The Charge to Guard the Gospel Pt 1

Well, good morning. This is our normal choppy start here, but for those that aren't here and they're they're viewing us on video, that's probably a good thing because Victor does an excellent job of editing.

So anyway, welcome to Faith Bible Church. And we're really pleased and glad that you're here.

Some new faces and visitors this morning. So welcome to you. And this is the Lord's Day.

And and it's the most special day for many here today that this is the day the

Lord has made. So let us be glad in it. In reading a devotional, yes. Well, update

Iljin and Lauren. They're he's finishing finished up with his finals.

They have secured some housing not too far from here. So that's that's a praise because it's not just automatically.

I need to find an apartment, get me in, take my application. You have to go through an approval process and verification of employment and all that.

And so God saw them pass that and over that. And and so it's all all set up.

So praise God for that. So let's just keep keep them in prayer. And now they're as now they're going to be focused in more on the move and how to get out here.

So we have a date. Not yet. No, it could be sooner than the first week of July.

Could be later June. But I think we'll know more as he's now that they're past these finals.

And I think that's mostly it for for announcements and readying ourselves for the for the service this morning.

I was reading a devotional yesterday, and it said that, quote, corporate worship is designed to alert you to the war for control of your heart and to the help that is only found in Jesus.

And isn't that true? You know, we forget who God is.

We look horizontally in the world and that begins to form our our worldview, our view of of the things around us.

And it affects our spiritual life. It takes us away from the Lord and we lose hope. David quoted the

Lord in Psalm 95. It is a people speaking of the Israelites who go astray in their hearts and they do not know my ways.

So we need to hold on to the Lord and keep him in our hearts and gathering corporately that just reinforces that ability and our requirement as believers to to trusting in him.

So would you join with me in prayer this morning? Our dear heavenly father, we are so grateful that we could gather this morning that to remember you, father, that we are forget for forgetful people, that we we stray.

We follow the the ideals of this world, father, to our detriment and not to your glory, father.

So may this time build us up, Lord, in our faith and our trust in you that we can share in the love that you have demonstrated through your son,

Jesus Christ, that as we lift our voices, as the word is preached, father, that there would just be a a calm and a peace and a joy that surpasses anything that this world can give us.

So, Lord, go before us this morning, father, prepare our hearts. Now, let us set aside those things that encumber us, that we might glorify you in just in all of your glory and grant your father.

And we give you praise in all things. In Christ's name. Amen. David. Behold, our

God and all of his glory. And this stand and sing, behold, our God and how great our

God is. We glorify thy name.

And please be seated at this time. Good morning. Actually, virtually for this morning is

First Timothy, Chapter four, one through six. First Timothy, Chapter four, verses one through six.

Now the spirit speaketh expressly that a lot of times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, speaking lies and hypocrisy, having their conscience seared with hot iron, forbidding to marry and commanding to abstain from meats which

God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth.

For every creature of God is good, for every creature of God is good and nothing to be refused is received with thanksgiving.

For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer. And I'll put the brethren in remembrance of these things.

Thou shalt be a good minister of Jesus Christ, of nourishing up in the words of faith and of good doctrine.

Whereunto thou hast attained. May the Lord has blessing to read his word. I love that verse.

Let's stand and praise our Lord in song and made the mind of Christ, our savior.

Thank you all for singing. And now, Pastor John. Well, praise the Lord. Thank you, David. Good morning.

If you have your Bibles, please open them with me to Second Timothy. Second Timothy.

And we're going to be in chapter one in a moment. So those of you that have been around here for the last few months,

I think this is May, right? There's a there's a there's a huge, gigantic chapter in the history of Faith Bible Church that is going to begin very soon, and that is a new pastor.

And when that reality began to sort of gel, I asked

Harold and Victor, the elders of the church. At that time, I was not an elder, just a plain old interim pastor that drove down here from our church.

And we're not going anywhere. As I mentioned once, Ilgen and his wife, Lauren, come. But we started a series of messages.

We began the year sort of laying out what is what is the gospel of Jesus Christ?

How can I know for sure where I will spend eternity? What is the gospel that Jesus Christ preached?

So we did that for a couple of months, and then we began a series of messages that we're in now on standing firm in difficult and perilous times.

And we sort of established, I hope we all are on the same page, that we're living in the last days and that the last days, according to Scripture, is a very long period of time.

It began when Jesus rose from the dead, Acts chapter one, Acts chapter one, he went up.

The angel said he's going to come back the same way that he just went up. If you remember Acts chapter one. And we have this period of time in human history called the last days.

And the last days will end when Jesus Christ comes again. And last week, if you recall, we talked about this great period of time that's kind of undefined.

Because Jesus said no one will know, no one but the father knows when

I'm going to come again. If you ever hear somebody, a pastor, a prophet, somebody on TV saying that Jesus is going to be here in the next 341 days, which, by the way, has happened, right?

Jesus is going to come back right after World War Two. I mean, you can go back, Google it. You all have the if you have a computer,

Google it. How many predictions have been made when Jesus would come back? And if you if somebody predicts that, reject everything they say, because Jesus himself said only the father knows.

