Book of Jude - Vs. 16-22 (03/17/2002)

Park Meadows Church

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We're in the book of Jude. It's quite interesting that holy myriads, a term used in the

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Bible, which has to do with the number of saints, can be supernatural or natural creatures, which probably means that the church will come back with Christ when he returns to the earth.

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If the church does not come back with him to reign on the earth, obviously, if the church does reign with him, then it had to leave sometime before.

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You simply have to believe in the rapture if you believe that Christ is coming back to earth with his saints.

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To execute judgment, judgment upon all.

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When Christ returns to the earth, he's going to execute justice, judgment.

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Jesus himself said this in the Olivet Discourse. It's mentioned again and again in the

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Word of God, and we have seen it in the Old Testament, to convene all that are ungodly among them.

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You see, the rapture will rupture the church. The true believers will leave, and the make -believers will remain.

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These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts, and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

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I know what's wrong. Greg, shut it off a minute.

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Are complainers walking after their own lusts, and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men's persons in admiration because of advantage.

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Murmurers. Bill, what does murmuring mean? All right, you're complaining.

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And Virge, what do you think it means? All right, it carries with it the meaning also that it's a very, very low voice, sometimes not audible, never pleased with their own state.

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They think it's not good enough for them. Those that plan their sinful appetites will yield to their uncontrolled appetites.

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God has the apostate here for a special reason. It's not something that just occurred outside of God.

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Nothing does that. So the apostates are here for a reason. Clarence, what's that reason?

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That's right. Looking to men for promotion instead of looking to God for promotion.

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They cannot look to God. They're not spiritual. It's entirely a condition of the mark of an apostate.

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Yes, that's right. No apostate is qualified.

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Now, it's very, very difficult sometimes for some people to determine an apostate.

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Until we learn to speak better than God, we must remember that which he has had one of his messengers say.

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Here's five additional identifications of apostates. One, they're murmurers.

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Murmuring means to mutter complaints, and it's not out loud, outspoken, dissatisfaction, but muttering against God in an undertone.

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Two, they are complainers, complaining about their lot in life, discontented, never satisfied.

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If they recognize God at all, they blame him for everything, everything that's happened to them.

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And another characteristic of the apostate is they walk after their own desires, and they can hide that very skillfully.

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Seventeen, Jude. But beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before the apostles of our

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Lord Jesus Christ. I'm going to give you a definition of prayer, and I hope you remember it.

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Prayer is the Holy Spirit speaking in the believer through Jesus the

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Christ to the Father. Prayer is the

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Holy Spirit speaking in the believer through Jesus the Christ to the

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Father. Eighteen, how that they told you there should be mockers in the last days who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.

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It is imperative that you have a working knowledge of the word if you're going to live for it.

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Too long we have listened to other people.

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You've learned your theology second or third hand. That's not good.

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Nineteen, these be they who separate themselves sensually having not the

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Spirit. First of all, Jude says that these apostates caused divisions in the church.

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Of those who draw a line through the church and set off one side against the other, liberalism was responsible for splitting the church.

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The liberals took over the church and then said that the fundamentalists were the ones dividing it.

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That's a common ploy. Of course, it was not the fundamentalists who divided the church, they were the ones who were holding to the great doctrines upon which the church was founded.

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Even we in our fundamental conservatism are not really conservatives because the baseline has grown.

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To be conservative we'd have to go back almost to the beginning. The liberals were first called modernists.

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Do you remember that, Greg? They were called the modern movement because they wanted to change things.

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They never liked the name, but they liked the name of the liberal of today.

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However, the liberal, instead of being broad -minded, whether he's in theology or politics, is, to my judgment, the most narrow -minded person in the world.

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Frankly, he is a dangerous man to deal with because he will deal with you in a biting manner, with bitterness and hatred, and he will not mind hurting you.

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Sensual. The word is pushkakos, from which we get our

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English word in psychology. It means a life that centers about the individual.

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That is the I. It is an egotistical way of living in which the individual becomes the most important.

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I come first. It's selfish. It is natural.

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It is the life of the unrenewed man, the man who is not born again. Spiritual.

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He who rests midway, thinking only of self and self interests, whether animal or intellectual, the greedy man, the man in whom the spirit is sunk, he's divided from it and degraded into subordination to the subordinate soul, the natural man.

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The somebody that, first of all, they wouldn't believe you.

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He wants to get all that he can. He wants to eat all he can.

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He wants to get all of the money and favor that he can. He lives entirely for himself.

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All of this has to do with a man in his natural makeup today, in your natural state, that you, having not the spirit, the apostates do not have the

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Holy Spirit of God. They are not indwelled by the Spirit of God.

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Now, we need to understand that man is a tripartite. What's that mean,

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Greg? That's right. He has a threefold nature.

