The Danger of Worldliness and the Duty of Prayer, Part 2

Today on Summit life with Judy Greer/okay the message is radical judgment is coming to Sodom and Gomorrah is not altogether different from what God says the time of life and only those he says found in Christ can be saved will be saved. How could you say you believe that and not tell somebody you see came on the back to another on Summit life with pastor Judy Greer at the summit church in Raleigh, North Carolina. As always, I'm your host Molly benefits pastor Jenny continues with the story of Lot, Abraham's nephew, like many of us lot was alerted by the world and it's fast-paced, attractive life, but it didn't happen overnight. The constant battle of what the heart desires and then pursuing it actually reveals to us our desperate need for prayer in our own battle will be be like lot captured by the wonders of the world were like Abraham interceding on behalf of the lots that God's place in our lives. If you missed the beginning of the sermon.

I just wanted to remind you that you can always hear previous broadcasts at our website. Judy Greer.com right now. Let's return to our teaching, titled the danger of worldliness and duty of prayer Robert 1320 he who walks with wise men will be wise but your manifold will be destroyed a friend about says it this way. You show me your friends and also your future because if you hang out with wise people, you become wise.

But if you're a fool than you become like them and you will be destroyed the cities.

As you will become the average of your five closest friends. Figure 5 closest friends. Right now everything together. That's what you will be a private in the next few years. You show your friends and I'll show you your future use or is it a pass or you say we shouldn't have any non-Christian friends know I'm not saying that there's a difference between core community and those that you're trying to reach.

The point is you decide who you want to be. You get to decide where you want to go and then you have to pitch your tips. There to surround yourself with that community right where you want to belong is your choice of community to lead you there. How long you go back and forth between two worlds. I'll say it again, the most miserable person in the world is to have committed Christian, just enough in the world but the miserable in God and just enough in the God of the miserable in the world. Their soul is salty, Soul Salty Dr., Spanish miserable got your side of the road and Jesus, by the way does not look very kindly on favorably on the have committed either says in Revelation. I wish you were cold or hot lukewarm tepid makes me want to spit you out of my mouth was that he loves you but he wants you to be one way the other starts by moving along that journey number two. Number two lot teaches us of the coming judgment is real coming judgment is is real. For years, for years God warns Sodom and Gomorrah about the coming judgment but everybody brushed it off as unreal.

I went back to party and but God makes no empty promises. One day it came, God tells us that he is slow in executing judgment in order to get people space to repent. But do not confuse his slowness with his absence or his sluggishness on fulfilling a promise.

Hebrews 927 says it is appointed unto men once to die, and after that the judgment it is appointed. There's a day that has been chosen for each of us to die that day is coming happen sometimes way premature based on our calendar. I one of the defining moments in my spiritual journey happened when I was about 15, one of the kids are grown up with his name was Jamie them is really popular. He was hilarious. He was smart he had everything going for me had no thought at all about God. We were to Christian school. He just didn't is not somebody walking with Jesus and reverie got his license. He was 16, I was 15 he got up car wreck in and out was his life just tragically taken away and I remember standing there at his funeral.

Looking at this task I got was at work in my life and thinking he is now in eternity. He is in eternity. And the only thing that matters right now is where he stood with God that was appointed to M to die. After that the judge benefits begin to think about it.

I've talked to that I've telling I knew what was right and what was wrong. Maybe. Maybe it in this last few weeks.

When he came to know Jesus.

I don't know. But the point was about point is all that matters. Every person that you know is going to spend eternity want to place every person you know is going to spend eternity in one of two places. Did you know that you know the Jesus told more about hell than heaven or thought about what that must be like if it's true. Jesus was being straight with us event will Jesus and all, but that he did go back and read it. Jonathan Edwards the 18th century American theologian said this regarding Jesus teaching on helpless of this imagine is as we take what he says seriously. Imagine yourself cast into a fiery oven, glowing with heat. Imagine that your body was going to lie there for about 1/4 of an hour. I are inside and out, feeling every fiber of it the whole time, what horror would you feel when you entered such a furnace. How long would that quarter of an hour seem to drag on. It was measured by an hourglass health slowly with the time seem to go in after you. It endured it for one minute. How overbearing would it be for you to think that you had another 14 minutes left. But what if you knew that you must library during that torment in its fullness for 24 hours how much greater.

Even if you knew you must endure for a whole year. How much greater.