Amen. You understand that? How can you tell a false teacher if he sets a date for the return of Jesus Christ?

He's a false teacher. OK. And we understand in the last days there's this.

Period of time towards the end of the last days, very close to when

Jesus will come back, called the end times. And within that short period of time, there's a period the

Bible talks about called the last hour. Remember from last week? Now, we have established some tools from scripture when it comes to standing firm and not being shaken, living in the last days.

And I wonder if I passed out a open book test right now on a piece of paper, a quiz.

How many of you could tell me the four truths from God's word that we have covered?

That help us to understand how to stand firm when we are living in perilous and difficult times.

The first one, I know you know this, you can answer it right. I'll pass the quiz out.

I'll give you multiple choice. How about true or false? Would that be easy? True or false? My students in school love true and false questions.

They do not like answer this question in a full and complete sentence. Right, Barb?

Don't give us a question like that. Especially don't give an eighth grader a question that requires them to write more than one sentence.

If you put in two or three sentences, 80 % of them give you one sentence. We're in a text message culture.

I type a long text message to my kids. I'm lucky if I get an answer.

And if I do, it's one letter. K, you know what that means?

OK, good. OK, good. Or I get an R O F L rolling on the floor laughing.

Boy, parenting in the 21st century. Well, the first tool that we studied when it comes to standing firm is here in verse five in Second Timothy, chapter one.

And it's a sincere or genuine faith. When Paul calls to remembrance,

Timothy's genuine or sincere faith. And he says, I'm persuaded.

That it's in you also. It first dwelled in your grandmother, Lois, and your mother, Eunice. I'm persuaded

I am convinced that it's in you as well. And then we also saw secondly from the sincere faith.

So so understand what we talked about some weeks ago without a genuine saving faith.

Standing firm in difficult times. Pulling ourself up by the brute bootstraps and facing what the world might throw at us can be a very challenging.

Experience, but you see, with Christ on our side, we can do all things, Paul said, through Christ, right?

See, we can by faith stand firm. And also, secondly, we saw this incredible.

Humbling charge that Paul gives Timothy in verse eight. Therefore, do not be ashamed.

Of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me, his prisoner, but share with me in the sufferings for the gospel, according to the power of God.

So see, in our sincere faith. In our sincere faith, remember, at the end of verse seven,

God has not given us a spirit of fear. I mean, depending on what's going to come down the road in the months and years ahead in the

United States of America. In our own lives, personally, God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

Therefore, because we have this in Christ, because of our sincere faith, we are to not be ashamed of the gospel.

Right. And then remember last week. How many verses did

I read that talked about the dangers and the warning against being deceived? If you didn't weren't here, it's on YouTube.

We talked about how often we're warned not to be deceived. And as Jesus Christ draws nearer, ever nearer, the world will be deceived by who?

The Antichrist. Right. And this morning, we're going to continue learning Bible truths, faith truths that will help us to stand firm in difficult days.

When Paul charges in verse 13, take a look what he says next.

Hold fast. The pattern of sound words. Which you have heard from me.

And then verse 14, that good thing which was committed to you, keep or guard by the

Holy Spirit who dwells in us. See, the charge here by the Apostle Paul to Timothy is to hold fast what he has been taught.

And to keep or or guard that good thing.

That was committed to him and church. Please don't miss the last part of verse 14.

How was Timothy to keep the good thing? By the

Holy Spirit who dwells in us. You see, we cannot do this. We cannot stand firm without sincere faith.

We cannot be afraid to share the gospel , to tell people about Jesus Christ, to to to stand firm apart from the power of God in us.

And we cannot guard the gospel. We cannot hold fast the pattern of sound words. Without the

Holy Spirit. Amen. Amen. Without faith. So how do we obey this sobering charge?

God willing, we'll see some ways here in the text on how to do this, how guarding the gospel.

Listen, please. How guarding the gospel is an integral part of standing firm in the last days.

Amen. Let's pray. Father, we thank you so much for this time in your word. We commit it now to your care.

We're reminded of the role and ministry of the Holy Spirit, even right here. That comforts us, that strengthens us.

God empowers us. He's also our teacher. So we ask,

Father God, that you might be pleased through the Holy Spirit to help us. Individually, to understand the truth that you have for us.

God, to open our eyes of understanding our hearts to receive that you might be glorified, that Christ might be exalted.

We ask in Jesus name. Amen. Now, hold your place here. Please go to First John. First John.

All the way to the back of your Bible. If you're a little confused, maybe you're not used to going all the way to the back of the

Bible. First John, Chapter one. Now, just to kind of set the stage a little bit there, there's there.

There's various, very, very serious warnings in the New Testament that that warn against deviating from a biblical doctrine.

What the Bible teaches of Jesus Christ of skewing in in the slightest

Jesus Christ at all from the way that he is presented and taught in God's word and deviating from a biblical gospel.

You see, deviating from these two fundamental pillars of truth is where so many problems come into Christians lives and churches.

