36:01
Now what does that mean? I know what it doesn't mean, what do you think it doesn't mean, that somebody would take this type of scripture, and use it for, what would they try to teach here, that you could, lose your salvation right, it's not teaching that, because we know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, from all of the scripture, that we look at, that once you are saved, by the powerful work of God, you are saved for eternity, you receive everlasting life, how long is everlasting, it's everlasting, you have a work of God within your soul, the life of God within your flesh, you are a Christian, you don't make yourself one, you don't work your way into being, it's like we've had a lot of babies born, in the church right, the babies that are in the nursery, what do they have to do, in order to make themselves a baby, or better yet, what do they have to do, to keep themselves a baby, what I mean, got any ideas, what do they have to do, to keep themselves, I mean it's a rhetorical question, they don't do anything, they are a baby, they were born, and they became a baby, a human baby, and that's what they are, they don't do something in their lives, just because they drink a bottle, doesn't keep them a baby, they are a baby, just because they eat the food, doesn't make them a baby, they are one, and when it comes to someone, who is born of God, by the powerful work of God, when we are born again, when we are regenerated, there's nothing that we do, to make ourselves children of God, God does that, we're born from above, and there's nothing that we do, just because you read your Bible, does that make you a Christian, or keep you a Christian, it doesn't, you are one, but because you are one, you will exhibit that fruit in your life, it will be evident in your life, the baby will have all its characteristics and attributes, when we are sitting here in the service this morning, we'll probably hear some crying, some noises, or you'll hear it in the back, you'll hear the baby exhibit, the fact that they have human life, and as Christians, we will exhibit the characteristics, that we have the life of God within our soul, by the things that God is working in us, but on the other hand, it's our responsibility to persevere, and sometimes we can't reconcile that in our minds, we can't think, how does that actually work, but we are to put one foot in front of the other, and walk in the faith, we ought to read our scripture, we ought to memorize scripture, and meditate upon it, we are to attend church services, to encourage one another, and exhort each other to good behavior, and to worship the Lord, we ought to read and study our Bibles, and to know what it is, as far as how we're to obey God, and combat sin, and preach the gospel, and all the things that we are to do, as believers, but these types of verses here, like this in verse 23, Paul says, you are going to be presented unprovable, and unreprovable, and blameless in sight, in God's sight, if you continue in the faith, grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the gospel, Paul is not saying, that they can lose their salvation here, what he is doing here, is that this is a conditional statement, in the New Testament, calls every believer, to hold fast in our faith, like I said in Hebrews 10, 26, hold fast the profession of your faith, and it comes to us, as a warning, not to fall away, because we know, that there are people, even in the parable, that the Lord Jesus taught, do you remember with the soil and the seed, he said there is some seed, that is sown by the wayside, there is some that is sown upon the rock, there is some that is sown in the thorns, and there is some that is sown in the good ground, what happened to the ones in the wayside, the bird comes by, illustration, Satan comes, snatches the word away, that a person has, and that is why it is so important, just this is an aside, this is a freebie, when Pastor Mike, or Pastor Steve is preaching this morning, you pray that God would just overshadow this place, so that Satan would not come, to distract somebody, to pluck the seed away, I don't know if you have ever, it seems like sometimes when the message gets really pointed, and it is about the gospel, and I am not saying, I won't even mention anything, because I don't want anybody to get offended, but there is some type of disturbance many times, pray that the word of God would go out with power, and people could hear it, what happened to the seed that went on the rock, it grew up for a little while, did it have an attribute, or would you look at that person's life, and think that they are a believer, well on the outside yes, but then after a short period of time, dead, it is gone, there is no more life, same with the thorns, and thistles, the cares of this world, take it away, nothing there, it is the good soil, where it grew up, is it possible for somebody, to have a profession of faith, and come in, and join the church, have a ministry, and then a year later, or two years later, or whatever, walk away from it all, it is sad, as sad as can be, but it has happened at BBC, and the warning comes to us, don't think we are something, when we are nothing, the warning comes to us as believers, that we need to take heed, you look at somebody else, who has fallen, take heed, that we don't get into that pattern, of sinful behavior, or listen to that false teaching, or associate ourselves, with the wrong people, or to allow our spiritual disciplines, to decline, and we are stopping the praying, and the communion with the Lord, and the reading of the word of God, because it is one step, another step, another step, we need to be very careful, we need to guard, where we are, and be on our toes, so to speak, spiritually, so that these types of warnings, come to us, there are warning for us, and I have a note, my margin here, this warning, these types of pleas, are among the means, that God uses, to secure our perseverance, in the faith, this statement shows the point, that those who do fall away from Christ, give conclusive