The Acts of the Apostates - Part B

Investigate leaders people like me don't just swallow what everybody says to you, because they stand in the breeze podium behind a pulpit, you know, Paul the apostle congratulated Maria because they receive what he said with readiness of my research the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so it's important carefully as believers must not mindlessly accept the Christian leader set with examine the words in light of Scripture today on connect with Heights Skip shares for the presence of false teachers shouldn't surprise you and how you can identify.

First, we want to invite you to see the very places Jesus walked Todd performed miracles in his life. When you are taking a trip to Israel in 2022 places where the events of the Bible unfolded an experience will be encouraged in your faith is God's word comes to life for you anyway. It never has before. Get all the info@inspiration.com/see ABQ now learn the book of Jude as we dive into her study with Skip Heitzigs, consider that the Lord's prayer has only 56 words. That's the model prayer. Jesus said pray this what you want to pray this 56 words. The Gettysburg address has 266 words, the 10 Commandments, 297 words, the Declaration of Independence has 300 words.

But a recent US government order setting the price of cabbage has 26,911 work just saying it's not how long we talk. It's what we say.

The accounts not notice what else they do what they say in verse 16. It's all about the speech flattering people to gain an advantage. That is, they tell people what they want to hear in order to influence them so they get the impression they want to help you, but really it's all about them. They want to gratify themselves. You know, you do know I'm sure if you've ever read the book of Proverbs, you know that flattery is never a good thing right.

The Bible has a lot to say about that one particular verse is Proverbs 29 whoever flatters his neighbor is spreading and that for his feet and that the Hebrew word for flattery means literally smooth.

There smooth talker in the oil you they butter you up and by the way, the English word flattery comes from the French word that means to stroke or caress with the flat of one's hand flattery stroke with the flat of the hand is a Puritan preacher, Thomas Brooks said while donkey though. He used a different word in old English while a donkey is stroked under the belly you may lay on his back.

What burden you please that's that's the whole intent of these apostates.

They want to manipulate so they can delay their trip on you know I just went up before we move on say this give you a little note on this. I don't want to turn you into a reactionary. I want every conversation you have in church the people the stink eyes.

I galliard actually nice and spiritual. What's up I don't want you to do that.

I want you to be the gospel Gestapo but I do want you to learn to discern. I do want the gatekeepers to have character to be able to tell truth from error. As Paul said in first Thessalonians 5 test all things hold fast to that which is good, and part of the testing comes by what people say and if you're always grumbling and always complaining or using flattery, and bragging about themselves, got a problem know what a person thinks and on the inside and then says from their mouth is going to spill out into their behavior which brings us to the second category of activity there walk so the first is the words they verbalize. That's verse 16. Let's look at the walk that they personalize notice in verse 16. After describing a couple of noticeable elements of their speech grumblings. Complainers look at this walking according to their own lusts, that is mean, strong desires, their own desires good on verse 18, how they told you they being the apostle so I get to that in a minute how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would here it is again walk according to their own ungodly lusts, there talk points to their walk. Now you know that walk in the Bible is a figurative expression just like you have legs that walk you have a spiritual walk in the idea of one's walk is one's lifestyle, one's outward conduct one's behavior. I've always loved the story about Moody DL Moody via Chicago evangelist have a conversation with his buddy as there talking the man he's talking to has a friend is in the background was kinda walking back and forth, and Moody says to his friend in the conversation. I bet your friend was in the Army.

The man said yeah how did you know that movie so I can tell by the way he walks, he has a military kind of gait and so you you can tell by the way a person walks can tell by what they say but you really tell by how they live their lifestyle and noticed they walk according to their own lusts.

He says that twice in the past simply means they follow their own cravings.

That's their rule of life that's their walk it's self centeredness. They give brain to their passion to follow my passion know you don't that bad advice because a lot of times what you want isn't good is ungodly and isn't necessarily what God wants, but they walk according to their own passions own lusts, her own desires. He he adds a little more color to that look in the 19th verse. These are sensual persons who cause divisions not having the spirit not the word sensual persons right that's English sensual persons in Greek. It's one word.

But Jude says these are super coy screen so Lish person. No get this.

