Hypocrites Among the Believers.

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The Book of Jude ought occasionally be gone through in every Christian assembly in America, I believe. Jude warns us that in our assemblies there may be those who are not true Christians at all. They are hypocrites. A hypocrite is not a weak believer who is appalled by the sins that so easily beset him, but someone who pretends he is living the victorious Christian life while his or her heart is far from God.

We will know who the hypocrites are as soon as the Christians in America are being persecuted.

(3/25/2007) The sinners in Zion are terrified; trembling grips the godless: "Who of us can dwell with the consuming fire? Who of us can dwell with everlasting burning?" (Isaiah 33:14)

It is interesting that as soon as Jude begins his epistle he identifies the main characteristic of the hypocrites: For certain men whose condemnation was written about long ago have secretly slipped in among you. They are godless men, who change the grace of our God into a license for immorality and deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord. (Jude 4)

The godless were written about "long ago," in the Book of Isaiah, for example, and also, apparently, in the Book of Enoch.

What is the primary action of the godless hypocrites? They "change the grace of our God into a license for immorality." They also deny Jesus Christ our only Sovereign and Lord."

Changing the grace of God into a license for immorality, and denying the Lordship of Jesus Christ, are related. They both are often the case with believers in America.

At some point in the Christian Era, perhaps as far back as the days of the Apostle Paul, the teaching of Paul concerning "grace" was perceived as a new Divine approach to the sinful compulsions of man. Man no longer is required or expected to live righteously. In place of moral change in man, God has substituted "grace," meaning that how an individual behaves is not a part of his redemption. The one all-important action man must take to be saved and go to Heaven is to "accept Christ." Once he does this, Divine grace takes care of all sinful behaviour on the part of him who accepts Christ.

This is what Jude meant by "changing the grace of God into a license for immorality." The extent of the moral havoc produced by this perversion of the Apostle Paul's teaching of "grace" may be quite beyond our ability to calculate. But how is this perversion related to denying the Lordship of Jesus Christ?

We Americans are lovers of pleasure. We can find it in ourselves to accept the fact that Christ is willing to forgive our sins and overlook our sinful behaviour by means of His shed blood on the cross. He is our Saviour. He became poor that we might be wealthy. He suffered so we do not have to suffer. This sort of abomination is preached today as being the Gospel of the Kingdom of God.

But the concept that we are to install Him as absolute Lord of every detail of our life, that we are to die to our self-will and personal ambition, is repugnant to us. One seldom hears "deny yourself, take up your cross, and follow Me." Rather we hear how Christ is going to make us rich and spare us all inconvenience and suffering.

Can you see how the perversion of grace and the rejection of the Lordship of Christ go hand in hand? How to be a Christian without really trying! All the riches of this world and Heaven too!

We Americans, and perhaps all of the Western nations, have been cruelly, grievously, deceived. We are not Christians at all, in numerous instances. Many of today's congregations would fire a pastor who preached that in order to please Christ they must die to their self-will and accept Him as the King and Lord of their lives. They would rather hear about how they are going to be caught up to Heaven to live in bliss while the Jews without the Holy Spirit suffer under the reign of Antichrist.

How will we ever be delivered from this deception? Will it require terrible destruction upon America and severe persecution if the hypocrites are to be driven from the Christian assembling?

The "rapture" passage, in First Thessalonians, speaks of Christ bringing with Him the deceased saints. The current teaching is that the returning saints and all current believers will be "raptured" into Heaven in order to escape Antichrist and the great tribulation. This is unscriptural.

Jude tells us what the returning saints will do. After they have been resurrected and caught up to be with Christ in the air, they will bring Divine judgment upon the hypocrites in the churches.

Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men (the hypocrites in the churches): "See, the Lord is coming with thousands upon thousands of his holy ones To judge everyone, and to convict all the ungodly of all the ungodly acts they have done in the ungodly way, and of all the harsh words ungodly sinners have spoken against him." (Jude 14,15)

How many believers of our day are following the way of Cain? They are jealous of those whom the Lord blesses. They will attempt to injure those who are patiently waiting for the Lord.

How many believers of our day are following the way of Balaam? They expect that their profession of Christ will make them wealthy. "Give the preacher a thousand dollars and God will give you ten thousand dollars?"

How many Christian entrepreneurs are acquiring money by means of their religion? How many will prophesy over someone if given enough money."

The American people by and large worship money. The worship of money has entered the Christian churches to a great extent.

How many believers of our day are following the way of Korah? American people, whether or not they are believers in Christ, tend to resent authority. They will pull their leaders down to their level if they are able.

We ought not to be following leaders who are immoral or covetous. But if we find a pastor who is not immoral, or seeking money, or attempting to take God's Glory to himself, and God seems to be with him, then we ought to be willing to follow his lead. He is responsible for the welfare of the flock, and may be called upon from time to time to rebuke them and urge them to cease their worldly ways and live a holy life.

Jude has a lot to say to us today. It is amazing who the congregations Jude was acquainted with are similar to those of today.

All true believers in Jesus Christ are looking for His appearing? But how many will be able to stand in the Presence of the Consuming Fire of Israel. You and I can, if we are pursuing iron righteousness, fiery holiness, and stern obedience to God.

You can hear the morning sermon at morning. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

You can hear the evening sermon at evening. http://www.wor.org/audio/audio.htm

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