God desires that we become driven by eternity being able to discern the apostasy in the earth as well as living fully surrendered to the commands of the Lord. Please be sure to fully watch the video podcast as this article does not do justice to the video teaching.
Jude1:14-25 “Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 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.”These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. But you, beloved, 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 time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. 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, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.”
1. THE LORD WILL RETURN WITH HIS SAINTS TO EXECUTE JUDGEMENT
You have to live driven by eternity recognizing that as lightning flashes from the East to the West so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. There will be nothing like that day when all that have or have not done to advance the kingdom is settled at that point because our time on this earth is over. Jude reminds us that Jesus Christ will come and put his feet on this earth with 10,000 thousands of his Saints to execute Judgement. We must understand the day of the Lord will be an awesome day but a terrible day for the wicked when this whole thing is over.
Revelation 19:13-15 says, “He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in [a]fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God.”
2. BEWARE OF THE BEHAVIOR OF THE APOSTATES
While we live in the process of being driven by eternity and making every moment count, we must also be aware of the behavior of the apostate church in the last days. Apostate means people who have rebelled against the truth of God’s Word.
Jude 1:16-19 says, “These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. But you, beloved, 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 time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.”
An Apostate is one who renounces a religious belief and rebels against the truth. They may have some religious language left in them but they are not the real deal. They may be smooth talkers with a form of Godliness but they deny the power. Jude gives us a list of their behavior that we must be aware of. We should be careful not to fall into these things.
Apostate people murmur and complain all the time. A person’s emotions and thoughts are not always synonymous with the Word of God. Murmuring and complaining can develop easily. Since the believer knows that this is the behavior of the apostate then we must be sure to repent quickly when murmuring and complaining arise.
Philippines 2:14-16 says, “Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.”
Apostate people are mockers in the last days who walk according to their own ungodly lust. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. This means they separate themselves from the true church and those who demand holy living, which they leave under the pretense of superior wisdom and ideals! The apostate people separate themselves from holiness preaching because apostate means rebellion against the truth.
3. 7 FINAL COMMANDS TO CHURCH
Jude 1:17-25 says, “But you, beloved, 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 time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto
eternal life. And on some have compassion, making a distinction; but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. 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, To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, Be glory and majesty, Dominion and power, Both now and forever. Amen.”
1. BUILD UP ON YOUR MOST HOLY FAITH
There is a call to build up your most holy faith. Not just any faith in anything but holy faith that lines up with the Word of God. We must believe that God is who he says He is. Without faith, it is impossible to please God. The Bible says whatever is NOT faith is sin! Faith is the substance of things hoped for the evidence of things not seen. Holy faith treats that which you are believing for as though it is a reality.
1 Timothy 1:3-7 says, “As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith. Now the purpose of the commandment is love from a pure heart, from a good conscience, and from sincere faith, from which some, having strayed, have turned aside to idle talk, desiring to be teachers of the law, understanding neither what they say nor the things which they affirm.”
2. PRAY IN THE HOLY GHOST
You may be thinking how am I going to keep the Holy faith? Some people may not like it but there is a clear call to pray in the Holy Ghost. We ought to have spirit-led prayers. We have a baptism in the Holy Ghost and fire available to infuse our prayer lives. When you pray in the Spirit the Holy Spirit is praying through you unleashing a Holy Ghost faith!
Romans 8:26 says, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.”
3. KEEP YOURSELVES IN THE LOVE OF GOD
We must keep ourselves in the love of God. We must be careful that the love of God in our lives does not grow cold.
Matthew 24:12 says, “Because lawlessness abounds the love of many will grow cold.”
2 Timothy 1:13-14 says, “Hold fast the pattern of sound words which you have heard from me, in faith and love which are in Christ Jesus. That good thing which was committed to you, keep by the Holy Spirit who dwells in us.”
Romans 8:35-39 says, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
4. LOOK FOR THE MERCY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST UNTO ETERNAL LIFE
We must remain eternally driven looking for the mercy of God. Mercy is being compassionate for those in need especially when it is possible to punish or harm them. The mercies of God are new every morning.
Psalm 136:1 says, “Oh, give thanks to the Lord, for He is good! For His mercy endures forever.”
Hebrews 12:15 says, “looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled.”
5. HAVING COMPASSION MAKING A DISTINCTION
We should have compassion but what we must understand is that it can be a slippery slope. God has not called you to be consumed with people who don’t want the truth. This scripture literally means to have compassion on some making a difference or distinction between those who are truly weak and ignorant versus those who are proud and arrogant of heart and unwilling to obey the truth.
Psalm 86:15 says, “But You, O Lord, are a God full of compassion, and gracious, Longsuffering and abundant in mercy and truth.”
6. SAVE WITH FEAR PULLING THEM FROM THE FIRE
Jude is clear that others must be saved with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
Some think the Gospel should have no fear of hell or fear of being separated from God and that we should just love them into the kingdom. Jude is warning the church to save them with fear pulling them from the eternal fires of hell. When the church fails to preach on hell we are not heading the warning of the Word. When we refuse to preach what will happen to those who aren’t sold out to Jesus, there is a problem.
7. HATING EVEN THE GARMENT DEFILED BY THE FLESH
Jude reveals that we should hate even the garment defiled by the flesh. 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, to God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever. Jude is calling us to a place of holiness and purity as we stand for God on that day.
James 1:27 says, “Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world.”
Ephesians 5:27 says, “that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.”
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