Who lies, who cheats, who deceives: well his name is devil. And Jude reminds us to learn from past mistakes. Believing God is so important today. It is the importance of staying safe in a vile environment. In God's kingdom it truth and justice. He has wrapped us in His mercy and grace, not the language of hate, nor dancer's poles. Faith is to grow in us as the world grows darker! If we know not His truth, we follow some crowd of Know-It-Alls!We must speak for Jesus and truth. We should not follow crowds to doom!
Jude Reminds Us to Learn from Past
Mistakes …“But
I want to remind you, though you once knew this…” (Jude 1:5)
These are
Jude’s introductory words before he pulls three significant references from the
past indicating the sins of the people and the consequences:
1. The Israelite's
2. The fallen angels
3. Sodom and Gomorrah
Though the
audience were very familiar with these incidents, people are forgetful, and he
wanted to remind them. The past is an excellent teacher.
1. The
Unbelief of the Israelite's: First, Jude quotes the example of the Israelite's.
“...the
Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed
those who did not believe.” (Jude 1:5)
It was with
a mighty hand and an outstretched arm that God brought the Israelite's out of
Egypt (Psalm 136:12). However, they quickly forgot God’s power and sovereignty.
Their unbelief took over, and they doubted God on several occasions after their
historic and divine exodus.
When Moses
left Aaron in charge to go up to the mountain and receive the Ten Commandments,
the people persuaded Aaron to build a golden calf for them to worship. This
angered the Lord, and about three thousand men died that day (Exodus 32:28).
Despite
having received their daily allowance of manna, the delicious food from heaven,
the people still complained. They went so far as to reminisce and crave the
food of Egypt, where they were slaves. This displeased the Lord, and His anger
was aroused. He sent them more food, this time some quail. But while they were
still chewing the meat, He struck them with a great plague (Numbers 11:33).
These are
two of the many occasions where the Israelite's forgot God’s power, might, and
faithfulness as they grumbled and complained. Eventually, they angered God one
last time after the spies who explored Canaan brought in strikingly different
reports. They went so far as to say, “Let us select a leader and return to
Egypt”(Numbers 14:4). And God decided to shun their generation from the
promised land except for Joshua and Caleb (Numbers 14:29-30, 35).
Time and
again, God came to their aide, parting seas, providing daily servings of food,
and granting victory over enemies on every side. Yet, they were too quick to
forget. Their faith had the focus of a goldfish. The mercies of God are
abundant and last a thousand generations. Let us never forget His wonderful and
marvelous works for us. For by them, we have the joy of salvation and the hope
of eternal life.
Jude 1:6-9 NKJV 6 And the angels who did not keep
their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting
chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; 7 as Sodom and
Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given
themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set
forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. 8 Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh,
reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending
with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring
against him a reviling accusation, but said, "The Lord rebuke you!"
Jude is
attacking false prophets, and thus men and demons are interwoven in the
context. He indicts these false prophets for three sins:
1. Lust:
They defile the flesh, allowing a feeling to take them over the edge into sin. (lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life)
2.
Rebellion: They flout authority in general, but primarily that of Christ. It is
hidden in the Greek, but the word authority is really "lordship." It
normally refers to Christ and His lordship over us. ( They want their voice heard as the authority.)
3.
Disrespect or disregard of spirit beings.
This third
sin is interesting because he is saying that it is not that these false
prophets will not talk about Satan, but their speech is gratuitous, despising,
or denigrating of angelic powers. Their preaching suggests that these demons
are not something Christians need to be concerned about. They side-step the
issue.
Why would
they do that? Because a false spirit is leading them, so they downgrade the
existence and powers of demons through their preaching. This is clearly seen in
Protestant Christianity, especially the mainline denominations that have gone
to the point that they almost universally agree that Satan the Devil and his
demons do not really exist. It shows how successful the demons have been in
their deceptions.
