Good morning and welcome in everybody. 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.
Imagine you were on vacation visiting some friends out in Hawaii, and then decided to take a return flight back home to Minneapolis. The trip would take you approximately 12 hours because it’s roughly a 4,000 mile trip. On the flight, if the pilots were slightly off on their heading, even by as little as one degree, you would completely miss the airport, and have to land around 70 miles away. Pilots learn what is commonly known as the ” one degree rule.” This rule states that for each degree that a plane is off course, it will miss its destination by one mile for every 60 miles of flight.
This reminds me of the Christian Life
Just one little degree doesn’t sound like very much, but it matters if you want to eventually get to where you want to go. Even a slight deviation from biblical truth can result in you finding yourself arriving at a completely different destination after judgment Day.
Hebrews 3:12-14 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. But exhort one another daily, while it is called To day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are made partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our confidence stedfast unto the end;
To depart the living God means to deviate from biblical truth and its teachings. Some people who profess Christianity openly reject numerous passages of scripture, and it’s getting worse. They are trying to make the Bible fit their own personal lifestyles and philosophies. They might attempt to follow half of it, or maybe even 75%, but then reject the rest because they simply don’t want to change certain aspects of their life. They look like a Christian, they sound like a Christian, but they deny conversion and submission to the truth.
2 Timothy 3:5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
Many people want to feel that they will be in heaven, but they don’t want to do the things required in order to obtain that place. Eternal life is eventually obtained when we hear the words.. ” well done thou good and faithful servant,…and to eventually hear them, we need to do God’s will.
Jesus gave His life at the cross so that we could begin a new life, being transformed into new creatures, but this process cannot happen unless you accept the truth and repent of the way that you used to live your life. Repentance is about changing from how you want to live, to the way that God wants you to live, and this is where you separate the sheep from the goats. You cannot commit to the Christian Life halfway. You are either all the way in or all the way out, otherwise scripture condemns that as lukewarmness.
Revelation 3:15-16 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.
When someone departs from scriptural truth, they deviate from the accepted and traditional teachings of our faith. This can happen in very small degrees, usually when they reach something in their life that they simply don’t want to change. This results in somebody who is incompleted in the faith, like a project that was started but was not finished. They are like a loaf of bread that is cooked only halfway through. Although it looks fine on the exterior, the inside is undone and incomplete. They never move on unto perfection and become an overcomer of the sinful nature, which is required to enter heaven.
Revelation 3:5 He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.
Revelation 3:21 To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.
The Lord Jesus taught that the way to heaven is a narrow path, it does not allow for deviation from the truth. To do so is to believe a lie, completely hindering the process of sanctification.
John 17:17 Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.
Instead of humbling themselves, and repenting of their sins, many people will become proud in heart. Even though they continue to walk on the wide road of sin, they will actually convince themselves that somehow they will be saved regardless of their impenitent behavior. That ideology will only lead to death and destruction.
Matthew 7:13-14 Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat: Because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.
Many people profess to be Christian, but salvation is more than just a profession of what you believe. It is a life changing commitment to walk in the truth of God’s Word, and departing from iniquity.
Matthew 7:21-23 Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
God’s Word is a map that we need to follow if we want to someday obtain eternal life. Even with a roadmap, if you are going to sidestep away from its directions, even slightly, it can cause you to become lost. If you deviate from the instructions on a recipe card, you will end up with a different meal than the one you wanted. Likewise, when you make decisions in your life that are not based in biblical truth, it will result in a different outcome.
Each step that we take in the Christian walk must be well placed upon the firm foundation and footing of God’s Word. We must make certain that we are on the right heading and course, because we never want to deviate from God’s truth, not even by …
….. One Degree.
Let’s think about these things for right now. We can be found on your web browser by searching, tlkjbc where you can find our diaries distributed through various platforms. We are not associated, nor affiliated with any other religious groups. You can get our entire podcast feeds directly, along with transcripts at tlkjbc.com or I suppose that you could find us somewhere up here, in the Great Northern Minnesota woods. Peace to you, and Lord willing, we will talk with you some more tomorrow. Till then, bye bye everybody. ❤️
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Teufer Lake King James Bible Church 