Against Sneaks (Part B)

Sit back and disagree with me, disagree with those who love Christ trade in all this precious gold mark process which going to get a pile of what by incorporating man's ideas with God's word. The church allows herself to be less shrink to not be what she's called to be able to be something else, and whatever that something else is I don't want to be at this is 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, please 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 today.

Pastor Rick will continue with his message called against snakes in the book of Jude. The salvation that we had that Jude wanted to talk about it always begins with God. First John chapter 4 in this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins because of God's love. He initiated action on our behalf of sinners and he dealt with the sin. Christ died. That's history, Christ died for me that salvation and that's what he wanted to write about and you didn't get to but I got to talk about a little bit so he says I found it necessary to write you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith. Such a subtle little first I gonna write about salvation, but I felt was more to it than that, as we know he's sitting and he's getting ready to write this letter.

He may have already written a letter about their salvation and spirit was upon his armies. I can't.

This is not it.

I like what I'm saying is true, it's accurate but it's not ordained the function.

The anointing is not on it. Here's what I think I should say. And as he begins to rise, he says yes this is it, maybe even as he goes to dispatch the letter by whatever career he chose. He saying to himself. I sure hope that was it.

While it was because we have it to this day, and we love what he has a Savior love the Lord you love Jude and every other book of the Scripture, the spirit of God overruled Jude's intention. We are supposed to always be ready for that we are to be new wineskins all the time in the hands of God, flexible what he wants to do without ever violating what he is already accomplished in his teachings to us.

So Jude saw what he had to do wake them up there sleeping there's an enemy planting weeds in the field and is saying you better wake up and put a guard there. See the man who has seen Christ is the child of God on a mission. If you have seen the risen Lord, you are on a mission. Jude saw the risen Lord. He knew Jesus Christ and that's why he had to change his message because his mission was to do what God was telling him to do, and this should be our stew. We should be on a mission where we find ourselves. We do really go about our business of you in the workplace.

I don't know maybe just be a clerk or whatever he is doing a business, but the minute somebody comes your way and the conversation goes into the spiritual realm.

Your mission is before you.

And if you get good at. God will bring more people your way. That's been my experience. So again, wanting to celebrate salvation. He changes in the sounds the alarm. I believe he was fired up by Peter's letter. I believe Jude was under the authority of Peter's apostleship.

There's evidence for that in this writing.

When you compare what Jude has to say with what Peter has said their timestamps included within Peter's letter and Jude's letter that let us know that Peter wrote before Jude. Therefore, Jude is influenced by what Peter says Paul. Paul is dealing with the same thing, but where is Jude and Peter were dealing with the increase of Gentiles coming to the into the church in bringing the Gnostic heresies all had to deal with the original Christians which were in majority Jewish people and he had to deal with that so he writes to Timothy in second Timothy as I charge you, therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ would judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom. I charge you, and then he goes on to tell him what to do and it has everything to do with adhering to the Scripture. I quote the verse so much time restraining myself and quoting it yet again preach the word in season and out of season. I did it can hold back the exact rebuke, and exhort with all long-suffering and teaching convict, rebuke, and exhort, don't let them take you off that course Titus.

Don't let them despise you for telling the truth stand up to them again, you younger Christians have not yet had a taste of what the world is going to hurl at you stand up to them. They don't need another person to join their march to hell they made someone's going to help them get out of hell and that might be you sit back and disagree with me, disagree with those who love Christ trade in all this precious gold for Mark that's what you're going to get a pile of mud by incorporating man's ideas with God's word. The church allows herself to be less shrink to not be what she's called to be able to be something else, and whatever that something else is I don't want to be at. I saw a sign that says what was it something about while the viruses around you know shelter with Jesus's not enough. What Jesus are you talking about what is he have to offer me. Why should I shelter with him. Who says that he is right. Why do I even need him. This is what we're here for to lay it out to them.

I can answer the questions.

If you would just ask me what I can get you to ask me. I depend on God to bring people to me, God has to choose my battlefield, I don't choose them and I don't want the enemy to choose them either.

The Holy Spirit of God chooses where I'm going to fight the fight of faith and so this this man. Jude says contend earnestly it's a single word in the Greek and year in which the New Testament is originally pending. It's a single word is a compound word in the Greek single word that his account made of two other Greek words means to struggle over.

In fact, within that Greek word, we get our English word agonize. He says I want you to agonize over the faith, put your back into it. I better see some sweat is a struggle with simple were invited to be part of it it's linked with that word. It's meaningful.

It's not a stretch at this point in his letter again.

Hell is concerned because he is saying to the believers wake up and stand we you need to be to deal with what's coming your way in from here to the end of this letter. What he has to say needs to be repeated to the churches throughout all the agents got all Christians should know this letter should not be a Christian who loves the Lord Jesus Christ, that is at time to read this word. I mean, you make it Saturday on your deathbed and you don't have time to read you.

Otherwise you should have read this little letter and if you have not.

I'm not rebuking you but I am encouraging you strong for encouragement. Maybe. But remember, it is one thing to contend it is another thing to be contentious, were not called to be contentious, will call to struggle but were not called to start personal finance and try to prove ourselves right.

Paul wrote to the Trinity says give no offense either to the Jews or to the Greeks or to the church of God is unsafe. The message offends, and they have to be offended.

I lie like this line.

