Turning Point

Guest (Male): The deconstruction movement has the world cheering those who turn their back on Christianity. How can you stand against this trend and firm up your faith? Today, on Turning Point, Dr. David Jeremiah shares a trio of tools from God's Word that you can put into practice right away. From the series, Where Do We Go From Here, listen as David concludes his message, The Falling Away: A Theological Prophecy.

Dr. David Jeremiah: And we're talking about tomorrow's prophecies and today's problems. And one of the things that looms on the horizon whenever you open that book is what's going to happen right before Jesus returns. And as we mentioned on Friday, there are many who believe that before Jesus can return in the rapture, there has to be a great revival among God's people. But there's no evidence of that in the Scripture. In fact, there's very strong evidence that exactly the opposite will take place. The Bible says there will be a falling away. In Second Thessalonians chapter two and verse three, we read about that.

And we're talking about that, we're right in the middle of the message and we'll get back to it in a moment. But before we do that, let me remind you that during the month of March, we have a very special resource that we're making available to all of our listeners who will help us with the gift this month. It's a brand-new publication called Understanding Biblical Prophecy, a 30-day Bible study. If you've ever wondered how to deal with some of the prophetic passages in the Bible, there' some really good keys in this little workbook, and we'd love to send it to you as our way of saying thank you for your stewardship during the month of March.

Thank you for investing in what we do. We have been doing this for a long time. We have never changed what we do. We open the Scripture and teach the Word of God, and because you help us do it, we can extend it far and wide around the world. So, with great appreciation, we say thank you, and we'll say it in a tangible way with the book Understanding Biblical Prophecy when you ask for it. Be sure to ask for it when you send your gift today. Here's part two of The Falling Away: A Theological Prophecy.

How many of you know that in our churches today there are many people who are with us, but they're not of us? They come to church, they hang around the edges, they love the excitement of the church, they love the joy of the church, they love the comfort of the church. But if they've never accepted Jesus Christ, they're not of the church. And it's possible just to be around the edges. And then the problem is, when trouble really comes and stress comes, a lot of things are revealed that you would never imagine. In his Olivet Discourse, Jesus said this: "And because of lawlessness, the love of many will grow cold."

How can this happen? How could anyone who has tasted the goodness of Christ in the church and the love of God, how could they ever fall away? Well, I'm going to give you three things that could happen, and I think they all are in play. Why do some people get discouraged and walk away from their faith? First of all, some people fall away because they're deceived. There are many deceivers out there today. Can I get a witness? But the most dangerous ones aren't the cheats who take our money. As bad as that is, there's a scam every day somewhere, but that's not the worst.

It's the ones who operate in the spiritual realm. According to the Bible, spiritual deception will cause many to fall away from Christ in the days leading up to the end times. First Timothy 4:1 and 2 says it this way: "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their own conscience seared with a hot iron." According to this passage of Scripture, there are unseen demonic forces that are operating in our world, enticing and deceiving people into abandoning their faith in Christ.

Their influence even in the church will only increase as we draw near to the end of history. It's overwhelming to see the deception that's going on within the church. You can watch it, you can see it. Maybe it's touched you or your family. You've been victimized by it. The passage in First Timothy warns of false teachers who traffic in lies and hypocrisy. These men and women attempt to cause spiritual damage and to manipulate God's people for their own purposes. They're cold, they're callous, and they're calculating. And Paul says they don't even have a conscience anymore. It's been seared. They have lost moral sensitivity and their spiritual compasses are broken.

That's the reason why some people fall away. They get caught up in a spiritual scam. Can I get a witness? We know people like that. Sometimes we end up having to pick the pieces up from people who have been hurt like that. Some people fall away because they're disillusioned. Here's a little parable that you all know, and I'm going to extract some things from this parable and make some assumptions along the way, but I believe they're accurate. In Luke 8, Jesus told a parable illustrating the reasons why people fall away from the Gospel.

You know the parable. He said there was this farmer who went out to sow seed, and he broadcast it over a wide area. And some of the seed fell on pathway or on road where it was trampled down. Other seed fell on a rocky soil, and as soon as the plants sprang up, they withered away, having no root. And some seed fell in a thorny patch and were choked by briars. And some of the seed fell on prepared soil, yielding a great harvest. When the Lord's disciple asked him to explain the parable, he revealed that the seed represented the Gospel message.

Here is Jesus' explanation of what that story means. He said, "Those by the wayside are the ones who hear, and the devil comes and takes away the word out of their heart, lest they should believe and be saved. But the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear, receive the word with joy and have no root, who believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of life, and bring no fruit to maturity."

