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February 27, 2019 8:00 am
God has an encouraging word for you and me today to the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton. This edition of the currency in just a moment. Bruce chapter 10 just a moment Dr. Don Wilton what you know that we're here for you were connecting already keyboard keyboard on our website@encouragingword.org. This phone number 866899 word, and so many folks have been taking us up on the offer to say hey, let's put something encouraging your email box every day. You can sign up right now by texting the word daily to 30500 for a daily Encouraging Word email Dr. Don Wilton that's daily.
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Now let's dive into God's word together with Dr. Don Wilton with manual Bibles this morning to Hebrews chapter 10 and so I simply review to write to you that are subject concerns the matter of apostasy. The boys and girls. I know that that's a very big word and I know that it's a word that we don't use very often.
But apostasy just simply refers to people who say no to Jesus Christ but with a little bit of the difference which actually is a major difference because these people that are apostate are people who have heard all about the Lord Jesus by know that Jesus died on the cross for their many of them of grown up in churches just like this and get having heard the truth and having known the truth, they turn their backs on the grace of God in boys and girls someone who is guilty of apostasy is called an apostate seagull you hear me talk about apostates a lot. I know that's a big word to remember about an apostate is someone who has said no to Jesus Christ. Even though they know and believe in their head. They accept the fact that Jesus died on the cross for them. Let's read about it together in Hebrews chapter 3 and I'm going to begin in verse 26 the Bible says if we deliberately keep on sinning. Often we have received the knowledge of the truth, no sacrifice for sins is left but rather only a fearful expectation of judgment and of raging fire that will consume the enemies of God. Anyone who rejected the law of Moses died without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much more severely you think a man deserves to be punished was trampled the son of God underfoot who is treated as an unholy thing. The blood of the covenant that sanctified him and who has insulted the Spirit of grace fully know him who said it is mine to the veins. I will reply again again the Lord will judge his people for it is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. And so I want you to remember now frames in verse 32. There is a switch abuse. We just had a full admonishment, a powerful warning. This is one of the most stark warnings in all of Scripture and then right here in the last verses of chapter 10 God by his spirit switches gears and he speaks directly to Christian people, people who are indeed saved people who are born-again and what he does as he commands them, but in the context of commanding them of telling them well done. Actually what the Lord Jesus gives to us at this point is a very simple understanding of someone who in fact is a believer and who is not an apostate and I'm going to talk about that in just a moment. So this is what he says. He said remember those earlier days off thing you had received the life and I'm going to say something about that in a moment when you stood your ground in a great contest in the face of suffering. Sometimes you were publicly exposed the insult and persecution. At other times you stood side by side with those who were so treated, yet you sympathize with those imprisonment joyfully accepted the confiscation of your property because you knew that you yourselves had better and lofting possession.
So do not throw away your confidence, for it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere, so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised free. Just a very little while he is coming will come and will not delay but my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him, but we are not of those who shrink back and all destroyed raw. The we are among those who have believed and are being say what is apostasy.
Apostasy is the sin of rejecting the gospel what is rejecting the gospel at saying no to the grace of God it saying no to salvation in the Lord Jesus Christ sin of apostasy is saying no to forgiveness of sin sign. I don't want to be forgiven saying no to reconciliation with the father. The apostates say is I don't want heaven.
I don't want eternal life but friendly something very interesting that God tells us you God is telling us that such people make a deliberate and willful decision to reject Jesus Christ and his grace. Now this is an interesting guy llama here because what the sovereign God is telling us at this point is that it is possible for someone to hear God and to believe God and get the same to God. It is possible for somebody to be droll by the spirit of God and yet reject the spirit of God we going to discover that in just a moment, because what God says he invokes not any God the father, but God the son and God the Holy Spirit and he tells us that such people have in fact turned down the Holy Spirit. They turned down the Godhead. The father who is the son is the spirit. It is a deliberate and willful act.
