Enlightened but Lost

Let's go to Hebrews chapter 6 this morning.

Give me were very intentional at the true church conference to be focused on taking sound doctrine in the looking at just how can we apply these things in the local church course.

The Scripture gives us much in the way of application of sound truth into church life were not issued in pragmatism and audition what works were interested in what shows off God's wisdom and glorifies God. We want the church to give the statement to the world that God is all wise in his power will accompany his word in building his church and so I try to dedicate my time to look at the text doing the exegetical truths and build off our 40 years of doing it wrong and finally learning how to do it right.

So much of what I will share with you is is is born out of the laboratory of us, some struggling with how does this look in.

I would say the great majority maybe all of those who connected with us as a church plant or partner basically came and said the same thing.

Can you show us what it looks like we believe these things we just haven't seen it or experienced it in my pat answers and many of you remember this is will you I can trust you. We've done everything wrong and I mean that genuine this church looks absolutely nothing like it looked 3035 years ago that we begin the reforms to be pleasing to God.

But the one thing that drives is the glory of God. And this conviction that God's glory are the centerpiece of God's glory for both time and eternity as his church for time that's local churches, so we passionately want to see this churches function in his truth by his power, which will magnify his glory and the earth and blot on a chase this thing very long because I never get off of it. But if you want to impact society for justice and goodness then build sound churches. I believe in us sloshing over affect sound churches slosh over the basalt and the like.

The culture need, but I'm telling you, if Satan can get us chasing those secondary things he'll get us off of the long difficult work of pastoring true churches for the glory of God. What were in Hebrews chapter 6 and brothers encouraged me to revisit this approach through Hebrew some years ago and they don't get this way when I print Summit simply four years to get there. Hebrews and it's encouraging but it's discouraging because when you get through. You think men I need start over again do that right.

I learned so much in going back and re-studying this text I just learned so much. Again, the, the word of God is inexhaustible is absolutely rich is God's truth and by the way, was that a good word last night. All my goodness, appraisal, and then after I go this morning. Tom nettles is going to come. I was going to say my old church history professional thing that Tom is your old him is just been long time since I was there in both of these men have impacted my life for good. But why could not be given just one of their brains. I mean I hear these guys.

I wanted I get a brain like that reminds me of what Tom Adrian Rogers said about top Dr. RG Lee when he became the pastor of the Bellevue Baptist Church is a Dr. Leith when you dock can make take your brain out of your head and put it in my head. Dr. Lee sits on that be like putting up a grand piano and a broom closet. Thank God that in his sovereign goodness and grace. He can use us regular guys.

Hebrews chapter 6 beginning in verse four. I've got a little allergy throat thing so bear with me for in the case of those who have once been enlightened and I've tasted of the heavenly gift, and it been made partakers of the Holy Spirit and tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come, and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance as they again crucify to themselves the son of God and put him to open shame for the ground that drinks the rain, which often falls on it, and brings forth vegetation vegetation useful to those for whom safety was also tilled, receives a blessing from God.

With yields thorns and thistles, it is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned were talking about pretenders unmasking the tragedy of unregenerate church membership. I don't say a lot on that other than just to say that's been our experience. The second case of church discipline. We had here.

Grace, like church were 3+ decades ago when that happened was to remove 500 people from our membership roll and by the way, we didn't do that exactly right. We did the best we knew Hal and understood that we learned a lot since then, of how to more wisely do that because we didn't actually know fully the case of all 500. We just knew we couldn't find him and those we could find were not interested so we early on, and I mean I had been a Christian all that long.

I didn't grow up in church I came from agnostic backgrounds unconverted off. I joined the Southern Baptist Church. The notice of the bed was was honestly still not sure what they are and by the way, some of the God listed best men I know are Southern Baptist, without exception, good men of God that I respect that I appreciate greatly what is become a big tent with a lot of stuff in it is difficult to deal with, but nevertheless, some in those days I become a Christian I join a Baptist church, and I do start learning and I begin to question why is this this way and often I would talk to older pastors. I select just waiting in such a that's the way it works in. I thought what is not biblical: thank God for church history.

