My message this morning is a
New Year's commandment. A New Year's commandment. Lots of folks want to get us
to live by the commandments. Well, I've got a commandment
for you. A New Year's commandment. Jude verse 21. What a blessed
commandment this is. Keep yourselves in the love of
God. Keep yourselves in the love of
God. Jude concludes his very short
but instructive epistle with this commandment, but it's surrounded
with several exhortations. Let's look at it in its context,
verses 20 and 21 together. But ye, beloved, building up
yourselves on your most holy faith, Praying in the Holy Ghost,
keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of
our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Now, you'll notice the
other three things are given as gracious, wise, divinely inspired
exhortations. That doesn't make them less meaningful
or less significant or less important. But each of the other three things
in these verses are present participles, building yourselves up in your
most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, looking for the mercy
of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And then right
in the middle of these exhortations, God the Holy Spirit inspired
Jude to give us this great, urgent, imperative commandment. And the
language is to be read just that way. It is an imperative commandment. Keep yourselves in the love of
God. If I have read the text correctly,
and I'm sure I have, these other things in these two verses are
given by the Spirit of God to teach us how we are to keep ourselves
in the love of God. Do you wonder how can I keep
myself in the love of God? This is how you do it. Building
up yourselves up in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy
Ghost, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto
eternal life. By these things, we are to keep
ourselves in the love of God. As we anticipate the dawning
of the new year, This season of the year, I always try to
find something by which to appropriately wrap up our thoughts concerning
the past and to anticipate that which may lie before us if God
gives us any days in the coming year. I can think of no better
way to prepare our hearts for this that is yet before us than
here with Jude's word, God's word to you. Keep yourselves
in the love of God. Keep yourselves in the love of
God. Now, throughout this epistle,
Jude warns us against false religion. Let's begin by looking at some
of his warnings. He warns us against false religion,
false prophets, and apostasy, departing from the faith. Warns
us of the danger of being turned away from the simplicity that's
in Christ Jesus the danger of substituting religion for Christ
the danger of substituting religious activity for faith in Christ
the danger of substituting Religious knowledge for the gospel of Christ. There's a terrible terrible terrible
danger in the church The greatest danger you face
is not in the bar, it's in the church. The greatest danger you
face is not on the television, it's in the pulpit. And Jude
warns us repeatedly. He warns us repeatedly, as we
are warned repeatedly through the Scriptures, that we be not
turned away from the simplicity of Jesus Christ. Now, Jude takes
up the bulk of his epistle with these warnings. Verses 4 through
19 are all about these warnings against false religion, false
prophets, and apostasy, departing from the faith. Jude said, I
took up my pen to write to you about the common salvation, but
it was needful for me to urge you to earnestly contend for
the faith that was once delivered to the saints. Jude says more
about false prophets, describes them in greater detail than any
other single writer in the New Testament. You read these 24
verses and Jude spends more time in these 24 verses describing
false prophets than the Apostle Paul does in all his epistles. He spends more effort describing
false prophets than any others and yet Unlike the others, Jude
doesn't name a single one. He doesn't name anyone currently
living and identify them and say, this man's a false prophet.
Paul did, but not Jude. Our Lord did, but not Jude. Why? Was it that Jude somehow had
the idea that was unchristian, uncharitable, unloving to identify
false prophets? Well, of course not. Of course
not. But the charitable thing to do
is to identify them. But Jude would have us, and the
Spirit of God would have us, as he writes these words by Jude,
to beware of the fact that our warfare in the cause of Christ
is not a conflict of personalities. It is not a conflict of personalities. I'm just about sick to hear of
hearing people excuse various heresies. Well, so it's just
a matter of personality or semantics. We're saying the same thing,
just using different words. We'll say it the right way then.
No, it's not just personality. It's not just semantics. The
issues at stake are immense. The issues at stake are the glory
of God and the souls of men, heaven and hell, eternity. Those
are the issues at stake. So it's needful that heresy be
identified. Be identified and denounced with
clarity so that there's no mistaking our words or your understanding
of our words. Jude writes as he does because
we must each examine ourselves. Who in this room knows somebody
who hasn't at some time or another made a profession of faith? I don't know many. Do you? Everybody in Danville, Kentucky
has been saved three or four times. Everybody you know has
been to church, made a profession of faith of some kind or another.
