Ministers of Lasciviousness — Carter Conlon

David’s Example of Courage and God’s Power

I come before you this morning, and I acknowledge my weakness and frailty, but I acknowledge your strength and your power. And, O God, David came into the camp of Israel and saw something, and he said, Is there not a cause?

And in his weakness, Lord, you strengthened him, and you were honored and glorified, and a great victory was won that day. And so, Lord, I ask this day that the word that you put into my heart and my hand would become a smooth stone, that you, by the power of the Spirit, would cast into the foreheads of your enemies those that have exalted themselves above the knowledge of God.

Lord, I ask that you give wings to this word today. God, release those that are captivated by ministers of lasciviousness. God, grant an understanding and anointing of the Holy Spirit in this message today.

Lord, I ask that you sanctify my inward parts, every part of me, God. Lord, out of my belly, you said, would flow rivers of living water. And I ask that in this house today, God, beyond these walls, that living water would flow, giving strength to those who love you and want to love you.

Lord, releasing those who are captivated by false religious illusion. God, giving life to those that are without life and strength to those that are without strength. Giving direction to those who are on a crooked or an obscure path.

And, Father, I thank you for this today. I thank you for the touch of your Holy Spirit upon this word. May you put it forth with power. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Jude, beginning at verse 1, the ministers of lasciviousness.

Jude’s Call to Contend for the Faith

Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ and called. Mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write to you and to exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

Isn't that incredible? Here's Jude writing. It's only A .D. 66, just a little over 30 years after Christ's death and resurrection. And he's already, the Holy Spirit is already moving upon men in the Holy Ghost to write to the church and to encourage the people to get back to the faith, to contend, to fight for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.

For there are certain men crept in unawares who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

I will therefore put you in remembrance, though you once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterwards destroyed them that believed not. And the angels which kept not their first estate but left their own habitation, he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.

Even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them, in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said the Lord rebuked thee.

But these speak evil of those things which they know not, but what they know naturally as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. Woe unto them, for they have gone in the way of Cain and ran greedily after the heir of Balaam for reward and perished in the game-saying of Korah.

These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear. Clouds, they are without water, carried about of winds. Trees, whose fruit withers, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots.

Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame. Wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches, which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.

These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts, and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's person in admiration, because of advantage. The whole intent of the Gospel of Jude is to warn those who are called.

He says in verse 1, those that are sanctified by God the Father, means set apart and preserved in Christ Jesus and called. The whole intent of the Gospel of Jude is to exhort those that are called by the name of Jesus Christ to stand up and to once again contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints.

Ministers Who Turn Grace into Lasciviousness

Jude warns that there are ministers that have come into the body of Christ, now I speak corporately throughout all of the body, who are turning the grace of God into lasciviousness. They're being used of darkness.

They don't realize they're being used of darkness. They're well intentioned in their own sight, but they are misinformed in the things of God. Verse 4, he gives a clue to the characteristics of their ministries.

Now they are sincere, but they are sincerely wrong in what they're doing, in the direction they're leading the people of God. In the book of Revelation chapter 12, verse 15, out speaking of the devil and Jesus in his revelation to John says,.

And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.

And the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Now the serpent, that's the devil, he knows that he has but a short time.

You see that in Revelation chapter 12, verse 12. One of the greatest tactics of darkness against the church of Jesus Christ is found in verse 15, that he sends out water as a flood. Now we know that the word of God is described as a water.

Jesus said, He that believeth on me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. We know the prophet Ezekiel said in chapter 36, the Lord says, I'm going to sprinkle clean water upon you. I'm going to wash you with clean water and you're going to be clean from your filthiness and from your sins.

But the enemy also has his own water. It's not the same water. It looks like sometimes the water of God, but it's a dirty, a polluted stream that takes us away from the centrality of Christ, the centrality of the cross of Christ, causes every man's way to be right in his own sight.

It's a polluted stream sent to obscure the pathway of Christ, obscure the direction and call of God upon the life of those that are called by His name. Now Jude, in Jude verse 4, it says the characteristics of these ministries is that they turn the grace of God into lasciviousness.

Now the Greek word for lasciviousness is asologia, which translated means a wantonness or something that's lacking, a readiness for pleasure that acknowledges no restraints. So they turn the gospel of Christ into a ready thing for pleasure that has no restraints upon it.

