Tag Archives: Advent

Jude 1- Spiritual Warfare

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Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee. Jude 1:9

The Apostle Jude is once again revealing the spiritual warfare that is going on behind the scenes that most people don’t even realize. As the Apostle talked previously about the Nephilim (Fallen Angels), he talked about Sodom and Gomorrah, and he now brings up an event most people probably never realized happened. 

We see Michael, the archangel, who is the leader of the angels (Revelation 12:7) is battling with Satan and his demons. There is a real spiritual warfare going on around us everyday and most people are oblivious to it. Most people are too distracted by their technology, by their work, by their entertainment, that they don’t even realize their is a battle going on for their soul. 

As the Apostle Paul said “For we don’t wrestle or struggle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness or evil in heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12) You are not just fighting against people, you are fighting against Satan and his demons, you are fighting against demonic forces that are coming against you, to try and destroy you. 

Look at the literal spiritual warfare that went on for the body of Moses. Satan wanted to try and steal the body of Moses, we can only image or guess he would probably try to make it an idol. As we know the nation of Israel repeatedly fell for idols, they worshiped the golden calf, and Satan knew they would worship the body of Moses. Think about all the events Moses led the Israelites through with the power of God, the parting of the Red Sea, the plagues, there is no doubt many would attribute this success to Moses himself.

But God was not going to allow this, and Michael the ArchAngel hid the body of Moses, to where nobody still knows where his body was buried to this day. As it tells us in scripture “And He buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, opposite Beth Peor, but noone knows his grave till this day” (Deuteronomy 34:6) It’s pretty interesting the author says “He buried him” and Jude gives us the commentary on this scripture that it was Michael who buried the body of Moses where no one would know where it is.

Now this story might seem strange to us at first glance, but think about it, this is just one event that was documented in the Bible, think about all the events or battles that are taking place on a daily basis between Christ and Satan. The war is real, however the good news is we already have victory in Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:570, The Lamb has overcome! (Revelation 5)  Amen!

Jude 1- Sodom and Gomorrah

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as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. Jude 1:7-8

While today’s Liberal Progressive Christianity likes to claim that God is fine with homosexuality and other sexual immorality, the evidence of Sodom and Gomorrah is clear, God’s view on these practices are not favorable and there will be severe judgment to those who remain in this lifestyle.

Sodom and Gommorrah is a clear sign God will reign judgment on the wicked and immoral. Many today would like to say , this is just a made up story or a fable, however not only is there archeological evidence today, you can research it. Look at the words of our Lord Jesus Christ “Truly it will be more bearable for Sodom and Gomorrah on the day of judgment than for that town” (Matthew 10:15) Jesus used Sodom and Gomorrah as a standard for the judgment to come for those who are not saved in Christ

So as you see, Jesus Christ himself affirms the story of Sodom and Gomorrah in the Old Testament, but also today the Apostle Jude under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit affirms Sodom and Gomorrah also. So what can we learn from this tragic event? As the Apostle says “have given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh” Sexual immorality is a big sin in Gods eyes, so what is sexual immorality? As Jesus defined the covenant of marriage, any sex outside the covenant of marriage of one man and one woman is immoral. (Matthew 19:4-6, Genesis 2:24)

Now if we remember the story of Sodom and Gomorrah, the men were so sexually depraved, they wanted to rape the angels that came to bring judgement upon the city. (Genesis 19:5) As the Apostle Paul wrote “God gave them over to a reprobate or depraved mind” (Romans 1:28) People become so deep into their sin, they become totally depraved, living for the flesh and becoming like a human animal. 

