Books of James & Jude - Greetings, The Faith & Ungodly persons 2 - Jude 1:1-4

OK, so when I saw my assignment of Jude 1 through 4 that Roger gave me a few weeks ago, I said, gee, four verses in two weeks, this is a snap. And I had no idea what I was getting into. And there's no room for cockiness here or even overconfidence. You're humbled the more you look into the word of God. So what we're going to do is very, very quickly summarize what we did last week.

And we're going to read verses 3 and 4 and study those today, but spend most of our time on 4. But let's read again, just to put things in perspective, Jude 1, 1 through 4. Who's going to read that for us? Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and a brother of James, to those who have been called, who are loved by God the Father and kept by Jesus Christ.

Mercy, peace and love be yours in abundance. Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once... I lost my line. Once for all. There we go. That was one for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. Okay, good. Thank you. So here's verse three.

Beloved, while I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith. So that's really the focus of verse three, contending for the faith, which was once for all handed down to the saints.

So as we provided substantial evidence for last week, the faith can be broadly interpreted either as the simple faith of the gospel, but more In context here, the set of teachings of the Apostles and Prophets that began before the Apostle, and we related that to, you know, even truth is exemplary of the faith, and in fact if you look at the Lord Jesus Christ, how many times did he use the truth, or I am the truth, the way, and the life, and the truth is a foundation of the faith. And finally, also the teachings of the apostles and prophets that ultimately go beyond Acts 9 when Paul was saved. So, I mean, the faith is an overly encompassing doctrine of Christianity. It's not only Christ died for my sins, was risen from death and resurrected to heavenly places, I'm saved, I have eternal life, that's the simple gospel.

But yet, the faith, I think, is all-encompassing and really deals with every aspect of biblical doctrine. and putting things in the right perspective, right? The Old Testament's not about us, but it's for us. I mean, we look at the Old Testament as a foundation for the New Testament, but yet the Old Testament's not church. The Old Testament's Israel. But God and his principles and his personage is no different in the new than he is in the old. Okay? All right, so notice the intent of the faith, which was once for all, handed down to the Saints.

How many times? I didn't put the answer to the question. I figured I'd challenge you today. Albert, speak out loud, please. Once. Thank you very much. You can go to the head of the class, but you're already there. And to whom? Who's the faith written to? Verse three. Howard, go ahead. No, he said it quiet. What James said? It was like too quiet, sorry. Okay. All right.

So, you know, this is foreign language to the non-saint. And I think that's going to be a theme you're going to see develop in verse four and throughout the rest of the book. We're talking about two types of people here. And I think this is so important in distinguishing to whom the epistle is addressed. So let's look at four. Now we're going to spend the rest of the time today on verse four. For certain persons, note that, have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ.

Anybody got a different translation they want to read? Actually, last week began converting me to the American Standard. No, not totally yet. I'm still the King James guy. First of all, and this I just alluded to, note that here in Jude we're really dealing with two kinds of manner of people. The first are the beloved.

So, verse 3, Margaret, read 17 James verse 20 please. I love seeing Margaret put on her glasses. You want me to help you find verse 17? Is this a difficult challenge this morning? Remember ye the words which were spoken before the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ. Alright, James. But ye beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost. It's a beloved, those loved of God, right? And those, that's the saints. That's who the faith, the content of the faith was written to, the beloved, right?

And then there's this other group, these, and the great, these certain other ones. And by the way, that, that word comes up time and time again here in Jude 4, 8, 10, 12, 16, and 19, we see this used of these other people. This is a distinguishing type of Greek symbol that really relates to another kind of these other people.

So the question comes up, are these people, really these apostates, really saved people who have gone astray? Or in fact, are they not of the Lord? And I think we're suggesting strongly here they're not of the Lord. OK, so let's drill down now and look at this in a little bit more detail.

Also notice that the verse begins with four. So what does for imply? Like therefore? Jay Vernon says, what's it there for? You're going to give a reason. What do you think it relates to, for? Contending for the faith. Good, good, exactly. So we're going to contend for the faith. For ultimately introduces how we're going to do this. And this is, again, why we should contend for it and ultimately verses 17, this is through verse 16, actually 4 through 16 talks about why we're going to defend for the faith and then in verses 17 through 23, how we're going to do it. So there's kind of a partition of the book of Jude into why and then how. Okay. Certain persons, exactly as stated, it implies disparagement. What's disparagement?