Everybody's got some kind of religious notions, and yet they
don't know God from a billy goat. What they call God is nothing
like God. What they call Jesus is nothing like the Christ in
the Bible. What they speak of in the Spirit of God, nothing
like the Spirit of God. So examine yourself Make certain
in this apostate age that you are in the faith and not in some
way of darkness and delusion of will-worship workmonger religion. And Jude writes to us as he does,
because if we love the truth, if we love Christ and the gospel
of the grace of God in Christ, we are to hate every false way. It's what David spoke of in Psalms.
I hate every false way Every false way that which is opposed
to God. I'm opposed to that which is
opposed to free grace I'm opposed to those who denounce the truth
of God and promote the heresy of free will works religion I'm
opposed to David said I hate every do not I hate them that
hate the old God that is I'm opposed to them outright Confronting
them all the time That which is opposed to the gospel of God's
grace and the glory of God ought to set us on edge and cause us,
inspire us, motivate us to earnestly contend for the faith. Now let's
look at a few of Jews warnings here. First in verse four, he
warns us of legalist. Legalist by legalist. I mean
those who teach that we are to live by the rule of the law that
the obedience to the law Gives us life before God or righteousness
before God of any kind righteousness in justification or righteousness
in sanctification That obedience to law or obedience to laws that
men make up make men holy and sanctify them That's legalism. That's legalism Look at verse
4. For there are certain men crept
in unawares. They slither under the door like
a snake. They've crept in unawares. They
didn't come in showing their true colors, who were before
of old ordained to this condemnation. That is, they didn't take God
by surprise. God says plainly, heresies also must come so that
they which are approved may be made manifest. They were ordained
to this condemnation from eternity. Ungodly men. Ungodly men. Religious, but ungodly. They
don't drink, cuss, or smoke, but they're ungodly. Ungodly
men. How is that? They turned the
grace of our God into lasciviousness. They turn the grace of our God
into lasciviousness. What? What? We preach free grace. God's servants all preach free
grace. God's servants all declare that
believers have acceptance with God only by the blood and righteousness
of Jesus Christ. Sinners are saved by free grace
alone. Your works don't have a frazzling
thing to do with your acceptance with God. Oh, you can't say that. Well, let's try it again. Your
works have nothing to do with your acceptance with God. Nothing. Nothing. Well, you can't preach
that. That'll cause men to live in
licentiousness. That'll open the floodgates to
hell. That'll cause men to go out and
live ungodly lives. That's exactly what Jude said
you'd say. You turn the grace of our God
into lasciviousness. I can't tell you how many times
I have this and I look here at Jude 4. That's exactly what it
said. We preach free grace, folks, so that'll lead to licentiousness.
That's exactly what you said. They are opposed to all truth. These who are work mongers who
would teach you to look to yourself in some way at some point at
some time for acceptance with God, transferring the grace of
God into lasciviousness. And so they oppose these things
and deny the only Lord God, even our Lord Jesus Christ. Now, there
are other ways in which men turn the grace of God in lasciviousness.