You look around today, this is not your grandfather's church. Anymore, when you visit churches, you can't even hear yourself think in many churches.

Try it. Listen to the precision.

With which John later, after he wrote the Gospel of John, he writes these three epistles before he gets the revelation.

And look what he says in First John, Chapter one, verse one. Look how precise the language is.

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon and which our hands have handled concerning the word of life, the life was manifested and we have seen and we bear witness.

And declare to you that eternal life, which was from the father and was manifested to us.

That which we have seen and heard. We declare to you that you may also have fellowship with us.

And truly, our fellowship is with the father and with his son, Jesus Christ.

And these things we write to you that your joy may be full.

You see, embarking on a thorough study of the New Testament and focusing on the major themes of Jesus Christ and the gospel demonstrates clearly that a skewered view of the gospel or an incorrect or a deficient view or understanding of Jesus Christ, listen, was the genesis of the sexual immorality that was going on in the

Thessalonian church. A distorted view of the gospel and of Jesus Christ, not holding fast to the pattern of sound words heard from the

Apostle Paul. When you read the book of Galatians, that was the root of the problem in the churches of Galatia that was tearing those churches apart.

Not holding fast to the pattern of sound words that was set forth by the

Apostle Paul was behind the Philippians, biting and devouring one another.

Believers glowering at each other when they get together, not wanting to sit together, not loving one another, not forgiving one another.

The root of that was a skewered understanding of Jesus Christ and the gospel.

And by the time you get to Revelation, chapter two and Revelation, chapter three, not too long after most of the epistles were written and church 30 years, less than 30 years after Second Timothy was written.

You get to Revelation, chapter two and three and take a look sometime at the condition of the churches, the seven churches in Revelation.

One of which had left their first love. Another which was listening to false doctrine.

Another one who was hot or cold. Another one who was living in willful disobedience to the commands of Christ.

So in short, in the church and in the lives of early believers, problems can be traced back to fudging a little here, a little there, a slight deviation here.

And another here. And all of a sudden, listen, all of a sudden, the doctrine of Jesus Christ, what the

Bible teaches about Jesus Christ, what the Bible teaches about the gospel, the biblical gospel, the biblical gospel that Jesus Christ and the apostles preached, right?

That becomes corrupted. And what does the Bible warn us in Galatians, chapter six? A little leaven leavens the whole loaf.

And pretty soon you have the cults. You have

Mormonism. You have Jehovah Witnesses. You have Islam.

Go to modern day Turkey. If Covid ever lifts. Oops. I'm not allowed to say that word because I just lost my in and out.

My oldest daughter warned me on the way to church, Dad, if you say the word Covid, you ain't getting in and out.

My point is, go to modern day Turkey. You can make a no, you win. Yeah, you win.

They're going to get it. And I'm going to sit in the car like a bad boy with the dunce cap and see no amount of forgiveness is going to work.

Right. Please forgive me. No, no. I warned you, babe. OK. I'm a high school graduate.

Now I can just do whatever I want to you, Dad. But here's the point.

You're not going to find a gospel preaching church in modern day Turkey. You're going to find underground missionaries hiding from very serious persecution because it's an

Islamic country. Laodicea, Hierapolis, Colossae, the churches of Galatia, Ephesus, all located where Smyrna, all located where modern day

Turkey. And the point is that the doctrine of Jesus Christ and the gospel laid out in God's word is critical, just like the precision in building buildings and bridges.

Last week in Acts 20, we read Paul's incredibly sober warning to the pastors of the churches in Ephesus, which included

Timothy, a warning about how wolves would come in and corrupt the pattern of sound words about the gospel and about Jesus Christ.

He says, I know wolves are going to come in. And sure enough, they did. So go back to Second Timothy, chapter one.

Paul charges Timothy to not be ashamed of the gospel. And now in verse 14, he charges him to keep and guard the gospel.

Verse 14, that good thing. Which was committed to you.

Keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us. The word keep is an imperative. That means it is a command.

And by the way, the word keep there in the New Testament Greek was a word that described guarding something, a sentinel.

OK, you understand when you're guarding something, you don't fall asleep. Amen. I mean, you don't sit there on your phone and watch

YouTube videos. If you're tasked with guarding something, you guard it under Roman law.

If a Roman soldier fell asleep guarding, you know what happened to him? He didn't go to the pokey off with his head.

The language here was was used to describe an alert guard that is being diligent and is being careful and is being watchful.

And then look at the little two words. Good thing. Treasure. That's that's the meaning.

And it's an adjective. It's not a noun. It's not a treasure. It's an adjective in the

Greek. And it describes something that is good and valuable. And in Paul's day, when you use this word, it describes something beautiful and fine, something of high quality, a precious stone.

In fact, some translations there in verse 14, where you see good thing. It says good deposit, good deposit.

And the good deposit that Paul is talking about is the gospel treasure, the crucible of treasure that was imparted to Timothy, that is made up of of eternal and priceless biblical truth that results simply by faith in the forgiveness of sin.

And just see when you begin to parse out what the significance of the gospel church, we can do that.