Notice the phrase here by the Apostle “gone after strange flesh” this can also be translated as unnatural and perversion. This is a clear reference to homosexuality, as the Apostle Paul says “men leaving the natural use of a woman, burned in their lust for one another, men with men, committing what is shameful (Romans 1:27)

It’s clear the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was a warning by God for the sexual immorality committed by the world. As the Apostle Jude warns “suffering the vengeance of eternal fire” The sins of the world as a broad road leading to Hell

But there is good news through Jesus Christ, we can become Born Again in Christ (John 3:3) We can be set free from our sins (John 8) As the Apostle Paul said “Such were some of you, but you were washed, you were sanctified , but you were justified in the name of our Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God (1 Corinthians 6:11)

Jude 1- Fallen Angels

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And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day Jude 1:6

The Epistle of Jude is small compared to other books in the Bible, however it is packed with wisdom and very interesting theological concepts. One of the very debated topics of Christianity is the “fallen angels” of Genesis 6. The Apostle Jude under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit gives support to the fallen angels of Genesis, so what can we learn from them?

The first thing we see is “the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their abode or dwelling” God created the race of angels totally separate from humans he made in his image. It’s interesting to think about , there are non-human races created by God for his design and purpose. The angels have specific roles and duties assigned by God, the word angel comes from the Greek word “angelous” meaning messenger. Being messengers of God is one of their roles, besides being warriors and protectors of Gods Kingdom. 

However a large number of angels left their God ordained positions to commit sexual immorality with the woman of the Earth. (Genesis 6:2) This created the hybrid race of the Nephilim, part angel and part human, where they became giants and an evil race (Genesis 6:4) This is part of the reason God needed to flood the Earth, to cleanse it from these abominations and evil that covered the Earth. 

Now there are Christians who don’t believe this hybrid race of the Nephilim ever existed, however I believe the Apostle Jude and the Apostle Peter support the narrative of Genesis 6. 

As the Apostle Peter states “For if God did not spare the angels who have sinned, but cast them down to Hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment’ (2 Peter 2:4) What is this great sin that the angels have committed? They fornicated with the woman of the Earth and created a hybrid race which is an abomination to God (Genesis 6)

What can we learn from the angels? We were all born with a position of authority with God. Many men have abandoned their roles as fathers, husbands , pastors, elders, ect just as the angels did to pursue sin. Many women have abandoned their roles as mothers, wives, daughters, to pursue sin also. God created and designed you with a purpose, you will never find fulfillment outside the will of God in Jesus Christ

As the Apostle Jude states “He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day” The judgment day of Christ is coming, are you ready? Don’t be like the foolish angels, don’t be like Esau who sold his birthright for temporary carnal pleasure. As the Lord Jesus said “Deny yourself, Carry your cross, and follow Christ” (Matthew 16:24) Amen!

Jude 1- Faith in Christ

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I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. Jude 1:5

Today we are going to take a look at maybe one of the most interesting verses in the entire New Testament. The Apostle Jude under the influence of the Holy Spirit makes reference to the Exodus of the Israelites, however Jude gives us a deeper revelation, as He reveals it was Jesus Christ who actually led the Israelites out of Egypt and through the wilderness.

This little detail brings so much confirmation to our essential doctrines of Christianity, such as the Trinity and the Deity of Christ. Yes Jesus Christ is God incarnate, if there is any doubt of that, you would have to reject text such as this from the Apostle Jude. If you actually look at  the original Greek, its actually the name of  Jesus (Lesous) instead of Lord (Kyrios) There is no doubt , it was our Lord Jesus Christ that was with the Israelites throughout the entire Exodus and beyond

So lets get into the heart of the text, what is the point the Holy Spirit is trying to make here? Some would suggest this text supports the idea you can “lose your salvation”, as if somehow you earned your salvation and then somehow you lost it. As you can probably tell, I reject this idea of losing your salvation, because first of all you never earned your salvation to begin with. The grace of God is something we can’t earn , its a gift of God , so none of us should boast (Ephesians 3:8-9) This idea that we did something to gain favor with God, and then lost it, in my opinion is a complete lack of understanding of the grace of God

So what is the Apostle Jude talking about? And how did these Israelites become destroyed? The late Dr. Michael Heiser made an interesting point, and I’m paraphrasing from the top of my head. But he suggested election and salvation are not the same thing, just because someone is an elect doesn’t mean they are automatically saved. And we can apply this to even todays world, there are alot of people who are born of Jewish descent, does that mean they are automatically saved? No, the only way to salvation is to be Born Again in Christ, so the fact that these are Israelites and they were still destroyed shouldn’t be a big hurdle for us to wrap our minds around.