Some scoff at it, balk at it, laugh at it, make it a thing
to be despised and laughed at. Others declare that the grace
of God's a common thing. Trampling underfoot the blood
of the Lord Jesus Christ and his work at Calvary, that's a
common thing. Grace is for everybody. God wants
to save everybody. God loves everybody. God's tried
to save everybody. Christ died for everybody. Turns
the grace of God into lasciviousness. and denies the only Lord God,
our Lord Jesus Christ. Free will works religion is an
utter denial of the grace of God, an utter denial of the work
of our Redeemer. To say that Christ died for everybody
and some folks go to hell anyway is to say that Christ didn't
do anything to account for it. To say that God's grace is offered
to everybody but some folks take it and some don't is to say God's
not gracious to anybody. It is an utter denial of the
gospel. Others will turn to grace of
God and lasciviousness, telling us that God's mercy, love, and
grace is universal, embracing all being everywhere. And therefore,
we must embrace all. That's exactly what we see in
the religious world around us. When we are told that it's evil
to condemn any evil practice, as evil. It's, oh, you can't,
you can't call sodomy and fornication and adultery ungodly. Why, that's, that's, who are
you to set in judgment over me? Oh, how, how utterly insane the
world is in its thinking. All men by nature turn the grace
of God into lasciviousness and deny the need for Christ, let
alone his accomplishments. To suggest, as many do, that
the grace of God makes it all right to do evil. And sadly,
I've seen that as well. Turn the grace of God into lasciviousness. I've heard men say that character
and conduct don't matter. As long as you believe in Jesus,
everything's all right. That's totally contrary to everything
revealed in the book of God. And then Jude continues his warnings
with regard to this thing of false religion and false prophets
and apostasy by giving us three glaring examples that are just
almost unforgettable. In verse 11, he says, woe unto
them, these false prophets, woe unto them, for they have gone
in the way of Cain and ran greedily after the era of Balaam for reward
and perished in the gainsaying of Korah. You're familiar with
all three. Cain was Abel's brother. The
way of Cain represents all who follow the path of freewill works
religion. That's the way of Cain. The way
of Cain says, I know salvation by grace, but, but God looks
at what I had to offer him. The way of Cain says, I know
that righteousness is only by Christ Jesus, but we've got to
do our part. The way of Cain says, I know
we're saved by the blood of Christ, but God expects us to do something.
So let me bring him what I produced and God will never receive it.
God will never receive it. The way of Cain represents all
who follow the path of freewill works religion, all who attempt
to find acceptance with God by something they do. The era of
Balaam. You remember Balaam. Balaam hired
Balaam to come and curse Israel. And Balaam, he said, I can only
say what God says. I can't change what God has declared.
But he still was a hireling. And Balaam's error represents
that damning error of covetousness that always leads to compromise,
compromise concerning that which is vital. Preachers, since the days of
Balaam and before, compromise truth for covetousness now there's not any other excuse
for it there's not any other word for it there's not any other
name for it a man who will not declare what he knows to be the
truth of God especially where it is despised only does so for
covetousness for personal gain no other reason either to enrich
himself or or to make himself more influential, or to give
himself a greater audience, or to keep from offending folks
and becoming the enemies of others. The only reason for compromise
is covetousness. Balaam never taught Israel to
abandon the worship of God. Balaam never taught Israel to
abandon the worship of Jehovah and go worship idols. Balaam
never taught the children of Israel anything immoral or ungodly
in that sense. What was Balaam's error? Balaam,
for covetousness, persuaded Israel to mix the worship of idols with
the worship of God and call it worship in Jehovah. That's what
Balaam did. And then there are others who
perish in the gainsaying of Korah. The gainsaying of Korah is the
strutting pride of ignorant men who love preeminence, crave ambition,
and love recognition. John deals with one of those
men, a fellow by the name of Diotrephes. Diotrephes, John
said, loveth to have the preeminence. And he turned men and women to
whom he preached away from God's servants himself. He persuaded many women to whom
he preached not to hear God's inspired Apostle John but rather
to hear him cause he he loved to stand up and be somebody and
be seen. Love for folks to look at him
and say, well, well, there's brother Diotrephes. Boy, look
at him. Listen to him. Nobody talks like
him. Look at verse nineteen. These
be they who separate themselves. Separate themselves from the
gospel. Separate themselves from the servants of God. Separate
themselves from faithful men. Sensual. They do so because of
their lust, having not the Spirit. But Jude's aim here is not merely
