cover of What Kind of Persons Ought We To Te In Holy Conduct and Godliness?

What Kind of Persons Ought We To Te In Holy Conduct and Godliness?

What Kind of Persons Ought We To Te In Holy Conduct and Godliness?

Christian Biblical Church of God

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Mr. Steve Durham discusses the message titled "What Kind of Persons Ought You Be in Holy Conduct and Godliness?" Mr. Durham emphasizes the need to wake up and be aware of the difficulties and tribulations that may come in life. Steve mentions the persecution of Christians in Rome during Nero's reign and the importance of being steadfast in one's faith. He also introduces three individuals mentioned in Colossians and Philemon: Luke, John Mark, and Demas. Steve highlights the importance of learning from these examples and developing a holy, righteous character. He also urges listeners to be fully persuaded in their beliefs, to guard their thoughts and actions, and to remain committed to God and their calling; finally, he emphasizes the need to pay attention and not slip away from the teachings of Christ. Welcome, everyone, to GoToMeeting2. It's a joy to have you here with us today in Indianapolis and with you around the world. So hope you enjoy the Sabbath and the message today. The title of the message is What Kind of Persons Ought You Be in Holy Conduct and Godliness? It's a good question for us, isn't it, as we walk through this world and try to navigate the difficulties that come at us with God's Holy Spirit toward the kingdom of God? So I'm going to read this. Let's turn to 2 Peter 3, 9. We'll read that right now. 2 Peter 3, 9. It says, Sometimes people get lazy and they get laxed and we forget that there actually is going to be a second coming and that there is going to be a tribulation and there is going to be some difficulties ahead of us. So we fall asleep sometimes, and that's typical. We have our ups and downs. We need to be shaken up. If you look up the word wake up or awaken in the Bible, it's a major theme within the Bible. We realize that Christ at that time, the setting that Peter wrote this in was that they realized that Christ was not coming back in their day. That realization was starting to set in. And there was a general attitude at the time of laziness or indifference. And we're going through Hebrews right now. We're seeing that. That warning is prevalent throughout Hebrews. And indifference in some of the church members. And think about the parallel today. Sometimes we run into the same problem in our own personal life and the churches of God around that we see. It seems sometimes to be laxed. Now, I think there's more of an awakening going on now. But this is certainly something for our personal life. Christ can come back at any time. You know, there's no guarantee that we're going to live forever. Just recently, a gentleman that had been in the church has been in the church for a long time. And one of my mentors and teachers, Mr. Ames, died suddenly. And I brought this back to memory that Christ can come at any time for any of us. Also, the brother of James had been martyred. Paul now is in prison in Rome. In general, it's not a popular thing to be in Rome and be a Christian at that time. And this is around the 60s, 63, 62, right in there. Nero was the emperor. And you know how Nero went around and rounded up the Christians and persecuted the Christians. So they were pretty much tolerant of the religious expression in Rome at that time. But if you were a Christian, then they weren't. So it's sort of the same thing that was going on is going on here today. It's becoming more and more unpopular to be someone who believes in Jesus Christ. So they began to experience a greater persecution at this time. So let's go back to 2 Peter 3. He says, Rather, he is longsuffering toward us, not desiring that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. However, the day of the Lord shall come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens itself shall disappear with a mighty roar, and the elements shall pass away, burning with intense heat, and the earth and the works in it shall be burned up. We all know this. We all understand this, that the plan of God, this is the culmination, moving toward the culmination of the plan of God. He says in verse 11, Since all these things are going to be destroyed, what kind of persons ought you be in holy conduct and godliness? Again, a good question for us. It's a daily reminder that we need to be striving and working on our human and carnal nature. I heard a good message last night relating to that. Kind of ties in a little bit with what I'm going to talk about here today. Allowing God to work in us so that we can grow in grace and knowledge. Allowing the Holy Spirit to lead and guide us is very important. To be aware, to keep focused on God and Christ and that calling that we have. To be sons and daughters in his plan, in the kingdom, in the future. We're begotten now. We're representatives now. We're learning to do that and we will be in the future. Helping him bring in and usher in the rest of mankind. Today I want to speak about three individuals. Three individuals, two of them we know very well and one we probably haven't heard about very much. We're going to learn about him. It's very important for our personal growth and for our moving forward in this time we have left. So we find these three people mentioned in the book of Colossians and Philippians or Philemon. Luke, John Mark and Demas. Now Luke we know and John Mark or Mark we know. But