You can have an open book test. It is not just about salvation. Is it? It is not just about eternal life.

Is it? It is not just about the forgiveness of sin. Is it? It is not just about Jesus paying the penalty for our sin.

It is also about him shedding his precious blood, right? For atonement.

You can go on and justification being declared innocent when we're guilty.

What are you talking about? I'm guilty, but God is going to look upon me as being innocent.

That's justification. I'm still guilty, but he's looking at me like I'm innocent.

Hallelujah. That's the gospel treasure. That is this good thing.

It is an adjective. It is priceless. It is redemption.

It is the pearl of great price that the man who owned the field sold what?

Everything he had. Remember that? To get that pearl of great price. That's what he's talking about here.

This gospel treasure has been deposited by Jesus Christ for safekeeping with the church.

What does that mean? With people like you and I. Do you understand?

God has given us a treasure and he's saying what?

Keep it. It's been deposited with you.

Guard it. Know that it is a treasure.

And Paul's reminding Timothy of this. The glorious gospel treasure, the forgiveness of sin, salvation by grace through faith alone has been deposited by Jesus Christ with the church and believers are to keep and to guard this priceless treasure.

Don't look at a president or a legislature or a governor for what's going on in this country.

We have to look at ourselves first. Are we guarding the gospel?

Do we know even what the gospel is? So how was

Paul charging Timothy to hold fast a pattern of sound words, right? That's what we see in verse 13.

How is he charging him to guard this good thing to keep or guard this good thing?

And how should Christians today respond to this charge? First of all, if you have your notes by comprehending the urgent need to guard the gospel.

It's like the sign, right? You're driving down the road bridge out. You're driving. Hey, honey, you know, she's on the phone.

She's telling you make a left up there. Make a left up there, honey, half a mile. Make a left, right? She's got the phone out.

Ladies, you're doing that, right? And then the phone says in 200 feet turn left, right?

And then you turn left. There's a big warning sign. It says bridge out. What do you need to do? Pay attention.

Amen. I don't even see you shaking your head. Come on. Okay, the first way that you fulfill this charge is by understanding and accepting this urgent need.

This is where it all starts, right? How was Timothy to respond to this charge to hold fast the pattern of sound words this charge to keep this good thing.

Number one, he needed to comprehend and he needed to accept this urgent charge and see this is immediately obvious in the context of what we're studying, right?

He's a pastor in the church at Ephesus, right? We know that he was not holding fast the pattern of sound words.

He was not keeping the good thing that had been committed to him by the Holy Spirit. How do we know this?

Because we know when we read the letter that he had become timid and afraid. We know that he had become embarrassed and afraid about the circumstances of Paul's imprisonment where a nysphorus hadn't right remember verse 16 the

Lord grant mercy to the household of a nysphorus for he often refresh me and by the way, not like you

Timothy. He was not ashamed of my chains. He was not afraid of my chains.

He actually visited the prison Timothy. Where are you? Are you with me?

You think Timothy was having a problem with this? Yes, he was. So we also know that the need of the gospel was obvious.

Look at verse 15. Look at this. How would you feel? This you know that all those in Asia have turned away from me among whom are

Phygelus and Hermogenes believers disciples of Jesus Christ people

Paul had perhaps led to Christ people to whom he had preached the gospel people whom he had taught and grounded in Christ all who were in Asia had turned from him and see the urgent need to guard the gospel was present in the early church.

The same urgent need exists today. And there's three reasons in this letter why we've touched on some of them.

Why did Timothy need to comprehend and accept and obey this charge number one, and why do we because we know from Scripture the

Bible tells us that in 2021, what year are we living in 2021? Where 2021 is located on the timeline of history is what the

Bible calls the last days, right? That's one reason Timothy was living in the last days.

Why should he heed this charge because he was living in the last days number two Scripture teaches that the general overall condition of the human race will continue to proceed from bad to worse, right?

And now reason number three the Scripture also warns that generally speaking

God warns that in general the overall spiritual temperature, please listen of the church will grow colder in 2021 than it was in 2020.

John, are you talking about you and I living today? Yeah, when I say the church,

I'm talking about Christians. See the coldness understand coldness and drifting away from a pure devotion of to Christ of loving

God with all of our heart, all of our soul, all of our mind, all of our strength. So everything else in life pales in comparison to our devotion to Christ.

It takes on a lot of forms for one people in the church.

We'll fall away. They will become apostate friends.

They'll actually walk away from the church. Look at first Timothy 4 1 first Timothy 4 1 now the spirit.

Expressly says that in the latter times last days some will depart from the faith.

Giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons speaking lies and hypocrisy having their own conscience seared with a hot iron the word depart there is the

Greek word where we get the English word apostasy. Did you hear me apostasy?

I don't have time to chase this all the way down. This isn't salvific meaning when he says depart the faith, he's not talking about losing your salvation.

Understand that true believers those who are truly born again are indeed they're changed, right?

If they're truly saved once saved and that saving faith is demonstrated by an ongoing obedience to scripture.

