Against Sneaks (Part C)

One of the lines I would often say to people when they would say something about the Bible that was inaccurate.

I don't know you, where did you get that you pay for that. Is it important what does that come from because I don't see my Bible know God helps those who help themselves in trouble, but I can't help myself enough. It's okay to say those things if they are being sent to you from Christ.

They going to stop in their tracks and listen and hopefully you going to be able to give them truth and truth will set them free. This cross reference radio with our pastor and teacher Rick Gaston. Rick is the senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville. Rick is currently teaching through a special series called truth, love, testimony stay with us after today's message to hear more information about cross reference radio, specifically how you can get a free copy of this teaching against snakes is the title of today's message is pastor Rick continues teaching through the book of Jude God has given his last word on the subject. We are called to contend and we refuse those who are creative creative innovators will think that they have something brilliant and creative to add people such as Joseph Smith and Charles Russell and Mary Baker Eddy and a host of others. A cast of thousands. They are dupes they are liars, frauds, and they are in trouble is a big difference. Those who are judges in hell on having a good day. Sampson can see as I stand right here. The man who died blind can see because he is in glory in God is restored and we believe these things and we have many infallible proofs, the biggest one the biggest proof that we have is that we know the Lord, we know we've met him. We've seen him were not ready to pretend that that's not true. Jude verse 17. If you have your Bible, still open to Jude's letter.

He says what you I love that singles out the believer. What you will beloved, remember, and this is what is telling them to remember the words were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. That's the authority that's what he's talking about.

This was once delivered. Little did he know that God was incorporating what he was writing into the word because God wasn't through with what Peter was saying and he brought Jude to bring it to the next level. Now you want to see more on this authority of the apostles to give a scriptural give you a couple of verses Lou chapter 1 verse two John's gospel chapter 17 verse 20, acts 242. Ephesians 220 Ephesians 35 and second Thessalonians 36 but here is why he is saying which was once delivered to the saints verse four.

Remember, there are no verse divisions in the letter, so his writing is flowing right there was once delivered once for all delivered to the saints for certain men have crept in unnoticed. That's why we have this scripture about another reason why there are other reasons too, but for Jewish purpose is, and we have with the apostles of said verse four for certain men have crept in unnoticed long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

I think Jude had names and he doesn't name them too many when he says certain men he knows he can name some people here but that's not his purpose the same name that he wants to name probably are not part of the audience that he's writing to. Maybe there in a different city, and easy to put your own name. Fill in the blank on your own. But there is there are these individuals that are out there and they sound so convincing feasible presentations what they think is and is not, but no proof, insightful, and they want to help.

They want to encourage every body. How can they possibly be wrong because they don't agree with the Scriptures.

The dedicate was a manual at the time of somewhere were not sure when it was written. It was written not by the apostles. We believe but certainly influenced by them and it was likely a Christian manual in the early church on how to behave in church and how to conduct business based on what the Scripture. The New Testament and Old Testament have what this dedicate does for us is gives us insights into what was going on in Christianity at the time, and a large part of its population and what we learn from the dedicate among few other things is that these false teachers were itinerant they would travel around that would go from church to church and the dedicate would say well here's how you spot them and they would list things such as you know, if he asked for a meal is a false prophet, you know, if he does this is a full and it would just these guidelines, we we don't really have. If you have the sermon. You can pretty much happen identify them today without such a manual. You can use the word of God is not a bad document.

I'm not trying to pulled it in a bad light. But I also don't want to think you got a run on get one you got your New Testament your armed but it is helpful if you're a student of all these details and God can use that. So we know that these certain men were going around targeting the church not only from what the apostles are writing but we have.

It also from such historical documents as this dedicate.

He says have crept in unnoticed.

Some single word again in the Greek another compound word. The single word from out from the Greek language and it means to settle law alongside two large stealthily to sneak up to okay so maybe you're lying in a tent and serpent slithers in while you're sleeping and snuggles up to your body.

That's the picture that that's what the language is saying to the audience. They are these people that are sneaking in mess this mornings title. Incidentally snakes in the church to sneaking in. They don't want to be detected because there up to no good. We don't do that as Christians we don't say well I'm going to find a sneaky way to preach the gospel. No, we may smuggle Bibles, but that's another story. Speaking of this is, this does not what Moses had in mind but I think it fits very nicely in Leviticus chapter 11 verse four for I am Yahweh your God. You shall therefore consecrate yourselves and you shall be holy, for I am holy. Neither shall you defile yourselves with any creeping thing that creeps on the earth. I think it fits with June 1 for wonderfully there this slithering in their sneaking in, watch them. Peter warned they would come. Jude is saying to the church there. Here they pretend to agree with Christ at first until you begin to force them to admit. For example, you can go to some of these churches and you can say do you believe in the virgin birth. Do you believe in the infallibility of the Scripture. Do you believe in the resurrection of Christ, do you believe in the miracles of Christ. Do you believe in the creation record is admit that you believe these things, you will get that in many of these places.

