The title of my message this
morning is Our God, His Enemies, and Blessed Security. Our God,
His Enemies, Blessed Security. It is a message you need to hear. It is a message that needs to
be heard by everyone walking topside of God's earth. If I
had a way to make everybody hear it, I'd see to it everybody heard
it. I say that without hesitancy because it is the message that
God the Holy Ghost gives by the pen of his servant Jude in the
25 verses of Jude's brief epistle. And let me give you a little
background as to what God used to inspire this message in my
own mind and heart. Most of you are aware that papacy,
that is the Antichrist religion of Rome, Roman Catholicism, I
want to be sure everybody knows exactly what I'm talking about,
has built its power over men by keeping them in subjection
in darkness, preventing them as much as possible from reading
the scriptures for themselves. And they do so under the pretense
that Well, the people can't understand that. So they need to have somebody
to give them out the word of God by piecemeal so that they
can understand that. I understand that with regard
to papacy, to papist infidels, to such ungodly people. But the
fact is there are many, many, many, many, who would denounce
papacy for doing so, who make the practice themselves. They
see things plainly stated in the word of God, plainly taught
in Holy Scripture. I mean so plainly taught you'd
have to pluck your eyes out not to see it. And they say, well,
you can't preach that. It might cause people to think
wrong. It might cause people to choose to live ungodly. It
might cause people to misunderstand the character of God if you're
just told that just like it is. And so they refuse to state things. One preacher, I've heard him
say it more than once, he says, I just can't preach that because
I don't want to give God's people any excuse to sin. Do what? You can't tell somebody what
God says because you're gonna protect them from God causing
them to sin. No, no, there's another reason.
And I know what it is. It's called envy. It's called
covetousness. It's called greed. Nothing else. Envy. Covetousness. Greed. I shall be not passed
by coming back from Sylacauga, the other day, passed by a church
building. I knew the congregation was there. I'd been written up by the preacher
a time or two, but it had a sign on the building that said, Sovereign
Grace Baptist Church. She called my attention to it.
So when we got back in town, I had been there to look it up.
Most churches have a confession of faith or a creed of some kind,
and people often ask me, so what's wrong with that confession of
faith? Nothing, nothing. You read what they say. I'm always
interested in what they say. I'm even more interested in what
they refuse to say. What they won't say. They won't say anything wrong.
We believe the Bible is the word of God. We believe in substitution.
We believe in the Trinity. We believe the book, the blood,
and the blessed hope. Hooray, hallelujah, amen. What about redemption? and God's
sovereignty, and election, and God's determination of all things
before the world began, an absolute predestination. They smile like
that thing down in Houston, Mr. Osteen,
we don't talk about things like that around here. I know why. Envy. greed, covetousness. No other reason. No other reason.
Now let's look here at this exhortation that God the Holy Ghost gives
us in these 25 verses. I'll call your attention to three
things. Our God, verses 1 through 3. His enemies, verses 4 through
19. And blessed security, verses
20 through 25. This needs to be understood.
The greatest danger there is in this world to the souls of
eternity bound sinners is not the ungodliness of the world,
but the ungodliness of religion. The greatest danger there is
to men and women in this world is not the ungodliness of the
world, The pimps, the prostitutes, the pushers, that's not the greatest
danger. The greatest danger is the ungodliness of religion. Religion that in the name of
God turns sinners away from God is ungodliness as it's described
right here in the book of Jude. The opening words of this epistle
are sweet beyond description. Jude addresses everything he
has to say to the church of God, to you and me, to all who are
born of God. Now, I know some folks get real
upset when I say this. This book is not addressed to
everybody. It's not written for everybody.
This book is addressed to you who believe God. to you who are
God's elect, to you who are redeemed by the precious blood of Christ,
to you who are called by God the Holy Ghost, to those who
are not God's elect, to those who are not redeemed by Christ's
blood, to those who are not born of God's Spirit and taught of
God being born of the Spirit, this book is so full of djinns
and snares, they'll trip up and stumble and fall over everything.
It's written for that purpose. It's written to ensnare those
who refuse to bow to Christ the Lord and to give edification
and strength and peace and salvation to those who believe on the Son
of God. The opening verses then speak
of it just that way. And then the greater part of
this epistle, verses 4 through 19, the greater chunk of this
passage is taken up describing God's enemies. the character
and the awful estate of apostate, reprobate preachers. These things
are written to God's saints for our consolation and instruction.
