The Falling Away
About this sermon
In “The Falling Away,” Pastor Dean Odle presents a Scripture-centered message about the authority of Scripture, the condition of the church, Bible prophecy. Drawing especially from Matthew 7, the teaching emphasizes that Scripture is presented as the standard for doctrine, discernment, and daily obedience. Odle connects that foundation with the conviction that the church is called to recover biblical faithfulness instead of accommodating compromise.
Chronological teaching outline
Select a section heading to play the sermon from that moment.
Odle focuses on divine judgment while working through Matthew 7. The message argues that God’s judgment is treated as righteous, certain, and a reason to repent while mercy is offered. It connects this with the conviction that Scripture is presented as the standard for doctrine, discernment, and daily obedience. The practical emphasis is to trust God’s promises and refuse decisions governed by fear.
Odle focuses on divine judgment. The message argues that God’s judgment is treated as righteous, certain, and a reason to repent while mercy is offered. It connects this with the conviction that prophecy should produce discernment, readiness, and faithfulness rather than speculation alone. The practical emphasis is to remain watchful, grounded in Scripture, and ready to obey Christ.
Odle focuses on biblical love while working through Matthew 7. The message argues that biblical love is demonstrated through truth, patience, sacrifice, and conduct toward others. It connects this with the conviction that faithfulness in the home requires instruction, loving correction, protection, and a consistent Christian example. The practical emphasis is to practice patient, truthful love in relationships and conflict.
Odle focuses on Bible prophecy. The message argues that prophecy should produce discernment, readiness, and faithfulness rather than speculation alone. It connects this with the conviction that Scripture is presented as the standard for doctrine, discernment, and daily obedience. The practical emphasis is to remain watchful, grounded in Scripture, and ready to obey Christ.
Odle focuses on the condition of the church. The message argues that the church is called to recover biblical faithfulness instead of accommodating compromise. It connects this with the conviction that biblical faith trusts God’s character and acts upon His promises. The practical emphasis is to trust God’s promises and refuse decisions governed by fear.
Odle focuses on the condition of the church. The message argues that the church is called to recover biblical faithfulness instead of accommodating compromise. It connects this with the conviction that the message connects prayer for healing with faith in Christ, pastoral care, and submission to God. The practical emphasis is to test the teaching by Scripture and apply it through faithful obedience.
Odle focuses on Bible prophecy. The message argues that prophecy should produce discernment, readiness, and faithfulness rather than speculation alone. It connects this with the conviction that believers are warned to test persuasive claims and religious appearances by Scripture. The practical emphasis is to remain watchful, grounded in Scripture, and ready to obey Christ.
Odle focuses on the authority of Scripture. The message argues that Scripture is presented as the standard for doctrine, discernment, and daily obedience. It connects this with the conviction that prophecy should produce discernment, readiness, and faithfulness rather than speculation alone. The practical emphasis is to remain watchful, grounded in Scripture, and ready to obey Christ.
Odle focuses on the authority of Scripture. The message argues that Scripture is presented as the standard for doctrine, discernment, and daily obedience. It connects this with the conviction that faithfulness in the home requires instruction, loving correction, protection, and a consistent Christian example. The practical emphasis is to seek God in prayer and act on what Scripture requires.
Odle focuses on gratitude. The message argues that thankfulness remembers God’s mercy and guards the heart from entitlement and complaint. It connects this with the conviction that biblical faith trusts God’s character and acts upon His promises. The practical emphasis is to trust God’s promises and refuse decisions governed by fear.