Once that person is saved. No one can snatch them out of Jesus's hand, right? But understand that true saving faith is demonstrated by the life that we live.

So don't say I'm a Christian and sit there and do whatever you want with your wife and whatever you want. Oh, I'm a

Christian. I'm was saved. I'm I walked out. I got baptized, but I can live however

I want. That's that is a lie from the pit of hell. Okay, true believers persevere to the end.

They're obedient. Hey, they're not perfect. Just talk to me. Don't talk to my family. Talk to me.

Don't talk to my family. I already lost in and out. I want to have dinner sometime.

This is talking about sheep and goats. This is talking about people in the church.

There's sheep and there's goats. Now, you may not recognize a goat. This is talking about wolves in sheepskin clothing.

They look like sheep. They sound like sheep, right? They even smell like sheep, but they ain't sheep.

This is what Paul says vessels to honor and dishonor. You know what else it is? It's wheat and tears.

God explicitly explicitly says in the last days in that period of history when

Paul wrote this letter and from that point in history all the way up until the days in which we live some will fall away.

Some will depart or abandon the faith. If you do a study of the cults, they are made up of apostates.

They are made up. We have one right down the street. I'll never forget the first time she was talking to me.

Oh, yeah, I grew up a Baptist. She's a Mormon. She's married to a

Mormon. They go they go to that building every Sunday. They give to the poor. I mean,

I will never forget she goes, you know, they're all the same. I mean, what am I supposed to say?

Well, not actually they're not but I said, yeah, I understand.

So the Bible clearly teaches and warns that in the last days a kind of apostate Church. I'm using quotes and apostate

Church will arise in which men and women will be religious. They'll be religious. They'll talk about God.

They'll talk about Jesus. They'll sing. You can go to a Mormon temple and they will sing some of the same hymns.

We sing I've been. They will have a form of godliness, but they will deny the power.

So how would the church generally grow colder for one people in the church will fall away.

They'll become apostate and friends. They'll walk away from the church. Now second Timothy chapter 3 1.

Second Timothy chapter 3 1. The need to guard the gospel to stand firm in the faith is demonstrated that as the return of Christ draws nearer people will hold to a form of godliness know this in the last days perilous times will come for men will be lovers of themselves lovers of money boasters proud blasphemers disobedient to parents unthankful unholy unloving unforgiving slanderers without self -control brutal despisers of good traitors headstrong haughty lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God.

Here it is having a form of godliness but denying its power from such people turn away.

See there are people inside and outside of the church. They will look good. They will look moral.

They may smile. They may say have a nice day. They may have some kind of morality but they will not have a reverence for God as it's revealed in Scripture.

And what happens is listen. What happens is having a form of godliness but denying its power the holiness of God the righteous judgment of God Eternity in Hell rather than Eternity in Heaven that kind of leaven cools the church in the last days people in general.

Some may be religious others may not in reality. The scripture warns that they will be listen more.

Less and less godly. And if you ask anybody that is over the age of 50, they will stand up here all morning and testify that that is exactly what is going on in our culture.

Amen. I can call up every single one of you. Every single one of you over 50 and you will testify with your hand on the

Bible the kinds of things that are going on in the world today. I never thought I would see the day right

Luke says.

Please listen. Luke says as in the days of Noah. So it will be in the days of the son of man.

Can you imagine? Do I have to can you imagine living in the days of Noah?

Because remember the scripture says Noah was a preacher of righteousness, right? So he's building this Ark and people are walking along.

What are you doing? Building an Ark. What for?

Well, God's going to destroy the world. Y 'all are wicked. You need to repent. God's going to what are you talking about, man?

There's no water around here. It's never rained. You understand that right up to this point.

It had not rained because we had a certain type of atmosphere before the flood that different after the flood. Imagine this.

I'm building Ark because God's going to destroy the world. What are you talking about? You crazy man, right? You better repent.

This goes on for 40 years. You better repent. And then what?

It was too late. Go to 2nd Peter chapter 3 2nd

Peter chapter 3 3rd in the church has in the days of Noah. They mocked.

They mocked as in the days of Noah. There will be a mocking and denial of Christ 2nd.

Peter is just like 2nd Timothy. It's his last will and Testament. Peter is on death row. Also and look what he says.

Verse chapter 2nd Timothy chapter 3 verse 1. I now write to you beloved.

I now write to you this second epistle in both of which I stir up your pure minds by way of reminder that you may be mindful of the words which were spoken before.

By the holy prophets and of the commandments of us the apostles of the Lord and Savior knowing this first the scoffers will come in the last days walking according to their own lusts and saying where's the promise of his coming for since the father's fell asleep all things continue as they were from the beginning of creation.

The early churches try out of great. Hope Paul's try out of great. Hope one aspect of any

Christians. Great. Hope is the return of Jesus Christ. It's not just Eternity Heaven.

It's not just justification redemption sanctification. It's Jesus coming again.

Hallelujah. First John. First John to just over a page verse 18 little children.

It is the last hour and as you have heard that the Antichrist is coming even now many

Antichrist have come by which we know that it is the last hour. And by the way, if you have a computer and you're wondering about this

Google Antichrist, they're all over church history.

