Jude 5-10 | Grace Is Not Permission

the grave? >> Yes. >> And do you believe that is the only way that you could be saved? >> Yes. >> Do you trust in anything else for your salvation? >> No. No. Well, with that profession of faith, I baptize you today in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. >> Buried in the likeness of his death, >> raised to live again. This is number six. Oh, it's on. Good. How's that for a way to start a morning? >> Yeah. >> We want to welcome you folks to First Baptist Church. That's all of us. Uh we are the body of Christ meeting here in Camden this morning and we're glad to be here. I am at least. I hope you are. After that you you all got to be glad to be here. Okay, we have some announcements. Um I'm Do all of you have a bulletin? Can most of you kind of read? Okay, we'll handle the announcements mostly that way. But there is a uh one that is pertinent to this morning right after church. Um there's a kind of a organizational meeting for the u creation research people that are coming at the end of this month. We need some volunteers to kind of help set up tables and things like that. So Cody's going to be meeting right after church with anybody that would be interested and we're looking for volunteers and then depending on how many and who they are, we can figure out who's going to be doing what. But we we will need some people to help set up. Okay, that's this morning right after church and the creation ministries guys are going to be here in three weeks from today. Um, and so >> being ready for it means that the people that are going to help set it up are are ready to do so.

>> So those of you who would be interested in that right after church here. Okay. Uh, we have a lot of other things going on. Um, VBS is coming up and there's training next Saturday for VBS workers and volunteers. How many in the room here have ever worked in a VPS? There's a lot of hands, right? Takes a lot of people and that that training is coming up here pretty quick. The other announcements, I'd encourage you to read them. Um there's nothing im immediately urgent here, but we need to be aware of what's coming up. Let's go to the Lord in prayer. And Father, we do that. We come before you just thanking you for the privilege of being your kids. It's it's beyond our understanding what you have done for us. Uh but we to the limit of our understanding, we thank you. And as we gather together here to praise your name in worship, in song, uh we also gather together here today to celebrate the Lord's supper that you've left us as a remembrance. Uh we're going to look into your word. All of these things we do in your presence here just to show our love for you and to bask in your love for us. So we thank you for it, Father, and we commit our time to you now in Christ's name. Amen. >> Stand together. >> Let's stand. >> Would you be free from the burden of sin? There's power in the blood. Power in the love. Would you or he the victory win? There's wonderful power in the blood. There is power power wonder working power in the blood. There is power, power, wonder working power in the preious blood of the lamb. Would you be free from your passion and pride? There's power in the blood, power in the blood. Come for a cleansing to Calary. There's wonderful power in the blood. There is power power wonder working

power in the blood. There is power power wondering power in the precious blood of the lamb. Would you be wider, much wider than snow? There's power in the blood. Power in the blood. Since saves our lost and there's lifegiving flow. There's wonderful power in the blood. There is power, power, wonder working power in the blood. There is power. Powering power in the precious blood of the lamb. Would you do service for Jesus your king? There's power in the blood. Power in the blood. Would you live daily his praises to sing? There's wonderful power in the blood. There is power, power, wonder working power in the blood. There is power power, wonder working power in the preious blood of the lamb. There is power, power, power, power, wonder working power in the blood of the lamb. There is power, power, wonder working power in the precious blood of the lamb. >> Yeah. Let us pray. Our gracious father, we come to you and we are so grateful for the blessings you have poured out on us. The freedom that we have to come worship. Let us remember that there is others in this world who does not have that freedom and that they suffer for your faith. Bless this offering we're about to give. Bless our time together in the word. Amen. >> Today's um question is, what is the sixth commandment and what is forbidden in it? The answer is Exodus 20:13. You shall not murder. Ephesians 5:28-29. In the same way husbands should love their wives as their own bodies, he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes it and cherish it that just as the