many of us don't know too much about Demas. Maybe you do if you haven't heard anything about him. We're going to learn about that today. Now God puts things into the Bible. He puts examples and individuals into the Bible for us to learn from and to see their example and grow from that. It's not a matter of comparing ourselves because we have all sinned. We all fall short and we focus on Jesus Christ as our guide, our example first. But as we see Christ in these other individuals or maybe a lack of Jesus Christ in these examples, we can learn for our own personal life how to better walk with Christ and have developed that holy righteous character that Christ wants us to develop. So if you'll turn to Philemon 1, we'll see these three introduced. Philemon 1.21 says, I wrote to you because I am fully persuaded. And that's an interesting statement. We've heard about fully persuaded in Romans. Paul talks about Romans 4.21. He talks about Abraham being fully persuaded. And that's how we should be. There shouldn't be any variance in our belief. We should be like a laser on it, straight, believe exactly what Christ says. Have no doubt. Trust him. Trust his word. Be taking it apart, parsing it. When we hear something, making sure that it's true, going back and checking like the Bereans did, rightly dividing the word. Being fully persuaded so that we walk in that every day. And we think with the thoughts of God. Those thoughts then give us the speech. And the speech gives us, and the thoughts give us action. Action so that we can develop that holy righteous character and be exercising that. So he says, I write to you because I am fully persuaded of your willing compliance. You know, you're not coming into this kicking and screaming. You're coming into it because you want to be there. That you really believe this. And it's not lip service. It's not a charade. It's not hypocritical. Knowing that you will do above and beyond what I ask. But in addition, also prepare lodging for me for I hope that through your prayers I will be granted release to you. He was in prison. Paul was in prison when he wrote this. Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Jesus Christ, salutes you. As do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke. John Mark, Demas, and Luke. My fellow workers. Now these were three individuals that, four individuals, but three individuals that were in good standing when this was written. That were working with Paul to help bring, do the missionary work that he did of setting up churches and going around and establishing the church. They were fellow workers. In good standing. So today we're going to learn about these three. We're going to learn a little bit more about Demas. And see his example. But we're also going to compare Mark and Luke. And how are we to walk in godly conduct? How are we to fulfill what Peter says? Demas is mentioned because he wants us to learn, God wants us to learn from that example. Not to duplicate it. Okay? But to learn from it. And these are very valuable lessons that we pick up. A warning for us today. It helps us see what kind of person, again, we ought to be in holy conduct and godliness. What's our commitment to God and Christ and our calling? Are we holding on? Are we just holding on? Or are we on fire? Are we firm in the faith? Steadfast? Strong? Or let the cares of the world pull us down? Are we still got one foot in the world still? Are we still looking back? Are we still longing to go that direction? Or are we totally committed? Do we check, guard the door of our mind and check the things that come in our eyes and the things we hear? And our thoughts. Are we getting in line with what God's thoughts are? And allowing those to be our thoughts. Growing in holy, righteous character. So these are the lessons found in the persons of Luke, Mark, and Demas. In the book of Hebrews, we're going through that in Bible study right now. In Hebrews 2.21, Paul reiterates this same attitude and situation that he finds in the area. In Colossae, in Philippi, in Laodicea. Laodicea is just down the road from Colossae. So in Hebrews 2.21, Hebrews 2.21, Paul makes this statement. Actually, in 2, 3, and 4, he talks about them slipping away and falling away. And not listening and not hearing and not acting on it. Several times, at least a dozen times. He says, for this reason, it is imperative that we give much greater attention to the things which we have heard. And Paul was a witness. He was an eyewitness. And there were several eyewitnesses still alive at that time. So he says, we need to give much greater attention to the things which we've heard. Why? Lest at any time we should slip away. For if the word spoken by angels was enforced without fail, and every transgression and disobedience received just recompense, how shall we escape, if we have neglected so great a gift? Salvation. How great a salvation, which is a gift. Which was first received when it was spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard him. And he's referring to Christ. So they were eyewitnesses. They heard him. They're giving them firsthand account. And he says, wake up. Don't slip away. Listen. What was going on again? What was going on in the society around them? And what happens in our world around us? Whether it's personal or in the society? Same kind of thing is happening. What's our charge? We should be in a bubble. We should be in a complete, isolated, insulated, rather, bubble. So that it doesn't affect us. That we're in that peace and joy. And that we have that mind that Christ wants us to have. We trust him. We lean on him. We watch everything that happens. We give it to him. And when we do what we need to do that he leads us to do. So let's focus on Demas here. As we look at these three, we want to say, not that we're comparing, but which one do we want to be like? Do we not want to be like in our life? Why is this example in the Bible for us? Okay, if we put ourselves in Demas' shoes, how are we doing? What kind of person ought we be in holy conduct and godliness? Okay, again, I want to just say, again, our goal, our example is Jesus Christ, always. As we see Christ in people, that's when we follow him. If we don't, we don't follow him. We question it and we work out our own salvation and make sure that we're on track. We're to imitate him. Okay, so let's hold off on Demas for a second. Let's go to Luke. Luke was steadfast. Now, we don't know a lot about Luke, but we know enough about Luke. I'm going to tell you some things about Luke, the things that we do know. We see that he was steadfast. He was always with Paul. He was a fellow worker with Paul. It's interesting that he was a physician. In Colossians 4.14, Paul refers to him as a physician. He mentions him in passing. He was under the direction of Paul to write. He was there as sort of a glorified scribe, if you will. But he was a note-taker. He observed everything and he wrote down everything. Actually, he was under Paul's authority or jurisdiction or watchful eye. He wrote 30% of the New Testament. That may be something we don't realize, but he penned it. Now, Paul was responsible for most of that. But Luke was right there with him while he was in prison, while he went through 2 Corinthians 11, all the things that he did. It's interesting that he was a physician and Paul needed a physician in his life, didn't he? It's interesting that he was there with him all the time. And he never included himself in what he wrote, in his narratives, in the writings. He never said, you know, I Luke this and I was there. But he was a constant companion to Paul. He was a dear friend, it says in Colossians 4.14. He's a fellow worker. He was steadfast. He was reliable. He was dedicated. He wanted to be there. He was fully persuaded. And a true friend to the end. Luke would certainly be someone that we would want to emulate. As was he the character of Christ in him. And the loyalty that he had. He didn't turn his back on him. He didn't walk away from him. He didn't give up and walk away. And you could always rely on Luke. Never let Paul. Okay, now we go to Mark. Mark started out strong. You know, he was zealous. He was a young man. He started out strong. But he lost sight of the goal. Temporarily. He was reluctant. He gave up for a while. Now, does this sound like any of us? Have we had times in our life where we got on fire and then we kind of gave up a little bit? We're still there. But we give up. We lose the momentum. We may even leave church. But come back. In Acts 13 and 5, we won't go there. But I'll just tell you a little bit about the story about Mark. You know a little bit of the story. He left Paul and Barnabas in the middle of Paul's first trip. When Paul and Barnabas went to Crete or Cyprus, there was only one convert. And there were a lot of demonic problems on the island. And obviously, Mark, he got to thinking, you know, this is pretty rough. I wasn't in for this primitive camping thing. I thought we were going into the Hilton over here to stay. You know, things are getting rough over here. This isn't for me. And so he leaves them. He leaves them high and dry. He goes back. He probably goes back to mom or back to the house. And he turned back to an easier life. But later he repented. He had a change of heart, a change of attitude. And I can tell you one individual that I know very well that left for a while, about 12, 14 years, and came back on fire, just totally on fire, and has done well. So that happens. God doesn't want anyone to perish. He's always there. He's not going to let anyone take you out of his hand. You can take yourself out of his hand, but he won't let anyone else do that. So he'll stay with us all the time. So Mark eventually wrote the book of Mark, didn't he? And the second time that Paul got ready to leave and wanted to go back and see the churches that he had established. And he starts to go, and Barnabas agrees to go, but he said, you've got to take John Mark with you. And Paul refused, adamantly refused because of Mark's previous desertion and the way he acted. He was a quitter at that time. Paul needed somebody more dependable. So look at the characteristics that Mark later grew into that Luke already had. Now, the interesting thing is that Mark was Barnabas' cousin. That's why when they split, Paul took Silas and Barnabas took Mark. They were family. And I think he learned a lot, and we know he learned a lot. He learned dependability. The quality of being able to be counted on. Dependable people are reliable, right? They do what they say they're going to do, and you can trust them. And God does that too. And God in us, we should become reliable. We should be trustworthy, dependable, honest, and responsible. These are traits of a person who answers the question, what kind of person ought I be in holy conduct and godliness? That's the kind of person that Christ was. And demonstrating those fruits of the Spirit as well. Love, joy, peace, long-suffering in difficulty, kind, even when it's not popular to be kind, hard to be kind in a carnal way, goodness, faith, meekness, and a whole lot of