Join me, if you would, in the
book of Jude once again, as we continue the study that we've
been at for some time. And we're going to read the last
four verses to start with, verses 22 and following the book of
Jude. It says, and of some have compassion,
making a difference, and others save with fear, pulling them
out of the fire, hating even the garments spotted by the flesh.
Now to him that's able to keep you from falling and presents
you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy.
To the only wise God, our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion
and power, both now and ever. Amen. And we're going to look
once again at verses 22 and 23. And if some have compassion,
making a difference, and others say with fear, pulling them out
of the fire, hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. if or since we have been shown
the mercy, peace, and love of our God as his people, as the
book starts out or the letter starts out, the first few verses
of Jude, of God in Christ our Lord, so
we should proclaim these things in him to others that are in
mortal and immortal danger to remember things and relate to
the others as it says, pulling them out of the fire, saving
and pulling out of the fire. And we spent some time in the
first several verses of the letter here that shows the position
of God's people in him that have been, as it says in the first couple
of verses, it says, sanctified by God the Father, preserved
in Jesus Christ and called mercy unto you and peace and love be
multiplied. And it starts out showing not
only who the letter's to, but the position and why that position
that we have in Christ and of God and not of our doing, not
of our sanctification for sure, not
of our preservation and not of our own calling, as it says,
that we need to keep those things in mind as he, through the letter,
and it's not very long, but it spends quite a bit of time talking
about those that are contrary to what the Scripture has to
say, not just ambivalent or doubtful or unsure or unbelievers, but
ones that are actively against what the Scripture has to say.
And it says, not only denying the Lord, but turning the mercy
and grace of him into those things that are not, that are contrary
to what the word says. And it's a warning that those
people are in the church as a whole, as the body of the whole, the
true church of God has those people in their midst. And it
says there, have been determined to be in this position and condemned
and they're not God's people and that there's some things
to look out for and that some characteristics of the loss that
are there and warning and keeping track of that and dealing with
those things that are the ones that are mockers, it says, of
God and walk ungodly. And it's not just to elevate
ourselves above anybody else, but to be aware that that is
there. And God's people understand and know that they came from
the same lot in many times. and were actively against what
the scripture has to say. Paul was that, and he testifies
that of himself, that he was very well learned in the religion
of the day, the Jews' religion, But it was contrary to what the
scriptures had to say. And he relates that many times
in the letters that he writes that he came from that. But by
God's mercy and when God determined it was time, he gave him the
new birth and woke him up from the spiritual dead. And here
it says, speaking, and it makes a difference
and a change in character or kind of thrust, it appears in
the book. In verses 20 and 21, it says, building yourself up
in your most holy faith and and keeping yourselves in the love
of God, looking towards the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ and
to eternal life. And to keep those things in mind always, and remember where we
came from and who has lifted us up and done that. And then
where it talks about here of some making a difference, it
says compassion. And several of the commentaries
I've looked at, and I, I'm not on the same page or understanding
as some of the what the commentaries of other people have to say or
think about this, that it's speaking about those making difference,
those it says that are doubting or wavering or unsure. Well,
that fits a lot of times all of us are in those positions,
barring God's witness to us in the spirit in
us that we understand and know a few things. But it says here,
make a difference. And we looked at that about the
compassion or pitying people that are the lost. And here it
says making a difference. And the difference that I gather
from this and from what we've looked at in the past here is
these are ones that may be unbelievers, probably are unbelievers, but
they're not antagonistic towards what the Word says, at least
outwardly. By nature, we are antagonistic to what the Word
has to say until He changes us. But those that are—there's a
difference, and it says in verse 23, Others save with fear, pulling
them out of the fire, hating even the garments spotted by
the flesh. And I think that's the viewpoint or the attitude
that God has to give us. to have that compassion for the
lost. And I don't think it's speaking
just to those that are, I'm not sure of this point of doctrine
you're talking about. I don't think that's what it's
speaking about, but those that it speaks about saving them and
pulling them out of the fire. And I think that has as much
to do and more so with our situation as it does with theirs as far
as having a compassion and having a burden as it were for those
that are unbelievers and bring the gospel to them. And I think
it's as much speaking to ourselves as it is to those. And we're gonna read some scripture
today that I think has a bearing on this and we'll see that. And so Mike and Norman earlier
that we're going to have quite a bit of reading." And I thought,
probably shouldn't have to apologize for reading the scripture, even
if there's... And I said, I may apologize for how I read, but
not for what we're reading. And I would like to, I'd like
to read a few passages. I'd like to read, turn to the
book of Lamentations, if you would. Okay, Lamentations and the third
chapter. Let me get in the right spot here.