That word is important super coy was a word used in ancient Greek times, which was the opposite of another word pneumatic coy pneumatic coy means spiritual ones. The opposite of the spiritual one is a super coy right there. Paul translates it in first Corinthians chapter 2, the natural man. The natural man does not understand the things of the spirit. So, simply what Jude is saying is they're not led by the spirit they think and they act like a natural manner, driven by their own fleshly desires which begs the question as Jude said in the beginning.

These people snuck into your church understand their why would anybody who's so Lish and not spiritual is driven by their own loss want to hang out and stay in church while I think I know what I think it's because they want religious sanction for their sinful deeds. I think it simply so they can say I go to church. I'm a believer, I love God all the while just sort of hanging around staying there, never changing, it's never rooted is never real is never authentic, so they can live how they want to and have stamp of religious approval. He further describes them as those who cause divisions in verse 19 oh, that's probably the consequence of letting people like that stay around to get in groups they talk to people, they cause dissatisfaction. They divide the church.

You could even be their motive, but then look at the very end of that. Not having the spirit so that kinda tells us their true spiritual condition. Their unsafe their unsafe, they are not regenerated by the Holy Spirit, they are spiritually dead. I bet some of them claim to have more of the spirit than everybody else know were really spiritual were the real spiritual ones. Actually, you don't even have the Holy Spirit. Jude is saying. So whatever they claim theologically in reality there grumbling and murmuring and complaining and smooth talking and living and acting very unspiritual. Okay this is deep stuff this is hard stuff as we said in every message and Jude. This is some slogging through the mud here. This is unlike happy times sermon so I know this was written to the church authentic believers to watch out for those apostates among them. But this is probably a good time to let this be a warning that any one of us who claim the name the name of Christ anybody who claims to be a Christian, you realize that all of us should really think if that's the case if there were any doubt our salvation. No just examine yourself. That is exactly what Paul said in second Corinthians 13 verse five. Listen to what he writes. Examine your selves as to whether you are in the faith mean just really check it out make sure this is real is is true is is my profession. Reality examine yourselves whether you are in the faith. Test your selves. All right, Keith Miller wrote this, it is never ceased to amaze me that we Christians have developed a kind of selective vision which allows us to be deeply and sincerely involved in worship and church activities and yet almost totally taken in the day in day out God's of our business lives and never realize you can be a theological Christian while at the same time be a practical atheist you think about it.

This is the worst form of blasphemy to claim to know God, but live as though God didn't even exist. That's their walk. That's their words.

That's their walker takes us to the third category that is a warning that you gifts to the warnings they characterize. Verse 17. I'm glad he says this brought you how we speak inhibiting and next week is the really great to have it produces by easily turning the corner here, but you be loved or loved ones, the ones whom I deeply have affection for. Remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. So were the apostles, like in the give a few peters one Johns another one. A James is another one right there were several apostle to follow Jesus. They wrote books in the New Testament.

Paul said he was an apostle born out of due time to think of the words of the apostles. Remember the words over spoken before by the apostles of the Lord Jesus Christ.

How they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly go back to the day of Pentecost when the church was born. What an exciting time. That must've been spirits poured out thousands of people get saved.

The church is pure.

The church is powerful. They meet daily there so Keith are so excited.

They devoted themselves steadfastly to the apostles doctrine breaking the bread Fellowship prayer all that and then you keep reading in the book of acts, and you have the record of church history.

The early church, the apostolic church and other evangelizing all of the world are planning churches everywhere.

The Roman Empire is greatly impacted by that. But even in those early days, the apostles were given the privilege of seeing in the future and what they saw terrified them.

It terrified it was bizarre.

So what are the apostles prophesied of the coming of Christ. Yes of the rapture of the church yet of the new heavens and the new earth yet of the eternal kingdom yet of joy and blessed forever in eternity. Yes, yes, yes, but they also predicted something horrifically frightening. They predicted that the church would defect from the truth.

They predicted that the church would abandon the gospel. Jesus did Paul did Peter did John did in fact I told you in a couple messages ago, every single New Testament book except for one that's Philemon has writings about falseness, falsehood, apostasy, false teaching. In fact they predicted it would engulf entire congregations gotta have that must have been the greatest prophetic shock to these apostles cuts let them see into the future art class cool Jesus coming back an old man, joy, peace, wait a minute he's telling me something else whole congregations want to know when, where, how quickly, so Jude is written and about 25 years later just 25 years.