evidence, that they never truly were believers, to begin with, we need to persevere, and when we do persevere, it is an encouragement to others, is it important for us to stand fast, yes, can you think of the apostle Paul's life, and can you think of any people, who may have been a discouragement, to him in his ministry, if you think at the end, of one of his epistles maybe, one of maybe the pastoral epistles, at the end, Demas was one, is that who you're thinking of, John Mark was another one, and turn there if you would, 2nd Timothy chapter 4, I think we'll probably have to finish here, 2nd Timothy chapter 4, wow 45 minutes goes fast, 2nd Timothy chapter 4, look what Paul wrote, in verse 10, he's instructing Timothy, what to do near the end of this chapter, verse 9, do your diligence to come shortly to me, verse 10, for Demas has forsaken me, Demas abandoned me, now he didn't stand firm, he didn't stand fast in the faith, he didn't guard himself, he was not careful, he's one that abandoned Paul, look what happened to him, having loved this present world, Elder Preeti Lak preached about that a few weeks ago, about 1st John chapter 2, that we need to be a people, who do not love this world, neither the things that are in the world, 1st Timothy chapter 6, says that if you let the love of money, kind of come in, the love of that money, it can cause you to be shipwrecked in the faith, if you have wrong passions, towards things, and Paul said he loved this present world, and is departed to Thessalonica, Crescens in Galatia, Crescens to Galatia, he's another one, and Titus unto Dalmatia, only Luke is with me, said only Luke is here, he remained faithful, he remained steadfast, but this one's interesting, so there are people, and as Paul's writing this, do you think it's having an impact on him, when he's penning those words, do you think he just did it nonchalantly, or do you think he penned that with a broken heart, or maybe even with tears, I think with tears, Demas has abandoned us, he's abandoned the faith, and we do the same when someone does it in the church, we hate to see that, that's why we need to pray for each other, encourage each other, that we don't throw in the towel, that we don't raise the white flag, no matter how difficult it gets, God is to be honored, Christ is worthy to be served, no matter whatever comes our way, and he says Demas is forsaken, Crescens and Titus, there's something going on here, only Luke is with me in verse 11, and then he says, take Mark and bring him with you, for he's profitable to me for the ministry, I love that testimony there, because if you ever go back and look in Acts chapter 13, the first missionary journey of Paul, I think it's in the city of Perga, the going got rough, and John Mark got going, he took off, he said I'm out of this missionary journey, I didn't sign up for this, and he was gone, and it discouraged Paul so much, that when they were going to go on their next journey, that he would not take John Mark with him, Barnabas did, and he went with him, Paul took Silas, and what's so neat is, that it was proven that John Mark was not one, who had jettisoned his faith totally, he faltered at that point, but Barnabas worked with him, and with his influence in his life, he was brought back to a place where he was, should be he was recovered, and Paul says bring him with you, because he's profitable, so yes we do have an influence, and I think I'm just, I got to close here, when Paul looked at this church, he knew that there could be trouble, he knew that he was desiring, that Satan hadn't come in, and his work wasn't in vain, or useless and unprofitable, he sent Timothy, and he got a good report, and that report just settled him, just comforted him, and just encouraged him, and I want you to go away this morning, thinking people are watching me, as a believer in this church, not only is the world watching me, but believers are watching me, and my life, my testimony, my steadfastness, my abiding in the word of God, my abiding in the Lord, my remaining in the vine, is crucial in a human perspective, our part of our responsibility, under the grace and the sovereignty of God, how God is working, it's very very important for us, to maintain a strong testimony, and keep on keeping on, no matter how difficult it gets, because we impact one another, and we can encourage each other, and that's body life, that's the family of God, that's New Testament church living, that is why it's so crucial, for us to understand, that we're not islands unto ourselves, there are no lone ranger Christians here, there's no such thing as that, you can't do that, we influence each other, we're part of a body, my wife and I, our feet, our ankles, have been talking to us for weeks, and we know that we have feet, and ankles, and as insignificant of a part of your body, that it is, where we broke them, or messed them up, they're talking to us, and you can do it even with a hangnail, a little teeny part of your, we're all so closely connected, and it's very important, and we influence each other, we need each other, and I want to encourage you, to stand firm, to stand fast in the faith, and I don't know, sometimes the message like this, gets preached, and something could be coming your way, that is very difficult, and the Lord just wants to prepare you, out of his goodness, and his kindness, let's pray, Father thank you for this time, we praise you for your work in our lives, that you cause us, to persevere, you give us the grace, and strength to do that, and yet in your word, you have given us the responsibility, to wrestle, to fight, to labor, to walk, to run, to study, to pray, to live unto our God, and we ask that we might do it, to the glory and praise of Jesus, even this week, and even this day, in his precious name, Amen.
![Back To School - [2 Peter 3:17-18]](https://images.letschurch.cloud/Um2M_wzV6Qvf1w2pcK3-ahsv-Aqwfn_OlWhCKe1hCMo/rs::512/czM6Ly9sZXRzY2h1cmNoLXByb2QtcHVibGljL2VmZGU0ZWIyLWM3MGEtNDQ3MS05ZTA4LWNmYTBjM2VjY2QyZS9jaGFubmVsRGVmYXVsdFRodW1ibmFpbC0zdVFZVHNxeDh1c0FsUDhJc0VMT1YucG5n)
