Pastor Yon's Blog

The Apostate of '98

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The Apostate of ’98

Study Text – Jude 14 – 24

Memory Verse – Jude 16: These men are grumblers and faultfinders; they
follow their own evil desires; they boast about themselves and flatter others
for their own advantage.

Have you ever noticed how garbage cans sometimes have a foul odor even when
you use garbage bags. The can may appear to be clean yet still have the same
foul odor as the garbage bags. The reason this occurs is because the filth has
gotten on or in the can in one way or another.

In this week’s text, Jude wraps up his warnings on Apostates. He tells us in
the 14th & 15th verses that Enoch prophesied the doom of the Apostates due
to their ungodliness. (Also to emphasize their ungodliness Jude uses the word
"ungodly" four times in the 15th verse to describe the Apostates
behavior).

In the 16th verse Jude tells us that these men follow their own lusts, boast
about themselves and flatter others for their own advantage. These men may
appear to be Godly(clean) on the outside however, just like the garbage cans
with a stench they too have some degree of filth within them. Also the Apostles
warned that these APOSTATES would rise up in the last days and attempt to
divide the body of Christ. (17th – 19th)

[Note: Division of the Body of Christ does not ONLY mean they will come to
church and start divisions between God’s people. This division can definitely
be on a individual level. One very, very successful tool of the 1998 Apostate
is DATING. Yes, Dating!!!! These Apostates appear to be the type of godly mate
you desire, yet when you get on a date you realize the garbage can stinks – No,
it’s just down right STANK! Then as a result of this you are turned from the
Body of Christ because as this person gets up to testify, read a scripture or
even deliver the Sunday message you turn a deaf ear. At this point you are on
your way to being successfully divided from the Body of Christ. Remember in the
4th verse Jude tells us, "For certain men whose condemnation was written
about long ago have SECRETLY SLIPPED IN AMONG YOU." This clearly tells us
that we are to be aware of those operating within our very own churches.]

The 19th verse concludes by telling us that men follow mere natural
instincts and DO NOT have the spirit(The Holy Spirit) which explains their
ungodliness.

After the warnings about Apostates, the Apostles of the Lord give us some
advice on dealing with Apostates in the 20th and 21st verses:

(1) Build yourselves up in your most holy faith

(2) Pray in the Holy Spirit

(3) Keep yourselves in God’s Love (Don’t get divided from the Body of
Christ) as you wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring you to
eternal life (As you wait for Christ’s Return).

In the 22nd & 23rd verse the Apostles send you on YOUR mission for the
kingdom by telling you these things as you seek new members for the kingdom:

(1) Be merciful to those who doubt.

Remember God’s mercy that was also extended to you. There was a time when
you were not saved and you did not know God. However, he was merciful to you
and you should show that same mercy to the lost.

(2) Snatch others from the fire and save them.

Help those that want to be saved; save them from the doom of the fires of
hell.

(3) To others show mercy, mixed with fear – hating even the clothing stained
by corrupted flesh.

– To others [Those individuals mentioned in point 2 ]

– Show Mercy [Show them understanding because of their newness to Christ.
Remember you too were once a newcomer to Christ and He showed you mercy.]

– Fear [Because once these newcomers get saved it’s up to you to lead them
to a closer walk with Christ. However, if you decide not to show them mercy and
if YOU turn them away (the same as the APOSTATES) God will definitely hold you
accountable.

– Hate even the clothing stained by corrupted flesh. [Many scriptures tell
us of the heavenly garments – white robes. The one thing that stains these
robes is sin. Now if you know that your friend, coworkers or relatives have
stained robes you should HATE this.]

 

PAY CLOSE ATTENTION: Hating this DOES NOT mean you should hate them – HATE
THE STAIN instead. This means that you should be compelled to help them get
their robes cleaned. Don’t just stand there and pity them or talk about them –
Help Others Wash Their Robes. You do this by leading them to Jesus. Revelation
7:14 states that those who came out of the great tribulation had their robes
washed and made white by the blood of the Lamb. (Jesus, the perfect sacrifice,
made and can make these heavenly garments what they should be – spotless and
perfect. The 24th & 25th verses in Jude (The Doxology) support this point
entirely:

24 & 25: To him who is able
to keep you from falling and present you before his glorious presence without
fault [spotless and perfect] and with great joy – to the only God our Savior be
glory, majesty, power and authority, through Jesus Christ our Lord, before all
ages, now and forever! Amen.

To conclude, I would like to let you know, as most of you do, that Apostates
are very much alive and kicking in today’s church. They are driving many from
the Body of Christ; however, your healing is just a prayer a way. We must
understand that sin is the opportunity to step outside the will of God and if a
person sins it is because that is human nature. The reason that Jesus never
sinned was because He was God. But there is a difference in sinning (once or
occasionally) and, as the Bible says, SINNETH (constantly sinning). The
"sinneth" applies to the Apostates and I hope these two scriptures
help you understand this:

1John 3:6: Whosoever abideth [constantly abides] in Him [God] sinneth not
[does not constantly sin]: whosoever sinneth [constantly sins] hath not seen
him, neither known him.

1John 3:8: He that committeth [constantly commits] sin is of the devil; for
the devil sinneth [continually sinned] from the beginning. For this purpose the
Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

Just like the garbage cans lined with garbage bags, the Apostates sometimes
try to use God’s words to coverup their ungodliness. Yet, if you continually
put garbage in the garbage can, even while using garbage bags, eventually the
odor of trash will come out. In other words, if a person is of CONSTANT sin
then no matter how hard and how long as he/she tries to hide it the filth will
eventually surface. This is why it is so important that we know God’s will and
His word so that we can realize that these types of things and people are not
of God. Don’t let the devil’s "peeps" (people)[The Apostates of ‘98]
separate you from the Body of Christ in any manner.

Stay Blessed and Stay In The Body Of Christ!

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