Still, if you knew you must endure for a thousand years. When your heart sink if you knew you must bear it forever and ever, that there would be no end that after millions and millions of ages. Your torment would be no nearer to an end than before and that you should never ever be rescued, but your torment in hell will be immeasurably greater than this, Jesus told the truth how utterly inexpressible and inconceivable how your heart and soul would sink in such a case, the question you ask yourself if you believe this is how you call somebody your friend if you believe this, but you never wonder what your friend say to you at the judgment day is never told me if you imagine them looking at you and say what you you you know this, you never even spoke up.

I told you before about a girl that I was sharing Christ with a young lady of sharing Christ with she never heard the gospel walking through and and we were back and forth.

You just always questions and she been educated some Ivy League school, and we were and she says she's as you actually believe this a simple yes or because you like what you believe is what you may have and I'm out.

I'm trying to explain it to you trying to persuade you, but she didn't know you had quicker try to win a debate. You act like there's a scorecard you try to get more points than I've been that the underside I have on my side.

She said I believe what you say that you believe that there is a real heaven and a real help and only Jesus makes the difference.

She said I don't know how I make it through the day. Just as I know I would go to every person that I know and I would plead with them. They had to pay attention and you just talking about it as if it's something you're trying to win a debate you're trying to finish what will your friend say to you on the day of judgment, they would they say, how could you call me friend and just a silent and not speak lots like shows of that coming judgment is real and it's coming for those around us of the greatest hypocrisy of all time saying that you believe in heaven and hell not doing everything you can to keep those you care about him going there are three or three lots like shows you that you cannot drift into godliness.

You can't drift into godliness again but did not make a deliberate choice to make sought missile is drifted. There was, and I need you to understand is living for Jesus in this world is always you feel you like an uphill battle because you're going against the current of the entire world and everything in the world to pull you in the other direction, which means if you're not actively fighting injury and pulled the wrong way versus thing is drifting into the right areas you ever been at the beach and gotten pulled way down shore by the current. You know was happening his out ride to Rafter body surf and jump in and the waves and you look up and somehow you know 15 houses down the coast.

They know where your family is anymore like a pullover world. If you're not actively fighting your drifting away to go with Jesus means you have to swim against the stream that takes effort. Jesus said in this way, the gospel of Matthew uses the highway to hell with broad this gate is wide for the many who choose that way, but the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult and only if you ever find broad it's easy it's the default do not actively choosing the difficult waves being pulled along the Broadway.

So again, I'll say it. You cannot drift into godliness will never drift to spiritual maturity. Bring the leadership that takes daily focused effort to become what no one else is becoming you do when nobody else is doing the RB different student I mentioned a couple ways I see some of our teenagers that are tempted to drift but intending to get sodomy just just resting places where there drifting when they ought to be fighting my Mercedes apply just as much the rest of us as fresh as his parents drifting, drifting is not actively seeking to know God and his word look around at our students is not that you reject the Bible is give all your time to Snapchat tick-tock Instagram reels Netflix binging video games and comparatively none to spiritual growth.

You don't do a daily quiet time, your you not in the leadership cohorts we offer take advantage of the discipleship and mission opportunities we have spent all your time on Snapchat staring at life inside of broad is the gate that leads to destruction, and easy is that way and so many just drift along that way parents or families not adrift in the godliness. You know that right. The current of the world will always take them quickly away from God. Listen, I am always disturbed by the stats on high school students rubber churches like ours and then leave it behind, and I know you're disturbed about you and I know these are some complex questions. We never affix blame God created only to humans directly. They both walked away so I am not at all trying to prevent a kid walk away. I must say that your fall but I will say the for many Christian teenagers the transition out of church is not that difficult because the families they grew up in were not that much different from the world. Sure your regular church, but you basically live by the same values you spent your money like the world spends their money. You allocated your time with the world allocates their time doing major difference in your life is that you had a church attendance on the weekend so the kid goes off to college.

It's pretty easy to discard that had felt more at home in Sodom anyway.

I was with a builder entire community. Listen, parents, you know that church is a really difficult habit to maintain if God is not a passion for you to get up on Sunday morning and you had to get dressed and you find a parking space and sit with a bunch of strangers until the church is a terrible habit that God is not a passion for you. That is an easy habit to drop the child doesn't see Jesus is the center of the passion of your life church is altogether easy to drop out of when you get to college and beyond. Again, your family, parents, your family will not drift in the godliness, nobody else in the world is becoming. You gotta do when nobody's will return to that I wanted to remind you about our shared resource this month includes a bundle of three short books on prayer and are designed to boost your prayer life by providing both solid teaching as well as fresh ideas. Each chapter takes a passage of Scripture and it looks at how it can influence how we pray for three specific areas in her life, praying for our parents praying for came in praying for our community learn what it means to intercede on a whole new level and build this discipline in a fresh and powerful way.

