Podcasts about in jude

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 27, 2023 37:21

In Jude 1:14-25 we see that keeping yourself in the love of God involves taking steps to build your faith, cultivating your relationship with God, and participating in God's work in the world. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/whitefieldschurch/support

god love of god in jude

Jude 1:1-13 - A Faith Worth Fighting For

Meadowbrooke Church Sermon Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 14, 2023 43:51

In Jude 1:1-13 we see that steadfast faith in the true gospel leads to a fruitful life and eternal hope. --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/whitefieldschurch/support

fighting in jude

Walking in Light of Your Calling

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2023

There is a museum by the Dachau Concentration Camp that serves to remind its visitors of the horrors suffered under Hitler and the Nazi party. There is a sign posted for all visitors to see as they leave with a quote by Winston Churchill that reads: Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat its mistakes.[1] Judes little epistle serves to remind us of a history, that if ignored, we too might be doomed to repeat. The people Jude warns us of remind me of the morning my brother and I were late to the bus stop for school, I believe we missed the bus that day. On our way to the bus stop, a nice stranger invited us to get into the car so that he could take us to wherever we needed to go. My brother was tempted, and I was afraid to get into the car, so when it became apparent that we would not get into the car, the stranger drove off. False teachers are like the nice stranger who offers a child candy to get that child to get into the car, to take that child to a place that will forever impact that childs future. The candy often comes in the form of something that sounds good, such as the offer to gain a better understanding of the Bible, to grow closer to the true God through some hidden secret knowledge, or the offer of some key to unlocking the secrets of the Bible and reality. Permit me to push the stranger illustration a bit further. The reason my brother and I were able to sense danger when we were offered a ride from the person in the car was because our parents warned us of such people and informed us of a history involving such people, and the best way to resist them. The reason Jude saturated his little letter with examples from Israels past is because there is nothing new under the sun; the only thing that has changed is the dress. Since the birth of the Church, many have snuck into churches to introduce false doctrines that are labeled in the Bible as, doctrines of demons. Listen to the warning the apostle Paul gave to a young pastor named Timothy: Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons (1 Tim. 4:12). The reason Jude emphasizes the need to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints (v. 3), and that the Christians everywhere must build on the, most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life (v. 21) is because the Devil is really good at using the ignorance of Gods people to harm them. John Wycliff said it best when he wrote the following warning: To be ignorant of the Scripture is the same thing as to be ignorant of Christ.[2] Listen, if you are ignorant of the Great Shepherd, you will be gullible enough to buy into the lies of a stranger who seeks your harm and not your good. These are the people we are warned about in Jude: In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions (v. 18). Daniel Akin wrote concerning false teachers: Disciples of Jesus must never let their spiritual guard down. They must be spiritually discerning, testing every teaching by the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Word of God. Eloquent speech is not the issue. Faithfulness to the Bible is.[3] The Scoffers When will the scoffers come? Jude says, In the last time. What is the last time? It is the time between Jesus ascension into heaven and his return to earth; the last time is the time we find ourselves in today and it is the time Christians have found themselves in since the birth of the Church that we read about in the book of Acts during the first century. The scoffers are the same people who have crept into the church, but not only those who snuck in. To scoff is to mock, but it can also include an attitude that is dismissive due to a self-assured arrogance[4] that following their, own ungodly passions is the best way to walk. In fact, it is their arrogance and ungodly passions that serve as their moral and theological compass. In 2 Peter 3:4, these scoffers question the legitimacy of Jesus promised return to judge the living and the dead. In Jude, these scoffers do not revere or respect the holiness of God. In the wake of their walking these scoffers are divisive, worldly, and devoid of the Spirit (v. 19). Jude informs us that the reason these people teach the things that they teach and live the way that they live is because they are, devoid of the Spirit. What this means is that these scoffers are spiritually lost even though they say that they know Jesus, they really do not know Him. Paul wrote in Romans 8:9, Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. In Titus 1:16, we are told that such people, profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. Jesus said of such people: every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits (Matt. 7:1520). One of the many false teachings the Church encountered in the past confronted head on during the Protestant Reformation is what is known as Antinomianism. Antinomianism, which still exists today under a different dress, teaches that Christians are freed from all obligation to obey Gods Moral Law. There are dozens of examples from the Bible that such teaching does not represent the teachings of the Bible; what Jesus said in Matthew 7 and what Jude wrote in verse 19 is proof enough that true genuine faith in the resurrected Jesus as Master and Lord over your life does not give you a license to sin, but instead will affect you in such a way that you will want to live a life that falls in line with Gods Moral Law. The lifestyle of the false teachers, according to Jude, is proof enough that although they say that they belong to Jesus, they really do not and are in fact, devoid of the Spirit. What is possible to notice in these verses, is the way Jude contrasts the scoffers with the beloved. The Beloved So, who is the beloved? You remember from the very first verse in Jude that the beloved is the person who has been called by God, unconditionally loved by the Father, and kept for and by Jesus. According to the second verse in Jude, the one who is kept for Jesus because he is loved by the Father, will only know the mercy, peace, and love of the One who called him. Yet, in the first two verses, Jude gives us the reason why we must avoid the false teachers who deny Jesus as Master and Lord (v. 4), Jude offers us a strategy to not only avoid the trap of the scoffers, but a formula that will only deepen our relationship with the God who saved us. There is an imperative (command) that Jude anchors three participles to. The imperative is the word, keep. The three participles are found in verses 20-21 (the participles are italicized): Building yourselves in your most holy faith Praying in the Holy Spirit Waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus The way the NIV translates the Greek I believe is helpful in seeing how these three participles are connected to the word, kept: But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in Gods love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life (Jude 2021). How does one remain in Gods love? You do so by building your life upon His word, praying in the Holy Spirit, and waiting for Jesus Christ. Build yourselves upon the Word of God Another way you can say this is, Grow in your understanding and knowledge of the Scriptures. What he means by this is what he already admonished his readers to do in verse 3, contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. The apostle Paul said the same thing in Ephesians 2:20, So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone (Eph. 2:1920). The Cornerstone of our faith is Jesus and the gospel, as it is fleshed out from Genesis through Revelation, is our foundation. Our understanding of Jesus, as our Cornerstone, will shape our understanding of who God is. If we get Jesus wrong, we will get God wrong; if we get Jesus right, we will get God right. This is why Jesus said to anyone who would follow Him: Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. (Matt. 7:2427) In their commentary on Jude, Jim Shaddix and D.L. Akin observe: As we learn the Bible and understand its truth, we are strengthened, we grow, we mature, we are built up. Without the Scriptures there is no growth. Without the Word there is no maturity. Without the gospel nothing of eternal good will last. Like the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat, it is vital that we daily ingest and digest Gods Word and its truth.[5] Pray in the Holy Spirit Praying in the Holy Spirit is the second participle anchored to the word kept. What Jude means here is not that we pray in some angelic or heavenly language, but that we depend upon the Holy Spirit. What kind of praying does Jude have in mind? It is the kind of praying described in Ephesians 6:18, where we are, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. It is the kind of praying that seeks Gods will for our lives above our own desires and dreams for life. The Holy Spirit is not some force or a type of impersonal power, the Holy Spirit is a He, and that He is a Person, and that Person is the Helper and Counselor promised to the Christian (see John 16:4-15), and the Helper is God the Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who seals and secures all who belong to God: In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory (Eph. 1:1314). It is the Holy Spirit that the false teachers are devoid of, and it is what sets the true Christian apart from those who do not have eternal life, so we depend upon Him in knowing and that helps us in our weakness: Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words (Rom. 8:26). Wait for the Savior As we build our lives in obedience upon the Word of God with Jesus as our Cornerstone, while we depend upon Gods Holy Spirit to help, lead, and direct we wait and long for our Redeemer: God the Son. Waiting is another way of saying, watching. Why are we waiting and watching for Jesus? Because we know that because the tomb is empty, his promise to return is imminently sure! It is Jesus who the Psalmist promised in Psalm 24:7-8, Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle (Psalm 24:78)! The mercy Jude says the true Christian is watching is the, blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13) that every Christian anticipates. Or as Jim Shaddix so eloquently describes: The Christians heart and eyes are fixed heavenward, looking for a rider on a white horse whose name is Faithful and True, whose eyes are like a fiery flame, and on his head are many crowns. We are looking for one whose robe is dipped in blood, and on his thigh he has a name written: King of kings and Lord of lords (cf. Rev 19:1116). Until then we will grow in his Word, pray by his Spirit, and watch for his coming.[6] Oh, dont you see what Jude is doing in these verses? He is showing us that the key to keeping in the Love of God is found in a relationship with a God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! We are to set our eyes heavenward on the God who called us. We are to watch for Jesus out of a longing for our Groom as His Bride. We are to desperately depend upon the Holy Spirit who has sealed us for the Day of our redemption and powerfully Helps us to persevere until the end. This is what the false teachers want to deconstruct and pervert, but it is the key to remaining in the love of God that is foreign to anyone who has not been called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ (v. 3). Conclusion (vv. 22-23) As men and women with our eyes set on God, our hearts fixed on Jesus, and our dependance resting in the Holy Spirit, how are we to respond to the those who have crept in? What is our posture to be towards those who deny Jesus as Master and Lord with their words and with their lives? Well, in verse 22, we are introduced to next the imperative, and that is: have mercy. We are to exercise the same mercy we have received in three different ways: We are to have mercy on those who doubt. We are to show mercy by seeking to rescue those caught up into false teaching from hell. We are to exercise mercy with the utmost caution and fear. We are to have mercy on those who doubt. The Christian is a conduit of Gods mercy and grace. We must have mercy on those caught up in false teaching and responsible for the false teaching because the God who called the Christian is merciful (Psalm 116:5). There is no sin so great that Gods mercy and His grace cannot overcome; we Christians ought to be very aware of this because we have experienced it ourselves. We are to seek to rescue those caught up in false teaching from hell. God uses those He has redeemed through the blood of His Son to tell unredeemed sinners where to find redemption. As one commentator wrote: Too much is at stake for believers not to take decisive action to rescue others from the destruction awaiting the false teachers.[7] One of my favorite quotes is from a missionary by the name of C.T. Studd who said, Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop, within a yard of hell. We are to exercise mercy with the utmost caution and fear. We are to show the scoffers who deny Jesus as Master and Lord mercy, but a mercy laced with a fear of being drawn into the same kind of sinful deception. What is true of the one who has been called, beloved, and kept by God is a hatred of sin. This does not mean that we are free from sinning, but it does mean that our affections have changed and continue to change where we long more and more to please the One who rescued us from hell. We are a walking example of the kind of change God can bring upon a person; what is true of the Christian is offered even to the false teacher: Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool (Isaiah 1:18). [1] Helm, D. R. (2008). 1 2 Peter and Jude: sharing christs sufferings (p. 323). Crossway Books. [2] John Wycliffe (Source unknown) [3] Akin, Daniel L. (2019). Christ-Centered Exposition: The Sermon on the Mount (pp. 141-42). Holman Reference. [4] Matthew S. Harmon, ESV Expository Commentary: Jude (Wheaton, IL: Crossway; 2018); p. 519. [5] Shaddix, J., Akin, D. L. (2018). Exalting jesus in 2 peter, jude (Jud 20). Holman Reference. [6] Ibid. [7] Matthew S. Harmon. ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway; 2018), P. 520

Walking in Light of Your Calling

Meadowbrooke Church Sermon Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 13, 2023

There is a museum by the Dachau Concentration Camp that serves to remind its visitors of the horrors suffered under Hitler and the Nazi party. There is a sign posted for all visitors to see as they leave with a quote by Winston Churchill that reads: Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat its mistakes.[1] Judes little epistle serves to remind us of a history, that if ignored, we too might be doomed to repeat. The people Jude warns us of remind me of the morning my brother and I were late to the bus stop for school, I believe we missed the bus that day. On our way to the bus stop, a nice stranger invited us to get into the car so that he could take us to wherever we needed to go. My brother was tempted, and I was afraid to get into the car, so when it became apparent that we would not get into the car, the stranger drove off. False teachers are like the nice stranger who offers a child candy to get that child to get into the car, to take that child to a place that will forever impact that childs future. The candy often comes in the form of something that sounds good, such as the offer to gain a better understanding of the Bible, to grow closer to the true God through some hidden secret knowledge, or the offer of some key to unlocking the secrets of the Bible and reality. Permit me to push the stranger illustration a bit further. The reason my brother and I were able to sense danger when we were offered a ride from the person in the car was because our parents warned us of such people and informed us of a history involving such people, and the best way to resist them. The reason Jude saturated his little letter with examples from Israels past is because there is nothing new under the sun; the only thing that has changed is the dress. Since the birth of the Church, many have snuck into churches to introduce false doctrines that are labeled in the Bible as, doctrines of demons. Listen to the warning the apostle Paul gave to a young pastor named Timothy: Now the Spirit expressly says that in later times some will depart from the faith by devoting themselves to deceitful spirits and teachings of demons (1 Tim. 4:12). The reason Jude emphasizes the need to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints (v. 3), and that the Christians everywhere must build on the, most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ that leads to eternal life (v. 21) is because the Devil is really good at using the ignorance of Gods people to harm them. John Wycliff said it best when he wrote the following warning: To be ignorant of the Scripture is the same thing as to be ignorant of Christ.[2] Listen, if you are ignorant of the Great Shepherd, you will be gullible enough to buy into the lies of a stranger who seeks your harm and not your good. These are the people we are warned about in Jude: In the last time there will be scoffers, following their own ungodly passions (v. 18). Daniel Akin wrote concerning false teachers: Disciples of Jesus must never let their spiritual guard down. They must be spiritually discerning, testing every teaching by the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Word of God. Eloquent speech is not the issue. Faithfulness to the Bible is.[3] The Scoffers When will the scoffers come? Jude says, In the last time. What is the last time? It is the time between Jesus ascension into heaven and his return to earth; the last time is the time we find ourselves in today and it is the time Christians have found themselves in since the birth of the Church that we read about in the book of Acts during the first century. The scoffers are the same people who have crept into the church, but not only those who snuck in. To scoff is to mock, but it can also include an attitude that is dismissive due to a self-assured arrogance[4] that following their, own ungodly passions is the best way to walk. In fact, it is their arrogance and ungodly passions that serve as their moral and theological compass. In 2 Peter 3:4, these scoffers question the legitimacy of Jesus promised return to judge the living and the dead. In Jude, these scoffers do not revere or respect the holiness of God. In the wake of their walking these scoffers are divisive, worldly, and devoid of the Spirit (v. 19). Jude informs us that the reason these people teach the things that they teach and live the way that they live is because they are, devoid of the Spirit. What this means is that these scoffers are spiritually lost even though they say that they know Jesus, they really do not know Him. Paul wrote in Romans 8:9, Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. In Titus 1:16, we are told that such people, profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work. Jesus said of such people: every healthy tree bears good fruit, but the diseased tree bears bad fruit. A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus you will recognize them by their fruits (Matt. 7:1520). One of the many false teachings the Church encountered in the past confronted head on during the Protestant Reformation is what is known as Antinomianism. Antinomianism, which still exists today under a different dress, teaches that Christians are freed from all obligation to obey Gods Moral Law. There are dozens of examples from the Bible that such teaching does not represent the teachings of the Bible; what Jesus said in Matthew 7 and what Jude wrote in verse 19 is proof enough that true genuine faith in the resurrected Jesus as Master and Lord over your life does not give you a license to sin, but instead will affect you in such a way that you will want to live a life that falls in line with Gods Moral Law. The lifestyle of the false teachers, according to Jude, is proof enough that although they say that they belong to Jesus, they really do not and are in fact, devoid of the Spirit. What is possible to notice in these verses, is the way Jude contrasts the scoffers with the beloved. The Beloved So, who is the beloved? You remember from the very first verse in Jude that the beloved is the person who has been called by God, unconditionally loved by the Father, and kept for and by Jesus. According to the second verse in Jude, the one who is kept for Jesus because he is loved by the Father, will only know the mercy, peace, and love of the One who called him. Yet, in the first two verses, Jude gives us the reason why we must avoid the false teachers who deny Jesus as Master and Lord (v. 4), Jude offers us a strategy to not only avoid the trap of the scoffers, but a formula that will only deepen our relationship with the God who saved us. There is an imperative (command) that Jude anchors three participles to. The imperative is the word, keep. The three participles are found in verses 20-21 (the participles are italicized): Building yourselves in your most holy faith Praying in the Holy Spirit Waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus The way the NIV translates the Greek I believe is helpful in seeing how these three participles are connected to the word, kept: But you, dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in Gods love as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to eternal life (Jude 2021). How does one remain in Gods love? You do so by building your life upon His word, praying in the Holy Spirit, and waiting for Jesus Christ. Build yourselves upon the Word of God Another way you can say this is, Grow in your understanding and knowledge of the Scriptures. What he means by this is what he already admonished his readers to do in verse 3, contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints. The apostle Paul said the same thing in Ephesians 2:20, So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone (Eph. 2:1920). The Cornerstone of our faith is Jesus and the gospel, as it is fleshed out from Genesis through Revelation, is our foundation. Our understanding of Jesus, as our Cornerstone, will shape our understanding of who God is. If we get Jesus wrong, we will get God wrong; if we get Jesus right, we will get God right. This is why Jesus said to anyone who would follow Him: Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it. (Matt. 7:2427) In their commentary on Jude, Jim Shaddix and D.L. Akin observe: As we learn the Bible and understand its truth, we are strengthened, we grow, we mature, we are built up. Without the Scriptures there is no growth. Without the Word there is no maturity. Without the gospel nothing of eternal good will last. Like the air we breathe, the water we drink, and the food we eat, it is vital that we daily ingest and digest Gods Word and its truth.[5] Pray in the Holy Spirit Praying in the Holy Spirit is the second participle anchored to the word kept. What Jude means here is not that we pray in some angelic or heavenly language, but that we depend upon the Holy Spirit. What kind of praying does Jude have in mind? It is the kind of praying described in Ephesians 6:18, where we are, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. It is the kind of praying that seeks Gods will for our lives above our own desires and dreams for life. The Holy Spirit is not some force or a type of impersonal power, the Holy Spirit is a He, and that He is a Person, and that Person is the Helper and Counselor promised to the Christian (see John 16:4-15), and the Helper is God the Spirit. It is the Holy Spirit who seals and secures all who belong to God: In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory (Eph. 1:1314). It is the Holy Spirit that the false teachers are devoid of, and it is what sets the true Christian apart from those who do not have eternal life, so we depend upon Him in knowing and that helps us in our weakness: Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words (Rom. 8:26). Wait for the Savior As we build our lives in obedience upon the Word of God with Jesus as our Cornerstone, while we depend upon Gods Holy Spirit to help, lead, and direct we wait and long for our Redeemer: God the Son. Waiting is another way of saying, watching. Why are we waiting and watching for Jesus? Because we know that because the tomb is empty, his promise to return is imminently sure! It is Jesus who the Psalmist promised in Psalm 24:7-8, Lift up your heads, O gates! And be lifted up, O ancient doors, that the King of glory may come in. Who is this King of glory? The Lord, strong and mighty, the Lord, mighty in battle (Psalm 24:78)! The mercy Jude says the true Christian is watching is the, blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ (Titus 2:13) that every Christian anticipates. Or as Jim Shaddix so eloquently describes: The Christians heart and eyes are fixed heavenward, looking for a rider on a white horse whose name is Faithful and True, whose eyes are like a fiery flame, and on his head are many crowns. We are looking for one whose robe is dipped in blood, and on his thigh he has a name written: King of kings and Lord of lords (cf. Rev 19:1116). Until then we will grow in his Word, pray by his Spirit, and watch for his coming.[6] Oh, dont you see what Jude is doing in these verses? He is showing us that the key to keeping in the Love of God is found in a relationship with a God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! We are to set our eyes heavenward on the God who called us. We are to watch for Jesus out of a longing for our Groom as His Bride. We are to desperately depend upon the Holy Spirit who has sealed us for the Day of our redemption and powerfully Helps us to persevere until the end. This is what the false teachers want to deconstruct and pervert, but it is the key to remaining in the love of God that is foreign to anyone who has not been called, beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ (v. 3). Conclusion (vv. 22-23) As men and women with our eyes set on God, our hearts fixed on Jesus, and our dependance resting in the Holy Spirit, how are we to respond to the those who have crept in? What is our posture to be towards those who deny Jesus as Master and Lord with their words and with their lives? Well, in verse 22, we are introduced to next the imperative, and that is: have mercy. We are to exercise the same mercy we have received in three different ways: We are to have mercy on those who doubt. We are to show mercy by seeking to rescue those caught up into false teaching from hell. We are to exercise mercy with the utmost caution and fear. We are to have mercy on those who doubt. The Christian is a conduit of Gods mercy and grace. We must have mercy on those caught up in false teaching and responsible for the false teaching because the God who called the Christian is merciful (Psalm 116:5). There is no sin so great that Gods mercy and His grace cannot overcome; we Christians ought to be very aware of this because we have experienced it ourselves. We are to seek to rescue those caught up in false teaching from hell. God uses those He has redeemed through the blood of His Son to tell unredeemed sinners where to find redemption. As one commentator wrote: Too much is at stake for believers not to take decisive action to rescue others from the destruction awaiting the false teachers.[7] One of my favorite quotes is from a missionary by the name of C.T. Studd who said, Some want to live within the sound of church or chapel bell; I want to run a rescue shop, within a yard of hell. We are to exercise mercy with the utmost caution and fear. We are to show the scoffers who deny Jesus as Master and Lord mercy, but a mercy laced with a fear of being drawn into the same kind of sinful deception. What is true of the one who has been called, beloved, and kept by God is a hatred of sin. This does not mean that we are free from sinning, but it does mean that our affections have changed and continue to change where we long more and more to please the One who rescued us from hell. We are a walking example of the kind of change God can bring upon a person; what is true of the Christian is offered even to the false teacher: Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool (Isaiah 1:18). [1] Helm, D. R. (2008). 1 2 Peter and Jude: sharing christs sufferings (p. 323). Crossway Books. [2] John Wycliffe (Source unknown) [3] Akin, Daniel L. (2019). Christ-Centered Exposition: The Sermon on the Mount (pp. 141-42). Holman Reference. [4] Matthew S. Harmon, ESV Expository Commentary: Jude (Wheaton, IL: Crossway; 2018); p. 519. [5] Shaddix, J., Akin, D. L. (2018). Exalting jesus in 2 peter, jude (Jud 20). Holman Reference. [6] Ibid. [7] Matthew S. Harmon. ESV Expository Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Crossway; 2018), P. 520

Jude in July - Week 4

Elevate Christian Church Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 8, 2023 37:54

There are some things in life worth fighting for. In Jude 3 we are challenged to contend for the faith. We will examine how we can fight the good fight of faith!

