This is Connect with Skip Heitzig. Thanks for joining us for today's program. At Connect with Skip, we're all about helping you go deeper in your walk with God through clear, practical Bible teaching. And right now, we're offering a free resource to help you engage with scripture in a fresh way. It's called Studying the Bible.
A simple one-sheet download filled with practical guidance for your daily time in God's Word. Download it now at connectwithskiff.com when you sign up to receive Skiff's weekly devotional. encouraging content delivered right to your inbox each week. Again, you can sign up for those and get your free resource at connectwithskip.com.
Now let's dive into today's teaching from Pastor Skip Heitzig. One of the dangers for any church ever. is that it begins to turn inward. The church becomes the Local Bless Me Club. The What About Me Association, the Meet My Need Institution.
Rather than learning and developing enough to learn how to care. For the lost.
So restoration must be our plan. Second. Must Admonition must be our call. Admonition must be our call.
Now, as I read through these verses, if I'm reading them correctly, These verses imply that once somebody notices.
Someone else wandering away from the truth, believer or unbeliever. That A caution is issued. That this someone gets involved and says something to the other person. An admonition is given. And that admonition, the caution.
The involvement in that wandering life. Results in spiritual awakening, repentance. In the words of the prodigal, don't you love that story of the prodigal son? As Jesus told it, it said, And when he came to himself, I love that. He woke up.
He came to himself. And he said, I'm going to return to my father. Obviously, James, the author of this book, has seen his share of spiritual wanderers. He's watched people wander off from the faith. Defect from the truth.
He has seen he has known those who As described in 1 John chapter 2, they went out from us. But they were not really of us. Because had they really been of us, they never would have left us.
So he has those in his mind as he's writing this, as he's closing this letter. He's thinking in his mind: I know those people, I remember those people. And I will just say, so do I. My mind's eye is filled with people I have loved, known. uh walked with and even worked with Who No longer, or they say they no longer believe in the God of the Bible.
They no longer believe in the Bible as the Word of God. They no longer hold to Jesus Christ as their Savior.
So If you see something. Say something. If you are noticing that trend, Do something about it, say something. Admonish. Give them a caution.
What you are doing is lowering the lifeboat because the cruise ship is sinking. What you are doing is giving out a parachute that works. If you see something, say something. Paul put it this way, 2 Corinthians 5. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men.
Knowing the terror of the Lord, we persuade men. I see something, I'm going to say something. I'm going to get involved. I'm going to say it. You may not like what you hear, but this is what I'm going to say.
So Let me give you a couple practical things to do at this point. A first practical thing to do is evaluate your own faith. It's always good to do that from time to time. Take personal inventory. Get really honest with yourself and just ask yourself this question, am I a follower of Christ?
Really? A follower of Christ. Honestly. I follow Christ. Ask yourself that question.
Why? Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 13: Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves, he writes. If you go over to Edinburgh, Scotland, there is the famous castle up there on the rocky slopes. of that city.
It's the crazy crowning jewel architecturally of that town. Edinburgh Castle. had only been captured once in its entire history. Let me tell you how it happened. The castle was thought to be impenetrable because On one side is a very steep rocky slope.
that seems impossible to scale.
So, when they put guards around the castle to protect the castle, they stationed them in every single gate except. on that one side. Because they thought Enemies can't get up here. But one gray, misty morning, a few brave enemy soldiers worked hard to scale those rocks. climb the wall and enter into the castle.
Surprising the garrison.
So surprised was the garrison that the enemy was inside the castle, they surrendered. The point is this. The fortress was captured. at its strongest point.
So, if you think, well, I'm too strong to worry about this stuff. I'm too rooted in the faith.
Well, Paul says, First Corinthians 10, therefore let him who thinks he stands. Take heed lest he fall. Remember Paul's thorn in the flesh? Remember that thing, whatever it was, he was bugged about it, he prayed about it. God just said, you're going to have to live with it.
And so he said, Look, the Lord told me that I'm gonna have to live with it.
So he said, I rejoice. I'll live with it. He said because When I am weak, then I am. Strong. When I'm weak, then I'm strong.
The principle is: when I'm weak, I lean on him. And when I lean on him, that's my strength.
So when I'm weak, then I am strong. But the opposite is also true. when you think you're strong. Then you are weak.
So first of all, evaluate your own faith. Second, Encourage the faith in others. When you see somebody making a move toward God, encourage that. If you see somebody wandering away from the faith, Admonish that. You could say to somebody perhaps You know, I used to see you around church.
I don't see you there anymore. Boy, we miss you there. We'd love to have you back. and involved. Or to an unbeliever, maybe you invite them to church and they show up and.
Go encourage that. I admire that you came. I know it's not easy to come and introduce yourself to a new group of people. Do you have questions about the faith? I'd love to sit down and talk to you about them.
So, evaluate your own faith, encourage the faith in others, and then, number three, warn those. Who abandoned? The faith Tell them straight up, your ship, it's sinking. Your parachute is faulty. Go back to the word wander.