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In Thessalonians 5 .23, we read, And the very

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God of peace sanctify you wholly. And I pray, God, your whole spirit, soul, and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our

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Lord Jesus Christ. Man has a body, a soul, and a spirit. In an animal, we call it a body and a life.

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Life and soul are the same word. I like to think of man in his tripartite nature as a house that has three floors.

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On the first floor is the dining room and kitchen. That's the physical.

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On the second floor is the library and music. That's the psychological.

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On the top floor is a chapel, a place to worship. That is the spiritual.

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On the top floor is also the Word of God, because man will not understand it without the

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Spirit of God leading him. The natural man would not even want to open the door to that third floor.

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The spiritual is on the top floor. But at the fall of man, what happened?

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Is David in here? What happened? That's right.

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He couldn't. But at the fall, man actually died spiritually, and the house turned upside down.

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The physical side got on top. Man today, in his natural state, is primarily physical.

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Meat and potatoes are top priority. There was a man on the program where they spin the wheel.

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What? Yes. There was a man on the other day that he just ate meat and potatoes and was proud of it.

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Self -preservation is the first law of life. Man is like an animal.

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In the world, it's physical. But man is also psychological. He is self -centered.

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He enjoys music. He loves beauty. He also indulges in morality.

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This is the area, the central part of man, that Jude refers to here.

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At the fall, therefore, the spiritual part of man died. Stairs were broken.

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The door was locked shut. Man no longer had a capacity for God. In fact, he was now an enemy of God.

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It's hard to imagine a man being the enemy of God. I marvel at how many of the people watching news lately, how many of the people are so religious they'd die for it and go straight to hell.

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If there were some way that we could bring one of them back, what would he say?

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Don't go here, and you can't stay forever on earth.

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Yeah, I wouldn't go down there. However, when you and I were called to Christ by believing him as Savior, we were given a new nature, and that new nature can now respond to the

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Holy Spirit of God. That's why you needed a new nature. That's why you had to be reborn, born again, born from above, is so you could have that new nature, and it's not yours.

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But we still have the old nature. We are still fleshly, and we can be in the flesh.

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Paul had a great deal to say about this in the 8th chapter of Romans. He writes in verse 5, "...for

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they that are after the flesh," this is natural man, the apostate, "...do

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mind the things of the flesh, that is all they are interested in. But they that are after the

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Spirit, the things of the Spirit, these folks seek to please God."

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Paul goes on in verse 6 to say, "...for to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace."

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When you live in the lower nature, the psychological, the sensual, you're dead to God and have no fellowship with him.

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That fellowship is broken. John says if we say that we have fellowship with him and walk in darkness, we're a liar, and do not the truth.

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You can't. But he who lives in the Spirit and attempts to please God is truly living it up.

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He's living in the Spirit. The Spirit of such a man, instead of going downward and doing the things that the flesh wants to do, does the things that God wants.

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Now, since everything that occurs is ordained of God, how is it that a person can do

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God's will or not God's will? What?

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Alright. Now, Greg, how do you know whether you're walking by faith or sight?

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Alright. That's the most important. Alright.

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It may produce the same results, but you wouldn't see it as that.

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The Spirit of such a man, instead of going downward and doing the things of the flesh, does the things

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God wants. It's such a strange situation. Here we are, day by day, going through life.

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All of us go through life. But, Brandon, you are doing the will of God.

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Everybody is. But only the born again can see it.

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And they rely on God. Now, Paul says in Romans 8, 7, because the carnal mind is enmity against God, that is the reason

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Adam ran away from God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be.

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The nature cannot become spiritual.

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You cannot bring the old nature into obedience to God. You cannot reform a man.

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They say that's what prison is for, is to reform you. I find no place in the

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Bible, and I've looked, where prison is to reform or rehabilitate.

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Prison is for punishment. Period. This world doesn't like that.

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At least this country doesn't. Romans 8, 8 and 9 tells us, then they that are in the flesh cannot please

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God. But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit. If so, be that literally sense.

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The Spirit of God dwells in you. You cannot please God in the flesh. You can only please him when you yield to him and come to the place where he uses you, where you know that he's using you.

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Virg, is God using you? Alright, alright, he is using everybody.

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For what reason, Virg? Alright, that's from man's view.

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From God's view, I'm not sure yet. I'm still wrestling with it, whether God needs us or not.

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But from our view, it's to glorify him. This brings me to consider what happens when a man is converted.

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Before our conversion, you and I were dead in trespasses and sins.

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I think we'd all agree with that. We could walk around, we were physically alive, but we were spiritually dead.

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I think we understand that. When a man hears the gospel, now when you actually hear it, you're saved.

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He is saved when he hears. The Spirit of God applies it to his heart, and he trusts Christ.