It's not done in ignorance. It is the rejection of the truth of God's word. It was my providing illustration briefly. Is it possible for somebody to grow up in a wonderful home Parents and provide them with everything give to them the very best that life has to offer to grow up in a church like this and so many others here in our region that glorify Jesus Christ, dropping the youth group being a children's ministry. Start out enough preschool with Lee Foster and the wonderful team in our preschool to go on quieter to sing in the choir is to be actively engaged isn't possible that somebody couldn't grow up under such circumstances, seeing it, hearing it, leaving it practicing it, receiving, and yet all of a sudden to turn their backs and walk away to become the very opposite. I've met some people have grown up on the inside, just like that of being blessed beyond reason. Today you can done finding that use four letter words ad infinitum, drinking themselves into the ground, frequenting unhealthy and unholy places have had multiple affairs engaging in immoral acts on ethical in their behavior and you go and look at their parents, and you look where they came from and you say how do you match these two things together. It just doesn't seem to make sense. Surely such a person would know better what, let's try and understand this.
First of all character of apostasy. What is an apostate look like well read apostate is an unbeliever. Every apostate is an unbeliever.
Once again this week. I've had a number of people who lost me again imposter.
What is the difference between an apostate and a backslider. The backsliding is very much a part of what God teaches us in his word.
Like the prodigal son.
How do you distinguish well read apostate is an believer, I have not accepted Jesus Christ into their heart and every apostate has absolutely no concern regarding sin. I backslider every backslider is a believer and as such, every backslider is deeply concerned about this that folks are backslidden in my Christian life.
I'm going to be so Ford and abrupt this morning. Tight glasses. I meant to submit to you that I'm not sure if I know any Christian who hasn't backslidden at some time or another, but I can tell you one thing that I know beyond any doubt in my own heart and life as imperfect as I am when I do slip away from God. When I turned my back on him. When I say things that are not pleasing to him.
When I live a life that is not pleasing to the Lord. Even though I am engaging in sin.
It troubles me. It bothers me. It bothers me to the point at which I come to my senses as the prodigal son did and I look up from the midst of my pain and I see God my father standing there with these columns wide sign, son, go that's a portrait of a backslider every backslider is a believer is deeply concerned about it soon. Every apostate is an unbeliever who has no concern about Eason number two is every apostate has received knowledge. I want you to just look at verse 26. Yet God says to us by the spirit. If we deliberately keep on sinning. Often we have received the knowledge of the truth about the way I've had some people not recently but I know there are some people use this with passage to prove that you can lose your salvation or friends.
Evidently you haven't studied this correctly Bible teaches, you cannot lose your salvation. There are many passages that support that you cannot be born again into the kingdom of God you cannot be in the palm of these and the Bible says no one will pluck you out of these hand. Once you decide you're always like the issue is not whether or not you can lose your salvation. The issue is whether or not you decide to begin with voice you been listening to the voice of Dr. Don Wilton art teacher here on The Encouraging Word will be back with more of today's message in just a moment and I was number four will pick up with number five in just a moment for Dr. Don Wilton remind you that we are here for you 24 hours they were connecting both on the phone line 86689 and on our website The Encouraging Word.org each and every day.
It's our privilege to be able to pray with and for friends that are just facing the day-to-day elements of life struggles of life. Just recently I took a call praying with someone who's well it's grandson has has taken some choices away from God steps away from God saved.
We believe that to be true, but he's missing the joy of living for God or somebody in your life you like us to be praying with you for you about just give us a call. 866-899-WORD 9673 or we can do this together online as well.
We can go keyboard to keyboard on our website The Encouraging Word.org Palestine back in today's message with a great teaching of Dr. Don Wilton this message on apostasy. Now what about this passage.
Bible says every apostate has received knowledge while the word for knowledge here is not the word gnosis which you use commonly the word gnosis GN OSIS is the word that were useful for general spiritual knowledge the word yet raw. There is happy gnosis, which means complete full understanding all that knowledge with the option of it. It means recognizing knowing understanding, but not accepting it for yourself. That is why when you get down later and I don't have time to do this but when you get down later you get into the ladder versus your verse 32 he says. Remember those earlier days off thing you have appropriated off the you have received the light this here in verse 26 he's talking about apostates who have knowledge of and a full understanding all, but I have not sent it as their own.
