Bible Reading: Deuteronomy 2; Psalms 83 & 84; Isaiah 30; Jude
These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. (Jude 1:19)
Jude is warning the church to watch for pretenders in their midst. We need to heed this warning today. Everyone that comes to church does not belong to Jesus Christ.
For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. (Jude 1:4)
These ungodly men turn the grace of God into lasciviousness. In other words, they teach that anything goes! You can live as you please because God does not care. They also deny God and the Lord Jesus Christ. Either they deny him verbally or by their actions.
They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate. (Titus 1:16)
Jude also tells us that they separate themselves. Instead of being a part of God's family, they usually tear up the family of God. They leave the church and the apostle John tells us:
They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us. (1 John 2:19)
Jude tells us the real problem with these pretenders. They are sensual. The Greek word used is psuchikos and means the natural nature of man. He tells us that the sensual man does not have the Spirit. So we know that these pretenders are not saved.
Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. (Romans 8:9b)
The same Greek word is used by Paul to explain why a lost person cannot understand God's Word. Here the word psuchikos is translated 'natural'.
But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. (1 Corinthians 2:14)
There are people in the church who are not saved. They do not have the Spirit of God living in them because they have never been born again. They cannot understand the things of the Spirit of God and they will make decisions based upon their own understanding. They will cause division. They will separate from the people of God. They will deny the Lord.
What are we to do? First, know that they are here. Second, we must preach the gospel to every creature. The only hope for a person is for them to be saved. Then they can begin to understand God's Word and grow in grace. Brothers and sisters, a lost person will act like a lost person. Do you have the Spirit of God living in you?
Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? (2 Corinthians 13:5)
In Christ,
Rody
