Our scripture reading this evening is from 1 Timothy 1, beginning in verse 15. If you would turn in your copy of God's Word to 1 Timothy 1, or follow along and listen as I read from God's Word. If you would, please stand with me in reverence for the Word of God. 1 Timothy 1, beginning in verse 15. The saying is trustworthy and deserving of full acceptance that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am the foremost. But I receive mercy for this reason, that in me as the foremost, Jesus Christ might display his perfect patience as an example to those who were to believe in him for eternal life. To the king of the ages, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen. This charge I entrust to you, Timothy, my child, in accordance with the prophecies previously made about you, that by them you may wage the good warfare, holding faith and a good conscience. By rejecting this, some have made shipwreck of their faith, among whom are Hymenaeus and Alexander, whom I have handed over to Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme." This is the reading of God's word, which we have heard this evening. Let us now go before God in prayer. Our gracious God and our heavenly Father, We bow before you this evening and we hear these precious truths from your word. Father, it reminds us in our hearts of the wonder of your grace that you have had mercy upon sinners. that we who would follow after false gods, we who would worship ourselves and set ourselves up in our own hearts as God, you have had mercy upon us, that we might worship the true and living God. What a wondrous thing it is, Father, that you would take idolaters, sinners, the unrighteous and unholy, those at war with you, in our lives and in our actions and our thinking and our feelings and our hearts, that you would take us and translate us into the kingdom of your dear Son. That you would free us from the kingdom of darkness. What a wonderful thing that you, the Lord God of heaven and earth, You who make and keep covenant would make us your covenant people. That you would make us the ones who have our sins forgiven, who have the righteousness of Jesus Christ, the remission of our sins, by which we may boldly approach unto you. Father, this evening as we hear more of the faith which we confess, Father, we ask for your grace. We ask for your Holy Spirit's blessing upon us. We ask that you would work in and through our brother as he comes to declare your word to us, to remind us of the things which we together have confessed before all men. Father, give us grace to confess these things again in our hearts, to commit ourselves again to the truth of Your Word, to commit ourselves again to working together with one another in the work of the Kingdom. Father, what a wondrous thing it is that You should take sinners and save us and gather us together in local churches. Father, we thank you for the privilege that we have experienced of joining with fellow believers in the worship of you, our Lord God, to delight in you, to praise you, to glorify you, to exalt you, and to see in one another your Holy Spirit at work. Grace poured out upon us. As we see the means of grace operating in our lives, what a wondrous thing it is. Father, we thank you for this privilege. We ask for your grace as we see remaining sin, that we would put our trust and hope in you for each one of our churches. Father, thank you for this evening. Work according to your will in our hearts. For the honor and glory of Christ by the power of the Holy Spirit, we pray in Jesus' name, amen. You may be seated. I have the particular joy this evening of introducing to you Dr. Jason Montgomery. I think you will very much enjoy hearing from him this evening. It is a wonderful thing to hear instruction from our confession, to hear these truths again among us. Our brother Jason has labored for many years faithfully in his church through many trials, many tribulations, many difficulties. And I don't think he would mind me saying this. God has been gracious to them and gracious to him. And we rejoice in that. He's a father and a husband, a fellow co-laborer and a dear brother in Jesus Christ. Brother, please come and teach and instruct us. Well, good evening. He said all that and I didn't wear a tie. It was the first thing he noticed when I walked in. And I was hoping nobody would see. Anyway. Well, Matt, thank you for your prayer, brother. And I thank you all for the privilege of coming before you tonight and ask that the Lord would bless our time and encourage our hearts in his great mercy. In the Song of Solomon, In chapter one, Solomon puts these words into the mouth of the bride. I am very dark, but lovely. O daughters of Jerusalem, like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon. Her particular Baptist forebear, Hansard Knowles, in his exposition of the book of Solomon, the Song of Solomon, compared this particular text to what we heard last night regarding the invisible universal church to what we will speak on tonight, the concept of the church visible in the sense of particular congregations, and specifically, the saints, or the visible saints, that make her up. Noel said in his exposition of the song, he likened the church of God on earth to Jerusalem, and the churches on the earth to the daughters. Jerusalem, he would say, is the city of the great king, the throne of God, a free city honored with many privileges. Daughters, he thought, are double in nature. All the churches of the saints who share a common name, nature, and power, but also all the saints in every church