So when he gets done describing the character, the conduct of
reprobate preachers, men who despise the gospel, Jude sums
up his epistle by giving us a word concerning the blessed security
of God's elect. All right, let's look at it line
by line. I won't ask you to turn anywhere
else. Just hold your Bibles open here at Jude verses one through
25. First, Jude talks to us about
God, our God. His grace, his salvation. Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ
and brother of James. Jude was the half-brother of
the Lord Jesus. He was the half-brother of the
Lord Jesus. Now, Billy, if you were akin
to George Washington, I'll guarantee you, you would have told me about
it anytime I've known you. George Washington, he is my great,
great, great, great, great grandfather on my grandmother's side. We're
blood kin. I'm kin to George Washington.
Jude is the half-brother of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he doesn't
even mention it. He mentions something more important,
the servant of God. The servant of Jesus Christ. Oh, what an honor. What an honor. Better to be his
servant than be his blood kin. The servant of Jesus Christ,
brother of James. To them that are sanctified by
God the Father, set apart by God in eternal election for his
own. Declared by God from eternity
to be righteous and holy in Christ the Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world sanctified by God the Father and preserved Kept
in Jesus Christ preserved through the fall of Adam preserved through
all the ages of time Preserved through all the evil of their
own lives. Preserved in their ungodliness
and rebellion. Preserved as children growing
up in this world with a fist in God's face. Preserved in Jesus
Christ. The other night, I had a little
sleeping these days. Again, treatment's caused some
insomnia, but three or four o'clock in the morning, I'm laying in
bed and remembering some things. Preserved. Preserved. Kept alive until the
day God called you by His grace. Preserved in Jesus Christ. And
called. Called. Called by the Spirit
of God. called by the power of God, called
from death to life, called from darkness to light, called so
that you're called to live, called so that you find yourself believing,
called to Jesus Christ. And then he speaks of this, which
is the thing all God's called ones receive from him, mercy
unto you and peace and love be multiplied. Beloved, I gave all
diligence to write unto you of the common salvation. I picked
up my pen and started writing. I want to write to my friends
about the common salvation. It was needful for me to write
unto you and exhort you, not about the common salvation, but
that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once
delivered unto the saints. Now Jude's epistle was written
no more than 30 or 35 years after our Lord's ascension. Peter and
Paul, as our Lord Jesus himself had warned us and warned us and
warned us of false prophets, false preachers, false teachers,
heretics, Antichrist, who would spring up and bring damnable
heresies in the church of God. They would come with a Bible
in their hand, and they'd come with Jesus' name on their lips,
and they'd come in the name of God and preach you into hell,
teach you to believe things that would take you to hell, teach
you to believe things that would destroy your soul, not caring
a lick about you. They'd do it for their own advantage.
The Apostle Paul warned the saints at Ephesus, said, there will
be some who spring up out of your midst. Wolves who look like sheep, whose
only design is the devouring of the sheep. Jude and John lived
longer than the rest of the apostles, and they lived long enough to
see those warnings brought to pass in their day. John writes,
he said, many Antichrists are going out into the world. People
talk about Antichrist as though that's something future, it's
been around for 2,000 years. Antichrist is every form of religion
that turns you away from God. Every form of religion that turns
you away from Christ. Every form of religion that sets
your mind, your heart, your thoughts on yourself. Every form of religion
that would deceive you and take you to hell. Paul said, heresies
must come. This is not out of order. They
must come so that they which are approved, they which are
approved of God may be made manifest. And Jude urges us then to contend
for the faith once delivered to the saints. Earnestly contend
for the faith of the gospel, the faith of Jesus Christ crucified,
the faith of God, the faith that you first believed, the faith
you were taught by Christ our Savior. Earnestly contend for
that faith. As you began in faith, continue
in faith and don't be turned away from faith in Christ Jesus. This epistle begins as Jude does,
as Peter does, as Paul does by stating things so common about
this faith once delivered to the saints that they use it as
a salutation. They use it as a salutation.
He speaks about election, just presuming that everybody who
knows God knows they're elect. Everybody who knows God knows
they're elect. Do you believe in election? Well,
if you believe the Bible, you do. Well, we don't preach that
at our church. We'll go somewhere else. They understood. Jude understood.
Peter understood. Paul understood. These things
are common knowledge among God's people. We were chosen in Christ
unto everlasting salvation. They believe in preservation.
