Latest / Meadows Baptist Church Podcast / Evangelism Amidst Apostasy - 3/8/26 - Meadows Baptist Church - Pastor Charlie Branch

Transcript

Evangelism Amidst Apostasy - 3/8/26 - Meadows Baptist Church - Pastor Charlie Branch · Meadows Baptist Church Podcast

• 0:02
  Welcome to the podcast of Meadows
• 0:05
  Baptist Church of Walnut Cove, North
• 0:07
  Carolina. We're so glad you joined us
• 0:10
  today. If you enjoy today's message, be
• 0:12
  sure to subscribe, follow, and share
• 0:15
  with your friends. Now, let's join
• 0:17
  Pastor Charlie Branch with a word from
• 0:20
  God.
• 0:26
  >> Well, that's the truth tonight. Amen.
• 0:29
  And I appreciate that fact. I'm thankful
• 0:32
  for a church recognizes that. And u
• 0:37
  there's no greater need.
• 0:40
  No greater need. And people to meet the
• 0:42
  Lord, to know him, to love him. Amen. To
• 0:46
  be changed by him. And uh
• 0:50
  I'm so thankful. You I was thinking
• 0:52
  about this just a minute ago. There's
• 0:54
  nobody that's ever met the Lord that
• 0:55
  hadn't been changed. Amen.
• 0:57
  >> You say, "What do you mean? Not
• 0:58
  everybody's come to Christ has gotten
• 1:00
  saved." No, but they can't leave. Amen.
• 1:02
  The same way that they came.
• 1:04
  >> They have to walk away willfully. Amen.
• 1:06
  Uh from an outstretched arm and an open
• 1:08
  hand. And I thank God uh for the night
• 1:10
  he reached way down farther than I could
• 1:12
  reach up.
• 1:13
  >> Amen.
• 1:14
  >> And save my soul. Amen.
• 1:16
  >> And uh I know I'd be in hell if it were
• 1:18
  not for his grace. But I'm so thankful
• 1:20
  he saw fit to save me and give me new
• 1:23
  life. Amen. I bless his name for it. I
• 1:26
  thank him for his grace and his mercy.
• 1:28
  If you have a Bible tonight, I'd like
• 1:30
  for you to turn with me if you would
• 1:31
  please to the book of Jude. The book of
• 1:34
  Jude. If you would stand and on
• 1:36
  reference to the reading of God's word
• 1:37
  tonight, the book of Jude. And uh
• 1:42
  just felt impressed to look here
• 1:44
  tonight. This probably the last message
• 1:46
  that I share with you out of the book of
• 1:48
  Jude. And uh don't dread it tonight.
• 1:51
  Something I want to share with you is
• 1:53
  very important. And uh he was singing
• 1:56
  that song. I was thinking a minute ago
• 1:58
  as the song's been ministering to my
• 1:59
  heart here of late quite a bit by the
• 2:02
  Ellis family called Jesus love is real.
• 2:04
  >> Yeah.
• 2:05
  >> And uh I was listening to that song
• 2:07
  going down the road all the other day
• 2:08
  and first verse that song kind of says
• 2:12
  something along the lines of people long
• 2:13
  for love and they're looking lots of
• 2:15
  places where they can't get enough.
• 2:18
  >> And uh I was thinking about that. You go
• 2:20
  by the beer joints and the ABC stores
• 2:23
  and all the places that our community
• 2:25
  seems to be full of and people are just
• 2:27
  looking for something to fill them up.
• 2:29
  >> And uh you realize tonight we know the
• 2:31
  truth.
• 2:32
  >> Amen.
• 2:33
  >> Amen. And this is not just a social
• 2:35
  gathering. Amen. I didn't come just to
• 2:37
  see you. Amen. And I sure hope you
• 2:39
  didn't come to see me. But I tell you
• 2:42
  this, I come to get help from heaven.
• 2:43
  Amen. And we need his help. Amen. And
• 2:47
  because his love is real. Amen. and I
• 2:49
  bless his name for it tonight. Let's
• 2:51
  look verse number 21. Verse 20. Let's
• 2:53
  look at verse 20 tonight. We'll read
• 2:56
  down through the end of the chapter. And
• 2:58
  like I said, don't don't let the
• 3:00
  familiarity uh of this series uh get you
• 3:03
  in a ditch. And I'll say this series
• 3:06
  preaching is good. It's beneficial
• 3:08
  because the Bible is written line upon
• 3:10
  line and you ought to study it line upon
• 3:12
  line. And we ought to never try to
• 3:14
  cherrypick verses out and try to make
• 3:17
  our point. But we ought to always labor
• 3:19
  to uh construct the context and give the
• 3:23
  context because if you don't know the
• 3:24
  context, there's no fruit to the text.
• 3:26
  And so uh we want to make sure that you
• 3:28
  know what's going on. That's why I've
• 3:30
  been preaching through this book uh this
• 3:32
  way. And let's look verse number 20 of
• 3:35
  Jude chapter or Jude chap verse number
• 3:37
  20 only one chapter. Verse 20. The Bible
• 3:40
  says, "But ye, beloved, building up
• 3:42
  yourselves on your most holy faith."
• 3:44
  Now, we talked about that there on last
• 3:46
  week about building up yourselves. And
• 3:49
  he says, "Praying in the Holy Ghost."
• 3:51
  Verse 21, he says, "Keep yourselves in
• 3:54
  the love of God, looking for the mercy
• 3:56
  of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal
• 3:59
  life. And of some have compassion,
• 4:02
  making a difference, and others save
• 4:04
  with fear, pulling them out of the fire,
• 4:06
  hating even the garment spotted by the
• 4:08
  flesh. Now unto him that is able to keep
• 4:11
  you from falling, and to present you
• 4:13
  faultless before the presence of his
• 4:15
  glory with exceeding joy. To the only
• 4:18
  wise God, our Savior, be glory and
• 4:20
  majesty, dominion and power, both now
• 4:24
  and ever. Amen. Father, I come before
• 4:29
  you tonight and I ask you humbly to help
• 4:32
  us, Lord, as we've gathered here. And I
• 4:33
  pray, God, tonight that you would move
• 4:35
  in our midst. Lord, I thank you for the
• 4:37
  good presence of God in the service this
• 4:39
  morning. And Lord, I thank you for
• 4:41
  speaking to hearts, for speaking to my
• 4:42
  heart. And God, I thank you for the word
• 4:44
  of God that was shared. And God, I ask
• 4:46
  you tonight humbly that you would anoint
• 4:48
  us. Uh fill us with thy spirit, God, I
• 4:50
  pray, remove the flesh far from us. Help
• 4:53
  us to say nothing, God, that would
• 4:54
  hinder the work of the Holy Spirit, but
• 4:56
  God, to say everything, God, that you
• 4:58
  would desire us to say. I pray you'll
• 5:00
  help us to receive with meekness the
• 5:01
  engrafted word. And I pray we'd see no
• 5:04
  man save Jesus only. And open our eyes
• 5:06
  and we might behold wondrous things in
• 5:08
  thy law. And Lord, we pray, Father, that
• 5:10
  you would be exalted and magnified and
• 5:12
  lifted up. God, you said if you'd be
• 5:14
  lifted up, you draw men unto yourself.
• 5:16
  And so, I pray you'd do that tonight in
• 5:18
  the midst of this service. and for
• 5:19
  whatever needs are present. If there's
• 5:21
  somebody here lost, I pray they'd be
• 5:23
  saved. God, if there's somebody here,
• 5:25
  Father, that is saved and out of the
• 5:26
  will of God, I pray they'd get right
• 5:28
  with you tonight. And Lord, most of all,
• 5:30
  I pray you'll get glory. And for what
• 5:32
  you do, we'll thank you for it because
• 5:33
  we ask it in Jesus' name. Amen. And
• 5:36
  amen. You can be seated this evening.
• 5:38
  Now, we've looked at this series uh
• 5:41
  through the book of Jude, messages
• 5:43
  concerning apostasy. And I want to look
• 5:46
  at this text tonight, these last four or
• 5:49
  five verses here of the book of Jude,
• 5:51
  and share to you this thought on
• 5:54
  evangelism
• 5:55
  amidst apostasy.
• 5:58
  Evangelism
• 5:59
  amidst apostasy. Now, I realize tonight
• 6:03
  when we look at our world, the world we
• 6:05
  live in, and I'll say this, when you
• 6:07
  narrow it down not just to a world view
• 6:09
  of America, but a worldview of
• 6:11
  Christianity in America, we realize that
• 6:14
  more so than the right way, there is the
• 6:17
  apostate belief in America. The crowds
• 6:20
  are being drawn to apostate religion.
• 6:23
  And I've made no bones about it through
• 6:25
  these series of messages what these
• 6:26
  apostates look like. And you say,
• 6:28
  "Preacher, I'm really not sure what they
• 6:30
  are." are. Well, I'm not going to
• 6:31
  belabor the point tonight. You can go
• 6:33
  back and listen to the messages. Amen.