Christ did for church. Then in Matthew 5:21-22, you have heard it that it was said to those of old, you shall not murder, and whoever murders shall be liable to judgment. But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable against shall be liable to judgment. Whoever insults his brother will be liable to the council. And whoever says you fool shall will be liable to hell of fire. the splender of the king, clothed in mesty. Let all the earth rejoice. All the earth rejoice. He wraps himself in light and darkness to hide and trembles at his voice. Trembles at his voice. How great is our God. Sing with me. How great is our God? Now we'll see. How great, how great is our God, age to age, he says, and time is in his hands. The beginning and the end. Beginning and the end. God had three in one. Father spirit son the lion and the lamb, the lion and the lamb. How great is our God. Sing with me. How great is our God. I will see how great is our God. his name above all. You are worthy of all praise. And my heart will sing how great is our God. Above all, Jesus,

you are worthy of all praise. And my heart will sing. How great my God. The great is our God. Sing with me, how great is our God. And all will see how great, is our God. How great is our God. Sing with me. How great is our God? Oh, we'll see. How great, how great is our God. Come, oh sinner, come and see Christ the Lord upon a tree. See the crown of thorns adore the king who labors to breathe in. Come, oh sinner, come and sing. While our God be to set us free. Come, oh sinner, come and mourn. For he calls your son a sin his own. Do you feel the weight of justice served? He suffers the wrath that you deserve. Come, oh sinner, come and mourn. For he bears the curse for all you've done. Oh, the wonder of this blossom sweet where our savior leads. All the power of the love of God, come and send me all. Come, oh sinner, come rejoice. Mercy fills this place a sword. For he died to save his head and peace that all who draw near may know his peace. Come as s come rejoice. Through the death of Christ death is destroyed. Oh, the wonder of this sea where our savior leads. Oh, the power

of the love of God come and set me home. Thank you, Father, for calling us to come. Thank you for the sacrifice of Christ that makes that possible. We worship you. We praise you because you are good. We ask now as we transition into our time of teaching that you would teach us that you would use Nick, you'd use Cody that through them your Holy Spirit would speak to our hearts in Jesus name. Amen. All right, it's time for the kids lesson. So, kids, come on up. All right. You guys look fun this morning and alive, huh? >> Yeah. >> You did. All right. So, who can tell me about baptism? Anybody know about what baptism is >> right here? We do, don't you, Oliver? >> All right. And do you uh do you remember when Jesus died and was placed in the tomb? Remember that? Okay. And what happened after after he was placed in the tomb? >> On a cross. >> That's right. Good job. And after he was rafter after he was placed in the tomb, what happened next? >> He raised three days later, didn't he? Yeah. And so he was raised, he was risen, and he was made alive again. So when we accept Jesus as our Lord and Savior, >> our old self dies just like Jesus died, and we receive a new life and we're washed clean. Well, baptism is kind of like that. It's it's our outward showing of a new life with Jesus. That's how we show that we have a new life. And when we go under the water, it's kind of like Jesus being placed in the tomb, right? We're we're shown that we're dead. And then it shows to our it shows our old self as being dead and gone. And

when we come up out of the water, that's like when he rose from the grave and we have a new life. So it's a it's a symbol of what we have what Jesus did for us and our faith. So remember that baptism doesn't save us, does it? No. So what saves us? >> Jesus. >> Jesus saves us. So it's our belief and our faith in Christ, right? Okay. So baptism is is what? Just the showing and the symbolism. It's a first step in obedience, right? Awesome. >> Showing people >> it. Yeah. It's showing people that you're saved. Yep. And so it's just our outward show that that what Christ has done in our lives. So >> now >> all right. Well, >> I think that's all I have this morning. Okay. Are you guys you guys ready to go back to your seats and we'll give you some candy? >> Yeah. All right. Wait, why is that? Well, if you have your Bible, and I hope that you do, please turn with me to the book of Jude. We're going to be in verse five. >> And uh >> that uh uh snow day kind of threw off our our preaching schedule a bit. Someone asked, "Well, what's the next after Jude?" Uh we've got Oh, thank you. He said, "Thank you, Nick. Appreciate that." Um someone asked, "What's what's next after Jude?" Well, then we have Oh, it's because I'm I'm a smarty, right? Is that what it is? Hey, these are these are resurrection ones. So, very cool. Um, so we've got uh uh east we've got Creation Ministries International that's uh happening uh on uh the week before Palm Sunday. I think that's the 21st and 22nd. Uh right after service, there will be a meeting right here. If you want to help make that a reality, uh please stay. Uh need we need volunteers to make