One could have sat through the Super Bowl and know without a doubt, satan is alive in the flesh. For we saw the lust, rebellion and disrespect. We find those who invite you in by their hospitality and then spit on you, bullies you, and then send their word that you like it or leave it. Well, they might find many leaving that house knowing that they would never were on the right page with football. Sad to say many now are taking to shaking odd parts of bodies to get more acclaim. They want their 15 minutes of such fame. They carry their own microphone with them.
We had always thought you had to have a top 100 hit to get to the Super Bowl. But seems like just to make it to 80+ plus on your created music makes you some kind of a star in some form. ( maybe overseas in other nations) But to invite one who does not speak English in an English speaking country, surely makes you know you are not welcome in the house of football or anything like that thing!! (makes you wonder who will perform in the next one, if there is another)
Jude describes the
apostates as “ungodly” and as those who use God’s grace as a license to commit
unrighteous acts. Beginning with “ungodly,” Jude describes eighteen
unflattering traits of apostates so his readers can more easily identify them.
Jude says the apostates are ungodly (vs. 4), morally perverted (vs. 4), denying
Christ (vs. 4), ones who defile the flesh (vs. 8), rebellious (vs. 8), people
who revile angels (vs. 8), who are ignorant about God (vs. 8), those who
proclaim false visions (vs. 10), self-destructive (vs. 10), grumblers (vs. 16),
fault finders (vs. 16), self-satisfying (vs. 16), people who use arrogant words
and false flattery (vs. 16), mockers of God (vs. 18), those who cause divisions
(vs. 19), worldly minded (vs. 19), and finally (and not surprisingly), devoid
of the Spirit/unsaved (vs. 19).
Third, Jude says apostates “deny our only Master
and Lord, Jesus Christ.” How do apostates do this? Paul tells us in his letter
to Titus, "To the pure, all things are pure; but to those who are defiled
and unbelieving, nothing is pure, but both their mind and their conscience are
defiled. They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him, being
detestable and disobedient and worthless for any good deed" (Titus 1:15-16, emphasis added).
1. Through their unrighteous behavior, the
apostates show their true selves.
2. Unlike an apostate, a true believer is someone who has been delivered from sin to
righteousness in Christ.
3. With Paul, they ask the apostates who promote
licentious behavior, “What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that
grace may increase? May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in
it?” (Romans 6:1-2)
But the apostates’ false teaching also shows
their true nature. Peter says, “But false prophets also arose among the people,
just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly
introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them,
bringing swift destruction upon themselves” (2 Peter 2:1). Another aspect of true believers is that they have been
delivered out of spiritual darkness into light (Ephesians 5:8) and therefore will not deny core truths of Scripture like
Arius did with the divinity of Jesus.
Ultimately, the sign of an
apostate is that he eventually falls away and departs from the truth of God’s
Word and His righteousness. The apostle John signifies this is a mark of a
false believer: “They went out from us, but they were not really of us; for if
they had been of us, they would have remained with us; but they went out, so
that it would be shown that they all are not of us” (1 John 2:19).
Ideas Have
Consequences
That God takes apostasy and false teaching
seriously is evidenced by the fact that every New Testament book except
Philemon contains warnings about false teaching. Why is this?
1. Simply because ideas have consequences.
2. Right
thinking and its fruit produces goodness, whereas wrong thinking and its
accompanying action results in undesired penalties. As an example, the
Cambodian killing fields in the 1970's were the product of the nihilistic
worldview of Jean Paul Sartre and his teaching. The Khmer Rouge’s leader Pol
Pot lived out Sartre’s philosophy toward the people in a clear and frightening
way, which was articulated in this manner: “To keep you is no benefit. To
destroy you is no loss.”
( We see this today: they allow those who illegally came into U.S. only to murder like they did in their own country or nation. These in authority consider it no loss if you die by their hand. So sad indeed when we love not one another.)
