There are over 4,000 recognized religions in the world. The six major ones are: Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism, and Judaism, with Christianity being the only religion based upon the Person and Work of Jesus Christ.
However, within Christianity, some groups have established a false gospel or a false interpretation of the true gospel. While claiming to believe in Jesus, they deny His deity, and therefore are “cults:” Mormons, Jehovah’s Witnesses, and to some degree, Roman Catholics.
There are also groups within Christianity that have twisted the Scriptures to form their version of the gospel. We will explain this further in our next sermon, “Earnestly Contending for the Faith – Holding to the Truth in the Midst of Apostasy.” In this sermon, we will look at these false gospels and how we are to counter them in “The Battle for Truth!”

According to the reports I have read this week, in most churches today:

Unbelief is rampant – children are turning from the Church to Satan.
Compromise is rising – pastors are adjusting their worldviews to fit the immoral values of their congregation.
Division is evident – most major denominations have already divided
Error is celebrated – millions of people sit at the feet of the most egregious apostate preachers.
Doctrine is rejected – because it does not agree with their sinful life.
Truth is forsaken – because it is too divisive.

The Church is under attack, and while Jesus said He would never abandon His Church, the question is, will those who claim to be Christians abandon Christ?

We will explain this further in our next sermon, “Earnestly Contending for the Faith – Holding to the Truth in the Midst of Apostasy.” In this sermon, we will look at the five characteristics of a false teacher and introduce a three-part sermon on “The Battle for Truth!” 

I like the quote by Dr. Buck Parsons, senior pastor of Saint Andrew’s Chapel in Sanford, Florida, who said, “There is a name for pastors who never speak of sin, repentance, or hell. The Bible calls them FALSE TEACHERS.” False teaching is easily identified by the fact that apostates, having abandoned their love for the truth of the Word of God, rush to hear it but are never satisfied with it.
However, Jude did not say we should round up all of the false teachers and burn them at the stake. God’s eternal condemnation for those who turn the grace of God into lewdness and deny the deity of Christ was marked out long ago, and when it comes, it will be swift and certain. Jude said we are to “Contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.”
We will explain this further in our next sermon, “Earnestly Contending for the Faith – Holding to the Truth in the Midst of Apostasy.” In this sermon, we will look at the five characteristics of a false teacher and introduce a three-part sermon on “The Battle for Truth!”

In Galatians 1:6, the Apostle Paul challenged his readers, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel.” Although it was through Paul’s voice that they had heard the gospel:
They weren’t just turning away from him; they were turning away from Christ and following the voice of those troubling them.
They weren’t turning away from Paul’s version of the gospel; they were turning away from the only gospel and embracing an illegitimate perversion of it.
There is something about the message of the true gospel that is deeply offensive to human nature. When we understand how offensive it is, we can better understand why there are so many perversions of it today.
To turn from the true faith and embrace the devil’s lie is called apostasy. We will explain this further in our next sermon, “Earnestly Contending for the Faith – Holding to the Truth in the Midst of Apostasy.” In this sermon, we will look at “The Corruption of Truth.” (Jude 1-25)

By every measure, the evangelical church in the West is dying. On average, nine churches close their doors daily in America, as over 3,500 people decide to discard the church as being relevant to their needs. According to the most recent survey, over 30% of Americans now have no religious preference or denomination identity.
The church is reaping the fruit of the man-centric church-growth movement that began in the early 19th century but exploded exponentially in the 20th century as the younger Pastors abandoned the teaching of sound doctrine and tried to keep attendance up through Christian entertainment.
Therefore, the most significant issue facing the church today is not how to attract the next generation to get involved in a dying denomination but whether the church can survive another generation without the proclamation of the uncompromised gospel. 

In Luke 18:7-8, Jesus asked the question: “When the Son of man comes, shall he find faith on the earth?” As we know, the Son of man will not come on earth until the end of the seven-year tribulation, and with the Church removed via the rapture, and with most of those who receive Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord during the Tribulation martyred, Jesus is predicting that only a remnant of believers will remain alive at His return.

However, there will be great religion on earth during those seven years which will be led by the False Prophet, and that is the false church that is growing today, spawned by the apostasy from the true Church, and therefore it is a form of Christianity but without Christ, and a form of godliness, but without the truth, and therefore the power of God.

We will explain this further in our next sermon, “Earnestly Contending for the Faith – Holding to the Truth in the Midst of Apostasy!” (Jude 1-25)

Today, people all over the world are asking the question, “What Child is This?” In his “woke” address, without speaking His name, President Biden referred to Jesus as “A Child Christians Believe to Be the Son of God.”

With all due respect, Mr. President, over 300 specific prophecies in the Old Testament were fulfilled in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth, and a few more left to be fulfilled when He soon returns to earth as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Here are a few of the more notable messianic prophecies Jesus fulfilled.

“Unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.” Isaiah 9:6

Linda and I share the heartbreak of many parents who, on Christmas morning, find their children more enamored by the bright bows and colorful boxes than the toys inside. Such is the case with many Christians today – they are more interested in the idea and feeling of Christmas than they are in Christ. 
Beloved, Christmas is not about the Savior’s Infancy! Christmas is about that infant’s Deity, and OUR CELEBRATION OF CHRISTMAS SHOULD NOT BE ABOUT ANYTHING LESS OR ANYTHING ELSE. 

The heart of Christmas, yea, even the crux of Christianity, is that God Himself entered the world as a human being, and they called His name, Jesus. Therefore, to truly receive Jesus as our Savior, we must first recognize His deity and then fully surrender unto Him as our Lord! See Romans 10:9-10
We will explain this further in our next sermon, “What Child is This? Child of Perfection.”