it happen. Uh secondly, after that, we've got Easter. Uh we've got a lot of fun things planned for Easter. Uh for our Good Friday service, uh we are not going to be here. We're going to be over at uh Lang Creek Baptist Church and worshiping in their sanctuary. And so that'll be fun. Uh it'll be a little tight-knit and uh that's okay. We'll scooch over and make room and uh it'll be great. And then uh after that, we're going to go into the book of Acts. And so that'll be fun dealing with all sorts of different topics from there. And uh so anyways, it'll be great. Um quick thing real quick, Dez Cat, congratulations. Baby boy, right? Baby boy. Yeah. So, they're expecting a a little one. And uh we're so excited for them. And uh of course, I I don't see Jade or Sean here, but they're getting married soon. And uh as well as Sophia and Devon over there. So, uh they're they get married at the end of this month. And so looking forward to celebrating that with them. So praise the Lord. And and Jonathan and Sam are over there. They're getting married in August, right? >> Yeah. So, woohoo. Praise the Lord. Uh lots of good things. And uh so thankful for the Lord's work in our church. And uh uh someone asked me, "Pastor, do I have to get baptized on a baptism Sunday?" No. The only reason why we call it baptism Sunday is because there's someone that has said, "Hey, I want to get baptized." So, if that's you, uh, talk to me, talk to one of the elders. We'll arrange it. We'll get it scheduled and everything like that. Um, anyways, I think that's all I have to say about that. Uh, Jude verse 5 is where we're going to start today. We're going to go through verse 10. And what Jude is going to do is he's going to look at past examples of God's judgment to reveal to us how God deals

with false teachers. Uh, and we have to remember the context of this this whole passage is descriptions of those who deny our only master and lord Jesus Christ. And Jude, he opens up with this line. Now, I want to remind you, although you won't fully knew it, and that's where I want to spend our opening time, uh, because there is a quiet danger in in churches today. of um of people that are very familiar with the old Bible stories. You see, when we know all the stories and we understand the theology and we answer all the basic questions, we need to remind ourselves what the gospel connection is to those stories. What? Not just the details of it, not just David and Goliath, but how Christ is the greater David and our sin is Goliath. We have to remind ourselves and preach to ourselves the gospel truths of the basic things uh so that we do not depart from the faith. The church that Jude was writing to was not a pagan church. It wasn't a bunch of uninformed people. It wasn't a bunch of outsiders. These are brothers in the Lord that need to be reminded of God's statutes and character. God is not one that takes false teaching lightly. When his creation rebels uh rebelss and he responds not not by overlooking that but he sets aside judgment and he responds with strength. He is never unfair in his judgment. And anyone that is in rebellion, if they repent, he relents because God is just and good and righteous. But that should not make us feel comforted in our sin. It should make us feel reminded of how seriously God deals with sin. So, if you would stand with me in honor of God's word as we read Jude verses 5-10. God's word. It says this. Now, I want to remind you, although you once fully knew

it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day. Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. Yet in like manner, these people also relying on their dreams defile the flesh, reject authority, and blasphe the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael contending with the devil was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, "The Lord rebuke you." But these people blasphe all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they like unreasoning animals understand instinctively. Let's pray. And so, Lord, this is uh a weighty passage. In some ways, it can be confusing. And so, we just ask that you would grant us understanding um pulling from this passage the principles that you want us to apply uh to our own lives and to this church. Uh Father, this is a warning for us. Um not not in a negative way, but in a positive way. Um helping us to walk closer with the Lord Jesus Christ. You are our Lord and you are our master. And I pray that we would just be uh so close to you that uh uh we would be abiding with you. That we would be living with you. And uh I I pray that we would not depart from that that uh glorious presence of being with you. Lord, teach us what that means today. Uh Father, there um there are many of us that are hurting today. Um Lord, we want to pray for the families of the Christian County deputies um that lost their lives in the

