Continue in the Faith

Sunday Sermons

Mark Dunagan
09/24/17 - Sunday Morning

Continue in the Faith

The Bible often exhorts believers concerning the ongoing need and urgency to continue in the faith, continue to grow and continue to serve God faithfully:

"If indeed you continue in the faith firmly established and steadfast, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel that you have heard" (Colossians 1:23).
"We have confidence in the Lord concerning you, that you are doing and will continue to do what we command" (2 Thessalonians 3:4).
"But women will be preserved… if they continue in faith and love and sanctity with self-restraint" (1 Timothy 2:15).
"You, however, continue in the things you have learned and become convinced of, knowing from whom you have learned them" (2 Timothy 3:14).

The Sad Cycle

From the Garden of Eden to the present day the pattern that we see all too often is people, even some of God's professed people, departing from Him.

Adam and Eve rebel in the Garden: Romans 5:12
Cain departs from the presence of the Lord: Genesis 4:16
Noah stood alone in his generation: Genesis 6:9
Israel quickly departed from God after He had delivered them: Exodus 32:8
The book of Judges is a continual cycle of apostasy: Judges 2:19
Solomon departed from God: 1 Kings 11:6
The inhabitants of the Northern Kingdom quickly embraced Jeroboam's idolatry and never gave it up: 1 Kings 12:30
The apostles warned the early Christians of a coming apostasy (Acts 20:30-31; 2 Timothy 4:2-4).

Therefore, we are being naive if we think that in our own time there is no longer the need for diligence when it comes to faithfully preaching the truth and following the word of God.

The Bright Lights

Yet even as many departed, the Bible equally records those who did not depart, rather those who encouraged others to come back to God:

Seth and his son Enosh… when "men began to call upon the name of the Lord" (Genesis 4:26).
Abraham and Melchizedek: (Genesis 14). God said that He had selected Abraham because He knew that Abraham would teach his children about God (Genesis 18:19)
Joseph, who seeks God (Genesis 50:20) and is an example to his brothers.
Joshua who is determined to serve God with his household, even if they have do it alone (Joshua 24:15).
The prophets like Jeremiah who pointed people back to the Old Paths (Jeremiah 6:16).
Kings like Hezekiah and Josiah who led movements to eradicate idolatry from Judah and restore the practice of what God had commanded.
Men like Ezra and Nehemiah who led movements to restore what had been neglected for so many years (Nehemiah 8:13-14).

Help For Continuing in the Faith

We have Everything We Need!

"Seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and virtue" (2 Peter 1:3).

The inspired writers speak of God's word as being "perfect" (Psalm 19:7). What I have discovered in my Christian life is that the Bible was written in a way that anticipated the errors that men would teach in the attempt to draw us away from God. For example, we will encounter the following and yet there is a verse, in plain and clear language, that specifically says the opposite:

Saved by faith alone? No: James 2:24
Baptism does not save? No: 1 Peter 3:21
A human head of the church? No: Ephesians 1:22-23
The Bible is too hard to understand? No: Ephesians 3:4
Certain sins are only natural? No: Romans 1:26
Sins are inherited? No: Ezekiel 18:20
Just follow your heart? No: Proverbs 3:5
It does not matter what you believe, just as long as you are sincere? No: 2 John 9.
Attending worship services is not important? No: Hebrews 10:24-25
The church was a last minute idea in God's plan? No: Ephesians 3:10-11
We cannot fall from grace? No: Galatians 5:4

Consider the Outcome

Earlier in this lesson we observed that Cain departed from the presence of the Lord (Genesis 4:16). We find no repentance or remorse on the part of Cain, even after the Lord confronts him. All we find is that he complains about the consequences (Genesis 4:13). On the one hand, Cain does not starve, he builds a city, has a family, many descendants and they seem to do very well for themselves (4:17-22). Yet, we equally find attitudes among his descendants that are the exact opposite of how he was raised. When Eve gave birth to Cain she thanked God (Genesis 4:1). At the end of the very same chapter that begins with this thanksgiving, we find one of Cain's descendants boasting that he has killed a boy (4:23), and that he has the power to inflict punishment ten times over of what God can inflict (4:24). What a stark contrast. It serves as motivation in my life to remain faithful to God, because in one generation or a couple of generations, my family tree can go from being godly to being real foolish and just plain wicked. On the surface Cain's family line seemed to be handling their environment, yet the sad reality was that it was a family line of lost people.

We Know What God Expects

The continual theme in Scripture is that we do not accept the status quo of the world or even of the religious world, but rather the path that God wants us to be on is always the same path. It is the one that includes obeying what He has revealed in Scripture (Matthew 7:24). Thus we find:

Hezekiah getting rid of sinful things in Judah and clinging to God: 2 Kings 18:4-6. Josiah getting rid of sinful things in Judah (2 Kings 23:7), and restoring the Passover (2 Kings 23:21).
Nehemiah and Ezra restoring the feast of booths (Nehemiah 8:14); restoring respect for God's laws on marriage (Nehemiah 10:30; 13:23ff); and respect for the Sabbath Day (13:15).
Jesus correcting a number of the churches in Asia concerning where they were no longer following Him and admonishing them to repent or be removed from being considered His (Revelation 2-3). Let's be like Seth, Joseph, Joshua, Hezekiah and Josiah! Let's be those bright lights are that serving God faithfully and encouraging others to do so as well.

Mark Dunagan | mdunagan@frontier.net
Beaverton Church of Christ | 503-644-9017
www.beavertonchurchofchrist.net