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1 Timothy 2- One Mediator

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For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time. Whereunto I am ordained a preacher, and an apostle, (I speak the truth in Christ, and lie not;) a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and verity. 1 Timothy 2:5-7

The world will tell you there are many ways to God, the world will tell you all roads lead to God, however all of this is a false deception by Satan. There is only One way to God is thats through Jesus Christ, as Christ said “I am the way, the truth , and the life, nobody can come to the Father (God) except through me” (John 14:6) Don’t be deceived by the world, listen to the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, God who became flesh, to deliver you from sin and death!

As the Apostle Paul reveals to us “there is One God, and One mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” There is no other way to God except through Jesus Christ, anyone who teaches another gospel , let them be accursed (Galatians 1:8) In ancient times, even today, you can’t just expect to walk up to a King or a President and be allowed to speak in their presence. No, you need a mediator, you need someone who verifies and approves you can stand before the King. This is the same with God, we are not worthy to stand in the presence of a Holy God. Nobody is worthy to stand before God, except for our Lord Jesus Christ, the sinless Lamb of God, who took away the sins of the world (John 1:29)

As the Apostle Paul also said “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him “ (2 Corinthians 5:21) Jesus Christ justified us before our Heavenly Father so we can be in his presence, so we can be reconciled back to God, so we can become children of God. That’s why Jesus Christ is the only way to salvation, nobody else can do this for you except Christ. Nobody else can atone for your sin except Christ, the sinless lamb of God. And nobody else can mediate between you and God, except Christ, the Son of God

Why did Christ come to Earth? As the Apostle Paul says here “Who gave himself a ransom for all” Jesus Christ came to reconcile you back to the Father, Jesus Christ came to give you the Holy Spirit, and Christ came to ransom for all who will repent and put their faith in Christ. Nobody else can do this, nobody else can be the ransom for your sin, so why are you praying to them? Why are you putting your faith and trust in anyone else but Jesus Christ alone? 

The Apostle Paul was a preacher of the Gentiles, to teach us the gospel or good news of Christ, that we can all be saved through Christ alone, that we can all become children of God through Christ alone, that there is salvation is no other name under heaven (Acts 4:12) except the One Mediator Jesus Christ, Amen!

1 Timothy 2- Pray for Everyone

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I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth1 Timothy 2:1-4

Here’s a question, have you prayed today? You might say, I don’t know what to pray for, well as the Bible says here “pray for everyone” The Apostle Paul here is instructing the Church to pray for everyone “be made for all men”. Often times people like to pray for themselves, but have you prayed for other people? Bigger question is have you prayed for your enemies? Have you prayed for the lost? Have you prayed for the Holy Spirit to reach the hearts of the unsaved?

The Church of Ephesus was doing a bad job at evangelism, it was apparent they were not focused on the unsaved, so the Apostle Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, instructed them to pray and make intercession for everyone. I think the majority of todays Church has done the same thing, most Christians forgot or don’t know the Great Commision commanded by Christ “Go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son , and Holy Spirit” (Matthew 28:19)

Most Christian communities get to self involved, they forget there is a whole harvest field out there ready to be plowed with the Word of God. Or alot of Christians have no heart for the lost. How often have you shared the gospel this week? Did you tell anyone about Jesus? Have you offered to pray for people? Prayer is a power intercession between Heaven and Earth, don’t forsake the lost

Here’s another question do you prayer for the governments and authorities? Theres alot of political division and tension in our country and world, and we know the governments for the most part are oppressing the people, so heres a radical idea, pray for them. Remember as the saying goes, its doesn’t matter who the president is, Jesus is King. God is in complete control, of even the governments, pray for Gods will to be done and the Holy Spirit to change hearts and minds

As the Apostle Paul says “strive to live in peace with everyone” (Romans 12:18) , thats what the Apostle says here also “that we may lead a quiet and peaceful life, in all godliness and holiness” As the people of God we live in peace and set apart from the world. While we may not agree with the governments, we are not at war with them, we live as good citizens, as the body of Christ here on Earth, the Salt and Light Christ has called us to be. Why? “This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior” We live in obedience to Christ and not the world, we live to please God and serve him.