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- 0:00:00
hallelujah well you may be seated this morning glory to god what's up thank you jesus thank you jesus well a lot going on you know that they uh prayed for my eyes is when i was remembering something when i got up to pray this morning and the devil's been trying to attack my since the day i was born actually the day i was born and i know this is kind of ironic in it that i was born in a roman catholic hospital in tulsa oklahoma i can't remember i think it was called saint john's but they put these drops i guess it was just back then they did this but it was some kind of drops they put in newborns eyes back then and i had a severe reaction to it and they thought i was going to be blind because the reaction was so bad and then of course my mom while in the hospital got the flu and so did i so the first seven days of my life i basically couldn't see and um had the flu and was taken care of by nuns which is ironic has a sense of humor doesn't he um but so i believe i receive by faith not by sight healing for my eyes and my eyesight because the devil he just he's gone from one thing to the next trying to attack uh my eyesight so i appreciate that i believe that's what the apostle paul wrestled with from what we can tell in the scriptures but anyway this morning i want you to turn we're going to look at a few passages of scripture and hopefully i'll just be brief this morning i think everybody's tired we've had people moving people traveling people sweating out the auburn ole miss game is everybody stressed out getting ready for a wedding next weekend congratulations again to patrick and cherie rehearsal friday and then wedding is 2 30 or 2 o'clock two o'clock two o'clock on saturday all right um did i tell you where to turn yet okay i'm gonna give you a few verses here let's go first to matthew chapter seven um you know my heart is heavy it just seems like day by day week by week i see more and more deception going on and and even among people who
- 0:03:01
call themselves christians and i'm talking about serious deception going on in the christian world but let's read this because we're going to read starting at verse 1 because this is probably one of the most misused scriptures in all the bible by both christians so-called christians and the world judge not right oh lord we can't talk about anything we can't talk about any kind of sin nothing's nothing's wrong anymore um not even in the church we can't we can't judge something as wrong or evil or bad or sinful or deception or a lie or of the devil just not and i'm not the judge i can't judge don't judge me right we're going to look at this passage and then we're going to look at what jesus said toward the end of this passage because this is this is important that we understand this because i'm going somewhere because i got a little story to share from yesterday something that happened and you're i'm i'm blown away i'm i'm blown away but because this is part of my extended family and i'm blown away at how far they have gone and i've known them all my life but how far they've gone away started out in traditional uh christian churches methodist baptists um and now our new agent universally and i'll share that conversation a little bit of that conversation that i had yesterday it just blew my mind because um it's it's just sorry but let's read this he says here and i i guess i won't believe my bible matthew 7 verse 1 let's look at what it says it's judge not that you be not judged but does it stop there no judge not that you be not judged for with what judgment you judge you shall be judged and with what measures you meet it shall be measured to you again and why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye but considers not the being that is in thine own eye or how wilt thou say to thy brother let me pull out the mote out of thine eye and behold the bean is in 909 thou hypocrite first cast out the beam out of thine own eye and then thou shalt see clearly to cast the moat out of thy brother's eye and then it gives the instruction given out that which is holy to dogs now let's just stop here for just a second you see
- 0:06:01
when he says here judge not that you be not judged we have to look at the verses 7 through 5 in particular to understand the context of this it was never judge not anything okay it was never ever don't try to help your brother get the sin or the moat or the evil or the bad thing out of your brother's eye it's just if you've got the same problem get it out of you first deal with it yourself then you will be able to help your brother so see it doesn't say don't judge something is wrong don't judge something as sinful don't judge something as evil don't judge something is wrong in someone's life it's just saying deal with yourself if you've got the same sin it's a hypocritical judging it would be like someone practicing homosexuality saying i'm going to help you get out of your homosexuality no stop practicing your homosexual sin then you will see clearly to help your brother out of that sin that is the context and yet this passage is used just not to justify any type of ongoing sinful behavior in a person's life the world loves it they love to take this out of its context and so you know jesus said judge not right well jesus also said if you're i offend you pluck it out yeah there should be a lot of blind folks patrick said amen right but we look at that passage what in its context right you have to look at anything any teaching in the bible any teaching of jesus any teaching of the apostles of the old testament prophets must be taken in the context in which they were written or you are misusing abusing twisting perverting the word of god and you've turned the truth of god into a lie you hear now how do we know we go further in the chapter we're going to skip down a little bit because he talks about prayer and that's good and then in verse 13 this is still a continuation of the same teaching the same preachings the same sermon right jesus says there's been no break there's been no walking away there's been no days past this is the same sermon the same
- 0:09:02
teaching so in its context jesus goes on in verse 13 to say enter ye in at the straight gate for white is the gate and broad is the way that lead it to destruction and many there be that go in there at because strait is the gate and narrow is the way which leadeth unto life and few that be that find it so here in the context of what jesus was saying about judge not that you be not judged first get the the spec or the being out of your own eyes and then you will help your brother get the the the speck out of his eye says in the same congress straight is the gate that enters into life or to heaven to be right with god right but narrow i mean but brawl brother is the way that leads to destruction and many are going to destruction and a few are going right into life now this is opposite of what the world says the world in general and now what is in many churches both baptist methodist presbyterian charismatic pentecostal what now is is the sin is in it and it manifests itself in people's funerals everybody seems to go to heaven when they die it's completely opposite of what jesus said so he's he's making it very clear here not everyone that even names the name of jesus is going to go to heaven not everyone who claims to be righteous who says i'm okay don't judge me don't worry about me don't try to help me get sin or a problem out of my life don't try to help me repent god forbid because you're judging me right you know really the opposite we should be when someone's trying to help us with something we ought to be grateful but most people are not especially if we're trying to help you out of some bad behavior some sinful practice or some sinful lifestyle something that's going to destroy you and damn you to hell forever people ought to be grateful but of course we're opposite of that we're always opposite of what we should be 99 of the time unless you're born again and yield to the holy spirit most people don't do that though right all right so he says that now we're going to keep reading same bible ain't it amazing that's verse 14 look at verse 15. same sermon of jesus beware a false prophets which come to you in sheep's clothing but inwardly they are raving wolves i'll stop right there for a sec sheep most of the time are the most mild docile timid fearful will run from their own shadow
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