Thank you for listening to Servants for Christ. In all that we do, in all that we say, we want to give glory and honor to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Thank you for tuning us in as we get into the wonderful Word of God. For the next few minutes, let's take the beautiful Word of God and share it with each and every one of you as we have a sense of anticipation to take the Word of God and to listen to its truth for each and every one. Thank you for tuning us in. I'm Darrell Bailey, servants for Christ, amen. For we preach not ourselves, but Christ Jesus, the Lord, and ourselves, your servants for Jesus' sake. As we continue on in our series, Shield Up. Shield Up. I'm glad that here we look at the profound wisdom of the little book of Jude that has a powerful letter nestled at the end of the New Testament, just 25 verses, that is a call to arms for the faithful and to stand firm in the face of challenges and threats to our faith. As we get into this study, we'll be in verses 22 and 23, and Jude, amen, and I'm glad that we'll be talking about navigating the flames, navigating the flames. I'm glad that here in our series Shield Up, it'll guide us through the letters of the gospel, and I'm glad that it'll navigate us, that'll give us a rich insight and practical guidance, amen, as we uncover Jude's imagery. and exhortations and descriptions of the challenges facing the early church and the strategies for overcoming them. And so, as we look, take your Bible with us to Jude. It's only one chapter and it started with verse 22 and verse 23 that we'll begin reading the wonderful In verse 22, and of some have compassion making a difference. And then in verse 23, and others say with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. That's why I call this message navigating the flames, amen. Let's have us a word of prayer before we go any further. And let's ask the Lord to help us in our study that we'll do exactly what we need to get into the Word of God and to give glory and honor to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Father. Thank you, Lord, as we take the wonderful Word of God. Thank you for saving us by your marvelous grace. And we're so thankful, Lord, for an opportunity to get in the Word of God, to explore the studies of the Word of God. And Lord, I ask God that you'll give us the ability to take your word and share it with those that may listen, Father. May it give glory and honor to you in all that we say and all that we do, Father. And Lord, I thank you for this opportunity to get into the little book of Jude. because there's times in this world where we need to shield up and we need to guard ourselves against the things of the falseness and apostasy that are out in the world today. In Jesus' marvelous mighty name, may you save that lost sinner before it's too late. In Jesus we pray, amen. You know, as we look, In verses 22 and 23, we see the responsibility to show mercy and rescue those who are wavering or have been led astray by falsehood. This underscores the importance of compassion. and intervention. It calls all of us believers to reach out to those struggling in their faith, offering help and guidance while being careful not to be tainted by the sin that they are trying to address. And so I call this navigating the flames. navigating the flames. Jude had written firmly about the subject of apostasy and with a firm hand but with a broken heart. He knows that apostates are paving a one-way street of spiritual error that dead ends into hell. And he now encourages his readers not just to curse the darkness of the apostate teaching, but to light the candle of evangelistic reaching. A tragedy has taken place in the church of the 20th century. It's sad that when you look at all of the churches and the denominations through the years of what the percentage has dropped, in the people that have been faithful in their attendance. Why has this change taken place? What happened to the mainline denominations? Well, they got away from two things. the word of God, and evangelism. I emphasize evangelism because there are some who think just because we're Southern Baptists that we believe the Bible, we don't have to worry about our own denomination. Listen, let me tell you something. It's just as dangerous as out there today because if a faith is worth having, it is worth sharing. And yet, many of us have never shared a verbal witness with a lost person. I'm talking to somebody that has never ever even attempted to share the gospel with somebody else. It's just about you, me, myself, and I. The church is filled with modern day, fiddling around the world, and got people that are heading to the fires of hell. We need courage under fire. We need a holy boldness, not only to condemn the apostate, but to confront those who are vulnerable to the apostate's teaching with the gospel of Jesus Christ. But our courage is not to be reckless courage. It should mark our courage. They're words of being able to be careful, to share, and to beware. So we navigate the flames. And I'm glad that we move forward with courage in evangelism. And so, We have three great problems in our church today concerning lost people. The first problem is the vast majority of Christians today are not winning the loss. But that's not our greatest problem. An even greater number are not witnessing to the lost. And that is, they're not even trying to win people. But that's not our greatest problem. Our greatest problem is that even more Christians are not weeping over the lost. That is, we don't even care. We don't have a burden for the lost anymore. And when I think about the word compassion, I think of Matthew 9, verse 36, where it says about Jesus, but when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion for them because they were weary and scattered like sheep having no shepherd. I'm going to tell you, there's nothing more sadder today than to know that there's so many people that needs to be reached but there's so less of compassion. And so we need to navigate the flames. We need to get through this. And I tell you, I was reading about a little coastal town that there stood a lighthouse known to all as a beacon of hope and safety. This lighthouse was more than just a guide for the sailors, it was a symbol of steadfastness amidst the perils of the sea. Its light cut through the fog and the darkness, offering direction and reassurance to those who braved the treacherous waters. One stormy night, the waves crashed violently against the shore. Lightning illuminated the darkened sky. Young sailor by the name of Tom found himself lost at sea. The storm had come up suddenly and Tom's small boat was tossed about like a toy in a mighty tempest. Desperately he tried to steer his vessel, but the raging sea and the blinding rain made navigation nearly impossible. In the midst of his fear and uncertainty, Tom saw the faint but the unwavering beam of that lighthouse in the distance. Even through the storm, its light remained constant, guiding him safely to shore. The lighthouse's unyielding presence amidst the storm provided Tom with a sense of direction and hope, enabling him to find his way to safety in many ways. Listen to me, our spiritual journey