He doesn't give them a name. They don't deserve a name, this guy. Not worth mentioning. Beneath your consideration. Kind of low level, huh? Disparaging remarks are the ones that put you down. Okay. So this is a pretty punitive word, actually, to be used to these individuals. Certain persons is exactly as it's stated. These are certain persons. That's all you can really say about them.

And they've crept in unnoticed. And that's where it gets interesting. By the way, this crept in unnoticed is one kind of Greek verb, and it's the only New Testament use, kind of creeping in unnoticed. I always find when something's used once, it makes it kind of interesting. And the kind of literal interpretation is to enter secretly, by stealth, basically unnoticed. They may be among us. Keep your eyes open.

So look at 2 Peter 2.1. It's another good parallel verse for this one. And Doris, that's going to be yours here.

2 Peter 2.1? Yes.

But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privately shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord, that brought them and bring upon themselves swift destruction. Boy, if that isn't a good parallel verse, isn't it? Jude and Peter talk about the same types of people here. come in privily or unnoticed and are very subtle about their ways of going about changing doctrine and confusing the people, the body. But, you know, have crept in unnoticed.

Doesn't this kind of raise your suspicion? What's this all about anyway? Well, here's what I think is so challenging, who were long beforehand marked out. So how are we going to deal with this? and these God's robots that he's put into position to carry out these tasks to confuse us.

So, this looks kind of like it was planned long ago. I mean, it says they've come in unnoticed, and I think the verse says, long ago, who long ago were marked out. So, you know, that's being marked out was long ago, long beforehand they were marked out. So, if they have been marked out, by whom? Well, it's interesting, if you look at by whom, this long-ago phrase of modification often and almost always refers to God himself.

So, let's look at these two verses. Matthew 11, 21. Joy, can you get your Bible there? Good. And Hebrews 1, 1, let's go to Devani for that one. Now, read these slowly and carefully because it They are a little different, but they imply that something long ago was occurring and that God was in control of these particular passages in terms of this prophecy. Joy?

Woe unto thee, Chorazin! Woe unto thee, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. God after he spoke long ago to the fathers and the prophets in many portions and in many ways. Right so this long ago relates to kind of God being orchestrating these prophecies because of knowledge or intent long ago. But we have to be careful here for this condemnation The idea, gee, we're getting into Calvinism kind of doctrine here, that's what we want to avoid for sure. Sure, they're going to be condemned, but God knew that this would occur, but keep in mind that condemnation isn't what these people are orchestrated to have, it's what relates to God's judgment on their unbelief. Everything falls short of the glory of God, right? And it's God's grace. Everything. All of us.

Paul said, I'm the chiefest among sinners. So it's their unbelief that ultimately led them to being in a position of condemnation. It's God's judgment on all sin, right? And what's the unforgiven sin? It's unbelief. So I think this idea long ago, these people were known that they were going to be available and ultimately enter into the body of Christ and cause confusion there, will lead to condemnation because their path is one of destruction and unbelief. Everybody okay with that? Back up in John chapter 3 where Jesus says he that believes is not condemned, but he that does not believe is condemned already because he does not believe the name of the Lord. Good verse. That's great. That's good.

And you think of going to the Old Testament, Moses' confrontation with Pharaoh. and the verse that talks about Pharaoh's heart being hardened and you get into the same kind of question. Did God harden Pharaoh's heart or was it God allowed Pharaoh's world view to come to naught so that his name, God's name, might be glorified, etc. Jacob have I loved, Esau have I hated.

Did God hate Esau? No. Well, I mean, there are some people that would interpret it that way. Yeah, I don't want to get too far in, but the way it was in the scripture, where one could impute to God the intent to condemn. as opposed to a person being allowed to choose and then God saying that path leads to death. What do you make about your name being written in the Book of Life versus those whose names are not written in the Book of Life? Same kind of principle, isn't it? Believe or not believe. I mean, God would have allowed to come to himself, right, and be saved.

I mean, I think you've got to walk on that sand. You can't walk on any other sand. And right now we have no knowledge down here of who will be saved and who won't. God knows, but yet we'll have a different view when we're upstairs in heavenly places in terms of this whole process. But right now all men need to be saved.

So we can't get into this argument to say that God created robots like these apostates to be these other people or certain people who are going to come in and ultimately confuse the body. But I think God has written enough about this type of person that we need to be alerted to it. And Paul deals with this, Jude deals with it, Peter deals with it. So we're all warned about these type of individuals who are condemned, not because God had made them to be condemned, because long ago he knew that there would be such sorts that would be entering into our space.

