Protecting the Truth ~ God's Truth (Part 4)

Part 9 TRUTH February 28, 2021 Welcome Camille Mason – GP’s Newest Member Love Month – favorite love song; pick up the phone and call someone ~ show some love Praying for GP Members who are bereaving the passing of loved ones GP Members and Friends to start a “Most Wanted” campaign to identify who and what you believe are the enemies of truth. The Answer to Every Test & Trial in 2021 ~ Know God’s Truth Protecting the TRUTH ~ God’s Truth Protecting God’s Truth Within Enemies of Truth – God’s TRUTH [SLIDE] JUDE ~ NKJV 1 Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ: 2 Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. 3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who 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. 5 But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. Apostates Predicted Page | 1 16 These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. 17 But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: 18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. 19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. Maintain Your Life with God 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. 22 And on some have compassion, making a distinction; 23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. Glory to God 24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, 25 To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen. John 8:31-32 NKJV The Truth Shall Make You Free Jesus said to those Jews who believed Him, “If you abide in My word, you are My disciples indeed. 32 And you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.” 31 Then Page | 2 GM, GP Today’s message: Protecting the TRUTH ~ God’s Truth Protecting God’s Truth Within START This morning we’ll push across the finish line of our series on TRUTH as we engage in our ninth installment. We have been building on the words of our Lord who said. . . “And you shall know the TRUTH and the TRUTH shall make you free”. The Truth of God’s Word is so precious, and so liberating -- until it is under constant attack by Satan and his false teachers. Their goal, as we have learned, is to discredit God’s message of Truth by sowing deception and causing everyone they can reach to believe their lie. So, over the weeks, we have turned to Jude’s letter to Saints to learn what our responsibility is to the Truth once we have been set free [from sin] by it. That responsibility is to PROTECT the TRUTH with every fiber of our natural and spiritual being. How are we instructed to protect it? Jude spelled out three imperatives that we must adhere to in order to guard the Truth and to protect it from the schemes and the deceptive plots of Satan and his imps. We have been well schooled in the first two we are urged to do in our mandate to protect the Truth. Page | 3 [SLIDE] First Imperative and Responsibility to Protect the Truth: The first one is found in Jude verse 3 -- to “Contend earnestly” for the faith that was once for all time delivered to the saints. In other words, we are admonished to contend, that is, fight hard to Protect the Truth of God’s Word that first opened our eyes to the need for salvation. It was the Truth of the Gospel that showed us our sinfulness and urgent need of Christ our lives. The Apostle Paul said of that Gospel Truth in Romans 1:16 . . . [SLIDE] Romans 1:16 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, “The just shall live by faith.” [SLIDE] Second Imperative and Responsibility to Protect the Truth: The second responsibility Jude gave us for protecting the Truth came as an all-out warning. He said we are called to protect the Truth because The Truth is under attack by false teachers – aka: Apostates. These false teachers were infiltrating, dishonest teachers pretending to be true, who on the surface looked like the real thing, but whose intentions were to lead God’s people astray. They were Satan’s counterfeits, never been born again. Page | 4 According to Jude, verse 4, they have crept in the church unnoticed and taken a seat among God’s people with the intent teaching an ungodly message of convincing lies. Jude minces no words and wastes no time calling them out starting at verse 4 through verse 19. In verse 4 he says of them: [SLIDE] Jude 4 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who 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. Then, as you move through the verses, look for the pronouns “THESE” or “THEY” – verses 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 16, 19 8 Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, in [f]contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. 11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah. 12 These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, Page | 5 twice dead, pulled up by the roots; 13 raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. 14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” 16 These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. 17 But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: 18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. 19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. Third Imperative and Responsibility to Protect the Truth: The third responsibility Jude gives us as Believers in our need to protect the Truth is found in verse 21. It tells us HOW we can keep the Truth protected and guarded in our lives. How do we do it and by what practice we do it might surprise you. Here it is, verse 21: [SLIDE] Jude, verse 21 21 keep yourselves in the love of God! [Say it with me; keep yourselves in the love of God!] Page | 6 Now, most scholars and commentaries list four things from verses 20 & 21 that we must do to protect the Truth. Those verses read: [SLIDE] Jude 20 & 21 20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. [SLIDE] Scholars say the four protections are: 1. building yourselves up on your most holy faith, 2. praying in the Holy Spirit, 3. 