line of duty. We pray that you would just grant peace and comfort for them. We pray for our law enforcement, Lord, uh that are even here in this room. We pray for your protection and your peace upon them. Uh because Lord, we love them and uh we we want them safe. Father, we do want to pray for u many of those in our congregation that are sick or suffering. specifically when we want to remember Byron and Laura as uh she does not have very much longer here on this side of eternity. But Lord, we do uh pray that u you would grant them endurance uh to finish the race that you've set before them. Give them comfort. And Lord, as a church, help us to lift them up to you faithfully in prayer. We pray for Miss Barb Miller. Pray for her recovery. We want to pray for Dale Mitchell and uh Lord, it's just amazing that he's, you know, back home. Father, we want to lift up to you uh uh Jeff Danforth and wisdom for that and the many others, Lord, that are fighting for Steve Warren as he continues his fight. Father, we want to remember him as well. We love you. We thank you for all that you've done. In Jesus precious name we pray. Amen. >> Amen. >> Well, Jude, he he his reminder is gentle and it's designed to instruct the church, not to shame the church. He assumes that he already knows that we as a local church know these stories. And he's going to point out four Old Testament stories that teach us truths for the church to apply. And the first one that I want to point out to us is that grace received must be must be matched by living faith. Jude, he says, Jesus who saved a people out of the land of Egypt afterward destroyed those who did not believe. So a couple of things to note. One, salvation is of the Lord. Uh Jesus, he saved the people. They cried out. They couldn't do anything. They could not

save themselves. Um they were enslaved for 400 years. And what we learn is that Jesus is the one that saves us. Uh grace comes first. And we remember that the Israelites, they did not save themselves. They were in chains. It says that their bondage was heavy. They were oppressed. And we remember that the Israelites, they did not save themselves. They were without hope. And even when Moses came, they didn't believe him. When God worked, what happened? They complained and they blamed Moses. When Pharaoh made their work more difficult, but God, he had his way because no one can oppose the Lord. Can't be done. It's God's way or the highway. Secondly, we learn that exposure to grace is not the same as faith. You see, they they all saw the plagues. They saw God work in miraculous ways. They saw the Nile turned to blood. They saw uh uh gnats come and and frogs, frogs, frogs out the wazoo. They were everywhere. They saw uh uh fiery hail descend from the sky. They saw the death of the firstborns. They took part in the Passover meal. They beheld God's deliverance through death by blood on the doorposts. They walked through the Red Sea and they plundered Egypt. They carried out all the wealth of Egypt that they could carry and they were protected by by the Lord in the pillar of fire who stood between them and Pharaoh's army until everyone could safely cross. And then they got to watch from the shore as God caused the waters to fall back in on Pharaoh's army and they were destroyed and sent them into a dark age. Listen to what the psalmist says in Psalm 106 verse 7. Our fathers when they were in Egypt did not consider your wondrous works. They did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love but remember but rebelled

by the sea at the Red Sea. Yet he saved them for his name's sake that he might make known his mighty power. He rebuked the Red Sea and it became dry and he led them through the deep as through a desert. So he saved them from the hand of the foe and redeemed them from the power of the enemy. And the waters covered their adversaries and not one of them was left. Then they believed his words. They sang his praise, but they soon forgot his works. They did not wait for his counsel, but they had a wanting craving in the wilderness and put God to the test in the desert. He gave them what they asked, but sent a wasting disease among them. What a warning that is for us, isn't it? They saw the miracles. They sang the songs. They saw God miraculously provide for them uh mana. They saw bitter water become sweet. They experienced grace upon grace upon grace. And their response was not trusting the Lord, but complaining. It was a lack of faith. They didn't believe. Spurgeon, he said this. He said that those myriads of graves in the wilderness are as sure a token of God's hatred of sin as a drowning of Pharaoh's chariots. We oftentimes look at the Pharaoh's army being destroyed, but we forget that an entire generation was destroyed in the desert too. And what a warning that is, especially for those of us that grew up in a Christian home. Children, you might be here and you might think that since your parents are Christians, you are a Christian. And that is not the case. you are. You can grow up, you can hear the gospel, you can hear about the grace of God, you can enjoy the blessings of a Christian home and a Christian education and learn Christian principles. But if you do not trust Christ, then you are not a Christian.