And ultimately their condemnation is their unbelief. You can think of other, quote, groups of people who call themselves Christians that may in fact be these types of apostates. They're misleading people day in and day out through their gatherings and preachings.

Although this could be translated as preordained to condemnation, this result is still because these teis, or whatever it is in the Greek, these persons, are denied the grace of God. You know, they're denied the grace of God because they've not accepted the grace of God. They've denied God's grace. Yeah, Pat? The verse comes to mind, they loved the darkness. They loved it. They loved where they were. And you know, that comment makes me think of something to extend it a little bit.

You know, as we grow in grace and truth, the light of the Lord Jesus Christ shines increasingly into darkness. darkness around us but darkness within too. I mean we've come to the light and as the light continues to get brighter by God's grace and growth the darkness seems to be more apparent for what it really is. So I think as we walk in grace and truth these people should be noticed and quickly identified. And I don't know if we've, I can't remember, Roger may have examples in this church, I don't know if we've had too many of these people, but you would kind of be in a position to know more than I would. But I think other churches, for sure, I'm sure.

You know, I like what my colleague said about the word apostate, which we tried to define in the overview a little bit, with false teacher. And his thought process was, they're approximately equivalent. False teachers are are basically giving things that are not true of God. They're describing things that are not true from the scripture of God. Anyway, false teachers, it's a little easier to identify. Apostate sounds like a big word. This person is what we see from scripture. Actually, what's interesting is in Jude, he doesn't use the word apostate at all. Peter used it, but you did not. So false teachers actually is not a bad synonym for it.

And along that, so you kind of asked me about that. I was thinking about, you know, some people will come into a body believers and they have their own little belief and they'll try to gather others to come join me in this thing. We haven't had very many like that here, fortunately. We're very thankful for that. But that can happen in a body. Somebody comes in and they have their pet belief and they try to gather others that are contrary to what's being taught in the body. That's the only personal experience I've had with that kind of situation.

I know of others outside of that. Bonnie had this guy that she was writing to, Bishop Spong. He wrote about it. He's an Episcopalian Bishop. He denies everything about the deity of Christ. He denies everything. The whole nine yards. But he still says he's a Christian. It doesn't make any sense.

You know, there are people within the body, in our body probably to some extent, although I don't really know who that would be necessarily by identification, but other bodies of believers who clearly are kind of out in the left field about certain aspects of the doctrine, right?

I mean, you know, what about speaking in tongues? I mean, there are people who claim to speak in tongues and believe that's for today, where most of us don't believe it is for today. But I mean, there can be extremes of doctrine that can enter into the body, but these people are biblically saved. We're not talking about those as being false teachers. We're just talking about the faith maybe is not adequately contended for in people whose doctrine is not solidly biblical. I guess that's assuming we have the answer. I'm just using speaking in tongues as an example. I've asked people that have understood the truth and have rejected us, and they are teaching directly opposite of what God has taught.

But can that kind of person get into this body, do you think, and last very long? Not in our church, no. I'm not saying we're elite, but the point is, I have troubles envisioning this at Holly Hills, but I guess it's possible. And Macaulay said there's one other qualification. They have to have gone to seminary. To cemeteries? James, don't take that personally. Oh, I'm sorry.

We're fortunate we have so many people here who have had that experience and are putting that clothing on correctly. Okay, so a better interpretation is probably temporal on the consequences of the denial. I mean this condemnation relates to what's happening now under the circumstances that are existing in this body of believers. I mean it says long ago that ultimately This was known beforehand, these people would come in, these other certain persons would come in, but the better interpretation in terms of the condemnation is related to what's happening right now, even though beforehand it was already known. They weren't beforehand condemned, but knowing that they were going to enter into this behavior, now condemnation falls upon them.

I think that's probably the best way to interpret this. Ungodly persons, okay, so I mean already they're not beloved, right? I mean, again, this is a different kind of person that we're talking about here. Destitute of reverential awe towards God. So, I mean, what's the purpose here? What are these people all about? Is this self-glorification, do you think?

Or are these Satan-indwelled You know, individuals who are there just to contradict the truth of the word of God. I don't know, I mean, but they exist, I guess. They condemn God. But yet they, I presumably, come in unknown and unnoticed, at least for a period of time.

And here's an interesting phrase. I spent a fair amount of time on this, and I'm not sure I totally interpreted this. turn the grace of our God into lasciviousness, or licentiousness. What does licentiousness mean anyway? Well, you're back to doing things in the flesh, doing things in the old man, and saying, what I do in the flesh doesn't matter. The early church fought Gnosticism. Gnosticism went to say, OK, the spiritual life is all that counts.