to denounce heresy. He wrote these things to comfort,
edify, strengthen, and fortify God's elect in the face of constant
error, in the face of constant false religion, in the face of
constant trial and temptation, particularly the onslaught of
heresy. I don't doubt that as Jude was
writing these 25 verses, he went through much the same thing I've
gone through preparing this message. He would pray. He prayed. I've been praying, God, how can
I, how can I best minister to your people this hour? How can I best serve your souls? How can I best speak to you to
bring you to God to walk with our Redeemer? I suspect you'd
prayed much like this. Blessed spirit of God. What's
the best thing I can say to these dear, tried, tested, harassed
saints in the face of such evil? What will best secure them? What
instruction can I give that will help them to avoid Satan's cunning
craftiness? And this is what God inspired
him to write. Keep yourselves in the love of
God. Keep yourselves in the love of
God. Keep yourselves in the love of
God. That which is our best preservative
from evil. That which is our best preservative
from evil is the love of God. And we are surest to keep ourselves
persevering in the faith as we keep ourselves in the love of
God. I'm sure that some will hear
this and immediately object saying we're kept by the power of God
through faith and the salvation. To exhort people to keep themselves
in the love of God is legalism. That's works. That's preaching
works. If we use text like this, we
have to guard them, have to be careful of people. We set them
in the right state so they'll offset them. People don't get
confused. I want you to observe that God
the Holy Spirit is the one whose words Jude gives us here. Keep yourselves in the love of
God. And they're unguarded. They're
unguarded. There it stands in the book of
God. And I have neither the right nor the desire to cut it out
of the book. Indeed, there are many exhortations
given in scripture without qualification. Many things we are commanded
to do without qualification, commanded to do knowing full
well we can't do them. Anyone with half an eye can see
that which is clearly taught in the Scriptures. Without Christ
we can do nothing. We cannot do anything without
the enabling of God the Holy Spirit. And yet this is what
the Scripture says. Now we know faith is the gift
of God. Still we're commanded to believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and Promised if we believe we'll have eternal life. Did
you hear me sinner? God Commands you to believe on
the Lord Jesus Christ and he gives this promise with the command
He that believeth on the Son of God hath everlasting life
Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. He says and thou shalt be saved
Take that to mean Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and thou
shalt be saved reckon. That's all right Oh, but you
got to you got to fellas. They can't if they can they can If you can you can if you can
believe on him you can Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ and
thou shalt be saved We're fully aware. I'm fully aware. We're
dead in trespasses and in sin You know that don't you? Dead
in trespasses and sins. Well, what can a dead man do?
Not much. He can rot until he's got nothing
else to rot away. He can stink until there's nothing
else left to stink. But that's about it. What can
a dead man do? Nothing. Nothing. But hear what
God says. Awake thou that sleepest, and
arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee life. That's
what God said. That's what God said. Talk to
that fella in the coffin. Awake! Arise! And Christ will give you life.
Well, if he could awake and arise, he wouldn't need somebody to
give him life. Or if he'll awake and arise,
someone has given him life. The scriptures give commands
that we are to give unguarded commands because this is your
responsibility. You who hear the word of God
are responsible to believe God. You who hear the gospel are responsible
to believe the gospel. You who hear the word are responsible
to obey the word. And we speak those things without
qualification, hedging nothing. You say, well, Brother Don, that'll
leave people confused. You were born confused. Believe God and the confusion
vanishes. You were born confused. Believe
God and the confusion vanishes. You see, gospel truth needs no
armor. Its naked beauty is its strength
and its protection. This is what God says. The prophet
that hath a dream, let him tell a dream. And he that hath my word, let
him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the wheat,
saith the Lord. Now, let's look at Jude's command
here in verse 21. Just as it stands, keep yourselves
in the love of God. These words might read this way.
Preserve yourselves by the love of God. When tempted of the devil,
when faced with trials and temptations, when wicked men would turn you
away from the simplicity that's in Christ Jesus, preserve yourselves
by the love of God. When perplexed and troubled and
tossed about by things you can't understand, you can't explain,
take refuge in the love of God. Where's a better refuge? Where's
greater comfort? Where do you find more strength?
