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November 4, 2021 2:00 am
The battle for truth has been unfolding since the very beginning—ever since another's will was allowed to compete against God's will. In the message "The Fight: Ancient and Modern," Skip shares how you can fight for truth wisely.
This teaching is from the series Fight for the House.
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Know the word of God. Let your life be shaped by the truth.
Get some Bible plan going. We were exposed and have the truth repeated over and over and over again so your mindset your worldview to be watchful is a seven watch and pray with the two went into battle without a plan strategy is important in today on connect with Skip Heitzig Skip shares practical lessons to help you live for God faithfully and fight for the truth wisely. Right now we want to tell you about a resource that will encourage you even more in your face what Sean McDowell thought about the tactics. This is the book I've been waiting for. I enthusiastically recommend tactics Skip right thing to comment on how Jesus spoke out for truth we might think that Jesus never raised his voice never call anybody out. However, there was a side of Jesus that was contentious.
The Jesus that took tables in the temple, and overturned them and took out a web and throw people out of the temple that Jesus and the gospel and guard against false teaching method series type thing this teaching Bible teaching ministry on $35 or more today by Gregory Kunkel called tactics your game plan for communicating the truth about Christianity with confidence and grace to give this a connect.com or call 892 joint Skip Heitzig for today's teacher in the book of Jude God wasn't going to let unbelieving apostates into the promised land.
Jude's point is that the deliverer of Israel became the destroyer of his room, that the Savior can also be the judge that the God of love is also a God of wrath that both of those go together so that's the first example, the nation of Israel. The second example are the angels of God.
The Angels were six who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day. There is a dispute, a debate about the interpretation of this song feel this is a reference to Genesis chapter 6 that fallen Angels somehow cohabitated with human women to produce this odd race of giants known in Genesis 6 is Neff Aleem in the Hebrew, and that's what brought the flood. Others don't think that's what he is referring to. Others think it refers to the original fall of Satan from heaven with 1/3 of the angelic beings in that rebellion spoke about in Isaiah chapter 14 and the reason for the debate is the Angels mentioned here are chained and reserved for future judgment which seem to be different from fallen Angels that are Satan's agents, demons that are at work in the world and are free to roam around. I'm not here to solve that because that is not the point. The point Jude is making is simply this, even Angels.
God judge not just the nation of Israel God judge specially created beings made by God, who fell away who withdrew who departed who rebelled from him.
They had it once a position of privilege and authority and blessing an opportunity but even Angels don't get a hall pass for judgment so the nation of Israel. The Angels of God and then the third example is Sodom and Gomorrah. The cities of the plain everybody knows about Sodom and Gomorrah after it is recorded what happened there. The Old Testament and the New Testament give comments so we have a body of historical evidence that know how people throughout history interpreted the events of Sodom and Gomorrah and you wonder localizing bring Sodom and Gomorrah because one of the marks. Remember in verse four.
One of the marks of false teachers is they turn the grace of God into lewdness the turn the grace of God into lasciviousness. They turn the grace of God into immorality. They say God loves us. We can do anything we want. God is a God who will certainly tolerate any type of behavior. So he mentions Sodom and Gomorrah because false teachers evidently felt the freedom either to endorse or practice immoral sexual autonomy you know any better. Immoral sexual autonomy is like I can love who I want to love and you can't say that's wrong. It is my provider. Who are you to say my behavior or my predilections are wrong. Well notice that Jude calls this sexual immorality. The Greek word that he uses is exporting new oh it's a compound word that suggests ace sexual deviancy that is a departure from the original intent and then he also uses the phrase strange flesh, a term that speaks of sexual activity outside of God's originally ordained intention because he's using the case of Sodom and Gomorrah. We know that was in that case, the sin of homosexuality.
It's always been interpreted that way. It has throughout history been interpreted that way until like the last decade. It is been challenging as to its interpretation. But we know the story how the men of Sodom wanted to have homosexual relationships with two ambassadors, the God sent to that town God judge that town.
There's what's interesting amidst all of the mail that I got this week after last week's message. One of the emails I got was from somebody.
I highly respect because he is a scientist, a historian, and the chief archaeologist of the ancient city of Sodom.
He is digging up in the last decade over the last decade. He is been digging up the city of Sodom in the country of Jordan so he wrote me an email and I wanted you this to see a part of that. He said Skip in listening to your teaching today, which was excellent by the way, I had a thought as an archaeologist and a historian.
I think there is something that current apostate church leaders, be they theologians or ministers have completely missed, of which there either factually or willfully ignorant their tack on embracing LGBT Q lifestyle always goes something like this. The Bible was written in ancient cultural milieux and God accommodated himself to the people of those cultures that is to say, we must therefore adapt to make Scripture relevant to our evolving culture.