Here's what Jesus was saying. The first reason people walk away from the Gospel is that the devil comes and takes the word out of their hearts. Did you know that? I sometimes have prayed, Lord, don't let the devil steal the word of God from the people of God before they get to the parking lot. Because I think that he's really active at the end of a service. Whatever you heard that maybe touched your heart or caused you to think something that you should think, if you're not careful, before you get out of this place, the devil comes and steals it right out of your heart.

The second reason's more complicated. Jesus describes those who hear the Gospel and they receive the word with joy. Listen to that. That means they're emotional. And these people are generally excited about Christianity. They've seen the brokenness of the world and they've felt the brokenness in their own spirit, and they know there must be something better. And these people encounter the truth and they receive the message with joy, and they're all excited, and they see a pathway to peace and purpose and meaning. It's what they've always been looking for.

But stony ground believers have no root. So when times of testing come, the Bible says they fall away. Many of these people are not looking for a Savior. They're looking for a solution. They want their problems to go away, and they don't want to surrender anything to get that. They want the blessings of belief without the burden of swimming against the cultural stream. And they like the idea of the Gospel, but they lack a personal commitment to Christ. Sooner or later, when they begin to be disillusioned, disenchanted, and disappointed, they just fall away.

I know people like that. Sometimes the people that are the most emotional about being saved are the same people who are the most emotional about what happens to them when anything comes into their life they're not expecting. And how many of you know God gets blamed for everything? Some people fall away because they're deceived, others because they're disillusioned. And the last one is probably where a lot of us would fit if we're in any of these categories. Some fall away because they're distracted.

Jesus' third explanation for the parable of the sower points to another reason why apostasy has been prevalent throughout history. Verse 14 of Luke 8 says: "Now the ones that fell among thorns are those who, when they have heard, go out and are choked with cares and the pleasures of life, and they bring no fruit to maturity." Jesus said many fall away simply because they get distracted. When forced to choose between spiritual things—following Christ—and physical cares and riches and pleasures of life, they can't see past their own noses. They allow the pull of desire to lead them. They let go of their faith in order to grab all that the world has, and they grab with both hands, and there's nothing left to hold on to Jesus with.

I know that's not a pretty picture, but what God has chosen us to be here for as his witnesses, this is a critical thing. So as Francis Schaeffer once said, how should we then live with all this going on? What should we do? I see what's going on in the world, and I understand what's happening. I don't remember it ever being like this. What does this mean? Well, I'll tell you one thing: it's sure easy to be discouraged if you consider the prevalence of this in the church and in the world, if you're a pastor especially.

Ladies and gentlemen, apostasy is not like an illness. It's not something that happens to you out of the blue. It's a choice. It's a decision you make based on your own values and priorities. So, what can we do today based on all that we've just heard and talked about? What can we do to protect ourselves from what might be happening to us as a culture? How can we make sure that we are never among those who fall away? I know this: there's not a person in this room who, if you sat down and talked to them and said, "Would you like to be among those who fall away?", nobody would say yes.

Nobody wants to do that. It's nobody's purpose to do that. You have children who've done that. You have friends who've done that. You know the pain of that. You don't want anything to do with that. So, how do we protect ourselves from that happening to us and to the people we love? First of all, examine yourselves. That's what the Scripture says. Second Corinthians 13:5: "Examine yourselves as to whether or not you're in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you?"

The most important thing you can do in response to this message is to make sure that you are truly a Christian. And you are not a Christian just because you grew up in the church. You're not a Christian just because your parents are Christians. You're not a Christian because you've lived a good life. You are not a Christian because you have served in the church and done great things for God. One of the most sobering passages in the Bible is found in Matthew chapter seven. Here's what it says: "Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of my Father in heaven."

Many, said Jesus, will say to me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in your name? Have we not cast out demons in your name? Have we not done many wonders in your name?" And I will say to them, "I never knew you. Depart from me, you who practice lawlessness." Is there a more stark, frightening verse than that? Jesus is not saying that good works do not matter. What he is saying is that good works will not get you to heaven. If you want to read more about this, I suggest you read the book of James when you get home today.

But go back to the Second Corinthian passage. It says, "Do you not know that Christ is in you?" Let me ask you that question. Do you know that Christ is in you? Have you put your trust in him? Are you certain that he's living in your heart? This is not some cultural Christianity. Sometimes people grow up in Christian families and they think, well, my parents were Christians, my brothers and sisters are Christians, I must be a Christian too. Not. God doesn't have any grandchildren. He just has children.

So, that's the most important thing. Has there ever been a time in your life when you have personally invited Christ to forgive you of your sin and become your Savior? That is what matters. That is what determines whether you are a true Christian or a Christian in name only. That's the one thing. If you get that straight, you will never fall away. Examine yourselves. Number two, encourage yourselves. I love this. In First Samuel 30:6, we read this about David. David was in one big mess.