3. It should be remembered that Satan did not come
to the first couple in the Garden with an external armament or supernatural
weapon; instead, he came to them with an idea. And it was that idea that
condemned them and the rest of humankind, with the only remedy being the
sacrificial death of God’s Son. ( Which would you desire, the world's ideas or God's plan?)
The great tragedy is, whether
knowingly or unknowingly, the apostate teacher dooms his unsuspecting
followers. One of the most frightening verses in all of Scripture comes from
the lips of Jesus. Speaking to His disciples about the religious leaders of His
day, He said, “Let them alone; they are blind guides of the blind. And if a
blind man guides a blind man, both will fall into a pit” (Matthew 15:14, emphasis added). This verse is alarming because Jesus
affirms that it is not only the false teachers that go to destruction, but
their disciples also follow them. Christian philosopher Soren Kierkegaard put
it this way: “For it has never yet been known to fail that one fool, when he
goes astray, takes several others with him.”
In this Conclusion: In A.D. 325, the Council of Nicea convened
primarily to take up the issue of Arius and his teaching. Much to Arius’s
dismay, the end result was his excommunication and a statement in the Nicene
Creed that affirmed Christ’s divinity: “We believe in one God, the Father
Almighty, maker of all things visible and invisible; and in one Lord Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, the only-begotten of his Father, of the substance of
the Father, God of God, Light of Light, very God of very God, begotten not
made, being of one substance with the Father.”
Arius may have died centuries ago, but his
spiritual children are still with us to this day in the form of cults like the
Jehovah’s Witnesses and others who deny Christ’s true essence and person.
Sadly, until Christ returns and every last spiritual enemy has been removed,
tares such as these will be present among the wheat (Matthew 13:24-30). In fact, Scripture says apostasy will only
get worse as Christ’s return approaches. “At that time [the latter days] many
will fall away and will betray one another and hate one another” (Matthew 24:10). Paul echoes Jesus in his inspired writings as well. The
apostle told the Thessalonians that a great falling away would precede Christ’s
second coming (2 Thessalonians 2:3) and that the end times would be characterized
by tribulation and hollow religious charlatans: “But realize this, that in the
last days difficult times will come. For men will be . . . holding to a form of
godliness, although they have denied its power; avoid such men as these” (2 Timothy 3:1-2,5).
Those who choose to leave God behind follow crowds with their own beliefs! It was Jesus, Paul, Peter, Jude and John who warn against the encroachment of antinomianism or this lawlessness. We told this in Matthew 24:11-12 ( in His Olivet Prophecy, Jesus speaks, "Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold." And what will happen to such lawless people? Jesus spoke this:
Many will say to Me in that day, "Lord, Lord, have we
not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many
wonders in Your name?" And then I will declare to them, "I never knew
you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!" (Matthew 7:22-23)
Among
Paul's end-time prophecies is his prediction of a great apostasy that results
from the unrestrained assault of "the mystery of lawlessness" (2 Thessalonians 2:1-7). This comes with all unrighteous deception among those who
perish, because they did not receive the love of the truth, that they might be
saved. And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should
believe the lie, that they all may be condemned who did not believe the truth
but had pleasure in unrighteousness. . . . Therefore, brethren, stand fast and
hold the traditions which you were taught. . . . (verses 10-12, 15) We see this today, how they are continuing in their strong delusion, believing the lie.
Peter
and Jude use similar language in their books to counter the antinomian teaching
extant in their congregations ( 2 Peter 2:9-10, 12-13, 15, 18-19; 3:17-18; Jude
3-4). John's epistles are likewise full of warnings against antinomian heresies.
For instance, notice these passages: Now by this we know that we know Him, if we keep His
commandments. He who says, "I know Him," and does not keep His
commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. (I John 2:3-4) ...Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is
lawlessness. (1 John 3:4) .....In this the children of God and the children of the devil
are manifest: Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he
who does not love his brother. (1 John 3:10) ....By this we know that we love the children of God, when we
love God and keep His commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep
His commandments. And His commandments are not burdensome. ( 1 John 5:2-3)....This is love, that we walk according to His commandments.