of Christ. The whole is the mother, and the parts are the daughters. Our brother Jim Renahan in his book, Edification and Beauty, which I would commend to you, sums up Knowles' comments saying that by using this particular figure, Knowles intended to demonstrate the intimate relationship existing between the visible and the invisible. The universal church consists of the sum total of the parts, and the parts give visibility to the whole. Well, having had introduced to us last evening the Jerusalem, the city of the great king, the throne of God, the free city, we come tonight to the churches of the saints. and specifically to a consideration of all the saints in every church. If you have a copy of the Confession, I would encourage you to take it and open up with me to Chapter 26. There is a copy of the Confession in the back of the Trinity Hymnal that you may have there in front of you. And we'll be looking this evening in Chapter 26 in paragraph 2. There we find this, all persons throughout the world professing the faith of the gospel and obedience unto God by Christ according unto it, not destroying their own profession by any errors everting the foundation or unholiness of conversation, are and may be called visible saints. And of such, ought all particular congregations to be constituted. Well, this paragraph is nicely laid out for us in two broad sections that are separated by that little semicolon. I remember discovering that little semicolon years ago. It really helps you kind of keep track of the thought of the writers of the confession. And we will seek tonight to examine each section under two heads, and Lord willing, at the end, will strive to make some points of application. Our two heads are borrowed again from Nullus, the saints of the churches and the churches of the saints. The first heading, the Saints of the Churches, is going to occupy the bulk of our time, and when I say that the second point will be brief, the Churches of the Saints, it will indeed be very brief. But under this first heading, which really is the bulk of the text in the Confession, the Baptists clearly avoid, in this brief statement and in the rest of their Confession, the idea of the visible Church. The Westminster Confession of Faith, at times considered the grandparent document of our own text, reads this in chapter 25, paragraph 2. The visible church, which is also Catholic or universal, under the gospel, consists of all those throughout the world that profess the true religion. And thus, they form a very close association between the visible church and the invisible church. And further they say in chapter 25 in paragraph three, that unto this Catholic visible church, Christ hath given the ministry, oracles, ordinances of God for the gathering and perfecting of the saints. They're not speaking there simply about individual local churches. We're speaking about this Catholic visible church. These statements and others like it lead Presbyterian theologian John Murray to say this, quote, there is no evidence for the notion of the church as an invisible entity distinct from the church visible. So I suppose Steve, you and John Murray would have things to say to one another that might be in disagreement. Our Baptist forefathers would disagree. They were closer to their congregational counterparts who state in what some call our confession's parent document, the Savoy Declaration, that the church visible has not been entrusted with the administration of any ordinances or have any offices to rule or govern over with the whole body. However, They, the Congregationalists, still refer to the visible element of that invisible church with these words, the visible Catholic Church of Christ. And from this too, the Baptists would disagree. They would digress. For the visible expression relating in some sense to the invisible church, our Baptist forefathers adopted the term visible saints. The term visible saints has a long pedigree back into the Puritan era. However, our attention tonight needs to be focused on the text of the confession before us. The appropriate section here is the first portion in paragraph Two, notice again, all persons throughout the world professing the faith of the gospel and obedience unto God by Christ according unto it, not destroying their own profession by any errors everting the foundation or unholiness of conversation are and may be called visible saints. Here we find those who are and may rightly be called visible saints under two heads, their profession and what I will call their authentication. The profession of visible saints and the authentication of visible saints. Now before looking at each of these, however, notice the opening statement in the paragraph. It says that these saints are found throughout the world. more fully, all persons throughout the world. And here we see that even with the visible aspect of the church, there is somewhat of a Catholic universal aspect to it. They are found everywhere. They are found throughout the entirety of the world. The saints, in their visible demonstration, are not defined by or confined to any national, regional, or geographical parameters. Consider with me just a few texts through the epistles of the Apostle Paul. Beginning in Romans, in Romans chapter one, we read in verse seven, to those in Rome who are loved by God and called to be saints, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Or over to the church in Corinth, In 1 Corinthians chapter 1 and verse 2 it says, to the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, call