So turn to him, put your faith in him, trust in him with all your heart because he will not let you down ever. The third thing that we learn here under this point is persistent unbelief brings judgment. our passage it says that Jesus he saved that is the the Greek word soo all right delivered from destruction a people out of the land of Egypt but he also Apollomi okay the apocalypse destroyed them who did not believe the deliverance we look at and we you know we watch the prince of Egypt and we we see it and it's beautiful and we touch the Ten Commandments and we we're reminded of these truths and we think that it's the deliverance out of Egypt that is the fulfillment of God's promise. But that's not that's not it. That's not the fulfillment of God's promise. The fulfillment of God's promise is entrance into the promised land. The deliverance seems so final, but yet they were destroyed because of a lack of faith. They disobeyed the Lord because they didn't believe him and they perished. They didn't enter God's rest. For who were those who heard and yet rebelled? Was it not all those who left Egypt led by Moses? And with whom was he provoked for 40 years? Was it not with those who sinned, whose bodies fell in the wilderness? And to whom did he swear that they would not enter his rest? But to those who were disobedient, so we see that they were unable to enter because of unbelief. And this is where we get into the issue of presumptuous sins. Presumptuous sins are sins that you deliberately commit and you say, "Well, if I do this, I can just ask God for forgiveness and he will forgive me." Presumptuous sins are grave sins. very grave. They're not like unintentional sins or sins where you're

wrestling with them and you go, "Gosh, I can't believe I fell into that again." We're not talking about that. We're talking about sins that you plan to commit, that you're okay with doing that you say, "Well, but grace." And they can do great damage to your relationship with the Lord. But we still believe that Christ can forgive all sin. We look at David who planned and plotted and he fell into presumptuous sin. But it grieved the Lord and it affected God's people for generations. And if you struggle with presumptuous sins, those are the hardest sins to confess. Those are the hardest sins to get right. And I would encourage you to confess them to the Lord, but get accountability from another trusted believer so that way you can have victory over it. God's plan for you is not for you to continue to abide in sin. He does not want that for you. He wants you to walk in the freedom and the victory that he offers. And I would encourage you to reach out to a trusted Christian to begin working on this so that your conscience doesn't get so badly seared by believing lies and presuming upon the grace of God. Fourth thing here is that the savior is also the judge. And that's striking because Jesus, he delivered his people from slavery. He judged them for their lack of faith. And this teaches us that Christ is simultaneously gentle and he is holy. He is not a nanny. He is meek. He is powerful. He is good. He is righteous. He is the Lord. He is the God of might. He is called the God of armies, the Lord of hosts. And so let me ask you today, are you trusting in Christ? Is your faith active today? Are you actively trusting the Lord or are you just coasting on your past experiences with Jesus? Do you believe that you had some kind of faith experience in the past, but

somehow that negates your responsibility to walk by faith? Now, grace remembered is not the same as faith exercised. The Hebrews, they walked through the sea, but they didn't believe God. They didn't trust him. They saw his provision, but they weren't satisfied with him. And my hope and my prayer is that that not that would not be said of you. But let's look at verse six. Look at verse six with me. It says, "And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains until gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day." Now there is a lot of mystery surrounding the heavenly host. Okay, a lot of people they make hierarchies of angels. You got, you know, uh archangels and cherubim and saraphim and some people would even put Nephilim somewhere in there. You know, it's just all that there's a lot of mystery about that. Where does the prince of Persia land in there? Is Michael the angel of Israel? You know, there's all these different thoughts about angels. Um, we are left here with very little to go on about the angels in their own position of authority. Uh, is this in reference to Lucifer uh in him in his pride rising up against the Lord uh in deceiving one-third of the angels and dragging them to fall and leave their position of authority? Is that what it's about? Is it about uh Genesis chapter 6 where uh some people believe that the angels it came down to know women to make the Nephilim and the giants? Both are fine or uh and orthodox interpretations. Uh my point is is that I can't be dogmatic about it here. The point that Jude is trying to make is not the example. The point is the principle that he is trying to communicate which is that privilege does not cancel your accountability. You see the angels of heaven, they had