Now the question is, why do we do any of this? As the Apostle Paul said “who wants all people to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth” God wants everyone to be saved and to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ.  This is your marching orders as the Church, fulfill the Great Commission, pray for everyone small and great, in Jesus name Amen

1 Timothy 1- Fight the good Fight

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This charge I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies which went before on thee, that thou by them mightest war a good warfare; Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck: Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme. 1 Timothy 1:18-20

Being a Christian is not for the faint of heart, as the Apostle Paul is preparing Timothy “that you may “wage the good warfare” or “fight the battle well” The Apostle Paul is preparing Timothy for spiritual warfare to come. To fight the good fight of faith, to stand strong in the face of evil opposition. This is the message we can take away also, fight the good fight of faith in the face of blasphemy and evil that is invading our Churches today, stand your ground, don’t compromise!

Now to back up a little, the interesting thing is it was a prophecy to Paul that TImothy would take over as leader of the Church. As Paul says “I commit unto thee, son Timothy, according to the prophecies made concerning you” Timothy wasn’t selected because of his credentials or because of social favor, Timothy was chosen by God to continue the work Paul had started. When selecting leadership in the Church, do we ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance? 

This next verse I think is very relevant to state of the Church today “holding faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and concerning the faith some have suffered shipwreck” If we are to describe the current state of the Church today, I think a shipwreck might be a good description. Many Christians have not held to the faith in good conscience, they have compromised the true gospel, they have compromised the foundational doctrines of the Church, the have compromised their own souls for the sake of unity , money, and power. In return, their faith has become shipwrecked, can you in good conscience stand before The Lord and say I fought the good fight of faith?

Now next the Apostle Paul has called out some false teachers in the Church by name, Hymenaeus and Alexander, now the Church today would say “thats not Christian” But Paul being a shepherd of the Church is protecting the flock from the wolves, its very Biblical and Christian to call out and rebuke false teachers that have invaded the Church. To stand by and allow wolves to devour the Church is blasphemy and the blood is on your hands also. Remember this is a spiritual warfare, this is not a country club, this is a battle you have agreed to enter.

These false teachers have “been delivered unto Satan so that they may learn not to blaspheme” they are apostates , driven by their own lusts and greed, and have been handed over to Satan to be tormented for their wickedness. As the Apostle James taught “My brethren, let not many of you become teachers, knowing that we shall receive a stricter judgment.” (James 3:1)

Fight the good fight of faith, stand strong in the face of blasphemy and wickedness, remain in good conscience with our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, Amen!

1 Timothy 1- Our Testimony

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And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious: but I obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant with faith and love which is in Christ Jesus. This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life everlasting. Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Timothy 1:12-17

Have you shared your personal testimony with anyone recently? Have you told people what Jesus Christ has done for you? Our personal testimonies are the most powerful evidence of Gods power and salvation. People can refute the existence of God, however they can’t refute your personal testimony. They can’t deny the evidence of Gods salvation presented before them. 

This is what the Apostle Paul is sharing with us, he is a walking testimony for Christ. As Paul said “I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry” Notice God is the one who qualifies and calls us for ministry, its not man. There are many people in the pulpit today, with seminary degrees, that its clear God has never called to be there. God is the one who calls and qualifies us, if your calling is not supported by scripture, then your calling was not from God

And as the Apostle Paul states, God can use and transform anyone who wants for his service. The Apostle Paul humbly admits “who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor,and a injurious or violent man, but I obtained mercy” The Apostle Paul went from persecuting the Church to planting Churches all throughout Asia Minor. People looked at Paul as a wicked and depraved man, who hated and killed Christians, but he became Born Again in Christ, Paul became a New Creation in Christ, on the Road to Damascus, he literally had a “Come to Jesus” moment, and Paul was transformed by the Holy Spirit.

Some would say “Paul doesn’t deserve mercy” but as Paul says here “the grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant” none of us deserve mercy, however this is the grace of God, that through Jesus Christ we can be forgiven and saved. “With faith and love which is in Christ Jesus”. We are saved by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 2:8) Its not by our own works or our own power, its by the power of God through our Lord Jesus Christ

As the Apostle Paul ends “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners”, Christ came into this world to save you and me, just like he came for Paul, and not only saved us , but transformed us to be Born Again, Amen!