self-control. Okay, they had that sharp agreement, Paul and Barnabas. They separated. But later, Paul asked to bring Mark with him when he was in prison. And he said, you know, he's profitable to me. So Paul had a change of mind as well about Mark. They got back together. And he reinstated him in a way by him asking for him. You know, I guess you don't read between the lines that they made up, if you will. He calls him, in 5th Amendment 124, a fellow worker. Mark is with Paul again at the end of his life. Paul sends a request to Timothy from the Roman prison to get Mark and bring him with you because he is helpful for me in the ministry. That's 2nd Timothy 411. We won't go there. So obviously John Mark had matured through the years and had become a faithful servant of the Lord. Paul recognized his progress and considered him a valuable companion. To Mark's credit, he repented and came back. And Paul, to his credit, recognized it and accepted him. So now let's look at Demas. Remember, we're asking the question, who are we? What kind of person should we be? And God gives us these examples. And it's funny, he puts them all in two books, three books for us to see as they're together. Now Demas, I'll just tell you ahead of time. We're going to read the chapters, the verses. He gave up and went back into the world. And you don't hear anything else about him. He's gone. How many more people, how many people have we seen that way, that we knew, looked good, sounded good, cleaned up well, had a great voice, good speaker, looked like they were doing great, in the inner circle, gave up and go back to what? I don't know. I know one minister who went back and became a Catholic priest. Go figure that. So where were their hearts? We don't know. We don't know at the time. We can't read the heart. We're not to be judging or condemning. Rather, the fruits and the things that we see, we can evaluate. So we see Demas. He gave up and he went back into the world. Like Mark did, but he didn't repent, apparently, and come back. He gave up completely. He fell away. All the warnings that were given, he fell away. So we've seen people like that. Again, the question is, which one are we? What do we want to become? Who are we becoming? And how are we doing on this walk this way, this walk to the kingdom of God and to service in becoming a fellow worker, becoming a servant? So he's mentioned in three places, as I said. Philemon 123, we read that. Calls him a fellow worker. That's an honored statement from Paul. I mean, it is. That's an honored statement. He didn't say that about everybody. He also included him along with Mark and Luke and Aristarchus. So there was a team there. The bad thing about this is the hurt that Paul had was that he counted on him and he looked to him. He was probably blindsided because he left him and just left him at a time when he needed him. He was in prison facing, you know, possible death. And here he walks out. He walks out and turns around and leaves him because things look bad. Okay, Demas was trusted and honored. He was seen as someone who was on the surface committed to the truth and committed to service. But what was in the heart? Again, God's the heart knowing God. What we see are the fruits. He was probably a man of some maturity in some ways. Obviously, not in every way. Advancement, maybe some knowledge, had some skills and abilities. He seemed to be on board and sincere. You could say, as we've said in the past, he was a pillar, seemingly a pillar in the church. So let's read Colossians 4.14 where Demas is mentioned again. Before we talk about that, it's said at Colossians, this is a prison epistle. It was written again around 60 to 64. It was about 20, 30 miles from Laodicea, which is interesting because the church of Laodicea we know about. Well, Colossians was in the same situation, and the book of Hebrews was written to the same environment, the same things that were going on were addressed. So again, not a good place to be in the Roman world, especially being in Rome. If the book was written, I mean, if you're in prison in Rome, you're in bad shape and you're a Christian. Okay, so Colossians 4.14 says, Masters, give that which is just and equal to your servants, knowing that you also have a master in heaven. Important concept. Continue steadfastly in prayer. Notice he says, continue, don't give up. Stay with the basics. Stay with the essentials, prayer, Bible study, meditation, fasting. Stay with them. Don't give up. And watching in it with gratitude and thanksgiving, a positive mind, a positive attitude, not negative, not complaining, not, you know, talking about the leadership, not talking about this person. No, stay in focus with thanksgiving and praying for us also so that God may open to us a door to proclaim the message of the mystery of Christ, for which I have also been imprisoned. So there he is. He's in prison. And so, you know, there's coming a time, too, where people will be thrown in prison. I know that sounds foreign to us, but project, if you have a vision, and you're a visionary or a person that could see things around, just protracted out what's coming. And we can get even more involved in that. But the time is coming when we're going to have to stand up for what we believe and have a true, sincere, heartfelt, fully persuaded understanding and a personal will to do that, to follow God and Christ in face of prison and possibly what comes from prison. You know, we don't know. But if we're not exercising that now and we're not being challenged and standing now, we will fall at the time