in jude

Enoch Walked With God

Spiritcode

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 12, 2023 24:59

ENOCH WALKED WITH GOD Genesis 5:21 Enoch lived sixty-five years, and begot Methuselah. After he begot Methuselah, Enoch walked with God three hundred years, and had sons and daughters. So all the days of Enoch were three hundred and sixty-five years. And Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him. Hebrews 11:5 By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"; for before he was taken, he had this testimony, that he pleased God. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. These two accounts, one from the Old Testament and one from the New Testament present a very brief account of Enoch's life but they embody the major themes of the story of Enoch's existence on the earth. We read of some ordinary facts like the timeline of his life on earth and some scarce family details. And we also read of the most extraordinary circumstance of his being translated directly into Heaven to be with God without having to die a natural death. We also read about his exceptional walk of faith with God, a walk so close and so pleasing to God that God appears to have said ‘Let's continue this wonderful walk together up here because you don't need any more time down there trying to transcend the material disorder of things – you're living so much above it all that you might as well be totally here instead.' His testimony of faith was so remarkable that the Bible marks his experience as a model of what the process of real faith is all about when it goes on to say ‘But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him'. It might seem that this is the sum total of what we need to know about Enoch - he finished the course back in Genesis and enjoyed the rest of his existence involved in his heavenly existence and not involved with things on earth. But then another astounding Scripture is found in the New Testament in the book of Jude that mentions Enoch as a prophet who has something powerful and significant to say about the End Times judgement and the return of The Lord Jesus. Jude is writing to the church about the judgement to come upon ungodly men who have infiltrated the church and defiled it with their lewdness (aselgeia – corrupt and filthy behaviour). Jude 1:14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, "Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them. So now to bring the Enoch narrative more up to date we need to look at what else is embedded in the words spoken about Enoch and the words spoken by Enoch. There is some remarkable symbolism found in two of the numerals in the Genesis account and in the Jude account. The numerals are seven and three hundred. In Jude it says that Enoch was the seventh from Adam – seven means completion or perfection which casts Enoch's life as a shadow of Jesus, who walked perfectly with God. In Genesis 5:21 it says that Enoch walked with God for three hundred years, and three hundred speaks of overcoming and being protected from the enemy of darkness and death. Noah's ark was three hundred cubits in length and the ark overcame the flood and the judgement of death upon the earth at that time in history (Enoch was Noah's great grandfather) Gideon overcame impossible odds with three hundred fighting men to win victory over the hordes of thousands of the Midianites who were attacking God's people. There were three hundred golden shields in Solomon's Armory, (1Kings 10:17) and these golden shields were a symbol of divine protection. 1 Chronicles 22:9 I will give him rest from all his enemies on every side; for his name shall be Solomon, and I will give peace and quiet to Israel in his days. The meaning of the Hebrew word for shield (s?inâ) is strength, protection, defence against an enemy. It is the same as that used in God's promise to Abram. “Do not be afraid, Abram: I am your shield, your exceedingly great reward” (Genesis 15:1). Enoch was taken out of the world and did not see death. ENOCH THE PROPHET OF REVELATION Is it any wonder then that Enoch who prophesied of the Second Coming of Jesus according to the book of Jude verse 14 prophesies that word again after 17 more verses in the Bible, in the Book of Revelation which is the following book of the Bible? ‘Behold, He is coming with clouds, and every eye will see Him, even they who pierced Him. And all the tribes of the earth will mourn because of Him. Even so, Amen. (Revelation 1:7)' The words of the messenger (aggelos – angel) establish this thought when we read the account of John falling at the feet of the messenger to worship him and the messenger puts John in the picture of what is happening and who he is. Revelation 22:8 Now I, John, saw and heard these things. And when I heard and saw, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel (aggelos - messenger) who showed me these things. Then he (the messenger) said to me, "See that you do not do that. For I am your fellow servant, and one of your brethren the prophets, and of those who keep (adhere to and honour) the words of this book. Worship God." And he said to me, "Do not seal the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is at hand (in other words say what now has to be said). He who is unjust, let him be unjust still and the filthy be filthy still, and the righteous do right still, and the holy be holy still “See, I am coming soon, and my reward is with me, to repay everyone according to the deeds he has done. This becomes the third time that Enoch's prophecy gets spoken concerning the return of the Lord and of judgement and reward. AN ENOCH GENERATION The Bible says that it is appointed for man once to die and then comes the judgement. Hebrews 9:27 And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. So why didn't Enoch have that appointment? Simply because the Word of God can give permission for that – and that is the only way that ‘not seeing death' can occur - By faith Enoch was taken away so that he did not see death, "and was not found, because God had taken him"(Hebrews 11:5) The Word of God also gives that permission to an entire generation of people who will be alive until the Lord returns. Psalm 102:18 This will be written for the generation to come, that a people yet to be created may praise the LORD. For He looked down from the height of His sanctuary; From heaven the LORD viewed the earth, To hear the groaning of the prisoner, to release those appointed to death. That truth concerning permission for cancelling that appointment is also found twice in the New Testament. 1Thessalonians 4:16 For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an archangel, and with the trumpet of God. And the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we shall always be with the Lord. 1Corinthians 15:51 We shall not all die, but we shall all be changed - in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. Many generations have supposed that theirs could be the one that saw the return of Jesus. Most markedly was the generation that was still alive after Jesus ascended into Heaven. There were two angels standing by when he ascended who said "Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven." (Acts 1:11). There was no reason for them not to believe that his return would be imminent, and many Christians were conjecturing this, perhaps even Paul himself as we just read what he said in Corinthians and Thessalonians. Paul then brought a correction in 2Thessalonians 2 when he said ‘And now, what about the coming again of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered together to meet him? Please don't be upset and excited, dear brothers, by the rumor that this day of the Lord has already begun. If you hear of people having visions and special messages from God about this, or letters that are supposed to have come from me, don't believe them. Don't be carried away and deceived regardless of what they say. For that day will not come until two things happen: first, there will be a time of great rebellion against God, and then the man of rebellion will come—the son of hell.' Those scriptures have been there for 2000 years but for over 1500 years the ordinary churchgoer had no access to the Bible so there was no broad speculation about the Second Coming. There has however been much in the last three or four hundred years and that remains to this day. The point is that every generation that knows these things should live as if Jesus was perhaps returning in their generation. Enoch represents a generation that shall be loosed from their appointment with death, and the way to live that kind of life is the way Enoch modelled his life to us. He was a man who modelled the ‘three hundred' class of spirit. He walked with God for three hundred years and was lifted above the corruption that his grandson Noah contended with and who built an ark of three hundred cubits providing safety for his family from judgment and destruction. His life speaks to us of the closeness of our walk with God that lifts us above the corruption of the world. It also models to us the three hundred golden shields of Solomon that are shields of God's protection over our souls that give us strength and peace, and it points us to the overcoming spirit of Gideon that gives us courage and victory over the power of the enemy. Enoch was the seventh from Adam - The number seven speaks of completion - and God will have completed a work of grace in that generation. That generation will also have a ‘seventh from Adam' class of spirit, As the Psalm said about that generation - a people yet to be created will praise the LORD. The work of grace that will be completed in that generation will bring praise to God from a people who know how to give thanks to God in all things. In any situation our freedom comes from getting our eyes off ourselves and onto God. That is always the starting point – we go from painful self-consciousness to joyful God consciousness. Not waiting for the bad thing to happen but waiting and expecting the good thing of God's work to manifest. This requires thinking from the believing mind that is seated in our spirit not from the thoughts that are attached to the emotions of our soul.

Christian Soothsayers and End Time Windbags

Truth in History

Play Episode Listen Later Feb 7, 2023 95:54

I was raised in a Pentecostal household and believe that one can experience salvation through their relationship with God. The concept of the Holy Spirit's baptism, as described in the Bible when Jesus breathed on his disciples and said "Receive the Holy Spirit," holds great significance. However, this area has been subject to abuse for decades. In Jude 12, there is a warning about murmurers and complainers who act out of their own lusts, similar to the false teachers described in 2 Peter 2:15 who have gone astray and conduct themselves for personal gain, speaking great swelling words. The doctrine of Balaam, mentioned in Revelation 2:14, is referred to in the book of Numbers where Balaam advised Moloch to put out the prettiest girls for the men of Israel to mix with, forbidden by God. Unfortunately, some televangelists are guilty of promoting this doctrine of Balaam, perverting the gospel by teaching that Jesus never proclaimed himself as the Son of God and therefore the Pharisees were not guilty of crucifying him. This idea undermines the significance of Jesus' sacrifice and is a heretical, man-centered gospel that elevates the speakers and makes them equal to Jesus. The teachings of Nicolay, which focus on the clergy having power over the laity, can lead to a loss of dependence on the Lord and exploitation of the concept of miracles. To test a miracle or doctrine, one must consider the facts according to the Bible and the focus of the teachings. If the focus is on the speaker or human experience, rather than on righteousness and holiness, it is likely not of the Holy Spirit. Christianity has become commercialized and industrialized, with some charismatic movements becoming silly and asinine. The best way to hear from God is to read the Bible, as He can quicken something to your heart that aligns with His Word. Regarding speaking in tongues, it is only possible through the empowerment of the Holy Spirit and cannot be controlled by the speaker. The Lord chooses who to empower with these gifts, but it does not make them a prophet. To speak in tongues, one needs both the Spirit of God and the words given by the Spirit.

The Epistle of Jude (Part 7) - Naked Bible Podcast

old testament false teachers epistle jude part in jude naked bible podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 9, 2022 38:29

In Jude 14-16, the author continues the theme of the judgment of his opponents, the false teachers. In this instance, Jude cites the book of Enoch (1 Enoch 1:9) specifically to make his case. In this episode, we discuss the implications of Jude's citation of 1 Enoch and the Old Testament sources from which the verse in 1 Enoch derive.

09 II Peter 2:10b-16 - Characteristics of the Cursed - Part 1

Columbus Baptist Church's Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Sep 4, 2022 50:05

Title: “Characteristics of the Cursed” Part 1 Text: II Peter 2:10b-22 FCF: We often struggle holding our ground in the truth Prop: Because false teachers share similar characteristics, we must remember what we have been taught and obey the command we have been given. Scripture Intro: [Slide 1] Turn in your bible to II Peter chapter 2. It is good to be back behind the pulpit. It is my turn to teach in foundations as well, so I am coming back from vacation with a full teaching schedule. The Lord is good though and allowed me to complete all my work this week. It is also good to be back to II Peter. I am anxious to get back to the text, but the last time we were in II Peter was July 3rd. Perhaps July seems like a lifetime ago for you. I know it does for me. So it is reasonable to expect you to have forgotten most of what we have been talking about in II Peter – so let me try to do a little bit of review with you. [Slide 2] Peter began his second letter with a beautiful description of all that God has done to insure that all we need to be what He wants us to be, is provided by Him. Starting with faith to even be united to Christ. How do we have that faith? Peter answers. It is by the gift of God through Christ's righteousness. Without God's gift of Christ's righteousness, none would believe. Then Peter tells us that all things we need to be godly come from Him, through knowing Him. In fact, all God's children have been called to His glorious excellence. And what God calls His children to, they will receive. In fact, it is through all His gifts to us that He has given us great promises , and since He never lies, His promising guarantees that we will receive it. He promises that we will be partakers in the divine nature. But if we think we can bank on that promise and sit and do nothing. Peter continues by commanding his audience to make every effort to build upon what they have been given. To grow in Christ. To take the gifts of God and use them like the men in the parable of the talents who pleased their master. In fact, Peter continues, if you have this growth upon the gifts given by God, not only will they prevent you from being useless and unfruitful for God, but they also verify or confirm that you are called and elected by God. But Peter warns, that if these gifts are not built upon and you see no growth, then you are blind and lost. You are still in your sin and are not a true believer. And just to make sure he is clear, Peter then bounces back again to the other side of this whole discussion to say – that if these spiritual characteristics of Christ are found in you and increasing… then they will prevent you from stumbling into apostasy and will gain for you a rich entry into the Kingdom of Christ. After this, Peter admits that he knows they have heard all this before. But he wants to remind them because it is so desperately important that they hold fast to these truths. And because he is about to be martyred. But how do we know all this is true? Because God has prophesied this from the beginning. And the apostles who gave this message to them did not invent this teaching or follow fables. Instead, they were eyewitnesses of Christ's glory, and receivers of His prophetic Word. His audience would be wise if they continued to listen to the apostles teaching and not be tempted to turn to others who disagree with them. In fact, Peter says that they need to hold fast to all the apostles taught (much of which he has written in this very letter). Why? Well that is where chapter 2 comes in. [Slide 3] Chapter 2 opens with the assurance that false teachers have always been around, and unfortunately, they will continue to be around. And as they have always done, they will continue to sneak into the assembly of God's people and sow their destructive teachings that are contrary to what has been received as the truth. If we peek ahead to chapter 3, we see that this teaching was that Christ was not going to return to judge, and that there would be no future Kingdom. We find then, in chapter 2, the consequences of that belief in that they deny the authority of Christ and live debauched lifestyles. Doctrine has consequences y'all. If you believe something that only slightly twists the scriptures it is going to altar everything eventually. Peter warns that these false teachers will try to exploit them and lead them astray. Which is why he wrote all he did in chapter 1. They need to trust the apostles and what they taught. The doctrine of chapter 1 is the antidote for the venom of the false teachers of chapter 2. [Slide 4] But Peter assures his readers that God will not allow these false teachers to get away with it. In fact, based on 3 examples from Jewish history and mythology, he proves that God always has and always will rescue His people and reserve the ungodly for judgment. And He will especially reserve those who despise authority and who indulge their fleshly desires. [Slide 5] Today, Peter is going to get specific. He is going to do a little character sketch for us. He is going to list the sinful character flaws of false teachers. His purpose in that is twofold. First, so that we might mark them among us and be wary of them. Second, so that we might hold fast to the truth we have been taught and walk in the way of righteousness as we have been commanded. Unfortunately, there is no way I would be able to do all of this in one sermon, so next week, we'll come back for the rest of the description of these false teachers. For now, I am in II Peter chapter 2. Let's begin reading in verse 1 just to get the context we most recently spoke of, and we'll read to the end of the chapter so we know where we are going. Transition: Ok, so lots to get to today, but we are well on our way. Let's look at the second half of verse 10. I.) False Teachers despise all authority but their own, so we must remember what we have been taught and obey the command we have been given. (10b – 13a) a. [Slide 6] 10b – Brazen and insolent, they are not afraid to insult the glorious ones, i. For those who despise authority and follow after their flesh – Peter does not beat around the bush. He doesn't sugar coat it. ii. Brazen means bold in a bad way or audacious. The kind of people we might say – how dare you – to. iii. And insolent which means to be self-willed or self-satisfied. It is a combination of arrogance and lacking any need or want of others. It communicates not only pride but also disrespect to others. I like insolent as a translation. iv. They are audacious because they follow their flesh. They are insolent because they despise authority. And both of these threads will permeate the rest of the chapter. v. Peter begins with their insolence. vi. He cites one particularly alarming and unfortunately applicable accusation against these false teachers. vii. What is it? viii. They are not afraid to insult the glorious ones. ix. So, to insult means to demean or to slander. It is actually the word from which we get blasphemy. All in all, it means to speak irreverently against someone who is an authority or is in some way higher ranking than you. x. Glorious ones could also be translated dignitaries or glories. xi. Some view this as the false teachers speaking irreverently against the apostles or perhaps human civil magistrates. Although I disagree with that interpretation, to speak irreverently against either the apostles or human civil magistrates would fall into the same category of sin. xii. But for several reasons I do not believe that is what these brazen insolent people were doing. xiii. Let's continue on and then I'll explain what I think Peter is saying and why. b. [Slide 7] 11 – yet even angels, who are much more powerful, do not bring a slanderous judgment against them before the Lord. i. So, we have the picture that these men who have snuck in quietly with destructive heresies, are now irreverently rebuking the glorious ones. ii. Whoever the glorious ones are, Peter reveals that not even angels, who are either much more powerful than these men, or possibly the glorious ones, not even angels bring an irreverent rebuke about them to God. iii. Because II Peter and Jude have so much similar content, if we go to Jude, he says something similar in verse 8 1. “yet these men, as a result of their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and insult the glorious ones.” 2. Then verse 9 “But even when Michael the archangel was arguing with the devil and debating with him concerning Moses' body, he did not dare to bring a slanderous judgment but said, “May the Lord rebuke you!” iv. In Jude it is obvious that the glorious ones, dignitaries, or glories to which he is referring are angelic beings. Specifically angelic beings of a high rank. And more specifically, a named Angelic being of a high rank refusing to rebuke a fallen angelic being of a high rank. v. So, coming back into the text of II Peter, I'd say that his reference is the same. vi. So, what is the crime of these men? vii. They are speaking irreverently against high ranking angels… specifically angels that have left their place and turned against their creator. viii. As one commentator writes 1. [Slide 8] “When they were rebuked for their immoral behavior and warned of the danger of falling into the power of the devil and sharing his condemnation, they laughed at the idea, denying that the devil could have any power over them and speaking of the powers of evil in skeptical, mocking terms.” Bauckham, Richard. Jude and II Peter. Edited by David Hubbard and Glen Barker, Zondervan, 1983. Word Biblical Commentary Series. 2. Perhaps they would go so far as to deny the very existence of such beings altogether. 3. Or knowing that they deny the future coming judgment of Christ and an eventual Kingdom of righteousness – perhaps they thought that the coming judgment was only on these beings and not for them. 4. Perhaps they thought that being united to Christ meant that they could live however they wanted and still escape the punishment reserved for the devil and his angels. 5. They have forgotten the words of Christ – “depart from me you lawbreakers, for I never knew you.” ix. What does their flippancy toward these fallen angelic powers mean? c. [Slide 9] 12 – But these men, like irrational animals i. In our culture to call someone an animal can actually be a good thing. ii. But that is not at all how Peter intends this. iii. In fact, this is a SHARP rebuke. iv. As far as the Angelic race is from the human race, that pales in comparison from the distance between the human race and the animal kingdom. v. Angel kind and mankind alike have spiritual futures, spiritual realities, and spiritual destinies. vi. Angel kind and mankind are rational and make choices, generally acting out of well-thought-out reason. vii. Animals, although perhaps being included in the new Kingdom, have no soul or spirit which will transcend to that time or place. viii. And instead of acting out of rationality or reason… animals are… d. [Slide 10] - Creatures of instinct, born to be caught and destroyed – i. What does this mean? ii. It means that animals act according to their nature. iii. If we followed the dictionary definition of instinct it says. “An innate, fixed pattern of behavior in response to certain stimuli.” iv. They have been programed by God to act within a hierarchy of needs for their own personal body and for their species. v. Birds do not fly south for the winter because they have thought long and hard about it and have concluded that this is what they must do this year. They fly south because that is what they have in their nature to do. When they feel the earth tilt and the winds change, they gather and make the trip. vi. This is one way that animal kind and human kind differ sharply. vii. Although we can debate the freedom of the will and how free natural man's will actually is – one thing we can agree on I think, is that mankind has more freedom of his will than the animal kingdom does. viii. Another stark difference between human kind and animal kind is that God made it clear in Genesis that the world, including the animals, were given under the dominion of man. ix. Animals serve the purpose of mankind. x. Animals are born or created so that they can be captured, tamed, used, or consumed by mankind. xi. Their entire purpose is to serve the needs of men. xii. Quick caveat, this does not give mankind the freedom to abuse the animal kingdom. xiii. But why does Peter word this as captured and destroyed? We know what he means about animals? Their capture is related to their taming and their destruction is related to the killing of the animal for various needs a man would have. But why does Peter choose these words? xiv. He is comparing an animal to these men and the relationship of an animal to men and the relationship of these men to these angelic and wicked beings. xv. So, these men when they irreverently rebuke fallen angelic beings, they are like animals sharing two things in common with them 1. They are irrational and unthinking 2. Their purpose is to be captured and destroyed. xvi. As animals were created to be tamed and used by men, so the wicked were made to be captured and destroyed by fallen angelic creatures. xvii. These two commonalities with animals are explained as Peter goes forward. xviii. Why are they irrational and unthinking? Because they… e. [Slide 11] Do not understand whom they are insulting i. As animals act on instinct and respond to stimuli without thinking or reasoning… they did not actually sit down and consider the beings they were irreverently rebuking. ii. If they had – they would have known that such beings are far beyond their power. iii. And why are these men showing that their purpose is to be captured and destroyed? f. [Slide 12] And consequently, in their destruction they will be destroyed, 13a – suffering harm as the wages for their harmful ways. i. The consequences of their irreverent disdain for authority and power results in their own destruction. ii. The destruction of the reputation or the irreverent rebuke of these fallen angelic creatures will result in those very creatures dragging them into the same judgment that they will endure. iii. They will then, suffer harm as a direct result or as the direct payment for attempting to inflict harm. g. [Slide 13] Passage Truth: So, Peter is in the midst of a character study of these false teachers. He has already told us that they come in with destructive heresies. He has already told us that they will deny the authority of Christ. He has already told us that they will live debauched lifestyles. He told all of this to us in verse 1 and 2. He assured his audience in verse 10 that God knows how to reserve the wicked for judgment especially those who despise authority and who indulge in their fleshly desires. So now he fleshes out what it means to despise authority. They don't even respect beings who angels refuse to rebuke. At its core, it is a misunderstanding of their role. Human beings will judge angels someday – but only because we are united to Christ. Until then, let the Lord rebuke them. And that is the problem. These false teachers are too arrogant for that. h. [Slide 14] Passage Application: For his readers, they must not fall prey to the destructive heresies being taught, nor are they to follow the lifestyles of these men. Instead, they must mark them for what they are, and hold fast to what they've been taught. i. [Slide 15] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out to the whole of scripture we see that oftentimes false teachers and false prophets share a common character flaw. They are notoriously arrogant. Oftentimes they never entertain the possibility of being wrong, nor do they feel any can judge them or hold them accountable for their actions. They are above the law. They sit in the seat of the judge. They are the only righteous accuser. There isn't anyone quite like them. In this they follow the pattern of their father the devil, as He declared with confidence – you will surely not die. God is lying to you. In fact, he is just trying to keep you from what you could become. He is holding you back. j. [Slide 16] Broader Biblical Application: So, CBC, what do we do with this first characteristic of a false teacher? What do we do when we see someone within our church despising authority? What do we do when we see someone arrogantly thinking that they are above scrutiny? What do we do when we see someone who has elevated themselves as the judge of all, as the one with all the answers? What do we do when someone among us flippantly underestimates the power of the forces of darkness? We rebuke. We warn them that they are headed down this path. We also safeguard one another from this by holding fast to what we have been taught. This will help us keep our proper place. This is where the antidote of chapter 1 comes in. God has equipped us to be godly. He has given all we need. To hold fast to such truth keep us from assuming we are able to irreverently rebuke… well… anyone. Transition: [Slide 17 (blank)] But certainly arrogance and irreverence is not the only characteristic of a false teacher. Peter continues with the second character flaw, one he's already alluded to. II.) False teachers are slaves to the passions of their flesh, so we must remember what we have been taught and obey the command we have been given. (13b – 16) a. [Slide 18] 13b – By considering it a pleasure to carouse in broad daylight, i. These false teachers considered it for themselves a great pleasure to indulge, to spend on themselves, to revel. They are wholly turned inward – self-willed and self-gratifying. ii. They do this in broad daylight. The NET interprets this as part of their brazenness. That they would do what most of the ungodly save for the night when the sun is down – they do in the daylight. iii. Even the gentiles would consider drunkenness, carousing, and reveling during the day to be particularly appalling. iv. King Solomon wrote in Ecclesiastes 10, woe to you land when your king acts like a child and your princes party in the morning. v. By doing this… b. [Slide 19] they are stains and blemishes, i. In this they prove themselves to be stains on the fine white clothing of the church. ii. They are defects or blemishes on the perfect pattern of Christ. iii. They are not like all of God's other children… why? Because God's people hate sin and love God's law. And these men are not so. c. [Slide 20] indulging in their deceitful pleasures when they feast with you. i. What Peter means by this specifically we may never know, but what we can surmise is that during the Lord's Supper, where God's people are to grow in communion with one another and with their Lord. Where God feeds His people through faith on the atoning work of Christ. Where the hatred of sin and love for God should be at its pinnacle… ii. These men have snuck in with their lies and are indulging in their sins during such events. iii. Not only this, but they are (as we'll see next week) trying to get others to join them. iv. Can you imagine someone coming into our next Lord's Supper, just two weeks from today, and in the line to head upstairs, they begin to directly refute the teaching of the sermon they just heard? v. Can you imagine someone standing in line gossiping about the spiritual failures of others? vi. Can you imagine someone, while listening to how the broken body of Christ grants us access to God, right then thinking to themselves and whispering to others – how worthy they are to be in God's presence. To say, when I finally see the most high God – He's gonna owe me some answers! vii. Can you imagine while we spoke of the blood of Christ cleansing us from all our sin, a person conspiring to indulge in fornication later that day? viii. This is the height of blasphemy. The pinnacle of sacrilege. ix. It is no wonder Peter is not holding back. d. [Slide 21] 14 – Their eyes, full of adultery, never stop sinning; i. Rather than their eyes being full of adultery, really this should be rendered, their eyes are full of the adulterous woman. ii. This means that every woman they see with their eyes is a potential candidate to engage in adultery with. iii. Adultery can be a blanket term for all sexual sin. And in this we see that their fleshly appetites are not satiated, even while the Lord's Supper is happening all around them. iv. Indeed, their eyes are always looking for opportunities to sin. e. [Slide 22] They entice unstable people. i. Of course, as we noted at the beginning of this chapter – their sin is not limited to themselves. ii. Their sinful practices and idolatrous hearts are not content to be alone. They instead seek to have others join them. iii. Proverbs 4:14-16 says “Do not enter the path of the wicked or walk in the way of those who are evil. 15 Avoid it, do not go on it; turn away from it, and go on. 16 For they cannot sleep unless they cause harm; they are robbed of sleep until they make someone stumble.” iv. Specifically, they target those who are unstable. Those who do not pay attention to this proverb. Those who are not rooted in truth. Those who are young in the faith or have only made a profession of faith. v. They are the weakest among us, which is why the church was commanded to make disciples not converts. God saves men's souls – but He entrusts a portion of their nurture to His church. f. [Slide 23] They have trained their hearts for greed, i. Another common aspect of false teachers throughout the scriptures is that they combine their new and novel teaching with financial support. ii. The provision of great wealth is neither a proof of someone teaching the truth, nor is it something sought by those who truly preach the truth. iii. If you find a teacher consistently talking about money, wealth, and earthly prosperity of all kinds, and they are well off themselves, before even investigating what they say – you can bet that they are a false teacher. g. [Slide 24] These cursed children! i. My friends this is strong language. The strongest statement Peter has made yet. ii. What is he saying? iii. These men are under the curse of God. iv. As the writer of Hebrews says “For if we deliberately keep on sinning after receiving the knowledge of the truth, no further sacrifice for sins is left for us, but only the fearful expectation of judgment and a fury of fire that will consume God's enemies.” v. Such willful rejection of God's teachings and law means these false teachers have no hope. vi. In fact… h. [Slide 25] 15 – By forsaking the right path they have gone astray, i. Jesus says that the road to destruction is broad and many take it to their own doom. And He also says that narrow is the way to life, and few find it. ii. My friends, these false teachers have found the gate. They have found the path to life. iii. But after finding it… they sprinted through the gate making great progress but they were easily distracted by all the pleasures of this world. And before they knew it, they found themselves back on the broad road. iv. Now they stand on the broad road, and once again they see an exit for the narrow way. But they scoff and jeer. They shout at those walking it – begging them to come to the easier way. Begging them to come to a life of pleasure and luxury. v. In fact, they are very much like a character from the Old Testament. i. [Slide 26] because they followed the way of Balaam son of Bosor, who loved the wages of unrighteousness, 16 – yet was rebuked for his own transgression (a dumb donkey, speaking with a human voice, restrained the prophet's madness). i. Turn with me to Numbers 22. We will read verses 1-35 ii. So Balaam seemed committed to only doing and saying what Yahweh instructed Him to do and say. iii. Yet even as he set out to do as the Lord instructed, the Lord, who knows the hearts of men, saw corruption in Balaam's heart. iv. Most likely, Balaam on the way to Balak considered the possibility of cursing the people of Israel for the great gain Balak offered. v. In this God sent the Angel of the Lord to stop him from pursuing the wages of unrighteousness. vi. His donkey, which is an irrational animal, seen even during this time as an animal slow and unintelligent even for a beast of the field, His donkey saw the angel. vii. First it turned aside, then it tried to avoid, then it finally simply sat down and refused to go on. viii. In this somewhat comical story, the seer cannot see and is irrational and foolish, but the irrational animal can see and points out the foolishness of the seer. ix. The Lord opened the donkey's mouth to complain against his master. x. Balaam listened to God and blessed the nation of Israel three times instead of cursing them. xi. However, in chapter 25 of Numbers, right after these events, the children of Israel commit acts of prostitution and worship of Baal. xii. In chapter 31 of Numbers we discover that this was instigated by… guess… yep… Balaam. xiii. So immediately after he blessed Israel 3 times, he sets out to corrupting their worship. In a sense although he doesn't pronounce a curse with his lips, he engineers a curse with his influence. xiv. And that is the essence of these false teachers. They on the surface, on the outside, they appear to be faithful but they despise authority and they want to fulfill the lusts of their flesh including carousing, sex, and greed. j. [Slide 27] Passage Truth: So Peter shows the second sinful characteristic of these false teachers. They are slaves to the passions of their flesh. They flaunt it openly, pursue it always, and seek to gain from all they teach. k. [Slide 28] Passage Application: His audience must mark these men, refuse to follow them into their sin, and remain steadfast in the way of righteousness. l. [Slide 29] Broader Biblical Truth: Zooming out to the whole of scripture we've seen and continue to see that false teachers and false prophets, almost regardless of what they say or teach, can be found out by their lifestyles. Jesus says in Matthew 7 that you will know them by their fruit. They follow the passions of their flesh. If you stay for foundations today, you'll see and hear how God's true prophets not only didn't do this – but many of them obeyed God when He commanded them to do some pretty crazy things. They didn't do what they wanted to, but what God wanted them to. m. [Slide 30] Broader Biblical Application: So CBC, what must we learn from this? It is important for us to be grounded in the Word. We must hold fast to what we have been taught. To believe the gospel of Christ and live it out in our lives. We must protect those who are unstable among us by training them to obey all that Christ has commanded. And we must remain humble as we, by faith, follow our savior and trust His grace. By this, we will not be easily swayed by these cursed children who come to sweep us away with them. Conclusion: [Slide 31(end)] Although our description of the characteristics of the cursed is not yet complete, we can identify even today people who have demonstrated both of these sinful flaws to their own demise. Prominent men and women in the last decade have shown disdain for authority, irreverence for received doctrine, and indulgence in their own fleshly lusts. Though they once seemed to be among us. Brothers. They are now deconverted. They are cursed. My friends, don't let that be you. My friends, don't let that be me. We must hold fast to the truth that we have received and walk in it. And we must hold one another accountable to do so. That is one of the primary purposes of the church. To teach one another. To protect one another. Let us do just that. So that we are not swept away by every wind of doctrine.