Preserved in Jesus Christ. Kept in Jesus Christ. Not kept
by our works. Not kept by our feelings. Not
kept by our experiences. Kept in Christ. Because Christ
can't fail, we can't fail. Because Christ can't perish,
we can't perish. Because Christ is accepted, we're
accepted. It doesn't in any way depend
on us. And then called. Called. The called of Jesus Christ. Being called of God, we're born
again. That's what the calling's all
about. Being called of God, we are made partakers of the divine
nature. Being called of God, we're made
new creatures in Christ. Being called of God, we have
life. That's what it is to be called.
The call of God, the Holy Spirit, Now come listen to me, listen
to me now. No saved sinner thinks it's just urging to try to get
you to believe on Jesus. No saved sinner believes that.
No, no, no, no, no. Only deceived folks. No saved
sinner thinks, God, the Holy Spirit, Jerry, he's pulling at
you now. If you let him, he'll save you.
No saved sinner believes that nonsense. Only our daughters
didn't believe that stuff. God's people are fully aware. They were called from darkness
to light. Called from death to life. And
the reason they believe is because they've been called. And Jude,
as did Peter and Paul, begins his epistle with an assumption. that everybody who's born of
God and taught of God, they understand the reason I trust Christ is
because He redeemed me, because God chose me, because God the
Holy Spirit called me. I understand. It's all by His
grace. And this is the work, this salvation, it is the work
of the triune Jehovah, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. chosen by
the Father's everlasting love, redeemed by the Son's precious
blood, called by the Spirit's sovereign power, because God
hath saved us and called us with an holy calling, not according
to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which
was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began. You see,
saved sinners unlike lost religious people. Sage sinners trace all
our mercies to eternity. We trace all our blessings to
eternity. We trace all God's mercy, grace,
and love back to God in eternity. Given us, done for us, performed
for us in eternity. Unregenerate, lost religious
infidels trace God's mercy to themselves, to their experience,
to the church, to their decision, not to God and eternity. Our salvation is described as
the common salvation because it is common to all God's saints. All believers are saved by the
same grace. ransomed with the same blood,
forgiven by the same mercy, called by the same power, given the
same life, heirs of the same eternal glory, possessors of
the same glorious inheritance. All right, second, look at verses
four through 19. Here, Jude describes those men
who are the common foes God's elect in every age. God's enemies
and our enemies. God's enemies and our enemies. Paul says they are enemies of
the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is
their belly, and glory in their shame. Verse four, beginning
here, Jude paints this horrid, horrid picture of reprobate preachers. For there are certain men crept
in unawares, they slither in like snakes, who were before
of old ordained to this condemnation. They don't take God by surprise.
They were ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men. How does he refer
to their ungodliness? Turning the grace of our God
into lasciviousness. These ungodly men ordained to
this condemnation, God sent them a lie that they might be damned
because they would not receive the love of the truth. And so
they turned the grace of our God into lasciviousness. In doing
so, they deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. They
deny the only Lord God, that is to say Jesus Christ our Redeemer. 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,
afterward destroyed them that believed not. And the angels
which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation,
He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness, under
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, giving themselves
over to every kind of deviant sexual activity and going after
strange flesh, behaving as Sodomites, men after men, women after women,
these reprobate people. are set forth for an example,
suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. That is, these false prophets,
you have example after example of folks who came out of Egypt
and perished in the wilderness. The angels who kept not their
first estate, the sodomites overthrown by God, verse 8. Likewise also,
these filthy dreamers. And remember, he's talking about
religious folks. He's talking about preachers. He's talking
about fellows who stand in pulpits Sunday after Sunday. These filthy
dreamers defile the flesh, not by teaching you to commit fornication
and be drunk and engage yourself in the practice of sodomy as
reprobate men do. Oh, no, no, no, no, no, no, no.
They defile your flesh by teaching you to do good. Be good. Be good. Good boys go to heaven.
Good girls go to heaven. Be good. Be good. Be sure you
be good now. They despise dominion. The word is lordship. And speak
evil of dignities. Speak evil of glory. Glories,
those glories involved in the lordship of Jesus Christ, our
God. Yet Michael, the archangel, when
contending with the devil, disputed about the body of Moses, that
is when Satan would raise Moses up to accuse Joshua back in Zechariah
chapter three and condemn Joshua, say Joshua can't be priest, he
married a Babylonian woman. The Lord Jesus, the great archangel,
Durst not, the word is chose not to bring against him a railing
accusation, but said the Lord rebuke thee. He spreads the merits
of his blood. And he says, take off those filthy
garments and put a crown on his head and put a clean robe on
him. I've washed him in my blood.
