From His Heart

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Now I want to ask you, how are you doing building yourself up on your most holy faith? Are you moving forward in your Christian life? Are you growing? Do you love Jesus more now than you did last month, last year, five years ago, ten years ago? If not, and I'm speaking to myself, you've regressed. And the Bible tells us grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

God wants us to live godly lives in an ungodly age to make an impact on this world for Jesus Christ.

Larry Nobles: How in the world are we to live a godly life while existing in an ungodly age? The truth is we don't want to displease Christ. We want to please Him. So exactly how do we do it?

This is From His Heart with Pastor Jeff Schreve, and thank you for joining us today. The message is entitled Godly Living in an Ungodly Age, and it's from Pastor Jeff's series Faith Under Fire: A Study of Jude. This series is also our gift of thanks to you for your support this month of any amount. You can find out more when you go to fromhisheart.org and get yours today.

When you do that, you'll help From His Heart continue to broaden our reach around the world. Let's get started now with the lesson Godly Living in an Ungodly Age. Here again is Pastor Jeff.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: How are we to live a godly life in the midst of an ungodly age? We want to hear at the end of life, "Well done, My good and faithful slave. You were faithful in a few things. I'm going to put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your Master." There are three essentials. If you're going to live a life that receives a "well done," there are three essentials.

Essential number one: you can be mindful of the warnings. Jude is a warning. Jude is sounding the alarm, red alert. I wanted to talk to you about wonderful things, but I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith, which was once for all handed down to the saints. So we need to be aware they are out there, and the Lord told us they would be out there.

The rise of false teachers demands discernment. You have to be discerning as a Christian. You can't be gullible. The second essential: you can be diligent with your resources. God has given us everything we need to be the people He wants us to be. Verse 20 again says, "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life."

We build ourselves up first of all through the Word of God. Spend time in the Word, because that's how you grow in faith. Secondly, we build ourselves up through prayer. He says building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit. We have Bible study and prayer. Praying in the Holy Spirit is a contrast to the false teachers in verse 19, who were devoid of the Spirit.

They couldn't pray in the Holy Spirit because they don't have the Holy Spirit. But we can pray in the Spirit, and that just means you're praying according to the will of God. You're praying and you're filled with God's Spirit, you're controlled by God's Spirit, and you come before the Lord bringing your requests from a heart that's yielded to the Holy Spirit.

Some people say he's talking about speaking in tongues. He's not talking about speaking in tongues. That's not even in the context of what he's saying. I had a friend of mine say if praying in the Holy Spirit means you're speaking in tongues, then walking in the Holy Spirit means you're walking in tongues. That's not what that means. It just means you're praying and God is directing your prayers and you're letting the Lord put those things on your heart and you're bringing them up to Him.

Now, here's how lots of us pray. We have a prayer list. It's good to have a prayer list. But if you pray through the list—blah, blah, blah, blah, blah—your mind is kind of checked out, you're just checking boxes, and you think that's praying. I remember talking to a guy one time. He said, "I still pray." I asked him how he prays. He said, "I have this list I go through."

I asked him, "Are you really thinking about what you're praying?" He was kind of surprised that I asked him. He said, "I don't know." Jesus talked about that. When you pray, don't use meaningless repetition. That's what the Gentiles do. That's what the heathen do. Talk to God from your heart.

If you were to sit down with Jesus, you wouldn't just put it on autopilot and just say, "Well, Lord, blah, blah, blah." You'd talk to Him. "Lord, I have this need in my life. Lord, I have this family member, this loved one who is in trouble and they're not ready to meet You and they need to come to know You." There would be an urgency and a vibrancy in that prayer. That's what he's talking about. We build ourselves up through prayer.

Thirdly, we build ourselves up through obedience, so that we're not forgetful hearers but effectual doers. He says in verse 21, "Keep yourselves in the love of God." That makes some people nervous. What does that mean? Does that mean that I can fall out of the love of God? Does that mean I can fall from grace, as it says in Galatians chapter five?

Some people think you can fall from grace and lose your salvation. They think if you don't hold on to God, you're going to fall away. That's not what he's talking about. He's saying you need to abide in God's love. Jesus put it this way in John chapter 15: "Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you. Abide in My love. Live in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love."

How do I keep myself in the love of God? By obeying Him, by abiding in His love, and by living in His love. Jesus said, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments. He who has My commandments and keeps them, he it is who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him."

If we're not spending time every day coming to the Word of God, directing ourselves back to "true north"—what is true, what is false—we start to drift away from the love of God. Jude is saying don't be a forgetful hearer. Don't read the Word and then not do it. Do the Word. That's how you abide in His love.