The Epistle of Jude (Part 6) - Naked Bible Podcast

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Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2022 40:34

In Jude 11-13, the author continues his portrayal of, and warning against, false teachers using three archetypal Old Testament episodes of rebellion and sin. In these verses, Jude compares the false teachers and their content to the rebellion of Cain (Gen 4), the betrayal of Balaam (Num 22-25), and the rebellion of Korah (Num 16). What is it about these three Old Testament episodes that led Jude to use them to describe the false teachers he opposed? Was Jude tapping into Intertestamental Jewish tradition to do so? Find out in this episode.

The Book of Jude

Faith Alive Community Church Podcasts

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 29, 2022 43:51

Jude 1-25. In Jude, we see the need to contend for the faith once delivered to the Saints

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THE WALK OF POWER AND FAITH || Ep. 56 || LOVE'S FIRE

LOVE'S FIRE

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 23, 2022 34:50

In this episode, we share on the amazing power of praying in the Holy Spirit, both from our own lives and the word of God. In Jude 20 it says "But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit."Paul writes to the Corinthian church, "I thank my God I speak with tongues more than you all." Why was it so important to Paul that he could confidently say to a whole church that he prayed in tongues more than all of them? We discuss this and more in this episode!Here is a link to be able to download for free the book by Dave Roberson that Tamas mentions had a great impact on his life years ago, The Walk of the Spirit - The Walk of Power: http://www.daveroberson.org/books.aspx Enjoy and be encouraged. We plan to post a new episode every other Tuesday, so be sure to subscribe or follow if you want to be notified when new episodes come out. :) You can also find LOVE'S FIRE on YouTube as a video podcast series. We post short clips there in the weeks in between full episodes.https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC2MD4sH-ICoWFBeGdYMynxwMusic: Jimmy Kotter

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The Circle of God's Will Part 5

Santa Maria Foursquare Church

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 16, 2022 45:30

The book of Jude is just one chapter long but is packed with powerful truths about how we're to live as God's people. In Jude we learn to defend the faith and walk in God's mercy.

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Naked Bible 438: The Epistle of Jude Part 7

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Play Episode Listen Later Aug 14, 2022 38:29

In Jude 14-16, the author continues the theme of the judgment of his opponents, the false teachers. In this instance, Jude cites the book of Enoch (1 Enoch 1:9) specifically to make his case. In this episode, we discuss the implications of Jude's citation of 1 Enoch and the Old Testament sources from which the verse in 1 Enoch derive. OUR SPONSOR: LOGOS.COM/NAKEDBIBLE

Naked Bible 437: The Epistle of Jude Part 6

bible old testament naked epistle in jude

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 6, 2022 40:34

In Jude 11-13, the author continues his portrayal of, and warning against, false teachers using three archetypal Old Testament episodes of rebellion and sin. In these verses, Jude compares the false teachers and their content to the rebellion of Cain (Gen 4), the betrayal of Balaam (Num 22-25), and the rebellion of Korah (Num 16). What is it about these three Old Testament episodes that led Jude to use them to describe the false teachers he opposed? Was Jude tapping into Intertestamental Jewish tradition to do so? Find out in this episode. OUR SPONSOR: LOGOS.COM/NAKEDBIBLE

The Epistle of Jude (Part 3) - Naked Bible Podcast

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Play Episode Listen Later Aug 3, 2022 62:42

In Jude 6 the author introduces his readers to a group of angels that sinned against God. They failed to “stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling.” As a result, these angels are “kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day.” The verse is both clear and yet raises many questions. In this episode we take a look at the angelic sin of Jude 6 and its textual relationship to both 2 Peter 2:4 and the book of 1 Enoch. Doing so produces clarity for understanding to what Old Testament event Jude alludes and why he injects it into his condemnation of false teachers.

The Epistle Of Jude Part 2 - Naked Bible Podcast

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Play Episode Listen Later Jul 27, 2022 52:09

This episode focuses on Jude 4-5. In Jude 4 the false teachers who are Jude's opponents are said to have long ago “been designated for condemnation.” What does this phrase mean? In Jude 5 the author shocks his readers by informing them that it was Jesus who saved the Israelites from Egypt. Not surprisingly, that verse is controversial. Join us as we unravel Jude's comment and show how it relates to the Old Testament's theology of a Godhead, the ancient “two powers in heaven” doctrine.

Naked Bible 434: The Epistle of Jude Part 3

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Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2022 62:42

In Jude 6 the author introduces his readers to a group of angels that sinned against God. They failed to “stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling.” As a result, these angels are “kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day.” The verse is both clear and yet raises many questions. In this episode we take a look at the angelic sin of Jude 6 and its textual relationship to both 2 Peter 2:4 and the book of 1 Enoch. Doing so produces clarity for understanding to what Old Testament event Jude alludes and why he injects it into his condemnation of false teachers. OUR SPONSOR: LOGOS.COM/NAKEDBIBLE

Living a Biblical Worldview // It All Starts With You (Part 4)

LifeRock Church

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 17, 2022 36:24

In Jude, we see a problem with false teaching is invading the church. Jude said, “Some teach that the grace of God,” which allows us to do anything that we want to do. Jude also says, “some deny Jesus," you can believe anything you want. Much like today, Jude was teaching about Christians who were falling away from their faith in God. We need to make sure our walk with God is authentic. That walk starts with us taking control over ourselves, taking control over our habits and our thoughts. Subscribe to Our Channel! New to LifeRock? https://www.liferockchurch.org/get-connected To support this ministry and help us reach people in our community click here: https://www.liferockchurch.org/give Do you need someone to pray for you? We will pray for you. https://www.liferockchurch.org/online-prayer Follow: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LifeRockColumbia Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/liferockchurch Twitter: https://twitter.com/LifeRockChurch

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Naked Bible 433: The Epistle of Jude Part 2

jesus christ israel bible old testament naked israelites godhead epistle in jude

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 10, 2022 52:08

This episode focuses on Jude 4-5. In Jude 4 the false teachers who are Jude's opponents are said to have long ago “been designated for condemnation.” What does this phrase mean? In Jude 5 the author shocks his readers by informing them that it was Jesus who saved the Israelites from Egypt. Not surprisingly, that verse is controversial. Join us as we unravel Jude's comment and show how it relates to the Old Testament's theology of a Godhead, the ancient “two powers in heaven” doctrine. OUR SPONSOR: LOGOS.COM/NAKEDBIBLE

When It's Time to Fight

The Increase

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 20, 2022 41:41

Not long ago, a North Carolina couple was attacked outside their home by a wild bobcat. In that moment, they were forced to fight. In Jude's opening verses, he urges Christians to fight for Christianity; to protect it from false teachers who would damage or destroy it. So what does this fight look like for you? (Jude: Fight for the Faith, part 2)

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The Faithful: What They Don't Do

FreeWay Church Clemson

Play Episode Listen Later May 24, 2022 50:35

Pastor Jeff continued our study of the book of Jude and the theme “The Faithful.” In Jude verses 17-19 he records that there will be many people among you that do not have the spirit within them. But, IF you are one of the faithful, you have an antidote for the evil ones that have rejected the truth of God. One of the primary weapons the faithful utilize is the power over their flesh. (Romans 8:13) Despite the temptations of this world and man, you can overcome them and live in peace. You will exemplify the meaning of faithfulness to God by the power of the Holy Spirit to overcome anything. You will be counted as faithful. Selah

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Christ Will Guard You & Keep You

Resources – Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2022 30:04

Be Strong | Brody Holloway | Friday NightChrist will guard you, keep you and protect you. Believers, we live in a world that is constantly trying to undermine the timelessness of God's Word. In Jude 1:1-4, Jude encourages believers and calls us to contend for the faith. God's purpose for you is that you'll be shaped more into the image of Christ. Jude was a brother and servant to Jesus. He presents himself in this letter, as a slave to someone who purchased him. Jude at one point rejects Jesus but is then with Him in the end. If you're in Christ, Jesus will preserve you to the end. References: Jude 1-4Acts 1Acts 2Learn more about our student and adult conferences at Swoutfitters.com. P.S. If you liked this episode, we'd love to hear your feedback! Please leave us a review on Apple or Spotify and help us get the content out to help others grow in their faith and mission to equip the Church.Want to go deeper? Join the Snowbird Newsletter and get our list of favorite books! ==================================================Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the exposition of Scripture and personal relationships in order to equip the Church to impact this generation.==================================================We'd love to connect with you. Follow us here:FacebookYouTubeInstagram

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Jude 1-4: Serve Christ and Contend for the Faith

The Battle and The Bride

Play Episode Listen Later May 2, 2022 59:13

The authority of Christ Commands the life of every believer. In Jude 1-4, Jude Presents the Authority of Jesus Christ in 4 Ways so that You Can Serve Him Faithfully and Powerfully while Living in the midst of a Generation Facing Judgment. 1) We see his Authority over the salvation of his servants. 2)We see his authority to bestow blessings upon them. 3) We see the mission that Christ gives to his servants. 4) And finally, we see the marks of those rebels who revile his authority.

jesus christ living serve authority powerfully contend for the faith in jude

Believe and be Blessed

Faith Community Bible Church

Play Episode Listen Later May 1, 2022 45:00

Slideshow for this message is available Introduction John 20-21 Well we are in John chapter 20 where we come to the purpose statement of the book of John which we have referenced several dozen times in our preaching. The whole book of John was written for this reason. Now in order to accomplish this purpose, John tells us that he has been incredibly selective in his writing. To give you an indicator of just how selective he has been, if you notice the time markers in the book of John, there are only 21 or maybe 22 days of the life of Jesus which have been recorded. That's not a biography. The gospels are not biographies. He's chosen specific miracles, specific events so that in reading those events, they might persuade you to believe that Jesus is the Christ, the son of the living God. Now here's what's interesting. The last event chosen, the climatic one, the one he chooses to really drive home the point that Jesus is the Christ, is this story about Thomas who struggles with doubt. Jesus looks at Thomas and says, “Do not disbelieve but believe.” Now I want to really press into this concept of doubt vs belief because not only does the book of John culminate with the call to believe, but the entire Christian faith culminates in it. The way you become a Christian is by believing! You are to believe the claim that Jesus is the Christ the Son of the living God. If you believe that, then you believe all the claims that go along with that and in believing that you are saved. Maybe you are walking in here today with doubt. You are not so sure. Maybe you feel like Thomas. You need more evidence. You won't believe unless certain conditions are met. Maybe you need to see a miracle. Maybe you don't understand the way science and the Bible go together. Maybe you don't understand how God and evil go together. You have some barrier in your mind that creates doubt. That's okay. Let's talk about that for a moment. What is doubt? Doubt can be defined as a mental or emotional state in which the mind remains suspended between two contradictory propositions. In Thomas case and maybe in in your case there are two claims which logically can't both be true. The Bible's claim: Jesus rose from the dead. The World's claim: Jesus is still in the grave. Which is it? The Christian claim is that Jesus rose from the dead. But experience tells you that dead people stay dead. Maybe for you that creates doubt. Doubt is not bad. To question the reality that someone rose from the dead is an intelligent doubt. We aren't supposed to believe everything we hear. You've got to give me good reasons why I am supposed to believe something that seems very unbelievable. If I'm going to move from doubt to belief, or even from the position of belief to greater belief, you have to give me the freedom to continue asking questions until I find some reliable grounds to satisfy my reason. Without healthy doubt there can be no healthy faith. So given this understanding of belief, we might think that what Thomas is lacking is good reasons. We might think that what he is lacking is evidence? But if we look carefully at the text, that is not the problem. Jesus kindly - but most definitely - rebukes Thomas in this passage. If it was reasonable for Thomas to ask for evidence, then it would be unreasonable for Jesus to rebuke. But Jesus rebuked. You should have believed without the evidence. And what that tells us is that what was preventing Thomas from believing the reports of the disciples was not lack of evidence. He claimed what he needed was evidence. But that's not what he needed. And that's actually the case for millions and millions of people today. Millions of people think that what they need in order to become a follower of Jesus is more evidence. But just like Thomas, that's not what they need. Let's find out what Thomas needed, and maybe in so doing, we will find out what you need to become a follower of Jesus Christ or what you need to strengthen a weak faith in Jesus Christ. Now the other disciples had seen the risen Lord and they were just ecstatic. They were out of their minds with excitement. But their testimony was unconvincing in his ears. Thomas says to them, “Okay, so apparently you were all in a locked room and you all saw something that ‘resembled' Jesus. Yeah, okay, all your testimonies agree. I'm sure you all saw something, but it wasn't Jesus. That sounds more like a ghost story than like a Jesus sighting.” And so Thomas obstinately demands evidence. What I need is more evidence. I won't believe until…. and then he lays down his conditions. Now what caused Thomas to doubt and demand this evidence? Some have conjectured that it was something in his disposition. Thomas shows up in two other places in the gospels and in both places he seems to suffers from an Eore complex, a glass half empty complex. He seems to bear the burden of a pessimist.Maybe he doubts because of disposition. But maybe he doubts because of experience. In some translations, Thomas has the nickname dydimous. That's just an untranslated Greek word. You can hear in it our English word diddo from. The ESV translation just translate the word dydimous which means twin. Thomas had a twin brother and I'm guessing an identical twin so perhaps Thomas had a unique perspective on mistaken identity. His entire life, he'd been mistaken for his brother. No I'm not Mark. Mark has the mole. I don't have the mole. I'm Thomas. He's been on the receiving end of mistaken identity his whole life. He knows just how possible this is. So Thomas, pulling from his pessimism, pulling from his experience with mistaken identity says, “I'm sure this guy reminded you of Jesus but there's no way it could be Jesus. I saw him die. I saw his stiffening, bloated body come off that tree. There's no way I'll believe it.” But seeing the insistence in the other disciples he says, “Okay, actually, there's one way. There's one identification marker that nobody could fake and that's the wounds. Unless I place my finger in the holes, I won't believe.” Thomas is the skeptic. Thomas is the doubter. We call him doubting Thomas. Now I always feel so bad for the guy. He gets this label slapped on him for the rest of history. You know if Thomas had a NT you know what verse I think would be highlighted, underlined and bolded in his Bible? Mark 16. Mark 16 is the parallel account of Jesus' first appearance to the disciples when Thomas was at away. Mark 16 Thomas is like, why did I get the label? Every single one of us doubted and because I happen to not be in the room, because I volunteered to go to Costco and buy groceries, I get the label, “Doubting Thomas.” Well, Thomas, it's a good point. We ought to have doubting Peter, doubting John, doubting Simon, doubting Andrew. They all did the same exact thing. They are all equally guilty. Now let's just push on this character assessment. What's wrong with a guy that wants a little proof? It's not like its exactly common for crucified people who have been embalmed in 70 pounds of spices and wrapped in linen clothes placed into sealed, guarded tombs to just get up and walk away. That's not exactly usual. Not only is it unusual, but that's kind of an important detail to nail down. It pretty much has a major impact on how these disciples are going to live out the rest of his life. What's wrong with a guy that wants a little proof? Now you can create a ton of clarity to these concepts if you add some adjectives. So instead of just talking about belief and doubt, let's talk in terms of healthy belief, unhealthy belief, healthy doubt and unhealthy doubt. And in order to see this clearly, let's look at this little diagram. So we will start in the upper left. A healthy belief is a belief that you hold for good reason. So for example, “I believe summer is coming.” You have scientific backing for that claim. You have experience to back the claim. You have history to back the claim. You are believing the right thing. An unhealthy belief is a belief that you hold for no good reason. This is the person who believes everything. They are gullible. So for example, “I believe in Santa Claus.” If you are an adult and you still believe that, you might have reasons, but I hate to break it to you, but you have no good ones. A healthy doubt is a doubt that is felt for good reasons. So it's good of you to doubt the reality of Santa Claus. You disbelieve the right things. An unhealthy doubt would be to question the reality of summer. You have no good reason to doubt that summer is coming. This is the person who disbelieves everything. Now where does Thomas fit? And for that matter, where do all the disciples fit? They are living in unhealthy doubt. Why? Because even though the claim is gigantic, “Jesus rose from the dead!” The reasons to believe that claim are also gigantic. Let me give you three. First, they had quality eye-witnessess. Let me give you an example of what I mean by this. If you've read the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe there's the scene where Lucy who is characteristically sweet has just returned from Narnia with Edmund who is known for being devious. When they rejoin the others Edmund claims that their journey was just a story Lucy made up. Susan and Peter don't really understand why Lucy is telling stories about this mysterious place called Narnia, and they realize the issue is beyond them to fix. They turn to the Professor for some advice. Susan's and Peter's can't understand why Lucy has been telling lies about Narnia. The Professor asks how it is they know that Lucy's story isn't true. So he makes them think. Lucy could be a liar. The Professor asks if Lucy or Edmund is generally the more truthful one. Both Peter and Susan agree the answer would typically be Lucy. Something could be wrong with Lucy (like madness). The Professor, however, quickly dismisses this as “one has only to look at her and talk to her to see that she is not mad.” Lucy is telling the truth- Susan and Peter are resistant to the idea that Lucy might be telling the truth because, in their minds, people don't just find other countries lying in wardrobes. But the Professor points out that the details of Lucy's story don't seem to be the sort she could just make up and there is a great deal even he doesn't know about the house. Thus, “for the moment then and unless any further evidence turns up, we must assume that she is telling the truth.” That's exactly what's happening here. Mary Magdalene, Salome and Mary the mother of James had all seen Jesus. And presumably they were not in the habit of lying, they were not mad, and much like the mysterious house, ‘there was a great deal they didn't yet know about Jesus.' So yes, the claim is gigantic, “Jesus rose from the dead!” but the reasons to believe that claim are also gigantic. 1. They had quality eye-witnessess. 2. They had seen extensive proof that Jesus was God. Because they had lived with the Lord, I want you to picture in your mind's eye what they had seen. Miracles of Jesus. 1.Water into wine at the wedding in Cana 2.Healing of the official's son at Capernaum in Galilee 3.Jesus drives out an evil spirit from a man in Capernaum 4.Jesus heals Peter's mother-in-law sick with fever 5.Jesus heals many sick and oppressed at evening 6.First miraculous catch of fish on Sea of Galilee 7.Jesus cleanses a man with leprosy 8.Jesus heals a centurion's paralyzed servant in Capernaum 9.Jesus heals a paralytic who was let down from the roof 10. Jesus heals a man's withered hand on the Sabbath 11. Jesus raises a widow's son from the dead in Nain 12. Jesus calms a storm on the sea 13. Jesus casts demons into a herd of pigs 14. Jesus heals a woman in the crowd with an issue of blood 15. Jesus raises Jairus' daughter back to life 16. Jesus heals two blind men 17. Jesus heals a man who was unable to speak 18. Jesus heals an invalid at Bethesda 19. Jesus feeds 5,000 plus women and children 20. Jesus walks on water 21. Jesus heals many sick in Gennesaret as they touch his garment 22. Jesus heals a gentile woman's demon-possessed daughter 23. Jesus heals a deaf and dumb man 24. Jesus feeds 4,000 plus women and children 25. Jesus heals a blind man at Bethsaida 26. Jesus heals a man born blind by spitting in his eyes 27. Jesus heals a boy with an unclean spirit 28. Miraculous temple tax in a fish's mouth 29. Jesus heals a blind, mute demoniac 30. Jesus heals a woman who had been crippled for 18 years 31. Jesus heals a man with dropsy on the sabbath 32. Jesus cleanses ten lepers on the way to Jerusalem 33. Jesus raises Lazarus from the dead in Bethany 34. Jesus restores sight to Bartimaeus in Jericho 35. Jesus withers the fig tree on the road from Bethany 36. Jesus heals a servant's severed ear while he is being arrested So yes, the claim is gigantic, “Jesus rose from the dead!” but the reasons to believe that claim are also gigantic. 1. They had quality eye-witnessess. 2. They had seen extensive proof that Jesus was God. 3. They had clear predictions that this very event would transpire. On several different occasions that he would die and be raised again. In Jn 2 he told his opponents, destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. In Mt 12 he said, just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the sea monster, so shall the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. You might say, well those are kind of cryptic references. Well, do you think this is cryptic? Luke 18:31-33, And taking the twelve, he said to them, See, we are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written about the Son of Man by the prophets will be accomplished. 32 For he will be delivered over to the Gentiles and will be mocked and shamefully treated and spit upon. 33 And after flogging him, they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise. Or how about a couple chapters later. Luke 24:7, that the Son of Man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified and on the third day rise. That is not mysterious. I'm just saying. In fact, it was such common knowledge that even his enemies knew the plain interpretation of his words. After Jesus had died and was laid in the tomb we read, Matthew 27 So let me ask you, “Did Thomas have good reason to doubt?” No. So if he didn't have good reason to doubt, then why did he doubt? Maybe you are here today with good reason to doubt. You haven't done the research. You have good questions. Continue seeking. But maybe you are here today and you are like Thomas and you don't realize that the reasons you are holding onto are not good reasons. You say you have good reasons to doubt, you say that you are needing certain specific pieces of evidence, but maybe it's not an intellectual obstacle. Let me introduce one more concept into our chart. Thomas used to be in this box. Maybe that describes you. You grew up in church. You used to go to AWANA. You used to read your Bible and believe everything it said. You used to be sold out for the Lord. But then something happened. In Thomas' case, it was shattered expectations and misunderstanding of God's plan. He thought Jesus was going to bless him and instead he left him. Maybe that's how you feel? And Thomas couldn't deal with it. So tragedy caused him to doubt. Tragedy shook him off his feet. When you move from belief to unbelief or from unbelief to belief, you cross over this line and we are going to call this line of doubt, the line of implications. Think about it. For Thomas, he had to wrestle with the claim that Jesus was God. And the longer he lived, the more he believed that claim. With every miracle, his faith grew. But then Jesus died. And his world fell apart. Any time you cross over that line. Whether from belief to unbelief or from unbelief to belief, you don't do it without some pretty serious implications. Crossing that line shatters a person. Because everything you've built your life upon falls crumbles like sand. It's extremely unsettling. It's extremely crushing. And in order to successfully cross the line, you have to have the emotional courage to deal with it. And many people don't have the courage. They would rather continue living a lie then admit that their entire life has been spent building upon a foundation of sand in which their head is buried. You see for Thomas, believing that Jesus had risen from the dead, in the end, was an emotional problem. Thomas already crossed that line once. He was shattered. Emotionally he was destroyed and he was picking up the pieces. Everything he built his life upon was in ruins. He probably felt hurt, betrayed, wounded and what was once glowing love for Jesus was replaced with deep suspicion. He had deconstructed. He wasn't about to go back there again. Maybe that describes you. Something hurt you. You felt let down by a church leader, or God allowed something to happen in your life that you felt should never have happened. And that thing, whatever it was, shattered you. And now your like Thomas. Your faith has been deconstructed and you feel fragmented and fractured. You feel duped. You felt like a kid who discovered Santa wasn't real. And your whole world got turned upside down. And when you crossed over that line of implications you were wrecked. And now you've been living on the other side of that line for a while now. And you are looking back over that line to where you used to be and you hear good arguments for the resurrection, you know that the argument of evolution doesn't work, but you can't emotionally bear the weight of crossing that line again. It's too dangerous. You've got to protect your soul. You've got to make sure that soul injury doesn't get repeated. Listen friend, Thomas can relate. God has sympathy for how you feel. In Jude 1:20 we have instruction given to us on how to treat people who doubt. Jude Have mercy. It's understandable why you feel this way. It's a state that should evoke sympathy. We see this kind of mercy in Jesus as he approached Thomas. Jesus comes under the same circumstances (closed doors) and with the same greeting of peace as before (20:19, 26). This is definitely a mild, gentle, loving correction. He doesn't say Thomas' condition is acceptable. He doesn't say, “Well, Thomas, I know you're doubting, but that's understandable, because I haven't shown you the evidence.” He says, “Stop doubting” which means Thomas should have believed. He was not listening to the women who had seen him and he was not listening to the disciples. But most of all, he was not listening to Jesus himself who had demonstrated his power and predicted this moment. Thomas wouldn't believe. He says, “I won't believe until I actually see him.” Well Jesus shows up, and he offers him the evidence, but you know what, the text is very careful to point out, he never takes up Jesus' offer. He never actually gets up and puts his hands and fingers in the holes. You want to know why? Because that was never the issue. Evidence was never the issue. The issue was he was too afraid. The issue was it was too good to be true and he didn't want to get his hopes up only to be dashed to pieces. Maybe he felt abandoned by Jesus and there was fear of another abandonment. And while that is sympathy inducing, it's also a barrier to his joy. Here was an offer of absolute happiness and there was a defiance of that happiness. Can I ask, maybe that's what's preventing you from coming to Jesus? Well, notice what fixes the problem for Thomas. It's simply seeing him. It's simply being with him. It's simply beholding him. Thomas saw something great and it brought him back to Jesus. You need the same thing Thomas needed. You don't need to see Jesus in the flesh. What you need is to see Jesus in the text, in his Words. You just need to read the book of John again. You need to read about who he claimed to be. Look at how he responded. And you know what will happen. If you drop those fears of abandonment, and you say, what if that tragedy that pushed me away from God was actually the way God would help me see him for not who I wanted him to be but who he actually is? Spend time in the Bible, friend. See Jesus and will discover, like millions who have gone before you, that in so doing, you will fall on your face and declare, “May Lord and my God.” If you read the 8 miracles of Jesus in almost every instance, those who see the miracles in real life don't believe. What kind of a miracle is that? Why would John choose these miracles? They didn't have the right effect on those who watched them. Why would they have a greater effect on those who read them? Remember the religious leaders in John 11. They watched Lazarus be raised from the dead. I mean that's a legit miracle. But here was the response. So the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered the Council and said, “What are we to do? For this man performs many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation... so from that day on they made plans to put him to death. And after this they did. They killed the Son of God. Did miracles and signs and wonders cause them to believe? No. Why didn't they believe? Fear! The Pharisees were scared of giving up their precious - their place and their position. And that fear blinded them. They couldn't see him. And maybe that's what's preventing you coming to Jesus. It's scary crossing that line of implication. It takes tremendous courage. It takes all kinds of bravery and fearlessness. But what if it's true? Would you really want to fend of eternal joy your entire life for fear of being disappointed? John is pointing us to something. We all need evidence. We don't need less than that but we need more than that. Evidence alone will never save a person. God uses evidence but what you really need is Jesus himself. You need to behold him. You need to consider his claims. You need to interact with his person. It's the person of Jesus that actually changes. It's the person. In the end it's not the evidence. And you need to drop that fear that binds you. But all who see, all who drop their fear, all who open their eyes and gaze, ALL, and I do mean ALL, are saved. ALL are saved who open their eyes and see Jesus. He is irresistible! All fall on their face and say, “My Lord and My God!”