To give you an example here folks. It's a difficult thing to understand, but this is very important. I'm a married man. I have a beautiful wife. When I married my wife.
I made a covenant commitment to all my love all my fiction.
Everything that I have, goes to my wife. She's my best friend and she is everything to me. I am a one man I one woman man on any said the other way around. That's all right I'll get you back later.
I am a one woman man now there I am a married I'm in love. I have a beautiful wife does that mean to say that I do not acknowledge and recognize beauty and other woman I can watch the South Carolina pageant and I seal these young ladies up in our site you know boy that lady that she is a beautiful young lady. I think she deserves the title, don't you.
We are surrounded by beautiful people I can recognize beauty. I can talk about it.
I can acknowledge but what's the difference I do not adopt that beauty for myself. I do not appropriate that beauty myself. I don't go out there and flip with that woman will start an affair with that woman will run around with or talk to her like she's my girlfriend. All I'm trying to get a message through to even become flirtatious with my eyes. Why do I do that because I have a covenant commitment I can recognize it I can know that it's there and there's nothing wrong with that and I can celebrate beauty, but I know exactly where all my love and all my attention all my fraction and everything about me goes it goes to that lady is my wife, not in the opposite direction.
This is what God is talking about himself. He is trying to tell us that his church is food with people who can see him.
They know who he is. They recognize who he is. They accept who he is. Acknowledge who he is.
You go to them and say to them is Jesus saying he's the one who died for me, but not adopt him as their own action. Apostate son apostate is not only a nonbeliever but he is someone who has received knowledge. Number three. Every apostate comes from within. That's very clear here in this passage.
Every apostate you're not talking about some people out there in some strange faraway land who have never heard the gospel all grown up in untoward circumstances, folks, this was God writing to these people would come into a relationship with the gospel was being made manifest.
This is a message to the church of Jesus Christ. This is the heart of evangelism.
This is the heart of John not to start before Alaska said please override this is the Lord Jesus Christ looking down upon his church.
Is it possible is it conceivably possible that they could be someone worshiping with us today who has the right close on has a Bible in the hand is singing the hymn was growing up on the inside of the church, but is about to turn their back inside. I know I see it I believe it but I'm Nicodemus was the prime example of that, Nicodemus came to Jesus Christ in John's Gospel. Nicodemus had all the trappings he had all the knowledge Nicodemus Nicodemus what to say and I believe Jean Campbell Morgan wrote a book entitled, believing man but an unbelieving God, Jesus Christ would not commit himself to them because he knew what was in the heart of man, God doesn't play God is not interested in the mask array charts God is not interested in our membership or our ability to preach the word of God. What God says every apostate from within the chart number four every apostate makes a deliberate choice. We've covered that base number five. Every apostate refuses to acknowledge his own son. I'll guarantee you there's at least one person here today who has a son or daughter or a husband or wife or a friend or a neighbor when you think about that person you know there was a time you sold them even walk down and you were there when I got baptized. Perhaps you remember listening to them saying. Meet people all over the world that at one time they seemingly looked like they were living for the Lord.
But today you cannot smell them for dust and if you want to go to them and say to them what happened bedside. I couldn't care less anymore. Every apostate refuses to acknowledge his own son. I'm not talking about matters pertaining to the conscience.