access to the very throne of God. They could behold the face and the glory of God. They are higher than humans uh in in beauty and in honor and in power. And God, he gave them tremendous responsibilities. But many of them fell and they rebelled. They did not stay where God had placed them. They did things that were outside the scope that God told them to do. and they didn't exercise their authority responsibly, but they pushed outside of those boundaries that God had laid out. And so they rebelled against the order that God had made. Now, uh that word keeping is a a major theme in in Jude. In verse one, it says that we are kept uh for or by Jesus Christ. And here we understand these angels they did not keep their place um that God had entrusted to them and therefore they are kept in eternal chains. God's created order matters greatly. This is not symbolic fluff. This is a sobering reality that even the angels who are who are higher, who are stronger, who are much more powerful are still under the authority of God. and they are accountable to him. But let's take a warning for us here because if sin caused angels to fall and to fail, then so can a preacher. So can a deacon. So can a church member. And this is why I talk about persevering to the end, continuing in the faith. If if you turn your back to the Lord and you continue to walk in your evil ways, then it is evidence that you never really believed in Christ and there was no work of grace in your heart. Your position, whether you're a a a pastor or an elder or a minister or a deacon or a church member or what have you, does not equal security. It doesn't equal salvation. But tied to that created order, Jude uses the story of Sodom and Gomorrah who violated created order and they indulged

in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desires. And we have to remember that God is the one who sets the boundaries. He's the one that makes the rules. And if he makes a law, he makes it for our benefit and for our blessing. And we shouldn't cross it. in our culture that is very strong about its identities. We have to understand that our identity is based on the fact that we are made in the image of God. That we are beloved. We are called. We are kept by Jesus Christ. Identity. This is who we are. And that's what gives every person within the church value. And because people are created in the image of God, that's what gives everyone outside of these walls value and worth. Each person is a soul that will live or die based upon whether or not they will trust in Jesus Christ. Will we reject him? Will we invite him as as savior and lord but reject his law? Or will we abide in him and live for his glory as his followers? Jude, he is teaching us here that redefining morality invites judgment. Sodom was celebrating what God had pro prohibited. He had spoken from the beginning that God had made Adam and Eve for each other. Here's what he says. So God created man in his own image in the image of God. He created him male and female. He created them. God made male and female to go together for his glory because it reflects his holy image and his plan. And to go against that is to invite judgment. Which is why Jude, he uses this example of Sodom. It was clearly a norm at this time. Sodom and Gomorrah. Uh but just because something's a norm doesn't mean that God approves of it. What God says is right and wrong. And what's wrong in 3000 BC is wrong in 33 AD is wrong in 2026.

And they were celebrating what God had condemned with their identity and pride which brought judgment. Now some of you may have wrestled with this or you might still wrestle with this. But remember that fighting sin is a Christian work. Not talking about fighting the sin in others hearts and lives. I'm talking about your life. There is abundant forgiveness and mercy for everyone that repents and trusts in Christ. But judgment remains for those who do not want to repent, who do not want to trust in Christ. Jude is clear. They serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. And that is heavy language for us to really consider and think about. And so Jude, he uses these these Old Testament examples, the Hebrews rebellion, the angels rebellion, and Sodom's rebellion to push home his point about these people. Who are these people that he's talking about in verse eight? It's ungodly people who are rebelling by perverting the grace of God and denying Jesus Christ in their lives. And this brings us to our last point. And I'm not wrapping up, okay? I'm just saying this is the last point. Uh rejecting authority reveals the real problem. Jude, he moves from examples to the present threat. Because these false teachers, they're claiming a spiritual authority by relying on their on their dreams. They appeal to visions and private revelation. Many churches today teach that kind of explicitly false teaching. They create this self- authenticating kind of spiritualism where the measure of their effectiveness in ministry is on how spiritual things are or how they appear to be rather than their love for the Lord or their ability to preach the gospel or their ministry of prayer or