Realizing that the New Testament writers spoke to their day. Similarly, we must adjust for and speak to our day. While this may sound logical, even reasonable, it is categorically wrong and entirely lacking in an understanding of history Old Testament revelation came at a time when sexuality was fluid, unfettered and wives were For work for keeping households and having and raising children.
The sexual lives of men and women were often if not usually of the same sex nature, especially in military contexts. This is what archaeology archaeology reveals and what the Old Testament presents as the ancient pagan reality as Christianity eventually washed over the Roman world. Western culture shifted toward biblical morality Judaism and Christianity were never accommodating to sexual perversion, but were clearly corrective to bring humankind in line with God's creative design.
Now that the Western culture is moving away from the Bible society is returning to what had been the old norms of sex without bounds God's Old Testament and New Testament Revelation were prescriptive and corrective to bend or reinterpret revelation to accommodate meandering sexual norms not only ignores why it was given in the first place, but also strips Revelation of its power to keep humanity from destructive perversion, the LGBT Q movement is nothing more or less, than the norms of ancient sexual license and perversion rising up in the guise of evolving morality, as if that is something noble.
It is not take away the corrective. The Scripture and humans readily return to their old vomit. The point Jude is making is that we need to remember truth needs a member we need to remember that God has never been afraid to judge even his own people called out of Egypt even Angels that he created and even in this case whole cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding region so truth needs a memory judgment has a history and then the third basic lesson that comes from this paragraph is that corruption brings apostasy go down to verse eight likewise know what is doing is taking the past lessons bring it into the present situation that he is dealing with. Likewise also. These dreamers defile the flesh reject authority and speak evil of dignitaries.
Yet Michael the Archangel and contending with the devil when he disputed over the body of Moses. Dare not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said the Lord rebuke you, but these, that is, these false teachers speak evil of what ever they do not know and whatever they know naturally like root beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves low to them, never a good word here low to them, for they have gone the way of Cain, they have run greedily in the error available for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Cora. Notice again. He's reaching back into the Old Testament for examples.
He again appeals to their memory. Now he is speaking of the false teachers that he is dealing with in the congregation.
He is speaking to, and he speaks of their corrupt character there corrupt thinking their corrupt practices. That's verse 10. In these things they corrupt themselves so corruption leads to apostasy now I don't have time to unravel everything in these verses because of time, but I want you to notice a few things as I entangle some of these verses forcible notice. Their authority there.
What what was their authority and I asked that because everybody has an authority base. Why do you do what you do. If you'd asked me skip. What is your authority, so my mom anymore right she's in heaven so my dad anymore. Both God my authority is the Scripture. I met I'm not always perfect. It doing it, keeping it learning it.
I still forget a lot of it but my aim in life is to be brought under the authority of the prescriptive corrective. The revelation of God.
That's my authority that was the authority of the false teachers notice in verse eight. These dreamers most every commentator will tell you it probably refers to the fact that these false teachers use their own dream life as being of divine authority. God spoke to me in a dream and my dream said I was there authority base. A lot of times people say because I've had this weird dream as I always have weird dreams so I can have this recurring dream.
Do you think God might be speaking to me. Well, maybe I've gotten 20 think he wants, but if you're going to live your life based on your dream life to be whacked. I'm in my dreams are so weird and disjointed. I'm flying on the winged creature flying into a Volkswagen driven by a dog right then make a sense so translate that into real life. It can be quite dangerous. Somebody once the dreaming permits each and every one of us to be quietly and safely insane every night of our lives.
So keep the insanity in the dream world there authority is that they got dreams which superseded any authority that the church offered that the elders offered that the pastors offered or that the Scripture offer. I was there authority something else notice their vanity.
He said they reject authority and speak evil of dignitaries.
I don't exactly know what is referring to all take a stab at it in a minute but to sum it up, saying whoever these people are and whatever their speaking against their arrogance in their speech. They reject authority and speak evil of dignitaries, so we don't know if they were, and commentaries are very different in and how to interpret some think it's on speaking against church leaders established authority within the church people are mouthing off about our church leadership. Others think he had some people who are against governmental authority. Be careful what you say about governmental authority because Paul said in Romans. It's all ordained by God. So could be that they feel that hubris and pride and vanity to be able to do that. Others think that there mouthing off against spirit beings are angels or demons or it could be all the above I tell you this arrogant preachers love the stirrup pot arrogant preachers are equal opportunity haters they dislike to stirred up angry at everything and everyone. But here's his point.
Even Michael the Archangel, the most powerful Archangel around did not dare reproach Satan personally.
He at least respected the authority structure even though Satan was a fallen Angel and has hell forever. Michael seem to respect that and said the Lord rebuke you nothing. Why this is important to me.
I didn't do enough Christian meetings where people talk to the devil Satan remind you and we want you to know, why are you praying to the devil right now.