we're confronted. So do we run? Do we stay? What kind of person ought to be in holy conduct or godliness? Holy righteous character isn't just a game. It isn't theatrics. It isn't something that you put on and take off. And you look good, and then you don't. I mean, when you have time on your own, you're different. And when you're in front of people, you're one way. Or you learn how to say things. You learn how to say things in front of a minister or whoever so that you sound good. This was Demas. He says in verse 4, that I may make it manifest as it is necessary for me to speak, walk in wisdom toward those who are outside the church, redeeming the time. All right. This is something that in Titus and Timothy is a requirement for an elder. They have a good report outside. How do you respond to the outside? Have you left the world? Or you have one foot in the world? Does the world think you're pretty good? They like you? Then you're probably doing something wrong. Because it says the world's not going to like you. It didn't like me. It's not going to like you. So how do we deal with those outside the church? And then he says, redeeming the time. Stay focused. Be careful. Don't be deceived. Don't go back to those outside the church. Don't go back home. Don't go back to your old job. Don't go back to your old friends. Don't go back over here. You're known by the company you keep. You're known by the, I don't know, the programs you watch on TV. The things you think and you're out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks. If you sit and listen to someone long enough, you'll know where they're at. They'll tell you where they're at. If they're with God and thinking of God, walking with God, that's going to come out. They're thinking about, you know, the ball game or whatever, and the guys going out on Friday nights and all that, and they're talking about that. That's what's going to come out. So he says, don't be pulled back into the world. You need to see Christ in us. And remember that the world will eventually be part of the family. Remember that, that they will be. So we don't judge them. We don't condemn them. But we don't pout around and buddy-buddy with them and go where they go and do the things they do. We don't let them pull us out. So this possibly gives us a clue about Demas and what was going on in his mind and also what was going on in Paul's mind after Demas left, how he responded to it. Redeem the time. Paul had, you know, things had become lapsed. Time was getting short. Paul knew that the temple probably, I would guess, that he knew that Christ wasn't coming back, and the words that he said about the temple in 70 A.D. were going to come true. This whole system was going to fall. And Paul knew that. He said, get going. Things are going to happen. Redeem the time. In order to avoid being a Demas, you know, we make mistakes. And we have to look at ourselves. We have to acknowledge it, identify it before God, repent, and get back on track. Mark, you know, we had the ups and downs. Luke didn't have as many ups and downs, but I'm sure he had the same proclivities that all humans have. But we see in Luke a completely different person than John Mark, and then especially in Demas. He says in verse 6, let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how to answer each one. That's having the mind of God and knowing the Scriptures and knowing what God says. Having it internalized in the inward man. Being ready to give an answer. And don't be intimidated, he says. It says in 1 Peter 3, 15, where we see that Scripture. Let's read 12. 1 Peter 3, verse 12. He tells us something we know about giving an answer, but he says something else about being intimidated. Are you intimidated when you come up against the world and they're asking your friends or asking you things, and you're embarrassed and you're ashamed? Well, there's a time to give an answer and be bold. And out of the abundance of the heart, out of the mind and the heart, you'll answer. Now, you need to be wise, too. It says in 12, because the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous. God is always watching us. His ears are open to their crying, their supplications. But the face of the Lord is against those who practice evil. And is there anyone who will harm you if you be followers of that which is good? Nobody can take you out of his hand. And don't worry about those that can kill you. They can kill the flesh, but they can't kill the spirit. They can't take away your eternal life. Now, on the other hand, if you do undergo suffering for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. But you should not be afraid of their terror. And you should not let yourself be intimidated. Demons have been intimidated. He looked around. He saw Paul was in prison. He saw things weren't going well. He had seen all the things that happened to Paul. He said, this is not real. This isn't what I want. I didn't sign up for this. And he left. They left him in the lurch. He left him at the most difficult time in Paul's life. He walked out on him. How's that for a friend? How's that for a fellow worker? You know? So, this is even more. It was really on Paul's mind. It really bothered him. He saw the persecution in Rome and persecution around. And things were going south. The Christianity was beginning to go this way because of all the things that were happening. He says in 15, but sanctify the Lord in your own heart. That's important to know how to be, you know, walking godliness. What kind of person should we be? Sanctifying God in