mirrors Tom's experience. We often find ourselves navigating through life's trials and temptations, feeling overwhelmed by the metaphorical storms that batter at us. Jude, verse 22 and 23, it offers us a guiding light in these challenging times. Just as the lighthouse guided Tom, These verses guide us on how to help others and ourselves through the fires of doubt and difficulty. That's again why I call this Navigating the Flames. In many ways, our spiritual journey, as we look at this, it instructs us in verses 22 and 23, and of some have compassion, making a difference, and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. You see, this scripture encourages us to extend compassion and intervention to those who are struggling, navigating the flames of their own trials. And as we reflect on these words, let us find inspiration in the lighthouse's steady beam, knowing that we too can be a source of light. and direction for those that are around us in our schools, in the campuses, on our jobs, and in our churches, and everywhere as we help them find their way through life's storms. You know, when we look and we realize how hard things can be in life today, we see so many people that are going through very trying times, and we need to be able to help them. And so, as we look and address the kind of courage required to save souls from the eternal fire of God's judgment, a fire far more severe than any earthly blaze, jewed with both resolve and sorrow, warns against the dangers of apostasy, recognizes the false teachings that are leading people astray toward eternal damnation. Instead of merely condemning these errors, he urges us to actively seek and to save those who are lost. You know, the church has been a troubling decline in traditional denominations, and it's sad to see that. And that danger that lurks within all denominations is dead orthodoxy that is so liberal because Within faithful communities, there's a stark reality that many Christians are not sharing their faith, and even fewer are deeply concerned for the lost. And so, when true courage in evangelism involves three key aspects, come about. Care, share, and beware. Care, Share and beware. As we navigate the flames, Jude 22, that he talked about, and of some have compassion making a difference. The word compassion translates to filling with those who are unsure and doubtfully about their spiritual state. These individuals are not firmly opposed to Christianity, but they're wandering in a spiritual confusion. Interestingly, people who declare no religion affiliation now ranks as the fourth largest denomination in America. Many of these are open to the gospel if approached with a genuine compassion. Our response must be to care deeply. Compassion involves empathy that leads to action. Matthew 9, verse 36 illustrates this well that says, but when he saw the multitudes again, I love this. He was moved with compassion on them because they fainted and were scattered abroad as sheep having no shepherd. And so. Can you imagine that each and every one of us, as we go through life, that we look and we see that not only do we need to have care for confused souls, but secondly, share with conflicted souls. Because in Jude 23, it talks about, and others, save with fear, pulling them out of the fire. This verse urges us to rescue those who are dangerously close to falling in. They're not lost yet, but they're on the brink, entangled into misleading teachings. The eternal fire referred to here is a reality of hell, depicted in Matthew chapter 13, verses 41 and 42. The Son of Man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity, and shall cast them into the furnace of fire. There shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. through the concept of hell, is often dismissed and ridiculed. In reality, listen to me, it's undeniable, everyone will ultimately confront this truth. A story from John Wesley's life highlights the urgency of saving souls. And as a child, Wesley was dramatically rescued from a burning house. A reminder of how critical our rescue efforts can be. The intensity of our effort should reflect the severity of the danger. William Booth of the Salvation Army once expressed that brief exposure to hell would be the most effective training for evangelism. And so, we seek care for confused souls. Share with the conflicted souls. But lastly and thirdly, beware of the confirmed sinners. Because again in Jude 23, that it concludes, and others saved with fear, hating even the garments spotted by the flesh. It describes individuals who are deeply entrenched in sin and falsehood. Our approach must be cautious and discerning, being mature Christians, because these are not merely misled individuals, but those who have entrenched themselves in sin and apostasy. Boy, I saw many of them that have faltered by the wayside and you try and you try and you give and you give and you try and all you can do is keep on and some of them never get it. All you can do is keep praying and keep trying. Our goal is to reach out without compromising our own values or our morals. The imagery of the defiled garments in Leviticus chapter 13, verse 52, it says, he shall therefore burn that garment in which is the plague, for it is an act of leprosy, it shall be burned in the fire. It illustrates the seriousness of avoiding contamination by sin. We've gotta navigate these situations very carefully, according to Jude, like a lifeguard rescuing a drowning person. We must avoid being pulled under ourselves. Our witness should be strong, but we also must protect our integrity. The old mountain preacher Dr. Vance Havner wisely said, you don't have to dress up like a clown to witness to a circus. We should engage the world without compromising our spiritual standards. We must embody courage under fire and in our evangelistic efforts by showing genuine care for the confused, actively sharing with those in danger and remaining vigilant when dealing with those entrenched in sin. And so, as we get ready to close out, I hope that our compassion involves both feeling and action as we reflect on our interactions with those who are unsure about their faith and consider ways to offer guidance and support. We need to evaluate our willingness to confront spiritual dangers and share the gospel passionately with those who are in dire needs. And also, we need to ensure that our efforts are to reach out not to compromise our own values and beliefs, but remain firm in our principles while being a beacon of truth. I hope that you can navigate the flames with courage in your evangelism as you reach out and have compassion And as Jude says, making a difference because all of us can make a difference wherever we are. We can stand in the gap. We can make the difference if we can just reach one person out there in the world today. And so Father, grant us the courage and the wisdom to navigate the spiritual fires that are around us. Help us to care deeply for those who are lost, to share the gospel with urgency, and to avoid compromise as we witness to the hardened. Empower us to be faithful and effective in our mission, reflecting your love and truth in all that we do. In Jesus's marvelous mighty name that we pray. Amen. you