He was in a fight for his life. His troops were all fighting with him. They left camp one day. When they came back, all their families had been taken, including their wives and their children. And David's their leader, and you can imagine how that went through the camp. And they hated David. They turned on him. They were going to kill him. He had nobody. He was totally all by himself. And this is what it says: "But David strengthened himself in the Lord his God."

Sometimes, even when we know that we are Christians, we get so discouraged that we begin to entertain doubts. That's when we have to follow David's example and encourage ourselves in the Lord. Life had reduced David's options to one. Sooner or later, life does that to every one of us. And the solution for every person is the same. When David's men turned on him in their despair, he encouraged himself in the Lord. When our faith is faltering, that is when we need to turn to God. There may not be anyone else around in whom you can place your trust, but you can trust God.

So, place your trust in him. Encourage yourself in your faith. Strengthen yourself in your faith. You will notice that all these passages use the word "yourself". You must not wait for someone else to do this for you. This is your responsibility. Yourself. There's some things we need to do. First of all, we need to examine ourselves and make sure we're in the faith. You can all do that. In fact, you don't probably have to do much of an examination. You already know. Secondly, encourage yourself.

You say, well, I'm kind of down now about my faith. Well, I'm sorry about that, but there's not anybody going to rush to your help. So, learn how to do it yourself. Learn how to take care of yourself in the Word of God. Learn how to take care of yourself in building up your most holy faith. It's good to have people help you. It's wonderful to be in a small group where somebody encourages you. But that's not always going to happen. So, you better learn how to take care of yourself.

Number three, exercise yourself. I love this verse: "Exercise yourself toward godliness." First Timothy 4:7 and 8: "For bodily exercise profits little, but godliness is profitable for all things, having promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come." If you want to stay confident and strong in your faith, it is important that you keep growing in your faith. Stagnant faith is the devil's playground, and he will fill your heart and mind with doubts just when you really need God. It will occur to you that he has not been very important to you late in life.

Some of you walked with the Lord really closely, but you've gotten so busy with everything. Maybe your business is in trouble and you got family problems and all that. And you said, well, I'm just going to put God on hold until I get through this. The worst thing you could ever do. When you're thinking that you can get by without God, that's the time when you need him the most. Andrew Murray wrote this powerful paragraph. I don't want you to miss this. He said, "In commerce, in study, and in war, it is so often said there is no safety but in advance. To stand still is to go back. To cease effort is to lose ground. To slacken the pace before the goal is reached is to lose the race."

The only sure mark of our being true Christians, of our really loving Christ, is the deep longing and the steady effort to know him more. Tens of thousands have proved that to be content with beginning well is the first step on a backward course that ends in losing everything. The whole point of the argument is let's press on. What is he saying? He's saying the best thing you can do to assure yourself of your walk with the Lord is just keep walking with him. Set new goals for the things you're going to do with Christ.

Ask him every day, Lord, what can I do for you? How can I be a part of what you're doing? Show me the way to be involved in the kingdom. If you just want to be a bystander and sit on the sideline, you are a target. If you're going to be a target, at least be a moving one, right? Moving forward to do something for God. Earlier in this message, I mentioned the book of Jude, the small one-page letter near the end of the Bible. It's a great little letter. Most people don't ever read it or preach on it, but Jude was writing to Christians who were having all kinds of pressure in their lives.

Most of the leaders of the early church had been killed. Peter, Paul, and James left both churches and individual Christians feeling very vulnerable, as you can imagine. In the darkness of that moment, Jude wrote this letter and provided a ray of hope. In just two verses near the end of his tiny little epistle, he explained to Christians how to remain committed to Christ. Here's what he said: "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, keep yourselves in the love of God." Jude was speaking to Christians, and the phrase "building yourselves up" conveys the idea of not just a one-time event but a rather lifelong process.

In other words, Jude tells us to keep building ourselves up, to keep our eyes wide open to what we're doing to strengthening ourselves spiritually. If we keep building ourselves up, we will not be targets for the enemy to pull us away from our faith. You know, it's possible to start out well, to love Jesus with all of your heart, and then all of a sudden one day you realize things aren't the way they used to be. That's what happened to the people in Ephesus. And God had warned them, and John wrote this in Revelation 2.

He said, "Nevertheless, I have this against you, that you have left your first love. Remember from where you have fallen, repent, and do the first work." John said to the people in Ephesus, "At one time you were really red-hot for God. You were on fire. Church was open for something that needed to be done and you were the first one to volunteer. Anything that could help move the ball forward for Christ, you were on the team. But then suddenly a lot of other things came along. Like we read about in the parable, you were choked out by everything that's going on in the world.