They're in India right now. I'm Jesus Christ. I'm the Incarnation there have been men who have rised up and said

I am the second coming of Jesus Christ. There was one very popular 15 years ago.

He was on TV. He had an internet church. He drank wine. He drank booze.

He had women around him. I'm the second coming of Christ and people believed it. Look at this.

They went out from us. Oops, you mean from the church?

Yeah. For if they had been of us. I'm sorry.

They went out from us, but they were not of us. For if they had been of us. They would have continued with us.

In other words, they would have persevered. They would have continued to walk in obedience, but they went out. That they might be made manifest that none of them were us.

See how important is it to remain alert and to guard the gospel? In the early church some 1900 years ago.

For the last 1900 years, there's Antichrist in the world and in the church beloved God warns us throughout his

Holy Word. We have to be alert. We have to be on guard in the first century. There were many Antichrist in the world today.

There are many Antichrists. They often get a start in the church. They appear to do miracles.

They they're great teachers there. I mean, there's people there's guys man. They're just magnetic in their personality, right?

I do not have that gift. There's guys. You just cannot believe how smooth they are and everybody loves them.

They just they don't have any rough edges. They're so smooth. A lot of them have on TV right now.

Ever turn on Christian television today. Boy, these guys are amazing. They're taking in millions of dollars a year.

We climb in our 93 Dodge pickup. Amen. Amen. Here's the faith truth.

We need to cling to. Believers can stand firm in the last days and be actively guarding the gospel.

Listen by being people of the book being people of the book means knowing the word knowing the word knowing truth.

Jesus said you will know the truth and the truth will set you free right knowing and understand the precise gospel as it is given in the word believers must be alert.

They must understand the urgent need to guard the gospel. Turn over a page look at Jude just before the book of Revelation.

Where were warned that in the last days there will be a denial of the fundamental tenants of the faith

Jude warns the church about godless men who will slip in among Christians and in churches and they will change the grace of God into a license for in morality

Jude for for certain men have crept in unnoticed who long ago were marked out for this condemnation ungodly men who turned the grace of God into lewdness and deny the only

Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ listen please when he says they will deny the

Lord Jesus Christ. He's not saying that you have to do that audibly you he's not saying

I deny that Jesus Christ was born of a virgin they deny it by the life that they live by the false teaching that they engage in by their lust for money and private jets can you imagine standing up in front of a church and saying

I need a new Gulf Stream beloved how urgent was the need in Paul's day and the day to guard the gospel it's life and death beloved.

It's the difference between vibrant faith and dead faith. It is the difference between fruitful faith and unfruitful faith. It is the difference between victory over sin and defeat in sin.

It is the difference between growing in Christ likeness and not growing. That's how important it is.

So how is Timothy and how does sincere believers at any point in history respond to this charge to guard the gospel number one real simple appreciating and comprehending the urgent need and secondly secondly by understanding listen to me carefully.

It's in your notes the vital importance of having a biblical

Christology by understanding the importance of having a biblical understanding of what the

Bible teaches about Jesus Christ. I want to give you a simple truth that you can take home today.

No Jesus no gospel. Did you hear me? No Jesus biblical

Jesus no gospel no biblical Jesus no biblical gospel.

No biblical Jesus as he is precisely taught and revealed in Scripture then no gospel the

Jehovah Witnesses Jesus Christ was a good man a good teacher Islam.

He was a good man a good teacher Mormon. He was the brother of Satan.

Do you know that in Mormon theology in Mormon theology God the father came down had sex with Mary gave birth to Jesus and gave birth to Satan.

Check me out. I did a 24 page research paper on the LDS Mormon Church Latter -day

Saints. And Jesus got in a rowboat in the fourth century and rode across the

Atlantic Ocean with a bunch of Jews and settled North America. Huh?

The fourth century in a rowboat across the

Atlantic Ocean Christology.

We're talking about the doctrine of Christ collectively everything that the Bible teaches about the person of Jesus Christ whether we're talking about the birth of Jesus Christ whether we're talking about the sinless perfection of Jesus Christ the attributes of Christ his death his burial his resurrection.

It is urgent and imperative that Christians understand how vital it is to know what the

Bible teaches about Jesus Christ how important Jesus is to the gospel how critical and interrelated it is to be grounded in a biblical

Christ to guarding the gospel. Go to Matthew chapter 16 beloved, please

I beg of you understand the gospel is not found on just any rock on just any

Jesus. It is found on the rock of Jesus Christ that is taught in God's holy and inspired and inerrant word in Matthew chapter 16

Jesus verse 13 Jesus comes into the region of Caesarea Philippi.

He's with his disciples and he asked look at this question. And I asked this question to everybody here this morning ask this question to yourself who do men say that I the son of man am look carefully who do men say outside of this circle?