I go study church history I find out what babies used to do it the other way can we not still do it that way today so that was kind of the background of my heart and are reforms. One of the key things is this whole thing of how we receive members and how we discern us faithful pastors and elders, who are those the Lord is adding to his church can emphasize that for moment brothers and sisters. It's his church.

It's his bride. We are under shepherds. We are stewards of another's property in this day and so we set out on a quest to your grace life to learn how to do that better and I think at the last of the baddest convention not taking on so the Babson day, but they are the largest Baptist Protestant denomination. I think they said that we we lost our brother gained 7 million new members in the last 20 years lost over 6 million members and that doesn't include those who died and so the gist of huge turnover we all know that the average situation is 3050% of our membership rolls are people who never even attend church. It's a tragedy it's it's it's inside, it's up great disservice in this honor to our ward to not strive to do with it the look I've been at it for years. I don't think you can work harder and you're still not going get perfect okay but that didn't mean we don't need to try to do a better job making sure Christ's church looks like what Christ wants it to look like now the book of Hebrews was written. Of course, to the Hebrew church the Jewish church certainly was written to strengthen them in the faith obviously was written to hold some of them back from a pasta sizing or at least being on the road toward apostasy particularly is that his brother Tom pointed out yesterday, the Judaizers are the emphasis to secret ties. Grace with law, which can't do once you do that you disgrace. But that's what was common in that day and so we have this passage that I'm convinced speaks to those who had a work of God in their life who had things going on under the influence of Bible preaching in the Holy Spirit's work that brought them perhaps close to conversion, but they were not yet converted. Spurgeon said this, it will be equally terrible to be aroused to escape the wrath to come and then shake off the warning influence to go back to our instance abilities and every awakening which is thrown away leaves the soul more drowsy than before.

Now, in looking at this again.

I believe strongly that Hebrews 4 verses four through six over the whole section is dealing with those in the church who are not truly converted.

I particularly believe that among the Jewish congregation. Although the cognitions that were predominantly Jewish. There's a lot more this and even among the Gentile congregation of those are always some so I think as you as you exegete Hebrews I think you need to keep that in your mind that he's writing to a congregation that is is a mixed multitude and he certainly comes down to brass tacks in this section of Scripture. Let me give you some thoughts here and this will help us in all this comes at the end. Please get all three of my session so we can piece it all together with some application for how we do our work of receiving members okay with forgetting to end well first of all, introducing why I believe this is referring to those who are not yet saved. Number one, we need to remind ourselves there is a non-saving repentance's there is a repentance that is not associated with true conversion. The Greek word for repentance is used which is commonly in the day the Scripture for being written and it has basically the simple idea to think differently. Afterward, the original word to think differently.

Afterwards we just blitzed through some text here. John 670 and 71 Jesus answered them that I myself not choose you.

The 12 and yet one abuse, the devil are is a devil should say that he meant Jesus the son of Simon the spirit, for he one of the 12 is going to betray him. We have Judas among the 12 and Jesus says I chose you.

But yet you are a devil interesting. John 1327 and after the morsel. Satan then entered into him. Jesus therefore said to him what you do quickly chronologically going forward. Matthew 27 three when Judas, who had betrayed him, Saul, that he had been condemned, he felt remorse same Greek word, as that's always used for repentance, but obviously this is a non-saving repentance. He'd look back and he saw some of the difficulty and the bad consequence of his choices he felt bad about it. He felt bad afterwards. That's repentance.

But it's a non-saving repentance is nothing to do true conversion and then the reflecting on Esau and Hebrews 1217. You know that even afterwards when he desired to inherit the blessing. He was rejected for he found no place for repentance.

The lease offer it with tears. There was a remorse after the fact of selling his birthright.