In verse 19, brethren, if any among you wanders From the truth. I just want to camp on that word just for a moment because I want you to understand what it means.
So I'm going to put up this little visual. And I put up this Greek word up here, not so you'll think I'm smart, but just to explain it to you.
So, what that says in the Greek language is planethe. Planethe is where we get our English word. Tell me. Planet. Planet.
Because planets to people on Earth, especially in antiquity, seem to just wander off.
Now they're on a fixed course. Around the sun, but they just are moving.
So planethe is the word To wander.
So, if you see anybody planeting from the truth, wandering, moving away from the truth. And by the way. A Jude warned of false prophets Saying this, they are wandering stars. For whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. They've gotten off course.
They have gotten off course. If you have gotten off course. You personally, if you have wandered from Christ or you've never trusted in Him. If you're setting your own course, consider this the warning shot. It's not going to end well for you.
It's not going to end well for you. You need to do something about that. And today, get ready to say amen. Today would be a perfect day for you to give your life to Christ. Yeah, it would be.
So, restoration must be our plan. Admonition must be our call.
Let me give you the third must. And that is, conversion must be our goal. We get involved in people's lives for no other reason other than to see them turn back. That's the word that he uses here. Brethren, if anyone wanders from the truth and someone turns him Back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way saves a soul from death and covers a multitude.
of sins.
Now, I first read this verse in the Old King James Bible. That's what I. first started carrying around. Back in 1973, old King James. And so I happened to go back to it again this last week.
And uh Guess what it says? It says this: Brethren, if any among you wanders from the truth and someone converts him, Let him know that He who turns a well, excuse me, let him know that he who converteth When's the last time you ever used that word? Converteth. Hast thou been converteth? Let him know that he Will he who converteth a sinner from the error of his way?
Now, that word convert or turn typically is used in the New Testament to speak of an unbeliever. giving their lives, committing their lives to Christ. Peter used it in Acts chapter 3. He said, Repent, therefore. and be converted.
that your sin may be blotted out.
So Unbelievers Don't need reformation. Unbelievers don't just need behavior modification. Unbelievers need transformation. They need conversion. Conversion, be converted.
You're listening to Connect with Skip Heidzig. Before we return to today's message, have you ever struggled to study the Bible consistently or wondered how to really enjoy your time in the Word? In his book, How to Study the Bible and Enjoy It, Pastor Skip gives you the tools and insights you need to dig into scripture with joy, clarity and confidence. This practical guide is our thanks for your generous gift of $50 or more to reach more people with God's Word through Connect with Skip. Request your copy when you give today at connectwithskip.com slash offer.
or call 800-922-8888.
Now, let's get back to today's message from Pastor Skip. If you have not come to Christ. Yeah. You need to be converted.
However, I need to add this because I am a Bible teacher and I want to give you the full scoop. Yes, this word turn or convert is typically used in the New Testament to speak of unbelievers turning to Christ, but not always.
Sometimes Sometimes the same word is used Backslider. Being converted or returning or being restored back into. Relationship. And guess who used it that way? Jesus And guess who he was talking about?
Peter Jesus said to Simon, Simon, he used his old name. Indeed, Satan has asked for you that he may sift you as wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith should not fail. And when you have Returned. Same word, when you are converted. To me, strengthen your Brethren.
Yes, of course, sinners need to be converted, but sometimes believers need to be converted. returned Restored Brought back into fellowship, brought back into a place of assurance. Sinners need to be saved. Wandering believers, backsliders need to be revived. By the way.
Back to that word wander in verse 19. I'm wandering back to verse 19. If any of you wanders from the truth. What is helpful to learn about this little Verb here is it's put in the passive voice. Do you know what that means when something is in the passive voice?
It means the cause of the action comes from the outside. In other words, Someone or something. from the outside caused This planet to veer off course, this person to wander. away. An outside influence has led them astray.
Like what? I can think of a lot of things that could. Maybe a girlfriend. Maybe a boyfriend. Maybe a college professor.
Maybe a rock star. Maybe a sports figure. Maybe a persuasive comedian, maybe a book they read, maybe a T V documentary that shook their faith. Jesus said in Matthew 24, take heed that no one deceive you. Why would he say that?
Because Satan's number one weapon is deception. What that means to us. Especially in this digital age in which we live. is we need to be very careful Who we let influence us. Oh, it's just a podcast.
Oh, I'm just following them on Instagram. Oh, it's just this. It's just a song. It's just a movie. Be very careful.
who you let influence you. Kajita. Wander away. Veer off course. I told you about Edinburgh Castle.
Let me speak about the Great Wall of China. It's a massive thing. I visited it once. The ancient people of China, they wanted a secure border. I won't talk deeply about that in our own country right now, but they wanted security, so they built a great wall.
They wanted it. Tall enough that nobody could climb over, thick enough that nobody could break through, long enough that nobody could walk around.
So they built the Great Wall of China. Did you know in the first 100 years after they built the Great Wall of China? China was invaded three times, not once, not twice. Three. Times Three times.