Well, they said hey some say John the Baptist some say

Elijah others Jeremiah or one of the prophets now look carefully here is the million -dollar question beloved if you're watching by video or if you're sitting in this building today

I don't ask this question of you Jesus Christ does please look who do you say that I am

Simon Peter answered and said you are the Christ the son of the

Living God and Jesus answered and said to him blessed are you

Simon Barjona for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you but my father is who in heaven and I say also to you that you are

Peter and on this rock. I will build my church and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it and you understand around the world how many

Roman Catholics there are and they look at that verse and they say Peter is the rock that's not the rock the rock is his answer verse 16 you are the

Christ the son of the Living God what is the rock here?

It is Peter's confession that Jesus Christ of Nazareth born of a virgin in the city of David was in fact the

Christ the Messiah the Savior the only begotten son of the Living God what you have here is a micro

Christological statement it is the title page of a book that is that has taken eternity to write it is the book that lays out all the doctrine of God that is revealed to us in God's Word to a geologist

I recently in science taught geology for a month or so to a geologist a rock isn't just a rock.

It might be to you you go pick up a rock. I remember when I was a kid kids were growing up. I mean rock every rock they found was a treasure.

Do you remember those days? Well, if you have kids you're you're walking around after going hiking you're getting try to get back to the car.

You got a bag full of rocks. All of them are so they're all so precious that happened with railway spikes one time.

Can you imagine? I have a daughter we found a bunch of railway spikes. She wanted them all

I'm going back like this with railway spikes.

Listen to me to a geologist a rock is not just a rock.

It is either sedimentary or it is igneous or it is metamorphic and then as they go deeper into that rock and they split it open it might be felsic magma it might have you know lead in it.

I mean you could just go on and on right in order to effectively guard the gospel believers must not be geologists.

They have to be Christologists in order to stand firm in difficult days and in order to God the gospel believers they must behold and know

Jesus Christ as he's revealed and taught in the Bible.

They must be able to answer this question. Who do you say that I am you are the

Christ the son of the Living God John 11 and I'm done.

It's okay. Almost in December 2017 the respected magazine

National Geographic had on its cover Rembrandt 1645 painting the head of Jesus the cover story the cover story on the cover of this respected intellectual periodical the title of the cover story was the real

Jesus and that capture your imagination the real Jesus and let me assure you the 40 page article did not report what their so -called real

Jesus as the doctrines of Jesus founding God's Word and at the end this esteemed archaeologist said this after 40 pages of the so -called lack of archaeological historical evidence for Jesus Christ the real

Jesus see doesn't exist empirically so the last paragraph four sentences long it doesn't really matter as long as you believe oh so the virgin birth doesn't matter.

Yeah. So how could he be a sinless sacrifice right? Say yes.

Thank you. I don't have time to go down the list. So behold our God behold the gospel behold and regard intently the

Lord Jesus Christ. How important is the slightest deviation from what the

Bible reveals and teaches about Jesus Christ in the gospel. Maybe some of you have power tools drills saws and maybe you've been using that drill and your mind wandered a little bit there

Revelation high -speed is about 28 ,000 rpm on that drill bit and you just kind of like go like this and it slips and you nick your finger.

Does that hurt? You know, the Nick can be tiny but man can it hurt and it can throw off it can throw off the use of the hand and the arm and it can affect the function of the whole body.

How important is the slightest deviation from what the Bible reveals and teaches about Jesus Christ and about the gospel

John read the warnings. Don't listen to me read the New Testament know Jesus Christ and you will not miss how important it is to be on alert and on guard not just for your thumb, but for the gospel because what are we talking about?

We're talking about Eternity in Heaven or hell our view of God our view of Christ directly affects influences our view of self our view of God our view of self directly affects and influences our view of sin.

And those three come together and they they act like prescription glasses on how we view the gospel how our ability to hold fast to the pattern of sound words to guard the priceless gospel treasure that has been entrusted to us beloved.

What a sobering charge and how important literally days before he would die a martyr's death for the cause of the gospel.

The Apostle Paul gives his beloved son a charge all believers to guard the gospel to protect the gospel to be an alert century of Jesus Christ to be watching and praying and to keep their lamps trimmed and filled with oil ready for the bridegroom to come at any moment.

And to give people at a moment's notice the reason for their hope last verse

John 11 21 Martha said to Jesus Lord, if you'd been here, my brother

Lazarus would not have died. But even now

I know that whatever you ask of God will God will give you and Jesus said to her your brother will rise. Martha said to him.

I know that he will rise again in the resurrection of the last day. Jesus said to her. I am the resurrection in the life. He who believes in me though.

He may die. He shall live and whoever lives and believes in me shall never die church.

Here's the question. Do you believe this? She said to him.

Yes, Lord. Basically what Peter said, do you see it? I believe that you are the

Christ the son of God. Who has come into the world. Let's pray.

I want to give you a moment a moment of sober serious honesty.

Who do you say Jesus is who do you say

Jesus is if you have any question about that, you can see me after the service.

I'll be down front. I'll help you understand what that means father.

Thank you for this day. This wonderful time. Thank you for this incredible charge.

Help us God by your grace to be obedient to it. We pray in Jesus name. Amen. All right.