• 6:35
  But there are people who are greedy of
• 6:37
  gain and they're serving only to fill
• 6:40
  their own pocketbook and to serve their
• 6:42
  own flesh. And I was reading this text
• 6:44
  and praying about the direction the Lord
• 6:46
  would have us to go tonight. I don't
• 6:48
  didn't know this was for sure if this is
• 6:50
  where he wanted us to be. But he really
• 6:52
  led me to these verses and something
• 6:54
  maybe I've never seen before in these
• 6:57
  verses. And I want to lay out three
• 6:59
  things to you tonight. And I just like I
• 7:01
  did this morning, I'll give you the
• 7:03
  message outline and then you can put in
• 7:05
  it as we go along. I want to note first
• 7:07
  of all tonight in the message number one
• 7:10
  the devotion to our savior in verse
• 7:13
  number 21 of this chapter and then in
• 7:15
  verses 22 and 23 I want to note the
• 7:19
  discernment of souls. devotion to the
• 7:22
  Savior in verse 21 and the discernment
• 7:24
  of souls in verses 22 and 23 and then in
• 7:28
  verse 24 and 25. I want to note the
• 7:32
  divine sanctification that is mentioned
• 7:34
  in these verses tonight. And we're going
• 7:37
  to spend the majority of our time on
• 7:38
  that second point. But I want you to
• 7:40
  notice tonight by way of introduction
• 7:43
  here, he is listed in verse 21. It's a
• 7:45
  continued statement from verse 20. And
• 7:48
  we dealt there with building up
• 7:50
  yourselves there on last week and we
• 7:52
  talked about the task of it and the
• 7:54
  trust in it. The tool is prayer and the
• 7:57
  thread throughout all of it is the
• 7:59
  presence of the Holy Spirit that's
• 8:00
  mentioned there in verse number 20. But
• 8:02
  in one continued statement that comma he
• 8:05
  says in verse 21, keep yourselves in the
• 8:08
  love of God. And I thought about that
• 8:11
  phrase. Now, I understand tonight we
• 8:13
  think about the love of God and and we
• 8:15
  was praising him for that, his great
• 8:17
  mercy and grace towards us. And no doubt
• 8:20
  we love him because he first loved us
• 8:23
  tonight. Amen. Is anybody in the
• 8:24
  building? Amen. We love him because he
• 8:28
  first loved us. And when John Jude says
• 8:30
  here to his readers, he says, "Keep
• 8:33
  yourselves in the love of God." He's not
• 8:35
  saying that it would be possible for us
• 8:37
  to get outside the bounds of God's love.
• 8:40
  But it is possible for us to forget the
• 8:42
  goodness of his love. And you say, "What
• 8:44
  is that?" Well, if you turn over just a
• 8:46
  few chapters into the book of
• 8:48
  Revelation, that first church of Asia
• 8:50
  Minor, that church of Ephesus, you
• 8:52
  remember what Jesus had to say to that
• 8:54
  church. He said, "I have somewhat
• 8:56
  against you." And what did he say to
• 8:58
  him? He said, "Because you've left your
• 9:00
  first love." Amen. And it's not that
• 9:02
  God's love could get away from us or we
• 9:05
  could get out of God's love. But the
• 9:07
  truth is we could forget the fact that
• 9:09
  we are living amidst God's love. Amen.
• 9:11
  I'll tell you this tonight. Peter says
• 9:13
  it this way that there's many people who
• 9:15
  have forgotten that they were purged
• 9:17
  from their old sins. We've forgotten
• 9:19
  that God loves us and that God lives for
• 9:21
  us and that God wants to give us life
• 9:24
  and life more abundantly. And it is
• 9:26
  possible to get outside of that
• 9:28
  blessing. But let me remind you tonight,
• 9:31
  we ought to be reminded every day of our
• 9:33
  life when we wake up that it's the love
• 9:35
  of God that allowed our heart to beat
• 9:37
  through the night and our lungs to pump
• 9:39
  air through the night. Amen. And when we
• 9:41
  rise up, it's the grace and love all of
• 9:44
  Almighty God that our eyes opened up and
• 9:46
  our mind come back into consciousness.
• 9:49
  You say, "PREACHER, WHAT ARE YOU
• 9:50
  SAYING?" I'm saying that every day the
• 9:52
  love of God manifests itself to us and
• 9:55
  we ought to do our very best to keep
• 9:57
  ourselves in the love OF GOD EACH AND
• 10:00
  EVERY DAY. AMEN.
• 10:02
  >> NOW, we know tonight that sin can hinder
• 10:04
  us from fellowship. We know that
• 10:06
  complacency and apathy can hinder us
• 10:08
  from in fellowship tonight. And so, the
• 10:11
  command is the same that we are to keep
• 10:13
  ourselves in the love of God. And that
• 10:15
  simply means to live in the realm of his
• 10:18
  love. And so I think about our devotion
• 10:20
  to the savior. Number one, we ought to
• 10:23
  live in the realm of the love of God.
• 10:26
  Amen. You say, "What is that?" Well,
• 10:28
  that's that is uh feeling his love,
• 10:30
  accepting his love into our life and
• 10:32
  allowing him to bless us. But also as
• 10:35
  that blessing intercedes, intersects
• 10:38
  into our life, we ought to interject
• 10:40
  that love into other people's lives.
• 10:42
  Amen. What did Jesus tell his disciples?
• 10:44
  He said, "By this shall all men know
• 10:46
  that you are my disciples." Why? Because
• 10:49
  when you have love one to another. Amen.
• 10:51
  And we ought to let that love shine. He
• 10:53
  said, "Let your light so shine before
• 10:55
  men that they might see your good works
• 10:58
  and glorify your father which is in
• 11:00
  heaven." And what is that? That's the
• 11:01
  love of God shed abroad in our hearts by
• 11:04
  the Holy Ghost which is given unto us.
• 11:06
  And we ought to do our best to live in
• 11:09
  the realm of God's love. Amen. It is
• 11:12
  possible to dwell outside of it. But
• 11:14
  I'll tell you this, once you've ever
• 11:15
  been in it, you don't want to be outside
• 11:16
  of it. Amen. But I notice this. He
• 11:19
  doesn't only tell us to live in the
• 11:21
  realm of God's love, but he also tells
• 11:24
  us to look for the revelation of our
• 11:25
  Lord Jesus Christ. Look what he says in
• 11:27
  verse 21. Keep yourselves in the love of
• 11:30
  God. Continued statement, looking for
• 11:32
  the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto
• 11:36
  eternal life. And you say, "Preacher,
• 11:37
  well, how can I keep myself living in
• 11:40
  the love of God?" Well, long as you stay
• 11:42
  looking, you'll stay loving. Amen. As
• 11:44
  long as you're looking for him to come.
• 11:46
  Amen. As long as you're keeping your eye
• 11:48
  on that eastern sky. Amen. Knowing that
• 11:50
  just any day now, amen, our Lord's
• 11:53
  coming back. And one day, friend, the
• 11:55
  clouds are going to split and he's going
• 11:57
  to step out. Amen. HE'S GOING TO SAY,
• 11:59
  "COME UP HITHER." AMEN. AND YOU KNOW
• 12:01
  WHAT WE'RE GOING TO DO? WE'RE GOING TO
• 12:02
  GO UP WITH HIM. AMEN. WE'RE GOING TO
• 12:04
  MEET THE LORD IN THE CLOUDS and the
• 12:06
  saints. Amen. That rose before us. And
• 12:08
  forever, forever and ever and ever,
• 12:11
  WE'LL BE IN THE PRESENCE OF GOD. HEY, IF
• 12:14
  YOU WANT TO KNOW HOW TO LIVE IN THE
• 12:15
  REALM of God's love, you just keep
• 12:17
  LOOKING FOR THE REVELATION OF THE LORD
• 12:20
  JESUS CHRIST TO SHOW UP ON THIS EARTH.
• 12:22
  LET ME SAY IT AGAIN, FRIEND. HE IS SOON
• 12:25
  COMING. And I'll tell you this, I'm
• 12:26
  looking forward to it. Amen. I know
• 12:29
  tonight that he is coming. He says,
• 12:30
  "Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus
• 12:33
  Christ." And I just want to remind you
• 12:35
  of this fact that it is the mercy of God
• 12:37
  that he showed up the first time that
• 12:39
  God would allow his son to become come
• 12:41
  come to this earth and be roed in the
• 12:43
  likeness of sinful flesh and live and
• 12:46
  die for you and I and get up again and
• 12:48
  go back to heaven. But let me remind
• 12:49
  you, it's the mercy of God that he is
• 12:52
  coming back again one of these days for
• 12:54
  you and I because we don't deserve the
• 12:56
  fact for him to come back and take us
• 12:58
  home. But aren't you thankful him in his
• 13:00
  mercy and his grace? He's going to come
• 13:02
  and retrieve us under himself. And one
• 13:04
  of these days, we'll see him high and
• 13:06
  lifted up. Amen. I don't know about you,
• 13:07
  but I JUST FEEL GOOD IN MY soul tonight.
• 13:09
  Amen. I'M GLAD I'M SAVED AND ON MY WAY
• 13:11
  TO HEAVEN. PRAISE GOD. AND MY DEVOTION
• 13:14
  TO THE SAVIOR IS MY LOVE FOR HIM, BUT
• 13:17
  I'M ALSO LOOKING FOR HIM. AMEN.
