Good morning and welcome in everyone. Today, we are going to take a look at a passage of scripture, but before we do that, I wanted to tell you a little story.
Over the century is there have been numerous shipwrecks around the world. In the year 1394, the Gabrielle wrecked on at Wolf rock between Cornwall and the isles of Scilly. Her cargo was washed ashore in Cornwall. On April 8 1304 The Mariote from England, a Portsmouth ship, was carrying five bushels of wheat from the Kings Manors on the Isle of Wight, to Bearwick-upon-Tweed when she was wrecked near Newport, Isle of Wight. In 1468 the Raphael from the kingdom of England was lost in Bude Bay, Cornwall while heading for their home port of Bristol from Danzig. And in 1492 on December 25th The well-known Santa Maria from Spain, which was the largest of the three ships used by Christopher Columbus on his first voyage across the Atlantic, ran aground off the present day site of Cap Haitien. The United Nations estimates that there are at least three million shipwrecks somewhere on the ocean floors.
This reminds me of the Christian life.
Thats a lot of ships that have been lost at sea isn’t it, but remember, they are nothing in comparison to those who are going to shipwreck their faith. A lot of people who profess to be Christian simply will not be able to enter into eternal life, because the gift of faith that God planted in them, will be brought to ruin, run upon the rocks because they have turned away from both their conscience, and from biblical truth.
1 Timothy 1:19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
There have been numerous shipwrecks throughout the centuries, some of them worse than others, but when somebody is involved with a shipwreck, their vessel is beyond repair and is abandoned. The same thing can happen to a person who started out in the Christian life, but they willfully turn away from the will of God, and bring ruin to their service to Christ. Imagine a shipping company, who kindly gives you a free ship to transport goods across the ocean. Although it was given to you freely, you didn’t exercise due diligence to take care of the gift that was given to you, eventually running it upon the rocks and ruining the vessel.
How many of you children have been given an expensive gift by your parents, and when they gave it to you they said, make sure that you take care of it, so it lasts a long time. I’ve noticed in my life that sometimes when people receive a free gift, it’s not as important as one that you have gone out and worked for themselves. When we think about the free gift that God has given to us through his grace, you must remember what Jesus did, so that we could have that gift. The gift that he extends to us is the most expensive gift that you could ever imagine, because it cost the life of God’s only begotten son. Imagine yourself being nailed to a cross, surrounded by people who despised and mocked you. Imagine yourself being scourged and spit on by the political leaders of His day. Imagine yourself having a crown of thorns pounded upon your head. When you think about these things, then you can come and tell me what the gift of Jesus Christ is worth to you. Someone who has been given the free gift of God’s grace, and then turns away from the Christian life, only proves that they are worthy of damnation. I guarantee you, they have earned it. They turn away from the God who loves and cares for them, they turn away from the God who bled and died at the cross for them. Because they love their sins more than Christ, they are like a dog who returns to his own vomit, or a pig who returns to the mud.
2 Peter 2:20-22 For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse with them than the beginning. For it had been better for them not to have known the way of righteousness, than, after they have known it, to turn from the holy commandment delivered unto them. But it is happened unto them according to the true proverb, The dog is turned to his own vomit again; and the sow that was washed to her wallowing in the mire.
Many people really want to believe that they are going to be in heaven, but as the Lord Jesus taught, many are going to come up short. I hope that I get to be there. Many people in the days of Noe felt the same way, but the flood came upon them quickly and destroyed them all.
Luke 13:23-27 Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able. When once the master of the house is risen up, and hath shut to the door, and ye begin to stand without, and to knock at the door, saying, Lord, Lord, open unto us; and he shall answer and say unto you, I know you not whence ye are: Then shall ye begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in thy presence, and thou hast taught in our streets. But he shall say, I tell you, I know you not whence ye are; depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity.
If a dad tells you to do something, and you disobediently rebel against him, telling him to take a hike, do you really think that somehow your actions please him? When a husband commands his wife to do something, and She completely rebels against him, do you think these actions somehow please him? If people did these kinds of things in the courtroom, the judge would probably have them thrown in jail for the weekend for contempt, but yet all over this entire world, people treat God in the same manner, in their contempt towards Him and performing His will. Shipwrecking your faith is to ruin the things that you were instructed in from scripture. Instead of departing from iniquity, you return to iniquity. Instead of becoming transformed to God’s will, they revert to the will of the world. The vessel of mercy that has been instructed in God’s Word, now turns away from scriptural truth, allowing both their faith and their lives to be destroyed on the rocks of destruction. Once a vessel of mercy, now becomes a vessel of betrayal, wickedness, cruelty, hatred, and evil. Esau cried about what he did, but his life was over, only walking this world waiting for eternal damnation.
Hebrews 12:16-17 Lest there be any fornicator, or profane person, as Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his birthright. For ye know how that afterward, when he would have inherited the blessing, he was rejected: for he found no place of repentance, though he sought it carefully with tears.
If somebody gave you a $20,000 truck would you be careful not to hit anything with it? Christianity is about being given the greatest treasure that you could ever receive. It is a treasure of God’s grace in Christ. It is about abiding in the gift that God has given us. It is about taking care of the ship of faith that He has provided us. Those who turn away from God’s will, choosing to rebel and live a life of sin and disobedience, will more certainly reap the reward of sin and disobedience. After all, they’ve earned it, and they will received a just recompense for their actions.
Hebrews 10:26-29 For if we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, But a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries. He that despised Moses’ law died without mercy under two or three witnesses: Of how much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the Spirit of grace?
Jesus taught In the parable of the sower that not everybody who attempted the Christian life is going to make it. Their faith will only last for a certain amount of time, like a dog that returns to their vomit, or a pig goes back to their wallowing in the mire. Like the Gabrielle, they will completely destroy their ship of faith, when they eventually run aground on……
……Wolf Rock
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching tlkjbc, or by going to hipcast, buzzsprout or amazon, or by getting our entire podcast feeds directly at tlkjbc.com, or I suppose, you can find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️
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