Well, let's stand for our closing. We are God's people. Please be seated.

Hi, sir. John. Can you go? So wonderful day of worship trust.

You are encouraged challenged from God's word. You know, I heard a speech one time.

This guy said that, you know, what really big happens in life? You're born.

That's pretty big. He said, you get you get you graduate college.

You get married. You die. I mean, he was trying to emphasize how many really really big things happen in life, right?

Well, a really big thing happened yesterday in our lives. And it's really big and it actually began almost 18 years ago when the

Lord brought into our life a young lady by the name of Johanna. And I got a text message this morning or an email that Harold and Victor the elders of this church wanted to do something this morning and we came in late and they said, well, it has to do with your daughter.

So I said, well, can I say something? They said, well, as long as you keep it short.

Let me just say something. We are here because of God. I mean, in other words, as interim pastors, just so you folks know about a year and a half ago.

We visited this church Pastor Bernstein. I knew from a pastor's fellowship. I knew the church.

He was struggling in certain ways and we visited that young lady right there who is going to kill me later because I'm breaking every rule we have in our house.

It's a written contract. I'm not allowed to talk about my children. That young lady on the way home either to the church or to that Sunday or the next

Sunday said dad, I really want to go to that church and I want to encourage those people.

And we've been here for almost two years now as non -members and then as members and then

Pastor Bernstein retired. They said, would you please help us? And I said, of course we will because they said, of course we will.

How about that? For six months. Our family came here every Saturday and this young lady cleaned the chairs and vacuumed and mopped and my other daughter and my wife that young lady there graduated high school yesterday and got her diploma.

And let me and let me just say anybody that's ever been a father. You know about the failures you can do and how you can blow it and put your foot in the mouth, right?

I mean, I am known around the world on YouTube for being the one most prone to put his foot in the mouth.

You think Peter had a bad problem with that? But I am so thankful for this young lady.

If you go back over the course of her life almost 18 years in September, it will be 18 years and you look at her desire.

She came to us and said I want to be a Christian. She wore out her first Bible, wore it out children's

Bible. We kept it. I don't even know if we still have it. So I'm very, very thankful for this young lady.

I'm very privileged to be her dad. She's always been an evangelist. She's always willing to talk to somebody to listen.

She's a friend to everyone. If you know her, she's a friend to everyone. And it's really hard to say you're proud because we don't want to be proud, right?

We want to be humble, but I know something. I know that I'm standing here today because of God, not because of anything

I did. And that I have this young lady as a daughter and my other daughter and my wife, not because of anything

I've ever done to deserve it, but because of God's grace. And I want you to thank

God with me as I don't know what Harold and Victor have up their sleeves, but let me just tell you, thank

God with me for the body of Christ and the gospel, right, that would give a family and a church a young lady like Johanna Cain.

Amen? Amen. Harold, Victor. Come forward, Johanna.

On behalf of Faith Bible Church, we'd like to extend this gift to you as an expression of our love for you.

And for your grace that God has placed in you and what his grace in you and what the grace you've shown to this body.

And as you're opening that, I'm going to read this, okay? This is for you to have as well. It says,

Johanna, it is clear in scripture that God places great importance on the remembrance of his blessings.

Joshua 424 says, God commanded stones at the Jordan so that all the people of the earth might know the hand of the

Lord, that God's people would identify and understand and be able to share with their children the goodness and kindness and the faithfulness of God and what he had done for them.

Enclosed is a figurine entitled Ever Remember. At this significant time and milestone moment in your life, may you ever remember that you were created by our loving

God for his glory. You belong to him. You are his special treasure and you are a special blessing to your parents.

May you ever remember the goodness and kindness of God and the care and love poured into your life by your mother and father.

This woman holds a flame. May you ever remember the truth of his word that has been faithfully planted in you that you would carry that flame well as you journey forward into the next stage of your life.

May you be a good steward of that flame and may your flame shine brightly and grow as you grow in grace and knowledge of your

Lord and Savior, remembering that he is worthy of your devotion and our obedience with love and prayer and many congratulations on the great accomplishments of your high school graduation in Christ Faith Bible Church.

So you are very well. And I just say as part of Faith Bible Church, we're glad to have you as part of us for a short time because we know that you're going on for things of the

Lord and we're just thankful that we have been a part in that. And I think all of the people of Faith Bible Church can say that along with me and just as a show of our appreciation.

We want to present you with these flowers. I want to just have a word of prayer and dismiss and we want to and you keep

Johanna in your prayers as she's going on to Bible school next year.

So you keep her in your prayers as the Lord works in her life. So pray with me our

Heavenly Father and our God. We come before you this morning and we thank you for the life of Johanna that we're celebrating even today as she's graduated from high school and gone through this milestone in her life, but there's many more milestones yet to accomplish.

We pray Heavenly Father that you might be near into her and guide her and may her dependence constantly be on you.

And you have given the promise in that case that you will guide her path and we will look forward to seeing what the

Lord is doing in her life and we thank you for the short time that we've known her here and for all that she's done with Faith Bible Church and we pray this in Jesus name.