simple faith and trust him.

Okay. Did you hear me? I've never done it. Well when Iljin gets here, I'm sure he's watching.

Hi Iljin Not live recorded I understand But I know he's going to do some evangelism training.

Okay But all you need to do is say God open the door and God opened a glorious door for me this week

You don't have to do anything right? You just have to be available and you have to be willing. Did you hear me?

God open the door. Well when I dropped my family off on Thursday afternoon There was a central meet point because they rented a van one of those big 15 passenger tall vans you see running around Amazon Except it has 15 seats

They had to take seats out they had so much luggage three families It was quite funny

Well as they're loading This guy walks. I didn't know we were parked in front of A mosque

It's in a shopping center, right and there's a mosque right there I didn't know it was a mosque this guy walks up and he's got the sathan or the so or whatever they call it

And it turns out this guy walks up to me. He's the imam. He's the pastor of this mosque of This mosque and he comes up and he goes, what are you guys doing?

And I started talking to him and I'm like God, I cannot believe this to myself.

I Was like I had goose pimples. I was Electricity running up and down my body, right?

I have a the leader of a Islamic Congregation standing right here so we start talking and He's a very gentle guy.

He's from Pakistan. He was born here. His father is an attorney and worked for the

Pakistan government So anyway, we're talking and I'm just like God, how can

I turn this? How do I turn this to a gospel? This is a divine appointment.

So I just said so let me ask you something and And this is what good witnessing involves is asking questions, right

You ask do you have do you ever think about heaven or hell? You can say do you ever think about church?

You can ask questions and then that just opens up the conversation So I said, what is the difference listen to me carefully because this applies to what we're going to study today

What is the singular difference between biblical Christianity? The gospel that Jesus Christ preached and died for and and I understand that that's a matter of faith he goes

Yeah, I said but just for for argument's sake What is the difference between Islam?

Mormonism Jehovah Witnesses Roman Catholicism because I would say none of those are biblical Christianity and he kind of looked at me

I said Hinduism Buddhism all of those verses what the Bible teaches about how we get to heaven

He goes that's a good question and this guy's very educated I went thank you God You understand we don't nothing

I would have said in that instance would it be wrong Right because it's not me that does the saving

Anyway, he goes I'd say it's the Trinity Why why did he say that?

Because in Islam Jesus is not God He's just a prophet a

Teacher. Anyway, I told him and I went down and I was able to go doing versus done. Remember that and He acknowledged that and then

I was able to camp on Ephesians 2 8 and 9 for by grace Are you saved through faith and that not of yourselves and I went through all that and I was able to give him the gospel

And guess what's in my phone? His phone number And guess what's on his phone you're gonna pray his name is

Islam How about that He said to them who do you say that I am that the disciples?

Peter said you are the Christ the Son of the Living God Islam denies that Mormonism denies that Jehovah Witnesses deny that Okay So what we have here as I said last week, and I love it.

I very rarely come up with stuff this cool micro Christological statement

Peter's confession is a micro Christological statement now go back to 2nd

Peter. I'm a 2nd Timothy. Oh, no. No Ephesians. Let's go to Ephesians In order to effectively

Guard the gospel believers Don't have to be geologists.

They have to be Christologists. Okay. They have to know Jesus Christ as he is taught and revealed in the

Bible now why is a Biblical Christology so critical to the gospel why is having a

Biblical Jesus so important when it comes to guarding the gospel I want to look at a couple of reasons why knowing and believing and being convinced of what the

Bible teaches about Jesus Christ is so critical when it comes to guarding the gospel reason number one

Because Jesus Christ is the cornerstone from which and on which the church is built

Now we looked at this verse These verses a little bit early in the year, but look at Ephesians 219 now therefore

You are no longer strangers and foreigners But fellow citizens with the Saints and members of the household of God This is talking about the

Jew Gentile issue That was a big thing in the early church, and it's a big thing even to this day, right?

So you are fellow citizens Jews and Gentiles with the Saints, right? If you're but if you've truly been born again, you're members of the household of God Having been built on the foundation of the

Apostles and Prophets Jesus Christ himself Being the chief cornerstone in whom the whole building being fitted together

Grows into a holy temple in the Lord in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the

Spirit So the church is referred to as the body of Christ. It is referred to as the bride of Christ It is also referred to as a house

Now, would you think about that for a moment? Think about your own family

Relationships in a house and those relationships how they are, right and Think about a stone house, right because that's what he talks about he's he's using the picture of the stone buildings of that day and Jesus is the chief cornerstone and The foundation that goes out from that cornerstone is what the

Apostles and Prophets Taught and where we have what the Apostles and Prophets teach is right here see because in Islam They have a prophet that isn't here.