He says, the Lord rebuke thee, Satan. But these speak evil of
those things which they know not. But what they know naturally
as brute beasts, they go to Bible college, go to seminary, and
they get them a bachelor's degree, and then a master's degree, and
then a THD degree, and then a PhD degree, and then a PHM degree. And if they can't get any of
those, they get them a DD degree, any kind of something to make
them impressive to men. They learn a lot. They learn a lot. Oh, they're so very, very impressive. But everything they know, they
know like a dog being taught to fetch. Everything they know, they know
like a dog being taught to fetch. Nothing else. Not as Lindsay
said this morning, experience. There's all the difference in
the world. All the difference in the world. Anybody who's got
the patience and wants to do it, doesn't have to be real smart
to teach a dog to fetch. I've done it. You don't have to be real smart
to teach a parrot to talk. They know it's a brute beast.
They don't know about the teaching of God's spirit. They know only
by carnal reason. In those things, they corrupt
themselves. Verse 11, woe unto them. Woe unto them. Damned they must
be, for they've gone in the way of Cain. What? They're going in the way of Cain?
What's that talking about? The way of Cain is the way of
envy. Cain looked at his brother Abel. There's Abel. He brought a blood
sacrifice, a lamb. And God had respect to Abel.
God accepted Abel and his sacrifice. Abel got something that Cain
didn't have. Peace that passes understanding.
The perfect love of God that cast out all fear. Abel was smiled
on by God and he knew it. And Cain said, I can't stand
that. I'll kill him. I'll kill him. Cain's way is
a way of envy. The way it works. God won't accept
me and won't accept what I bring him. He thinks I'm not good enough
for him, then I'll kill Abel. These false prophets have gone
the way of Cain. And they reign greedily after
the era of Balaam. Balaam? Balaam for reward. Now this character Balaam, he's
something else. He's something else. Bill, he
knew God's people could not be cursed. He knew it wasn't possible. He knew God did not behold iniquity
in Israel or sin in Israel. He knew that. But every time
Balaam came out and said something to him, he said, well, let me
have $50 more and I'll go pray about it again. Give me another
$25 and I'll go pray about it again. It's gonna cost you $100
this time. I told you now this is what's
gonna happen, but I'll go beseech the Lord again. Greedy, greedy,
greedy. Grease my palms and I'll do what
you want me to. That's the way of Balaam. That's
the way of Balaam. Balaam, in order to retain his
position of prominence, both with Israel and with Israel's
enemies, both with the religious and with the irreligious, both
with those who claim to worship Jehovah and those who worship
Baal. He said, he said, fellas, you
don't have to be enemies. You can form yourself a ministerial
society, and you can all get along well, and on Easter Sunday,
you can swap pulpits, and everybody, you know, the Catholic go here,
and the Baptist go there, and the Pentecostal go there, and
the Anglican go there. Well, shoot, now we got Islam,
we gotta find a place for him to, you can go over here. We'll
all get along. We'll all go in the same place.
Don't you know that? All you have to do is don't say
a few things. Don't mention a few things like
God's sovereignty, like free election, like Christ being made
sin that we might be made the righteousness of God in him,
like Christ actually redeeming the people for whom he died,
like Christ being an effectual Savior. Now you know that's going
to cause trouble. That's gonna cause trouble. Don't
talk too much about man's depravity. People don't like to hear about
that. That'll just stir up trouble. Don't tell people that faith
is the gift of God, the operation of God. You gotta give man something.
You gotta let man have his choice, determine something. You gotta
give man a little something. So what you do is you just don't
say the wrong thing. and make sure you're pliable
and get along with everybody. That's the way of Balaam. Mix
the worship of God with the worship of idols and you'll be just fine.
Now I haven't read one in many, many years. I may go back and
read one again. The Southern Badgers Convention
was founded on the New Hampshire Confession of Faith. It was a
Baptist Confession of Faith many, many years ago. And you know
I've read that Confession of Faith dozens, if not hundreds
of times. Dozens of times. And there's
not anything in there that's bad. Not one word. Not one word that's bad. It just
doesn't say anything. It just doesn't say anything.