1 Timothy 1- The Law is Good

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But we know that the law is good if one uses it lawfully, knowing this: that the law is not made for a righteous person, but for the lawless and insubordinate, for the ungodly and for sinners, for the unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for fornicators, for sodomites, for kidnappers, for liars, for perjurers, and if there is any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine, according to the glorious gospel of the blessed God which was committed to my trust. 1 Timothy 1:8-11

When people think about the Ten Commandments, or the Moral Law of God, they often view it in a negative perspective. However as the Apostle Paul says here “The Law is good if one uses it lawfully” So what does the Apostle mean by this? How can The Law be “good” when The Law brings death (2 Corinthians 3:6) Well as the Apostle said “if one uses it lawfully”

Without The Law of God nobody would ever know that they are sinners in need of a Savior. As the Bible defines Sin is Lawlessness (1 John 3:4) You are a sinner because you break the moral laws of God. And ultimately this impacts everyones as the Bible says “We have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23) 

When Jesus was speaking with the Rich Young Ruler (Mark 10:17-27), he asked Jesus “How may I inherit eternal life”? Jesus first made the statement, “Nobody is Good (Morally excellent, sinless) except God” (Mark 10:18) Revealing we are all sinners, but also revealing Jesus Deity as God incarnate. And then Jesus goes on to list some of the Ten Commandments, why? Because the Moral Law of God (Ten Commandments) is a mirror that reflects our sinful nature and our desperate need for a Savior

As the Apostle Paul says here “The Law is not made for a righteous person, but for the Lawless” The purpose of The Law is not to make yourself righteous, its to show you the nature of God and how much you need Jesus Christ. There were false teachers during the time of Paul that would use The Law to preach a false gospel, there are many still today who do the same thing. They basically were teaching Jesus wasn’t enough to be saved, you needed circumcision plus Jesus then you could be saved. Anytime we add something because Christ, it becomes a false gospel

The Apostle Paul then goes on to list sins of the lawless, and since we are in “Pride Month” I just want to point out Paul under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit mentions sodomites, which our modern word would be homosexuals. I’m bringing this to your attention because many false teachers today claim, The Bible never forbids homosexuality. It’s clear here and other passages such as Romans 1 and 1 Corinthians 6.

However we have a living hope, Jesus Christ, as the Apostle Paul also said “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Corinthians 5:21) Amen!

1 Timothy- 1- False Gospel

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Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, which is our hope; Unto Timothy, my own son in the faith: Grace, mercy, and peace, from God our Father and Jesus Christ our Lord. As I besought thee to abide still at Ephesus, when I went into Macedonia, that thou mightest charge some that they teach no other doctrine, Neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which minister questions, rather than godly edifying which is in faith: so do.  1 Timothy 1:1-4

As we begin to dive into the Epistles of Timothy, clearly written by the Apostle Paul, these were basically “Pastoral instructions” for Timothy to run the Church of Ephesus and for other used for other Pastors within the Christian Church. It’s very clear that Paul considered Timothy as his “spiritual son” as he states “my son in the faith” Timothy was believed to be very young when he came to Christ, probably in his teens and had accompanied Paul on many missionary trips. 

Timothy was very well versed in the teachings of Christ through Paul, as he had been working side by side with him for many years. The Church of Ephesus , like many other Churches, had false teachers who had rise up and began misleading many with a false gospel. This was not going to be allowed or tolerated by the Apostle Paul and assigned Timothy to oversee the Church of Ephesus to keep them on the narrow path. We see this today more than ever, false teachers preaching a false gospel, we need to rebuke and expose their heresies for the greater good of the Church

As the Apostle Paul instructs Timothy “that you might charge/instruct/warn that they teach no other doctrine”  As the Apostle Paul said in the Church of Galtia “anyone who preaches another gospel to you , than  we have preached to you, let them be accursed” (Galatians 1:8) The Apostle Paul wants it clear and known, that the true gospel of Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:3-5) in the central doctrine of the Church, any false gospels will not be tolerated, let them be accursed! 

So what were they teaching? As the Apostle Paul goes on to say “neither give heed to fables and endless genealogies” If you have been in Christianity long enough, you have heard it all. I’ve heard people preaching the strangest man-made doctrines that I wouldn’t even repeat, and I rebuke them, and you should rebuke them also. Preaching a false gospel is a great sin against God, the majority of our Churches today are preaching a false gospel. A false gospel not only dishonors our Lord Jesus Christ, by minimizing his death and resurrection, but a false gospel can’t save anyone, its a broad road to Hell that just justifies a false teacher. Let them all be accursed!