your own heart and always being prepared to give an answer. It has to be alive in you. It has to be real. It has to be something that is you. It becomes you. To anyone who asks you the reason for the hope that is in you with meekness and reverence, if you don't know why you're here, you can't give an answer. So, it will come from the heart if it's real. With Demas, it was a charade. It was a facade. It looked good. He gave lip service to it. He knew all the right things to say. And you can fool people for a long time that way. Learning how to do and how to say and how to fit in, you know, with church speak, if you will. All the right moves, all the right things. It's a heart thing. It's a heart. God knows our hearts. He knows the righteous. He knows those that are trying. He knows the imperfections. And he knows that if you fall, if you're like John Mark, you'll get back up again. And you'll be all right. Peter is saying here, stand firm. Don't be swayed by the world or deceived or intimidated by those outside. And don't go back into the world. Christ said, I don't pray for them in the world. I pray that he keep them from the evil one. But they are not of the world, just as I am not of the world, he said. So in Colossians 4, continuing here in verse 7, Colossians 4, verse 7. Tychicus, a beloved brother and a faithful minister, it's interesting, and a fellow servant in the Lord, will make known to you everything concerning me. I send him to you for this reason, that he might know your circumstances and might encourage your heart. So he's sending them out into this situation of doubt and laxity and, you know, slipping away. He sends him out to encourage them. Together with Onesimus, a faithful and beloved brother, who is one of you, they will make known to you all things that have taken place here. Aristarchus, my fellow prisoner, salutes you, and Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. Okay, and then verse 11. And Jesus, who is called Justice, who are all of the circumcision, they are my only fellow workers for the kingdom of God, who has been a consolation to me. And in another place he said, everyone in Asia has left me. You know, remember, things are falling apart. James has been killed, martyred. 70 AD is coming. Persecution is increasing. Christ is not returning. Things aren't looking good. Just sort of the same way in 72-75 when everything fell apart. It didn't really fall apart, did it? Because it wasn't part. The body of Christ stayed. The church worldwide left. We stayed. It resides in your heart. It can't be taken out. It is with you. It is always going to be there. It will never perish. It will never fail. It will always be there. There will be those that fall away. That's sad. And the warning needs to go out. Okay, let's go to 13. For I bear witness to him that has much zeal for you and for those in Laodicea. Notice he mentions Laodicea. And for those in Heropolis. Again, the whole area was experiencing this. That's why the book of Hebrews was written. Then he says in 14, Luke, the beloved physician, salutes you. And Demas also. At that point, Demas was still in good standing. He hadn't made that cut yet. Salute the brethren in Laodicea and Memphis and the church in this house. After you have read this epistle, see that it also is read in the church of Laodicea. And that you also read the one from Laodicea. Lukewarm, cold. You're cold nor hot. I'll spew you out of my mouth. Okay. Don't slip away. Again. So this third reference to Demas is in 2 Timothy 4. Again, we're going to see a little bit more here. This is where the change of heart comes. Now, not the change of heart to the truth like John did. The change of heart to actually show where he was and what his intentions were. And that he was giving up and he was walking away. So in 2 Timothy 4, we see that things have changed with Demas. He's changed a heart about serving and following this way. And he quits. Again, thinking about the time we are in today. He says, I charge you, therefore, in the sight of God, even the Lord Jesus Christ, who is ready to judge the living and the dead at his appearing and in his kingdom. Now, when is judgment for us? It's on the house of God now. He said, I didn't come to judge the world, but to save the world. But he will. Judgment will come. But right now it's on us. So it behooves us to walk in godliness. Preach the word. Be urgent. In season and out of season. Convict. That's what the word does. Rebuke. Encourage with all patience and doctrine, true doctrine. For there shall come a time when they will not tolerate sound doctrine. We have seen that and we'll see it again and it will continually be with us. We have to be prepared for that. We have to know how to give an answer, the true answer, and be working on that. But according to their own lusts, they shall accumulate to themselves a great number of teachers, having ears itching to hear what satisfies their craving, saying to me smooth things. I want to hear that. I want to hear something good. I want to hear something that I can do. I want to search the churches out to find a church that fits me. Because I don't want to do this truth. Okay. And they shall turn away their own ears from the truth. They won't have a love of the truth in 2 Thessalonians. They'll be deceived. They won't have a love of the truth. We are to have a love of the truth if we're to walk in godliness. And they shall be turned aside to miss. But as for you, be vigilant in all things. Endure hardships. Do the work of an evangelist. He's talking to Timothy. And really