Everybody here could say, I believe that. And the fellow who denies
the Bible's inspired word of God could sign this, I believe
that. And the fellow who denies that Jesus Christ actually accomplished
the redemption of his people at Calvary could sign this, I
believe that. And the fellow who says that salvation is something
God offers you and if you will obey his offer, if you'll please
receive God's Christmas present for you, then you'll be saved
too, he'd believe that. He can sign it. What's the object? That's the way of Balaam. That's
the way of Balaam. It's the way of greed. Greed. You know what he says about it.
And they perished in the gainsaying of Korah. That's the same as
K-O-R-A-H back in number 16. Korah. The gainsaying. Do you know what Korah did? Korah
said to Moses, who do you think you are telling us that you speak
for God? Who do you think you are? I'm
not following any man. We're all holy just like you
are. Moses said, hang on a day, boy, you're gonna find out. You'll
find, God'll show you. God'll show you. Korah. Those rebels. who in the name
of God turn themselves in opposition to God's servants and seek to
destroy them. Read on. Verse 12, these are
spots in your feast of charity. They're spots, dark places. When they feast with you, feeding
themselves, That's what they do. They fleece the sheep for
themselves. Feeding themselves without fear.
They're clouds. Clouds without water. Just dark
spots. Clouds without water carried
about of winds. Their doctrine changes. Changes
just every little bit. Depends on where they're going,
to whom they're preaching. Depends on who they're with. Depends
what what group of preachers they run with. There are trees
whose fruit withereth without fruit, twice dead, plucked up
by the roots. They've got no fruit because
they are dead, dead through the Adam fall and dead under the
judgment of God and plucked up by divine reprobation by the
roots laying in the field. You can't expect anything from
them. Raging waves of the sea foaming out their shame. The
sea bellows up its filth from beneath so these foam out their
shame. Wandering stars like shooting
stars make a lot of noise and a lot of light for a little while.
To whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. Enoch also
the seventh from Adam that is the seventh generation from Adam
prophesied of these saying Behold the Lord cometh with 10,000 of
his saints Now we don't know anything about this prophecy
of Enoch's except what God the Holy Spirit here tells us We
don't find it written anywhere else It was likely an oral prophecy,
but it's a prophecy the Spirit of God lets us in on it was a
prophecy made back before the flood and The Lord's coming with
10,000 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. He's talking about his preachers.
Ungodly, ungodly, ungodly, ungodly. These are murmurers. They like
to gripe. Complainers, always talking bad
about something. Walking after their own lust.
That's what motivates them. Their envy, their greed, their
love of preeminence, their own lust. And their mouth speaketh
great swelling words. They talk big things. Oh, they're
so impressive. Man, he's so smart. He's so learned. He's so brilliant. Well, hold
on, hold on. Having men's persons in admiration. They preach as they do. They
behave as they do. Having men's persons in admiration. Watch it now. Because of advantage. Because of advantage. Because they're looking for something
for themselves. What an indictment. They're looking for something
for themselves. They do what they do in all their
religious activity because they're looking for something for themselves. They admire men because men can give. They admire men because men can
promote. They admire men and so they speak
to men whom they admire seeking something for themselves. Many, many years ago, I heard
Brother Mahan make a statement. It stuck with me. This applies to the man talking
to you. It applies to the man talking across the street. The
man talking across the street that way, or that way. It applies
to my friend Todd Nyberg. It applies to my friend Clay
Curtis. It applies to our friend going out to San Diego, Kevin
Thacker. It applies to every preacher. Brother Mahan said,
Brother Fortner, there are just two kinds of preachers in this
world. Those who use and those who are
used. Just two kinds. Those who use men for their own
advantage and those who are used of God for me. Only those two
kinds. One of those two kinds. The one
is God's servant. The other is one of these certain
men who slither into the church unawares. Verse 17. But beloved, remember
ye the words which were spoken before the apostles of our Lord
Jesus Christ. How that they told you there
should be mockers in the last time. who should walk after their
own ungodly lust. These are they who separate themselves. They separate themselves from
faithful men. Separate themselves from those who've taught them.
Separate themselves from men who've been their instructors.
Separate themselves from the brethren. Separate themselves
from the church of God. We've found something new over
here. And this is what you've got to
follow. Sensual. Sensual. Everything they do, they do for the same reason Hugh
Hefner published Playboy Magazine all his life. For the same reason, sensual.