And then we go a little farther down in that verse 4 and says, and denying the only Lord God. Now some would look at that and say, well, you know, they don't deny the Lord. They don't deny Christ. And so therefore that can't apply to this ministry that I'm listening to on tape or watching on television or whatever the case is.

But the word deny is arneome, which means to reject Him in the face of former relationship. And Lord is the word kurios, which means one who exercises morally restricted authority for good. And so now I'm going to put it all together, verse 4, what the Apostle Jude is saying to the church is this about these ministers.

They preach a gospel that is designed for personal pleasure. It's a gospel that knows no restraints, a gospel that rejects Jesus Christ in the face of former or His proven history of relationship, and a gospel that casts off the moral right of Jesus to exercise absolute Lordship over their lives.

Israel’s Golden Calf and the Rejection of God’s Lordship

Now this is exactly what the children of Israel did after their deliverance from Egypt. Jude says in verse 5, I will therefore put you in remembrance, though you once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterwards destroyed them that believed not.

Now go to the book of Exodus, please. We'll look at the children of Israel. Exodus chapter 32. We'll begin at verse 1. And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron.

Now you see, the people have been, for those that are new to the Lord, these people, the children of Israel, had been led out of the land of Egypt. They were 400 years in bondage. They had cried out to the Lord.

God had sent them a deliverer. His name was Moses. And Moses came along with his brother Aaron. And now they have been led out of captivity. They're in the wilderness. They're in a season of silence, of temporary silence, when God is speaking to Moses.

It says, When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mountain, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron and said unto him, Up, make us gods which shall go before us. For as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we want not or we don't know what has become of him.

And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people break off the golden earrings which were in their ears and brought them unto Aaron.

And he received them at their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool after he had made it a molten calf. And they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it and Aaron made proclamation and said, Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord.

And they rose up early on the morrow and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and to drink and rose up to play. And the Lord said unto Moses, Get thee down, for thy people which you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves.

They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made a molten calf and have worshipped it and have sacrificed thereunto. And said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.

Jude says that these filthy dreamers speak evil of things that they don't know. They're known for their evil speaking. And we see in Exodus chapter 32 and verse 1, the people began to speak evil against Moses.

Moses had only been 40 days or somewhere near 40 days set apart for God where God was giving him the law, the Ten Commandments and speaking to him. And the people all of a sudden got restless and they began to speak evil.

They said, As for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don't know what has become of him. You see the children of Israel at this time were in a season of silence. And I believe that season of silence was a possible time of testing of their hearts.

And we are today living at a time when people are now saying, What has become of Christ? Second Peter chapter 3 verse 4 says, The people are saying, Where is the promise of his coming? Where is he? All things are together just as it used to be from the beginning of time.

The apostle Peter calls them scoffers. Scoffers walking in their own lusts. Now what are they scoffing? They're scoffing the day of judgment. They're scoffing the warnings of God that there's a coming day of judgment when all the heavens are going to be on fire and everything around us is going to be dissolved.

And all of a sudden there's a scoffers, a spirit of scoffers begin to arise. And they say, Where is the promise of his coming? Don't listen to these prophets that are telling you the judgment is at the door.

Just cast them off. This is a day of peace and prosperity and never ending good is ahead of us. They scoff the day of judgment. But Jesus said, There's a thief in the night into which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat.

The earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. The apostle Peter is speaking that in 2 Peter 3 .10. It's coming and it's closer than we think. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise.

There's a day of justice and judgment coming upon the earth. And one of the signs that we're getting close is that we see a ministry of lasciviousness, a wanton ministry beginning to arise all over North America, especially in this hour that we're now living.

A ministry of peace and prosperity and never ending good ahead of us. And yet we sense in our hearts the judgment of God is right at the door. We see economic failing happening all over North America.

Society is virtually crumbling around our feet. All governments now are starting to call evil good and they're starting to call good evil. You see the tide now turning against the church of Jesus Christ.

The Aaron Ministry and Its False Gods

It's during this season of silence that we see the rise of the Aaron ministry in the book of Exodus. The Aaron ministry. The greatest, I suppose, mistake that Moses ever made is bringing along his brother with him into ministry, into the call that God had put upon his life.