Lamentations chapter three. starting with verse 22. It says,
It's of the Lord's mercy that we are not consumed, because
his compassions fail not. They are new every morning. Great
is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith
my soul. Therefore will I hope in him. And then that verse fitting with
Malachi 3, verse 6, that won't turn to it. I'll just paraphrase
it. No, we're going to turn to it,
turn to it. Those that are not, maybe not familiar with it, it
is a wonderful spot and it's in it. We're not going to read the whole
first part of this chapter, but Malachi 3, verse 6, and the statement,
I think, can stand on its own, for it says, For I am the Lord,
I change not, therefore you sons of Jacob are not consumed. And
speaking there to the church that the hope and the standing
that we can have and the confidence we can have, and we went over
this earlier in the defense of the faith that Jude speaks of,
that God does not change, and that's the reason or a very big
reason why we are not consumed, because he does not change. And
in Lamentations there, where it says, the mercies of the Lord
that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. And
I think that has a bearing on not only our situation, but also
how we approach speaking to others, and that the lost are those that,
even those that may, say they are believers, but we don't know people's hearts. All we know is by what we see
and what we hear. But those that are maybe confused
by what things are and how things are, but the scripture is pretty
plain. Those of us that are the Lord's
are in the church, it says, his mercies that were not consumed
because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning.
Great is thy faithfulness. And that's a good thing. That's a great thing for God's
people that we have a hope that's built upon, we'll see, his righteousness,
but it's also built upon that he doesn't change. the rules
don't change, the situation doesn't change. If we are dressed in
his robe of righteousness, that's not going to change. And that's one of those markers you
don't want moved. You want to have that down and say that. And I would like to also turn
to the book of Colossians. kind of, I think, the attitude
of God's people towards Colossians and the first chapter,
and I'd like to read just starting at verse 12, Colossians 1, verse 12. It says,
giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be
partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, who hath
delivered us from the power of darkness and hath translated
us into the kingdom of his dear Son, in whom we have redemption
through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, who is the image of
the invisible God, the firstborn of every creature, For by him
were all things created that are in heaven and that are in
earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions
or principalities or powers. All things were created by him
and for him. And he is before all things,
and by him all things consist. And he is the head of the body,
the church, who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead,
that in all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased
the Father that in him should all fullness dwell, and having
made peace through the blood of his cross by him to reconcile
all things unto himself, By him I say, whether they be things
in earth or things in heaven, and you that were sometime alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath he reconciled
in the body of his flesh through death to present you holy and
unblameable and unreprovable in his sight. If ye continue
in the faith, grounded and settled, and be not moved away from the
hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which was preached
to every creature, which is under heaven, whereof I, Paul, am made
a minister, who now rejoice in my sufferings for you and fill
up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh
for his body's sake, which is the church, whereof I made a
minister according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for
you to fulfill the word of God, even the mystery which has been
hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his
saints. to whom God would make known
what is the richest of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles,
which is Christ in you, the hope of glory, whom we preach, warning
every man and teaching every man in all wisdom that we may
present every man perfect in Christ Jesus, whereunto I also
labor, striving according to his working, which worketh in
me mightily. And this passage was used by
a friend of ours, Wayne Boyd, in 2016 called, Whom We Preach. And taken from that verse, speaking
of Christ in verse 27, which Christ in us the hope of glory,
whom we preach, warning every man, teaching every man, in all
wisdom that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus."