What is the difference between the Israelites that were saved or anyone who is saved? As the Apostle Jude state here “afterward destroyed them that believed not” Again if we look at the Greek, we can see the root word “Pistis” which is primarily translated as faith, that is translated as believed. These people didn’t truly have faith in Christ for salvation, this is what separates all of us from salvation. We can’t save ourselves or earn our salvation, its genuine faith in Jesus Christ that can only save us, Amen!

Jude 1- Contend The Faith

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Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. Jude 1:4-5

If we are being honest right now, Christianity is a mess. Liberalism has crept into the majority of our denominations, and has misled most people with a false gospel denying the Deity of our Lord Jesus Christ. As you can see, this is nothing new in the Church, as the Apostle Jude was dealing with this already in the first century. 

As the Apostle Jude wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “Concerning our common salvation” We are united by Christ, and we are united by basic doctrines that are not negotiable. The Trinity, the Bible is the inspired Word of God, the Deity of Christ, these are doctrines most false groups deny and are unfaliable. These are doctrines that unite true believers in Christ. The true gospel message that we are all sinners, Christ became a man and died on the cross for our sins, and Christ rose from the dead on the 3rd day defeating sin and death forever. 

If you want to be able to discern false teachers and false religions, look for the red flags. Do they deny the Bible is the inspired Word of God? Do they deny the deity of Christ? Do they deny we must become Born Again? 

As the Apostle Jude continues to say “for certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men” We see this even today, look at what just happened to the UMC, wicked reprobates infiltrate the Churches and implement heresies to mislead the masses. They are ungodly and they are planted by Satan to try and destroy the Church

But as a Born Again Christian, you need to be led by the Holy Spirit, you need to be grounded in scripture, you need to be in prayer with God continually, and you won’t fall for these traps of Satan. As the Apostle John said “Don’t believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone into the world” (1 John 4:1)

“They turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny our only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ” A common denominator with cult groups is they employ a “works based salvation” they deny the grace of God through our Lord Jesus Christ, they say you must do this and that or you can’t be saved, let them be accursed! (Galatians 1:8) The only way to salvation is through our Lord Jesus Christ, its by grace you are saved, beware for false religions and false groups who promote heresies! Amen!

Titus 3- Avoid Stupid Arguments

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But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned. Titus 3:9-11

If there is a theme for social media, its right here, as the Apostle Paul said “Avoid stupid arguments” Ok I’m paraphrasing that , but we get the point. Stop wasting our time on dumb arguments that are not fruitful for anything. As the Apostle Paul says here “they are unprofitable and useless”

Next time you get into one of these arguments or debates, ask yourself “What is the point of this conversation”? Are you glorifying God or are you just trying to win an argument? Some people just want to argue for the sake of arguing, they have no real desire for truth. Discern , is this person really interested in hearing the truth? 

Another good question , “Is this topic relevant to their salvation”? Alot of Christians like to waste alot of time on non salvational issues, such as the timing of the Rapture or is the Earth old or new? While these can be interesting topics, and we can really dive into these, getting these “wrong” is not going to condemn you to Hell. We need to stay Kingdom focused. 

Now what about the person who just continually argues with you about the same thing over and over again? Well the Apostle Paul addressing this also “reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition or warning” If someone is preaching heresy and you correct them, if they won’t listen, you are to move on. One thing we need to learn is we are not the Holy Spirit. We are not going to be able to change peoples hearts and minds, we are not going to be able to make people repent of their sins, we are not going to regenerate them, these are all jobs of the Holy Spirit. All we can do is preach the truth faithfully

Many Christians spend too much time trying to convert a particular individual, thats not your job. If you shared the gospel with them and the love of Christ, there is nothing more you can do. Let God do his work and we do our work, the Church wastes too much time in pointless arguments and trying to be the Holy Spirit. 