As the Apostle Paul says here “which cause disputes/questions rather than godly edification which is in faith” False teachers always claim to have a “special revelation” or basically are “works based salvation” These false teachings flood the Church with confusion and take away from the power of God, by grace through faith (Ephesians 2)

As the Apostle Paul instructed Timothy, rebuke the false teachers, rebuke the false gospels, because our faith is in Jesus Christ alone, Amen!

Jude 1- Benediction

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Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen. Jude 1:24-25

As we come to the end of the Epistle of Jude, we see one of the great benedictions of the Bible, this is a doxology believed to have been written at the very early Church. As the Apostle Jude after warning us of all the traps and dangers that are out there to destroy our soul, that God can still save us. Regardless of how bad it gets, God is still in control, Christ is still King and Lord, the Holy Spirit is living inside of us, the gates of Hell shall not prevail against Christ true Church (Matthew 16:18)

I find the language intriguing here, as to me it implies Triune language. As we showed earlier the Apostle Jude clearly demonstrated the Triune God a few scriptures before this, notice the language “Now unto Him” who is Him? Is this a reference to Christ? Yes, Is this a reference to the Holy Spirit? Yes, is this a reference to God the Father? Yes, they are all able and willing to save and preserve us.

“To Keep You from falling” As the Apostle Jude talked about throughout his Epistle, the false teachers, the false religion, it continually creeps into the Church, it deceives even the elect (Matthew 24:24) however God will sustain us and keep us from falling away. However we need to listen to God and not to man, if what we are being told is not supported by scripture, then its a false teaching, don’t be deceived 

Remember the power of the gospel, remember that Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, came to pay for the sins of the world and make you Born Again (John 3:3) If you Abide in Christ, Christ will Abide in You (John 15) and you will be justified before the Father and sanctified by the Holy Spirit. God will keep you and transform you into a new creation in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:7)

True wisdom only comes from God, the world is deceived and blinded by Satan (2 Corinthians 4:4) and salvation comes from only Christ alone (John 14:6) repent and put your faith in God your Savior, your living hope , who has power, glory and dominion as King of all Kings and Lord of all Lords, the Great I AM, who was , who is , and is to come, (Rev. 1:8)  Amen!

Jude 1- Spiritual Firefighters

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And of some have compassion, making a difference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Jude 1:22-23

If you see a person in a burning building, what is the loving thing to do? Is the loving thing to allow them to burn in the building or to grab them out of the fire? The obvious answer is to save the person from destruction, however in our culture today, which has crept into the Church, they have it backwards. The “loving” thing in todays society is to allow people to remain in their sin and to destroy themselves, basically leaving them in the fire.

As Christians we are “Spiritual Firefighters” it’s our job to share the gospel of Jesus Christ, as the Apostle Jude says here “pulling them out of the fire” . But while we do this, we do this with compassion, as other English translations state “have mercy”. The loving thing is to want to save peoples souls, not justify their sin. It’s like a child/parent relationship, a parent who never disciplines their child because they fear it will make them upset, is a parent who doesn’t really love their child. If you love your child, you want them to be prosperous in life, teach them right or wrong, to neglect the child is a great failure of a parents responsibility

This is the state of the fallen Church today, instead of pulling people out of the fire, they are leading them into the fire. As Jesus said “Enter by the narrow gate, broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who goin by it. Narrow is the gate and difficult is the way that leads to life,  and there are few who find it” ( Matthew 7:13-14) Is this the message the Rainbow Church is telling sinners? The world is headed on the broad road to Hell, however there is noone warning them! Is this loving to lead them to the slaughter?