Just fall back on the arms of infinite love, omnipotent love,
God's love for me. I cannot question, I cannot doubt
this He's done because of His love for me. Certainly all who
are born of God and taught of Him understand fully that God's
love for us doesn't depend on us. There's no danger of any
who are loved of God falling from His love. or losing it. God's love is everlasting. God's
love is immutable. God's love is in Christ. And
God cannot cease to love you who are in Christ until he ceases
to love Christ himself. He loves us in Christ. And as we are in Christ, living
by faith in Christ, preserve yourselves by the love of God. Without question, we are to keep
ourselves in love with our God and savior. Again, that love
of God, which has been given to us by his spirit, we know
can't be lost. And yet our love for God often
does grow cold and indifferent. Who needs me to comment on that? Who questions that? Who questions that? So we are
to zealously guard that love. We are to seek that this love
for God, our Savior, increase and be fervent, but to stir up
ourselves and one another to love God and do so continually. Meditate and talk often and much
to one another about the blessed things revealed in the gospel. I don't get to join you as often
as I would like, but I know many of you go out to dinner, go out
to lunch. Some of you go out this afternoon, you'll sit down
at the dinner table and instead of talking about people, Why
don't you talk about the Savior? Instead of talking about things,
why don't you talk about Him who loved you and gave Himself
for you? Speak often to one another of
the things of God. Speak often to one another of
the matchless revelation of the love of God in Christ Jesus.
And pray for yourself and one another in public as well as
in private that we may be taught of God to love Him. Teach me
to love you. I don't know how. Teach us to
love you as we ought and anxiously look for and anticipate the grace
and mercy of God and everlasting life in Christ Jesus. These things,
by the blessing of God's spirit, will help our hearts be stirred
in love for Christ, revive our our hearts love for him. We are to keep ourselves in brotherly
love as well, in sweet communion and fellowship, the love of God
with one another, walking in love. John tells us repeatedly
how we're to walk in love, have faith in Christ and love for
the brethren are synonymous things. They cannot exist separately.
Let us then preserve our love for God and keep ourselves in
love with God and do everything we can to promote the love of
God among our brethren. But Jude's words are keep yourselves
in the love of God. The Holy Spirit here commands
us to keep ourselves. To keep ourselves in the love
of God, we're kept by the grace of God, we're kept by faith.
Now, keep yourselves in the love of God. That presumes that you're
in the love of God. My dear friend, Brother Bob Pottser,
I don't presume anything. I've got a question to ask you.
Are you in the love of God? I ask each of you, are you in
the love of God? I mean by that, do you walk By
faith in Christ Jesus, having the love of God should have brought
in your heart by the Holy Ghost. Are you in the love of God? So,
well, brother, not everybody is in the love of God. Oh, no.
Oh, no, no, no, no, no. All God's elect are loved by
him with an everlasting love. The only way any sinner can know
the love of God is by faith in Christ. You have no assurance
in this book, not even a hint that God loves you unless you
believe on the Son of God. The love of God is shed abroad
in our hearts by the Holy Ghost as we believe on the Son of God. He who gives us faith gives us
the assurance of God's love. Brother Lindsay had us to read
together Hebrews chapter 11 verse 1. Faith is the substance of
things hoped for. The confidence of things hoped
for. The evidence of things not seen. I hope for eternal life. Do you? I hope for everlasting glory
with Christ. Do you? I hope for everlasting
righteousness in the eternal bliss in heaven. Do you? I'm
confident it's mine. I'm confident I shall walk with
God forever and God with me in glory. Faith is the confidence
of things hoped for. But what evidence do you have?
What evidence do you have? Evidence. The best evidence I
know that a man is a child of God. He comes to church on Sunday
morning and Sunday night midweek service. I said to Shelby yesterday,
it's astounding to me. This shocks me. And I hope I
hope preachers who do this will hear it. This shocks me. I've
known preachers all my life as a preacher who just berate folks
and rape them over the coals. And I mean, just whip them, just
whip them. If they don't come to church
three times a week, just I mean, just whip them, scold them. How
could you think about going to see Grandma on Sunday? How could
you think about going down there when we're meeting here on Tuesday
night or Wednesday night? And those same preachers will cancel
services so they can have vacation. I just I don't understand that. But the best evidence I know
man's child of God's church all the time. Best evidence I know
a person, a real believer is if they do this and do that,
if they have this or have that. I wonder when we will start looking
at the word of God. What evidence is there that I
have this hope of everlasting glory? Faith in Christ. I believe on the Son of God.