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We say that he is born again. Still, man's viewpoint. The spiritual nature, be reborn.

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Clarence? Alright, but what does reborn mean?

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Alright, we're brought back to the original state. Reborn. You cannot be reborn unless you've been born, and we were once his, then we were reborn to be his again.

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There is no power in that new nature, so the

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Holy Spirit comes to dwell with him. This is what Paul means when he wrote, but you are not in the flesh, but in the

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Spirit. If so, be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. In other words, the indwelling

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Spirit is the mark that you are a child of God, and he comes into every person.

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The Holy Spirit is not something that you get 10 days or so after you're converted.

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Greg, when did you receive the Holy Spirit? We're aware of him when we realize that we belong to God.

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If you don't get him at that moment, you're converted. You're not converted because it is the

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Holy Spirit who regenerates. We are born of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is there not only to help you, but also to interpret to you the

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Word of God, and I've said it I don't know how many times. If you study, understand one thing, you're born again.

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I'm sure all of you have understood one thing, and I mean spiritually understood it, not just head knowledge.

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The Holy Spirit is there not only to help you, but also to interpret for you the

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Word of God, and the Word of God is no longer foolishness to you because a new world and a new life have been opened to you by the

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Holy Spirit. It's great. However, there is the struggle that goes on, which

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Paul speaks about in Galatians. For the flesh lusteth or warth against the

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Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, and these are contrary the one to the other.

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So that you cannot do the things that you would, there are these two natures within a believer, the old nature, the lower nature, the one that the third floor is locked off.

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The psychological part of man wants to turn away from God. Even right now, your old man wants nothing to do with him.

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The spiritual part now wants to turn to God, and I hope that's the one that's ruling in you.

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It is or you wouldn't be here this morning. If you are a child of God, you know about the conflict.

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There are times when you want to turn away from him. There are times when you want to turn to him.

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This is the reason most of us are like a roller coaster in our Christian lives. We go up and down, and it is great, but then we go down tomorrow.

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Go up today, and it's great, and we go down tomorrow. What a trip it is, up and down.

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It ought not to be that way, but unfortunately most of us would have to testify that that was true of us.

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We are close to him some days and not at moments. In 1

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Corinthians 15 45, Paul talks about the resurrection, and he has this to say.

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The first man Adam was made a living soul, that is the psychological part.

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The last Adam was made a quickening spirit, that is a life -giving spirit.

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This is the difference between Adam 1 and Adam 2. Between Adam in the

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Garden of Eden and the Lord Jesus on the cross, the Lord Jesus came to give his life that he might be a life -giving spirit.

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We are today made sons of God and are given a spiritual nature with a capacity for God.

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Man's highest nature at the beginning was that God breathed into his breathing places, but that was a spirit that could fall.

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We have a nature today that is a sinful nature, and we will have it as long as we're in this body, because it actually controls this body.

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We have to use it. This is the psychological part of man, but at the moment of the regeneration, we're given a new nature which responds to God, and it cannot fall.

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The thing that I want to emphasize is that the flesh pulls man down, and the spirit pulls him up, and it's a pulling situation.

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Jude says that these apostates never get into the realm of the spiritual. They make you think they're in the spiritual, but they're not, and if you're weak in the spirit yourself, you'll go along with them.

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Having not the spirit, they cannot get to it. They are sensual. They never get above the psychological state.

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Therefore, it is very easy to tell whether or not you are a child of God.

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Paul lists the works of the flesh in Galatians 5, 19 through 21. And if you're producing those in your life, the works of the flesh, you're living in the flesh.

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He then lists the fruit of the spirit. If you have those in your life, you're a child of God. It's just that simple.

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He's given us a way that we can look at it. But the apostate does not have those things in his life.

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He cannot have them, because he does not have the spirit of God. So, we have two natures.

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The psalmist says that we are fearfully and wonderfully wrought. My, what a statement.

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Fearful and wonderfully. David, what does that mean?

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Yes. How is it that I can do that?

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How is it, Greg? Say again.

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That's a cop -out. Man, man is a very complicated creature.

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I envy Bea sometimes when she would go into surgery.

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And look at man. Look at his inside parts. They're all wonderfully wrought.

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They're all wonderfully put together. It is amazing how it all works.

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A man walks this earth today with a body that is taken out of dirt. Made from dirt.

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But he also has capacity for God. The man who is called and wants to worship and serve

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God is the son of God. Through faith in Jesus Christ. That is a glorious prospect for us.

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What believers must do in days of apostasy, we're coming to it.

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It's being forced upon us very rapidly. Now, having described the apostate, that is coming, an apostate who will come into the church,

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Jude mentioned several things which believers can do in days like these in which you and I are living.

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Twenty. But you, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the

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Holy Ghost. But you, beloved, he's talking to believers.