to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and Here we have that imagery of throughout the whole world where Paul uses this little phrase, with all those who in every place. He sees them all over the place. Or 2 Corinthians. Also chapter one, 2 Corinthians chapter one in verse one, Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother to the church of God that is at Corinth, with all the saints who are in the whole of Achaia. Notice again, Paul giving this broad locator, if you will, for these saints. Ephesians chapter one. Ephesians chapter one, Paul an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God to the saints who are in Ephesus and are faithful in Christ Jesus. A psalm. Textual critics tell us that the term Ephesus there in chapter 1 probably wasn't in the original text. And if that would be the case, that would simply make the case for the idea that they're found everywhere even more appealing. The idea to, if we just read it, to the saints who are, well, everywhere. They are found throughout the whole world. Paul writes his little letter to the Philippians in Philippians chapter one, verse one, and says, Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus, to all the saints in Christ Jesus who are at Philippi, with the overseers and the deacons. One last one from the Apostle Paul. We'll look in Colossians chapter one, verse two. To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae, grace to you and peace from God our Father. Where the invisible church consists of all the elect in the sense of the whole number of them, the visible saints are those throughout the whole world making profession and maintaining their profession through their perseverance, their faithfulness to the faith that they confess. Well, consider with me, under the first heading, the profession of visible saints. Visible saints are those who profess, it says in our text, and when I say our text, I feel like I should be referring to the Bible, but it says in the text of the confession, and I do know the difference between those two, just in case you wonder, all right? We are often accused, are we not, of putting the confession above the word of God, and we, affirm the supremacy of scripture above all creeds and councils. The text of the confession reads, the faith of the gospel, they profess the faith of the gospel and obedience unto God by Christ according to it. Visible saints, first and foremost, in the text of the confession, profess the faith of the gospel. Their profession of the gospel is expressed in various ways across the confession. In 16.2, they are said to make a profession of the gospel. In 25.3, they are said to make profession of true religion. In 26.3, just one paragraph after ours, which we'll have tomorrow night when our brother brings that, they make profession of his name. In 26.6, it simply refers to their profession. In 27.2, they are saints by profession. In 29.2, they profess faith in Jesus. And not to leave out the letter to the judicious and impartial reader, they speak of professing the truth. All of these, coupled with our text in 26.2, point to a verbal affirmation of the truthfulness of the gospel and their belief in it. They have professed faith, trust in Jesus, calling upon his name and believing in the truth. They have embraced true religion and by this profession are and may be called visible saints. However, it is not by mere profession of the gospel alone by which they should be seen and called visible saints. Now just a footnote here at this point, a word of caution might be helpful. to say, or when I say, it is not by profession of the gospel alone that they are and may be called visible saints, should not be heard as me saying that men are not saved by faith alone. Not at all. Under consideration here is not soteriology, but what? Ecclesiology. We've already covered soteriology by the time we get to chapter 26 in the confession. So let us not, as we press through this particular paragraph, start to think, oh, we're adding all kinds of things to the work of Jesus, and who are we to sit in judgment over such a one? In fact, we must sit in some sense of judgment over such a one. The one who professes must be authenticated. He must be examined. For the reception of one as a duly constituted member of a church More is required, hear this, more is required than profession of the gospel. It's not the normal way we think, but that's what the confession is saying. Not only must we consider their professed faith in the gospel, we must also consider in the text of the confession their professed obedience unto God. Here, individuals must be heard to make profession of their intention, as Paul would say to the Philippians, to walk in a manner worthy of the gospel. At this point, the confession is merely stating that they must be of such a confession or such a profession that they intend a life of obedience unto God by Christ. Disobedience is to be in accord with God's word in 26.5, and in 26.6, it is to be lived out corporately, walking together, giving themselves up to the Lord and to one another, and living in subjection to the ordinances of the gospel. At this point, the confession makes a critical turn for the securing of a more pure ecclesiology. True as it is in paragraph three, which we will again see tomorrow night, the purest churches under heaven are subject to mixture and error. This is true. And as that is true though, this would not deter the framers of our confession from striving for a greater purity of the churches in their concern. The profession of faith and obedience would not