Now think also about FIrefighters, do they just show up one day and do their job? No, they train and learn how to properly save people. We as Christians need to do the same, study your Bible, learn from other Christians, be led by the Holy Spirit, pray without ceasing, submit to The Lord, you can’t enter this spiritual warfare unprepared or you will end up in the fire yourself. We are not battling against flesh and blood but against evil demonic forces, put on the Armor of God (Ephesians 6)

Last thought I want to leave with you, is remember when you were saved from the fire also. Have mercy and compassion on these lost souls, remember The Lord had mercy on you, have mercy on others, pull them out of the fire, tell them the good news that Christ died for our sins, Christ rose on the 3rd day defeating sin and death forever, repent and believe the gospel, Amen

Jude 1- The Triune God

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But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost, Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. Jude 1:19-20

The Apostle Jude reveals alot to us in this small letter, including the affirmation of the Trinity. While alot of Chistians will try to deny the Triune God, they will claim the doctrine of the Trinity doesn’t exist in the Bible, here is another example of an Apostle affirming the Triune God. That the true living God is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. While the nature of God can be difficult for our human minds to comprehend, its Biblical and revealed by the Holy Spirit

I’m often reminded of what John Wesley said “ Show me a worm that can comprehend man, and I’ll show you a man that can comprehend the Triune God” The fact that the nature of God is difficult for our minds to grasp, should not be a surprise. Look out in the vastness of the universe or the ocean, look at the complexity of the human body and the DNA code, there are many things beyond our human comprehension, it shouldn’t be surprised the Creator is complex in nature

The Apostle Jude here gives us almost a benediction here, praying in the Holy Spirit, Keeping yourselves in the love of God (Father), looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ (Son)  The Apostle under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit addresses God as Triune , Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is consistent with the teachings of Christ and the other Apostles

As Jesus said in Matthew 28:19 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. “ Just as the Apostle Paul taught about the Triune God “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ (Son), and the love of God (Father), and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all” (2 Corinthians 13:14) Or just like the Apostle John taught about the Triune God “For there are three that bear witness in heaven: the Father, the Word, and the Holy Spirit; and these three are one.” (1 John 5:7) Or just like the Apostle Peter taught about the Triune God “elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, in sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied.” (1 Peter 1:2)

So if your going to deny the Trinity, you have to deny the words of Jesus Christ himself and the Apostles, this is alot of denying of scripture. You either believe the Word of God or you don’t, regardless if your human mind can comprehend the nature of God, we must believe what scripture has revealed to us about God. 

But as the Apostle Jude states here to the Church “Build up yourselves on your holy faith” Put your faith in the Triune God, the God of the Bible, not a God made up in your mind or through man-made ideas. Jesus Christ and the Apostles are the foundation of the Christian faith, if you reject their words, your faith in simply built on sinking sand, God bless

Jude 1- Last Days

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These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.  But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of 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 lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. Jude 1:16-19

As we look around Christianity today, the Church has become almost unrecognizable. Could you imagine the Apostles witnessing the state of the Church today? Could you imagine the “Church Fathers” walking into some of these congregations or even some of our older theologians like Spurgeon or Ravenhill? Even though apostates and heresies have always been in the Church, I don’t know if we have ever seen a time period of the Church , where the overwhelming majority has fallen away from the true gospel and orthodox faith of Christianity.

I believe this is an affirming sign of the last days, as we see rainbow flags and unregenrated leaders across our denominations. This was prophesied by the Apostle Jude here “these are murmurs, complainers, walking after their own lusts” doesn’t that sum up the new progressive movement in Christianity? They walk after their own lusts, they are carnally driven by their own sexual desires and greed. They have no love for God or the Church, they are driven by demons to lead as many to the broad road of Hell as possible.

 As the Apostle says “their mouth speak great swelling words” They come up with new arguments to discredit the deity of Christ, to remove the need for repentance, they have totally rejected the authority of the Holy Spirit. They are exactly like Satan in the garden of Eden, “Did God really say?” They deceive those ignorant to the Word of God, they prey on the unregenerated people who put their faith in a religious system rather than Christ alone. 

As the Apostle Jude reminds us, we shouldn’t be shocked by this great falling away, because it was prophesied by Christ himself and the Apostles. As Jude reminds us “there will be mockers in the last times (days) , who walk after their own ungodly lusts” This is exactly what is driving the rainbow flag movement, ungodly lusts, its not driven by the Holy Spirit. 

I want you to notice what the Apostle Jude says next under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, “These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.” How can these people be so depraved and deceived? Because they are not regenerated, they don’t have the Holy Spirit. How do so many people fall for these false teachers? They don’t have the Holy Spirit, this is the unregenerated Church, a carnally minded Church that leads to death, but the Church led by the Holy Spirit leads to life and peace, in Jesus name, Amen!