He was somewhat afraid to go alone and so he brought his brother Aaron with him. And Aaron was there and Aaron saw the power of God in Egypt and Aaron stood before Pharaoh and Aaron cast down the staff.

Aaron saw the delivering hand, the power of God, but Aaron had a different heart than Moses. There's a ministry. It's a ministry that walks alongside those that are called and anointed of God in this generation, but they are men of a different heart.

Aaron had a different heart than Moses had. They fashioned their own gods and began to despise those who speak from the heart of God. Jude, verse 8, he says, they despise dominion and speak evil of dignities.

Now, the word dignities, the Greek root word, refers to those who have been set apart and truly desire to reflect the glory and the splendor of a holy God. You see, they speak, they despise dominion. They won't come under government and they speak evil of those who have a genuine heart for God, who really love the Lord, who really love God's people, who really yearn for the truth and their hearts cry and desire to see the glory of God come back into his house again, the glory of God upon his children.

But these ministers of lasciviousness rise up and they begin to speak evil and they despise the dominion of God over their lives. That's the reality of it. They despise it. Now, we see Jude in verse 11, he says, Woe unto them, for they've gone in the way of Cain and ran greedily after the heir of Balaam for reward and perished in the gainsaying of Koreh.

It's, who are these people? Well, I believe it starts with, but is not limited to, all the success and prosperity preachers that we've had in North America over the last two or three decades. But there's more.

It's those now in this generation that are leading the people of God into worshiping gods of gold that they have made with their own hands. They have fashioned their own gods. They proclaim a continual feast around this god.

I grieve in my heart. I sense the grief of Jesus for his people in this hour that we're living in. So many, so many of God's people ensnared by these ministers of lasciviousness who have taken the grace and the gospel of Christ and made it a wanton thing, made it a thing that has no restraints anymore and caused the people to cast off the absolute moral authority of Jesus to reign and rule over their lives.

Who is lord over us, they say. That's what David said in one of the Psalms. With our tongues we will prevail. Now there's the positive confession movement and all of these things that have happened in North America.

Such a grief to the heart of God. It's from those who have their hand in the till from corrupt ministries to those who withhold the truth for fear of losing their works. Oh, brothers and sisters, you thank God.

If you're visiting here today and you're under a ministry that opens this book and challenges your heart, you better thank God. Because all over North America there are ministers of lasciviousness who stand in pulpits and they're cowards.

They won't open the word of God. They won't touch the sins of the people. They won't touch the hearts of the people for they're afraid to lose their works. They're afraid to lose their salaries. They're afraid to lose their church.

They're afraid to lose their jobs. And they won't open the word of God. My brother and sister in Christ, that is why North America is in the condition it is today. I lay the blame on behalf of Jesus Christ that every pulpit that has existed in this country for the last 100 years where men and women have stood and will not declare the lordship of Jesus Christ, will not take the sword of the word of God and examine their own heart first in the Holy Ghost, and then take that sword and send it out with the healing balm of Gilead to reprove, to rebuke, to exhort, to convince those that have got hearts and consciences that are contrary to the nature of Christ, that they are contrary to Christ, and Christ has died for them and has absolute right to rule and reign over their lives.

All kinds of men standing and fearing in this generation. But so help me in the name of God. I speak for Pastor David and myself. I know his heart, that if we have to stand in Central Park on a soapbox, if that's the only pulpit that we can get in some day in the future, I'd rather stand there and have to trust God and preach the word of God than stand in some house and bow down to the wishes and whims of men.

Gold, Prosperity, and the Golden Calf

Exodus 32 again. We see Aaron, the Aaron ministry. And Aaron said to them, Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives and your sons and your daughters and bring them to me. And all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears and brought them unto Aaron.

And he received them at their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool after he had made it a molten calf. And they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. Now, this is such a sad scenario.

The children of Israel had left Egypt not just with their wives and sons and daughters and grandparents and horses and donkeys and cattle, but they had left with the spoils of Egypt, earrings and gold and all of these things.

You ever wonder why did God give them these things? There was no Max Milk store in the wilderness. There was nowhere to spend this stuff in the time they were going to be there. No, I believe with all my heart that God gave it to them to test their hearts and to prove their hearts.