His name is Mohammed Okay, and so does Mormonism Mormonism have a prophet.

Did you know that his name is Joseph Smith and All of the state all of the presidents following him

Brigham Young and so on and did you know that the Seventh -day

Adventists You know about that, don't you David? You sure do and don't you know that the

Seventh -day Adventists who come across as Christians and worship on? Saturday also have a prophet.

Her name is Ellen G white and They base most of their practices not on the

Word of God But on the writings and teachings of Ellen J white

Do you I need to go to Mormonism? I'm sorry Jehovah Witness They have a prophet

It's the Bible Watchtower and Bible Track Society and The Jesus of Jehovah Witnesses is not the

Son of God Amen, okay. Do you understand what I'm saying? How important this is?

Okay now Jesus is the cornerstone Jesus is the cornerstone right

Peter says coming to him as a living stone Which has been rejected by men, but as a choice and precious cornerstone in the sight of God you also as living stones

Wow are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ And I've already talked about Early in the year how these stone houses and I even put a picture up there, right?

So what what I would the point I want to make here is that in the first century when the church at Ephesus got this

Letter they immediately would have resonated with what Paul was writing here. We have houses made of wood and sheetrock

We need to write a modern translation right concrete slab Maybe you have a raised floor

We do when you walk in the kitchen squeak squeak So there's a cornerstone, right?

The cornerstone is Jesus Christ There's a foundation Right. This is the

Apostles doctrine what they taught about the gospel what they taught about Jesus Christ and it's been preserved for us in the

New Testament and we understand from just that short message or two that I Preached early in the year that that if the cornerstone of a building is off at all

Off at all, then the foundation is going to be off. The whole building is going to be off right if any if any part of that foundation stone that cornerstone is off the whole building is going to be off right and This is exactly

What is going on in many churches today? God willing? I'll have a video something

I saw this week that's going on in a church. I was just I'm in shock the stuff that is going on in churches today

This guy had a rubber dinghy and an oar And he talked about being funny to appeal to the lost

He's not a pastor he's a comedian and there's thousands of people watching him online

You mean that might happen to me John? Yes Unless you're what alert sober

You might buy into the lie that church is about how you feel It's not you know what church is about God It's about worshiping

God if you want to be biblical about it, right?

Friends if the cornerstone is off according to Paul's warnings and the warnings we find in the rest of the

New Testament even the slightest Even 70 hundredths of an inch the whole gospel building will be off reason number two because what the

Bible What the Bible reveals and teaches about Jesus Christ is very precise why is having a biblical

Christology Being grounded in what the Bible teaches about Christ so important to guarding the gospel

Because number one Jesus Christ is the cornerstone on which the church is built number two

Because what the Bible reveals and teaches about Jesus Christ is very very precise, right?

You think about this over? 300 specific prophecies about Israel's Messiah Were fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ If I told you the odds of that you can't even appreciate them

Imagine the state of Texas filled with quarters one -inch thick

Has anybody here driven across Texas besides Victor and Barb? Okay, let me tell you this when you drive across Texas You wonder if you're ever gonna get to the other side

It's that big Imagine the state of Texas filled with quarters an inch deep and Imagine one of those corners being painted orange now, here's your mission ready?

you have to reach down into the state of Texas and Pick up that orange quarter on the first try

That's the odds statistically of Over -300 prophecies written throughout the

Old Testament being fulfilled in a single person Mathematicians have done the odds.

It's ten to some unbelievable number. God is so precise

He is specific about the nature the character the attributes Everything about Jesus Christ and if you went on Amazon this afternoon and you typed in in the search bar books about Jesus Christ You would find literally

Hundreds of books just on the subject of Jesus Christ It is that vast one of the books on my library

Get this one book I have probably I Probably have 35 or more books just on Jesus Christ in my personal library one of them

It's a book 50 reasons why Jesus had to die That's the book it's just about the death of Jesus Christ Another one.

Oh Why did I say that now? I remember Why is the death of Jesus Christ that he actually died his heart stopped breathing his brain stopped working.

Why is that so important? Because literally for thousands of years that very fact of Jesus Christ has been attacked

They actually believe and teach in some Bible colleges and seminaries that probably

Jesus fainted on the cross he fainted on the cross and When he was wrapped in the 50 pounds of burial cloth and Cement plaster that they used in the custom of that day.