Well, you know there are other resurrections and there is job you go call writing to the churches in the region of Galatia was dealing again with Judaizers that the Jews who became Christians the lease they said they were but they insisted you had to become Jewish before you could benefit from the crucifixion of Christ was a Judaizers always fears face had agreed a Galatia letter owns reword pulses law let them be. Anyway, here's what he says so that those churches he says and this because false brethren secretly brought in, who came in by stealth to spy out our liberty which we have in Christ Jesus, that they might bring us into bondage.

Paul is saying what I know how these boys work, they sneak into a congregation it'll tell you what they're up to what they are up to something in Paul's case. He says they want to steal your heart away from the simplicity of our faith believing in salvation along through Christ alone. Regardless of your ethnicity. So what we have here are shepherds versus wolves we have sheep versus goats. We have churches versus creeps we accept this.

These are the terms that we find ourselves living with as believers if we are going to be contenders for our faith, which incidentally is not a suggestion, is a commandment going to all the world make disciples. How do you do that you have to contend you have the deal head-on with lies about Christ. One of the lines I would often say to people when they would say something about the Bible that was inaccurate.

I don't know you that where did you get that you pay for that. Is it important where does that come from because I don't see them my Bible know God helps those who help themselves when they were all in trouble, but I can't help myself enough. It's okay to say those things if they are being sent to you from Christ. They going to stop in their tracks and listen and hopefully you going to be able to give them the truth and the truth will set them free. He says long ago were marked out for this condemnation, he says doing this dams is so that were condemnation means damning them to an eternal hell as it does not have nice word. Have a happy condemnation. He assures us of their fate we have blessed assurance and then you have this assurance that you are doomed if you are messing with what Jesus promises Jude is not saying again, Jude is not saying that their beliefs are going to hell he is saying they are going to hell instead of a Seder Jehovah's Witness. Look, I know this watchtower will be in hell you will be in you will burn for this unless you eject that is the truth. Personal making it personal.

They don't feel it. Why should they respond to it is the fear of God is the beginning of all knowledge. The Bible tells of you have a fear of God, would you bother. I mean, why, why above. Why not just you know you drink and be merry merry for tomorrow we die will have a fear of God. I have to give an answer. Not only to my B behaviors an individual what my performance and for the work of the king.

Not just because I'm a pastor, your Christian you're on the battlefield to and that should not be something that terrorizes us. It's something we respect. We understand and we use it on behalf of the unbeliever say listen without the fear of God. Why should you believe him.

Well you don't believe him because you don't think there's going to be a consequence for rejecting him, but you are wrong and it's going to be too late. One day today. If you harden not your heart. And so what Jude is saying that there is a curse of judgment upon those who work against Christ, especially working to those who were against him in his name, which these gnostics were doing, where he says they are marked means that their condemnation has been announced in writing through the prophets and apostles before hand. They ignored it. They chose this lifestyle instead and they are marked men for judgment. There are those that are marked for salvation because they're going to receive it. There are marked because they refuse to receive God doesn't do the marketing he sets the standard. The reasoning of this is this is how it is the Greek word for Marcus Rogoff pro wrongful.

I don't speak fluent coin, a Greek and I struggle with English so anyway pro Rocco is the worded means written beforehand and is Jude saying it's already in the Scripture it's there. They have no excuse they can sell audit, nor was there Daniel. Remember when the hand showed up on the wall. It was it was there after it was written many many tickle you Farson Eric Jude back to back to our message did not say that these men were ordained by God to go to hell to be apostates is saying they did it themselves. They have no one to blame but they themselves they are marked out for this. Now here is one of the beautiful parts of such a scathing letter that would be circulated is that the guilty parties would get wind of it to, and within that party, there would be those that would say what must I do to be saved.

We see it today we see people were opponents of Christ and they come to Christ when they get the truth happen to me I was an enemy of Christ, not knowing what I was talking about when I finally got in front of the Scripture.

I repented well.

He says ungodly men.

This is the keynote of the epistle.

You could have a subtitled Jude to ungodly men, and it would work it would be accurate. I go again clearly under Peter's influence because that's Peter's word. First Peter chapter 4 verse 18 now the righteous one is scarcely saved, where will the ungodly and the sinner appear course. Peter is saying we were saying we just make it in by Jesus Christ. What about those who don't have him so he's bringing that point about the ungodly and second Peter chapter 2, he says that God did not spare the ancient world would save Noah, one of eight people, a preacher of righteousness, bringing in the flood on the world of the ungodly, those who are opposed to the God of creation, the God of Abraham and Isaac. Father, whom Jesus spoke second Peter chapter 3 verse seven but the heavens and the earth which are now preserved by the same word are reserved for fire, until the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men.

And so Judas picked up on this and so when we get the I don't think verse 15 you use the word four times in that one verse, he drives it home, but he introduces it here got ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness. The part that can just take out all by itself who turn the grace of God to take God's word and to turn it I would want to be you. I wouldn't want to be you on judgment day takes God's word and turns. I would not want to be that college professor that takes some young Christian and converts them to hell. I would not want to be you.

So he says who turn the grace of God, our God. Those who corrupt. Incidentally, those who corrupt present. Not being blindly accepted. They resent challenges. There are those that you can show grace to and they won't get it they will stay a devil. Isaiah 26 verse 10.