Because what they could get from it. Having not the spirit. Preacher, you saying these fellows
are lost, oh I wouldn't say that. God said it! Having not the spirit. These certain men crept in. These certain men, ungodly men. They're not charged with immorality
or something worse than that. They're charged with destroying
the souls of men, robbing God of His glory, despising the Lordship
of Christ, despising the glory of Christ, despising the doctrine
of God. They deny the only Lord God. Our Lord Jesus Christ, when they
deny the gospel of God's free grace in Jesus Christ the Lord. Their condemnation is a matter
of certainty. They were ordained to it and
God will bring it to them. And they will be judged of God. And when they are, the Lord God,
our Savior, will cause them to acknowledge before his judgment
bar. their just damnation for their
ungodly deeds. All right, look at the last few
verses of the chapter. Here, Jude speaks to us plainly
about the blessedness that awaits us as God's own. Our blessed
security in Christ. What about these reprobate preachers? What about these ungodly They're responsible for everything
they do. They must be marked, identified,
and avoided by you who know God. But when all's said and done,
they will do no harm to God's church. God's people are not in danger.
If it were possible, they'd deceive the elect. Bless God, it's not
possible. Christ says, my sheep hear my
voice. A stranger they will not follow.
Now look at the blessings he speaks of. But ye, beloved, build
it up yourselves on your most holy faith. What's that talking
about? Praying in the Holy Ghost. How
on earth do we do that? Building up yourselves on your
most holy faith. When first you believed, how did you come to God? What
did you bring to God? A preacher, I didn't have anything
to bring. That's it. I came as a poor, empty-handed, naked,
dirty, ruined, lost, damned sinner, looking to Christ for everything.
You keep hold just like that. Just like that. If you pick anything
up, you're going out of the way. If you pick anything up, you're
stepping out of the way. As you therefore receive Christ
Jesus the Lord, so walk ye in him. Read on. Keep yourselves
in the love of God. The word keep means guard. Guard yourselves in the love
of God. I enjoy something that You enjoy
who are gods, but not many people in this world enjoy. I enjoy
the knowledge of perfect love that casteth out all fear. I enjoy the knowledge of perfect
love that casteth out all fear. I know the love of God in Christ. I know God loves me with an everlasting
love. I know it for one reason. He's
given me faith in His Son. And I'm not going to exchange
that for anything. Not for a feeling, not for another
doctor, not for a step up the ladder, not for a bigger place
of influence, nothing! Nothing. Keep yourselves in the
love of God. Read on. looking for the mercy of our
Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Standing on the tiptoe of faith,
looking for the mercy of Christ to eternal life. That's it. That's what it, that's called
living by faith. And others, I'm sorry, verse
22, and if some have compassion, making a difference. Pity those
folks who are yet under delusion. And others save with fear, pulling
them out of the fire, having even the garment spotted by the
flesh. Several years ago, it's been,
oh, I can't remember how many now. Fourteen years ago, two couples
came to me. Thoughts of profit had taken
over in their place and they were asking me what to do. I
said to them, they came at different times, they weren't ganged up
coming, they were both concerned, both in the same place. I said,
I don't know your financial circumstances, but I think you can move anywhere
you want to and live comfortably, can't you?" They both said they
could. I said, I suggest that you find some place to worship
God and don't tell anyone you're leaving. And when you get to
where you're going, don't tell anyone why you came. Don't cause
any difficulty for this congregation. Maybe God will deliver them.
And don't get angry with your friends who haven't yet seen
what you've seen. They're staying for the same
reason you're leaving. Have compassion on deluded souls. Not on the
false prophets. Not on false prophets. Oh, no,
no, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. Those poor souls, deluded by
them. But you don't. Now, unto him that is able, and
he is, to keep you from falling. You have any idea how much poison
had been put on my table over the years? You don't have any
idea, and I don't want you to. I don't share it with you. How come, fortunately, you haven't
fallen for any of it? Because Christ won't let me go. That's all. That's all. He's able to keep you from falling.
And to present you faultless. Faultless. In His own glorious
righteousness and holiness. Faultless. Before the presence
of the glory of God they despise. with exceeding joy. Who is this
great Savior? The only wise God, our Savior. To Him be glory and majesty,
dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen. Amen.