I'm not sure how he got out of that and how he breathed There are books written just on the resurrection one of mine 390 pages just on the subject of the implications and Applications just on the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

That's how big this is Look over at John 21 John 21

Look at John 21 verse 25 if you don't believe me and there are also many other things

That Jesus did Which if they were written one by one

I suppose that even the world itself Could not contain the books

That would be written When we read the New Testament the

Gospels about the things that Jesus did do you understand? It's only scratching the surface

My Point is we can't possibly plumb the depths of the riches that we have in Christ Jesus in a lifetime in Order to effectively guard the gospel believers must know

Jesus as he's taught and revealed in God's Word So how was

Timothy and how are we? How do sincere believers at any point in history?

Respond to this charge to guard the gospel for one number one what by appreciating and Comprehending the urgent need to do so right and obey it number two by Understanding the vital importance of having a biblical

Christology, right? knowing what the Bible teaches about Jesus Christ and now number three by understanding

Some of the key and fundamental doctrinal elements of what the Bible teaches about Jesus Christ now, why am

I going to take the time on this point and we won't finish today this point but then God willing next Sunday will be done with this little series of with this passage

I Have been a Christian since 1980 81

I Was in full -time ministry Eight years after I was saved in a church that preached a false actually they preached a biblical gospel but they it was a church of false doctrine on The Holy Spirit and then

I was in a fundamental very similar to this Bible Church for 12 years and Then I have been a pastor then

I three two years assistant pastor of a church in, Arizona and then the past 18 years coming up on 18 years.

You would not believe them the number of Christians that I have met and I would say do you believe in the virgin birth and they would say yes

Well, do you understand the significance of that? I Ask you that You probably believe in the virgin birth, but do you understand why it's so important?

I'm not sure John They would say I believe that Jesus died

But I would then follow up with this question. What is the significance of that? Why is that so important?

I'm not a hundred percent. Sure. So you know what I'm gonna do. I'm gonna give us four

Fundamental doctrines about Jesus Christ and develop them for you, right? We'll start with the virgin birth

We've already dealt with the deity of Christ, so we'll touch on that we'll talk about the Lordship of Christ and Finally the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the grave so go to Matthew chapter 1 and What I want to do

There's an amazing word. I Did it I had the privilege of leading a

Bible study one time. It was called behold our God and Do you know what the word behold means?

I didn't know I thought well behold, you know, they're behold the piano. Do you behold the piano?

Do you behold the piano? Yeah, no. No the word behold means to To be in awe of to to my mind's blank.

It's a big word So I what I want to do the rest of today and Next Sunday God willing, please with you together behold

Jesus Christ to really To see

Jesus right as the Bible teaches and we'll start with the virgin birth and listen

The virgin birth of Jesus Christ has been attacked Literally from the day he was born

Right up to today, okay, you can watch documentaries every

Christmas on Multiple channels that attack the virgin birth and the people that are on those programs that they are interviewing our

Scholars with big long titles PhD ltdddd and they question the virgin birth

These are Christian professors and authors Calling into question the virgin birth, right?

So Matthew 1 22 Oops, I'm not quite ready for that Here's my point after the resurrection

The virgin birth of Jesus Christ is literally the most contested event in the life of Jesus Christ That's why we're going to do the virgin birth and the resurrection, right?

Near the turn of the 20th century. So back in the 1800s in the u .s The virgin birth became an issue that tested people's belief in the supernatural.

This was because of seminary professors in the late 19th century and early 20th century the virgin birth was at the forefront of two main groups of Christians from Multiple denominations one group was called the fundamentalists and one was called

Modernists you ever heard this term fundamentalist? Oh, are you a fundamental Christian? Right? Well, the media doesn't understand that term

There's a legitimate reason we call this church is an independent fundamental Church of America Okay, we're not a denomination, but we're part of that fellowship of churches.

Well that word fundamental We didn't pull that out of thin air that came out of this movement

Where the modernists were saying that the virgin birth of Jesus Christ?

Did not happen. He was born of Mary, but there's no way

She was a virgin the fundamentalists in that period Insisted that the doctrine of the virgin birth was an accessional was essential

To to Fundamentalists the virgin birth was a guarantee of the qualitative Uniqueness and deity of Jesus Christ the virgin birth supported the sinless

The sinlessness of Christ it verified miracles and the so -called modernists of that day either rejected the virgin birth as unessential or untenable or Reinterpreted it in some non literal way.

For example, they would say that the virgin birth was allegorical and The Bible says that Mary that Jesus was born of a virgin listen

To point our attention to his purity See see she wasn't really a virgin because that's not possible

But what it does point us to and if you watch some of these interviews I'm the kind of person throws up when

I watch him But they're so convincing No, no.