He does feel bad about it. That is the consequence that it brought in the negative consequence, but this is not saving repentance and then second Corinthians 710 of the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation. But in contrast, the sorrow of the world produces death as a sorrow that's associated with a true biblical saving repentance and is a sorrow that is worldly that centered on self and not our offensiveness to a holy God that can be you could use the word repent for it, but it's not a biblical or saving true repentance is coming to right thinking coming to right thinking right thinking about yourself. You begin to view and embrace who you are, according to whom God says you are a wretched deplorable enemy of God, holy and woefully offensive dues only law you begin to think right about God is not just on a higher version of us are little better version of ICS is transcended in holiness is radically different from us and superior to us in glorious above us, we become to right thinking about salvation. Salvation is none of us and none of our works are none of our religion. Salvation is by grace through faith in his son Jesus Christ.

Sometimes I'll use the phrase there's a primary repentance and a secondary repentance. Often when we preach repentance we talk about drinking and smoking and cussing and all the other things that we ought to preach about but that that never ends medevac that you get converted in and you grow in Christ and grow closer to this holy God, you find more and more. You need to repent us. So if you tell a guy you got repent of all your sins. He can't do that you don't know them all yet so I call that a secondary repentance, you can do secondary repentance and not have repented under salvation. You can be sorry about some bad stuff you've done and not be sick, but a primary repentance is I turn away from. I reject anything and everything other than Jesus Christ. I turn for many of hope and religion in baptism and an morally or ethically cleaning up my life. I turn from any hope in anything other than simple abandoned bankrupt dependence on Jesus Christ. That's primary repentance. The primary repentance will always have the secondary repentance.

Their inseparable. Jesus didn't doesn't save you just get you over your drinking problem. Are your lust problem that he does want to do that you want you to turn from looking to all others other than himself, turned him well I got off track their there's a non-saving repentance. Secondly, there's a non-saving faith test is the Greek word for faith. This means the conviction of the truth of anything just coming to a conviction that something is true not been asserted when you've come to conviction about what was required for salvation that is that you hold it to be true.

John 32 Nicodemus, this man came to him by night and said to him, Rabbi, we know, Nicodemus, please something here. We know you've come from God as a teacher for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with Nicodemus is. We know you come from God. We know that God is giving you this power he believed some true things about Jesus, but it's not was not a believing under salvation.

Agrippa acts 26 2728, King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets, I know that you do. Agrippa replied to Paul in the short time you will persuade me become a Christian. Agrippa believes some things genuinely this is not a saving faith or saving belief. First Corinthians 15 to buy what you've also been are saved, if you hold fast the word which I preached to you, unless you believed same Greek word again believed in vain. A believing here, but a believing that has no saving of fact of believing not connected with true regeneration and then James I.

We think of. Often you believe that God is one James 219 you believe that God is one. You do well.

The demons also believe in shutter demons believe, but it's a non-saving belief, non-saving faith and I'm going to really dive into some things about James two and the third session that connects to limit though this thought out. At this point that Tom, I'm convinced, biblically hope to show this clearly that the one true almost 100% proof that one has come to saving faith is an enduring love for a true church and enduring love for the local church that is strict and not to me that an enduring love for the average evangelical congregation. I me once a church has functioned in the truth and is walking in the truth, let's say, a good majority of their attenders are really regenerate and have a gospel humility if you're not drawn to that. If you can abandon that you're not audience while use a lot of text to show that truth and probably the third session number three. The terms used here are not the normal terms to describe the saved.

He says in verse four that these people were enlightened verse four again. They tasted the heavenly gift verse four. Again, there are partakers of the Holy Spirit versus four and five. They tasted the good word of God. They tasted the powers of the age to come to notice your tasted tasted tasted three times and then enlightened and then partaker now. In contrast, Jesus didn't say takes this bread, he should eat this bread different record to me to swallow and devour. So I believe it's it's very clear that the author makes a strong effort here to show those who are being wrought upon by God's spirit, something true is happening to that happening to them. There beginning to grasp.