be enough. Wow. Not only is profession of faith in the gospel not enough, profession of faith and profession of obedience is not enough. Words are not, what? They're not enough. December the 8th, thinking in terms of the authentication of visible saints, December the 8th, 1987, then President Ronald Reagan, who sometimes were wishing the Lord might send back for us these days, but it's not happening. And I really don't want Ronald Reagan, I just want Jesus to come back. But in 1987, then President Ronald Reagan met with Russian General Secretary Gorbachev for the signing of an immediate, intermediate range nuclear forces treaty. One of these arms reduction kind of moments. It was important to Reagan in going forward with arms reduction to make sure that care was given to authenticate promises made. This is probably important in politics anytime you're dealing with the Russians, right? Well, to highlight the desire, Reagan borrowed from an old Russian proverb. I'm sure I can't say it in Russian. Dovayi, no provayi. Some of you might remember it. Trust, but what? At that point, Gorbachev replied and looked at Reagan and said, laughing, you say that at every meeting. And I'm sure that was quite humorous. There's a reason I say that at every meeting. So must we say this. So must we say this with everyone who comes professing to be accepted as a visible saint. They want you to believe they are a visible saint. They want you to believe they are who they say they are. Yet care must be taken to authenticate the professors of any, but verification of their orthodoxy and their orthopraxy is essential. Consider first their orthodoxy. Now here, we are not concerned with their full subscription to the 1689 Confession of Faith. I hope you don't have that necessarily on the front door of your church. Don't come in unless you fully subscribe. We are not necessarily concerned with do they have all five points of their doctrines of grace sharpened and ready for the next duel with an unsuspecting Arminian. We are not concerned primarily with whether or not they have Clarence Larkin's charts up on their walls at home. And we don't want to know if they use a Schofield Bible or not. Because even if they did use a Schofield Bible, you'd still have to make sure they use the right edition. And then it gets dicey too. These are not the things that we're concerned with. We are concerned with their orthodoxy. Is there any error that they hold which would be, hear it, everting to the foundation? Notice again the text in the confession. All persons throughout the world professing the faith of the gospel and obedience unto it by Christ according unto it, not destroying their own profession by any errors, averting the foundation, or unholiness of conversation, to avert, to upset, to overthrow. In other words, is there any erroneous doctrine which they hold, or is there any truth or sound doctrine which they deny? that would overturn their profession of the gospel and their profession of obedience unto God. The question should be addressed, and we will do so briefly here, what must one believe to be saved? This is fun to kick around in a group for a little while, you know, if you're good friends, I guess, and you can not get mad. So I don't want to make you mad, and I'm not going to say my list tonight is exhaustive, but let's think in simple terms. Romans chapter 10. What does it say? Romans chapter 10 in verse 9. It says, if you confess, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved. For the scripture says, everyone who believes in Him will not be put to shame. For there is no distinction between Jew and Greek, for the same Lord is Lord of all, bestowing his riches on all who call upon him. For everyone who calls upon the name of the Lord will be what? Will be saved. But that has very little to do with all 32 chapters of our confession. That has very little to do with, you know, just some kind of theological statement of the five points of Calvinism. If he's a covenant theologian, if he's a dispensationalist, if he's a new covenant guy, if he's got all that theology, he can still be what? He can be saved. Let's be thankful that guys that hold covenant theology can be saved. Think of the jailer that came to Paul and Silas after that shaking of the jail. And he comes and he asks, sirs, what must I do to be saved? Get your doctrine right. Get all the sin in your life taken care of. Go through some classes, then come back and see me. Right there, on the spot, the Apostle Paul says to him, believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved. Remember the simple prayer of the tax collector, God be merciful to me, a sinner, resulted in the man going home justified, declared righteous before God. Or remember the simple yet profound confession of John Newton, the 18th century slave trader, who confessed, I am a great sinner, but Christ is a great savior. Though men do not have to come as systematicians in theology to be saved, or even to join a church, there are, we might consider, some doctrines that are fundamental tenets of the faith that if denied, understood and denied, rejected, upset the foundation of one's profession, causing us to at least say they may be suspect. The doctrine of the Trinity, if a man comes to you and rejects and denounces such a doctrine, The doctrine of the incarnation of the blessed Savior? John says anyone who will not confess that Christ has come in the flesh is of the Antichrist, is he not? The doctrine of justification by faith apart from the works of the law? You have an anti-Trinitarian, you have