There was going to come a season of silence where they would have to make a choice whether or not they were going to live for the Lord or whether they were going to fashion a god of gold. And in this generation in North America, hear me if you've never heard me before, in this generation there have been Aaron ministries that have arisen now and they have taken the gold, the spoils of the people.

What should have been a blessing has become a curse all over North America. And they have taken the gold and they have fashioned gods of gold and they say these be thy gods which brought thee up out of the land of darkness.

They've fashioned a golden calf and they've called his name Jesus. They can make him anything they want him to be. They can point him in any direction they want to point him. They have continuous conventions now to convince one another that he is indeed in their midst because deep inside there is a gnawing feeling that he's not with them.

And most recently they have turned from seeking the very heart of God. They have turned to a lust for the supernatural, a lust for signs and wonders, a lust for manifestations. There are people maybe even in this sanctuary today, you're not here because you have a passion for Jesus.

You're here because you have a lust for the supernatural. You're not being led by the Spirit of God. You're being led by another spirit. Something has been sown in you that's contrary to the nature of God.

He makes a god of gold. And then he said, and listen, in verse 5, and it says, When Aaron saw it, when Aaron saw this calf, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, Tomorrow is a feast unto the Lord.

You see this god of gold, one of the signs that you're around an altar of a god of gold, no matter what his name is, is a proclamation of continual feasting. There's no warning. These people are right at the very threshold of the judgment of God.

God is in heaven. He's looking. He's seeing what's happening. There's an anger kindling in the heart of God. You need to see this. You need to understand it in this passage of Scripture. When Moses came down from the mountain just a few days later, God said to Moses, Step aside.

I'm going to consume these people in a moment. I'm going to wipe them right out. And I will make of you a great and a mighty nation. You see, these people are right on the brink of disaster. They're right on the brink of judgment.

And now this Aaron ministry, this ministry of lasciviousness, rises up and says, A continual feast before the Lord. Good days are ahead of us. Peace and prosperity are going to be within our borders. Now, brothers and sisters, in North America, we're on the threshold of the judgment of God right at this hour as I speak.

In a moment, in a day, in an hour that you think not, the heavens are going to be on fire and the elements themselves are going to be dissolved. The Apostle Peter says, Seeing that these things are going to be dissolved, what manner of people ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness?

I tell you, we ought to be a people, as Jude says, who are contending for the faith that was once given unto the saints. Hallelujah. In the realm of these ministries, there's no limit to the foolishness when carnality takes over as a substitute for the holy things of God.

In verse 6, it says, They rose up early on the mall and offered word offerings and peace offerings. You see, it looks so religious. It looks so good. They can come to the house of the Lord. They can be worshiping.

They can be doing all kinds of things. But it says, The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. There's no limit to the foolishness. There's no limit to the things that will be done. Oh, and he says in Jude 7, Even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them in like manner giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh are set forth as an example suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

The end result of the Aaron ministry is that the people were naked. They were shamed before their enemies. In Exodus 32, 25, Moses comes down. His heart is broken. Aaron is now making his pitiful excuse.

There is coming a day when these ministers of lasciviousness are going to stand before a holy God. And woe be unto them. That's all I can say. Woe be unto them when they stand before God and have to answer for bringing God's heritage to the place where they lust for gold.

We're bringing God's heritage to a place where they think with their own tongues they're going to prevail. For bringing the children of God who should be... Their lips should be speaking the praises of God.

Their lips should be yearning like David's lips were yearning. Saying, Oh Jesus, create in me a clean heart. Renew a right spirit within me. Their lips should be speaking like the prophet Isaiah who said, Woe unto me, I'm undone.

Mine eyes have seen the King of kings, the Lord of lords. I've seen the Lord of glory. I've seen Him. I've seen Him. Their lips should be speaking as Isaiah said, Oh Lord, here am I. Send me. As unworthy as I am, God, touch my life.

Purify me. Set me apart for your purposes, Oh God. And use my life. And yet these ministers of lasciviousness have got God's people clucking like chickens and barking like dogs and roaring like lions in this generation.

Do you understand that this generation is under the judgment of God? While they promised them liberty, Peter says they themselves are the servants of corruption. The end result of the Aaron ministry is in verse 25 says, When Moses saw that the people were naked, for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame among their enemies.

Isn't that what Jesus said to the church in Laodicea? You say you're rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, but you're poor, you're blind, you're wretched and you're naked. The people were naked.