• 13:20
  >> I'm looking for him to come. Looking for
• 13:23
  the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto
• 13:27
  eternal life. And so we consider the
• 13:29
  devotion to the Savior. Much more I
• 13:32
  could say about that tonight, but I want
• 13:33
  to deal with this subject here tonight
• 13:36
  concerning the evangelism
• 13:38
  amidst apostasy. Now, I've had some
• 13:41
  people ask me here at the church since
• 13:44
  since I've been here, preacher, uh,
• 13:46
  preacher, I just don't know. You talk
• 13:47
  about soul winning and visitation, and I
• 13:49
  just don't know how how to do that.
• 13:51
  Well, let me say this. As a child of
• 13:53
  God, it's inherent in you that you want
• 13:56
  to win people to Christ. Okay, that's a
• 13:58
  natural desire. Amen. That's something
• 14:00
  that should be a part of who you are.
• 14:02
  Amen. And leadership has failed when
• 14:03
  they fail to teach you that you should
• 14:05
  win souls. Amen. The Bible said in
• 14:07
  Proverbs 11 verse number 30, the fruit
• 14:09
  of the righteous is a tree of life. And
• 14:10
  he that winth souls is what? Wise. Amen.
• 14:14
  It's proper to win souls. Jesus was a
• 14:17
  soul winner. What did he say? He said,
• 14:18
  "The son of man's come to seek and to
• 14:20
  save that which was lost." Amen. And
• 14:22
  what was it? It was the lost souls of
• 14:24
  the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
• 14:26
  Amen. And when they turned their back on
• 14:28
  him, you know what he did? He turned to
• 14:29
  the lost souls of the gentile race. And
• 14:31
  that's what we're here doing tonight. We
• 14:33
  are here witnessing to the fact that
• 14:35
  Jesus is interested in souls. And you
• 14:37
  say, "Preacher, well, I just don't know
• 14:39
  about all that." Well, let me just say
• 14:40
  this. The person that won you to the
• 14:42
  Lord was sure about it.
• 14:44
  >> Amen. Aren't you thankful for somebody
• 14:46
  that was certain and sure about the so
• 14:48
  in fact of the scriptures that they came
• 14:50
  to where you was and said, "Hey, if you
• 14:52
  don't get saved, you're going to die and
• 14:54
  go to the place that God created for the
• 14:56
  devil and his angels." And you'll go
• 14:58
  there. You don't have to go there,
• 14:59
  though. You can find the way out. I'll
• 15:01
  show it to you. Jesus died to save you.
• 15:03
  HE LIVES TO SAVE YOU. AND IF YOU'LL
• 15:05
  TRUST HIM, HE WILL SAVE YOU. AMEN. And
• 15:07
  you can escape hell. Aren't you thankful
• 15:10
  for that person, that preacher, THAT
• 15:12
  SUNDAY SCHOOL teacher that believed in
• 15:14
  it? Amen.
• 15:16
  >> You say, "Preacher, but that still
• 15:17
  doesn't answer the question of how to do
• 15:18
  it." Well, Jude gives us some principles
• 15:21
  here tonight, and it's going to come
• 15:24
  with an ugly word. Okay? We dealt with
• 15:27
  this thought of devotion, but I want to
• 15:29
  deal with this subject of discernment.
• 15:32
  Now, I'll say this to you tonight. It's
• 15:35
  something that much of our church is
• 15:36
  lacking in this day and time. You say,
• 15:38
  "What is discernment?" Well, it's the
• 15:40
  ability to determine between evil and
• 15:42
  good. It's the ability to determine
• 15:44
  between what's right and what's not.
• 15:47
  It's knowing the difference basically
• 15:49
  what that is. And you notice in this
• 15:51
  text, the Bible says in verse number 22,
• 15:54
  "And if some have compassion making a
• 15:56
  difference, and others save with fear,
• 15:58
  pulling them out of the fire, hating
• 16:00
  even the garment spotted by the flesh."
• 16:02
  Now, we had a missions conference back
• 16:04
  here several months ago at the church
• 16:06
  last year. I guess it was about August,
• 16:08
  somewhere near September. And we we call
• 16:10
  the missions conference making a
• 16:12
  difference. Now, the reason why we we
• 16:15
  didn't base it off of this verse, okay?
• 16:17
  It's the thought that many people have
• 16:18
  in their mind when we think about this
• 16:21
  making a difference thought, but that's
• 16:23
  not what this means. It's not making a
• 16:25
  difference in the sense of we're going
• 16:26
  to make a difference in the lost world.
• 16:28
  Because truth is, we have no ability to
• 16:30
  make any difference in this world. You
• 16:32
  say, "Preacher, well, what does it
• 16:33
  mean?" Well, I want to lay on your heart
• 16:35
  tonight this truth concerning the
• 16:37
  discernment of souls. Jude is talking
• 16:39
  about soulwinning here. He's not talking
• 16:42
  about making a difference for the cause
• 16:44
  of Christ. You say, "Well, how do you
• 16:46
  see that?" Well, notice the verse with
• 16:47
  me. What's the first word of that verse?
• 16:50
  Verse 22.
• 16:52
  And this is a continued statement. Now,
• 16:56
  this is not a continued statement from
• 16:57
  verse 21.
• 16:59
  Interjected amidst this statement is
• 17:02
  verse number 20 and 21. This is a
• 17:05
  continued statement from verse 18 and
• 17:08
  19. Now, I want you to look at this text
• 17:10
  with me tonight. We're going to use our
• 17:11
  Bibles to do a little thinking. All
• 17:13
  right? So, stay with me. Notice verse 18
• 17:15
  and 19. The Bible says, or verse 17,
• 17:18
  notice the statement. But, beloved,
• 17:19
  remember ye the words which were spoken
• 17:21
  before the apostles of our Lord Jesus
• 17:23
  Christ, how that they told you there
• 17:25
  should be mockers in the last time, who
• 17:27
  should walk after their own ungodly
• 17:29
  lust. These be they who separate
• 17:32
  themselves sensual having not the
• 17:35
  spirit. Notice verse 22 now. And of some
• 17:40
  have compassion
• 17:42
  making a difference. Now you say what
• 17:44
  does that how does that relate to the
• 17:47
  verses that were just of before. Well
• 17:49
  Jude is talking about evangelizing
• 17:51
  people amidst apostasy.
• 17:55
  And let me say this. Evangelism in this
• 17:57
  day is as hard as it's ever been.
• 18:00
  Because people's got more of a head
• 18:01
  knowledge than they've ever had. Ain't
• 18:02
  that right, brother? They know more
• 18:05
  about the Bible and more about church
• 18:07
  than they've ever known before because
• 18:08
  it's it's mainstream.
• 18:10
  And uh you know, I'm thankful. I was
• 18:12
  listening to somebody talk the other day
• 18:14
  talking about Charlie Kirk and
• 18:15
  everything that he's brought into the
• 18:17
  Christian world. And I tell you this,
• 18:19
  the people that's operating on his
• 18:21
  platform now don't believe like he did.
• 18:23
  >> Amen. They don't believe like he did.
• 18:25
  They don't operate with the same spirit
• 18:27
  that he had. And it don't take about 10
• 18:29
  seconds to realize that they don't hold
• 18:31
  the same values his wife nor none of the
• 18:33
  rest of that crowd. They don't hold the
• 18:35
  same values that he did. Amen. And what
• 18:38
  I'm trying to say is is that
• 18:39
  Christianity it's made been made
• 18:42
  mainstream and it's been made the cool
• 18:43
  kid thing to be Young Life and and
• 18:47
  Turning Point and all of these big
• 18:49
  organizations. It's known nationwide.
• 18:51
  And I'm Look, I'm not throwing stones
• 18:53
  tonight, but here's what I'm doing.
• 18:55
  They're they're I'm trying to tell you
• 18:56
  that these are worksbased organizations.
• 19:00
  It does not it does not teach the the
• 19:02
  faith of the Lord Jesus Christ as it is
• 19:05
  scriptural. And so when he says here in
• 19:07
  the text, he is giving us two different
• 19:10
  methods. Verse 22 and verse 23. Verse
• 19:13
  22, he is dealing with a compassionate
• 19:15
  method. Write that down. In verse 22, he
• 19:18
  is dealing with a compassionate method
• 19:21
  to soulwinning. Verse number 23, he is
• 19:24
  dealing with a cautionary method to sew
• 19:28
  in. And you say, "What is that?" Well,
• 19:30
  verse 22, he says, "And of some have
• 19:32
  compassion." Well, the instruction there
• 19:34
  is in verse 22, he's not t he's not
• 19:36
  saying, "And some people have
• 19:38
  compassion." No, that's not what he's
• 19:40
  saying. What he's saying is and of some
• 19:43
  that means some have compassion. What is
• 19:47
  he talking about? He's talking about the
• 19:49
  apostates in verse number 19. These be
• 19:53
  they who separate themselves sensual
• 19:56
  having not the spirit. There are certain
• 19:58
  people that you have to witness to that
• 20:00
  they know a whole lot.
• 20:03
  And amidst their great knowledge of the
• 20:06
  Christianity that they think they know
• 20:08
  about, they're clever devils is what
• 20:09
  they are. Amen. They don't know anything
• 20:11
  about real faith. But what they do know,
• 20:14
  they're very tender about it. And if you
• 20:16
  come to them and tell them they're going
• 20:18
  to die in rot in hell, they're going to
• 20:19
  laugh at you.
• 20:21
  And so you can't go to them and beat
• 20:24
  them in the head with truth and expect
• 20:26
  them to receive. He says in the text,
• 20:28
  notice it, and of some have compassion.