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, 4. looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. In actuality, close examination tells us that the command here is that we “keep ourselves in the love of God”, by doing THREE things: 1. building yourselves up on your most holy faith, 2. praying in the Holy Spirit, and 3. looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Let’s not miss Jude’s third imperative on “not only how to protect the Truth, but also how to be protected by the Truth as well.” It is that you and I: “keep ourselves in the love of God” Page | 7 [SLIDE] Next, Jude exhorts us as Believers on how to go the next mile in “contending earnestly for the faith”. He says in verses 22 & 23: 22 And on some have compassion, making a distinction; 23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. In these verses, Jude is letting us know that a certain measure of spiritual discernment is necessary in dealing with victims of false teaching. In verses 22 & 23, he is explaining how the Scriptures make a distinction between the way we should handle those who are victims of the apostate teachers who are confused and doubtful, versus those are near to becoming full blown converts in their false Christ-less religion. Both stand a chance of being rescued, but there are two separate courses to take in winning them. In earnest, these verses are about showing compassion to people who haven’t given their lives to the Lord, but by applying some godly encouragement, Truth-teaching and Christ-centered witnessing – there is a good chance even these can be won to Christ. In verse 22 Jude says: 22 And on some have compassion, making a distinction; Page | 8 • “On some we should have compassion”, that is, we should show a compassionate interest in them and try to guide them out of doubts and conflicts into a firm conviction of divine truth. These are sincere doubters who need someone to teach them the truth. The New Century Version (NCV) says it like this: Show mercy to some people who have doubts (they’re on the fence in their belief). 22 In v. 23 Jude says: 23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. These are those who are on the verge of falling into the abyss, or who have one foot over in the flames of apostasy. These, we are to witness to using sensitive, but strong, resolute warnings and instruction; with these we take no chance of them controlling the conversation – they’re too close to losing their souls -- , they smell of doom so we hate even the stench in the garments the don defiled by the deeds of the flesh. The New Century Version (NCV) says it like this: 23 Take others out of the fire, and save them; Show mercy mixed with fear to [them], hating even their clothes which are dirty from sin. (These are those who are salvageable and rescue-able from cults and false teachers that are talking to them and are on the verge of winning Page | 9 them over. By us standing on the Truth, we can snatch them out of the fire before they get totally consumed or swallowed up by the deceptive message of the apostate). In contemporary times, these are no doubt victims of the door to door, bicycle, shopping center apostates. Apostle John gives instructions on how to deal with them: he says in 2 John 10,11: [SLIDE] 2 John 10,11 10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this doctrine, do not receive him into your house nor greet him; 11 for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds. Finally, in verses, 24-25 Jude ends his letter with a doxology that serves as a reminder of the divine power available to us as believers as we contend against false teachers. Benediction is blessing (some kind of divine or supernatural aid, or reward) while doxology is an expression of praise to god, especially a short hymn sung as part of a christian worship service. He praises God because He alone is able to protect us from falling into the sinful practices of the false teachers and grant us entrance into His glorious presence. 24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, And to present you faultless Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, Page | 10 25 To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen. Protecting the TRUTH ~ God’s Truth Protecting God’s Truth Within Three imperatives that we must adhere to in order to guard the Truth and to protect it from the schemes and the deceptive plots of Satan and his imps. • Contend Earnestly v.3 • Be Ware of False Teachers (aka: Apostates) v. 4 • “Keep ourselves in the love of God” v.21 %%%%%%%%%%END%%%%%%%%%% Page | 11 EXTRA – Don’t Include Apostates are gunning for at least these four categories of people: • The Tossed – “that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting,” Ephesians 4:14 • The Doubters – Jude 22; Address those experiencing spiritual doubt where they question what they believe about their religion or God. Jude calls the believer to “have mercy on those who doubt. • The Fence-sitters – those who are indecisive – usually clueless, and oblivious to the importance of the need for God’s Truth in their lives. So, because they never make up their minds, apostates deal a convincing lie, a convincing blow, that snatches them away and into a false cult. Matt 13:18 18 “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. • The Free Agents – usually socially conscious people who don’t claim any religion; they don’t belong to any church, but they’ll help out in any way. They will give of their time to godly deeds just as easily as they would a deed that is in direct opposition the Truth of God. Page | 12 Page | 13