an Arian, you have a Judaizer, they wanna join your church, you don't ask questions, what happens? Hmm, your wish you had. A denial of God's being, Christ's glorious person in his divine and human natures, the gospel of God's promise in Jesus Christ for all who believe. These are the very foundation of the faith, once for all delivered to the saints. And again, this is no exhaustive list, but of foundational teachings in the church, surely these would make the list. Further consider not only their orthodoxy, but their orthopraxy. Some have good doctrine, but by their deeds they what? Deny him. The confession says that they must not have unholiness in conversation. Now does this mean they just can't have a dirty mouth? Well, they shouldn't have a dirty mouth. And if they do, it's probably indicative of a dirty heart. But it's not just about speech. No, of concern here is the whole of life. Chapter 25, paragraph 3, chapter 25, dealing with marriage, makes this comment. Young people, listen up. Is it lawful for all sorts of people to marry who are able with judgment to give their consent? Yet it is the duty I read that like a question, sorry. It is lawful for all sorts of people to marry who are able with judgment to give their consent, yet it is the duty of Christians to marry in the Lord. And therefore such as profess true religion should not marry with infidels or idolaters, neither should such as are godly be unequally yoked by marrying with, hear this next phrase, such as are wicked in life, or maintain damnable heresy. There in chapter 25, in paragraph 3, it puts that concept of orthopraxy and orthodoxy back together again. In the Catechism, in question 6, the question is this, what things are chiefly contained in the Holy Scripture? The answer, the Holy Scriptures chiefly contain what men ought to believe concerning God, orthodoxy, and what duty God requireth of men. Man, orthopraxy. Sorry, I didn't grow up Presbyterian. I have memorized the whole confession and the catechism and I had to turn and look at that. I'm always convicted by that story of the little girl that came down as that Spurgeon recites the catechism. I can never do that. I get past question one in the children's catechism and get confused. They must be orthodox in their practice and in their doctrine. both life and doctrine must be maintained. According to the confession, such as maintain a sound profession and a solid practice are and may be called visible saints. Now, that's heading one. The saints of the churches. Heading number two, very brief. The churches of the saints. And those who are here in my church, they don't believe me right now, but it's brief. Those who rightly bear and are given the title visible saints are to constitute or make up particular congregations. And shall we say they alone. That's heading two. I thought it was pretty straightforward when I read it, but this does bring me to three points of application, or perhaps one primary application given in three different directions or to three different groups that claim the title visible saints. Group number one are the shepherds. Group number two are the saints, and group number three are the sinners. That is not to say that saints are not sinners, but saints have been redeemed, rescued, and set apart by Christ. And the sinners here under consideration are those who name the name visible saints to themselves, but do not bear it rightly. Brothers who are pastors, we need to hear this paragraph. Knowing the condition of your flock and being discerning with regard to those who seek admission is a duty of faithful shepherding. Proverbs tells us in Proverbs 27, Verse 23, probably a text that you're familiar with. Know well the condition of your flocks. Give attention to your herds. I see their great wisdom for shepherding. And this is what we are called to be. We are called to be shepherds. And shepherds must care for sheep, and shepherds must protect sheep. Do not neglect your role as a bishop. We often don't like the word bishop, do we? It's been kind of captured by the culture, hasn't it? But the bishop is simply the overseer. He is the episkopos. He is the one who is called to overlook the condition of the flock that he has been given charge of. Don't neglect your role as a bishop, an overseer of your sheep. You are given to protect, for which you will one day give an account. John tells us in John chapter 10, that chapter where Jesus describes himself as the good shepherd, and where he does this, he sets himself in contrast to those who are mere hirelings. You might recall in John chapter 10, in verse one, truly, truly, I say to you, he who does not enter the sheepfold by the door, but climbs in by another way, that man is a thief and a robber. Or down in verse 12, he who is a hired hand and not a shepherd, who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees, and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. Brothers, if you and I are not diligent to guard the doors of our church from those who would enter, who are not visible saints in truth, but in name only, then when sheep are stolen from your flock, it will be on you. If you've pastored long, and maybe if you've only pastored a little while, you probably have some stories to tell of scars received from wolves in your flock, that had you been more careful, had you been more careful, your sheep would have not been hurt. Now, this is not to lay upon you or myself a loaded guilt trip, because the Lord knows we bear enough of that, don't we? 25 years of pastoring has brought me many sleepless nights