There's up and lightning RRR are illumination in their hearts and minds about the true things of God. They may be showing some outward manifestations that look like the real thing but they only tasted they didn't swallow they were close but not yet truly converted. For example, contrast the word enlightened taste taste or tasted and partakers with the typical New Testament terms for true conversion. For example, saved salvation belief, trust, faith called elected chosen born-again made alive with Christ, new creation, and many others was a very different type terms than just tasted our enlightened so it seems that the authors going to great and I'm convinced it's call going to great pains to point out there's a difference here between what I'm talking about concerning these people and those who are truly converted a good cross reference for this is Matthew 416. The people who were sitting in darkness saw great light. There was something about a little in the moment illumination. There was something of an enlightenment that went on with Jesus being present them. Hearing and teacher here of his teaching his miracles doesn't mean they're all saved those who are sitting in the land of the shadow of death upon them a light doll because seeing the light and receiving of the light are very different thing. I'm convinced in my ministry. Far too often, honestly because I didn't really know well how to counsel a seeker that I often added people to the local church who were enlightened but not truly converted knob will have to brought a word of caution here because some of your like me you you struggle with the OCD idolatry. You're just you. You see something like this you come out of the, the loose, shall job easy believe this approach to adding church members and you go too far and you almost make a 20 year process for somebody can join the church. That's why brother John LCM's message on church discipline is essential for you to hear so you can understand there is a backside to this thing that there will be those who come in despite our best efforts and were not to wait for full mature spiritual fruit before reversing someone for baptism and that's why we have a provision given to us by God to remove those from the Fellowship to prove they were never really others. These things work together, and I would say probably the thing that Tom both Tomas and the thing that forced us to fullbore Reformation here was church discipline. I kept thinking why my disciplining everybody in the world. In this church is 30 years ago and it's stiff. God said to me, and I don't mean that literally like the Gothic Dr. Rogers again said that it did God say that the he said well he got tea that is it was louder than that. It was like so clear that God said when you got a problem on the front end.

You better get down the doctrine of evangelism and the doctrine of conversion and the evidences of true repentance and faith. You need to get that down. If it is what tickles me the guys who argue with me in this whole thing bought on the Tracy's rep this whole thing a spontaneous baptism as well as how good you guys doing church discipline you get safely church this but I guarantee useful change. Some your notions about spontaneous baptism, church discipline is not fun.

We may have been more of it than any church in the southern edge convention.

I mean, that we may have.

I don't know. I'm not bragging, but this may be true, it's never been thought is taken a will take a decade off my life. But if you get honest about church discipline in the cause you to get honest about our my approaches to receiving members in the church. Biblical and sound will get back to what were about here receiving members and trying to discern is this person just enlightened are they truly converted number for the context is clearly talking about the unconverted in verses seven and eight were seven aces for the ground that drinks the rain in the context here the ground that breaks the rain includes both false professors and the truly say they drunk in some of the truth of Christ, which often falls on it, and brings forth vegetation. That's the truly say useful for those for for those for whose sake it was also till receives a blessing from God. Never say but in contrast the other group that drunk in some of the true rain the gospel. The truth of Christ. I drink some of that in it yields thorns and thistles is worthless and close to being cursed, and it ends up being burned.

Is this not the perfect parallel to the parable of the soils seed fell on the hard ground.

Birds took it away. Those trees will need a roll of seed and then the seed fell on the rocky ground didn't have any depth and it sprang up quickly, but it is scorched in the sun. It had no lasting fate wasn't true. Something true happened. They look like God was doing something the lots and I believe based on this text. God was doing something, but they did not come true conversion, then the thorny soil sprouts up in gets choked out, no fruit, but then last one. The good soil and it yields a crop. Some hundred votes and 60, some 30 number five.

Reasonably this is referring to those who have never been truly converted if they are saved in the none say they cannot be saved. The second time he received six and then have fallen away, it is impossible to renew them again to repentance as they again crucify to themselves and some God and put into open shame and context. I believe he is talking about someone who sits Christ aside and fullbore re-embraces the law of Moses and said this is my approach to salvation if they do that they basically hold Jesus at the say he is worthless put into open shame. So I want to be careful here that we don't get too simplistic. And remember the historical context he thought of those who often so what I'm saying is that maybe a lot of people somewhere in between fullbore apostasy and being enlightened, but not yet converted but basically what were talking about here. These are hypocrites. These are pretenders. These are not true converts look like the real thing and ultimately over time they are shown to be that by the fact that they fall away from the true church, a healthy glory God focus, Christ honoring Bible saturated local church now dissecting the enlightened just some thoughts about this word enlightened.