This resource comes with your gift to the ministry right now so give us a call at 866-335-5220 check it out@jdgreer.com.

Now let's get back to the conclusion of today's teaching containing total students in camp. We need a generation committed to go against the flow. I challenge them to be that group that goes against the current.

Together, the texturing with our friends, and safe. Let's be the group of friends different. Let's check on each other about our quiet times.

Always pray for each other foot hold each other accountable on things like sexual purity or sharing Christ with our friends.

Pray for our friends hold each other accountable reading the Bible what to prioritize.

Being a small group and serving in student ministry in doing no one is lazier and easier to stay home soon as why not do that, parents, why not make the same commitment and how we lead our families. Jesus will come first, that he will be the living breathing center of all that we do. That's one way I see Christian teenagers drifting banality fighting. Here's the other drifting, drifting will be not warning your friends about coming judgment not only like a lot of you becoming more more indistinguishable from Sodom, you never want the people in your Sodom about the judgment you believe you say you believe is coming is too embarrassed or you want to be seen as too extreme or a radical new/okay the message is radical judgment is coming what's going almost Sodom and Gomorrah is not altogether different from what God says the end of time is like, and only those he says found in Christ can be saved will be saved.

How could you say you believe that and not tell somebody you say you care about. How do you call them, a friend and not have your heart broken and say what is it how it's going to pray for you and I can't force it on you. I know that but I don't want you showing up on Judgment Day and I never even spoken to you to warn you, how much you have to hate somebody not to even one God put you in their lives to be a warning to be his messenger to them to tell them about that coming judgment in the day of salvation in Jesus is offered to them. How could we let an unwillingness to be seen as different or let unwillingness to receive as a little weird keep us from warning which leads me to the last lesson Vermont here. Number four becoming Abraham to the lots in your life mentioned that when it was time for Lot to flee Sodom when judgment was just moments away.

Why hesitate we did. Verse 16 tells us the angel sees his hand in the hands of his wife and his two daughters and pulled him to safety outside the city, because it says verse 16 the Lord was merciful.

Here's a question why God had the Angels do this for Lot I mean by this point lots seems to be as bad as everybody else is on it, but you could argue that he's worse because he should've known better. He even worn continuously about the wickedness of sodomy ignored it.

So the way I he's more guilty than everybody else. Right now, less white of the Angels grabbed his hand and dragged him and his family and only them to safety.

Why verse 29 tells of the answer.

God listened Abraham's request and Lot safe removing him from the disaster that engulfed the cities and the blame friends, listen, this is a life-changing.

There was one reason one the God save Lot and his family. Abraham had prayed for them. Lot did not deserve rescue, but somewhere back there. That was a man who love them and pray for him and for his sake. Abraham sake, God save Lot using his angels to literally pull him out of Sodom to safety. Eventually Lot we can understand this a lot would turn in repentance toward God for the book of Jude tells us in the New Testament. But the point is that Dan because God sent angels in response to Abraham's prayer pulled Lily pulled them out with women beautiful Maddie hesitates only hesitates the Angels pull even harder. Why because Abraham prayed no Abraham had prayed. It seems a lot of Paris along with everybody else and Sodom could we get a clearer picture of the power of prayer. No, I know that I'm here I'm here before you today because I do mom and pray for me that I told you before I do another one of the defining moments of my life was a car wreck that took place when I was I was just in the process of becoming a Christian of my friends and I dig it up on all weekend ski trip and we will come back to make it back to church on Sunday morning and about 5 AM he said while you drive at 5 AM. That's a great question. We should not have been so right is good acknowledge that, but I was in the backseat of this Mustang asleep because my friend was driving there when the call was asleep and I was driving I begin the problem and outcome that it Highway 421 and this mixing our going.

I woke up and never feel like that is what: here's a friend of the window down and for some reason to switch my head once of the car. The other that no reason just double comfortable and just a few moments I was 516 that habit. 518 (175 miles an hour hit a mattress on the side of the road. I have no idea held there was a mattress on the side of the remedy a mattress on the side of the road skated for about 2 yards and went off in a ravine and the car rolled in.

It flashed on the side of my head a bit on just a few moments before. Remember is we must got out of his car and we get up there looking about us was overwhelmed state on this thing and how close I'd come to dying. Next morning I got to church in the total amount they weird the turtle reckless nine.