As the Apostle Paul states “these people are self condemned” if you already shared the gospel with them, and they rejected the gospel, they have condemned themselves. You are not the Holy Spirit that is going to change their mind and heart, move on to more lost souls that are willing to receive the gospel, preach the gospel to all the nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen!

Titus 3- Heirs of Hope

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Which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour; That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 3:6-7

What gives you hope in life? There is only one thing that can give you real hope in this world and that is Jesus Christ! As the Apostle Paul teaches us today by inspiration of the Holy Spirit “Made heirs according to the hope of eternal life” Through Christ we are made Heirs of Hope, this is a living hope, not like the world that is fading away

As we talked about previously, we must be Born Again (John 3:3) we must be regenerated by the Holy Spirit, the Apostle Paul continues today “Which He (Father) shed on us (Holy Spirit) abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, notice the Trinity in clear display here for your salvation. The Holy Spirit is poured down upon the children of God, this is the baptism of the Holy Spirit (John 3:5) this is the regeneration.

And not only are we Born Again, then as the Apostle Paul says “being justified by His grace” We then become justified before God the Father for our sins, how? This is why Jesus Christ went to the cross, to pay the penalty for your sins, so we can be justified before God the Father. As the Apostle Paul says “He made him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, so that we can become the righteousness of God in Him (Christ)” (2 Corinthians 5:21)

So God cleans us and then redeems us, through the Father, Son , and Holy Spirit. This is our living hope, this is the true gospel, everyone who repents and puts their faith and trust as Jesus Christ as Lord, shall be saved (Mark 1:15, Acts 2:38) 

So again I ask you the question, what gives you hope? Is your hope in yourself? Is your hope in your wealth? In your health? In your own righteousness? Our only living hope is through The Lord Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sins, and rising on the 3rd day , giving us eternal hope and victory!

As the Apostle Paul says here “Made Heirs according to the hope of eternal life” We are Heirs of Hope because Christ Is Risen, Christ Is Risen Indeed! Amen!

Titus 3- Regeneration of The Holy Spirit

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For we ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. But after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; Titus 3:3-5

One of the doctrines that doesn’t get talked about very much today is regeneration of the Holy Spirit. There are many who claim to be Christians, yet see no change in their life. There are others who claim to be Christians, and then one day decide they no longer believe. How does this happen? Well the simple question is, were they ever Born Again (John 3:3)? 

Christianity is not just another religion, its not just a title or status someone claims or is born with. To be a Christian, meaning your identity is in Christ, you have to be regenerated or reborn by the Holy Spirit. This is a total supernatural transformation of your entire soul. As the Apostle Paul said “You are either Alive in Christ or dead in sin” (Ephesians 2:5) 

As the Apostle Paul says here “for we ourselves also were” notice the past tense, before we became saved we were depraved, we were dead in our sins. When we become saved in Christ, we don’t remain the same as we were. It’s impossible to become Born Again, baptized by the Holy Spirit (John 3:5) and not be transformed in Christ. If you are still the same creature you were when you became saved, then I would have to say , something is wrong! You can’t have the Holy Spirit living inside of you and not transforming you!

Now the next point I want to make, is we are saved by the grace of God and not of ourselves. (Ephesians 2:8-9) As the Apostle Paul says here “ But after the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared” Why are any of us saved? Because God loves you, that’s simply it. God has chosen you and saved you because He loves you (Ephesians 1:4) 

The fact you are saved is all glory to God and no credit to yourself, as the Apostle Paul says “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us” Its by the works of Christ we are saved not by ourselves. If we did anything to save ourselves then it wouldn’t be grace. The only reason your saved is because Christ has chosen you and showed his love and mercy towards you

So what happens when we become saved? As Jesus said “You must be Born Again” (John 3:3) As the Apostle Paul says here “washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit” You are made alive in Christ by the Holy Spirit, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit are all working together in unison for your salvation. The question I want to leave with you is Are you Born Again? Have you been regenerated by the Holy Spirit? Are you a new creation in Christ? Amen!