Grace for substance abuse

Andrew Farley Ministries on Oneplace.com

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 30, 2022 24:55

How do you approach substance abuse and addiction from a grace perspective? Is there an age of accountability? In Jude, what does it mean to use God's grace for licentiousness? Is it okay to sin knowing I'm going to Heaven? How do I overcome doubts about my salvation? Is street preaching effective? To support this ministry financially, visit: https://www.oneplace.com/donate/1258/29

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The Grace Message - 04-24-22

Andrew Farley

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 24, 2022 55:01

How do you approach substance abuse and addiction from a grace perspective? Is there an age of accountability? In Jude, what does it mean to use God's grace for licentiousness? Is it okay to sin knowing I'm going to Heaven? How do I overcome doubts about my salvation? Is street preaching effective?

god in jude

Jude 1-4 - Greetings

Exposing the Bible Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 31, 2022 22:20

In Jude's introduction, he writes that he wanted to write about the common salvation he and the congregation shared in Christ, but something more urgent was necessary. He writes to these individuals because false teachers have crept into the church and the congregation needs to contend for the faith. For notes on this episode, please go here.

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Jubilant Judgment

god bible judgment jubilant in jude

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 25, 2022 33:43

In Jude 1.24-25, The Bible clearly teaches that every person born on the earth will one day die, then stand before the judgment seat of God to give an account of everything they have done in this life. --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/whitefieldschurch/support

Jubilant Judgment (Audio)

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Play Episode Listen Later Jan 23, 2022

In Jude 1.24-25, The Bible clearly teaches that every person born on the earth will one day die, then stand before the judgment seat of God to give an account of everything they have done in this life.

Jude: An Attack on False Teachers

Jesus In All Of The Bible

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 19, 2022 4:53

This Bible study devotional covers the book of Jude. In this passage, Jude, the brother of Jesus, responds to a theological crisis and calls his people to fight for the faith passed down to them. As always, we are committed to showing you how to see the good news of the Gospel in every passage of Scripture. In Jude, we see that Jesus has kept us for himself, mercifully snatching us from the fire. And he empowers us to show mercy towards those who doubt the reality of God's judgment. For more information about Spoken Gospel visit: https://www.spokengospel.com We believe the only path to transformative Bible engagement is to see Jesus and his gospel wherever you are in the story. Jesus taught that he can be seen on every page of the Bible. Only by seeing the light of the Gospel in the face of Jesus can we be transformed into his image (2 Cor. 3:18, 4:6). We want to help people engage with every corner of the Bible in a transformative way. To that end, we are making Christ-centered, devotional podcasts that cover every chapter of the Bible. They are brief field guides through every passage of scripture that explain each chapter within its context and how it reveals more about the good news of Jesus. The Gospel changes things. Through our resources, we hope to create growing, deepening, and transforming Bible engagement that reshapes individuals, churches, and cultures with the Gospel. And we hope that you will join us in that mission.

Contending for the Faith: The Characteristics of False Apostate Teachers, Part 3

Sermons – Calvary Community Church

Play Episode Listen Later Jan 10, 2022

In this sermon, Pastor Joe Babij considers the third description of false apostate teachers according to Jude: the portraits of deception false teachers exemplify. In Jude 12-13, Jude provides five metaphors that expose the destructive and empty ministries of false teachers: hidden reefs (v. 12a), waterless clouds (v. 12b), fruitless trees (v. 12c), storms that… The post Contending for the Faith: The Characteristics of False Apostate Teachers, Part 3 appeared first on Calvary Community Church.

How to Keep Yourself in the Love of God

Understand the Bible? Pastor Melissa Scott, Ph.D.

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 6, 2021 56:56

In Jude's instructions for how to contend for the faith, we are told to keep ourselves in God's love to us. The natural man cannot do this, thinking that God is always against him. The spiritual person understands we have fallen short of the mark, but God has gifted His forgiveness of sins to us. Our desire to please Him and to know Him better through the rhemas builds up the relationship, which is further cemented by our gratitude towards Him and our attitude towards God and the things of God. Jude 1:21 VF-2151 Watch, Listen and Learn 24x7 at PastorMelissaScott.com Pastor Melissa Scott teaches from Faith Center in Glendale. Call 1-800-338-3030 24x7 to leave a message for Pastor Scott. You may make reservations to attend a live service, leave a prayer request or make a commitment. Pastor Scott appreciates messages and reads them often during live broadcasts. Follow @Pastor_Scott on Twitter and visit her official Facebook page @Pastor.M.Scott. Download Pastor Scott's "Understand the Bible" app for iPhone, iPad and iPod at the Apple App Store and for Android devices in the Google Store. Pastor Scott can also be seen 24x7 on Roku and Amazon Fire on the "Understand the Bible?" channel. ©2021 Pastor Melissa Scott, Ph.D., All Rights Reserved

The False Teacher's Corruption - Jude 8-13

KevinPierpont.com

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 21, 2021 28:30

It's troubling to think of false teachers slipping into the church attempting to lead people astray. But it's a needful conversation Jude forces us to have. In Jude verses 8-13 we're shown how to recognize false teaching today. People who propagate false teaching can often be recognized by their corrupt communication and corrupt character.

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Building Ourselves Up In Holy Faith - The Forgotten Book of Jude, Part 4 - Episode 82

That You May Know Him

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 27, 2021 41:02

In today's episode of the TYMKH Podcast, we round the corner and approach the finish line in the Book of Jude. In Jude 20-21, the brother of the Lord teaches the saints how to "build ourselves up in a most holy faith." How does Jude instruct us to do so? By "keeping ourselves in the love of God," and by "praying in the Spirit." Show Notes: With: Blake Barbera Website: www.thatyoumayknowhim.com Send us an email: info@thatyoumayknowhim.com Buy Blake's Book: Secularism, the Church, and the Way Forward https://wipfandstock.com/978166671051... Connect w/ Blake on social media: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blake.barber... Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/barberablake/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCQj8... Subscribe to the Podcast: https://www.thatyoumayknowhim.com/listen iTunes: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4KIz8KN... Buzzsprout: https://podcast.thatyoumayknowhim.com/ Support the show

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EP 10 Jude 10

When You're Ready to Listen

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 25, 2021 31:22

In Jude 10 the Spirit is addressing those who had crept into the church and introduced perversions to the grace of God. The Spirit is warning that despite their seductive words, which tend to sound so right because they sound so “religious,” these people are led (and judged) by their instincts. As such, they are like wild or unreasoning animals. If they do not like or understand something, they will revile it or speak impiously about it (which is what it means to blaspheme). And they exercise their blasphemy and perversions from within the church—they may be those who themselves have a pulpit or a platform, or who have corrupted those with a pulpit or a platform. Download Transcript

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7TOT- ITS ACCORDING TO THE POWER WITHIN

7 THOUGHTS OF TREASURE DAILY PODCAST

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 12, 2021 24:01

"Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,"Ephesians 3:20) The working of God in your life is not according to the Power of God in Heaven. It is not according to the power that God has but according to the power that works within you. This is one of the reasons it seems as though so many Christians are leaving a defeated life because they do not know how to put the power of God to work. Even though they have the power resident in them, they do not know how to start that power. They do not know how to activate that power. In Jude 1:20, the Bible says "But you, beloved, building up yourselves in your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit," This verse tells us what to do, it says building up yourself in your most Holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit. First the Holy Spirit does not function outside of God's Word. So God's word comes first. The bible says in Romans 10:17, So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. Hallelujah. As you hear the word of God faith comes. Jude 1:20 says building up yourself in your most Holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit. So the main important thing is, how do you pray in the Holy Spirit? A lot of people do not know how to pray in the Holy Spirit. Because of time I will briefly share that today but will explain more in details either in another devotional, so keep following and reading our materials. Praise the Lord. So how do you pray in the Holy Spirit, In 1 Corinthians 14:14, it says For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. Hallelujah. So praying in tongues is Praying in the Spirit. Praying in the Spirit is not by you keeping quiet and thinking the prayer in your heart. Words either known or unknown has to be uttered when you pray. Hallelujah. When Jesus and all the people in the Bible prayed, those around them either heard a sound or the content of their prayers. So do not deceieve yourself by thinking that praying in the spirit means to think your prayers. The bible says, if I pray in tongues my spirit prays but mind is unfruitful. There are different kinds of prayers. And also there's praying in your understanding which is praying a language that you understand and there's praying in the spirit which is praying in tongues or unknown language. That is what the bible says in 1 Corinthians 14:15, Paul said, "So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding." Did you notice that the spirit comes first. Yes Christianity is a supernatural life and it's always the spirit first. Religion will teach to pray with your mind first but God says it's with the Spirit first. I trust the Holy Spirit to amplify what you have heard today in your heart and more will come to you as you study the word of God and also follow our teachings and other faith materials. Hallelujah, if you are not yet born again, this is your moment to receive the Lordship of Jesus and the miracle of salvation. To do so please say the salvation prayer in this devotion and meaning it with your heart. God bless you. AFFIRMATION. I have the life and the nature of God resident in me and therefore I can do all things through His anointing and strength that is at work in me. I live in power, glory and I am wonderfully and beautifully made by my Creator. Amen. FURTHER QUOTES. "Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands."2 Timothy 1:6).

EP2 Introduction to Jude & Revelation

When You're Ready to Listen

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 30, 2021 18:04

The Bible is written primarily to instruct those within the household of God. Extraordinarily little of its message is directed to those on the outside. Rather, Yahweh instructs those He has brought into His own household not to choose to live in unbelief, for the consequences of unbelief are dire. In Jude and Revelation, the commands, exhortations, requests, and pleas are for Yahweh's children to now and continually believe—to always be found believing! Download Transcript

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Jude the Obscure

Booklovers

Play Episode Listen Later May 10, 2021 107:13

When Thomas Hardy wrote his final novel, Jude the Obscure, a reader wonders what may have been going through his head. After writing Tess of the d'Urbervilles, which shocked the Victorian England countryside, Hardy released Jude in 1895 in a serialized format. While Jude was a hit, it was also breathtakingly scandalous, earning the nickname “Jude the Obscene” and causing some booksellers to sell copies of certain sections in brown paper bags. Hardy, dismayed by the reception of his novels, turned to poetry and never wrote fiction again. As local kid Jude Fawley grows into a young adult, he is endlessly troubled by the out-of-reach world of academic and pastoral splendor that he can never truly attain, due to a lack of ability, privilege, and knowledge (it is, after all, a rare accident to learn the wrong kind of Latin, even in the 1800s, but Jude manages to mess up even that). As Jude moves through his life, he is haunted and taunted by his first wife, Arabella, who is a true mismatch for Jude, and his beloved cousin Sue, who has Jude's heart. When Sue announces her marriage to local schoolmaster Phillotson, Jude takes things into his own hands, with utterly disastrous results. In Jude the Obscure, Thomas Hardy describes a world on the brink of change; he skewers the Victorian noble institutions of marriage, religion, parenthood, feminism, sexuality and family, but it's his youngest named character, Young Father Time (or as Jess calls him, “Creepy Baby Man Child”), who pushes Jude—both the character and the book—over the deep end and into the melodramatic, scandalous, messy abyss. Even in 2021, Hardy's themes are still revolutionary, including his portrayal of Sue, who is perhaps the earliest fictional character to reflect a type of asexuality, an unexpected and in some cases radical acceptance of divorce, and the shocking act of familicide. As the end of the Victorian era licked at Hardy's heels, he described a new world where things don't have to be exactly what they've always been—and maybe that's not a completely bad thing. The people weren't ready for Hardy, and even now there's plenty to find scandalous about Jude the Obscure, but it's also a deeply influential, powerfully told story, and in this episode, we're breaking down Hardy's lasting power, the rapture with which we obsess over serialized stories, and what we hope you'll read next.

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The sea is restless

The End Time Blog Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 16, 2021 4:04

But the wicked are like the tossing sea; for it cannot be quiet, and its waters toss up mire and dirt. (Isaiah 57:20) [The ungodly are] wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever. (Jude 1:13) The sea is an apt metaphor for the restlessness of the ungodly. They toss and turn, go to and fro, casting up muck and mire with ungodly thoughts and deeds. In Jude, he is speaking of infiltrating false teachers, but the metaphor is apt also to apply in general to the ungodly, their foaming spray prevents clear vision and in fact has no substance. This episode is also available as a blog post: http://the-end-time.org/2021/04/16/the-sea-is-restless/ I use the NASB translation

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Prayer 2021 - April 7 - Edify Yourself

Prayer 2021

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 7, 2021 6:46

Scripture For Today: Colossians 4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.” Edify Yourself We have been talking about praying in tongues and being led in our prayer life by the Holy Spirit. We also need to take the time to build ourselves up by praying in the Holy Spirit for ourselves. This is usually accomplished through praying in tongues for our own life. Amen! In Jude, verse 20, we read “But ye, beloved, BUILDING YOURSELVES UP on your most Holy Faith, PRAYING IN THE HOLY SPIRIT.” Praying in the Holy Spirit is praying in tongues. Paul made a statement similar to Jude in First Corinthians 14:4 where he said, “He that speaks in an unknown tongue EDIFIES HIMSELF. But he that prophesies edifies the church.” That word, “edify” means the same exact thing that “building yourself up” does in Jude 20. Amen! How many of you just received a revelation in that? Praise God! One element of speaking in tongues in our prayer life does NOT involve praying for other people – it is purely a means of personal and spiritual edification in our own life. We need that kind of praying. We are not going to be able to pray effectively for others without being edified in our own life and spirit. Amen! The more we pray in other tongues and build up our own spirit man, the more keenly aware we will be in the Holy Spirit and things of the Spirit when we pray for other people. Praying in tongues helps make us sensitive to the Holy Spirit when He desires to manifest spiritual gifts through us. We must stay sensitive to the Holy Spirit so He can manifest the Gifts of the Spirit through us as He desires. This is especially true if we are to be used in the operation of the vocal Gifts of the Spirit, prophecy, tongues and the interpretation of tongues. We need to be Spiritually sensitive to know and understand what the Holy Spirit is sharing if we are called into a ministry of vocally sharing these things with others. Amen! In other words, we have something to do to cooperate with the movement of the Holy Spirit in the manifestation of the vocal gifts because we are the ones doing the talking. We cannot operate in those gifts anytime we want. We cannot operate in this type of gift if we are not led by the Spirit to do so. Which means WE must be 100% Spiritually sensitive to the things of the Spirit in order to do this. Amen! And that type of sensitivity ONLY comes through your own private prayer time of praying in tongues. Amen! Let's Pray! Please subscribe to this podcast, leave us a quick 5 star review on Apple Podcasts to help us grow and be sure to visit our website for more information on our ministry: https://podcastersforchrist.com/ (https://podcastersforchrist.com). And while you are at the website, download the free resource I have for you… it is free and is called, “How to Start a Christian Podcast.” It will bless you – go and download it today. You can also WATCH these session on our Facebook Playlist at this link: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2 (https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLtKWeKtmv-BwgkquBTsSh-GznbmuUp_R2)

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Book of Jude III - The Works of Ungodliness

Jehu Unchained

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 22, 2021 53:02

Thank you Jesus for episode 50! In Jude's letter to the church, He warns us about ungodliness, false teachers who boast about themselves and flatter others to gain an opportunity for advantage over them. The good news is we are not without hope! We speak life.