She said what might happen so well happened at 518 a member that because woken up. Look at the clock a couple moments for happen. Should you know. She says really interesting. She said I would quite sure where you were a trusted you, but I do know we were. Should a 5 o'clock this morning said woke up and I had this burden to pray for you and she said I just got up and she celebrates about 30 minutes every 30 minutes. That was actually I sure that Susan wanted out of which you have the life on the morning with a burn. Pray for me.

I really appreciate it if you would do it again. Number two is to tell you that God uses people who pray to pull people out of safety say that was part of a longer prayer journey to my mom and been on for two or three years. Pray that I would open my eyes. She said everything she say to me, they damn them and how to do at the end of the day. She said I can't pull my son out of this attraction. He has to the world she prayed me into the kingdom of God and a mother who prayed for me and pulled me out of Sodom. One of the books of Veronica my wife and I used to pray for our kids. So pray for your children. The author tells a story of a lady in his church lady in his church to think Sarah got a phone call wanting to listen to this voice on the other end of the line when she answer the phones of mom. The good news is overcome a Christian Sarah on the mother's and what's the bad news story that followed was one no parent ever hopes to hear Sarah's son had been caught smuggling drugs in the trunk of his car brought straight state lines. Those little doubt he would be found guilty and it looked like Robert decide to go to prison for years. Sarah had done her best to raise her son to believe in Jesus. Every Sunday this young life found them at church but the lure of wealth in the world pulled a middle place. Sarah never imagined.

Still, she placed Robert in God's hands, day by day and loved him through her prayers after he repented every been caught in Senate Sarah still grieve the mistakes he made, but she was grateful to see you. Sincerely, faith in him and thought that would be better, even if you have to go to prison.

When the case against Robert was dismissed on a technicality.

Nobody was more surprised that Sarah and no one was more pleased as her son continued steadfastly in following Jesus was for date decades later this pastor writes that I've met Robert Sarah was celebrating her 81st birthday and her children and grandchildren to gather around her to reminisce the air was full of laughter as one by one they shared their stories. When Robert stood to speak he was doing his best to hold it together.

Talk with profound tenderness about his mom speaking of her like somebody who literally saved his life. You might've noticed from their shared glances that there was a special understanding between mom and son like two people who had returned from a long and difficult journey with a story known only to each other. Robert wrapped up his eulogy of his mother with the words of a well-known poem you may have tangible wealth untold caskets of jewels and coffers of gold richer than I you can never be as I had a mother who prayed for me to roll. I got even more good news for you you I can pray for others with even more power than a branded member Abraham's fair rent due. It was like a negotiation board spare 5045 about 3020 Valley reminiscent indicated he just gives out an invite him righteous is good news.

You and I need look no farther than one. You and I can pray for lost friends in the name of one righteous. There is one righteous and he is so supremely righteous so altogether perfect and lovely that God says we can pray for the loss of the lost prodigal, and the lost of the lost sinner and for his sake that one righteous man's sake, Jesus, God hears our prayers and delivers her friends were siblings or parents or whomever we have set our love on I come say that one righteous that is so supremely righteous is enough to move God to say, I'll spare for his sake.

If you pray, print, Jesus did this for us to pray for us right they came after us.

Now it's our turn to do that for our friends.

There's a question are you ready is this church ready to become Abraham to the lots in your life.

Each of you have lots God sister, your prayers, you pull them out of the city. Are you ready to grow in prayer.

We are confident that today's teaching along with our monthly resource will lead you in the right direction. You're listening to Senate life with Jeannie Greer. Did you know Pastor Jenny is on social media, like his page and receive encouragement every day right on Facebook.

Just search for pastor Jeannie Greer before we go.

I wanted to remind you about the five things to pray bundle that we are offering this month.

This series of short books on prayer is designed to boost your prayer life by getting you fresh teaching and ideas. Each chapter takes a passage of Scripture and it looks at how it can influence how we pray, in three specific areas praying for your city. Praying for your kids and for your parents when you give $35 or more today will send you this bundle of books and our way of saying thanks for your generous support you can also request the study with first donation has a gospel partner gospel partners connect to regular monthly giving you this ministry. If you've been growing through this program, partner, family, please join with us today. You can find more information about becoming a gospel partner on our website or you can give us a call say 335 20 never again 335-5220 to hear from you today. I might even if it's inviting you to join us Tuesday teaching is on prayer right here on Sunday night.

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