• 20:31
  There are some people that when you deal
• 20:33
  with them about salvation, you're going
• 20:35
  to have to be very tender.
• 20:38
  >> You say, "Preacher, I can't picture that
• 20:40
  in my mind." Well, let's just put it in
• 20:42
  real simple terms. This is not exactly
• 20:44
  what the text is talking about, but it's
• 20:46
  simple terms to understand. You're not
• 20:48
  going to witness to a 5-year-old the
• 20:49
  same way you're going to witness to a
• 20:51
  60-year-old person that's been on
• 20:52
  alcohol their whole life.
• 20:55
  >> When a 5-year-old boy or girl is lost
• 20:57
  without God and they need to be saved,
• 20:59
  you know what you do with them? You
• 21:00
  don't look at them and say, "You're
• 21:02
  going to die and rot in hell because of
• 21:04
  your sin." That's not the way you deal
• 21:05
  with them.
• 21:07
  >> You deal with them and you say, "Now
• 21:08
  look, all right, you've come to me
• 21:10
  today. You ask them what their need is."
• 21:12
  And I'm just gonna give you a little
• 21:13
  crash course right here. If I had
• 21:15
  somebody come to the altar under 10
• 21:18
  years old, they've been in church their
• 21:19
  whole life and they want to get saved.
• 21:20
  This is how you would deal with them.
• 21:22
  You would ask them. They come to the
• 21:24
  altar and you say, "Why'd you come up
• 21:25
  here today?" All right. Why' you Why'd
• 21:28
  you come up here today? What can I help
• 21:29
  you with? And depending on what they
• 21:32
  tell you in that next sentence is going
• 21:34
  to determine how you approach this need.
• 21:36
  If they can't tell you the reason why
• 21:38
  they came to the altar, they're not
• 21:39
  ready to get saved.
• 21:42
  When God turns the light on, they come
• 21:44
  to this altar, they're going to know
• 21:45
  what they need.
• 21:47
  >> And so if that child tells me,
• 21:48
  "Preacher, I need to be saved." You know
• 21:49
  what I'm going to immediately begin to
• 21:51
  do? I'm going to immediately begin to go
• 21:52
  to the verses that they should be
• 21:54
  memorizing.
• 21:56
  Amen. The Romans road, John's road.
• 21:59
  Amen. John 3:16, John 15. All those
• 22:02
  verses, all that text. I'm going to
• 22:04
  immediately begin to go to those
• 22:05
  scriptures and I'm going to tell them
• 22:07
  Romans 3 verse number 23. For all have
• 22:09
  sinned and come short of the glory of
• 22:11
  God. Do you know what sin is? And I'm
• 22:13
  going to ask them if they can tell me
• 22:14
  what sin is. Sin is anything I think,
• 22:17
  say, or do that displeases God. And if
• 22:19
  they tell you, well, my I I tell lies
• 22:22
  and I say things that I shouldn't say.
• 22:24
  You know what? For a 5 to 7, 10 year
• 22:25
  old, that's what their sin's going to
• 22:27
  be. Okay? They're going to disobey their
• 22:30
  parents. They're going to tell things
• 22:31
  that they shouldn't tell. Jude says,
• 22:33
  "And of some, have compassion." And with
• 22:35
  that young and you're going to look at
• 22:36
  them and say, "Hey, we want to tell you
• 22:38
  how you can be saved."
• 22:41
  You say, "Because of your sin, you were
• 22:43
  created in sin." You got to make sure
• 22:45
  you tell them that. In sin, you were
• 22:47
  conceived. From your birth, you were a
• 22:49
  sinner. You've never been perfect.
• 22:51
  >> And because of that sin, you need to be
• 22:53
  saved from your sin. But Jesus died
• 22:55
  >> for your sin.
• 22:57
  >> He took your sin debt. He paid your sin
• 22:59
  debt. And because of that, you can be
• 23:02
  saved. Amen.
• 23:03
  >> And then after you tell them that and
• 23:05
  they have their questions, you know,
• 23:06
  depending on what questions they have,
• 23:08
  you take them down whatever road you
• 23:09
  need to go down. But ultimately, this is
• 23:11
  what you get to. You tell them Jesus
• 23:13
  loves you.
• 23:16
  >> And that's what you tell everybody.
• 23:18
  >> But the method that you get to that
• 23:20
  point's a lot different sometimes.
• 23:22
  >> He said, "And of some have compassion."
• 23:24
  You say, "Well, preacher, how does this
• 23:25
  apply to apostates?" Well, people who
• 23:27
  are ignorant
• 23:29
  of Bible doctrine and Bible truth, but
• 23:32
  they've been fed a lie from the world
• 23:34
  that salvation is me doing enough works
• 23:37
  or me being faithful to church or me
• 23:39
  signing a church role or me being
• 23:41
  baptized. And you know what you can't
• 23:43
  tell them? Look them and say when they
• 23:44
  say, "Well, I'm saved because I got
• 23:46
  baptized." You can't look at them and
• 23:48
  say, "No, you're not."
• 23:50
  >> You know what you have to do? You have
• 23:51
  to begin to softly,
• 23:54
  gently lead them to the truth. See, you
• 23:57
  can't take somebody that's been steeped
• 23:58
  in religion for all their youth years
• 24:01
  and been told this, that, and the other
• 24:02
  and expect them to turn it all around in
• 24:04
  just a minute.
• 24:06
  >> Some you've got to have compassion. That
• 24:08
  word compassion that and if some have
• 24:10
  compassion, that phrase literally means
• 24:12
  the action word to compassionate,
• 24:15
  to show mercy is what that is. It means
• 24:18
  to extend grace. When dealing with
• 24:20
  someone that is needing compassion,
• 24:23
  needing mercy, there's a there's a a
• 24:25
  steps here I see in the verse. He says,
• 24:27
  "And of some have compassion making a
• 24:29
  difference." You say, "What is that
• 24:30
  making a difference?" That word
• 24:32
  difference there literally means a
• 24:33
  distinction,
• 24:36
  means to discern,
• 24:38
  to see that this person needs a soft
• 24:40
  approach. You know what? As a
• 24:43
  seven-year-old boy, you know what helped
• 24:44
  me get saved? That verse that says, "And
• 24:46
  the it's the goodness of God that leads
• 24:48
  thee to repentance.
• 24:50
  When I got saved, I didn't I didn't have
• 24:52
  a whole load of sin laundry list of
• 24:54
  things that I was carrying around on my
• 24:55
  back. But all I knew is God was dealing
• 24:57
  with my heart and I needed what he had
• 24:58
  to offer.
• 25:00
  >> And you know what? As I'd watched my
• 25:01
  daddy surrender to the ministry and I
• 25:03
  remember going to the altar that night
• 25:05
  and I just said, "Lord, I'll do whatever
• 25:07
  you want me to do." Seven years old
• 25:10
  because I knew that salvation wasn't
• 25:12
  just sins of commission, but sins of
• 25:15
  omission. Because you know what? Before
• 25:17
  that point, I'd never told anybody about
• 25:19
  Jesus. But you know what? After I got
• 25:21
  saved, I went to my family members that
• 25:23
  I knew didn't believe like mom and daddy
• 25:25
  did. And mom and daddy tried to tell me,
• 25:26
  "Hey, look, they're not going to be
• 25:28
  excited about you being saved." But you
• 25:30
  know what? That fire in my heart, I just
• 25:32
  wanted to tell them so bad because I'd
• 25:34
  been saved. There was a difference that
• 25:35
  had been made in my life. What I'm
• 25:37
  saying is on some there's got to be
• 25:39
  mercy that's shown. I thought about
• 25:42
  this. You see here in the text, there's
• 25:44
  the mercy of God that's expressed and of
• 25:46
  some have compassion. Second of all, not
• 25:49
  only the mercy of God is expressed, but
• 25:52
  there's a message of grace that's
• 25:54
  exchanged.
• 25:56
  You see, when some when a young child's
• 25:57
  never been steeped in sin, you're not
• 25:59
  going to talk to them about alcoholism
• 26:01
  and fornication and adultery.
• 26:06
  >> You're going to talk to them about the
• 26:07
  truths that are on their level.
• 26:10
  >> Their lies just going to send them to
• 26:12
  hell. the same way the drunks alcohol
• 26:14
  will.
• 26:14
  >> Amen.
• 26:15
  >> And so you deal with them on their
• 26:17
  level. There's a message of grace that
• 26:20
  must be exchanged. You must express to
• 26:22
  them that Jesus loves them and far
• 26:25
  greater than their sin is the love and
• 26:27
  sovereignty of Almighty God. You've got
• 26:29
  to be so careful. Heard people talk
• 26:32
  about having a bad experience. I've
• 26:34
  heard people say this um later on in
• 26:37
  life. Well, my mom and daddy told me I
• 26:38
  was too young to be saved. Oh no. Never
• 26:42
  tell a child that
• 26:44
  >> you're not ready yet. You don't know
• 26:46
  whether they're not ready or not yet.
• 26:48
  >> The truth is when they come to you and
• 26:50
  say, "Daddy, what does it mean to be
• 26:51
  saved?
• 26:52
  >> What do I need to do to be saved?" And
• 26:54
  you begin to talk to them. And the more
• 26:56
  you talk to them, the more that they
• 26:57
  become broken in their sin, you know
• 26:59
  what you need to do? You need to lead
• 27:00
  them to the foot of the cross.