In verse four.

Let's look at again for the case of those who have once been enlightened in any ads on and I think these things, overlap and interconnect have tasted the heavenly gift been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, verse five tasted the good word of God and the powers of the age to come. I think I got six messages on that there is just a lot there.

First of all that we can grasp this mystery see that you can't completely grasp if you think this thing is going be like a mathematical formula and were going to come up with something whereby we can check out these eight things and know for certain, for God to be received in the church are not is not happen. It's almost an art form but in fact when 30 or so years ago when I became so convicted that I knew we were wrong. I knew what we were doing was wrong. I did know what was right and thus the true church conference in a country's ministries would just put together to help other guys in that struggle, what, what's a good pattern to follow. Not an absolute was a good pattern to follow to try to do this right and so I told the staff nobody's gonna counsel with anybody here is coming for baptism except myself. I didn't do it because I didn't how I didn't do that because I did not have confidence in the staff. I did it because I needed the practice. I need to pray. I did open the word I need to counsel with seekers until I felt that I had some good wisdom about what this true conversion look like and again in third session will get down to brass tacks on how we approach that here in and were not perfect. I can say this, I would say at least 90% of our baptismal members.

New members are faithful to years later and honestly I'm not exaggerating, 30, 35 years ago is directly opposite of that. My my problem with with evangelicals and venison generally is why nobody's asking these questions my front you know who we going to cooperate with when churches are woefully unwilling to do any of this. How do we plant churches together. How do we do missions together even though there's good and godly men might affect on a lot of good and godly pastors out there in their hands or just tied and they're just not able to get anywhere and they tried the best I know how my heart goes out to them up.

But the point is, this is God's church deserves our very best efforts for his glory dissecting enlightenment.

The Greek word for enlightenment here is a word that just simply means to shine a light to illumine, but something that's interesting. This particular Greek word is used. Nowhere else in the Bible for conversion. That's pretty strong. Nowhere else is it used in reference to the new birth, the conversion, so when you say the word.

They were once enlightened, it does not mean that they heard and believed it doesn't mean they heard and understood they were grasping some real stuff. They were beginning to see some real things, but they had not come to the point of true conversion. In John 19 there was the true light with coming into the world, enlightens every man did mean their members say Ephesians 118, talking now to believers. Ephesians 118. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened.

The words that you keep gaining more knowledge, not the gaining more knowledge, did not convert. Then there is to grow in their conversion are to grow in sanctification.

So that's the way this word is used. There so these unbelievers gain knowledge but did not have changed hearts the work of the spirit has occurred whereby their minds were made capable of understanding some of the things of God, a grace gift of mind enlightened knowledge was given to them and I'm convinced this is a step beyond the natural knowledge of God's revelation through creation and content all men are accountable under the wing outside the broad umbrella of the general call of God in creation and conscious is is prima part of that but it's more than that, there are those who are wrought upon in some ways by the preaching of the gospel in the spirit whereby they are in the light need but not yet converted these things are spiritually appraised. First Corinthians chapter 2 verse 14 tells us a spirit that the only way they could begin to grasp and embrace some of the thing concerning Christ and the gospel in true salvation was that God was enabling the word of God is a blazing light to the unenlightened is like a blind man before the sun.