I trust Christ. But Brother Don, what about your
love? It ain't much. But what about your works? They're
worse. But what about your devotion?
It's insignificant. But what about your way of life?
It's horrible. But what about your steadfastness?
The righteous man falls seven times. That's what the book says,
isn't it? God doesn't teach us to look
to ourselves for hope. Look out of yourself to the Lord
Jesus Christ and thereby keep yourselves in the love of God. Keep yourselves in the love of
God. How, Pastor? Cherish every intimation and
revelation of it. Don't allow Satan to spoil you
of the rich knowledge of the love of God, its height and depth
and length and breadth, the love of God that passes knowledge.
Don't allow Satan to rob you of any of the blessedness of
it, but keep yourselves in the love of God, rejoicing in the
revelation of it by determinately shunning and avoiding everything
opposed to it. Love not the world. It's the love of the world that
chokes out the influence of the word. It chokes out this fervent
love for God. Avoid overindulgence in the things
of this world. I don't mean that we should live
ascetic lives and not do all the stuff religious folks make
taboos. I was talking to Brother Matt
Johnson earlier today and said something about folks drinking
wine with a meal or something. And I said, Matt, it's time we
quit engaging in the ascetic practices of false religion and
tell folks the truth. Our Lord Jesus turned 20 gallons
of water into wine at a marriage feast. I reckon we offer you
to have a drink. Drunkenness is another story.
But this business that somehow we're not to touch things out
there that other folks touch or wear things other folks wear,
go places other folks go. No, no. Love of the world is
to love its riches, its possessions, its ways. Don't indulge yourself
with over much indulgement in things that is perfectly lawful
and proper to use with pleasure. Avoid anger, wrath and malice,
pray that God will keep you from burst of anger. Springing from
wrath and creating malice. Ask God to keep you from self-centered
selfishness. What pain? What pain? We cause
others by selfishness. Selfishness. You, you young people. Pay attention to your mama and
daddy when you start looking at who you're going to date,
considering who you're going to marry. What is my life? It
ain't just your life. Ricky, whoever you marry going
to affect that woman, the rest of her life. And that man, the
rest of his life. And it's selfish to live my life. I'll do what I want to. That's
selfish. That's selfish. Well, don't you
think we ought to have our way? No. No, we don't live to ourselves. We live in a world and everything
we do affects everybody around us. Everything. Keep yourselves
in love of God by setting your hearts and minds upon Christ
Jesus, the foundation on which we're built. And then Jude tells
us this is how we do it. Building up yourselves in your
most holy faith. Building upon the foundation.
The foundation God's laid, Jesus Christ in him crucified. Building
up yourselves in your most holy faith. That is building yourself
strong. in the knowledge of our Lord
Jesus Christ and faith in our Redeemer, the understanding of
his word, seek to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord
Jesus Christ. And it is when we lose sight
of Christ that error creeps in. If you would keep yourself in
the love of Christ, set your heart upon the foundation, upon
the mediator, upon the person and work of Christ. Preachers tend to chase rabbit
trails. And they'll run after this and
run after that. Go study this for a while, go
study that for a while. What's wrong with studying Christ?
What's wrong with seeking to know Christ? His greatness, His
glory, His Godhead, His humanity, His mediation, His charityship,
His righteousness, His blood, His atonement, His intercession,
His advocacy, His power, His dominion. And when you get all
that figured out, then go chase your abitrails about pre, post
or amillennialism. You get all that figured out,
then go chase your abitrails about church order and church
dogma. Build yourselves up in your most
holy faith focused always on Christ God Give us grace to set
our hearts on Christ Jesus the Lord Keep yourselves in the love
of God by praying in the Holy Ghost Turn back to first Thessalonians
for a minute first Thessalonians chapter 5 The life of faith Essentially is a life of prayer. Faith is dependence on God. Prayer is expressed dependence
on God. Faith is dependence on God. Prayer is expressed dependence
on God. Prayer is not begging God to
give you what you want. Prayer is not begging God to
do what you want Him to do. Prayer is expressed faith dependence
upon God. Look here in 1 Thessalonians
chapter 5 verse 17. Pray without ceasing. Pray without
ceasing. We ought to pray an hour a day.