This body is just for now. So eat, drink, be merry. Tomorrow we die. And that's no big deal, because the spirit, the soul life, is the important thing. So I'm going to fix my thoughts on spiritual things. I'm going to do my meditations and be one with the universe and do all these spiritual exercises. And what I do with the body doesn't matter.

And just like Paul, writing so strongly, what then, shall I sin more so that grace may more abound? No way. That isn't the idea of grace. But there were many teachers in this biblical time, when the church was first started, who took that principle of spiritual life and applied it to say, well, that's all that counts. Just like we studied the book of James, and James is countering that by saying, show me your faith by your works.

Live it out. It does matter what your conduct and your speech is. So they take the grace of God and say, God's grace and mercy and love cover everything. And so what you do in the flesh, lewdness is the word in my translation, licentiousness is the word here, but it's all about saying that what you do in the flesh doesn't matter because it's the spiritual life that continues. That's good.

I like that. But don't you think also that because this is talking about this, this gives The Christians that want to bring law back into the church, this gives them ammunition for that, because it says, if you're obeying these laws, then you won't do these fleshly things, because we're going to take care of that, so you're not going to have to go back into that. You know, it's interesting how certain denominations will pick out places in the Bible to justify going back under law. But law is there to condemn. That's right. Just like these people and their actions are condemned. Right.

The grace here could be applied to the faith which they're to contend actually and that's really in context what it relates to. Notice our can be equally interpreted as my God. The pronoun can relate to our personal God. Now, licentiousness, unbridled lust, excess, lasciviousness, wantonness, outrageousness, shamelessness, insolence. And I think ultimately, Al started us down on this path. Most often, this term is interpreted as sensuality. Now sensuality, many of these verses, we're not going to look at these, but many of these verses, I mean it's sexual immorality is what it means. But I think the idea that Al said, and Al maybe you can say it again better than I can, but the idea that these people are spiritual, but yet they have given all lust and freedom, all that it needs to manifest itself, right?

I mean, they basically want to live a life that's totally unlawful, if you will, but Margaret's right. I think it does kind of ultimately perpetuate the legal system being brought back in to what Christianity is all about, and that's grace. Because I think people don't understand grace. And so, I mean, how many times have I talked to someone about grace, and they'll say, well, If there are no rules, then I can just do anything I want, right? I mean, just kind of go back to what Paul said, then sin abounds.

No, it doesn't, because that's not the character of God. And when we're indwelled by the Holy Spirit, no, that's not what we would choose to do, just because that's not his character. But it is, I think, a license for a lot of those denominations to use, to say, well, if you don't have all these rules, this is what's going to happen to you. You're going to go down that road. But that's also a doctrinal error, is it not? But these, many of these, in fact, most of those people are saved people. It's just a matter of they feel that they need this legal tent above them. But in fact, It's not I but Christ who lives the life within me, right? And that's by faith. Well, they don't understand grace. They just don't understand grace.

You put it under your mashed potatoes, don't you? Yes. Let's not go talking about what shall we eat and what shall we drink and what shall we not when we had the discussion with the Corinthian church about eating meat off her titles and he If you just take those verses out of context, you could do much as Margaret is saying, you get yourself back into, I can do anything because all this stuff about my outward appearance is trivial compared to the spiritual. Now you can put this whole sensuality aspects under law and you never end up ending confessing, do you? I mean, this is ridiculous. I mean, the life of Christ separates ourselves from any kind of legal principle that relates to the sensuality that we're talking about here.

And I'm saying, how would this interpretation be interpreted in context? I mean, if this is really sensuality, are we expanding it far beyond sexual immorality? I think we have to. I mean, I think what I said at the beginning really encompasses a much broader perspective of what lasciviousness really is. But it is interesting, and most of the verses up there, in fact, I think nearly all of those verses have implied sexual immorality. So, interesting. Yeah, Pat?

So you're saying this is more than sexual immorality, it's just doctrinal error. Insolence, shamelessness, all these things could be interpreted more broadly than simply just sexual immorality. Well, like you pointed out in your print, in verse 8, when we get to that, somewhere down the line, they're called dreamers. Also these dreamers defile the flesh, which is the part that we're dealing with, the sensuality. So it goes on and says, reject authority and speak evil of dignitaries. So it's a broader category than just the usual things you think of with sensual nature. I become my own authority, so to speak. We set ourselves up in place of God. It's ultimately a prideful thing. I'm the teacher and you're the students and I know the truth.