He must be enlightened before he can understand something of the things of God that he could limit backup and and and throw this out there it in my pilgrimage as a pastor and I want to know my pilgrimage is is is repenting and growing and repenting and growing this in every but I came to realize some time ago that I had the most simplistic view of the Holy Spirit is like God the father is sovereign and infinite God the son is sovereign and infinite, but Holy Spirit goes to our three little simple things. That's all in good he can restrain sin in the world. He convicts the world of sin and righteousness and judgment to come here to draw centers and perform regeneration. He helps us understand the Bible and illumines our understanding as Christians, but he didn't do anything else. I going to that more detail in the next session. But this text made me grapple with the Holy Spirit has a lot of things he dies and he didn't call the badness committee meeting to find out if he can do it. He just does what he does. According to his own will. Obviously the will of his father and will talk about some of those with more detail in the next session will now three rock all conclusory PAs conclusions for practical application from the truth of this text. It might be 25 but I just want to point out three things were done. Those who are enlightened yet lost they know or believe it's true, but it's not experiential, they know something is true they that they're drawn to it. They say it but this not experiential knowledge that have a general knowledge but not experience or can I say again, we believe in experiential religion you must be born again you did not just come to intellectually embrace some facts about Jesus Christ. Something happened in my car in February 1979 listing to a gospel preacher on the radio.

I cannot explain it except to open the Bible.

Later in Bible teachers later begin teaching forgot that's it. That's what happened. I did know to call it say of the picture you got say this at say from what I know to me. I just knew God invaded my life and there was a huge joy and an end piece, the love of God was overwhelming to me through Jesus Christ. And then I don't have this picture theology but then in the next several weeks. I came to a heavy sense of my woeful sinful condition before God explained that you can't you can't manufacture that's not a seminar but you got experience those type things to know that your years experiential religion. Will there there there's there's a general knowledge not experience logic to those who are enlightened in say there's also that experiential knowledge a couple cross-references. Ephesians 118, 19, I pray that the eyes of your heart, not just the mind the eyes of your heart might be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of his calling.

One of the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints what is the surpassing greatness of his power toward us who believe, and these are in accordance with the working of the strength of his might.

That just disbelieved with experience what you know to grasp to embrace to experience the power of God in your life if you go from the moment of conversion and through your sanctification and growth as a child of God. Romans 724. As Paul says wretched man that I am.

That's not just an intellectual assent Paul expresses he feels this so first of all, the enlightened and lost. Have a general knowledge but not experiential knowledge. Number two. It's mind centered and not heart centered mind centered and not heart centered can can can do not you know I'm just going talk plainly pastor.

The pastor or church leader church leader. Have you brothers found out that when you put the banner up that I'm a reformed Baptist that you draw some really crazy people some really crazy people benefit you get them first brother safe you get them first, and God tends to see if you get through them for you gives you the good guys and I know it is funny but but it's no fun.

Satan planted a lot of tears among the reformed. I'm not so sure we do need better than the Arminians just because they fly the banner and I got the right confession in their drawer goodness really mean they've experienced a, a conversion that brings forth a gospel humility whereby they love their local church and love their Christ and love their elders and love the word of God and can say no to their personal preferences. Are there idols of whatever it is you know why because it's all it's all in just a mind thing her heart had been changed it's pitch mind centered and not heart centered William go was my go to commentary for Hebrews. If you go to preach the Hebrews you go get go. He says the enlightened and lost have the word swimming in the mind only. It has not dived into the heart.

Your website then lightened and save the hardest deeply affected by fear him, trust him the desire to know him to walk in his truth limit costume you hear.

I like the way the Puritan settlers. The germ of these things. At least there there's there's the seed of these things shall be careful that you're not looking for a full bearing the fruit in these areas. But there's a see them. Here's what you found when you counsel someone about their conversion and you start showing them what the Bible says about living the word of God hating sin, etc. you'll see that they didn't really think about it that much. And once the word said they line up the say yes so we counsel someone were not counseling them to tell them with another site. We use the word of God so that they can tell us yes patient with the word system. That's what I've experienced is out of the heart, John 17, three, and this is eternal life, that they may know you, not just know about you know you the only true God and Jesus Christ and that was sent, number three, then lightened and lost. Have a knowledge that makes them proud actually hit on allegedly a knowledge that makes them proud. Now a new convert in one who hasn't been prep perhaps taught Weller.disciple and discipline. Well it's gonna have the residues of pride constantly creeping up so don't mean the absence of pride, but I mean there is the trajectory of confessing their pride in rebuking their pride and growing more and more in humility to honor God and serve God, and again this should always be seen in the expression of the devotion and faithfulness to a local church. We we are rapidly local church. Saturday they could, in truth, all we do is send out preachers and plant and revitalize churches. We don't do anything if you got basketball for Jesus I pray sort of that we don't do that.