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A Charge To Remember - Jude 17-19

TBC Glassboro Sermons and More

Play Episode Listen Later Mar 20, 2021 44:42

Pastor Jude, out of love, begins a series of final charges to his beloved readers. He charges them to remember, to remain in God’s love, and to show mercy. In Jude 17-19, Jude charges the beloved to remember the apostolic word and the false teachers. Regarding the false teachers, Jude brings three more charges against them — they cause division, are worldly minded, and are devoid of the spirit. These three charges form the eleventh triad of the Epistle of Jude.

god charge epistle in jude

Satan v Michael

Horizons Church Podcast

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 1, 2020 21:13

In Jude, we read a seemingly casual reference to a sparring match between celestial beings over the bones of a mortal man. This week the boys examine the context unpack what in the world is going on in this arcane piece of scripture.

satan in jude

“God Magnified in Jude’s Doxology” (God Magnified S1E20)

god bible doxology magnified in jude

Play Episode Listen Later May 25, 2020 25:50

God Magnified, Season 1, Episode 20 for Monday, May 25, 2020 Throughout the Bible there are short sections known as “doxologies.” These doxologies are all about praising and ascribing glory to God and magnifying His greatness. In Jude 24-25, Jude ends his epistle about contending for the faith by ascribing glory, majesty, dominion, and authority […]

“The Ultimate Fate of the Ungodly” (God Magnified S1E18)

Play Episode Listen Later May 11, 2020 29:07

God Magnified, Season 1, Episode 18 for Monday, May 11, 2020 In Jude 14-16 God has something really important to say about the ungodly. Their fate is emphasized by an obscure prophet of old, and their conduct is summarized in challenging language. Though it may seem impossible to see the glory of God in a […]

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“The Why and How of Contending For the Faith” (God Magnified S1E15)

god contending magnified in jude

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 20, 2020 34:01

God Magnified, Season 1, Episode 15 for Monday, April 20, 2020 Jude 3 is likely the most popular verse in Jude, but it is easy to strip from its context. In Jude 1-4 we see that contending for the faith is a necessity, but it cannot be done without mercy, peace, and love. God is magnified in […]

Viewing Life Through the Eyes of an Autistic Adult with Author Jude Morrow

A Fine Time for Healing

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 14, 2020 59:00

Jude Morrow knew that Jupiter has seventy-nine known moons and where the swimming pool was located on the Titanic, yet he didn't know how to connect with his beautiful son who called him “Daddy. In Jude's book,”Why Does Daddy Always Look So Sad? he gives a candid view of life and love through the eyes of an autistic adult—who went from being a nonverbal and aggressive child to a hard working and responsible father to a non-autistic son. Growing up autistic, Jude Morrow faced immense challenges and marginalization, but he was able to successfully—though not without difficulty—finish university and transition into a successful career and eventually parenthood. Those with autism can have difficulty understanding the world around them and can find it hard to find their voice, but in this poignant and honest memoir, Jude defiantly uses his found voice to break down the misconceptions and societal beliefs surrounding autism, bringing hope to all who live with autism as well as those who care for someone on the spectrum. Jude views his autism as a gift to be shared, not a burden to be pitied, and as he demonstrates through his honest recollections and observations, autistic people's lives can be every bit as happy and fulfilling as those not on the spectrum.

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“Introducing Jude” (God Magnified S1E14)

god jesus christ holy spirit rescue god calls in jude

Play Episode Listen Later Apr 13, 2020 32:48

God Magnified, Season 1, Episode 14 for Monday, April 13, 2020 The book of Jude is easy to overlook. It’s short, right before revelation, and written by an inspired man we don’t know a whole lot about. Nevertheless, like all inspired literature, the book of Jude is a goldmine of encouragement and edification. In Jude, we learn […]

magnified in jude

When God calls you to Rescue them

River Rock Church

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 17, 2019 33:41

It wasn’t that long ago that following Jesus was welcome in our culture but that is now changing at an alarming rate. Jesus half-brother Jude wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit to instruct us how to live in these difficult last days. In Jude 1:23 he writes: “Rescue others by snatching them from the flames of judgment…” which means God may call on us to help rescue others and live our lives as Jesus intended. It’s difficult and risky but it is also eternally significant and rewarding. Listen and be encouraged to help people escape the eternal flames and from the raging river of culture trying to pull people away from God. - Pastor Chris Teien

Don't Complain About God's Moral Standards (Jude 16)

Greek for the Week

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 6, 2019 12:01

In Jude 16, God’s Word calls those who complain against his moral Law “malcontnets.” Here the Greek word is mempsimoiroi. This word actually describes a character that appeared in Greek comedies, known as “the Grumbler” or "the Complainer." --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/greek/support

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Stand Firm (Audio)

Bethany Wesleyan Church Weekly Sermons

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 6, 2019

Today Pastor Kevin continues the message series, Stand Firm, by looking at the Holy Spirit-inspired words of Jesus’ brother Jude. In Jude 1:20-25, we discover three instructions for how Christians can stay the course in their commitment to Jesus as...

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Gift of Tongues (part 1)

One27 House of Prayer

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 2, 2019 43:10

In Jude 20, the writer tells us to build up our most holy faith by praying in the Spirit. Listen as Robby Atwood teaches on the importance of receiving and accessing the gift of tongues.

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If Jesus is God, How Was He Still Able to Die?

Core Christianity

Play Episode Listen Later Aug 27, 2019 25:01

Episode 257 | Dr. Michael Horton and Adriel Sanchez answer caller questions. Show Notes CoreChristianity.com Key questions answered in today's show: 1. What do you think about the ideas that the church has been taken captive to outrage culture? It seems like maybe there is a place for righteous anger. What do you think? 2. What's the difference between a Major Prophet and a Minor Prophet? 3. In Jude it says, “And have mercy on those who doubt; save others by snatching them out of the fire; to others show mercy with fear, hating even the garment stained by the flesh.” Is the authorial intent limited to the victims of the false teachers? 4. Mark 14 says that Jesus' soul was sorrowful even to the point of death while he was in the garden of Gethsemane and then later on the cross it seems like Jesus really did experience suffering and pain. And I know that Isaiah 53 describes Jesus as the suffering servant, but what I'm struggling to understand is how this fits with Jesus being God?

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“Such Were Some of You”: Christ Ministers Hope to Homosexuals (1 Corinthians Sermon 21) (Audio)

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Play Episode Listen Later Mar 10, 2019

I. Contending for the Faith in the War Over Truth Turn in your Bibles to 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. This morning, I'm going to be addressing how Christ through the church, can minister to homosexuals, and minister grace to homosexuals. And as I do, I've had a lot of thoughts in my mind. I remember the first time I ever preached in this church was my candidating sermon, back in August of 1998, and I preached on Matthew 16 one of the great images and one of the great statements of Jesus. Their in Caesarea Philippi, He said, "On this rock, I will build my church and the gates of Hades will not overcome it." This is a powerful image. And it's somewhat complex. It's both static and dynamic.There's a sense of the church as a rising structure, a bulwark, like a walled fortress. And then there's the sense of the corresponding evil fortress of Satan, of death, and hell. And so Jesus is going to build this structure that will last for all eternity and send it against the gates of Hades, and they will... The gates of Hades will lose, the church will win. And so again and again, we have this same kind of complex image of the church as a fortress to be defended, and as warriors to be unleashed. Both of them are true. You get the same thing in the little Book of Jude. In Jude 3, there with Jude, the brother of James, he identifies himself, he said, "I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints." So we're supposed to contend for doctrine, the faith is doctrine, especially the doctrine of the Gospel. We're supposed to fight for it and contend for it, that it not be perverted, that key elements not be lost. But then at the end of that little book, Jude 23, he gives us another image where he urges us to snatch people from the flames, snatch people from the fire and save them, Jude 23. So that's the dynamic issue where we're sent out and trying to rescue individuals. So both of those are in my mind as we address this very challenging issue of homosexuality in our day. So you got that defensive image of a walled fortress that we have to fight for, we have to defend. Our souls individually and the church collectively is besieged by Satan, by demonic forces. And Satan's very clever, he searches out weak spots in the fortress and gives special attention to those breaches in the wall. And from the very beginning, once Adam and Eve ate from the forbidden fruit, their eyes were opened, they realized they were naked, human sexuality has been twisted or perverted, it's a weak spot in the wall. We all feel it. And there are various versions of twisted sexuality, but it's a weak spot. So you've got that defensive image, and you can imagine if you are a warrior on the walls and you are called on to defend it against a besieging force, if you notice, all of the besieging, attacking army suddenly run to one particular place, and give focus and attention there, you would, if you were the commander, give special attention there because clearly there's a weak spot there. So also for us individually, if you see yourself feeling again and again in a certain area, you can be certain that's a weak spot, a chink in the armor, a breach in the wall. Now, we also have that offensive image where we're called on to snatch people from the fire. Like in the Book of Zechariah, "is this not a brand plucked from the fire?" And you can think ultimately that the fire is the fire of condemnation of eternity and hell, and to be plucked from that. And we're called on to rescue people from that who don't want to be rescued. As our text talks about, hey have been deceived. And so another image is in my mind, I was reading recently about a disease that affects the body's central nervous system and the brain resulting in "hyperactive and excitable, erratic behavior, including insomnia, anxiety, confusion, agitation, hallucinations, excessive salivation, and an irrational fear of water." The website said once those symptoms have appeared in a human being, the disease is almost always fatal. Alright, imagine, though, you had a serum that was 100% effective for curing that disease, but it had to be administered by hypodermic injection and you had to do it. And the person's raving. They're dangerous to you, they don't want your help. How in the world are you going to administer, physically administer, that life-saving serum into their bloodstream. How can you do it? Love would call on you to make every effort that you could, even at great risk to yourself, as they have no appreciation for what you're doing at that time, but you hope later, when their mind clears, they will understand what you did, what you risked. But that's not even why you do it; it's so that they will be saved. Now, I could well imagine how offensive such an analogy would be to a person him or her self identify themselves in the LGBTQ community, does not want their orientation, their practices, to be seen as a disease, but as actually many of them something to be delighted in and celebrated as a positive, good thing. But we Christians, we know that all sin, all of the sins listed here, in 1 Corinthians 6, and all of the sins listed in Romans 1 and all the sin lists, whatever sin there may be, from the heavenly perspective, is sheer insanity. All of it. Fornication: Sheer insanity. Adultery: Sheer insanity. Swindling: Insanity, from a heavenly point of view. And not only that, all of us, apart from Christ, we're raving, too. We were all irrational in our sin. As Paul says in Titus 3:3-7, he says, "At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived, and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures, we lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, He saved us not because of righteous things we had done, but because of His own mercy…" and grace in Christ, by the power of the Spirit. Listen again to those words. At one time, we, too, were foolish. We were disobedient. We were deceived. We were out of our minds. And we were enslaved by all kinds of passions. All of us were like that before we were converted. Even the man who wrote these words in 1 Corinthian 6 was like that, the Apostle Paul, Saul of Tarsus, you remember his career, and how on the very morning of his conversion, he was seething with rage against Christ and against Christians, hated Christ, saw Him as a deceiver, hated Christians, one of them arrested and killed. Hours before he became a Christian. Praise God for sovereign Grace. Praise God that's happening all over the world. People's chains are falling off, and they are being delivered from their spiritual insanity and crossing over into life, eternal life in Christ. Praise God. That's my great hope as I preach to you today. The Apostle Paul was deceived and enslaved, he was raving, and God converted him. : So we have that defensive image of a walled fortress, that we have to contend for, we have to fight, and the offensive image of a rescue that we're called on to do a great personal cost. The two of them go together because the truth we are using to deliver enslaved souls is that which we have to fight for. We have to defend it. Human Sexuality is a Major Breach in the Wall Now let's return to the walled image, walled fortress image, for a minute. As I've said, human sexuality is a major breach in the wall. And in this section of 1 Corinthians, we can see that. Can't you see it? Just trace out, connect the dots. 1 Corinthians 5, the last chapter, the chapter on church discipline, was triggered by a man with a perverse sexual act. "A man has his father's wife. And you are proud!" Paul says. You should have expelled the wicked man from among you, 1 Corinthians 5. then in 1 Corinthians 6: 9-11. We have this list of sins: Fornicators, adulterers, effeminate, homosexuals. Those four all have to do with sexuality. The next section we're going to in 1 Corinthians, Paul's going to make a direct and convicting appeal to some Corinthian members of the Corinthian church to stop frequenting temple prostitutes, saying, "You can't take the members of Christ and join them to a prostitute." And then in the next chapter, in 1 Corinthians 7, he's going to go through healthy sexuality in marriage, husbands and wives coming together. He's also going to address the gift of singleness, he's going to talk about divorce and other topics in 1 Corinthian 7. So we're in a section steeped with this, showing how weakness area really is, how much special attention we need to give to it. And so we come for the third time to 1 Corinthians 6:9-11. The first time I preached on this I did it in conjunction with the lawsuits passage because that's how it fits into the flow, and I think the last sin that he mentions, "swindlers" do not inherit the kingdom of God. That was kind of the point of him giving the list. But then we focused last week on the list as a whole and said people of that pattern do not inherit the kingdom of God, and the effeminate and homosexual was listed, but it seemed reasonable for me to zero in on the issue this morning. The end of this deception will be eternal condemnation for some precious souls. The church must tell the truth about the sin of homosexuality. We must be honest and not be intimidated. It's going to require more courage than on any other topic that we are likely to face in our day and age. We have, in the Gospel of Christ, the healing serum. It's 100% effective. Everyone who calls in the name of the Lord will be saved. We have to tell the truth. In the name of Christ, we have to tell the truth. In the name of Christ, and for the value of the souls we're trying to deliver, even though they hate us, initially we have to tell the truth. Homosexuality at the Epicenter of the “Culture War” Now, homosexuality, this particular topic, is at the epicenter of what many call the culture war. Over the last half century, major clashes have centered around this issue. I could list example after example of how this issue has been a central current event. I don't have to delineate that, I don't think. If you've been living in the West at all, you know how much of an issue this is. So, recent current events you are, I'm sure aware, of the Methodist church meeting together, the denomination, meeting together in St. Louis last week to iron out some key issues on this very topic concerning, number one, would they perform and recognize gay marriages, and even more importantly, would they ordain LGBTQ people to the ministry. And they met in St. Louis, and in a shocking development, conservative bishops, Methodist bishops from Africa, said, "We are not going along with the liberal church in the West in America, and turning our back on 2,000 years of biblical teaching. You have not made sufficient arguments. We are not yielding this. Not at all," and they won the vote and all that. But I was going to Parker and Otis just about a mile from here this week, drove by the Methodist Church, there on West Chapel Hill Street, just a mile from here, decked out in rainbow ribbons everywhere. An angry statement of solidarity with the LGBTQ themes. So, this is not a surprise to us, we're not shocked to see it. I was a little bit shocked to see the rainbow flags up in almost every congregational church up in New England, where I'm from, including Jonathan Edwards' church in Northampton. So, churches can decay on doctrinal issues. This is... Major indoctrination is going on for our young people's minds and hearts all over the place. The Durham County Library has all kinds of programs for LGBTQ teens just going on... It’s just part of their calendar. At Duke University, if you go into the Brian center, the student center there, if you go in one particular entrance, right at the right, there's a major rainbow banner there, and then the name of the office is the Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity. Gender diversity. And so it's a major strategy. They have incoming freshman read books that indoctrinate people in the mindset, the faculty and staff that's doing hiring, they have to go through sensitivity training so that they can look in the mirror of their own biases, so that they can make hiring appropriate to where the institution's going. It's going on all the time. As a matter of fact, a year ago, the dean of the Duke Divinity School (this was in February 2018), was trying to give the state of the school address, you can look this up on YouTube, and the address was interrupted by LGBTQ demonstrators with bullhorns. Bullhorns. It was a relatively small room. But they did not want free speech on this; they just wanted to present their views. The Civil Rights Angle Now part of the intimidation that we Christians feel in this current climate is that LGBTQ activists have been strategic in linking opposition to gay rights to the opposition by racist of civil rights for African-Americans during the '60s and right up to the present day. They've linked the two, so it's becoming civil rights issue. What that means is if you oppose their views on this, you're seen to be the same as racist or a bigot. I think the fundamental concept that enables them to do that is they believe that this is a genetic thing, that homosexuality is genetic, similar to race. It's not a choice that you make. So as I said last week, I cannot be an ex-Caucasian, it's my race, it's an amoral descriptor of me, it doesn't mean anything, just how God wanted me to be. The same thing could be said of an African-American by an African-American person or an Oriental person, et cetera, any... The racial, amoral, racial designators. They say, "This is who I am, this is how God made me to be," but that's exactly what a homosexual would say. So that's how they make it a civil rights issue. So then therefore, they believe that they are taking the moral high ground and we're down in the gutter of being hate mongers and bigots. Mainstream media has bought into this perspective sports. If you were to say something, even in the heat of battle, in the middle of a game, you were to say something, and it got heard, you're going to be... If you're on a sports team, you're going to be making an apology before a press conference within the next 36 hours, probably, if you want to keep playing. And so because of this linking with civil rights, they say it's actually immoral, immoral, to oppose homosexuality. I think that may be the clearest example in our culture of what Isaiah warned about in Isaiah 5:20, he says, "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter." The switching of morality is what's going on before our very eyes. Along with this is the not-so-subtle accusation that Christians are mentally ill. That actually we have a form of psychosis known as homophobia. Just like any other phobia, like irrational fear of spiders, irrational fear of high places, or crowded rooms, or small spaces. We are called "homophobes" because there's a deep-seated, irrational fear of homosexuality or of homosexuals. And if you proclaim the doctrine I'm about to proclaim from the Word of God, that homosexuality is a sin, and that if you are not transformed out of it, you will not inherit the Kingdom of God but that the Gospel of Christ is the power to transform sinners and to give you hope of eternal life, if you were to say any of that, that's hate speech, really, flowing from a deep-seated insecurity and fear of psychosis that the speaker has. Now Christians, you know that history of this have been pounded in our culture for doing precisely that, standing up to billable convictions. You remember the baker in Colorado Jack Phillips who refused to bake a cake for a same-sex wedding, and the Colorado Civil Rights Commission then said, "If you will not bake cakes for same sex weddings, you can't bake cakes for weddings at all." And that's 40% of his business, he had to let go a lot of his people. He took the case all the way to Supreme Court and won a very narrowly-defined victory, just because of how this Colorado Civil Rights Commission treated him. They left unanswered the future question of whether Christian bakers would be forced to violate their conscience and make cakes, et cetera. This goes on and on, there are so many examples. Louie Giglio was chosen by Barack Obama to do the commencement prayer at his second inaugural and then was dropped when a sermon like the one I'm giving right now was found in his record as a homophobic sermon, it was called. So he has dropped. I know this from personal conversations, Christians working at secular universities like Appalachian State University, for example, if you try to be a Christian and hold your Christian convictions, you're going to be required to go to sensitivity training and to read certain books and be trained how to deal properly with members of that community. So this is the climate we're in. I could say many other things, but you get the idea, and you probably didn't need any of this. This is the climate in which we have to stand firm and tell the truth, and why? As with everything else, for the glory of God, and the salvation of elect people who are not yet converted. That's why. That's why. That's what God's calling on us to do and to be. So we have to go back to the truth. II. Biblical Truth on Homosexuality What does the Bible say about this? This morning, as we're driving in, I was listening to a Christian song, The Great I Am, and there was something that just really spoke to me. Maybe I needed to hear it this morning, but the line of the song says, "We fear our enemies," speaking to God, "we fear our enemies, they are Your footstool." God is not intimidated at all at bullhorns, or by raging nations, or by anything. The nations are a drop in the bucket to God. He never changes, He always tells the truth, He knows what the truth is, He knows who the Savior is, He knows what the gospel is, He knows what sin is, He's never going to change. And we get strength as we draw near to that throne of grace. As we drink in the truth, we get the kind of confidence and courage we will need to tell the truth. So what does the Bible say about homosexuality? Well, the simple truth is homosexuality is a soul-killing sin. It's spiritual poison, just like all the other sins in that list and the other lists. It says in Leviticus 18:22, "Do not lie with a man as one lies with a woman; that is detestable." Many other verses teach this and I'll cite some of them in a moment. Now, homosexuality is exactly like any other sin in two very important ways and it's different than other sins in two very important ways. How Homosexuality is Like Any Other Sin Alright, how is homosexuality like any other sin? In what two ways? First, as I said, it's a soul-killing sin, and if you're not transformed out of it, you will not inherit the Kingdom of God, which means you would spend eternity in condemnation and hell, in the lake of fire, and eternity because of sins just like that one. Paul lists homosexuality along with the other sins. Look again at our text, 1 Corinthians 6: 9-11: "Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God." Now for our purpose this morning are the two key terms "effeminate" and "homosexuals." I mentioned in the last time, a few of you are confused because you held in your hand the ESV. I find it strange the ESV melts the five sins listed separated by the Greek word οὔτε into four. I don't think there was an intentional doctrinal decision here, but it was not helpful. The word for Greek for effeminate, μαλακοὶ,"means soft ones as Robert Gagnon, has shown, those that take on an external manner in dress and affect to play the feminine role in a homosexual relationship. That's what μαλακοὶ means. Homosexuals translated, ἀρσενοκοῖται, is males who lie with males. That's what that means. And so that's why we're zeroing in on this morning. Now just like any other sin, the other sins in the list, such as fornication, idolatry, adultery, drunkenness, stealing, like the other sins in this list, it has the power to condemn souls to hell. But secondly, just like any other sin in this list, it is absolutely addressed and atoned for and transformed by the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There is no sin pattern that Christ cannot save us out of and transform our minds. So look again at these beautiful words: "You were washed" Oh, Corinthians, your guilty conscience was cleansed by the blood of Christ, and you don't feel guilty anymore, you were washed. And your mind is washed from filthy thoughts and from wicked lust, washed. And "sanctified," set apart unto God, as His prized, holy possession, set apart. And sanctified, gradually, little by little, transformed until you're more and more conformed to Christ. Sanctification. And then last in the list but first in our experience is justification. That's the beginning of the Christian life. You are transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit so that you have faith and you are declared not guilty of all your sins. All of those acts of wickedness that that list generated: Fornication, idolatry, stealing, drunkenness, all those times, all that that sin cost you and people around you, it's all been forgiven. Forgiven. Your 10,000-talent debt was paid in full. "Justified." And how? "In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ," the one who died on the cross to pay the penalty for all those wicked acts. And in the spirit of our God, we owe our salvation as much to the transforming work of the Spirit as we do to Jesus who shed His blood. They work together to save souls. And so, like any of those sins, "such were some of you," means you can be a former homosexual, formerly effeminate, you could be a former fornicator, you can be a former adulterer, a former thief, a former swindler, a former blaspheme. "Such were some of you." Jesus Christ can set you free from sins. So I needed to just stop right here and proclaim the gospel clearly. If you are included in that group I prayed for and you came in here an unbeliever of any type, but for the topic this morning, you're struggling with this sin of homosexuality, Jesus Christ and Christ alone can set you free. Christ alone can give you forgiveness. Christ alone can save your soul. Christ alone can give you the inheritance that Paul says would be deprived of you if you're not transformed: The kingdom of God. So come to Christ. Just trust in Him to save you. How Homosexuality is Not Like Other Sins So, as I said, in these two key ways, homosexuality is the same as any other sin, but in two ways, it's different. First, we've already seen, as I've listed. It's receiving different treatment than the other sins in this list from Satan and from the powers that be, from the world. We are being brainwashed. You talk about the boiling of the frog. This has been going on for half a century. American culture, Western culture, has been... The frog's been boiled on this little by little by little by little, hotter and hotter and hotter until we're just kind of accepting things that were shocking when the whole process began. It's receiving special treatment. No other sin listed here has Pride days and parades connected to it. You don't see fornicators' Pride Day at Disney World, or drunkard Pride Day at Disney World or in cities all across our land. You don't see thief Pride Day. But you do see this. So it's different in that regard. And so we're going to have to show a certain kind of courage on this topic that you don't have to in the others. Secondly, it's different and where it's mentioned and how it's mentioned by the Apostle Paul, in Romans chapter 1. So listen to what Paul says in Romans 1. Romans 1 is the clearest, most organized, systematic unfolding of the Gospel in the Bible. It's a book unlike any other book: It shines more brightly with the glory of God and the truth of the Gospel than any of the book in the Bible. In Romans chapter 1, Paul is unfolding the Gospel, he says "The power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes, for in the Gospel, the righteousness from God is revealed from faith to faith, the righteous will live by faith." And then he says why we need it: Because the wrath of God is being revealed. And then He zeroes in on two sins in particular. There are special sins that receive special treatment from Paul. And the first is idolatry, and the second is homosexuality. They are... There's a special focus. And in that section, Paul gives us what's known as natural theology, theology based on nature. So we can see from nature, from creation, that there is a wise, powerful, loving God who made it all. And you have to suppress the truth and unrighteousness to deny that, to worship and serve created things. That's idolatry. But then he zeros in on homosexuality, these are his words, in Romans 1: 26-27. He says, "For this reason, God gave them over to degrading passions, for their women exchange," listen to this, "the natural function for that which is unnatural." Women exchanged natural function for that which is not natural. And in the same way is that "the men abandoned natural function with women and burned in their desire toward one another with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty for their error." Paul is arguing from nature here. It is... It should be obvious to us from nature that God did not intend homosexuality, that's the way he's arguing. And so God gave sex within the context of marriage, as we'll talk more about in 1 Corinthians 7, for many purposes, but one of them is procreation and biology tells us it's a male and a female coming together to fill the Earth, be fruitful and multiply and fill the Earth. So it takes a special kind of hardness and strength of character against the clear purposes of God to be a homosexual. So in that way, homosexuality is just like any other sin in two key ways, and it's different in two key ways. III. Ministering the Gospel of Grace to LGBTQ People So how then can we minister the gospel of grace to LGBTQ people? So, we have to begin by addressing I think here the topic of same-sex attraction, SSA, so called, it's a relatively new concept, it's something that we have to deal with. And then it comes from testimonies, experiential testimonies of people, even people who are converted. They would say, "such were some of you" applies to me, but they say, "I struggle with these desires long before I admitted them to myself, or when I was first becoming a sexually-aware being. This was something it was part of my make-up from the start." Now, this is somewhat controversial, obviously, because you can say, "How could you say 'such were some of you,' if there's lasting same-sex attraction?" So we'll circle back to that in a minute. Behind that, of course, is the genetic basis: Is there such a thing as a gay gene? Lots of debate on this. I personally, I'm not a biologist or a biological researcher or a genetic researcher, but I know enough about the scientific methodology to say how very difficult it would be to extract this behavior pattern from nurture and from experiences and from things that happen to individuals and zero down on a physiological aspect. I don't know how you do that. They're studying brains, they're studying genes, et cetera. How do you do that, and what kind of people are going to be the focus of your study? What questions will you ask to filter them? It's just... I don't know how it could be done, but I know why it's done. And so let me say this directly: Even if there were a physiological basis, that does not excuse sin. We may have a physiological basis toward heterosexual sin, it doesn't excuse us. I may have a physiological basis toward drunkenness, doesn't excuse the sin. You may have a physiological basis toward fits of rage that lead to all kinds of bad outcomes. Doesn't excuse us. And so, we just have to punt on that one and say, "Look, I don't think we can ever prove it," but I'm telling you this, the statement, "such were some of you" settles it for me, doctrinally. You can, and not only can, but must, become an ex-homosexual in order to inherit the Kingdom of God. That's the clear teaching of this text. And if you can, then that says a lot to me about essential nature. The Complexity of the Human Heart So now let's talk about the complexity of the human heart. And here, I want to lean on a book that I want to come in to you not completely, but there's some helpful things in it, by authors named Barr and Citlau, entitled Compassion Without Compromise. And they zero in on four aspects of the human heart and the human life: Desire, orientation, identity, and behavior. So, starting with desire, that's what your heart loves and hates, what you're attracted to or repulsed from. Secondly, orientation, a dominant tendency or drive, consistent attractions and repulsions, that tend to dominate the mind. Thirdly, sexual identity, a subjective sense of identity by which an individual answers the question, "Who am I?" And more specifically, "who am I sexually?", identity. And then fourth, behavior, those are actual actions taken based on the first three. Now, I believe, as a minister of the Gospel, no one can change his or her heart. We don't have that kind of power. We don't have the ability to perform spiritual heart surgery on ourselves. But God does. Praise God He does. And so He says in Ezekiel 11:19, "I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them, and I will remove from them their heart of stone and I will give them a heart of flesh." God does that to everyone He converts. And He can do that to homosexuals, too. He can give them a new spirit and move them to obey God's laws, a new heart to love God's laws. He has the power to do that. And that's the clear link with "such were some of you." In other words, you Corinthians who would say, "Yes, that's true of me," it wasn't all of them, "such were some of you," but you Corinthians who characterize, you're now in Christ, you can testify to the transforming power of Christ in your life. You're no longer effeminate. You're no longer lying with other men. The life has changed, praise God. Transformed Hearts Lead to Transformed Lives Now, all of this comes by the ministry of the Word. Transformed hearts lead to transformed lives. As Paul says in Romans 12:2, "Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind." This is my ongoing commitment of ministry here to Christians, is the ministry of the Word of God for the purpose of the transformation of all of our hearts, leading to new patterns of behavior. That's what sanctification is all about. So, conversion and salvation, let's take those same categories and work from the outside back in. First, behavior. If you come to Christ, that requires an immediate change of sexual behavior. If you don't change that behavior, you have not become a Christian. That's what "Do not be deceived" means, if that just continues on. Do not deceive yourself, you're not a Christian yet, and you're still under the wrath of God. Now, along with the outer behaviors, there are lesser clearer things that perhaps an effeminate person or some other person put on, they have to unlearn and it might take a while. They're not moral issues you have to address or mannerisms or things like that, and they little by little are transformed in those areas. But it may take time. Secondly, sexual identity, answering the question, "Who am I?" Secular psychologists counseling these individuals say, "You will do psychological harm to yourself if you lie to yourself and don't tell yourself the truth about your sexual identity." "I am a homosexual." We Christians say, "That's a lie, a satanic lie." Imagine a patient on an IV drip, and some member of the medical community comes in and put some fluid in the drip, and the person's dead five minutes later. I would say that person's probably a murderer. I want to know what happened, especially if they were stable and doing fine. That's what bad advice can do to people's souls. We want to say that when you come to Christ, you have a new answer to that question." You asked me who I am. I am a Christian. I am a sinner saved by grace. I am guaranteed of going to Heaven, I am a slave to God and the righteousness and to His laws, not to sin. And so it says in Romans 6:11, "In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus," you have a whole new way of thinking about yourself. Thirdly, orientation. This just has to do with mental habitual patterns and directions in your life. This is the very thing that must be transformed by the renewing of the mind. Mind control is very much the issue of sanctification for all of us Christians. Brothers and sisters, you have to control your minds. You have to control your thought lives. And Paul makes this very clear in Romans 8. He says, "The mindset of the flesh is death, but the mindset of the Spirit is life and peace." Those controlled by the flesh are hostile to God. "The mindset of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit itself to God's law, for it is unable to do so." Now Paul doesn't mention homosexuality there but he would include it. That's evidence of the mind of the flesh. So the newly transformed former homosexual has to control his or her thought life, just like all of us do. All of us. And then finally, desires. This attraction, this desire, is what some would call, if they're illicit, lusts. I want to commend to you the same strategy we all have to face for illicit lusts. All of us have them. I was talking to the elders not just about SSA, same-sex attraction, but NSA, non-spouse attraction. It's a sin, too, friends, and Jesus said, you're guilty of adultery even if you do it in your heart. And so we have to fight our lust, all of us do. So how do you do it? Well, I'm going to commend to you the strategy of death by starvation. Starve it to death. The lust you feed gets stronger, the lust you deny get weaker. And so, scriptural back up for that is Romans 6:6. "We know that our old self, [our old identity] was crucified with Christ, dead so that the body of sin, [that is your actual brain and physical body, body of sin as it's trained habitually toward sin] might be done away with," or be progressively rendered weaker, or brought to nothing. The idea is that the body of sin is progressively rendered weaker so that we should no longer be slaves to sin. That is a key verse on mortification, on putting sin to death, negative sanctification. All of us have to do it, not just ex-homosexuals. So, therefore, warfare against sin is essential for all of us Christians, including former homosexuals. Paul says in Romans 8:13-14, "For if you live according to the flesh, you will die. But if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit of God [and I would add in my mind, these and these only] are the sons of God." Only those that are putting sin to death by the Spirit are children of God. Everyone else is deceived. So we have to be warring against our lust and against the sexual sins that assault us. John Owen on the topic of mortification of the flesh said this: "The vigor, power, and comfort of our spiritual life depend on the mortification of the deeds of the flesh." You must mortify. You must make it your daily work, you must be constantly at it while you live. Cease not a day from this work, be killing sin or sin will be killing you. Refuting Some Recent Emphases Now I want to address some recent emphases by I think generally good evangelical ministries concerning this topic of homosexuality. There have been books, there are speakers, there are others that I think are generally preaching the Gospel, but there are some concerns I have. And it centers on a seeming message that you can continue to be same-sex attracted, whatever that means, as long as you're celibate. So four things. Number one, God cares about the heart as well as the actions and the lifestyle. It is possible to stop sinning with the body but to continue sinning with the mind and with the heart, and it's sin. And as I just said you have to put those mental sins to death. Secondly, It is not required that an ex-homosexual have strong heterosexual feelings. That's not required. They don't have to become an ardent heterosexual. I actually think that this is the essence of the gift of singleness. There's people who have never been tempted sexually very much at all. For them, it really isn't a weakness, and they are able to not burn, we'll talk about that in 1 Corinthians 7, not burn but just live daily life without being overly concerned in this area, they're set free from it, it's a gift. And some former homosexuals end up with that gift rather than a spouse. And that's totally fine. Thirdly, however, there are others that God gives them entirely new desires, and they're so radically transformed in this area that they end up marrying heterosexually and have godly spouses and have a wonderful marriage and children, and they are completely healed marvelously. And fourth, on the issue of ongoing struggles, it makes sense that where you have sinned before in an area, especially habitually, you'll have to watch that area carefully the rest of your life in ways that other people don't. So if you used to be a drunkard, you have to be really careful at places where alcohol is served, where I don't, I've never struggled with that sin. But they do. Same thing with heterosexual sins. Fornication, other things. If that's what you've done, you're going to have to put special guards on that wall of the fortress to be careful the rest of your life. I wouldn't call you at that point same-sex attracted, but you just have habits and eternal vigilance is the price of freedom for you. IV. Practical Examples of Grace-Filled Ministry Alright, finally, how can we minister grace practically. Barr and Citlau in Compassion Without Compromise give us some practical things. I'm not going to walk through all these things, but if you get in a conversation with somebody, there's nothing wrong with making an argument. I've been making arguments for the last half hour plus. Make an argument, but don't have an argument. Don't have an argument. It says in Colossians 4:6, "Let your conversation be filled with grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone." So, be gracious, but put the truth out there. Put a rock in their shoe. Give them some things from scripture, some things to think about. Have the right mindset. Don't try to win the chess battle. Ask questions. Say, "Why do you care so much about this topic? Why is this meaningful for you? You seem to have a strong passion about this. Tell me about that." Defuse it by asking questions, get in a conversation. Speak your convictions clearly. Say what you really believe and why. Make certain that you quote the scripture. Don't just give your own opinion. Scripture has converting power. Pay attention to the context. Where are you? If you're on an elevator and you're going six floors, don't get into this topic. Alright? You don't have time. Barr and Citlau in their book Compassion Without Compromise, it says like we know not to yell in a library. They're not talking about having this conversation in the library, be sure you whisper; they're saying know the context. Where are you? Are you at work? Do you have time for a long conversation with the context of your relationship? Where is that person coming from? Who are you talking to? What is their perspective on this? Are they a homosexual activist? Do they have a friend who is or a brother a sister who is? Maybe it's a father of a lesbian daughter and he's maybe defending her practice because that's where he's at. Who is he? Control the thermostat of the conversation. Don't let it get too heated. And don't expect them to agree with you every time. Paul was in prison when he wrote most of his epistles, he knew people don't always agree. And pray, you can't change the heart. I planted a seed and Paul is water, but God made it grow. You can't change someone's heart on this. What about certain scenarios that you might have? Like let's say you work for a bank that's celebrating diversity week, and your supervisor is lesbian, you've been witnessing to her, et cetera, and she comes and she wants everyone in the department to put on a celebrate diversity magnet, rainbow magnet, on the door. What should you do? Well, the book suggests, and I think this is good advice, don't put up the rainbow magnet. Whatever positive connections you make, you'll be absolutely sending the wrong signal and you may never undo the damage. What they say in the book is that flag represents a flag of rebellion against the Kingdom of God. How can you fly it? What if they say "Why?", don't explain why. Again, the context, you're not going to win that debate. Say, "I just don't align with that particular cause." This is on work hours now, keep that in mind. If someone forces you for further explanation, say, "look, I value our friendship. I respect your right to maintain your opinions. I ask that you extend the same right to me." But at the same time, you're looking and praying for opportunities to talk to individuals at different times about this very topic. What if you get invited to a homosexual wedding? What should you do? We're going to face this again and again and again, it's going to happen more and more. And what the book recommends is it's a decision you have to make. Don't judge other people by what they do, But when it comes to weddings, specifically weddings, they are there to celebrate the union. How can you be there to celebrate it? So you're going to, at some point, have to cross this close relationship and you have to maintain the close relationship in other ways. Show love in other ways. They've got like 20 examples of practical ministry that we can and should do, and I would recommend the book Compassion Without Compromise to walk through it. As I finish today, I just want to say this: In Heaven, the phrase and the theology behind it, "such were some of you" is going to be consummated. We are going to celebrate God's grace in transforming all of us. We're going to be surrounded by people who have been transformed by God's grace from false religions and cults and atheism and addictions and homosexuality and sexual sin, like fornication, heterosexual sexual sin, and we're going to be surrounded and that'll include us. And we're going to be there and the only reason we'll have any consciousness or awareness of our past lives is so that we can knowledgeably give grace and glory to God for the grace He showed to us. And when we meet sinners in Heaven, we're not going to meet the Apostle Paul saying, "Oh, Paul, you're the blasphemer, persecutor, violent man, right?" And he says, "You know, I actually planted some churches, too, along the way." We're not going to be wearing the scarlet letter of what we were, but we're going to be wearing white robes washed in the blood of Christ. Close with me in prayer. Father, thank You for the time we've had to study today this challenging the topic. Father, I pray that You would give us grace and courage and wisdom and especially love to people who are enslaved and wrapped up with chains they cannot see. Set them free through the Gospel, Lord. And God, it would be so sweet for members of our church to be there when that freedom happens. And so I pray there would be actually people who are set free by members of our church and brought to genuine faith in Christ who will be baptized here and will give clear testimony. "I lived like this, and I met so-and-so from your church and now I'm here to testify to the saving work of Jesus Christ." In Your name, I pray this, amen.