Jesus said, "Just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love." So I stay. I keep myself in the love of God. Nobody keeps the commandments perfectly. So what do we do when we sin? What do you do when you have a lustful thought that you grab on to, or you have bitterness that gets in your heart, or this sin or that sin or covetousness? You confess it.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. You don't wait till you get way over here. As soon as you feel yourself start to drift away, you should realize you need to get back here. You need to confess your sin to God so that you can get right with Him so that you can abide in His love and enjoy His love.

As Christians, we're commanded to walk by the Spirit and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit and the Spirit against the flesh, for these are in opposition to one another. There's a war that goes on inside every Christian. Every Christian knows what that's like, so that you may not do the things that you please.

If we give ourselves over and let the flesh win, then we carry out the desires of the flesh. We indulge the flesh in its corrupt desires. But if we yield ourselves to the Spirit, what do we experience? Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control. Against such things there is no law. So be diligent with your resources.

We're built up through the Word, through prayer, and through obedience. That's how we keep in the love of God. Then we need to have eager anticipation. We eagerly anticipate the coming of Christ. He says in verse 21, "Waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life." We should wait with confident expectation and wait excitedly for the Lord to come.

My father-in-law gave me a lapel pin with a trumpet I told you about that just had two words on it: "perhaps today." Perhaps today we'll hear the trumpet and the Lord will call us to Himself in the clouds. We don't know when that's coming. It's an un-signed event. The Lord says, "I'm coming, you just be ready." So we live with that expectation.

First Thessalonians chapter one says you're waiting for the Lord to come, who will rescue us from the wrath to come. John says in First John chapter three, "See how great a love the Father has bestowed upon us that we should be called children of God. And such we are. For this reason the world does not know us because it did not know Him."

"Now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we shall be. But we know that when He appears, we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure." When you live with the knowledge that Jesus could come back at any moment, you'll remember not to do certain things.

When you're tempted to lie, lust, cheat, or seek revenge, you remember you don't want to be doing that. The Lord could come back. You've got to keep yourself ready before the Lord's return. So we build ourselves up through eager anticipation. He is coming back, and we need to be ready.

Larry Nobles: Pastor Jeff returns in just a moment on From His Heart to conclude today's message, Godly Living in an Ungodly Age. Listen, if you'd like an enrichment in your Christian faith, you really can be reinvigorated by visiting the Holy Land. Here's Pastor Jeff to invite you to join him in Israel.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Hi, Pastor Jeff here, and I'm excited to announce that we'll be going to Israel in 2027. Our trip is set for April 2nd through the 11th, and we would love for you to join us as we walk where Jesus walked. This is truly the trip of a lifetime, as the sacred places you've only read about will now be seen up close and in full color.

You can find out all the details by going to our website, fromhisheart.org, and follow the link titled Holy Land 2027. I look forward to having you with us for this awesome experience in the land of Israel.

Larry Nobles: Well, that will be an unforgettable travel experience. Again, to get all the information and have your questions answered, go to fromhisheart.org. Scroll down just a little bit and you'll see the big graphic there about the Holy Land trip. All the information is available for you.

We pray that God will allow you the time to plan this extraordinary opportunity next year with Pastor Jeff. Again, go to fromhisheart.org. Now, to conclude today's message, Godly Living in an Ungodly Age.

Dr. Jeff Schreve: Lastly, essential number three: if we're going to live godly lives in an ungodly age, you can be active in your mission field. Your mission field is different from my mission field. You have friends that I don't have. You have people that you rub shoulders with that I don't know about. God wants to use you in your sphere to make a difference for Christ.

That's really what we're here for. In Acts chapter one, Jesus said, "It's not for you guys to know times and epochs, which the Father has fixed by His own authority, but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you shall be My witnesses." Now, we witness through our life and through our lips. We witness by shining and sharing.

Those two are critical. How we live—our shine—and what we say—our share—is how we share the gospel. We share what great things the Lord has done for us and how He had mercy on us. But if you don't have the shine, if your life is not matching up with the talk and there's a disconnect there, people will notice.

Not that you're perfect, because nobody is perfect, but you have to be genuine. You can't be living in sin and witnessing for the Lord because people aren't stupid. They will look at your life. We need to be active in our mission field as we shine and share. We need to remember that there are people in our lives at different stages.

Verse 22 says, "And have mercy on some who are doubting. Save others, snatching them out of the fire. And on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh." There are three types of folks in your mission field. Number one is the doubters. Those who are doubting need truth and love.

We speak the truth in love. That's the charge for Christians. Speaking the truth in love, we're to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ. Jesus said, "And you shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." Lies don't set anybody free. The truth sets people free, and we're called to speak the truth in love.

You have some friends and I have some friends who are in this doubting group. It could be a Christian who's starting to doubt or a non-Christian. We speak the truth in love. We have mercy and we're patient with this person, but we're speaking the truth in love to help this person see what is real and true.