their handling of the word. Jude says here point after point they defile the flesh. They reject authority. They blaspheme the holy ones. The defiling of the flesh is about their permissive sensuality that they call the grace of God. They reject authority because they are spiritually insubordinate to the elders of that church and to the word of God. They blasphe the glorious ones because they don't know what they're talking about. They're just completely ignorant of it. And the fact is is that they don't know God at all. And every time they open their mouth, there's just blasphemy after blasphemy that comes out. And Judy uses this first century story here that's likely out of what's called the testament of Moses. It has been lost to history. Uh but the early church fathers in their sermons and commentaries, they referred back to this modern piece of literature and and they say that this is the story that Michael, he serves as a contrast here in verse 9 of him contending with the devil. And the devil is the accuser of the brothers. The devil probably said something like, "Moses belongs to me. He's a murderer. He's an angry man who disobeyed the Lord by striking that rock." And instead of Michael saying, "I rebuke you in the name of the Lord," which is what a lot of people are taught to say when they're rebuking people. What does Michael the Archangel do? He doesn't take on that authority of saying, "I rebuke you." He says, "The Lord rebuke you." An archangel stayed in his lane. Why? Because Christ is the one that has all authority. Jesus said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me." And so that's how we live our lives. That's why we obey the great commission, which I'm so thankful for a church that is serious about reaching the lost with the gospel. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them

in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always to the end of the age. Where does the arrogance come from that men think that they have the right or the authority? Well, it comes from a lack of humility. Humility leaves all this up to God, but arrogance blasphemes all that they do not understand. And it's that old sin of pride that just comes out. And so you got this ignorance plus pride equals destruction because this ignorance, it's not an it's not an innocent ignorance, right? It's not Oh, I was confused about that. Even Apollos when he was approached uh you know Ananas and Sapphire they explained to him um the the way better more accurately and and he repented and he he was he was just confused here. We're not talking about that kind of confusion. We're talking about a deliberate refusal of his grace that led to their destruction. The angels, they rebelled because of their pride. They knew the glory of God. They beheld his face. They saw his majesty and that led to their sure destruction because they wanted it in Sodom. They knew what God's plan was for their bodies, but they rejected it and they chose their own morality. And these false teachers, they're rejecting authority. They're rejecting what is clearly revealed in the word of God. And the big connection is is that they just didn't want to submit. They didn't want to follow the Lord. They didn't want to follow the leaders. They wanted to march according to their own plan and do their own things. And they loved their sin. And they desired their way more than all the riches of heaven. Michael Green, the commentator, he says

this. He says, "Physically, they became immoral. Intellectually they became arrogant. Spiritually they denied the Lord. Progressive morality and progressive thinking often go hand in hand with progressive deafness to the voice of God. Church, do not confuse familiarity with faith. You can grow up at FBC. You can be baptized on your profession. You can confess doctrine clearly. You can serve well, but you can still drift. Jude, it was not written to terrify us, though. It was written to awaken us, not to not to do better, because that's just legalism. Rather, it it's to point out what we're to do. The opposite of, and the opposite of rebellion is obedience. It's submission. It's agreement. It's respect. And perhaps you are clinging to Christ right now. Maybe you're fighting sin and maybe you see your failures. This passage, this sermon is not intended to crush you. It's to help you come to Christ and walk in submission to him and go, I I don't get it right every single time, but by God's grace, I'm going to get a little closer every day by walking in complete submission as best as I possibly can because I love the Lord. He's changed my life. He's changed my heart. I'm not that person. I may have done that, but that's not who I am. But also, there is a caution for us to not presume upon God's grace, but to abide in Christ's presence, to trust in Christ as your savior and lord. It means that he saves us. We obey him. We walk with him. So, let's not be like the Hebrews that saw God's work and perished, but let's be like the apostles that saw God's work and they changed the world by living for Christ and abiding in him. Head, heart, hand, head. God wants you to know that past deliverance