And that is whom we preach and it says, no other foundation
can be laid than Him and must be laid than Him. And the same
is for God's people or for people that we don't know are God's
people. The lost or those that We don't
know. We don't know who, it has been
said many times, we don't just preach to God's people because
we don't know who God's people are always. And the same message,
the same encouragement, and the same sure mercies are the same
for God's believers, the saints, and those that God has not called
in yet of the sheep. And the mercies it's speaking
about, I believe, are not just the rain, the sunshine, and those
things that God may give to all men, good health, wealth, whatever
that may be that he has his mercy. There's mercy just like the sun and the rain fall on
the just and the unjust alike. Those are by God's mercies that
those take place, but that's a different, level than the mercy
that we obtain in Christ Jesus our Lord to the saving of our
souls. And that's the mercy that is
spoken of there when it speaks of that. And in the book of Romans,
turn to the book of Romans and Romans chapter five, the book
of Romans is one of the many books that we have in the Bible
that cover a lot of ground for unbelievers and believers, obviously
all of scripture is given for those many things, the benefit
of primarily to the church, but it's not just speaking just to
unbelievers, he's speaking to believers, and we're gonna read
a couple passages here, starting at Romans chapter five, and not
to minimize the rest of the book, but the letter, verse 20 of chapter
five, Romans, it says, moreover, the law entereth that the offense
might abound, but where sin abounded, Grace did much more abound, that
as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through
righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." And
then continuing in chapter 6, and reading down a ways, chapter
6 of Romans, it says, What shall we say then? Shall we continue
in sin that grace may abound? God forbid, how shall we that
are dead to sin live any longer therein? Know ye not that so
many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into
his death? Therefore we are buried with
him by baptism into death, that like as Christ was raised up
from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should
walk in newness of life. For if we have been planted together
in likeness of his death, we shall be also in likeness of
his resurrection." And we're going to read more on that, but
here, speaking this above here in, shall we continue in sin
that grace may abound. And we dealt with that, and Jude
dealt with that, that there were those that were turning the grace
of God, and it says, into lasciviousness, into that which is improper or
not correct with what the Scripture has to say about that and what
the grace of God is. And there are those that have
the thought because it's taught to guard against, that if grace
cometh because of sin, so then we sin and we get more grace.
And he says, that's not what is spoken of. And that's not
it. That's not it. And this passage here they're
going to see is speaking to believers how believers should be and think,
and that God will reveal these things to us, but it's also good
for those that are By us, we don't know their situation,
if they're believers or not, but the same thing. It talks about in verse 23 there
of Jude, of hating the garment, even defiled by sin and the smoke
of the fire type thing. And it leaves the thought there
that we don't know what's being dealt with necessarily in the
individuals. But if it's open sin, we're going
to read a couple of things about that. That needs to be dealt
with, and God's people will deal with that. There's right ways
to do it, and we pray that God deals with that in us if those
things be so. But here, It says in verse 5 again, for
we have been planted, if we have been planted together in the
likeness of his death, we shall also be in the likeness of his
resurrection. And continuing on, knowing this,
verse 6, that our old man is crucified with him, that the
body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not
serve sin. For he that is dead is freed
from sin. It has no claim on those that
is dead to sin. Now, if we be dead with Christ,
we believe that we shall also live with Him. knowing that Christ,
being raised from the dead, dieth no more, death hath no more dominion
over him. For in that he died, he died
unto sin once, but that he liveth, he liveth unto God. Likewise
reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but
alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. And just a,
just a, just a thought there that it
says, likewise reckon yourselves to be dead unto sin, but alive
unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord. And Paul's going to
deal with and I'm going to read a little bit later on that what
the reality that we see in our lives about living in the spiritual
life that we have and the mortal bodies and nature of sin we have
with us, a couple of passages that are very familiar, but it
said, but we reckon ourselves to be dead unto sin. in Him and alive unto God through
Him. And that's not something that
makes sense in the natural mind. That's something that God has
to reveal to us. By faith we believe that and
He shows us that. And then it goes on and says,
if those things be so, there's some other thoughts here. And
starting with verse 12, Romans 6, let not sin, therefore, reign
in your mortal body, that you should obey it in the lust thereof.
Neither yield your members as instruments of unrighteousness
unto sin, but yield yourselves unto God as those that are alive
from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness
unto God. For sin shall not have dominion
over you, for ye are not under the law, but under grace. What then, shall we sin because
we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know
ye not that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey,
his servants ye are, to whom ye obey, whether of sin unto
death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked that ye were
the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form
of doctrine which was delivered unto you. Being then made free
from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. And I'm very
thankful for what he added here because up above here, it talks
about some things that it says that we should not do and things
we shall do that find it a little bit difficult in the flesh to
do in the natural mind that we have at times that
alive and live unto righteousness, but it says down here, God be
thanked that we were servants of sin, but we had bade from
the heart that form of doctrine. Being made free from sin, you
become the servants of righteousness. And we're going to see another
passage again later that this isn't of our doing, that isn't
that we were so wise unto salvation that we understood what we needed
to do and came around and did that. But when we were, as it
were, in our right mind, then we could understand these things. But it's not of a learning, it's
not a how-to, it's not these things we should do and so we
do those things. It's these things we should be like, and we pray
that God cause some of this to happen in us. And it says down
here that it will happen to us, that He does cause these things
to come about into us, that we should walk in newness of life,
as it says, and that's of His doing. In Romans chapter 7, In Romans 7, another bit here,
starting with verse 18, and these are obviously connected together,
and I encourage you to read them on your own, and they're familiar
to most of us, but for time we're going to read portions of it. Romans 7, starting with verse
18, it says, For I know that in me, that is
in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing. For the will is present
with me, but how to perform that which is good I find not. For
the good that I would do, for the good that I would, I do not. But the evil which I would not,
that I do. Now, if I do that, I would not.