• 27:03
  >> This Jesus died for you, baby. Jesus
• 27:06
  died for you. But Jesus lives for you.
• 27:08
  He didn't stay dead, but he got up so
• 27:10
  you could be saved. And if some have
• 27:12
  compassion, you've got to have mercy on
• 27:14
  them. And for your children, that's
• 27:16
  patience.
• 27:18
  >> That's what it is dealing with all
• 27:19
  people who's been staked in religion.
• 27:22
  People who are ignorant and don't know
• 27:23
  any better. You've got to have
• 27:25
  compassion, making a difference, showing
• 27:27
  discernment.
• 27:30
  The mercy of God must be expressed.
• 27:31
  There must be a message of grace that is
• 27:34
  exchanged. But I'll say this, for those
• 27:35
  that have been steeped in religion, not
• 27:37
  so much for children, it may be the
• 27:39
  case, but I don't know. For some, you're
• 27:41
  going to have to mitigate some guilt.
• 27:44
  You say, "What do you mean by that?"
• 27:46
  Well, you see, there's things that
• 27:47
  they've been taught their whole life
• 27:48
  that they're just finding out's wrong.
• 27:51
  >> They didn't know any better. People who
• 27:54
  are ignorant, you can't expect them to
• 27:55
  jump on the wagon with you just right
• 27:57
  off the bat. when they've been taught
• 27:59
  for 25, 30 years, you know, however long
• 28:01
  they've been living, you know, most time
• 28:03
  this is the younger generation, my
• 28:05
  generation up to 35, 40, very tender
• 28:07
  people. Tender. You got to be, you got
• 28:10
  to be merciful with them.
• 28:12
  >> They're going to be guilt. They're going
• 28:14
  to have some guilt, some things in their
• 28:15
  life that they're going to have to get
• 28:16
  over. And you say, "What is that?" Well,
• 28:18
  you're going to have to discern whether
• 28:19
  or not they're ready for it. You know,
• 28:22
  some people the first time that they
• 28:23
  hear the gospel, they're not going to be
• 28:25
  ready to receive it in that moment.
• 28:28
  It takes discernment knowing when you're
• 28:30
  dealing with somebody, it's going to
• 28:31
  take some patience, some mercy, because
• 28:34
  not everybody's ready at the same time
• 28:36
  you were. Man, I'm thankful that for our
• 28:39
  children around here's been raised in
• 28:40
  Christian school and mom and daddy, we
• 28:42
  go witness to them and they've been
• 28:44
  steeped in it and they know it. We talk
• 28:46
  to them. You know what happens when God
• 28:48
  turns the light on? They're ready
• 28:49
  because they know the truth.
• 28:51
  But most children, that's not the case.
• 28:54
  Most people, that's not the case. Man,
• 28:57
  isn't it sad? There's 30, 40, 50 year
• 28:58
  old people in this community that's
• 29:00
  never heard the name Jesus.
• 29:04
  You say, "Preacher, that ain't so."
• 29:05
  Well, I promise you, we could go within
• 29:07
  10 miles of this church and you could
• 29:08
  find somebody, probably more than one
• 29:13
  that would say to you, "Nobody's ever
• 29:15
  told me about Jesus."
• 29:18
  I I think about this compassionate
• 29:21
  compassionate method here that he
• 29:23
  shares. And if some have compassion
• 29:24
  making a difference using discernment.
• 29:27
  Got to be careful. I tell you this,
• 29:28
  salvation is is a is the most important
• 29:31
  thing that's ever done. It's if it's
• 29:33
  worth doing, it's worth doing right.
• 29:34
  Somebody say amen.
• 29:36
  >> You got to tell them the truth. But you
• 29:37
  got to do it in love. Amen. But I
• 29:39
  noticed this and this is where many of
• 29:42
  us fall tonight. And look, I don't want
• 29:44
  you to think tonight that I'm hyper
• 29:46
  sensitive. Amen. And I'm going to, you
• 29:48
  know, tiptoe around everybody's
• 29:49
  feelings. But I'll tell you this, a
• 29:50
  child, you got to be careful.
• 29:53
  I don't want to hurt their feelings when
• 29:54
  I'm trying to lead them to Christ. If
• 29:56
  they're ready to receive Christ, you
• 29:57
  better not down them.
• 29:59
  >> Amen.
• 30:00
  >> Down their character, their more you. If
• 30:02
  they say, "Well, I tell a lie." You're
• 30:04
  not going to look at them and say,
• 30:05
  "Well, you hellion."
• 30:08
  >> No. You know how you say that? You know
• 30:10
  that's not right, little Johnny.
• 30:13
  You see, you got to do it with
• 30:14
  discernment.
• 30:16
  It's what we're lacking this day and
• 30:17
  time. You said, "Preacher, what is
• 30:18
  discernment? the Holy Ghost of God
• 30:20
  speaking to your hearts what it is.
• 30:22
  Notice this. I see not only here the
• 30:25
  compassion that he shows in this
• 30:27
  discernment, but consider the caution
• 30:29
  that he shows in verse 23. What's those
• 30:32
  first two words of verse 23?
• 30:34
  And others. So there's a clear
• 30:36
  differentiation here. He's wanting to
• 30:39
  move on from this first thought to the
• 30:41
  next thought. And again, he's dealing
• 30:42
  with the witness evangelizing
• 30:46
  apostates. Listen to what he says. and
• 30:48
  others saved with fear, pulling them out
• 30:50
  of the fire, hating even the garment
• 30:52
  spotted by the flesh. So, so for showing
• 30:55
  compassion, this deals with the thought
• 30:56
  of expressing the mercy of God, having
• 30:59
  ex a message of grace exchanged with the
• 31:02
  and also mitigating some of the guilt
• 31:03
  that they have. And let me just say
• 31:05
  again on that point, there's some things
• 31:07
  that children when they realize that,
• 31:08
  you know, their lie is going to send
• 31:10
  them to hell, that guilt, that guilt's
• 31:11
  going to ride on them. Tender, how
• 31:14
  tender they are, that's going to hurt
• 31:15
  them. You have to show them the love of
• 31:18
  God. I feel like I can't emphasize that
• 31:20
  enough. Amen. You got to make sure
• 31:22
  you're doing this thing the right way.
• 31:24
  But I'll say this. He also gives us here
• 31:26
  in verse 23. And I I notice three points
• 31:28
  in this. You you see this caution that
• 31:30
  he gives and others save with fear. Now
• 31:32
  he's clearly given a differentiation
• 31:34
  here. And what is that? Well, number
• 31:36
  one, he relates a vision of fear in
• 31:38
  verse 23. And others save with fear. It
• 31:42
  does not mean that there are other
• 31:44
  people who are out of their fear and
• 31:46
  dread of, you know, somebody dying and
• 31:48
  going to hell that they're going to go
• 31:49
  and witness to them. That's not what
• 31:50
  this means. It means that others are
• 31:53
  employing.
• 31:55
  All right, notice that. And others save
• 31:58
  with fear. For some people, in order to
• 32:00
  see their need, they going to have to
• 32:02
  get scared.
• 32:05
  >> Now, I'll be honest with you. I' I've
• 32:07
  been in the belief a long time. I you
• 32:08
  know I I've I've struggled with that for
• 32:11
  many years because I thought to myself
• 32:13
  well you know in my case as a young boy
• 32:15
  I you know that even years after I got
• 32:18
  saved I struggled my salvation because
• 32:19
  of fear. I I I had a very sensitive fear
• 32:23
  in my life about hell. And I remember
• 32:25
  preachers preaching on that even after I
• 32:27
  got saved. It took me many years to get
• 32:29
  the truth settled in my heart that I was
• 32:30
  never going there. And I thought to
• 32:32
  myself, well people that just get saved
• 32:35
  because they want to get out of hell,
• 32:36
  that's just a fleshly thing. In in a
• 32:38
  sense it is. Okay. In a sense it is. If
• 32:41
  only reason you got saved is cuz you
• 32:42
  wanted to get out of hell free card.
• 32:44
  Amen. That's pretty shallow.
• 32:47
  Amen. But you know what the Bible says
• 32:50
  and others save with fear. You know what
• 32:53
  the Bible trumps man's ideas and
• 32:55
  opinions. You know that.
• 32:56
  >> And I'll admit to you tonight, the Bible
• 32:58
  literally says right there it is. Others
• 33:00
  save with fear. Some people for the
• 33:02
  drunk in the ditch, he's going to have
• 33:04
  to get scared out of his mind
• 33:06
  in order to be saved. There are some
• 33:09
  people that they're going to have to
• 33:10
  lose a loved one. They're going to have
• 33:11
  to have some near-death experience for
• 33:13
  God to get a hold of them. They're going
• 33:15
  to have God's going to have to do. You
• 33:17
  say, "Well, what's an example of that?"
• 33:19
  Well, let me just give you an example.
• 33:20
  All right. When Zakius got saved, you
• 33:22
  know what the Bible said? Jesus come by
• 33:24
  and he was up there in that tree. You
• 33:25
  remember what he said? Zakius, come
• 33:27
  down. He was wanting to see Jesus. Amen.