And if you're not careful, your faith can be marginalized until it really has no impact on your life at all." That's what John told these people in Ephesus. Their faith had grown cold. So, my encouragement to you is not to let that happen. Nobody gets to fall away. You got it? I'm just telling you right now, it's not allowed. Not allowed. But you need to recommit yourself. Maybe it's time for you to do a little self-examination and ask yourself, am I walking like I once did, or have I allowed all these things to push me away from the God that loved me so much that he gave me his son?

I'm going to tell you a story about a young girl named Leyandiz Rodriguez Espada arrived late for the Wegmans Family 5K on a brisk spring morning in Rochester, New York. She was 12 years old at the time. Her mother dropped her off at the starting line before leaving to find a place so she could cheer her on as she ran the 5K that morning. The mother expected to wait about an hour, pick up her daughter. At the starting line, Leyandiz realized the race had just begun, so she just jumped in with the other runners at the back of the pack, concentrating on putting one foot in front of another.

It wasn't until around mile four that she began to realize something was wrong. The finish line was nowhere in sight. After asking a few of her neighboring runners how much longer the race would take, Leyandiz realized her mistake. She was not part of the Wegmans Family 5K; she had instead entered the Flower City Half-Marathon. This race was not 5 kilometers; it was 13 miles. She didn't know what to do. She decided to just keep going. By this time, her mother was beginning to panic.

She contacted the race organizers, and a police officer eventually found her daughter on the half-marathon course. Even then, 12-year-old Leyandiz refused to quit. Eventually, she crossed the finish line after running a full 10 miles more than she originally planned. And her mother was waiting for her there, crying tears of joy. "I see her with a medal, and I thought, oh my word, she ran the wrong race. Like, for real." And she decided to just keep running and not give up.

And that's my challenge for you today. When you feel the pressure to let go of your faith, you decide instead to keep running and never give up. Remember, this is your choice. Jesus is with you. He will keep you from falling, and he will empower you. He has every intention of presenting you faultless before the Father once your race comes to an end. So until that moment, just keep going. Keep running. Don't look back. Don't give up. Commit to building up your faith and the faith of those around you.

And let me give you a little benediction to end this message and to bless your life. This is Jude's benediction at the end of that one little chapter I told you about. Listen to what he said. This is the blessing he wrote to those who would read his letter, therefore to all of us. The blessing of Jude: "Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forevermore."

Now unto him who is able to keep you from stumbling. Praise God. We can say we're not going to let you go, but God doesn't let you go either. When you place your faith in him, when you trust him, he will keep you from stumbling. He won't help you through the stumble; he'll keep you from it. Put your trust in him. Make sure you're walking with him. Make sure you're really a Christian. And then have victory in your life. And you're going to need all of that because of where we are in life today.

Someone said you got to decide whether you're going to be an admirer of Christ or a follower of Christ. You can't be both at the same time. You have to be one or the other. Oh, if you're a follower of Christ, you will admire him. But if you're just an admirer and you're not a follower, you won't make it. Let's determine that Jesus Christ is going to be the center of all that we do, and he will help us with all we do not understand. Amen. Amen.

Hey, we're about halfway through this series, and we've been talking about some very pertinent things that have to do with what's going to happen in the future and how it affects what is happening today. And tomorrow, we're going to talk about end-times people. Sometimes people say to me, "It seems like people have changed over my lifetime." I think you could probably make a good case for that. Back when I was growing up, a man's handshake was his word, and I'm not so sure it's that way as much as it used to be.

We used to talk about a person being a good person, and there's still many good people, but a lot of things have happened. And you know what the Bible says? The Bible says in the end times, people are going to be in a certain way, a biographical prophecy. Second Timothy 3:13, we're going to talk about that tomorrow right here on this good station as we open our Bibles together at Turning Point. Thank you so much for listening. Thank you for praying and giving and making it possible for us to do what we do. We'll see you next time right here on this good station.

Guest (Male): Today's message came to you from Shadow Mountain Community Church and Dr. David Jeremiah, the senior pastor. How is this ministry drawing you closer to God? Let us know by writing to Turning Point, PO Box 3838, San Diego, California 92163. Visit our website at davidjeremiah.org/radio or calling 800-947-1993. Ask for your copy of David's new book Understanding Biblical Prophecy, a 30-day Bible study. It's yours for a gift of any amount. You can also download the free Turning Point mobile app to instantly access our content. Search in your app store for the keywords Turning Point Ministries. Visit davidjeremiah.org/radio for details. That's davidjeremiah.org/radio. This is David Michael Jeremiah. Join us tomorrow as we continue Where Do We Go From Here on Turning Point with Dr. David Jeremiah.