Most people are going to conscience folks you go to a man who is committing adultery and he's an unbelievable reason apostate. You go Damon siding what are you doing most people good living people would say well I know what I'm doing is wrong, but I'm gonna carry on doing it anyway. What are they just telling you by telling you that there conscience is in operation but they have no recognition of the righteousness and the holiness of God and anybody who does not recognize the righteousness in the holy of noninnocent God has never come into a personal relationship with Jesus Christ. Well that's part of the character of apostasy. What is the course of apostasy. What causes this to happen. What do you suppose my beloved frame causes a person to see and hear the gospel and then to reject it in full knowledge what happened well. There are many different courses I'm going to share with you a to number one tragic circumstances. Their undue hardship injury unmapped expectations, folks, let me just ask you this on any micro site but if I might. Every apostate believes in prayer black America today. You can go to the average football stadium and stand there and put up for what they doing.
I've had proteins called me to common playing professional football and then send me a message to tell me Rev. you can come and play but do not mention the name of Jesus. Excuse me. Excuse me how'd you pray anything, but in the name of Jesus I called on right on waste of time if you're about to invite me to come and pray and you don't want me to pray in Jesus name. Don't send me an invitation because I'm not coming and I don't care if it means that I'll never get to see another dad I sacrifice my Savior on the mantelpiece of mediocrity and what is God's son.
Well, there are tragic circumstances because you can go to people in my being around people. Someone in the family get sick like growing up in the church by say look I believe in prayer. Everybody comes in praise, but the person dies anyway. The apostate is the person that turns around and says what day you have it that God is in God does that to me. I want to have any part of the Matson apostate message document.
And please don't go away.
He's got a word for you in just a moment. I will remind you that as the Lord stirred your heart in this Bible teaching that perhaps there is a call to action. When we gain insight from God's word when the Lord speaks to us through its Dr. Don Wilton, our pastor here report to the just a proclaiming of his word or just in your heart if you feel a nudge from God that there needs to be an adjustment, a course correction then let's not let this moment pass you like to have someone talk with you or pray with you, we stand ready to connect right now whether it's keyboard keyboard on our website The Encouraging Word.org. That's the Encouraging Word.org or on the phone at 86689. That's 866899673.
As I mentioned before we get away. We have some closing thoughts for our pastor and chief encourager Dr. Don Wilton are you ready to give you a heart of life to the Lord Jesus Christ. I'm so happy to hear that. Why don't you pray this prayer with me today.
Dear God, I know that you love me very, very much and I know that the Lord Jesus Christ came and died on the cross so that I might be forgiven of my sin. Today, I repent of my sin. I can face my sin to you, and I invite you to come into my heart and into my life by faith in Jesus name I pray, if you prayed that prayer. Let me be the first want to welcome you to the family of God. This is wonderful. I hope that you know how much I'm going to be praying for you and how very important this is for me. Call us so that we can talk to you and connect you in the right place so you can begin this wonderful journey. Again, if the Lord has spoken to you to my pastor Dr. Don Wilton I pray you let us take the next steps with you. You are not built for a solo flight my friend got has built us for community and we would love to be the first step of that committee right now just a friend. You can talk with pray with at the other end of 8668. That's 866899673. In this day and age of most of us are texting and emailing and typing a lot more than talking.
Sometimes, especially in matters of the heart. It's really a blessing to have someone who is is called apart each and every one of us to have the joy. I'm one of those that love to answer the phone and take prayer calls and take comment calls or take requests for information and and materials.
I love talking obviously held up talking on the phone to friends. Perhaps today's the day you would love to have someone that's ready to listen, not just talk, but to listen and pray with you again. It's one of our great choice. I pray he would jot the number down or store in yourself. It's 86689996731 will always connect with one of us happy to talk or listen or pray, but it will also help you connect with great resources like this thing called going after Jesus. Here Cheryl with all the details are you rejecting God.
The truth of Lot is the investment time your email.let's deal down across Pearson said I need to be forgiven and free. Have you ever wonder how to let him in return. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your strength. We leave out Dr. Don Wilton wants to help encourage and inspire you to pursue the godless proceeding going after Jesus is available on CD right one lengthy route by SC 93049 99 The Encouraging Word point Encouraging Word around the world. Jesus is 668999673 or you can meet us online and that we are thinking online word. You know how my family left you on the radio. Now my wife have a new day and I think you