• 33:29
  He said, "You come down. man, I'm going
• 33:31
  to your house today. Amen. You know the
• 33:32
  song. And so what did Zakius do? He
• 33:34
  climbed down the tree and went to went
• 33:37
  to his house and Jesus met him there and
• 33:38
  he got saved. Amen. And paid all that
• 33:40
  money back that he had stolen. God saved
• 33:42
  and salvation had come to his house.
• 33:44
  That's what Jesus said. But you know
• 33:47
  what? The Apostle Paul on the road to
• 33:48
  Damascus, you know what happened to him?
• 33:51
  He had a supernatural
• 33:54
  experience with God.
• 33:56
  >> God had to grab him by the neck.
• 33:59
  Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?
• 34:03
  It's hard for thee to kick against the
• 34:05
  pricks. Saul fell to the GROUND BEING
• 34:07
  BLIND. WHO ART THOU, LORD?
• 34:11
  SAID, I'm Jesus whom thou persecutest.
• 34:14
  Two very different situations. But you
• 34:16
  know what happened? Salvation came in
• 34:17
  both of them.
• 34:19
  >> Look what he says. And others save with
• 34:22
  fear. Saved with fear. Now, now here's
• 34:25
  this vision of fear. Some people's going
• 34:27
  to have to see something. And and so let
• 34:29
  me say this to you. All right? When we
• 34:31
  when we're dealing with somebody about
• 34:32
  salvation, nobody's salvation experience
• 34:34
  is the same. And so when you are
• 34:37
  witnessing to somebody, you ought to
• 34:39
  never use your experience as an example.
• 34:43
  You ought to go to the Bible and say,
• 34:45
  "This is what salvation is. For
• 34:47
  whosoever shall call upon the name of
• 34:48
  the Lord shall be saved." All right?
• 34:51
  What has got them to that point? You
• 34:52
  can't change that. If they've had some
• 34:55
  near-death experience, if you're sitting
• 34:56
  on the side of the road with somebody
• 34:58
  was in a car accident and they've had a
• 34:59
  near-death experience and you're
• 35:01
  witnessing to them and you tell them
• 35:03
  that verse and they're ready to get
• 35:04
  saved, praise the Lord for it. But you
• 35:06
  don't need to go through your testimony
• 35:08
  >> in order to lead them to the Lord. You
• 35:10
  need to go to this Bible.
• 35:12
  >> Amen.
• 35:13
  And so he says there needs to be a
• 35:16
  vision of fear and some saved with fear.
• 35:18
  Salvation is wrought out of a fear of
• 35:21
  their heart.
• 35:24
  Notice this. Not only a vision of fear,
• 35:26
  but there needs to be a uh they are
• 35:29
  vigilantly free. Now, I use that for a
• 35:31
  sake of literation. Look what he says.
• 35:33
  Verse 23. And others saved with fear.
• 35:35
  Notice that pulling them out of the
• 35:37
  fire. That word that word pulling there
• 35:39
  has the same ideas of of the word
• 35:42
  rapture. It's that that Greek word uh
• 35:45
  harp harpun punzo. I can't remember
• 35:48
  exactly how it's said, but it has to do
• 35:49
  with that that shooting. It's a
• 35:51
  retrieving. A harpoon, you know, it's
• 35:53
  something that's shot with a rope on it
• 35:54
  and then you can pull it back to
• 35:56
  yourself. The rapture when we're taken
• 35:58
  out, we're literally catched away. The
• 35:59
  Bible says, and this verse, pulling them
• 36:02
  out of the fire, it has the same idea.
• 36:04
  We're reaching out. We are harpooning
• 36:06
  them and pulling them back. You know,
• 36:09
  tell some people you have to win that
• 36:11
  way.
• 36:13
  Some people are so steeped in their sin,
• 36:15
  you have to literally take the gospel
• 36:16
  and just stab them through the heart.
• 36:19
  You say, "Preacher, you can't do that."
• 36:21
  No, I can't. But I've watched the Holy
• 36:23
  Spirit do it.
• 36:24
  >> You preach a message to people and they
• 36:26
  fall in a million pieces and they come
• 36:28
  running to the altar. I've seen it time
• 36:29
  and time again. They come running. Why?
• 36:32
  Because they're so deep in sin. It takes
• 36:35
  something. The the magnitude of the sin
• 36:37
  they're in, hear what I'm fixing to say.
• 36:39
  The magnitude of the sin that they are
• 36:41
  in is so large that the salvation that
• 36:44
  is offered to them has to be just as
• 36:46
  large to get their attention.
• 36:49
  You think about that for a minute. You
• 36:51
  understand what I'm saying? They have to
• 36:54
  be vigilantly. I'm talking about
• 36:56
  vehematly vigilantly. There has to be a
• 36:59
  strong reaching forth. And others say
• 37:02
  with fear pulling them out of the fire.
• 37:04
  That fire represents sudden destruction.
• 37:07
  If it were not for the reaching forth of
• 37:09
  the gospel, God reaching his hand into
• 37:11
  their life and through fear in their
• 37:13
  life getting a hold of them, they would
• 37:16
  be destroyed. You've seen it. I've seen
• 37:18
  it. People that are at the end of their
• 37:20
  life on death, death's bed because of
• 37:23
  their sin, what do they do? THEY CRY OUT
• 37:26
  TO JESUS BECAUSE HE'S REACHING OUT HIS
• 37:28
  HAND. THEY'VE GOT NOTHING ELSE TO LOOK
• 37:30
  TO. THEY'VE GOT NOTHING ELSE TO CLING
• 37:32
  TO. AND SO JESUS REACHES DOWN HIS HAND.
• 37:35
  AND IN DESPERATION, THEY CRY OUT TO GOD,
• 37:37
  "LORD, SAVE ME."
• 37:42
  >> Because they in a place where the fire's
• 37:44
  going to take them.
• 37:47
  Notice this. Not only the vision of fear
• 37:49
  and that they need to be freed, but I'll
• 37:51
  say this. He tells us that it's
• 37:52
  dangerous to witness to these type. Look
• 37:54
  what he says. And others save with fear
• 37:57
  pulling them out of the fire. Look what
• 37:58
  that last phrase says. Hating even the
• 38:01
  garment spotted by the flesh. That that
• 38:04
  image has the idea of leprosy.
• 38:07
  That leper, he would wear those garments
• 38:08
  and and you know those garments would be
• 38:10
  tainted. They would be to throw away.
• 38:13
  He said, "You know, we're not even not
• 38:14
  even hating the disease. We're hating
• 38:16
  the the garment that's stained by the
• 38:18
  disease." He says, "When you witness to
• 38:20
  these people," he said, "you've got to
• 38:21
  give them the gospel and nothing else."
• 38:24
  I'll tell you this, there's been some
• 38:27
  people in my life, and I know that
• 38:28
  probably didn't make sense to you right
• 38:29
  off the bat, but there's been some
• 38:30
  people in my life God told me, I felt
• 38:32
  like he led me through the Holy Spirit
• 38:34
  to go and give them the gospel. But you
• 38:36
  know what? I felt like he impressed upon
• 38:38
  my heart, you don't strike up a
• 38:39
  conversation with them.
• 38:42
  You can't be friends with that person.
• 38:44
  You can't love on that person because
• 38:46
  they're going to pull you into their
• 38:47
  mess.
• 38:48
  >> Look what he says. Hating even the
• 38:50
  garment spotted by the flesh. That
• 38:53
  garment is not the one that's lost. That
• 38:56
  garment is the one who is saved trying
• 38:58
  to win the one that's lost.
• 39:00
  You ever seen it? Mom comes walking
• 39:02
  through the house with them muddy
• 39:03
  clothes and what's she doing?
• 39:06
  There's some people you got to handle
• 39:08
  with care.
• 39:10
  Notice it again. Hating even the garment
• 39:12
  that is spotted by the flesh. You say,
• 39:14
  "What is that?" Well, that's that means
• 39:16
  we got to stay vexed by the flesh.
• 39:19
  Stay vexed. Your flesh is defiled. And
• 39:22
  you know what'll happen to you if you
• 39:23
  try to witness to them. And and then out
• 39:25
  of that, you know what? God get the
• 39:27
  devil get a hold of you.
• 39:30
  You say, "Preacher, there ain't no way
• 39:31
  that could happen." I'm telling you,
• 39:33
  friend, he's he's he's subtle.
• 39:36
  He walketh about as a roaring lion,
• 39:38
  seeking whom he may devour.
• 39:40
  >> Let me say this tonight. You say,
• 39:41
  "Preacher, I'm not at all interested in
• 39:42
  this." You probably number one either
• 39:44
  need to get saved or you need to get
• 39:45
  right with God.
• 39:48
  >> This right here is what our life is,
• 39:50
  church.
• 39:51
  >> Witnessing to other people. And if you
• 39:53
  are not careful, good Christian people
• 39:55
  get pulled into it all the time. If you
• 39:57
  witness to somebody and that dirtiness
• 39:59
  of their life gets on you, man, I'm
• 40:01
  telling you, there's things that can
• 40:02
  happen.
• 40:06
  We need to stay vexed by the flesh,
• 40:07
  hating even the garment spotted by the
• 40:11
  flesh. We got to stay clean. I'll tell
• 40:13
  you this. Uh be careful about those
• 40:15
  family members that you have when they
• 40:17
  want to drink and party and live it up.