You know pulses of eating meat makes my brother stumble, I will not again eat meat. But there are limits to that because he would not say wearing clothes makes my brother stumble.

Paul, I rather you stumble put some clothes on, is a struggle for the faith. For the faith, he says, agonize to contend, to resist the devil in the spirit that's what Jude is talking about to be contentious is to promote yourself in the flesh. I've gotta win this argument. I will not back down. That is a trap and it believers will not earnestly contend for the faith. Guess what Satan will go forward with out contest will be no in the struggle against their whole nations like that where there is no Jesus Christ mentioned were people have never even heard the names hard for us to get our heads around that but it's true. You think everybody and Yeatman is heard the gospel. You think everyone in Yeatman has heard the name of Jesus Christ. What India all the people there all the different you know that Hinduism and the moon is lame. All the other stuff is in Pakistan using their people in Pakistan you think everything a person in Pakistan. That's an adult as her Jesus Christ. Even the name they must be stopped. This forward motion of those who either cover-up Christ or go against him. Paul when he wrote to Titus, he said, for there are many insubordinate both idle talkers and deceivers and then he says this in the next verse, whose mouths must be stopped, who subvert entire households, teaching things which they ought not, for the sake of dishonest gain. Just put a seed offering in the plate of $1000, and God is obligated that see you know that superstition that a remember there's a name for that is something lock at either the name that the that the people of the world would you know if you did a nice thing for someone, then it would bring good luck your way. Next thing you know you be arranging the furniture is feng shui that away. I mean you just he just gets out of hand should never be that way whose mouths must be stopped. How do we do that by contending earnestly for the faith, earnestly according to the Scripture. According to the love of Christ to the passions of Christ will be coming up on Mark gospel of Mark soon and then we will see the Lord contending earnestly for the faith.

He does not just dismiss the fact that he has lost souls in front of him, that he has people in front of him who fallen under rabbinical Judaism and when it comes to God.

They no longer know what you talking about, and so he begins to address those things and that's what the sermon on the why is whether some of the Mount concludes with the people who are struck.

No one talk like him.

He says for the faith. We contend earnestly by adhering to what Christ says not only with our words but hopefully without lives. G. Campbell Morgan writes the final argument for faith in the world is not the argument of words, but the argument of life is true is the life. Satan can use the words but does have the life is why antichrist will be identifiable no matter what he says he's going to be corrupt and Bill know it. The righteous will identify an incident where one carries one of them. No shame. We live a shame you don't have a shame funny funny money is one of the boys. Christ is not me defending. We are not defending Jesus Christ is God Almighty configured you don't you know I got 12 leaders that I don't even need the legions, but of course that will register with you. I put it that way with holding a legions anger pretty fierce weapons of our warfare are weapons. Don't get discouraged part of wars, discouragement, whether you're civilian or combat in the wound leader, whoever you are, as much discouragement goes along with using these weapons of our warfare, Charles Spurgeon, concerning all of the new jumble mumble things in the late 1800s it came through his ministry, writes that rule through the time he ministered not his ministry. He says the new views are not the old truth in a better dress but deadly errors with which we can have no fellowship. I cannot endure a false doctrine.

However, neatly it may be put before me, would you have me eat poisoned meat because the dish is over the choices where we don't speak like that anymore. Even cause a plate of where it needs just very effective. And even if just Spurgeon was despised by that fake element of Christianity because he preached to the common man. He did not need man's approval.

God blessed his ministry in a sensational way and he was hated for contend on the battlefields. Again, that God has chosen without asking the world permission to be right and is what happens.

I think to our how you they go off to the schools and they hear these people begin to just go with the propaganda of hell begin to sway them from their faith and because I don't love them right anymore. Maybe what I was taught is introit is true or understand contend, don't ask the world permission to believe what you know is true.

You know the younger children they know God's voice. They love the Lord as they get up grow up their attack because Satan hates that they love Christ. Don't be a delicacy on his plate. We apologize to no one who is right on the wrong side of Christ. We want to reach them, but we do not apologize Peter put it this way, we ought to obey God rather than man right to the point you're beat me want to tell me to tell me what I can and cannot say will going to obey God rather than man which was once for all delivered to the saints.

The force of that word once once and for all this foreskin that word it stops all thoughts of add on's I'm going to add to God's will know it's once delivered is no more coming. We have a closed Canon under the authority of the apostles is nothing else to receive as being Scripture in regard to these truths. There is no evolution of truth God has given his last word on the subject, and we are called to contend and we refuse those who are creative creative innovators who 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 judged 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, but you I love that singles out the believer, but you will beloved, remember, and this is what is telling them to remember the words which are spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ banks 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 Scripture 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 writer which 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 to look for Jude's 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 everybody. 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 in 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 will 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. You have the sermon. You can pretty much have 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 your 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 and 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 this sneaking in. They don't want to be detected because they are up to no good. We don't do that as Christians we don't say what 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 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 in all in there that the you go Paul writing to the churches in the region of Galatia was dealing again with Judaizers that the Jews who became Christians lease. They said they were but they insisted you had to become Jewish before he could benefit from the crucifixion of Christ. Those are Judaizers false fears pace had agreed a Galatia letter and read what Paul says, Lord, 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.

It's a commandment going to all the world make disciples. How do you do that you have to contend you have to deal head-on with lies about Christ. 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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