Somebody want to read verse 10 also? But these men revile the things which they do not understand, and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed. So verse 8 and verse 10 both I think relate to this atmosphere of lasciviousness that these people described as living within. Any other thoughts here about this ultimately attributed attribution, while I'm trying to think of the word, of the type of behavior that these other persons, certain persons, are manifesting.

And it goes on to say, deny our only master and Lord Jesus Christ. Notice, our only master and Lord Jesus Christ. And master can be used for any master, or specifically for the Lord Jesus Christ. And here are a series of verses that deal with the Lord Jesus Christ himself.

So we have time. Let's take a look at these. So Margaret, 2 Timothy 2.21.

Pat, 2 Peter 2.1.

And Roger, Revelation 6.10, please.

2 Timothy 2.21.

If a man therefore purged himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honor, sanctified, and meet for the Master's use, and prepared unto every good work. 2 Peter 2.1 But there were also false prophets among the people, even as there will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Lord who brought them, he bought them, and bring on themselves with destruction. of those who have been slain because of the word of God and because of their testimony which they have maintained.

And they cried out with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, wilt thou refrain from judging and avenging our bloods on those who dwell on earth? So that again, same term used for master, reflecting obviously the Lord Jesus Christ as is stated there.

Now, deny, which is the emphasis of the verse, I think, is denying, ultimately, the Lord Jesus Christ. So, for certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation ungodly, who turn the praise of our God into lewdness, and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

So, not to accept, to reject, to refuse something offered. So, the denying is really to totally dismiss it. And this is the master in his doctrine and thus deserting his cause of really bringing them by grace to truth and understanding. So these people are obviously knowledgeable about the position they're taking and God and his truth have nothing to bear on their position in terms of their teachings and their ultimate presence within the body.

So denying is used in a lot of places too, I just have a number of verses listed for you which are easily read and ultimately show other examples of denying. And this is denying the truth of the word of God basically. And then in Titus, which we'll get to in a few more weeks in 16 and 17, it says, Unto the pure all things are pure, but unto them that are defiled, this group, these certain men, and unbelieving is nothing pure, but even their mind and conscience is defiled. They profess that they know God, but in works they deny him. being abominable and disobedient and under every good work, retrovate. So that really is kind of a scenario in terms of what these people are all about. And you know, I kind of said, how much are we aware of these certain people today?

I think, you know, if you're biblically based and sound in doctrine, meaning the faith and contend for the faith, they're easily recognized. But the young believer may be easily misled here. So what's our task before us here? We're the beloved, right? To profess the truth and to share the truth. I think it's not up to us to disparage the ungodly. I think it's our, because once people understand what the truth is, they will see, the Holy Spirit's going to be able to guide them and they will see what the untruth is. Well think of Bruce. Why don't you tell about Bruce a little bit. Remember what he said to you the other night at the dinner table?

Yeah, that he would like to believe. He would like to believe because people that surround him are all believers and he loves what they have and he wants to believe. But he's a skeptic. He wants everything to... He wants more evidence. He wants evidence. That's what it is. His wife is a saved woman. Yeah, his whole family is saved. But at some point, I think I want to sit down with him and say, well, you know, jump off that house over there. Well, you know, I'd fall. Well, you believe in that. That's unseen, but you know that that's true.

I mean, really, that's what it is. believing in things that are not necessarily seen. For us as believers, it's believing in what God has revealed. It's that simple. That's what faith is. You believe the word of God. This is what you believe. This book. One of those verses that you didn't have us turn to, you have listed on the bottom of your handout, page 5. Go ahead and read it. We have time. It puts it pretty well. Paul's writing to Timothy.

He says, For if we died with Him, Christ, we shall also live with Him. If we endure, we shall also reign with Him. If we deny Him, He also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful. He cannot deny Himself. Remind them, the people he's teaching, Timothy's teaching, remind them of these things, charging them before the Lord, not to strive about words to no profit, and so on, but the idea that the more you know about God, then the more you can trust him, the more of his attributes like faithfulness, and sovereignty, and whatever other things you want put into it, in addition to the love, mercy, and grace.

You never come to God through knowledge. That's right. That's the world system. More education, more knowledge is going to solve all the world. If I could come to God by my own mind, I'd be God. If I knew things like God knows. And I tell my parishioners this many times. I said, some of you are in here because you knew it all. You knew a better way. You didn't want to follow God's way. of teaching and maturing. That took too long. That was too hard. You wanted to find a fast and easy way to be successful or to accomplish whatever goal.