It is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. I find
that a law, that when I would do good, evil is present with
me." I'm going to stop there for just a second. And this can
also, and probably is misused. It's really not me that's doing
this. It's, I'm really pretty good. It's not really, it's not
the real me that's doing this. But that up here that Paul says
that, in my flesh dwelleth no good thing, and the will's present,
how to do it, we can't find how to do it. And God's people, that's
using, again, turning the grace of God into lasciviousness, if
it's the same thing that was spoken of earlier, and in Jude
also, It can be used for a cloak to hide what we are, and by claiming
that, and we do that, but it's not an excuse for something. And then in verse 22, he goes
on and says, for I delight in the law of God after the inward
man. But I see another law in my members, warring against the
law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law
of sin which is in my members. O wretched man that I am, who
shall deliver me from the body of this death? I thank God through
Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself
serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin." And
as he said, there's a war there. And it doesn't mean that we compartmentalize
it on one day or once in a while we serve God with our mind. The
rest of the time we go about our business and it's And it's
not a, he's not saying it's a justifiable two-way thing that you can, you
know, either way is fine. It's a deplorable and dementable
thing, as he says here in verse 24, who, wretched man I am, who
shall save me from the body of this death? Jesus Christ, our
Lord. And then in verse, it goes on
in verse chapter eight, and a wonderful place we're going to look at
in a couple more verses, it says, There is therefore now no condemnation
which are in Christ Jesus, who walked not after the flesh, but
after the Spirit. For the law of the Spirit of
life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and
death, For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through
the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful
flesh, and for sin condemned sin in the flesh, that the righteousness
of the law might be fulfilled in us, who walk not after the
flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh
do mind the things of the flesh, but they that are after the Spirit,
the things of the Spirit. For to be carnally minded is
death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because
the carnal mind is enmity against God, for it is not subject to
the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are
in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh,
but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.
Now, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none
of his. And if Christ be in you, the
body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because
of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that
raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised
up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies
by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. Therefore, brethren, we
are debtors not to the flesh to live after the flesh. If ye
live after the flesh, ye shall die. But if ye through the Spirit
do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as
are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. For
ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear, but
ye have received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba,
Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness
with our spirit that we are the children of God." And a lengthy
portion there, but after the, oh, wretched man verse there,
this goes on and it is good news to God's people. And it's good
news to the unbeliever too that There is a righteousness that
the law does not provide, and it speaks of that in all of Scripture. The righteousness that is required,
is needed, is not of the law. But it's also, as it said, there's
a warfare that goes on, and if Christ be in us, it said the
body's dead to sin, But the Spirit is life because of righteousness,
of His righteousness. And these at first may say, how
does this apply to what Jude has to say about saving the lost
or the confused or whatever we may see there? Some places call
them the backslidden, which I don't understand from the text, but
these things here speak directly to God's people and they speak
to the lost. That's where the only hope is,
is in His righteousness. And to deal with others, God's
people have to, they have to be in this spot, in this place
here before good news can be good news to somebody else. It
has to be good news to the bearer. You can only relate that which
you know, what you have. And I think that is always the
case. And turn to the book of 1 Corinthians,
if you would, please. Join with me in 1 Corinthians
in chapter 9. Chapter 9, I believe. Chapter 9. And here, Paul speaks about preaching
to the Jews in particular, but preaching that he has laid upon
him this burden of preaching. He says, woe to me if I don't
preach the gospel. It's not a nice thing to do,
but it's a necessity that God laid on him. And then starting
in a couple of verses, verse 22, Paul's speaking, it says, "...to
the weak became I as weak." that I might gain the weak. I am made
all things to all men, that I might by all men save some. And this
I do for the gospel's sake, that I might be partaker thereof with
you." And here's speaking about that and the Jews and the weaker
ones. And I think this bears on what
we're looking at in Jude. And it doesn't mean where it
says, I become made all things to all men that I might by some
means save some. And it doesn't mean that you
grovel in the gutter with the ones in the gutter or whatever.