Titus 3- Law and Order

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Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates, to be ready to every good work, To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men. Titus 3:1-2

As we look around the world, we see chaos and the breakdown of civil law and order. So how does God maintain Law and Order in a fallen world? This is why God has ordained the governments and law authorities and put them in place, to try and restrain evil and maintain some sense of order. 

As the Apostle Paul said this under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit , “Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God.” (Romans 13:1) We learn a few things here, first God ordained all the governments of the world for order and structure, and we are to respect the authorities that are above us, to the best of our abilities.

This is the same the Apostle Paul is saying here to Titus “Put them in mind to be subject to principalities and powers, to obey magistrates” We as Christians are to strive to live in peace with everyone (Romans 12:18) To be a good example for the rest of the fallen world, that includes paying our taxes and obeying the laws of the land. As the Lord Jesus said “Render to Caesar what is Caesers and Render to God what is Gods” (Mark 12:17) Give to the governments what belongs to the governments, and give to God what belongs to God. 

Now of course because we live in a fallen world, the governments are all corrupted, and some are very wicked and evil. Some governments abuse their authority and use it to oppress the people. So what do we do when the laws of the governments conflict with the laws of God? Well as the Apostle Peter and the other Apostles  said “We obey God rather than man” (Acts 5:29) When the laws of the government conflict with the laws of God, we always obey God first before men. This obviously sometimes will have repercussions, but we must stay obedient to our one and only Lord Jesus Christ

A good example is when King Nebuchadnezzar was forcing everyone to bow down to his golden statue. The Hebrew men refused because it violated the law of God, which overrides the law of man. The consequences meant death, as they were thrown into the fiery furnace, however there was a 4th man in there, the Son of God, Jesus Christ, who spared their lives. We must remain faithful to God even if it means persecution or even death. (Daniel 3)

We worship a God of Law and Order, not a God of chaos or confusion (1 Cor. 14:33) Obey The Lord and strive to live in peace with everyone, the world is not our home, our Kingdom is eternal with The Lord, Amen!

Titus 2- The Gospel

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For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men, Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world; Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee. Titus 2:11-15

Today we look at some powerful words and revelation from the Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men” God has become flesh in our Lord Jesus Christ, those who deny the Trinity deny the Word of God. Salvation has appeared to everyone, the Word became Flesh and dwelled among us, Christ was not just another man or prophet, Jesus Christ is God in human form.

What did The Lord Jesus teach us? As it is written in the Word of God, “denying ungodliness and worldly lusts” This idea we just say we are a Christian and continue to live in our sins is unBiblical. The liberal , progressive, watered down gospel of today saves nobody, as Jesus said “Unless you are Born Again, you can’t see the Kingdom of Heaven” (John 3:3) You must be reborn , you must be regenerated by the Holy Spirit, you can’t remain dead in your sins and alive in Christ (Ephesians 2)

How should we live? As it is written, “ we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world”  There should be evidence of our conversion, there should be fruits of the Holy Spirit being produced, if you continue to live like the world, dead in your sins, then what did Jesus save you from? Christ came to set you free , not keep you in bondage of sin (John 8) If the Holy Spirit is truly living inside of you, then how can there be no fruit of the Holy Spirit being produced? (Galatians 5)

So what is our hope? As it is written “looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” Again notice the Apostle Paul literally calls Jesus Christ God. Secondly, all our hope is in Jesus Christ and not ourselves. We have this living hope, because Christ is Risen, Christ has overcome the world and the grave, we have Victory in Jesus Christ, our great God and Savior

What did Christ do for us? “He gave himself for us” Christ died for our sins, why? “That He might redeem us” Christ justified us before The Father by paying the penalty for our sins. And then notice what Christ did, “And purify for Himself his own special people” Christ baptized us with the Holy Spirit, regenerating us and setting us apart as His Church, the Children of God

The Apostle Paul ends with instructions “Speak these things” Preach the true and undefiled gospel, Repent of your sins and put your faith in our Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, who died for you, redeemed you, and purified you , Amen!