. . . Whoever transgresses and does not abide in the doctrine of Christ does
not have God. . . . If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do
not receive him into your house nor greet him; for he who greets him shares in
his evil deeds. (2 John 6, 9-11)
Beloved, do not imitate what is evil, but what is good. He
who does good is of God, but he who does evil has not seen God. (3 John 11)
Deceptions
& the Depravity of the False Teachers: 2 Peter 2:9-22 NKJV 9 Then the Lord knows how to
deliver the godly out of temptations & to reserve the unjust under
punishment for the day of judgment, 10 & especially those who walk
according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness & despise authority. They
are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid
to speak evil of dignitaries, 11 whereas angels, who are greater in
power & might, do not bring a reviling accusation against them before the
Lord. 12 but these, like natural brute beasts made to be caught &
destroyed, speak evil of the things they do not understand, & will utterly
perish in their own corruption, 13 & will receive the wages of
unrighteousness, as those who count it pleasure to carouse in the daytime. They
are spots & blemishes, carousing in their own deceptions while they feast
with you, 14 having eyes full of adultery & that cannot cease from sin,
enticing unstable souls. They have a heart trained in
covetous practices, & are accursed children. 15 They have forsaken the
right way & gone astray, following the way of Balaam the son of Beor, who
loved the wages of unrighteousness, but he was rebuked for his iniquity; a dumb
donkey speaking with a man’s voice restrained the madness of the prophet.
17 These are wells without water, clouds carried by a
tempest for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. 18 For when they speak great
swelling words of emptiness, they allure through the lusts of the flesh,
through lewdness, the ones who have actually escaped from those who live in
error. 19 While they promise them liberty, they themselves are slaves of
corruption; for by whom a person is overcome, by him also he is brought into
bondage. 20 For if, after they have escaped the pollution's of the world through
the knowledge of the Lord & Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled
in them & overcome, the latter end is worse for them than the beginning. 21
For it would have been better for them not to have known the way of
righteousness, than having known it, to turn from the holy commandment
delivered to them. 22 But it has happened to them according to the true
proverb: “ a dog returns to his own vomit,” and, “ a sow, having washed, to her
allowing in the mire.”
What about Balaam? Revelation 2:14-15 NKJV 14 But I have a few things against you, because you have there those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality. (15) Thus you also have those who hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitans, which thing I hate.
The structure of this paragraph ties together the doctrine of Balaam, the sins of eating things sacrificed to idols and committing sexual immorality, and the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. Christ implies that all three are the same basic heresy under different guises. This antinomian teaching affected the church in Thyatira as well (verses 20-21).
Moses records Balaam's story in Numbers 22-25, 31. Balak, king of Moab, hires Balaam to curse the Israelites, but every time he tries, Balaam instead blesses them. He then counsels Balak to send Moabite and Midianite women into the camp of Israel to seduce the men and invite them to the sacrifices of their god (Numbers 25:1-2; 31:16). Clearly, Balaam's instruction included getting the Israelites to commit idolatry and sexual immorality.
(Even today we saw a Muslim woman running for office in North Carolina. She was dressed in all black covering most face area and body. But she is of another faith ....one that carries a sword under that black garb. ) (She is for her nation and wants death to America)
Interestingly, these two practices arise in the Jerusalem Council in AD 49. Paul and Barnabas, with Peter's help, convince the assembled elders that Gentile converts to Christianity should not be required to be circumcised and keep the law of Moses, Judaism's rigorous "yoke" of picayune laws (Acts 15:10). However, the Council enjoins the Gentiles on four points of typical Gentile religious practice:
For it seemed good to the Holy Spirit, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things: that you abstain from things offered to idols, from blood, from things strangled, and from sexual immorality. If you keep yourselves from these, you will do well. Farewell. (verses 28-29)
We have people speaking evil of those as dignitaries. They mock truth and justice and live in lawless ways. We find this in the book of Numbers, where the group Korah (or company) were speaking out against leadership. It amazes me where you have a leadership like we had for four years (did nothing but bring catastrophic measures, that people demand good leadership and repair the last four years of mess! It will take longer when you consider past leaders who did nothing but try to set up barriers stopping God's plan for life.