It's not speaking of that at all. But I think it speaks about
the, again, the attitude and the thought that we are made as it says, all things to all
men, we are made of the same substance of those. And when
it speaks about, the scripture speaks about correcting someone
or those type of things. It's not as the authority taking
care of business with somebody that needs taken in hand. But
it's with a mind to that we're the same lump that we are all
of. And I think that we're going
to see a couple of thoughts that make it kind of hard to do other
than Recount just what the scripture
has to say and as it says here that that I might by all means
save some and I and I think what he's not Saying that by his power
and might that he'd be saving anyone but that the that the
word brought the scripture is the only Power of God unto salvation
is the word that that we have in and by the Spirit using that
and then in And then back up, back to Romans
for one spot in Romans chapter 15. Romans chapter 15. Reading the first four verses,
5 verses, Romans 15. Now, the God of patience and
consolation grant you to be like-minded one towards another according
to Christ Jesus, that you may be with one mind and one mouth,
glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Wherefore,
receive you one another as Christ also receives us to the glory
of God. Now, I say that Jesus Christ
was a minister of the circumcision for truth, of God to confirm
the promises made to the fathers. But up here in particular where it speaks about Verse two,
it says, let every one of us please his neighbor for his good
to edification. For even Christ pleased not himself,
but as it's written, the reproaches of them that reproached thee
fell on me. And I don't think that pleasing means the answer
they want to hear, but every one of us, the things that are
done with others, the weak, as it talks about, The ones that
have issues to deal with, it says, the last phrase is, for
his good to edification. And a lot of times I think the
scripture is used to hammer on someone and not for their edification. And that should be the spirit
and the thought and the intent of the gospel going to the lost. In Galatians, turn to the book
of Galatians, if you would, please. Galatians chapter one, and starting
with verse six. It says, I marvel that ye are
so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of
Christ unto another gospel, which is not another, but there be
some that trouble you and would pervert the gospel of Christ.
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel
unto you, than that which ye have preached unto you, let him
be accursed. As we said before, so say I now
again. If any man preach any other gospel
unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed. For do I
not persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For
if I yet please men, I should not be the servant of Christ.
But I certify you, brethren, that the gospel which was preached
of me is not after man. For I neither received it of
man, neither was I taught it, but by the revelation of Jesus
Christ." And this is the, if we have any truth, if we have
any knowledge, if we have any light at all, That's the same
in here. It's a warning to those that
have turned from the gospel of Christ to another gospel that
he said is not a gospel, and that if any man preach or hold
to any gospel, and Paul says here that, unto you that ye have
received, let him be accursed. And I certify you, brethren,
that the gospel which was preached to me is not after man, and neither
I received it of man, verse 12, neither was I taught it, but
by the revelation of Jesus Christ. And if we have any truth and
any knowledge and any light that we hold to about that, it's been
given to us. It's been revealed. I don't know how many times I've
read passages that I had no comprehension of that, and at a later date
it seems perfectly clear. And it's not just by the reading
of the words themselves or the language, but it's of God to
take these, and that's His business, that He takes His Word by His
Spirit and and plants it in his people.
While we're in Galatians, turn to chapter 5 of Galatians, please. Chapter 5, and we're going to read just
a spot here. Chapter 5, verse 16, it says, This I say, then, walk in the
Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lusts of the flesh. For the
flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh.
And these are contrary the one to the other, so that ye cannot
do the things that ye would. But if ye be led with the Spirit,
You're not under the law. And that's in verse 25 and 26. If we live in the Spirit, let
us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not be desirous of vainglory,
provoking one another, envying one another. And if we, these
are the, I think, the thoughts and the things that God would
have his people be mindful of, of where they are before you,
or correcting anyone else, that we have to be in that position.
And then, once again in Jude, as we finish, Now to him that's able to keep
you from falling, verse 24, and present you faultless before
the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise
God our Savior be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now
and ever. Amen. Thank you.