it's for us, too. In a way, we are all exposed. We may have an effect on people around us. Do the work of an evangelist. Fully carry out your ministry. Not like Demas. I have fought a good fight. And this is something we should say. We should be able to say this. You know, while you're laying there on your deathbed, if you have enough consciousness to say, you should be able to say this. I have fought a good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith. What more can you say? And then, from this time forward, a crown of righteousness is laid up for me. Paul knew that. And it's there for us, too, in Revelation 3. Which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me in that day. And not for me only, but also to all who have loved his appearance. Be, again, the warning. Be diligent to come to me quickly. He said, I don't know how much time I have. I don't know when they're going to come and get me. He said, but please come. Be diligent to do that. Make that a priority. Now, he says this. Upon all of that, he knows. The situation he knows he's in. Verse 10. For Demas, from prison, for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present age, and has gone to Thessalonica. Now, we know Thessalonica. We know he went there, but that's all we hear about. Thessalonica was a big metropolis. It was a big, shining city. It was one of the major cities in the area. And it had a lot of bells and whistles. And I don't know if he had ties there, had a family there, had friends there, had a business there, or what. Why he went there. But that's what it says. He loved this present age. Only Luke is with me. Steadfast, diligent, faithful. Then he says, get Mark and bring him with you. Because he is profitable to me for the ministry of the word. Now, how did he know that? He had heard. He was getting reports back. Mark was on board, and he was working hard and diligent. He had changed. He was back with it. And he reinstated him. He reinstated Mark for the ministry of service. Change of heart. Back on track. Reinstated. So, Danis was seen and considered as sort of a pillar, a fellow servant to Paul, somebody that was there. He was trusted. He was on track. But he had a change of heart about his calling. He was giving up. And he was giving lip service to the truth. The attitude and the heart finally came out. And he goes back into the world. And he does not return, unlike Mark. When the going got tough, he left. The tough get going. Well, he ran. He cut. He flipped away. He fell away. His heart was not in the calling. He was not fully persuaded, fully committed. Like it says about Abraham. In order to stay the course, you've got to worship with a sincere heart, not just lip service. Isaiah 29, 13. Isaiah 29, 13 tells us this. Then the Lord said, And that was in Isaiah's time. We could say that today. Man hasn't changed. Human nature, karma nature has not changed. This way of life has to be deep within us. Psalm 51, verse 6. David. David repented. And he says this. He learned a lot. And he brings that to us to learn. Way of life has to be deep within us. Psalm 51, 6. Behold, you desire truth in the innermost being. And in the hidden part, you will make me known. Make me know wisdom. Again, what kind of persons ought you be in holy conduct and godliness? Wake up, he says, Paul says. Don't be like Demas who has forsaken me and Christ. Forsaken me and Christ. Because that's what you do. You're forsaking Christ. You're denying Christ. And he'll deny you. That's why we have to be so careful. In our thoughts, in our speech, in our words, in our deeds, in our action. Not to deny Christ. Not to go back to Thessalonica. Not to have a love of the world. Whatever that would be. It's different for all of us. Have the character of Luke, the character of Christ, in Luke. Don't quit. You can look up James 4 for don't have friendship with the world. Whoever desires to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God. Again, it has to be written in our hearts. I delight to do your will, God. Your law is within my heart, he says in Psalm 40, verse 8. And that covenant, we're going to go over that in Hebrews 10. 10-16, I'll just read it to you. This is the covenant that I will establish with them after those days, says the Lord. I will give my laws into their hearts and inscribe them in their minds. You can't leave if that's there. There's no way. Somehow there's a disconnect. It doesn't happen. That's why it's so important to stay the course. Stay on track. Stay focused. Every day, don't have a day go by that you aren't praying and that you're not studying and thinking about God. And don't be weary in well-doing like demons. Don't get burned out. The sacrifice of serving wears you out. It can do that. It can get weary sometimes. But only in your mind. If your mind is correct, if you have a mind check, get back positive and see all the positive things God has done and has done and will do, and the love that he has for you, he'll never forsake you. How can you, if you don't give up, you're not, but you've got to be careful about losing heart in well-doing. He tells us in 2 Corinthians 4. For this reason, we do not lose heart. That the outward man is brought to decay, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. 