• 40:18
  You say, "Preacher, well, I'm going to
• 40:19
  go witness to them." Well, let me just
• 40:22
  say this. It's a whole lot easier for
• 40:23
  them to drag you down than it is for you
• 40:25
  to pull them up. Right?
• 40:28
  >> Your flesh will overtake you a whole lot
• 40:30
  more likely than the spirit will
• 40:32
  overtake them in the midst of that
• 40:34
  drinking mess. You're not going to be
• 40:36
  able to witness to somebody who's who's
• 40:38
  who's sousted,
• 40:40
  completely gone. They're not in their
• 40:43
  right mind anyway. There's a reason why
• 40:44
  they call that stuff spirits.
• 40:46
  They can't receive the truth because
• 40:48
  they don't have no employment of the
• 40:49
  mind to receive it with.
• 40:52
  that man, that demoniac there in g in
• 40:54
  the gatherines, Bible says that they
• 40:56
  found him and he was naked. He was
• 40:58
  running about through the tombs cutting
• 41:00
  themselves and after Jesus dealt with
• 41:02
  him, what happened? He was clothed in
• 41:03
  his right mind. But you know what it
• 41:05
  took? It took Jesus getting a hold of
• 41:07
  him.
• 41:08
  >> Nobody else could help him. You remember
• 41:10
  that? The Bible says no man could bind
• 41:11
  him. No, not with chains. You know, the
• 41:13
  only way you'll deal with a man like
• 41:14
  that is if God first breaks him.
• 41:18
  >> That's exactly right. The only way that
• 41:20
  you'll win somebody who has an addiction
• 41:22
  that overtakes them, God's going to have
• 41:24
  to break them first,
• 41:26
  >> and then
• 41:29
  then and only then will they be able to
• 41:31
  receive the truth. Notice this, and I'm
• 41:33
  done tonight. There's the devotion to
• 41:35
  the Savior. There is the discernment of
• 41:37
  souls.
• 41:38
  And notice how it continues here. And
• 41:40
  and I said I said all that to say this.
• 41:42
  He's telling us how to evangelize amidst
• 41:45
  apostasy. And I want to remind you
• 41:46
  soulwinning it is the most important
• 41:49
  thing that the church does apart from
• 41:51
  praying and worshiping God. We want to
• 41:52
  glorify God number one but we want to
• 41:54
  win souls number two. That's our
• 41:56
  calling. That's what we're supposed to
• 41:58
  do. Visitation ought not to be the most
• 42:01
  poorly attended thing of the church.
• 42:08
  >> It ought not be the thing that everybody
• 42:09
  gets out on because they think, "Well, I
• 42:12
  just don't I don't I don't I just don't
• 42:13
  know about that. I'm not that kind of
• 42:14
  person, preacher.
• 42:17
  Let me ask you this. You better be
• 42:18
  thankful the person that won you to the
• 42:19
  Lord wasn't that kind of person.
• 42:24
  >> Notice verse 24. I'll say more about it
• 42:26
  in a minute. Now unto him that is able
• 42:28
  to keep you from falling and to present
• 42:29
  you faultless before the presence of his
• 42:31
  glory with exceeding joy. To the only
• 42:33
  wise God our savior be glory and
• 42:35
  majesty, dominion and power both now and
• 42:37
  forever. Now he gives us this admonition
• 42:40
  here, this divine sanctification. What
• 42:42
  is that? Well, he says, "Now unto him
• 42:43
  that is able to keep you from falling."
• 42:45
  Amidst this age of apostasy, it would be
• 42:48
  easier for any of us to stumble than
• 42:50
  it's ever been.
• 42:53
  Any of us, you, me, any of us. Right
• 42:57
  now, in this moment is the most
• 42:58
  dangerous time that you could live as a
• 43:00
  Christian.
• 43:01
  >> The last days, perilous time shall come.
• 43:05
  It's only gotten worse, and it's only
• 43:07
  going to get worse until he comes back.
• 43:08
  Evil men and seducers, what does the
• 43:10
  Bible say? shall wax worse and worse,
• 43:12
  deceiving and being deceived.
• 43:16
  For every truth, there's 10 lies. For
• 43:19
  every truth, there's a hundred lies. For
• 43:21
  every true man of God, there's 10 that
• 43:23
  ain't preaching the word.
• 43:26
  I'm telling you, it's a dangerous time.
• 43:28
  But Jude says this. Now, to him that's
• 43:30
  able to keep you from falling.
• 43:33
  You see, God is able to preserve you in
• 43:36
  the present.
• 43:38
  right now in this time he is able to
• 43:40
  preserve you. But you know what that
• 43:41
  takes? You say, "Preacher, do you feel
• 43:43
  like you need preservation?" I know I
• 43:45
  need it because you know what? If I
• 43:47
  wasn't care if it wasn't careful, I
• 43:48
  could fall into some doctrine.
• 43:52
  >> Turn this church inside out and upside
• 43:54
  down.
• 43:56
  >> Devil like nothing more than that.
• 43:58
  >> The devil would love for me to become a
• 44:00
  Calvinist and tell you you can't know
• 44:01
  that you're saved. And I and you know
• 44:03
  you e you were either saved when you
• 44:04
  were born or or you ain't going to ever
• 44:06
  get saved. He would love for me to
• 44:07
  become that way. He would love for me to
• 44:10
  roll over and get on my back and quit.
• 44:12
  He would love Amen. If all of you just
• 44:14
  quit believing and quit trusting the
• 44:16
  Lord and quit being faithful to church,
• 44:17
  he would love that.
• 44:18
  >> Amen.
• 44:20
  >> But let me remind you, it's going to
• 44:22
  take God to preserve you from the
• 44:25
  attacks of the enemy. He is able to keep
• 44:27
  you from falling. He is able to preserve
• 44:29
  you. But I'll say this, he's not only
• 44:31
  able to preserve you in the present, but
• 44:34
  I'll say this. He's also able to present
• 44:36
  you perfect in the future. Look what he
• 44:39
  says. Notice the verse. He's able to
• 44:42
  keep you from falling and to present you
• 44:44
  faultless. Faultless before the presence
• 44:48
  of his glory with exceeding joy. Now,
• 44:49
  this is what I love about this. You say,
• 44:51
  "Preacher, well, I'm never going to be
• 44:52
  faultless." Well, there ain't never been
• 44:53
  a one that is. But you know what? The
• 44:56
  reason we can be righteous and we can be
• 44:58
  blameless before God is because Jesus
• 45:01
  placed his righteousness on us. Right?
• 45:04
  >> Because of that, he can present us pure
• 45:07
  and blameless before the Lord. Paul
• 45:11
  said, he said, "I've fought a good
• 45:12
  fight. I've kept the faith. I've
• 45:14
  finished my course. Henceforth laid up
• 45:15
  for me, a clown of crown of
• 45:16
  righteousness, which the Lord shall give
• 45:18
  me at that day, not to me only, but all
• 45:20
  to them to them also that love his
• 45:22
  appearing." The truth is, you know, Paul
• 45:25
  said at one place, Philippians said, "I
• 45:26
  count not myself to apprehend it." He
• 45:28
  said, "But this one thing I do. I'm
• 45:30
  pressing forward the mark for the prize
• 45:31
  of the high calling of God in Christ
• 45:33
  Jesus. He said, "I'm reaching forward to
• 45:34
  those things which are before and
• 45:36
  leaving behind, forgetting those things
• 45:37
  which are behind." He's pressing toward
• 45:39
  that mark. And you know what? One day in
• 45:40
  his life, he said, "I've finished."
• 45:43
  You know what? I didn't think it was
• 45:44
  possible that I could finish, but you
• 45:45
  know what? If I stay in the will of God
• 45:47
  and stay with the word of God and let
• 45:48
  the witness of God, the Holy Spirit
• 45:50
  guide my life, you know what he's
• 45:51
  telling me? I can finish.
• 45:53
  >> You don't have to finish disqualified.
• 45:57
  You can finish perfected. He is able to
• 46:00
  present you faultless before the
• 46:02
  presence of his glory with exceeding
• 46:04
  joy. So much in these verses. To the
• 46:07
  only wise God, our savior be glory and
• 46:10
  majesty, dominion and power both now and
• 46:13
  forever.
• 46:15
  The only way that we'll make it in there
• 46:16
  is if his sanctification takes us there.
• 46:19
  Let me say this to you tonight. The
• 46:22
  drive the drive of this message has been
• 46:23
  this subject of discernment and souls. I
• 46:26
  dealt with a message this morning
• 46:28
  concerning the souls of men.
• 46:31
  And the truth is tonight, the soul is
• 46:34
  the most valuable thing that is.
• 46:36
  >> My soul, your soul, it's the most
• 46:38
  valuable thing that there is.
• 46:41
  Let me say this to you. There's plenty
• 46:43
  out there that have not been reached
• 46:46
  with the gospel.
• 46:48
  And this is what I'm afraid of. You say,
• 46:49
  "Preacher, well, I want to reach them. I
• 46:52
  want to reach them."
• 46:54
  This is what I'm afraid of. People are
• 46:55
  not prepared to reach them.
• 46:58
  You say, "What do you mean I'm not
• 46:59
  prepared to reach them?" Well, you're
• 47:01
  not faithful in your Bible.
• 47:04
  You're not faithful to your prayer
• 47:05
  closet. I'll tell you this. I'd hate to
• 47:07
  try to be leading somebody out of hell
• 47:09
  and hadn't prayed in a week.