John writes a book of Revelation next book in the New Testament chapter 2 and three are seven letters to seven congregations churches five 5/7 so that many out of this were already fulfilling the predictions made by the apostles that the church would fall away already in the book of Revelation, the church of Ephesus left its first love the church of Pergamum's was full of corruption and heresy. The church of fire. Tyrone was so wicked that Jesus even threatened to kill some people who were in it the church of Sardis was pronounced dead by Jesus. He said I know you have a name that you are alive, you're actually dead.

And then there's the famous church of Laodicea made the Lord so sick that he said I'm going to vomit you out of my mouth and it's still the first century 95 A.D. didn't take long as happen very very quickly. Like all the apostles said so we go back what he says but beloved. You remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, how they told you that there would be mockers in the last times would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. He simply think just remember you were always told it would be this way that her is? Why would the Holy Spirit inform the apostles about that wanted to talk about heaven rapture sick and of new have a new art all the good stuff. Why would he tell them that I think it's pretty easy to figure that out.

He told him that so that when it would happen they would be what surprised Wendy shot they would go something has gone terribly wrong with the church using now nothing is happening now. That hasn't happened in the Old Testament. That hasn't happened.

Even in heaven. The didn't happen with the children of Israel in the desert. It happened with the children of Israel after the greatest deliverance in their history.

It happened in the very throne room of heaven with Satan himself, so they shouldn't shock you shouldn't surprise you. Now I want to land the plane. So let me give you two practical suggestions walk away with K to support, investigate, number two, evaluate, investigate others, evaluate yourself, rising investigate gate others will beget specific investigate leaders people like me don't just swallow what everybody says to you, because they stand in the raised podium behind a pulpit, you know, Paul the apostle congratulated the Marines because they received what he said with readiness of mind, but they search the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so so investigate every leader your how I do that me give you a few simple tests. The test of character.

What is there character. The fruit of the spirit Galatians 5, love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, gentleness, the test of character. Then there's the test of creed. What are they saying what they preach and what is or whether sermons like if they never preach about the narrow road if they never preach about holiness if they are denying the historic Christian faith or loosely talking about it. If there messages are always pep talks and the service is just a pep rally red flag red flag red flag red flag that the test of creed when they're more interested in tickling your ears rather than telling you the truth, red flag so investigate every leader test of character test of creed. Another test is test of converts. What's the influence of these people like what is the effect of their teaching on followers of them again.

I don't want to make you all you know weird around people I just want to say this.

Stay in the word and don't be fooled by sheep costumes. Not everybody goes bad is the sheep of God is Jude said there still among you select the first one. Investigate leaders, evaluate yourself this is just a good day to ask a very basic question.

Are you saved are you sure that is not just a question, it is the most important issue of all of life.

In 100 years.

The CDC guidelines no matter you'll be dead in 100 years.

Postelection politics won't matter in 100 years.

What will matter the most is are you saved.

That's what matters the most important thing that does matter to you want to ask yourself the question, is my relationship to Jesus Christ authentic and real is a personal, have I made it a point in my life right turn my life over to him see you have done that but I have a tendency to kinda go astray, wander welcome to the human race. I'm at so you have to be perfect.

All we like sheep have gone astray, but like that him says prone to wander, Lord, I feel it, prone to leave the God I love. There's a great little phrase and that the says here's my heart Lord. Here's my heart Lord take and seal it, seal it for thy courts above.

That's the solution with you have taken one step hundred steps, or you just haven't taken a step toward God all, it's only one step to him you will are taking a thousand steps from him.

I need to go on a 12 step find God program know it's a one step program is called repent and follow this turnaround just means turnaround so you turnaround doing about-face in place. Your faith and trust that Skip takes his message from the series fight for the want to share about a great resource that will deepen your knowledge of God's word even more tears but Norm Geisler said about the tactics, there is no better block to include Christians to think clearly on the need to engage in active spiritual warfare. You'll never fight God's battles, so you'll never contend what really matters.

Just cruise and interlacing boiled have to decide to get out as part of the house and join the fight become a contender for the house message series through the computer. Skip I think teaching theories on the ring and cardigan teaching to connect more people to the truth of God's word and means you get $35 and more to gain will also send you the text by Gregory couple speak the truth about Christianity with confidence increase, and hundred and 19 to report connect with.com before we go to Juneau you can watch Skip's messages from the comfort of your home with your local device.

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