That's not what this says. Pray without ceasing. We ought to
pray three times a day. That's not what it says. Pray
without ceasing. What? Well, you can't be always praying.
Can you be always believe in God? That's a different thing. No, it's not. No, it's not. Now, it is indeed great to have
set times of prayer. It is indeed proper that we approach
God openly with open mouth and open heart in prayer in a physical
as well as spiritual way. But prayer is a life, life of
faith. In everything, give thanks. In everything? I said, it's Kevin and Wanda back
there. We just buried her husband, his daddy. It's been going through
my mind ever since you walked through the door this morning. What an emptiness. His loss is
left. Most of you have been through
this. And Paul says, in everything, give thanks. God, how can I be
expected to give thanks for this? This is the will of God in Christ
Jesus concerning you. I know something about your heartache.
Give thanks. This is the will of God in Christ
Jesus concerning you. It's called faith. Faith. Prayer. Quench not the
spirit. Quench not the spirit. What's
that mean? If you see some leaves on fire
and you throw water on the fire, that's exactly what it's talking
about. Quench not the spirit. Don't throw water on the flame
of the spirit in your soul. Don't quench the spirit. Despise
not prophecies. That is, don't despise the preaching
of the gospel. Prove all things. He's talking
about prophecy now, preaching. I've been preaching to you this
morning. Alan, you go home and prove everything I've said by
this book. Prove all things. And when you hear Eric preach
tonight, you go home, prove everything said by this book. Prove all
things. Hold fast to that which is good.
Hold fast to that which is good. What's improved by the book?
Hold fast to that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of
evil. Oh boy, it sure doesn't look
good for a fella to wear a red sweater with blue stripes on
it. That looks wicked. I've seen some ungodly fellas
wear sweaters like that. Better not wear that anymore. That's
stupid. That's stupid. And yet, that's
the very notion folks have about, well, Joe thinks it's sinful
to eat fried chicken on Sunday, so I'll probably not eat fried
chicken on Sunday. That's nonsense. That's reinforcing his foolishness.
No, no. He's talking about abstain from
all appearance of evil. Abstain from all doctrinal evil. If it
smells like free will, run from it as poison. If it smells like
works, run from it as poison. Abstain from any form of doctrine
that even hints at the evil of free will, works, religion. And
the very God of peace sanctify you wholely. And I pray, God,
your whole spirit, soul and body be preserved blameless under
the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's exactly what he
means when he said, I pray and God sanctify you holy, preserve
you body, soul and spirit blameless under the coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Now, what's this? What's this? Oh, children of God, you fall
back on this. Faithful is he that calleth you. That's not
all it says, is it, Bob? Who also will do it. He called
you to this life of faith. He will preserve you, body, soul,
and spirit, blameless under the day of Jesus Christ. He's faithful. So keep yourselves in the love
of God, praying in the Holy Ghost. And keep yourselves in the love
of God. Look at our text one more time. Looking for the mercy
of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Looking for mercy. Looking for mercy. What do you expect from God today? What do you expect? What do you
expect God to do today? What are you looking for? Oh,
if I could. God, give me grace to just a
little bit of what I'm about to tell you. Rex Bartlett, we ought to wake
up every day looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. We ought to face every dark trial
looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. We ought to
face every difficulty looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Standing on the tiptoe of faith. Oh, I believe God's
going to send some mercy to me. Look at that, there it comes.
looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ. I recall years
ago, years ago now, my dear friend John Mitchell got up one morning
and said to his wife, we need to pray for God to give
us grace. He said, we've enjoyed such a
long time of Ceaseless mercy blessing we're bound to face
some hard trial that he prayed and the phone rang And his oldest
boy just killed his wife And God's given him the mercy
of our Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of the difficult in the
midst of difficulty Keep yourselves in the love of God Keep yourselves
in the love of God, building up yourselves in your most holy
faith. Praying in the Holy Ghost, keep
yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our
Lord Jesus Christ. Until at last. It lands you in eternal life
with him who loved you and gave himself for you. Beat that.