Numbers
16:12-16 NKJV & Moses sent to call Dathan & Abiram the sons of Eliab,
but they said, “We will not come
up!” 13 “Is it a small
thing that you have brought us up out of a land flowing with milk & honey,
to kill us in the wilderness, that you should keep acting a prince over us?” 14 Moreover you have not brought us into a
land flowing with milk & honey, nor given us inheritance of fields
& vineyards. Will you put out the eyes of these men? We will not
come up! 15 Then Moses was very angry, & said to
the LORD, “Do not respect their offering. I have not taken one donkey from
them, nor have I hurt one of them.” 16 & Moses said to Korah,
“Tomorrow, you & all your company be present before the LORD---you &
they, as well as Aaron. ALL be there! Refusing to leave their tents,
Dathan & Abiram scolded Moses & his leadership….sounds like tempers were flaring into
tantrums! These mock
saying: that from the promise of Ex. 3:8 that God would bring them into “ a land flowing with milk &honey”
their complaint revealed sarcasm speaking that Moses instead had brought them
out of a land flowing with milk & honey ( Egypt) & had brought them
into the land not flowing
with milk & honey …that was the desert. A land flowing with milk and honey is
the promised in the kingdom of God…revealed by Jesus…this is found in
salvation& that redemption is of repentance & of faith. It is a spiritual life of living by faith when keeping
His commands & by obedience to His will
for each of our lives! God has brought each of us out…an Exodus….from
Egypt into the Promised Land…. living by faith… serving Him….for His glory
founded on Jesus Christ the Cornerstone
Numbers 16:17 Let each take
his censer & put incense in it, & each of you bring his censer before
the LORD 250 censers; both you & Aaron, each with his censer. 18 so every
man took his censer, put fire in it, laid incense on it, & stood at the
door of the tabernacle
It is critical, now more than ever, that every
believer pray for discernment, combat apostasy, and contend earnestly for the
faith that has once and for all been delivered to the saints. The Word of God has been given to teach us and raise our faith toward the Father. The Lord is to be our song in the night and His guidance at noonday. We should be men and women of the light to bring others to know His goodness in the land of the living.
Whoever
believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him
who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. 2 By this we know that we love
the children of God, when we love God and keep His commandments. 3 For this is
the love of God, that we keep His commandments. And His commandments are not
burdensome. 4 For whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the
victory that has overcome the world----our faith. ( 1 John 5:1-4)
Faith is
what overcomes and it is in Christ Jesus! We are to activate spiritual weapons
and not those silly carnal ones. 2
Corinthians 10:3-6 NKJV For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war
according to the flesh, 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but
mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every
high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought
into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all
disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.
Behind
every stronghold is a lie----a place of personal bondage where God’s word has
been dominated or controlled to an un-scriptural idea or personally confused
belief that is held true. Behind this lie is fear and behind the fear is an
idol!
No man can
keep you down, but lies as a stronghold can. If you believe you are still in
slavery, guess what, You are still in slavery. You can be in slavery to what
your parents taught you but was not God’s wisdom. ( Another I heard last weekend was that of being born as the "bastard child". Yes, true in the word of God out of wedlock presents a dark presence in those born in this atmosphere of lust. But repentance on the part of the father will bring the children back to their futures in God! )
Faith is
what holds us in truth and if you do not know the truth, then destruction is
all around you. God is faithful and He
will reveal truth to us when we search for Him. It is not looking for a
particular place, for any closet would do. But what is important is that with
eyes wide open we look for God in our heart and when He is seated there, no
devil in hell can hurt you ever!
Teaching at: Voice of Prayer
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