What are you talking to the devil. The Bible says, resist the devil not carry on long conversations with the devil not inviting to Starbucks for a nice latte and talk it out. Don't talk to me all you talk to God about him but don't talk to him by the way, I did just so you know, Satan is not scared of you.
You do not intimidate him sound like blue Skip walked into the room. Now the devils he didn't care. None of us intimidate Satan. He is not scared of us but he is scared of the God inside of us and never forget this little website trembles when he sees week in St. upon his that's where you fight the battle, get on your knees and talk to God about your enemy but these false prophets.
They have dreams for their authority.
They have vanity for their arrogance, speech and notice their similarities. Verse 11 woe to them for they've gone the way of Cain, they run greedily in the error of Bay alum for profit, and there perished in the rebellion of Cora. I'm to presuppose you know those stories from the Old Testament and just touch on the way of Cain is religion without saving faith. That's the way of Cain, Cain brought his own little offering that he thought God should respect and God did not. It is the way of pride in one's own works. I'm working hard.
I produce this. I do my best.
I attend, I give IIR it is religion without saving faith.
That's a way of Cain the error of Bay alum.
You know the story available right.
He was a prophet in the Old Testament very gifted order on the, the king of Moab hired him to curse the children of Israel. He ended up blessing them. Some most beautiful words in the Bible come from the lips of Baylon, the prophet buddy was money hungry and he had a position of status and he figured out a way that he could tell they like the enemy of the Israelites. How to watch God judge Israel citizen I can. I need to curse them.
Let's do this.
Let's entice the young Moabite women the prostitutes to go into the camp of Israel seduced the young men to have sexual relations with these women, and then they can bring out the little gods or little idols during that act and that's idolatry. God will judge his people for that idolatry.
So listen, here is the error of Baylon.
He leveraged his influence as a faith leader to lead other people astray. That's the air available. He leveraged his own influence as a faith leader. Today he would've gone an Instagram or twitter and announced to his followers who follow him and respect him or her, why they should leave the Christian faith. That's the air available.
Then there's the rebellion of Cora and Cora rebelled against God's authority by rebelling against the authority of Moses and Aaron.
He and a few other people I met for this in this very interesting.
I thought you'd love to hear a tidbit.
William Barclay, the New Testament scholar said there was a sack of gnostics in the early church when Jude was writing there was a sect of Gnostics called the order fights who regarded Cain Salem and Cora is great heroes, like the three bad actors of the Old Testament, one that on every list of good people there not on and a group comes on as is all of these three bad actors there heroes and not that, my attention that you take people like that in Satan are my heroes and I say that because that is a word I'm hearing more often when there is aberrant behavior of the trans community will say Caitlin Jenner is a hero.
Bruce Jenner now Caitlin Jenner is a hero was Newsweek magazine that even said the new hero and a wife because they are taken, the courage to make a stand that is not a hero. I hero is somebody who puts in their life on the line for somebody else that's a hero of firefighters. A hero police officer is a hero so fight for our freedom on the battlefield.
That's a hero, not Cain, not Cora, not Caitlin not bail him, not BLM. Those are heroes. So what are we to do what what should we do only give you if you take away practical things to maintain purity in the church.
Number one. Be aware, just know know the word of God. Let your life be shaped by the truth.
Get some Bible plan going where you are exposed and have the truth repeated over and over and over again so your mindset.
Your worldview is a scriptural worldview. Be aware number to be watchful. Jesus said, watch and pray the enemy is already among us. We need to not go to sleep. We need to watch and pray, be aware, be very discerning when we hear things and not just go yeah I got over that whatever rights would be watchful. Number three. Be careful, be careful which ministry you support. Be careful which ministry you send money to be careful which candidate you support. One politician said the church needs to change what they teach to agree with the modern age. The church needs to change what they teach to agree with the modern age and could happen. Think it happened week.
We don't need to change what we teach to agree with the modern age were here to change the modern age. I love you Billy Sunday said Billy Sunday was a baseball player turn the band spicy and he got up in the pulpit when they said you know that they tell me I rub the further wrong way. Let the cat turn around he said, so be aware. Be watchful, be careful, then, finally, be courageous. Know what you believe. Say what you believe. Don't apologize for what you believe. Stand up for defend the faith once for all delivered to the saints. It's going to take courage to take some backbone. It's going to take some bravery to maintain biblical separation. So though Ted Turner said the more I strayed from the faith, the better I felt. I say the more I stick to the things that hides its message for the house to Skip to share how you can keep this broadcast going strong connecting you and others around the world with God's word. As believers were called to encourage, teach and share Christ with one another. That's the sole purpose of this radio ministry. We want to connect you and as many people as we can to Jesus to these Bible-based messages in your partnership helps make that possible.
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