Plodcast Ep. 71 - Sons of god, Hillbilly Elegy, Anaskeuandzo

Plodcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2018

This week Douglas Wilson talks about What to do with the sons of god marrying the daughters of men in Gen. 6. He then goes on to review Hillbilly Elegy, a book by J. D. Vance. Wrapping it up with a look at the New Testament word “Anaskeuandzo.” Happy plodding! Show notes: What to do with the sons of god marrying the daughters of men in Gen. 6 One of the things that “precipitated” the flood In Jude, a certain pronoun links Sodom and Gomorrah to the sons of God They were attempting eternal life without God Hillbilly Elegy Book by J. D. Vance Published in well time right before the presidency of Trump Largely autobiographical and memoir Vance writes about a dysfunctional family Great book on audible - read by Vance Helps to understand where someone might be coming from if they look at Trump as a deliverer Harmartiology The sin of subversion. (Anaskeuandzo) Acts 15:24

donald trump new testament wrapping sodom gomorrah hillbillies sons of god hillbilly elegy douglas wilson god they in jude

Plodcast Ep. 71 - Sons of god, Hillbilly Elegy, Anaskeuandzo

Plodcast

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 5, 2018 17:01

This week Douglas Wilson talks about What to do with the sons of god marrying the daughters of men in Gen. 6. He then goes on to review Hillbilly Elegy, a book by J. D. Vance. Wrapping it up with a look at the New Testament word “Anaskeuandzo.” Happy plodding! Show notes: What to do with the sons of god marrying the daughters of men in Gen. 6 One of the things that “precipitated” the flood In Jude, a certain pronoun links Sodom and Gomorrah to the sons of God They were attempting eternal life without God Hillbilly Elegy Book by J. D. Vance Published in well time right before the presidency of Trump Largely autobiographical and memoir Vance writes about a dysfunctional family Great book on audible - read by Vance Helps to understand where someone might be coming from if they look at Trump as a deliverer Harmartiology The sin of subversion. (Anaskeuandzo) Acts 15:24

god donald trump new testament wrapping sodom gomorrah sons of god hillbilly elegy douglas wilson god they in jude

To Him Who is Able – Part 1

Resources – Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters

Play Episode Listen Later Jun 11, 2018 30:08

Brody Holloway : Winter SWO : Jude 24-25 : Dec. 27, 2017 This generation struggles with having an assurance of their salvation. In Jude, we learn that salvation is a work … Continue readingThe post To Him Who is Able – Part 1 appeared first on Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters.Want to find out what we’re learning? Join the Snowbird Newsletter and get our list of favorite books! Learn more about our student and adult conferences at https://www.swoutfitters.com/==================================================Snowbird Wilderness Outfitters exists to proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ through the exposition of Scripture and personal relationships in order to equip the Church to impact this generation.

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Satan's Warfare Unveiled—His Power and His Defeats (Revelation Sermon 21 of 49) (Audio)