2 Corinthians 4, 16-18. For the momentary lightness of our tribulation is working out for us an immeasurable greater and everlasting fullness of glory. It's a mouthful, isn't it? Basically, it's working us toward the family of God. And we're glorifying God in our lives, in our speech, in our thoughts, in our actions, in our walk, in our representation of the Father. We're glorifying him. And then we receive glory in the future. While we consider not the things that are seen, but the things that are not seen, just like Hebrews 11. For the things that are seen are temporary, but the things that are not seen are eternal. You know, serve with the heart. Hebrews 10, 25 and 6, right after that, says, 22 says, Hebrews 10, 22. Let us approach God with a true heart. With full conviction of faith. Fully persuaded. Our hearts having been purified from a wicked conscience. And our bodies having been washed with pure water. Let us hold fast without wavering to the hope that we profess. Don't do lip service. It has to be in the heart. Hold fast without wavering to the hope that we profess. For he who promised is faithful. And let us be concerned about one another. You know, loving God, loving our neighbor. And be stirring up one another unto love and good works. Not having, you know, victory and complaining and backbiting and stabbing and gossip. And trouble and offenses and things that happen. None of that helps. Not to get us to this point. To walk in a godly manner. Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together. As some are accustomed to do. But rather encouraging one another. And all the more as you see the day approaching. If we willingly, if we willingly go on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth. Apparently that's what Demas did, apparently. There is no longer any sacrifice for sin. What happens? A terrifying expectation. Think of Lazarus and the rich man standing over there gnashing his teeth. But a terrifying expectation of an inevitable judgment. And a fierce fire which will devour the adversaries of God. God is a consuming fire, also says in Hebrews. Did Demas have his focus where it needed to be? An eternal focus and perspective? No, he did not. The world pulled him back. And the spiritual warfare, we can go on and talk about that. We have to put on all of that. And seek the kingdom of God first. That's our perspective. That's our priority. And all of that matters. So we have to hang in there. We have to fight the good fight. Stick with it. So we've seen that Demas gave up. John Mark had a lapse and came back. Luke stayed with it. Who do we want to be like? We may be like two of them. We don't want to be like the third one. So Demas went back. Mark turned away. But Luke stayed steadfast, firm in the faith. Mark came back as well. God gives us an example for warning to us to stay the course and be diligent. Faithful and endured to the end. If we do, we can say as Paul did. As he faced the end of his journey. As he said to Timothy, remember what kind of person should you be. Holy conduct and ungodliness. He says in 1 Corinthians 15, 58. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable. Always abounding in the work of the Lord. Knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord. Colossians 3, 12. Put on then as the elect of God. There it is. How do you do that? How do you walk in godliness and holy conduct? Colossians 3, 12. I have many other things, but this sort of encapsulates it. Put on then as the elect of God. Holy and beloved. Deep inner affection. Kindness. Why be mean to people? Why not get along? Why be negative? To be nice. Why be all that? It's so much easier to be these things. It takes work to be mean and ugly and nasty. And manipulate and plan and plot. You know, that takes work. He says, holy and beloved. Deep inner affection. Kindness. Humility. Meekness and long-suffering. Forbearing one another. Forgiving one another. If anyone has a complaint against another, even as Christ forgave you, so also you should forgive. And above all these things, put on love, which is the bond of perfection. Let the peace, and notice this peace, that all these things fit into. It's like grace, peace, and all these things fit into. The peace of God rule in your hearts. To which you were called into one body. And be thankful. You know, it's like when a wolf is caught in a trap. He chews his foot off. Sometimes we're mean, mad, and upset with people. We chew our foot off. We're one body. We wouldn't do that. Why would you do that? And be thankful. The blood of Christ dwell in you richly. In all wisdom. Teaching. Admonishing one another. In psalms and hymns. And spiritual songs. Singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. In everything. Whatever you do, in word or in deed. Remember, it's in your mind. It's going to act. You're going to act on it. How does it get in your mind? Through your eyes and your ears and senses. Guard the door of your mind. Only let the good things in. And in everything, whatever you do in word and in deed. Do all in the name of the Lord Jesus. Giving thanks to God and the Father by him. Okay, a warning for us not to turn. Hopefully, we can think about these things. Meditate them. Try to put them into our lives. Try to operate with those. With Luke and John Mark. With Christ. That's really what we're seeing. And all that we learn. And if we can, at the end of our lives. As we have time to meditate and think about it. And reflect and say to God. In 2 Timothy 4, 7-8. As Paul did. 2 Timothy 4, 7-8. I end with this. I have fought a good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith. From this time forward. A crown of righteousness is laid up for me. Which the Lord, the righteous judge. Shall give me on that day. And not me only. But also to all who love his appearance. So have a good Sabbath. And see you next time.