and many regrets. Many times when I should have been more careful. But I was not. Thank God and His sovereignty. Thank Him in His providence. Thank Him in His mercy. Thank Him for His care. but it doesn't change the fact that I should have been more diligent. I should have been at the door. I should have had the courage to ask the questions of the man who wanted to come into my church with the sheep that I would one day give an account for. And understand when I say the phrase my church, I understand it is Christ's church, but I will give an account for it. Peter says, In 1 Peter chapter 5, word of admonition to shepherds. In verse 3, he says to them, not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. You, back up a little bit, excuse me, verse two, shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly as God would have you. Brothers, don't serve your people under compulsion. What a privilege to serve the church of God. Do it willingly. It will not always be easy. It will not always be joyful. There will be times where you will want to throw your arms up in the air and just quit and run out the door. You will, as I've often told my wife, you'll look for a hole to open up and swallow you at the pulpit. Of course, that brings up all kinds of terrible biblical images of guys in the Old Testament that got sucked up in the ground. But sometimes I'm like, please just open it up and take me. But brothers do it willingly. No one's tying you up and making you do it. Some of you tonight here may be thinking of a particular instance in your life right now, threatening your congregation and you're timid and you feel weak and you don't want to ask the hard questions. I mean, who wants to actually have that confrontational conversation? I pity the guy that loves confrontation. If you love confrontation, I'd just say get out of the ministry. Maybe you're just one of those quarrelsome type guys that just wants to argue. Don't be that guy. Let it break your heart, but do it. Maybe you're thinking about a past time in your ministry where you failed to guard You fail to watch the sheep. You fail to ask the questions. And your heart breaks when it happens. And your heart breaks when you think about it. Remember that you do not shepherd alone. There is a good shepherd. There is that great shepherd of the sheep. Who is your shepherd? We often talk about brothers in ministry who've mentored us, and they're like pastor's pastors. I forget who I was talking to the other day, Matt. That's your dad. But in truth, the pastor's pastor is the Lord Jesus Christ. So brother, if you have failed at your role of guarding the flock and of faithfully caring for them that way. Entrust your soul to the great shepherd of the sheep. Fall before him and ask him for mercy and for strength and courage. So the next time that happens, you can be faithful. I think also here in making the application to saints. Brothers and sisters, this paragraph reminds us to guard our profession, not just to make it, but to guard it. In this same chapter, in 1 Peter chapter five, we're told that we should humble ourselves under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time He may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on Him because He cares for you. Be sober-minded, watchful. Why? Why be watchful, Peter? Because your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour. Like the Amalekites that would pick off the weak Hebrews as they walked through the wilderness. So the devil loves to find a weak believer. That weak limb that might be put out of joint. Guard, brothers and sisters, your profession. is not Bunyan's road to the celestial city riddled with the bones of many who made profession but didn't make it to the end. The soil of the gospel or the seed of the gospel is scattered onto all kinds of soil. The hard soil, Satan comes and snatches the gospel away. The rocky soil, the shallow soil where the seed is planted at once springs up with joy but it has no root so it dies. Or the soil that's filled with the weeds representing the cares and anxieties and worries of the life and one who made an original profession does not make it to the end. Praise God, there is good soil prepared by the Spirit of God and made ready to receive the seed of the Word of God, and it does bring forth a harvest yielding 30, 60, 100 times. But that is, that's one out of four. 1 John tells us in 1 John chapter 2 that there were once some in the congregation who went out, and John says they went out because they were never what? They were never of us. Text we read from just a little while ago in 1 Timothy 1 that I had Matt read from, speak of Hymenaeus and Alexander, who do not maintain faith and a good conscience. Did you hear that? They do not maintain faith or a good conscience. They do not maintain orthodoxy. They do not maintain orthopraxy, and hence they what? Suffer shipwreck in regard to the faith. You might think of the churches in the book of Revelation In Revelation chapter two verse 14, the church in Pergamum had some in it holding to the doctrine of Balaam and the Nicolaitans. Idolatry and immorality running rampant within the church. Within the church of visible saints. Or in chapter two in verse 20, the church in Thyatira also filled with idolatry and immorality. They have what? They have averted the foundation. Tolerating the errors of a few will eventually lead to the foundation or the floundering of many, if not all. Over and over, the threat of having the lampstand of the church removed. Why? Because visible saints were not guarded over, were