And it isn't really unseen in the sense that there is no evidence. I mean, the fellows when Yuri Gagarin went up in the Sputnik and said, I'm up in space and I see no evidence for God. That was conditioned by his worldview. When David looked out in the sky and saw the same thing from the earth, He said, when I behold the heavens, the work of your hands, the moon and stars, what you have ordained, what is man that thou art mindful of him? So when you put yourself at the top of the heap by your reasoning, I understand exactly where your friend Bruce is, because that's exactly where I was as a junior in college. I knew everything.

It's taken God a long time to teach me that I don't. But it comes to that attitude with which we approach God. Job and his comforters were doing all this lengthy argument about the nature of God and who He is and how He rewards people and how He judges people. On and on it went. And then eventually God enters in and says, Where were you when I laid the foundations? Where were you? And eventually Job says, I got it wrong. Sorry.

And when he gets the humble position of realizing who God is, it changes the whole outlook of what's going on in his life. In that 2nd Timothy passage, do we deny God on our daily walk? By things we say or think, yes. Okay, and how's that dealt with by the Lord according to those verses you just read? That he remains faithful, he cannot deny himself. What else does it say? Read those again.

If we endure, we shall also reign with him. If we deny him, he also will deny us. If we are faithless, He remains faithful. He cannot deny Himself. Okay, so do we deny Him? You're saying we can't. Oh, okay. Not in the sense of this word. No. Well, actually, I have a note. I studied this verse before and I shared this with a bunch of people. And if you look in that word deny, it's actually refuse in other situations.

So you could render this, according to Hebrews 11.24, it's rendered refuse. I haven't looked at the original, but so you could see if we refuse him.

I think if we're coming to the Lord in the flesh and self-centered, I mean, he's a perfect right to ignore that, right? I mean, he's not going to punish us for it. I mean, but the idea is he denies anything but the Spirit enlivening the Lord Jesus Christ within us, right? That's the Christian life. It's, I'm crucified with Christ, nevertheless I live, but not I, it's Christ who lives in me. And, you know, that's the Spirit-led life. And that's what God identifies and glorifies in our walk.

We don't pay attention to that. We live by faith. But when we deny him, by whatever means, by lust or covetousness or whatever. We're just in unbelief. That's right. I'm not disturbed by the fact that he's denying my presence when I'm in the flesh. He's denying all you're working at. That's why we lose our fellowship with the Lord. When we're in unbelief, we're not in fellowship with him. He's always there. He's ready for us to come back to him anytime. I mean, he never leaves us, but we're out of fellowship.

But the implications here is that these, if you will, false teachers, these certain persons ultimately have totally rejected God and denied the grace of God. And so therefore, I mean, positionally they're denied. They have no presence with the Lord. And this has all been beforehand known, and the condemnation will come upon them, either temporarily when they were doing it or ultimately when they leave their earthly bodies. So I think as we transition to Jude 5, you're going to see through 5 through 16 now kind of the continued battleground that exists, if you will, use that term loosely, with these certain people that are in our presence. And who's teaching next week, Roger? It'll be Jim. Jim's teaching next week, okay. So we'll let Jim pick up where we left off this week.

Any other thoughts about the first four verses? You asked the question there, how much are we aware of these certain people today? I think one thing that Christians sometimes don't appreciate fully is the work of the Holy Spirit in us for the power of discernment. We think of power in terms of activity and doing things. But I think one of the major works is discerning truth from error.

Discerning when doctrine is used for wrong purposes. as the none but the lonely heart. None but the hungry heart. Sorry, Freudian slip there. It's not very Freudian. You're all getting dealt with lasciviousness here. But the devotional for this morning had a good thought along that line.

Father, we are grateful to have the Word of God opened up. We presumably are often at times even unaware in the presence of these false teachers and apostates and other persons who don't belong here, give us the sensitivity of knowing these individuals. And although, you know, your judgment and condemnation may be upon their behavior, ultimately these people are in a position to need to know the Lord Jesus Christ. So maybe the vessels of truth that ultimately can bring them to a saving relationship. But we trust that you have us gathered here as the body of Holly Hills, and you will open up doors to these if you bring them our way, that we might grow through that grace and ultimately maybe see some come to salvation who are fraught with error. We're thankful for the teaching of the Word of God, the Holy Spirit being leading in each and every one of our lives, and we're thankful for the service that follows. In Jesus' name we pray, amen.