Let grace be shown to the wicked. Yet he will not learn righteousness in the land of up lightness he will deal unjustly and will not behold the majesty of Yahweh. Our Lord gave a parable on this. He talked about a man that owed money, not very much, but he owed money, the man to whom he owed it was it put him in prison until he pays it back and sell his family and the man begged the Lord. Oh don't do that to me I'll pay you back and he says okay pay me back that man went out and found someone who owed him for the accident he owed in the parable a lot of money to the master, but he find someone it doesn't owe him is much nearly as much anything the Bible says he grabs him by the throat and he says you better pay me what you you pay me of some sending you to jail and he goes to jail. The other servants get wind of this and they come back and they tell the master and the master grabs this individual and so Matthew 18 verse 20, but that servant went out and found one of his fellow servants who owed him 100 denarii and laid his hands on him and took him by the throat sink pay me what you owe me seated learn grace. He was shown great grace and over a petty debt he destroys the life of another.

There are people like this except the fact there are monsters in human form in different ways. We don't always know who they are. We are ready to show them grace, but we are not going to cast pro before swine.

Jude is saying here. They are turning the grace of our God against people that God wants in heaven. What you can do about this. These people resent being corrected by the Scripture.

And so when they can't find what they want the Scripture to mean they twisted as Paul said to their own harm.

Some will even go so far as maybe not agreeing with them, but appointing themselves advocates of those who do it. Watch out for that. Don't run to be an advocate for the impenitent. If someone has done wrong and they refuse to own it don't look to be there advocate that won't help them. That will hurt the righteous. I know it sounds hard and it can be painful, but we must we must stand for truth and love. At the same time I like to believe when I deal with unbelievers. I'm a lot gentler than I am from the pulpit.

I think it's that way you know some of you know, J.

Vernon McGee ever hear J.

Vernon McGee preach. When he was a pastor he didn't sound like that lovable grandpa on the radio friends. I wanted to even sound like that when he preaching. It's a dynamic and empty. His use of it was an effective ministry God must be doing something right. Does everything right so yeah it's it's it's a hard message that there are those who turn the grace of our God into lewdness. You look at that is a seriously. That means there publicly justifying blatant sin in any form.

They're not ashamed of nudity. For example, and they blame those who preach against such behavior as being all sources you know with Puritans and with this and that will I rather be a Puritan than the dirt attend yeah I made it up. Works for me. Try it sometimes almost finished another hour will be in your car.

Just a moment. Zephaniah 35 the unjust know no shame, flaunting sin, in defiance of Christ enough parades with a do this, they just there lewdness is out there and they did it just if this is what were up against.

We know it, rather than being disgusted I think we should focus on trying to so we can pray God, can you just bring down fire and brimstone on them. Kind of a spirit about it or we can say Lord, can you bring to me.

Those who can be saved out of this. That's kind of what Abraham was trying to say to God in his own, you know, very cautious way, which I think he drew out pretty long. You know he could've got to the point a lot faster if you'd only read Genesis he would've known. He says, and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ, the construction of this sentence. In the Greek insists it demands that this is the same person.

Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. It's not Lord God. Also, in addition to Lord God.

There is also the Lord Jesus nuts, not how it reads in the Greek it says it is saying our Lord God who is our Lord Jesus.

It is a mark of deity.

Jude knew that Christ is stepbrother according to the flesh was more than human. He was divine he was God the son. There are two different Greek words used here for Lord, you have two Greek English words in the sentence they deny the only Lord that first word is where we get our English word despot from ruler. And that's what God and God's ruler is not a despot.

According to our definition or use of the word, but he is absolute sovereign ruler. There is no one he answers to.

That is the idea that is. Jude is using it here, and then when he says, and our Lord. Curiosity in the Greek that is the authority not only is he ruler. He has the authority it is right. It is just it is the way it should be. That is all packed into that one sentence. These who Jude was riding against. They disowned Christ sovereignty. They were not interested in his Lordship. One part of their school deny that he was divine.

The other part, denied that he was every human they couldn't get it together because they were wrong. We accept accept the humanity of Christ, who is divine. Who is God the son, and Satan gets his dupes to deny this deity and humanity of Christ at the cost of their soul what you and what did you get in church today. I got in church today that we are to contend for the faith, earnestly according to righteousness because lost souls all worth it. That's what we get from such an introduction or secondary introduction here in Luke these truths they dispute, and these disputed truths again will damn them personally, not philosophically. Can we communicate can we say to someone you want to depart from Christ to become an apostate your apostate opinions. They're not going to hell you are.

If you fall away it goes both ways to accept Christ you confess with your mouth and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead. Good doctrine is from heaven and remains there and you will be there to. Thanks for listening to cross reference radio today cross reference is the teaching ministry of Pastor Rick Gaston of Calvary Chapel Mechanicsville, Virginia. If you're interested in more information about this ministry, you can visit our website cross reference radio.com. You'll find more of Pastor Rick's teachings available. We also encourage you to subscribe to our podcast by doing so you become aware of each new edition of cross reference radio.

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