not watched, were not admonished, and that little leaven works what? It works its way through the whole lump of dough. John tells us in 3 John of a man by the name of Diotrephes, What's interesting about diatrophies is he wrongly prevented good brothers who wanted to join the church, and he hastily put out good men that were faithful in the church. All why? Because he wanted to be first. He wanted to be first. I remember reading that again just a few days ago, thinking about this night, and what a sobering moment that can be for us. Brothers, you and I are not immune from the temptation of wanting to be first. Your wife is not the only one you want to win an argument with. And in that one, you're usually what? Wrong. Who does not pause and think long when they read of Demas having loved this present world? having forsaken the apostle Paul. Simon, the magician in Acts chapter eight, gave every indication to many there that he had made a genuine profession and had made a turn. But when the apostles came, he was exposed, and his heart was seen to be in the gall of bitterness. Brothers and sisters, guard your profession. Brothers and sisters, help your brothers and sisters guard their profession. Paul tells us in Romans chapter 15 and verse 14 that you are able to admonish one another. There is, listen, we're not just talking to preachers tonight. I would imagine about half of you out there are preachers. That leaves what? I'm a good mathematician. The other half are not. But if you're a professing faithful member of a church of Jesus Christ, marked off as a visible saint, you have a responsibility, a duty before God to be admonishing your brothers and sisters to stir them up to love and to good deeds, to not forsake the assembling of yourselves together. But all the more as you see the day drawing near, engage with one another. Oh, I just want to be in a church. I want to hear a sermon. I want to go home. I don't want to have to talk to anybody. I don't want to have to make friends. I just want to go to church so I can check off that. No, no, no. You have a duty before God and he will call you to account for that. Have a sense, brothers and sisters, of a responsibility for your brothers and sisters. Pull out a Bible one time and pull out a little concordance or pull out just your app, whatever, and just search the phrase one another in the New Testament. That's for you. Love one another. Pray for one another. Bear one another's burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ. Admonish one another. I think there's probably about 25 or 30 of those. And many are positive, but some are negative. Let those rest upon you. Take that responsibility upon yourself. This text has bearing on shepherds, it has bearing on saints, and it has bearing on sinners. There are some who find themselves having made profession and having professed obedience unto God by Christ, who indeed by their life and by their doctrine have averted the foundation of that very profession. And you may find yourself like that even tonight. Let me share this one word with you. Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners. That's what he did. He came into the world What an amazing thought. The eternal Son of God, the eternal Lord of glory, God of very God, came into the world to save sinners. If you find tonight that you have thought yourself a visible saint, but realize in fact that you are a great sinner, remember that Christ is a great Savior. Let's pray together. Our great God, we bless you for the Lord Jesus Christ, And I do pray for my brothers who shepherd churches. That you would uphold them by their, by your mighty hand and by your mighty outstretched arm. Oh God, support them and uphold them. and strengthen them for the task at hand is great. Oh God, make them faithful shepherds. Make them courageous men. Help them stand for truth and for godliness. Help them stand for that in their own life. As Paul told Timothy, watch your life and doctrine closely, for in doing so you will save yourself and those who hear you. Oh, a godly man armed with the truth of God is a mighty weapon for the kingdom. God, minister your grace to them if they hurt, if they have failed, and we have often all failed many times. But God set our mind and our eyes on things above where Christ is the great and good shepherd, the one who is the guardian of our souls and strengthen us again, make a spit and make us ready for the next thing that may come. For Satan seems to never rest. He does prowl about. And he is often seeking shepherds, and he is seeking sheep. And I pray, oh God, for the saints who are here. Oh God, uphold them. May they guard their profession with great vigilance. Oh, the world is not our friend. And so often the church is like the world, and it assaults us at every turn. Satan beats at our doctrine. He chops it down like a little axe would chop down a mighty sequoia if given enough time. God strengthen the hands and the feeble knees that limbs might not be put out of joint. Help us to be admonishing one another. with the truth of Christ's rich word. Oh, and God, I pray for the one tonight that is here, that is estranged from Christ, that may have a form of godliness, but deny its power, may have a form of sound doctrine, but by their deeds they deny you, or maybe one tonight that knows nothing of what we speak. Oh, God, may they see. May they know that they are indeed great sinners, but Christ is a great Savior. Father, we pray for your name to be magnified and brought glory in and for and by Jesus Christ. In his name we pray, amen.