The end result of lusting for the supernatural is a nakedness before your enemies. God's armor, you've not put on the armor of God. You've not walked in the honesty of Christ. And as such, the enemies of your soul will come after you and in the long run, your state will be worse than you were in the beginning.

Jude says, I will therefore put you in remembrance, though you once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterwards destroyed them that believed not. The end result of lusting for the supernatural is to lose your confidence in Christ.

And you need one new experience after the next experience and you will go deeper and deeper and deeper into sensuality, into the sensual realm. And you will lose out on the key element that causes your life to no victory.

That's faith in the finished work on Calvary. It's faith in Jesus Christ. It's not the man who rolls on the floor and groans and barks. It's the man who stands up before all of his enemies and declares that Jesus Christ has been victorious on Calvary.

Walks in the Word of God and says, Lord, take that sword and smite out of my heart every vestige of unbelief, everything that causes me to stand in a place of fear and unbelief. God, smite it out of my heart and make me stand up on my feet like a man, like a woman of God, plainly declaring the truth and contending for the faith which was once given unto the church.

Hallelujah. Hallelujah. The Apostle Paul, let me just read it to you. The Apostle Paul says that we're to put on the full armor of God. Now, that's work. And not too many people in this generation want to work.

Everybody wants a quick fix. Nobody wants to kneel anymore before God and humble themselves before God and groan in the prayer closet. There's so very few that want to get into this book and read it and spend an hour or two a day reading this book and praying and saying, Holy Ghost, Holy Ghost, Holy Ghost, speak to my heart.

Speak to my life. Let this Word not just be in my mind but let it live in my heart. Let this Word form the very nature and essence and character of Christ within my life. There are so few. We're living in a lascivious generation that has turned the Gospel of Christ into a wanton thing, a thing that is lacking, a thing that denies the right of Christ to morally exercise Lordship over people's lives.

And we see all the people now running for quick fixes. I heard recently that there's a new thing now that's begun in the nation of Canada where people are birthing now in the house of God. Don't even ask me what that is.

I couldn't, I don't know and I couldn't care less what it is. Birthing. This lady went to this church. They're lined up at the doors. You can't even get in now. They've gone from laughing to birthing now.

And birthing is, the people are all over the floor in the church. They're rolling in the aisles. They're holding their bellies and they're groaning and the leadership is teaching them how to give birth.

Don't ask me what the spiritual significance of that is. It's just foolishness. That's all it is. Total foolishness in the sight of God. And they rose up to eat and to play and they're dancing around their own calf and their own making and they call Him Jesus.

And they're going deeper and deeper and deeper into delusion, deeper into darkness, farther and farther away from God. And the end result is they're going to stand naked before their enemies. The Apostle Paul cries out to the Ephesian church.

The Armor of God and Standing in Truth

He says, Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. Put on the whole armor of God. You don't get it by barking and rolling. You don't get it by positive confession. You don't get it by lusting for gold and the things of this world.

Put on the whole armor of God. You get it by humble submission to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. You get it by asking the Holy Ghost to make this Word real and alive in your hearts. Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles or the schemes of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore, take unto you the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand.

Stand. Stand, therefore. Stand. That's what the Scripture says. Stand. Stand to your feet, church of God. Stand to your feet in this last hour and contend for the faith that was once given unto the saints.

Stand, therefore, having your loins, that means your deep inward parts, girt about with truth, having that truth grip you, so grip you that you become one in nature with Christ and one in heart with Christ, one in faith with Christ, one in direction with Christ, one in determination with Christ, one in honesty with Christ, one in truth with Christ, one in compassion with Christ.

Stand, having your loins girt about with truth and having on the breastplate of righteousness, having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace and above all taking the shield of faith wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one.

Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

Moses Calls for Those Who Are on the Lord’s Side

Now back in Exodus chapter 32, verse 26, Moses comes back and his heart is broken and I believe with all my heart that the heart of Jesus is broken for this North American church generation. The heart of Jesus, he looks down and sees it all, all of the foolishness that's going on and calling itself by his name and his heart is broken and he turns to Aaron and he says, What have you done?

You've made the people naked unto their shame among their enemies. Then Moses, verse 26, stood in the gate of the camp and he said these words, Who is on the Lord's side? Let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him.