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Today on Bold Steps, Pastor Mark Jobe explains that God is calling you to fight for your family’s future. At what age do you stop fighting for the future of your family?  When your kids graduate from high school?  College?  When they get married and leave your house?  If you’re like most of us, our family lives doesn’tcease the moment our children turn eighteen.  And as we continue with part-two of our message called, Fighting for Your Family’s Future, we’ll discover that if your family is functioning as God has designed, it doesn’t matter how old your children are … the enemy is going to have a target on your backs.

Bold Steps Gift: LIES GIRLS BELIEVE: AND THE TRUTH THAT SETS THEM FREE

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In Colossians 1, Paul expresses his commitment to the Colossians’

spiritual growth, emphasizing Jesus’ pre-eminence in all things.

Christ’s role in creation, his headship of the church, and his work

of redemption are central themes.

On today’s program, Warren Smith talks with Michael Reneau of The Dispatch about his new column “Dispatch Faith.” They also unpack the mission of The Dispatch, his role there, the state of American journalism, and a whole lot more.

Before joining The Dispatch, Michael Reneau was the editor of WORLD Magazine. He also served as editor of the award-winning paper The Greenville Sun, based in Greenville, Tennessee. He is married and he and his wife have four children.

The producer for today’s program is Jeff McIntosh.

William Temple, a nineteenth-century English bishop, once concluded a sermon to Oxford students with the words of the hymn “When I Survey the Wondrous Cross.” But he cautioned against taking the song lightly. “If you mean [the words] with all your hearts, sing them as loud as you can,” Temple said. “If you don’t mean them at all, keep silent. If you mean them even a little, and want to mean them more, sing them very softly.” The crowd went quiet as everyone eyed the lyrics. Slowly, thousands of voices began to sing in a whisper, mouthing the final lines with gravity: “Love so amazing, so divine / Demands my soul, my life, my all.”

Those Oxford students understood the reality that believing in and following Jesus is a serious choice, because it means saying yes to a radical love that demands everything from us. Following Christ requires our entire life, our whole being. He plainly told His disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me” (Matthew 16:24). No one should make this choice flippantly.

Yet, following Jesus is also the way to our deepest joy. Life with Him, we’ll discover, is the life we truly desire. It appears a great paradox. However, if we respond to God’s love, believe in Christ, and relinquish our selfish, shortsighted demands, we’ll find the life our soul craves (v. 25).

Sermon Overview

Scripture Passage: John 6:71

The name Judas is a name of infamy, disgrace, and treachery; yet Jesus chose Judas to be one of His twelve disciples. It was not a mistake, nor did Judas’s betrayal catch Jesus off guard.

The words of warning, assurance, and comfort in John 6 tell us why Jesus chose Judas.

First, it was a lesson about religious hypocrisy and the need for true salvation.

“‘But there are some of you who do not believe.’ For Jesus knew from the beginning who they were who did not believe, and who would betray Him” (John 6:64).

Jesus knows the difference between a true believer and a hypocrite—those who have trusted in Him and those who have not. Judas serves as a warning for us, because by all appearances, Judas appeared to be in the right. He had the right associations, reputation, and participation. But these outward things did not reflect what was within.

Hypocrisy can hurt, especially in ministry; but remember—the other eleven disciples didn’t stop serving Jesus because of Judas. Nor should we let others' scandals keep us from serving.

Second, Jesus’ selection of Judas as a disciple teaches us of God’s divine sovereignty and the reliability of Scripture.

Long before Judas made the decision to betray Jesus, it was prophesied in Scripture; we can rest assured, God knew. Nothing is out of God’s control.

Adrian Rogers says, “Where man rules, God overrules.”

Third, Judas’ story is a lesson of personal responsibility and the tragedy of sin.

Judas was not forced to betray Jesus; the Bible clearly reveals Judas’ shady character. Sin had deceived him; only after his betrayal did he realize what he’d done. Sin destroyed him. His soul was in remorse, and his mind was anguished. He was condemned by the very devil who enticed him.

Finally, Jesus chose Judas to illustrate the security of the believer.

Judas did not lose his salvation because he never had it to begin with. He was outwardly religious but had never been born again. On the other hand, Simon Peter, his counterpart disciple, was rough and spiritually clumsy; He denied knowing Jesus three times that same night. But Peter was eternally secure because he had been born again. God kept him, despite his sin, because Peter had put his faith in Jesus.

Apply it to your life

Have you trusted in Jesus Christ? Adrian Rogers says, “You need to put your faith where God has put your sins: right on Jesus.”

We would love to pray for you! Please send us your request here.

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Some wives might be able to forgive their unfaithful husband, but struggle with trusting them again. Forgiveness opens the door for the possibility of rebuilding trust.

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