• 47:13
  Hadn't read my Bible in three days.
• 47:17
  You say, "What does it require?"
• 47:18
  requires faithfulness.
• 47:23
  There's going to be souls that come in
• 47:24
  this week. I ain't ain't a doubt in my
• 47:26
  mind. I feel like the Holy Ghost been
• 47:27
  impressing me about this since we since
• 47:30
  we started talking about this meeting.
• 47:31
  There going to be people here this week
• 47:32
  that's lost. And the thing is, I don't
• 47:36
  know. I mean, there's some of you I
• 47:37
  don't think I could trust you to lead
• 47:39
  them to the Lord.
• 47:42
  You say, "Preacher, how dare you say
• 47:44
  that?" I'm just trying to be real with
• 47:45
  you. You don't live it.
• 47:48
  It doesn't mean anything to you. Why do
• 47:51
  you expect to be able to lead somebody
• 47:53
  to God if if your Christian life doesn't
• 47:56
  even mean anything to you?
• 47:58
  >> This thing's more than a game.
• 48:01
  >> It's more than Sunday and Wednesday
• 48:03
  night and revival meeting. It's more
• 48:05
  than that.
• 48:06
  >> You're going to have to have some
• 48:08
  discernment. You know where that comes
• 48:09
  from? It comes from time in this book
• 48:11
  and time on your knees.
• 48:14
  And we need it.
• 48:16
  And the thing is, I believe we're not
• 48:18
  having missionaries and preachers called
• 48:20
  is because men are not listening.
• 48:23
  They're not taking seriously the call of
• 48:25
  God on their life because they're not
• 48:26
  even opening the Bible enough to hear
• 48:28
  it.
• 48:30
  I'll tell you this, the call of God
• 48:31
  started working in my life in my
• 48:33
  personal private study time. When I felt
• 48:36
  God calling me to preach, it wasn't
• 48:37
  because I heard some sermon somewhere.
• 48:39
  It's because there was a burning in my
• 48:40
  heart from that book right there that I
• 48:42
  was reading in my own time. You got to
• 48:44
  tell somebody about what that says. And
• 48:47
  it's more than just soul winning and
• 48:48
  just witnessing. There was a fire shut
• 48:50
  up in my bones and I just couldn't let
• 48:52
  it go. But you know what? They come a
• 48:54
  day when that preacher preached a
• 48:56
  message and God said, "Son, it's time."
• 48:57
  You know what I did? I didn't hesitate.
• 49:00
  I've heard people say this. Well, you
• 49:02
  know, you ought to wait a little while
• 49:04
  and think about that. I tell you what, I
• 49:06
  was just as sure as anything I ever
• 49:07
  done. That's what he want me to do. Why
• 49:11
  don't you take it seriously?
• 49:13
  I can't understand a person that would
• 49:16
  spend their life saying that they're
• 49:17
  called of God, never do anything with
• 49:19
  it.
• 49:21
  >> Saying that you're saved, never telling
• 49:22
  anybody else how to be saved.
• 49:26
  It's serious.
• 49:31
  Let me ask you tonight, what's your
• 49:33
  decision? Because the truth is we're
• 49:35
  living in apostasy. We would all agree
• 49:38
  with that. But the command is still the
• 49:40
  same. What Jesus say? Go ye, teach all
• 49:44
  nations, baptizing them in the name of
• 49:46
  the Father and the Son and of the Holy
• 49:48
  Ghost, teaching them to observe all
• 49:50
  things whatsoever I've commanded you.
• 49:53
  You know what that requires?
• 49:55
  Discernment.
• 49:57
  You going to have to know some things.
• 49:59
  Don't wait on me to teach you
• 50:01
  everything. Don't wait on these
• 50:03
  gray-haired saints of God here to teach
• 50:04
  you how to seow win.
• 50:07
  I know it's quiet,
• 50:11
  but when we going to take it seriously,
• 50:14
  every head bowed and every eye closed
• 50:15
  tonight.
• 50:22
  I told you this
• 50:26
  when I first came to the church, and
• 50:28
  I've been telling you this since I came,
• 50:30
  that we're going to take this thing
• 50:32
  higher.
• 50:34
  We're going to draw near to God.
• 50:36
  You know what that's going to require?
• 50:38
  That's going to require things to get
• 50:39
  holier.
• 50:42
  It's going to require people to be more
• 50:43
  right with God than they've ever been.
• 50:45
  It's going to require you to embrace the
• 50:47
  burden maybe you've never embraced
• 50:49
  before.
• 50:50
  You say, "Preacher, I want to win
• 50:52
  souls." But you say that, but you're not
• 50:54
  faithful.
• 50:58
  This altar's open.
• 51:06
  Say, "Preacher,
• 51:09
  if I come up there, I'm going to admit
• 51:10
  you need what I'm saying."
• 51:17
  Let me tell you this. Every one of us
• 51:18
  need to step it up,
• 51:21
  include myself. There's souls that's
• 51:24
  lost and dying all around us every day.
• 51:27
  And if we don't reach them, who's going
• 51:29
  to? Let me ask you, who's going to get a
• 51:31
  burden?
• 51:33
  Who's going to shed tears on an altar?
• 51:35
  Who's going to decide that they're going
• 51:36
  to lose some sleep?
• 51:40
  Say, "Preacher, well, God's not put it
• 51:42
  on me." It's because you can't take it.
• 51:46
  Get in your prayer closet AND GET BEFORE
• 51:48
  GOD AND SAY, "GOD, MAKE ME WHO YOU WANT
• 51:51
  ME TO BE."
• 51:58
  I'm talking about real Christian life,
• 52:00
  real discernment, real devotion to God.
• 52:03
  The reason why you can't shout that
• 52:05
  Jesus is coming back is because you
• 52:07
  don't ever talk to him.
• 52:10
  Man, I'm telling you, I'm thankful that
• 52:12
  when I step foot over there, I'm not not
• 52:14
  concerned ABOUT WONDERING WHAT HIS voice
• 52:16
  is going to sound like. I know what his
• 52:18
  voice sounds like. He greets me in the
• 52:20
  morning and goes with me through the day
• 52:23
  and goes to bed with me at night. I KNOW
• 52:25
  HIS VOICE AND I BLESS HIS NAME. THAT HE
• 52:27
  WALKS WITH ME AND TALKS WITH ME AND
• 52:30
  TELLS ME THAT I'M HIS OWN. AND MAN, I'M
• 52:32
  TELLING YOU, IT'S JOY LIVING FOR JESUS
• 52:35
  AND SERVING FOR JESUS. BUT WHY DON'T
• 52:37
  SOME OF YOU GET IN ON IT?
• 52:45
  You're going to have all week,
• 52:52
  but even then, I'm afraid some of you
• 52:54
  still won't.
• 52:57
  I'm being real candid tonight. But I got
• 52:59
  to tell you the truth.
• 53:08
  Some have come to pray. You need to come
• 53:10
  tonight.
• 53:14
  You may be here tonight and you're not
• 53:16
  saved.
• 53:17
  Say, "Preacher, I don't know Jesus.
• 53:21
  Would you pray for me?
• 53:23
  Preacher, I'm not saved. Nobody looking
• 53:25
  around but me. Holy Ghost deal with your
• 53:27
  heart.
• 53:29
  Hey, Jesus loves you.
• 53:31
  Wherever you're at, Jesus loves you.
• 53:35
  He died to save you." Let me say this.
• 53:37
  There's no pit too deep. There's no
• 53:39
  place too dark that his mercy can't
• 53:41
  reach through and have a you can have a
• 53:43
  breakthrough tonight and know him and be
• 53:46
  close to him and have what YOU'VE NEVER
• 53:48
  HAD BEFORE IN YOUR LIFE. You can lay
• 53:50
  your head on your pillar TONIGHT WITH
• 53:51
  PEACE. LET ME SAY THIS TO YOU, CHILD OF
• 53:53
  GOD. YOU CAN LAY YOUR head on your
• 53:55
  pillow tonight WITH PEACE IF YOU ONLY DO
• 53:58
  WHAT GOD IS TELLING YOU TO. You say,
• 54:00
  "Preacher, but it hurts. IT'S GOING TO
• 54:02
  COST ME." WELL, LET ME SAY THIS. THE
• 54:03
  CHRISTIAN LIFE WILL COST YOU EVERYTHING.
• 54:08
  But unless you're willing to surrender,
• 54:10
  you'll never know that true peace,
• 54:13
  that peace of God that passeth all
• 54:15
  understanding.
• 54:17
  Father, I pray in Jesus name tonight.
• 54:23
  Thank you for joining our service today.
• 54:25
  We'd love it if you'd join us in person
• 54:27
  the next time you are able at Meadows
• 54:29
  Baptist Church. Our physical address is
• 54:32
  2988
• 54:34
  Stewart Road in Walnut Cove, North
• 54:36
  Carolina. Our service times are Sunday
• 54:39
  school at 10:00 a.m., Sunday morning
• 54:41
  worship at 11:00 a.m., Sunday evening
• 54:44
  worship at 6:00 p.m., and Wednesday
• 54:46
  evening Bible study at 7:00 p.m. For
• 54:49
  more information, visit us at
• 54:51
  meadowsbaptisturch.com.
• 54:54
  Thanks again for tuning in.