And they didn't climb over and they didn't break through and they didn't walk around. What they did. is simply Bribe the gatekeepers.
So Here's China focused so much on that wall. when they should be training the gatekeepers. What's my point? Your eyes are gates. Your ears Our gates.
The eye gate and the ear gate, you watch things, you listen to things, and you and I have to be very discerning and careful what we allow in the gates. We are the keeper of the gates. We're letting things in. We're letting the influence in.
So be very careful lest you wander. Restoration must be our plan. Admonition must be our goal. Conversion or our call. Conversion must be our goal.
Fourth and finally. Salvation must be the result. Salvation must be, I probably should say, salvation will be the result because true conversion always brings about a saving. Let him know, verse 20: He who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death. and cover a multitude of sins.
Helping someone Helping save someone from spiritual death is the greatest thing you could ever do for another person.
So If you help restore a wandering brother or sister. You are Saving a soul. From Daph. If you evangelize a person who is lost and they receive Christ, you are saving a soul from. Death.
Did you hear that last word? Death. Death. That that's pretty final, isn't it? Death?
That's pretty final. And I'm pausing on that word because I just want to. I want to state the obvious. We're all going to die. There's still This still surprises some people.
When their loved one died, I can't believe God would love. Everyone's going to die. If the Lord doesn't come back, we're all going to die. You only have to die once. Or you might die twice.
The Bible talks about those who reject Jesus Christ in Revelation 21 will die the second death.
So here's the formula. You've heard me say this before: if you're born once, you'll die twice. If you're born twice, you'll die once. If you're born once, you're just born, but you don't receive Christ, that's the born-again experience, then you will die twice physically and spiritually, eternally. But if you're born again, now you're born twice physically and spiritually, you'll only die once.
You will be saved from eternal death. And James says, and cover a multitude of sins. I'm glad he wrote multitude because. I know me. There's a multitude of sins God has covered.
When God saves, he forgives. He presses the Delete button. Psalm 32: Blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord does not impute any. Iniquity.
So, whichever interpretation you want to pick, this is the backslider or this is the unbeliever. Both Need To turn. To return I'm going to close with this story. There was an old man by the name of Ed. Old Ed.
Lived in Florida. Every Friday evening at sunset, he would walk to the end of. Appear. with a bucket of shrimp.
So just picture. Picture old Ed. Bucket of shrimp Friday evening, sunset. Walking out to a pier. With a bucket of shrimp.
Shrimp were not for him to eat. They were not for the fish. They were for the seagulls.
So we'd come to the end of the pier, plop down the bucket, and he would just stand by it, and soon. All these little dots fluttering through the air. And the screeching sound of birds and the flutter of the cloud of seagulls around him would swarm down and eat that shrimp. And he stood there in the midst of it. Eyes closed.
and he was muttering almost in rapture, just And he was saying this. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Every Friday.
That's Old Ed. You're going, who is a crazy old man? His full name was Captain Eddie Rickenbacher. He was a fighter pilot in World War II. His B-17 was shot down in the Pacific.
He landed in the water. He and his crew, all eight men, were saved on a life raft. They ran out of rations, eight men for eight days on a life raft. No food. They fought sun, they fought sharks, but more than anything else, they fought hunger.
On that eighth day. They're just bone weary. And they had a prayer. Together. And Eddie Rickenbacher's eyes as a young man are closing because he's just so tired and exhausted.
he feels something land on his shoulder. In the middle of the ocean. It was a Seagull. He looked over at it and he thought, That's lunch. He grabbed it.
Wrung its neck. pulled out its feathers and shared it with his Raft Mate. They had a meal together. They saved the guts. The intestines.
Use it as bait. to survive even longer. They managed to survive until they were rescued.
Now, he told this story later on to Dr. Billy Graham, and he said, It was that experience that brought me to Jesus Christ.
So every Friday afternoon, old Eddie would go out to the pier and stand where the seagulls came to eat the shrimp and say, Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. And he was saying thank you, not just to them, but thank you. Thank you.
Thank you. My soul, my life, and my soul have been saved from death. Thank you, Jesus, for the blood applied. Thank you, Jesus. You have saved my life, brought me out of darkness into glorious light.
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thanks for listening to Connect the Skip Heitzig. Before you go, don't forget to request this month's featured resource, How to Study the Bible and Enjoy It.
This book from Pastor Skip offers practical, encouraging help to take your Bible study deeper and get more out of every verse. It's our thanks for your generous gift of $50 or more to help share God's Word with more people. Call 800-922-8888 or visit connectwithskip.com slash offer. And be sure to sign up for weekly devotionals and get your free one-sheet how to approach studying the Bible. It's a great tool to jumpstart your time in Scripture.
Come back next time for more verse-by-verse teaching of God's Word here on Connect with Skip-Heitzig. Make a connection Make a connection. Connection at the foot of the crossing. Cast your burdens on his wood. Make a connection.
Connection. Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of connection communications, connecting you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times.