Ministry in the Marketplace

Play Episode Listen Later Oct 1, 2017

Introduction All my life I have been fascinated by wind. When I was a child, my dad took me hiking in one of the mountains in New Hampshire. We went up on a fire observation tower in the middle of the night and stood on the platform. The wind blowing through the ravine near us made a sound unlike any I had ever heard before. It was a deep, rich, full-throated, three-dimensional sound. I was captivated by it. Recently, we have seen the incredible destructive power of wind with the hurricanes Harvey and Irma that have ripped through Houston, Florida, and the Caribbean Islands. We see the devastation from the power of invisible air molecules that are massed and moving in one direction. A fully mature hurricane is the most powerful event on earth — nothing else comes close — with possibly millions of cubic miles of air moving in one direction at up to 150 miles an hour. I saw photos in 1992 of Hurricane Andrew picking up a school bus and turning it upside down, dropping it on top of a two-story building. I’ve been reading about Orville and Wilbur Wright. They put together an airplane, which they launched their heavier-than-air (900 pound) craft at Kitty Hawk, making history. Now a fully loaded 747, weighing 900,000 pounds — a thousand times heavier — lifts off with no trouble, supported in part by air. Every moment of our lives we are surrounded by air molecules that are pressing on our skin at 14.7 pounds per square inch. This is the almost the cumulative force of the weight of a small car pressing on us at every moment. We do not notice it, can barely feel it until we fly on an airplane or ride in a fast elevator in a tall building and our ears pop with the shifting air pressure. Some of you may be sensitive enough to notice subtle changes in air pressure, but most of us are not. The movement and action of invisible air molecules and air pressure is like the power of Satan and demons in the world, invisible powers of evil in the heavenly realms and the continual effect of Satan and his demons on us at every moment in our toilsome lives here on earth. Satan is called in Ephesians 2:2 “the prince of the power of the air.” It is an interesting expression. Angels in other places are likened to winds. Hebrews 1:7 says, “He makes his angels winds, his servants flames of fire.” We are so used to demons and their continual afflictions that we do not feel the effects they have on our physical health, minds, spirits, and morale. One day completely free from demonic effects and influence would be the greatest day of our lives. We would have abundant energy and be euphorically happy. Our obedience would be immediately easier in every respect. Someday we will have nothing but days like that. When the devil and his angels are cast into the lake of fire, we will be free forever. But we are not free yet. We need to be mindful of the power of Satan and his demons and the influence they have on our lives. In 1986, Christian novelist, Frank Peretti published a novel called This Present Darkness, in which he elucidated through fiction a continual warfare between demons and angels on planet earth that is hidden from our eyes but has a continual impact on current events and on how we live. Admittedly, Peretti’s theology is somewhat shaky at points, and his imagination runs wild at other points, especially when he starts describing what the demons and angels look like and aspects of their battle, their warfare, that, putting it gently, go beyond Scripture. Given society’s normal outlook of materialism, the idea that atoms and physical energy is all there is in the universe, we are swimming in that secular sea all the time. We are rarely mindful of the devil and demons. We need a vast correction, perhaps not so far as Peretti goes, but based in Scripture. Revelation 12 gives us this apocalupsis, an unveiling of future events that we would not know any other way. Here we see Satan, this red dragon, unveiled before our eyes spiritually, and with him, his angels, or demons. Scripture wants us to be aware of the existence and power of the devil and his demons and their schemes. Ephesians 6:11-13 says, “Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.” Last week in Revelation 12, we looked back to Satan’s evil actions at the time of the birth of Christ when he acted to move King Herod to slaughter all the baby boys in Bethlehem. Today, we will look back to Satan’s original fall from heaven. We will also look ahead to a future and final battle in the heavenly realms, Satan’s fall from the heavenly realms to earth right before the end of the world, and his vicious, relentless attacks on the people of God on earth. We will peer behind the veil that separates the physical realm from the spiritual. By faith we will see the true power, the malevolent, intelligent, powerful enemy, behind the events that come against the people of God on earth. Powerful but Defeated Foe Satan, the “Dragon” Satan is a powerful but defeated foe. One point of this chapter and the point of everything in redemptive history is to show the greatness of God, of Christ. How great is our Savior to be able to defeat such a powerful foe? We end up worshiping Christ and hiding behind him as He does battle for us, because we could never face such a foe alone. We are not alone. Jesus is infinitely more powerful than Satan. A Massive Drama with Key Figures This massive drama unfolds with key figures. The great dramatic presentations in human literary, cinematic and stage endeavors — none of which comes close to the drama of this chapter in Revelation — such as Shakespeare’s tragedies like Hamlet, Mozart’s opera Don Giovanni, and MGM’s 1959 movie Ben Hur with Charlton Heston (my all-time favorite movie, which boasted the most expensive studio set at the time — $15 million — before the advent of computer graphics made it easier), spend time on detailed character development to fit with the spectacular sets, incredible music, and epic action. Satan, the red dragon, is the central focus. Revelation 12:3 says, “Then another sign appeared in heaven: an enormous red dragon with seven heads and ten horns and seven crowns on his heads.” Verse 9 clearly identifies him: “The great dragon was hurled down-- that ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, who leads the whole world astray.” We are not left wondering about the mystery of the dragon’s identity. We meet the woman in verses 1-2, “A great and wondrous sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet and a crown of twelve stars on her head. She was pregnant and cried out in pain as she was about to give birth.” This is the nation of Israel exalted and perfected, the heavenly Zion. She gives birth to Jesus and then to children who obey God and follow Jesus. It specifically zeros in on Israel, because there is a future in redemptive history for the physical descendants of Abraham called the Jews. Jesus admonished, in Matthew 24, for the inhabitants of Jerusalem and Judea to run for their lives when they see the abomination of desolation in the temple and to pray that their flight will not take place on the Sabbath. Those aspects depict a Jewish setting, so it is reasonable to see this woman from whom Jesus came as Israel, but exalted in the heavens with glory. The fact that she has other children refers to the woman, the heavenly Zion, that we saw in Isaiah many times. Isaiah 66:8, for example, says, “Can a country be born in a day or a nation be brought forth in a moment? Yet no sooner is Zion in labor than she gives birth to her children.” Zion’s many children in Revelation 12 are believers in Christ, both Jew and Gentile, adding to the image of the perfected Zion. The male child, in Verse 5, who will rule the whole world with an iron scepter, based on Psalm 2, is definitely Jesus, Son of David, Messiah, King of the World. In Revelation 19, he has that iron scepter with which to strike down the nations. Satan’s Failed Attack on the Male Child The storyline follows Satan’s vicious, malicious attacks against Christ and His people and his desire to take over Heaven and earth, to rule the universe through his wickedness. He attacks Christ and God’s people, but he fails at everything he sets out to do, five times in this chapter. He is powerful but ultimately a failure. Last week we saw his failed attack on the male child. He stands in front of the pregnant woman to devour her child as soon as he is born, but the child is snatched up to God and to His throne. This represents the physical attack on baby Jesus when he was born, which resulted in the slaughter of all the baby boys in Bethlehem. In addition to the human side of that, we should also see the demonic devilish aspect of it — Satan was trying to kill Jesus before his time. War in Heaven War in Heaven Described Verses 7-12 focus on the war in Heaven and Satan cast down. verse 7 asserts simply, “And there was war in heaven…” The combatants are also identified in verse 7: “Michael and his angels fought against the dragon, and the dragon and his angels fought back.” The angels in Heaven are divided, righteous angels versus wicked angels. They fight in the heavenly realms, led by the dragon — Satan — on one side and Michael on the other. In Jude 9, Michael, one of only two named angels in the Bible (the other being Gabriel) is called an Archangel. The word “arch” in the Greek means ruler. He is an authoritative angel in charge of other angels, fighting against Satan. He is revealed in Daniel 10 and 12 as a special protector of Israel. What is the nature of angelic warfare? Speculating biblically, trying to stay close to the text, I reject the idea of angel hospitals or wounded on either side. They cannot die, and they each know that the other cannot die. It seems, then, that both angels and demons intend to act toward people. They move out with a purpose and their opposites try to stop or thwart that purpose. That is the nature of the warfare. The devil and his angels have evil intentions toward human beings but find themselves blocked by good angels. Conversely, the good angels intend to obey God’s commands on humans’ behalf but find themselves blocked by demons. They are unable, for a time, to get through to do what they intend. For example, an angel was dispatched to Daniel to bring him a message, an answer to prayer. However, he is delayed for twenty-one days because the prince of Persia, a demon more powerful than him, thwarts him until Michael comes to block the prince of Persia, like a block in football. The angel is then able to finish his mission to Daniel. There are no angelic feathers fluttering to the ground or limbs hacked off — that is outside of Scripture. The angel and demon forces act for good or evil both offensively and defensively — wicked intentions blocked by good angels, good intentions blocked by wicked angels. The omnipotent God of the universe seems to stay back and let them battle it out on roughly equal terms, but then He moves forward as only He can to influence the outcome of this battle to achieve His purposes in redemptive history. Everything is right on schedule. The key detail of this battle is that Satan is not strong enough. Michael is stronger. Perhaps not one-on-one, it could be that Satan is God’s most powerful individual creation — but cumulatively, the devil and his one-third of the angels are not strong enough to defeat Michael and his two-thirds of the angels. Satan is not strong enough so he loses his place in heaven. His punishment is strongly emphasized by repetition: They lose their place in heaven, the great dragon is hurled down to earth with all his angels. Satan Described In this text, Satan is called “the great dragon,” a picture of “primeval power of chaos,” as one commentator put it — a massive force for chaos and wickedness. He is the ultimate mastermind behind every non-Christian mental scheme, religion or philosophy that has ever allured people away from Christ. That is the nature of his thoughts — wicked but brilliant, far beyond our intellect and power. He is also called “that ancient serpent,” clear evidence that the serpent in the garden was the devil talking through that snake. “Ancient” refers back to the beginning of history; he is also called “ancient” because he has affected every single era of redemptive history in which brothers and sisters saved by the blood of Christ have had to fight the devil and his angels through persecution. The term “serpent” takes us to the Garden of Eden, where Adam and Eve fell into sin through the serpent’s enticement. He is a puppet master behind creative beings, causing them do evil while he stays hidden. He is called the devil, “diabolos”, which means deceiver. The word “Satan” in Hebrew means accuser or adversary, specifically in a legal sense as in a court trial. He is the accuser, the prosecuting attorney. He leads the whole world astray. When he tempted Jesus on that mountain in Luke 4, he said, “The whole world has been given to me, and I can give it to anyone I want to.” 1 John 5:19 says, “We know that we are children of God, and that the whole world is under the control of the evil one.” He rules the world in the sense of the wickedness that is done on earth. He leads the entire world into sin by temptation and then accuses sinners before the throne of God. Specifically, he leads the world astray from devotion to Christ. His top priority is to deceive the world about Jesus or away from Jesus. 2 Corinthians 4:4, “The god of this age [Satan] has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.” His focus is to blind people to prevent them from seeing how glorious Jesus is, how good, how beautiful, what a powerful Savior. This is the one whom Michael and his angels defeated and threw down to the earth. Celebration of the Victory Verses 10-12 celebrate the victory, “Then I heard a loud voice in heaven say: "Now have come the salvation and the power and the kingdom of our God, and the authority of his Christ. For the accuser of our brothers, who accuses them before our God day and night, has been hurled down. They overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony; they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death. Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” There is great joy in Heaven as Michael wins the battle and the devil is thrown down. The heavens shout in praise and worship with a single loud voice — maybe Michael or a worship angel. The voice celebrates the coming of the salvation, power and the kingdom of our God and the authority of His Christ. The angel’s words show the greatness of what we will experience some day, the kingdom of God in Christ on earth forever. We look forward to that. The celebration specifically rejoices that Satan, the accuser of the brothers — Christian men and women around the world — is cast down. Satan is particularly wicked and hypocritical in that he orchestrates every temptation and allurement that lures people into sin, and then once we actually commit sins, violate God's law and the conscience He has put in us, Satan turns and becomes righteous, quoting the law and accusing us before God. In a sense he is correct — we have all sinned and fall short of the glory of God. He knows every careless word we have spoken. He can guess at the intentions of our heart, as he does with Job. He accuses us day and night before the throne of God. These Christians overcame Satan, praise God. By their faith in Christ, they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and the word of their witnessing, their testimony. Jesus conquered Satan and the world for us. In John 16:33, Jesus said, “In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” He is our conquering king. He destroyed him who held the power of death, the devil, by his death and resurrection. But he speaks to us, His followers, challenging us to overcome. He commands each of us, brothers and sisters in Christ, to be warriors, to overcome the devil. At the end of each of the letters to the churches in Revelation 2-3, he promises, “To the one who overcomes, I will give treasures and rewards.” We are called on to overcome Satan. The greatest way you can defeat the devil is come to Christ, to believe in Jesus. Believe that He is God, that he died on the cross for your sins, that you are a sinner saved by grace through faith in Christ. If you come to that place in your life, you have overcome the world. You are a conquering victor. 1 John 5:4-5 says, “…everyone born of God overcomes the world. This is the victory that has overcome the world, even our faith.” You get the gold medal, the victor’s crown, at the end of this marathon race, just by believing in Jesus. Just by coming to faith in Christ and having your sins forgiven by the blood of the Lamb, you have overcome Satan. Paul said in Romans 8:35-37, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: ‘For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.’ No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us.” We overcome by the blood of the Lamb for ourselves. Our sins have been taken off of us and transferred spiritually onto a substitute, Jesus. He died a bloody death that we deserved, under the wrath of God’s law, and his righteousness transferred to us. We stand pure and holy in Christ. That is how we conquer the devil. But beyond that, we conquer by preaching the gospel, by the word of our testimony. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes onto you and you'll be my witnesses.” We destroy Satan by preaching the Gospel. You can move the kingdom of darkness back a little by sharing the Gospel with a non-Christian. If they hear and believe, the kingdom of Heaven has advanced just a little bit more. You overcame, and you conquered the devil by the word of your testimony. Revelation 12:11 says of that second aspect of the ministry, “…they did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” Oh, how glorious is the history of the church, of brothers and sisters in Christ of whom this can be said! Perpetua, a Roman high-born lady who came to faith in Christ, was arrested and sentenced to death. She said to the procurator, “While I live, I shall defeat you and if you kill me, I shall defeat you even more.” I cannot wait to meet that lady. Polycarp was threatened with being burned at the stake. It would be a horror to die that way, but he was unafraid. “For 86 years I have served Him and He has never done me wrong. How could I betray my King who loved me?” Jan Hus, in the 15th century, about to be burned at the stake, said, “What I preach with my lips, I now see with my life.” These martyrs did not write their famous last words in advance. The Holy Spirit gave them the words to say. They said courageous things then died gloriously, with welcomes into heaven with victors’ crowns. The Gospel is advanced by the seed of martyrs who shed their blood so others can come to faith. They did not keep their faith in Jesus secret; they did not love their lives too much in this world. The Apostle Paul, knew in Acts 20 that he would be arrested and beaten in Jerusalem and then probably killed. However, “I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord Jesus has given me-- the task of testifying to the gospel of God's grace.” [Acts 20:24] At the end of time, in the final three and a half years of human history, the number of martyrs, the amount of believers’ blood shed violently, will increase exponentially. The level of courage it will take to stand in the face of Satan and the Antichrist and his henchmen, to be a Christian in those days, will be indescribable. But the Lord will be up to it; he will bolster his people through the Holy Spirit, strengthening their courage and commitment to Christ. The church will go out gloriously, but it will be a bloody time. Jesus said, “Anyone who loves his father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; anyone who loves his son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me; and anyone who does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.” [Matthew 10:37-38] What about you and me? This is very convicting: “They did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” How much do we shrink back from suffering, whether in the internal journey of holiness or the external journey of gospel advance? We come to a difficult moment and we shrink back and sin, and do not say anything about Jesus. We should all be convicted and take our guilty souls to God and say, “Oh God I am so weak. I am not like these courageous brothers and sisters. Make me courageous. Make me strong in the moment of temptation to be holy for you. Make me strong in the moment of witnessing to be courageous and bold for you.” Verse 12 proclaims joy in Heaven and woe to the earth. “Therefore rejoice, you heavens and you who dwell in them! But woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has gone down to you! He is filled with fury, because he knows that his time is short.” It is one of the few scriptural statements about the inner workings of the mind of the devil. We are told that he is angry because he knows his time is short. Woe to the earth and the sea because of the rage of the devil. Past or future battle? When did this battle happen, or when will it happen? It is possible that it goes back to the beginning of time, before Adam and Eve were in the Garden. There are indications of this in Ezekiel 28 and Isaiah 14. God created Satan as a beautiful cherub. He put him in the Garden where he became impressed with his own beauty, wisdom and power. Isaiah 14 describes how he decided to try to take over Heaven. He said, “I will ascend and make myself like the most high.” Both passages depict him as being cast down. Jesus said, “I saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven.” Satan was cast down to the earth a long time ago. However, it is possible that it refers to a yet future battle in heaven. This future event will cut off the devil’s access to God’s throne to accuse us. In Job 1, Satan appears before the throne and reports to God that he has been roaming the earth. We also see in Job 2 that he has access to the throne to make accusations. He accuses Job not of sin but of his true motive for being such a righteous God-follower. Zechariah 3:1-5 also depicts Satan’s access to the throne: “Then he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The LORD said to Satan, ‘The LORD rebuke you, Satan! The LORD, who has chosen Jerusalem, rebuke you! Is not this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?’ Now Joshua was dressed in filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. The angel said to those who were standing before him, ‘Take off his filthy clothes.’ Then he said to Joshua, ‘See, I have taken away your sin, and I will put rich garments on you.’ [Then Zachariah, like most of the prophets, cannot keep from involving himself.] Then I said, ‘Put a clean turban on his head.’ So they put a clean turban on his head and clothed him, while the angel of the LORD stood by.” What a picture of our salvation, of Satan being totally discredited and cast down as he tries to accuse one of the Lord’s elect, one of His followers. But for now, he has that access, so he is before the throne day and night, accusing our brothers and sisters around the world. Revelation 12 may refer to a future final battle in the heavenly realms between the Archangel Michael and Satan, when he is thrown down right before the end. That brings us to that three and a half years, 1260 days, when he chases the woman. Eschatology is complex, but the 1260 days — also called a time, times and half a time, or 70 weeks in the book of Daniel — is code for the final phase of human history. War on Earth The Final Phase of the Dragon’s Warfare But woe to the earth when the devil is thrown down. It will be the worst time in history. The devil is filled with rage. He has known all along that his time was short, meaning not eternal, and that the lake of fire was meant for him and his angels. That will be preceded by the final phase of this chapter, woe on earth as Satan pursues the woman, and her children. It begins in verse 6: “The woman fled into the desert to a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260 days.” After the woman, Zion, gives birth to the male child, Christ, he is snatched up to heaven where the devil cannot reach him. The devil, not able to reach Christ, focuses his rage on Christ’s followers, just as Paul persecuted the church but was actually persecuting Christ — “‘Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?’… ‘Who are you Lord?’ …’I am Jesus the one you are persecuting.’” Satan cannot harm the head, Jesus, who is in Heaven, so he attacks the body, namely the woman who gave birth to the male child. She flees into the desert for 1260 days. The Devil Focuses on the Woman The devil focuses on the woman, who is still on earth. Verse 13 says, “When the dragon saw that he had been hurled to the earth, he pursued the woman who had given birth to the male child.” Verse 6 shows from the woman’s perspective her protection in the desert, and verse 13 shows the other half of the equation. The devil chases her, so she flees to a protected place. The desert represents a place of refuge or protection. Elijah ran from wicked king Ahab and Jezebel into the desert, where he is fed by ravens by a brook. Later he flees again and is given supernatural food and protection in the desert. It is a place of protection where the devil through the wicked ruler cannot get to him. In verse 14, the story develops with more detail: “The woman was given the two wings of a great eagle, so that she might fly to the place prepared for her in the desert, where she would be taken care of for a time, times and half a time, out of the serpent's reach.” This seems to be a metaphor for speed and protection. With wings of an eagle she keeps ahead of her pursuers; speed matters. Jesus says, “When you see ‘the abomination that causes desolation’ standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let no one on the housetop go down or enter the house to take anything out. Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! Pray that this will not take place in winter…” [Mark 13:14-18] It is a terrible time of fleeing; there is no time to get any possessions. Israel is immediately disillusioned, realizing that Judaic animal sacrifice will not be re-established. The Antichrist has taken over the temple and begins to persecute these monotheists, followers of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, so they run. At that point, witnesses are able to share Christ or they somehow realize Jesus is their Savior. They become Christian Jews and now Jesus will protect them. The image of the eagle evokes hovering and wings of protection. There are many psalms about how God covers us with his wings or his feathers, like a mother eagle lifting up her young from the surface of the earth to carry them out of danger. They will have three and a half years of protection. A River Spewed from Satan’s Mouth The devil spews a river in verse 15: “Then from his mouth the serpent spewed water like a river, to overtake the woman and sweep her away with the torrent.” We usually think of dragons as fire-breathing but this is a river-spewing dragon. Water flows from his mouth like a river to sweep the woman away. The best way to interpret this is an army of Antichrist’s forces, a long army that goes on for miles and looks like a long river or a serpent, marching out to chase after her in the desert. This image is the very one given to us in Jeremiah 1, speaking about the Babylonian invasion from the north. Jeremiah saw a pot, boiling with water, tipping over. The hot liquid poured out and became a clear metaphor for the Babylonian troops spilling down from the north destroying Jerusalem. Here, we have the same thing, a river flowing. They are literal soldiers, sent out by the Antichrist to follow the fleeing Jews and slaughter them. But God controls Heaven and earth. Verse 16 says, “But the earth helped the woman by opening its mouth and swallowing the river that the dragon had spewed out of his mouth.” This reminds me of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram who rebelled against Moses in the days of the Israelites’ Exodus from Egypt. Moses said to the people, “If these men die a natural death and suffer the fate of all mankind, then the Lord has not sent me. But if the Lord brings about something totally new, and the earth opens its mouth and swallows them, with everything that belongs to them, and they go down alive into the realm of the dead, then you will know that these men have treated the Lord with contempt.” [Numbers 16:30] That is exactly what happened to those rebels and it seems like that is what happens here. The ground opens up and swallows the river that flows from the mouth of Satan. Thus, he is once again thwarted. The Final Phase That brings us to verse 17, the final phase. This flight into the desert upon seeing the abomination of desolation is centered on Jerusalem and Judea. However, the woman’s children are not limited to Jewish believers living in Israel. “Then the dragon was enraged at the woman and went off to make war against the rest of her offspring-- those who obey God’s commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.” The rest of the woman’s children include believers in Christ all over the world during the time of the Antichrist who will be the focus of Satan’s vicious attacks. Many of them will die martyrs’ deaths. It will be so bad that it will precipitate the Second Coming of Christ from Heaven to rescue his bride. He said, “If the Lord had not cut short those days, no one would survive. But for the sake of the elect, whom he has chosen, he has shortened them.” [Mark 13:20] Jesus will return to rescue his bride and establish His eternal kingdom. The end Revelation 12 focuses on Satan standing by the sea shore to call up the Beast from the Sea, otherwise known as the Antichrist. Applications Come to Christ! Let us apply these truths to our own lives. First and foremost, flee to Christ now. The devil is active, skillful, and powerful, and he is deluding people who do not trust in Christ yet, blinding their eyes against Jesus. Maybe God brought you here today to open your eyes and to see the glories of God and Christ, to see how beautiful, how powerful and majestic He is. God sent His Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus, born of a virgin. He lived a sinless life and performed signs and wonders. He healed a man born blind, fed 5000 people with five loaves and two fish, walked on water, spoke to the winds and the waves and they obeyed Him; he raised his friend Lazarus, who had been dead for four days. All of these signs and wonders show His compassion, but they also show his power, his identity. He is God in the flesh, and he came to save sinners like you and me. I urge you, while there is time, to shake off the chains of deception that are around your soul. Come to Christ and find forgiveness in him. You can overcome the attacks of the devil by the blood of the Lamb, by believing in Jesus. Put On Spiritual Armor, Fight, and Stand Firm! Christians, you have already fled to Christ, but the devil still accuses you day and night. Do you ever feel his accusations mingled with guilt over sin? The devil means you harm; the Holy Spirit means to heal you. You must discern between the conviction of the Holy Spirit and the accusations of the devil. They are talking about the same things, the violation of your conscience through your sin. You do not deny it; you know you have said and done some things that you should not have, or you have been spiritually lazy, leaving something undone that you ought to have done. Maybe it has to do with your quiet time or with witnessing. Perhaps there are things in your marriage or what you do on the Internet in secret. Maybe it has to do with how you spend your money, or even how you are not spending it. You know you have sinned, you have violated your conscience and the law of God — the devil is right about that. But he is wrong about you. God will vindicate you one day against this devious accuser by casting him down into the lake of fire. The Holy Spirit, on the other hand, means to heal you. He presses your conscience, shows you the Word of God, and brings you again to Jesus, to the atoning work of Christ and to the confession of sin. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” [1 John 1:9] Overcome the devil’s accusations by the blood of the Lamb and by the power of the Holy Spirit working in you to live a holy life. If you do not want to confess something later this week, then do not do it. Be holy, put sin to death by the power of the Spirit, and put on your spiritual armor. But the devil is smart. We are not unaware of the his schemes, but so many of us live as though we are. Be aware of what he is trying to do in your life — in your marriage, your work life, your thought life. Do Not Love Your Life Do not love your lives in this world too much. I fear this is our biggest sin we struggle in the affluent, comfortable West.“They did not love their lives so much as to shrink from death.” Do you love your life in this world too much? Start, as Jesus said, “hating your life” in this world a little more each day. Do not look for easy comfortable times in this world; be willing to become unpopular at work if that is what it takes. There are ways to share Christ that are more or less disarming, but are we not called upon to become unpopular is that is what it takes? We should be “shrewd as a serpent” but willing to be humbled in the process. Talk about Christ. Do not love your life so much in this world that you shrink back from serving Christ fully. Closing Prayer Father, thank you for the things we have learned today about the activities of the dragon, the devil, and his angels, the demons. We are assaulted every moment by we chains we cannot see; we feel the pull of magnetic attractions that we cannot see, temptations to sin. Oh, God, help us to stand firm and give us courage. Help us to think like New Testament people, to think like future inhabitants of the new Heaven and the new earth. Help us to be bold and courageous warriors for you. Thank you that you have defeated the devil on our behalf. Help us to live like conquering kings and queens. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.

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The Dangers of False Teachings

Play Episode Listen Later Dec 12, 2015 27:05

Have you ever seen something on television and thought to yourself… “that just can’t be true”? Chances are, you have. Well, there are plenty of examples out there of things that seem too good to be true. In Jude 3, the bible talks about the dangers of false teachings. It’s imperative to know what scripture […] The post The Dangers of False Teachings appeared first on Ministry in the Marketplace.

ministry dangers chances marketplace false teachings in jude

The Angels' Fall - Jude 6b

Berean Bible Church - Virginia

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2015

In Jude's second example of apostasy and judgment, Jude mentions sinning messengers. Let's examine verse 6 and see if it helps us determine if these messengers are human or divine.

angels in jude

The Angels' Fall - Jude 6b

Berean Bible Church - Virginia

Play Episode Listen Later Jul 12, 2015

In Jude's second example of apostasy and judgment, Jude mentions sinning messengers. Let's examine verse 6 and see if it helps us determine if these messengers are human or divine.

angels in jude

The Closing Doxology (Romans Sermon 119 of 120) (Audio)