No, I Want to imitate one so bad, but I can't I don't want to distract you

It's just it's it really doesn't matter He says it really doesn't matter whether he was born of a virgin because what it does tell us is

Jesus was pure now

God's Word makes the importance of the virgin birth Painfully simple no virgin birth.

No Christianity, did you hear what I said? Not me no virgin birth.

No Christianity. Look at Matthew 1 22 actually

Go to 21 go to 20 Go to 20

But while he thought about these things behold, this is Joseph behold an angel The Lord appeared to him in a dream saying

Joseph son of David do not be afraid To take

Mary your wife For that which is conceived in her is of the

Holy Spirit and she will bring forth a son and You shall call his name

Jesus for he will save his people from their sins

Verse 22 so all this was done look That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the

Lord through the prophet saying behold The virgin shall be with child and bear a son and they shall call his name

Emanuel Which is translated God with us Now Matthew is quoting

Isaiah 714 so in a word no virgin birth No God with us.

See if this isn't true. Why believe anything else in the Bible? Right.

The virgin birth is Fundamental to a biblical Christology. It is a central doctrine of Christ Therefore it is fundamental to the biblical gospel

And you see one of the things that the virgin birth demonstrates. Listen the virgin birth demonstrates that salvation

Ultimately Must come from the Lord Salvation is a miracle

The virgin birth was a miracle the dividing of the Red Sea was a miracle. The Bible is full of miracles

Just as God had promised that the seed of the woman back in Genesis 3 15 would ultimately destroy the serpent

So God brought salvation about he brought the means of salvation by his own power not by any human effort

See the virgin birth of Christ serves as an unmistakable reminder that salvation can never come through human effort

Salvation has to be a work of God a virgin birth is only a work of God Our salvation only comes through the supernatural work of God and that was evident at the beginning of Jesus's life

When God sent forth his son born of a woman born under the law to redeem those who were under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons or daughters

Galatians 4 Well, I'm out of time So I'm gonna mark this page right here

Because I want to take us back to Isaiah all kinds of verses Which we'll do next week

Yep, we'll do that next week. I don't want I want I want to still be preaching next Sunday I might get a knock on the door from Victor John We need to talk to you a little bit about the length of your sermons

There's not enough room on the memory stick Go to second go to 1st

Corinthians chapter 2 I'm sorry But we'll pick it up next week and I'll see what

I can do look at 1st Corinthians 2 so the idea this morning is to begin beholding looking intently at the gospel and Beholding and regarding intently the

Lord Jesus Christ and I have I have a very serious question And I'm not trying to pick on anybody.

Okay? How well? Do you understand the gospel just be honest and secondly

How well do you know and understand what the

Bible teaches about Jesus Christ? How important is?

The slightest deviation from what the Bible reveals and teaches about Jesus Christ and about the gospel look what

Paul says to the church and Corinth Which is having all kinds of issues

By the way, if you ever want to know how a church should not be Read first Corinthians Okay But look at this

Paul says to them brethren when I came to you, I Didn't come with excellence of speech or of wisdom

Declaring to you the testimony of God and here it is For I determined not to know anything among you

Except Jesus Christ and him crucified

You know, may that be my testimony when I'm done here as an interim pastor

May, you know well one thing about John He made it clear that he

Was determined to not know anything among us

Except Jesus Christ and him crucified Let me tell you something our view of God Our view of Christ Directly influences our view of self.

It influences our view of sin and See those three come together and they act like like prescription glasses on how we view the gospel and How we view our ability to hold fast to the pattern of sound words and to guard the priceless

Gospel treasure that has been entrusted to us Dear friends standing firm in the last days

Days or hours before he dies a martyrs death.

Paul says don't be ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ or me of his prisoner

Hold fast the pattern of sound words

Guard the gospel all believers Have this charge to be a good soldier and century of Jesus Christ.

Amen Take a few minutes Before David comes and Barb come

I want to give you a chance to pray Maybe this message

Something we read touched your heart Take a few moments and And Then I'll close us in prayer and David will come

You pray Ask God God Would you possibly?

Put an unbeliever in my life this week God, I haven't been reading my

Bible enough. Please God help me Today starting today God to be more committed

To reading my Bible and the knowing Christ pray that prayer Father God, we do.

Thank you for your word We thank you that it's true That it's inspired

That it's without error in the original languages original autographs

God That you have preserved it for us pray father that our view of Christ Might be higher today as a result of the preaching of your word

God Especially father that you might be pleased this week

To clearly as this man walked up to me May you send

To the people attending this church

God Might you be pleased to put in our path this week someone that needs

Jesus Christ We give you the praise honor and glory. Amen David and let's stand for a closing song.

I know whom I've believed Very soon