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Those beloved of God. What can we do today? All right.

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First, building up yourselves on your most holy faith. David, what does that mean?

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What was that last statement? Study the words, the key.

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You study the word. Now you can study and study and study unless you practice it.

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It does you no good. He gave us how many books in the

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Bible, Virg? Diane?

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Sixty -six books. He did not intend that we just study one or two or three or four that we like.

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He intends for us to study all of them. Study to show thyself approved.

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To show me, I study to show me that I am approved of God. Why don't we study all of them?

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Well, several reasons. Your most holy faith does not refer to your own personal faith.

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Rather, it is the faith, the body of truth, which has been given to us in the

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Word of God. When the church first came into existence, this was called the

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Apostles' Doctrine, the entire Word. Two, praying in the

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Holy Ghost. Jude mentions the second thing we ought to do in days of apostasy, the word ghost is the

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Greek pneuma, more frequently translated spirit. Praying in the

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Holy Spirit is an unusual phrase occurring at only one other place in the

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Scripture. In the epistle to the Ephesians, Paul mentions putting on the whole armor of God, and each piece of armor is for a defense with the exception of two items.

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What are they? All right,

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Paul tells us in Ephesians to put on the whole armor of God, and each piece of armor is for defense with the exception of two items.

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Say it again. That's right.

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Praying always with the prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.

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The second offensive weapon was mentioned in verse 17, the sword of the

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Spirit, which is the Word of God. This is precisely what

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Jude writes. First, we are to build up ourselves on our most holy faith.

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That's not my holy faith, but it has been given to me, and in that faith

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I study, I teach, you teach, you study.

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Then we need to pray in the Spirit. Praying is the Holy Spirit, and a little different from handling

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God, a grocery list of gimme, gimme, gimme. That's not prayer. Don't misunderstand me.

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Petitions, as it is called in theology, is a part of prayer, but how about praise?

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How about worship? Our prayers should include adoration and praise to the

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Almighty God. Prayer is the

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Spirit, Holy Spirit speaking in the believer through Christ to the

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Father. That's a very good definition, if I do say so.

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Jude 21, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our

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Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Now the word keep, what does the word keep mean,

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Bill? All right, what does retain mean?

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All right, all right. It's like a burning in a stove. It needs to be fed and poked once in a while.

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This verse gives us two more things that believers are and do in the days of apostasy. Three, keep yourselves in the love of God.

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We need to recognize that God loves the believer. We have seen that Jude addresses the believers as beloved.

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Let me repeat, this does not imply that he loves them or that they love him, but they are beloved of God.

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They are the beloved. Four, looking for the mercies of our

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Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. As we have seen, the mercy of our

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God is the fact that God has a concern and care for you today. He actually does,

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Verge. He's concerned and he cares for you in order to get you more fit for heaven, is why he does what he does to you.

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He has an abundance. He is rich in mercy. He was so concerned about the love of the

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Father that he saved you for the Father. Jesus loved the

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Father, still loves the Father. That's why he died, was because the Father wanted him to.

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He extended his mercy to you and saved you by grace. That was all God's plan.

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Notice that Jude says, looking for the mercy. The word looking is in the

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Greek, prosdismia, meaning to expect, to wait for.

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Looking is to expect. You don't look not expecting. The Lord Jesus wants us to live in an attitude of expectation for his return.

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How many of you are either in the back of your mind or some place you're expecting to go to heaven?

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That's right. Was heaven made for a man? No. Why?

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Why is it that you're expecting to go there then? Greg?

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Alright. The Lord Jesus wants us to live in an attitude of expectation for his return at the time of the rapture.

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I'm expecting to leave this world and I hope it'll happen during my lifetime, but I'll be going out because of his mercy.

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Not because of the rapture, but because of his mercy. Not because of who

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I am. If it depended on who I am, I wouldn't make it.

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Neither would you. Jude 22. And of some having compassion, making a difference of some.

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I prefer the rendering who are in doubt. There are a great many good, sincere folks today who are in doubt.

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They have the honest doubts. And we need to be patient with them.

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Remember, you were once like them. I thought we would finish today, but it doesn't look like we're going to.

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Yes. To be in doubt is that you're looking for the truth. You don't understand it all.

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I'm in doubt about a lot of things. He has shown me enough for me to get saved.

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We're living in days when there is so much doubt cast upon the world of God, word of God, that those who really want to believe it have problems in doing so.

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Is your church causing someone to doubt? We do well to be patient with them.

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They are honest doubters. Jude 23. And others saved with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garments spotted by flesh.

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Now, I'm not going to go into that. I want you to come next week with an explanation of that verse.

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And we're going to stop right here. Does anyone have anything?

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Yes. That's right.

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Yes. That's right.