In preaching—and that's all some of you know about me—you come and hear me preach and you might say, "That Jeff is just kind of harsh. He's just truth, truth, truth." I always want there to be love, obviously, but preaching is truth in love. Here's the difference: when I'm one-on-one with somebody, I'm not going to be like that.

It's not going to be speaking the truth in love; it's going to be love in truth. Jesus was full of grace and truth. One-on-one is grace and truth. To a crowd is truth in love. Why the difference? Because when I'm preaching, I'm not just talking to you; I'm talking to the whole group.

But if I'm talking one-on-one to you and you're telling me you're struggling with pornography, sexual immorality, or same-sex attraction, there is grace and truth. The truth doesn't change, but it is grace that is the lead foot. I care about you as a person. Because I care about you as a person, I want to tell you the truth because the truth is going to set you free.

So the doubters need truth and love. But then he goes on to talk about those who have taken a step down from doubting. These are the deceived. For these folks that are deceived, they need truth, love, and urgency. You need to know that this heart that's beating in your chest is a drumbeat to the grave.

One day this heart stops, and then you're going to be either in heaven or in hell. If you're not ready for your heart to stop beating, you need to get ready. One day will be the last beat, and then you're going to be in eternity. Are you ready for that? Those who are deceived need a dose of truth.

They need some cold water to hit them in the face and to be jerked out of their stupor to know they're going down the wrong road. That road leads off a cliff. You may be having fun right now, but that fun is going to run out. You may be living the life of the prodigal son, but one day you're going to end up at the pigsty. You need to come to your senses now.

Then there are the debased. Those who have given themselves over to all kinds of sin need truth, love, urgency, and wisdom. He says, "And on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh." Have mercy with fear. We pray for them and witness to them, but we're careful with them.

They've given themselves over to idolatry and sexual sin. We have to be careful, because as it says in Galatians chapter six, "Brethren, if a man is caught in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, each one looking to yourself, lest you too be tempted."

Be careful. I remember when I got saved, I knew that I couldn't keep going out with my buddies on the weekends. I could do stuff with them during the week, but when it came to Friday and Saturday nights—drinking, chasing girls, and carousing—I couldn't do that. They said, "Well, just go. You can be the designated driver."

I said, "I can't be around you guys doing that. That's too much temptation for me." I knew if I did that, I'd slide back into it. I needed to have wisdom that says that's not good for me to do. With your mission field, you have the doubting, the deceived, and the debased, and we need to be wise and speak the truth in love with urgency and wisdom.

Godly living in an ungodly age means shining and making an impact. How are you doing building yourself up on your most holy faith? How are you doing praying, obeying, and waiting in expectation of the Lord's return? When you first get saved, you're really excited about the Lord. But it's not a sprint; it's a distance race.

It's an ultra-marathon. The longer it goes, the more wonderful it should be. But for many of us, we start out excited and then bumps on the road make us quit growing. We tell people in membership class: Listen, God is not so concerned about the perfection of your life, but He's very concerned about the direction of your life.

Are you moving in the direction of the Lord and His Word, prayer, growth, and obedience? Or are you just coasting? When you're in the ocean going against the current, it takes a lot of effort. If you stop to rest, you don't stay in that spot. You get pushed backward by the current of the world.

We have to keep pushing forward. Are you moving forward in your Christian life? Are you growing? Do you love Jesus more now than you did last month, last year, five years ago, or ten years ago? If not, you've regressed. The Bible tells us grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

God wants us to live godly lives in an ungodly age to make an impact on this world for Jesus Christ.

Larry Nobles: As Pastor Jeff has pointed out today, it is so imperative that we progress in our faith. We hope that these have been heartening and emboldening insights for you today. If you'd like a copy of part one and part two of the message you heard today, you can click the listen link online at fromhisheart.org.

The message is called Godly Living in an Ungodly Age. You can also download a free MP3 of today's broadcast, and it's part of Pastor Jeff's series Faith Under Fire: A Study of the Book of Jude. That six-message series is our gift to you for your support this month of any amount. Just go to fromhisheart.org and click the Faith Under Fire link on the homepage.

Thank you for joining us today on From His Heart. Pastor Jeff began today's lesson with some questions: How are you doing building yourself up in your most holy faith? Are you moving forward in your Christian life? Are you growing? Do you love Jesus more now than you did last month, last year, five years ago, or ten years ago?

We pray today's lesson has helped you stop the regression and will help you learn how to grow in your grace and knowledge of the Lord Jesus, because God wants us to live godly lives in an ungodly age and to make an impact on this world for Christ. Our time has gone for today.

I'm Larry Nobles. Thanks for being here, and we trust that you'll be back next time for the final lesson in the Faith Under Fire series. Join us for the lesson The God Who Never Lets Go, here on From His Heart.