We just a local church is, that's, that's, you know, you know, I've even challenge some of my brothers about what I call expositional idolatry. You can't do much more exposition than I do in the last 40 years. But you can't get the point where you think exposition is the end exposition is not the intent not the end the true church is the end.

As far as I know when we get to heaven will be no expository preaching, but there will be a church.

I don't misunderstand me, you cannot come up with anything in your theology on your methodology. Local church don't come from sound exegesis of the day my fact is we preach the books of the Bible hear this happen more. 20 years ago the now we come to something in the text to realize were not doing that. So we have a business meeting the next. We can change our policy may and that's just a beautiful white girl church. As you know the and and theology needs to be learned in the context of exegesis in a local church were being embraced and applied. That keeps the pride knowledge factor down when there has to be an application in the body, not just an accumulation in the mind though.

I'm very thankful for systematic theologies in all the help that they are. Here's what I'm saying. Nothing replaces the local church. Nothing. Anyway then lightened and lost. Have a knowledge that makes them proud. First Corinthians 81 now concerning things sacrificed to idols, we know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge makes arrogant love edifies these people can congratulate themselves on their understanding and on their virtuous works benefit they can make listen to be, they can make salvation by grace through faith, a proud work.

They can be very proud that they found the truth found the doctrines of grace that they found Calvinism. They found the truth and their very proud about it I can say this is that last very long, and there's not a contrasting journey into humility, and not so much pride they did. They got knowledge they didn't get the truth of the sovereign grace gospel, it hadn't affected their hearts right yet the church at Laodicea was was carried the pride of their wealth into their Christianity because you say I am rich and have become wealthy, and have need of nothing. You do not know that your wretched, miserable, poor, blind and naked.

I guess one of the best illustrations as Judas Iscariot gives Iscariot was an enlightened man but he was a lost man gives Iscariot get a good testimony of faith in Jesus, Judas Iscariot could teach others the things of Christ, but he was a hypocrite.

He was full of pride. He was in it for what he could gain the agenda was about himself.

I call it the idol of unmet expectation. He joined up with Jesus for what he could get out of it if Jesus would build this kingdom and give him problems in the kingdom the moment Jesus said no I'm going to a cross. That's where my kingdom. Jesus said Judah said, how I didn't get what I expected.

But as we need to make sure those who join our church of those who the Lord has added because those whom the Lord has added are those whom the Lord has humbled and when you show them that you're building a biblical churches with a safe, how do the toilets. I'll sweep the floors. I just got to get in on this if you want to know if there's any goodness to this local church I pastor it's that I have an army of gospel humbled people they do not care who gets the glory. They do not care who gets the credit. They just want to get in on God's work in God's church that this didn't happen overnight and were still working on it by way but we are at the place now and this is just the truth that if someone rises up grace like church with a proud spirit, and begins to be cause trouble. It never gets to my desk because my men fix it before it gets there. I knew we had turned the corner when I came back from one of my July break so I came back vice chairman of the elders of Patrick, we dismiss two people in church membership while you were gone. I thought all my goodness she didn't forget what it would and what you have food with it. Well some Wintel guys about building a true church. This I will how was it taken us a 20 years network card for 20 years before you're gonna see the church functioning on track and I hope I'm wrong I'll be the happiest man in the world. If I'm wrong, but you better. You better have a long-haul vision with a lot of peaks and valleys in the journey to get to church stored at least you can save the strong majority of my church gives strong long-term evidence of being enlightened and truly saved. Job said in Job 42 verse six, I retract and I repent and actions. It was a heartfelt, humble possession of the truth. Well, then lightened and lost Bible has something to say about that as pastors and church leaders must do our best without getting out of balance. On the other extreme, make sure we add to God's church.

Those whom he's truly adding to his