Play Episode Listen Later Nov 12, 2006

Finishing Well And so we come to the final verses in Romans. We do not come to the final sermon in Romans. Next week I'm going to preach one sermon on all 16 chapters. How in the world I'm going to do that, I don't have the first idea, but I have this week to figure that out. But these are the final verses that I'll be carefully expositing for you. I began this sermon series years ago, well over 100 and, maybe 110 sermons and now we come to this closing doxology. And I think it's important to finish well, don't you think? I mean, so many people begin things and they don't finish them. I know that's a besetting sin of mine. I'm not going to stand up here and bear my soul to you, so I'll talk more in the abstract about things in general that have begun and not finished, not that I have that problem. I'm not talking about that, but I could. But the fact is we struggle finishing things. You begin a letter and you don't finish it, and you find it a few weeks later, and now it's in no condition to send, wrinkled up or something like that. Or a hobby, you buy a kit and it looks good to you on the outward package, but then you look at the 76-page manual of instruction and you think that "I'll never get this finished," or a dress that you're sewing or something like that and you get it halfway done and you can't finish it. Or then there's the workout regimen that you bought complete with the training video and all that, found that in the storage a little while ago, never got to that. You know we begin things and we don't finish them, and that's a problem for us, but it is not a problem for Almighty God, amen? What God begins, He finishes, and not only does He finish it, He finishes it gloriously with a glorious flourish. We see that in the physical creation in Genesis chapter two, a summary statement after God had created heaven and earth. And six days, it says in Genesis 2, "Then thus the Heavens and the Earth were completed in all their vast array and by the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing. And so on the seventh day, He rested from all his work." He surveyed everything that He had made, and behold it was very good, finished it gloriously. But even better is the work of redemption in Christ. Think about what Jesus said the night before He died. In John 17:4, He said, "Father, I have brought you glory on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do." Oh wouldn't it be beautiful to say that for just one day, to say I did everything you wanted me to do today, Father? But Jesus said it for His whole lifetime. But of course there was something else yet to be done, and He did it the next day, and as He was finishing that, namely our blood atonement on the cross as his life blood was being poured out and all the scripture prophecies had been fulfilled, after He had tasted the wine vinegar, everything was completed. After He had tasted that, He said, "It is finished." It's perfect. And then He died. And so He finished his atoning work for us gloriously. But that wasn't the end either because God raised him from the dead on the third day, and He did it with glory in a resurrection body, a glorious body, so it says in 1 Peter 1:21, "God raised Him from the dead and glorified Him." And so He's glorious now. And then how about the new heavens and the new earth? What God begins, He finishes and that with great glory. Revelation 21, "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away and there was no longer any sea. And I saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband." Oh, how glorious will the church be then. And what a glorious time that will be for us. Later in that same chapter, one of the seven angels who have the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues came and said to me, "Come, I will show you the bride, the wife of the Lamb." And he carried me away in the spirit to a mountain great and high and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, and it shone with the glory of God. And its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like jasper, clear as crystal. Oh, what God begins He finishes and that gloriously. And that's true of each one of us in our own personal journeys of salvation. What He begins in us, He will finish, and that gloriously. Says in Hebrews 12:2, "Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith." He isn't just the one who begins our faith, He perfects it. Or Philippians 1:6, "He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus." And in that day, you will be glorious. "Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of our Father." For it says in Romans 8:30, "Those whom He predestined, He also called, and those whom He called, He also justified, and those He justified, He also glorified." You see, what God begins in eternity past, He will finish and that gloriously. So we come to the final words of the book of Romans, the greatest letter ever written. And what God began through the apostle Paul, he now finishes gloriously with this incredible doxology. I. God IS the Gospel, so to God Be the Glory Now as I look at this and the Book of Romans and I have this week to kind of draw it together in one message, to try to understand what it's all about, I come to this, that it's about the gospel. And ultimately God is the gospel. The word gospel is good news and God is the gospel because God is so good and he's bringing us to himself. He is what we get after all of this. He's our very great reward, as He said to Abraham. And so what better way to finish the book of Romans than a total focus on God Himself? And so Paul writes, "Now to him who is able to establish you, to the only wise God, be glory forever." There's a focus in these verses on God Himself. And so we focus completely on Him. Now it's a theologically thick, dense statement just as the whole book has been theologically thick and dense. And it's reasonable for us to close this way because Romans is the greatest statement of the gospel in the Bible. And ultimately, God is the Gospel. And notice how this exactly is how Paul began the letter. If you were to go back to the very beginning of Romans, this is how it starts. "Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, and set apart for the gospel of God, the gospel of God, the gospel He promised beforehand through His prophets in the Holy Scriptures, it's a predicted gospel He promised ahead of time in the Holy Scriptures through the prophets, regarding His Son, Jesus Christ, who as to His human nature was the descendant of David, and who through the spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the son of God by His resurrection from the dead, Jesus Christ our Lord." That's how He begins and that's also how He finishes so beautifully. God’s Ultimate Purpose: To the Praise of His Glory Now God's ultimate purpose in this gospel is the praise of His glory. That's why He does all things. We should never tire the topic of God's glory or the praise, but we never will tire of it. It's an infinite topic and it will consume our full attention in heaven, forever and ever. God saved us in Christ for one ultimate reason, and that is the praise of His glory. He says that three times in the book of Ephesians to the praise of His glorious grace. He says it again and again, and that's why He saves us. And so He brings us at last to the real purpose of this gospel and that is the praise of God and of His glory. To the only wise God, be glory forever through Jesus Christ. Now there are wonderful benedictions and doxologies throughout the scripture. And I think they're there to remind us that that's our point. That's why we were created. We were created to praise God, to speak words of praise to Him. That's what our mouths are for. They have other purposes too, but our mouths are ultimately to be filled with praise for God. And so there are these sweet doxologies throughout scripture. We sang one of them earlier, that beautiful one in Jude, very similar to the one we have here. "Now to Him who is able to keep you from falling and to present you before His glorious presence without fault, blameless and with great joy to the only God our Savior, be glory, majesty, power, and authority through Jesus Christ our Lord before all ages now and forever more, amen." Very similar. A focus on God who is able. In our doxology, God is able to establish us. In Jude, God is able to keep us from falling and to present us before His presence, blameless with great joy. He is able. And so there's these benedictions, and they're throughout the Bible. If you were to go through the 150 Psalms, there are five books of Psalms, to organize, the Jews did into five books. And at the end of each one is a doxology, a glorious praise, and the whole thing ends with Psalm 150, six verses of praise to God. It reads like this, "Praise the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary. Praise him in his mighty heavens. Praise him for his acts of power. Praise him for a surpassing greatness. Praise him with the sounding of the trumpet. Praise him with harp and lyre. Praise him with the tambourine and dancing. Praise Him with the strings and flutes. Praise Him with the clash of cymbals. Praise Him with a resounding cymbals lest the cymbals be too quiet the first time. Praise him with resounding cymbals. Let everything that hath breath praise the Lord." Oh, how glorious is that? That's the way the Psalms ends. Glorious praise to God. And that's the way your life, if you're a Christian, will end as well in eternal praise for Almighty God. And boy, you're going to enjoy it. And so will I. Can't wait. And so Paul ends with this focus on God and on His glory. He focuses on God who is the gospel. II. The Gospel that Establishes Believers Now let's look at it a little more carefully. First, it's the gospel that establishes believers. Look at verse 25, "Now to him who is able to establish you by my gospel." Unbelievers are essentially unstable in their lives. Because Satan, their king, is an unstable being as we saw last time, very unstable. He was cast down from heaven to earth and now he roams restlessly over the surface of the earth looking for something to do, and it's always bad. He's always reacting to God and trying to mess it up. He's a reactor, not an actor. And so he's trying to just find whatever God's doing and forded, and frustrated. But he himself is a frustrated being. He's filled with rage because he knows his time is short. In effect he's somewhat like a homeless drifter just passing through. We are the permanent owners by the grace of God. The meek will inherit the earth. He's just passing through causing a lot of trouble, and how good it will be, as we talked last time, when he's finally on his way. But he's essentially unstable. He's not a permanently rooted fixture here. The world itself that he created is passing away. So also demons are passing away. They are restless creatures seeking someone to inhabit because they have no rest, and therefore non-Christians are essentially unstable. They have no roots. They're drifting in life. There's a great instability there. Well, it says here, "Now to him who is able to establish you." And here is the focus on God. It is God who is able to do this. Do not look to yourself to establish yourself in Christianity. It can't be done. You can't do it. You don't have that power. If you're a Christian now, I mean, genuinely born again, you will be one in 20 years. And that's only by the power of God. God is at work in you and he's able to root you and to establish you in this gospel. "Now to him who is able to" do this, the focus is on the ability of God. We are constantly tempted to look to ourselves, aren't we? To look inward to see if we have the resources to meet the challenge. I tell you, you do not have the resources to meet this challenge. But God does. "Now to him who is able," it says, And it talks about establishing. Now this Greek word "establish" means to set an unshakable foundation, to strengthen and reinforce. When I was a student in the Boston area, they were always building, and there was one, a building in particular, it was a skyscraper they were building in Cambridge, and every day, I'd walk across and I'd listened to the rhythmic beat of these tools that were driving the piles down and it was just giving me a headache and I'm wondering when are they going to be done? And I was told they've got to go as deep down into the earth as the skyscraper goes up, so it'd be rooted and established, especially there in the Back Bay, which is landfill of Boston. The Back Bay's very unstable there. And so every day as I'm walking across, my foot steps are, is driving the pilings down. God wants to do that with the gospel truth in Romans into your heart. You're not done with Romans when I get done preaching here. I hope you know that. You'll never be done with Romans and neither will I, besides which, there's only one person in the sanctuary who is here for all of those sermons that I preach in Romans, it's me. I'm the only one. I think I was here for most of them anyway. I was. But at any rate, we need to be saturated in the book of Romans the rest of our lives. It's not just to bring you to initial faith in Christ. It's to develop your maturity. Develop your faith, to finish saving you. And so we'll be established by this gospel to the end. Keep reading it. We're never done with it. This is the very thing that Paul wanted to do in his visit to the Roman church back in chapter 1:11. He says, "I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to establish you." It's the same idea. He wanted to do it but he couldn't. We talked about that in Romans 15 why he couldn't go there. But he sent on this letter. But it doesn't matter because it really isn't Paul who can establish us anyway. It is God who establishes us and He is able to do it and He does it by these words by Romans. Isn't it beautiful that God is able to put solid ground under our feet? It says in Psalm 40:1-3, "I waited patiently for the Lord. He turned to me and heard my cry. He lifted me out of the slimy pit." That's sin, friends. "He lifted me out of the slimy pit out of the mud and mire and he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. And he put it in the song in my mouth and a hymn of praise to our God." If you're a Christian, that's what God's done for you and He's not done doing it. He's going to put even more solid ground under your feet, eternal ground, the new heavens and the new earth. It'll never move. It's permanent. How sweet is that? God is able to meditate on that. Don't meditate on what you think you can do and what you plan to do. Meditate on what God by His infinite power is able to do in you. He is able to establish you. God Establishes Believers Through the Gospel Now it says he's able to establish you by "my gospel." Don't you love that? "My gospel," says the apostle Paul. Now we should not think that Paul's gospel was different than everybody else's gospel. Well there's my gospel and then there's that gospel that Peter is preaching and the one that John's got over there. No, it's all the same. Paul is not saying that his gospel is unique from the other apostles. He's not saying that, neither is he saying that he wrote it or invented it. "You know I'm the author of the gospel. It's my gospel, you know? But I'll let you have it, or borrow it anyway." He's not talking like that. Actually in Galatians 1:11-12, he talks exactly the opposite. He said, "I want you to know, brothers, that the gospel I preach to you is not something that man made up. I did not receive it from any man, nor was I taught it. Rather, I received it by revelation from Jesus Christ." That's the gospel that Paul's talking about. But yet he calls it "my gospel." Well I think he's identifying, "This is the gospel I preach. This is the gospel that I've been writing about here in these 16 chapters. This is my gospel." And I think more than that, there's a sense of passionate ownership here. "This is the gospel that saves my soul," says Paul. "This is the gospel that is my hope. This is the gospel that is my pearl of great price. I sold everything to get this. This is the treasure hidden in the field and I sold everything to get this treasure. It's my gospel. It's the salvation of my soul." Can you say that today? You've come to church today, but have you come with a gospel that's yours? It's your gospel. You've signed your name to it. You've committed yourself to it. It has saved your soul. Have you seen Christ crucified as your savior? Is this your gospel? It's mine. Is it yours? I beg you, don't leave this place today without making it your gospel through simple faith. Look to Jesus. Look to the one who is the author and perfecter of faith to Jesus hanging on the cross that you might have eternal life. Make it your gospel. But Paul says, "It's my Gospel that establishes believers." And this gospel, which we're going to go over in one swoop next week is the gospel of message of Romans, a gospel that talks about universal sin. For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God. There is no answer within us. But God from the outside sends the answer. He sends his only begotten son. And Jesus, by his blood propitiation, he turns away the wrath of God and he brings God at peace with us and we are reconciled through simple faith. And having been reconciled, we're given the gift of the Holy Spirit. We are told to work out our salvation moment by moment by presenting our bodies as living sacrifices. That's sanctification. And then in the end, he is going to glorify us. He's going to finish the saving work in us. That's Paul's gospel. And by that he is able to establish you. By ongoing exposure to the truth that Paul preached. It is also the gospel that proclaims Jesus Christ. He says, and the proclamation of Jesus Christ, all roads lead to Jesus Christ, Christ is the center of the Gospel, He's the center of the Bible and He is the center of all human history. And so therefore the proclamation of Christ has ongoing power to establish you. You need to hear Christ preached the rest of your lives, because it's able to put those pilings under your soul so that you're not easily moved. III. The Gospel that Proclaims Jesus Christ And it's by the proclamation of Jesus Christ. Why is it so? Well, because faith, the faith that justifies you, it comes by hearing. It came the first time that you heard the gospel. I mean really heard it. Not the first time you heard the words and didn't make much sense you but I mean the first time you heard it with your heart and faith sprang up inside you, because you heard the truth. Well, that faith that justifies you, it's a living thing, and it needs food. You need to feed it. You know what feeds it? The word of God. The hearing of the proclamation of Jesus Christ, that's what he's talking about. So he says, the proclamation of Jesus Christ is able to establish you. Now, this was Paul's entire work. The word proclamation here is the work of a herald. Remember the guys back in the Colonial era, the town clerks standing with a bell? Herald, that kind of thing. And then he came with a message from the King and you would listen. King couldn't get everywhere, didn't have the internet or text messaging or any of that stuff, so they would send out these heralds. They go by horse about whatever, and they'd go into your locality and they would proclaim the message from the King. Paul was that kind of a herald. He says, "Of the gospel, I was appointed a herald and an Apostle and a teacher," he's there to ring the bell and say, "Listen to this, this is a message from the King and it's about Jesus Christ." This was Paul's supreme commitment to preach Christ and him crucified. 1 Corinthians 2, he says, "When I came to you brothers, I did not come with eloquence or superior wisdom as I proclaimed to you the testimony about God. For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified. I came to you in weakness and fear and with much trembling." That's not much to look at. The human messenger, it's not really spectacular. We preachers, we can't compete with all the multimedia images and all that. We're not trying to. According to the wisdom of God or what's called the foolishness of God in 1 Corinthians 1, it's just preaching that establishes your soul, the preaching of Jesus Christ, the proclamation of Christ. And this Gospel proclaims the glory of Christ from A to Z as we'll see next week. IV. The Gospel that Reveals Mysteries "Now to Him who is able to establish you," He says "by my gospel and the proclamation of Jesus Christ." This is also a Gospel that reveals mysteries. Look what it says in verses 25-26, "According to the revelation of the mystery hidden for long ages past, but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God." Before the foundation of the world, before God said, "Let there be light," before there were any angels, certainly before there were any demons, before there were any people, before there was sun, moon or stars, before any of that, God had worked out the salvation plan. It was in the secret counsel of His own mind. God had worked out the whole plan before the foundation of the world. It was hidden for long ages past. And as redemptive history unfolded, God paid it out a little at a time, gave out a little more insight, a little more wisdom, a little more of the gospel story acted out in types, a little more prophecy coming. Little by little, we see it, He's paying out this mystery. Deuteronomy 29 says, "The secret things belong to the Lord, but the things revealed belong to us and to our children forever." So how does He reveal them? He reveals them through the prophets. He speaks these mysteries out. Now, when we talk about mysteries of the Bible, we're not talking about something like an Agatha Christie deal or Sherlock Holmes, The Hound of the Baskervilles, what is that hound? The monarch hound? How did he try to work out that thing or the game Clue, Colonel Mustard with the lead pipe in the conservatory, it's nothing like that. The mystery of God is something that God has within Himself that you cannot know if He doesn't reveal it. And if we talk about redemptive mysteries, it has to do with God's redemptive plan that He's holding to Himself. And then He pays some of it out a little at a time. : And so there are all kinds of mysteries in the Bible. There's the mystery of godliness, 1 Timothy 3:16. The mystery of lawlessness that's about the Antichrist, 2 Thessalonians 2. The mystery of the rapture: "Brothers, I tell you a mystery, we'll not all sleep, but we will all be changed." It's a mystery. There's the mystery of the Kingdom of God in Mark 4:11. There's the mystery of Christ's will in Ephesians 1:9. The mystery of Christ Himself in Colossians 2. The mystery of marriage, the relationship between a husband and wife, picturing in some way, the relationship between Christ and the church. Paul says it's a profound mystery, but he is talking about Christ and the church. Mystery of the Gospel, he says in Ephesians 6:19, the mystery of "Christ in you, the hope of glory," Colossians 1. The mystery of the faith, 1 Timothy 3:9. And then Book of Revelation is filled with mysteries. There's all kinds of mysteries in Revelation. We're going through in our men's Bible study on Thursday. And so there's the mystery of Babylon the great and all kinds of other mysteries that are yet to come. When the New Testament uses the word mystery though, most frequently it talks about this one mystery, and that is how could Gentiles, like you and me, if you're a Gentile, how could we end up in some spiritual sense like Jews, children of Abraham, somewhat mysteriously grafted into an olive tree, that is of Jewish heritage and we are circumcised not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, by the word of God and by the Holy Spirit of God? That's a mystery. And that's what he's talking about here, the mysteries of the Bible. Revealed by the Prophets in the Scriptures And they've been revealed by the prophetic writings. If you ask me how I know that Christianity is true, it's these prophetic writings. The fact that we are time-bound preachers. I had some great witnessing opportunities on the plane. I always try for them. I don't always get them, but woe to the talkative person who sits next to me in the plane. If you're talkative, it's definitely going to happen. We're going to get a good gospel presentation. I don't know that they'll come to faith, that's something I cannot do. Only God can produce new life in a heart, but they're going to hear the gospel. And I kind of parse it... I get, alright, 80 minutes, we'll go 40 minutes them talking as much as they want about whatever they want, and I will be interested in that and listen for clues, and some things I could say. The second half is going to be gospel, though they know it not, when they're sitting next to me. That's what we're going to do. But I was talking to one man, an engineer working in Norfolk, Virginia on flight simulators and I love that engineering stuff. There's still engineering inside me, it's still there, but I love the Word of God, too, but I love listening to servos and computer stuff and all that really geeky, and I was enjoying that. Alright, tempted just to talk about that the whole time. But I knew the Lord would call me to account on Judgment Day for that witnessing opportunity. This guy believes in reincarnation, believes in all kinds of things. He said, "How do you know what you're saying is true?" Because I said to him, reincarnation might be true and resurrection might be true, but they can't both be true, one or the other. We've got to figure it out. Now, I have certain reasons why I believe it's resurrection and not reincarnation, but none of us has been in there except Jesus came back to tell us. So how do you know? So I used an illustration. I said, "We are now flying into Atlanta. Suppose there was someone on the plane who believed we're actually flying into Las Vegas, passionately believed it, would that change the destination of the plane?" He said, "No," I said, "What would you think of that person?" "They're nuts, or they got on the wrong plane, or greatly deluded." I wonder how you would do that. You got on the wrong plane. But their belief that they're going to end up in Vegas doesn't change the destination of the plane. I said, "What matters is where are we really heading not where do you think we're heading. What is the truth? He said, "Well how can you know the truth? I said, The Bible. He said, "How do you know the Bible's true?" I said, "One of the ways is prophetic writings. We are locked into time, we don't know the future. We don't even know what the weather is going to be like tomorrow really, for sure. But God knew things a thousand years in advance of Christ, that Jesus would be crucified, His hands and His feet pierced, Psalm 22. That He would shed His blood for the sins of the people, Isaiah 53, that He would be raised and his body would not see corruption, it would not decay, Psalm 16. That He would be worshipped as deity, as God by people from all over the world, Daniel 7. These things were all predicted long before any of them came to pass. You can't orchestrate that. Only God can do that. And so, by the prophetic writings we know that this is true. This is how God has revealed the mysteries through prophets. It is His glory to tell us ahead of time what's going to happen and then it happens. He's the only one who can do it because he's the only sovereign king. Everything else is subject to whether he says so or not. So we say "If the Lord wills," but if God says it, the Lord wills, because he's saying it. And so, the prophetic writings tell us. And these are revealed by the apostles, the apostles were stewards, 1 Corinthians 4, of the mysteries of God. They were held accountable to how they dealt with these mysteries and Paul wanted to be a faithful steward of the mysteries of God. And so, he was preaching them. Now, as I look at the Bible, I think the whole thing is summarized in two phrases. A friend of mine, Mark Dever wrote two books, one, a whole book summarizing the Old Testament, another whole book summarizing the New Testament. Old Testament promises made. New Testament, promises kept. That is God. He is the promise maker and keeper. Old covenant promises made. He said to Abraham, "Through your offspring, all peoples on earth will be blessed." He's fulfilling it now in Christ. That's how we know that it's true. V. The Gospel that Produces Obedience Among the Nations Now, this Gospel also is a Gospel that produces obedience among the nations. Look what it says, "but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all nations might believe and obey Him." It's a gospel that produces obedience among Gentiles, among peoples. Now he mentions the command of the eternal God. God has commanded that these mysteries be revealed. He commanded Isaiah to write Isaiah 53. He commanded David to write Psalm 22. He commanded David to write Psalm 16. He commanded Jeremiah to write of the new covenant that was coming in David, the branch of David that was coming. He commanded these things. And he commanded the apostles to get up and preach it on Pentecost and thereafter. By the command of the eternal God, this word goes out. But what is the word? The gospel itself is a command. The gospel is a command that must be obeyed. How did Jesus begin preaching? He said, "The time is at hand, the Kingdom of God is near, repent, and believe the good news," that's a command, friends. Repent, turn away from sin, believe the gospel. These are commands given by a king. And so this is a Gospel that must be obeyed. Remember how the apostle Paul was standing in Athens, he is debating with those Areopagus philosophers just sat around talking about and listening to the latest ideas all the time. That's what they did. And so in comes Paul, and he is despised, they think nothing of him, he doesn't have that eloquence and all that sort of stuff, and his philosophy seems bizarre. A Jewish carpenter, some guy from Nazareth dies on a wooden cross, under the condemnation of the Romans and He's the Savior of the world. It seems like foolishness, but that's what he preached. But Paul was so bold, so bold. And he says very plainly, talking about their idolatry in Athens, he says, "I see that in all the city, it's filled with idols." In the past, God overlooked such ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. The Gospel is a universal command given by Almighty God, the eternal God, to the human race. Repent and believe the good news. That's what he's called it. Now, what I get out of this is that you want to know how do I know I'm saved? How do I know I have saving faith? Well, is there a pattern of obedience in your life? There is an obedience that comes from faith. If there's no obedience, friends, there is no faith, it's that simple. God has saved us to bring us back under the yoke of Christ. Jesus said, "Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you…" Take your neck and put it under my yoke submit to me, let me be your king. My commands are not burdensome. Bring your life under obedience, the obedience of the Gospel," this is an obedience that brings faith. And it's the obedience of the nations. VI. The Gospel that is the Wisdom of God Finally, it is the Gospel that is the wisdom of God. He says "To the only wise God." All the wisdom of God. We talk about the ancient world. And Alexander the Great was confronted when he invaded Asia Minor with a problem traditionally, this maybe a mythological story but I think it's true, with the Gordian knot. Now, it had been prophesied that this tangled up knot of rope could only be untied by the one who is the rightful ruler of Asia. Alexander was not much of a thinker, I don't think at this moment, at least. So he pulls out his sharp double edged sword and slices the thing, so much for that, right through, "Enough of the Gordian, I don't have time for that, I'm the rightful ruler," power of the sword. Power, you see, domination. God had a Gordian knot to untie. He had to figure out how to take wretched sinful people like us and transform us, bring us back into His Kingdom, glad to obey Him, but giving Him all the glory and the credit. How did He do that? And He did it by taking our punishment on Himself in the form of His only begotten Son. The wisdom of God, the intricacy of God's fingers, is He untied the knot of how to save sinners in a way that humbles them, but makes them incredibly happy, at the same time, eternally joyful in our humility. And He did it in Christ. It's the wisdom of God in the gospel. It's a full display of the attributes of God, of His power, of His wrath, of His justice, of His mercy, of His compassion, of His patience. You see it all at the cross. It is the wisdom of God. And Christ is the wisdom of God. Now, what does Christ give us? Well, He gives us salvation, the chief wisdom of God is to give us a wise savior like Jesus, who speaks wisdom with us saying things like "What would it profit you to gain the whole world and lose your soul?" He speaks words like that, like "Come to me, believe in me." That's the wisdom of God. What does He give us for that wisdom? He gives us eternal joy in heaven. He gives us salvation. What does He give to His Heavenly Father? Well, it says it right here at the end, "To the only wise God, be glory through Jesus Christ, forever and ever, Amen." that's what Jesus gives to His Father, He gives Him glory. "That at the name of Jesus, every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God, the Father." Jesus sought His Father's glory and He has it. He has glorified His Father and He will for all eternity. VII. Application Now, we've come to the end of Romans. What application do we take just from this doxology? The first is simply, come to Christ. As I urged and begged you in the middle of it. Just coming to church is not the command. Come to church, that's not it. It's come to Christ, believe in Him, trust in Him for the salvation of your soul. But those of you that have come to Christ already, focus on the God who is able, just take that from it. "Now to Him who is able," just take that phrase. God is able. He is able to save me, He's able to answer my prayers, He's able to solve my problems, He's able to address my needs. He is able to save me to the uttermost. He is able to do that. And keep saturating your mind in the Book of Romans. Read it through, you could read it through in probably an hour. It's not that long, 432 verses. Read it through, read it an hour, saturate your mind in it, and keep thinking, "I'm not done being saved yet. I've been justified, but I'm still being sanctified. I haven't yet been glorified, I need to keep growing." Saturate your mind in it, in the book of Romans. And assess your obedience. It is faith that produces obedience. If there's no obedience, friends, there is no faith. Look at your obedience. Are you living an obedient lifestyle? Are you by the spirit putting to death the misdeeds of the body? Is there obedience in your life? And then finally, delight in the future glory of God in Christ. You're going to see it. If you're a Christian, you're going to see it, more than you can possibly imagine, delight in it. Close with me in prayer.

god jesus christ father lord power earth bible spirit las vegas wisdom gospel christians brothers holy spirit christianity worship mystery romans satan revelation psalm jewish greek corinthians biblical jerusalem praise ephesians savior jews kingdom of god sermon hebrews old testament psalms develop lamb revealed galatians new testament colossians babylon cambridge pentecost apostles thessalonians iv deuteronomy amen athens gentiles prophets glorious repent nazareth antichrist meditate sherlock holmes glory of god clue his son his kingdom heavens norfolk agatha christie colonial god himself praise god in john judgment day hound his father almighty god herald only god vii asia minor holy scripture doxology unbelievers christ himself areopagus praise him baskervilles saturate back bay gordian mark dever his heavenly father andy davis god be colonel mustard two journeys in jude god finally that's paul

Judgment Day Approaches: Noah Prepares the Ark (Audio)