does not replace present faith. The savior is also the judge and he does not overlook unbelief and rebellion or the rejection of his authority. Israel, they saw all the miracles and they perished. Angels beheld God's glory and they fell. Sodom normalized sin and it burned. False teachers, they claimed to be spiritual and they denied Christ. Grace is not permission. Privilege is not protection and position is not salvation. It's only by trusting in Christ that you can be saved. Heart. This is what God wants you to believe. He wants you to believe that Jesus Christ is both a merciful savior and a holy Lord. His authority is not harsh. It is good. His commands are not oppressive. They are protective. And true grace produces humble submission and persevering faith. So if you're if you're fighting a sin, cling to Christ. This passage, it is written to keep you and to encourage you. But if you're coasting on your past experience or resisting his authority, this passage is meant to awaken you. So believe that Christ is not just worthy uh it Christ is worthy not only to to save you, but to rule you. in hand. God, he wants you to examine your faith, to repent of hidden rebellion, refuse presumptuous sins, abide in Christ, submit joyfully. So trust in him today, obey him today, persevere in him, and cling to the promise that he keeps those who truly belong to him. At this time, uh, I'm going to invite, uh, uh, brother Steve to come forward and, uh, lead us in the partaking of the Lord's supper. And, uh, I'll invite deacons to come forward as we plan to distribute the elements. Okay, I had to wrestle with the microphone. We're gathered here now to celebrate what the Lord has done for us and to remember what he's done for us. Uh it

helps me to look back at where this celebration, this memorial comes from. Uh way back what Cody was talking about, the Jews when they were delivered from Egypt uh were given a u a memorial service to always remember what the Lord had done for him. And it was called the Passover. And so the Jewish Passover started back in Egypt and then was carried forward all the way through to the time of Jesus. And when Jesus was at the end of his earthly ministry, he gathered the disciples together to celebrate the Passover. And so he sent disciples ahead to prepare the upper room where they were going to meet and prepare the Passover meal. And then he kind of changed the scene. Uh if you look in Luke chapter 22, I'm just going to read one verse here. uh he said, "I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover supper with you before I suffer." Because he knew what was coming. So, they'd been remembering all through these centuries the deliverance the Lord gave them from Egypt. Jesus was going to update their understanding and give deliverance from sin. And so, now we have taken this Passover meal and replaced it with what's called the Lord's supper. So Paul, the Apostle Paul, made that shift and uh passed it on to us. I'm going to read some verses here from 1 Corinthians chapter 11. says, "For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which he was betrayed, took bread. When he had given thanks, he broke it and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me." In the same way, he took the cup also after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my

blood. Do this as often as you drink it in remembrance of me. For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. So, we are gathered here now, pardon me, to not celebrate the Lord's deliverance of his people from Israel, but we're celebrating his deliverance of us from sin. And so as we uh pass out the elements here, I would like for you guys to take the bread and just reflect on what the Lord has done for you as a believer. If you're not a believer, just let it go, pass it by, and we will then all together take the bread and eat it. Go ahead, guys. Come on. Okay. Here we go. are. Hey Jesus told his disciples, "Take it and eat it in remembrance of me. if you pass out the cup as well. In the same way, he uh gave us this cup to drink uh as a symbol to remember the blood that he shed for us to pay the price of our sin. So, as the elements are being passed out, reflect on that. Ask the Lord to really give you a a confidence of what he has done for you. Go ahead, guys. Kiss. Lou. Oh you In the same way, he passed out the cup, saying, "Do this in remembrance of me." Let's drink together. Father, we do thank you. Your deliverance of us from sin is something that's just beyond our imagination and yet we thank you for it and we celebrate this ceremony to remind us of you. So father as we leave here help us to remember you are our only master and lord and we will

follow you. Thanks in Christ's name. Amen. >> Stand and let's uh sing the doxology together in response. bless him all creatures here. Praise him. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Please don't forget volunteer meeting.