The Cost of Ignoring God's Warnings

Dr. Jeff Schreve: How serious do we take the warnings from scripture? We have an idea that God is just such a good, kind, loving God that he kind of winks at sin in our lives. He doesn't wink at sin. God hates sin. So until you and I—and I'm speaking to myself—until we get serious about walking with God and saying no to the things of this world and the things of the flesh, until we get serious about saying, "I'm going to walk in the light as the Lord is in the light," we're not going to see God use our lives the way he wants to use us, and we're very susceptible to false teaching and false doctrine.
Guest (Male): Just about all of us love stories—stories where the bad guy gets it in the end. We have a deep-down longing for justice. Although it is possible for somebody to get away with murder in this life and not be held accountable for it, it won't be possible to get away with it in the next life because everyone has to do business with God in the end. This is From His Heart with Pastor Jeff Schreve. Thank you for joining us today as he continues the message, "The Wheels of God's Justice." It's from Pastor Jeff's series, "Faith Under Fire: A Study of the Book of Jude." He'll remind us that while God is patient with us, he always deals with sin. His justice is sure. We'll be in part two of this lesson today. If you missed part one, go to FromHisHeart.org and click the listen link. Now, open your Bible to the book of Jude. Here again is Pastor Jeff.
Dr. Jeff Schreve: Beloved, Jude said, "While I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith, which was once for all delivered, handed down to the saints. For certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation—ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness, a license to sin, so to speak, and deny our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ. Now, I desire to remind you, even though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe. And angels who did not keep their own domain but abandoned their proper abode, he has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day, just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire. Yet in the same way, these men also, by dreaming, defile the flesh and reject authority and revile angelic majesties. But Michael, the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment but said, 'The Lord rebuke you.' But these men revile the things which they do not understand, and the things which they know by instinct like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed. Woe to them, for they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay, they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam and perished in the rebellion of Korah." Three important observations from this passage of scripture, and it's three because Jude likes to work in threes. If you noticed, he gives three illustrations of these things, and he likes to work in threes. First important observation for the apostates, for these false teachers: their judgment is certain. The wheels of God's justice grind slowly, but they grind exceedingly fine. Just because these guys seem to be on top right now, just know that their judgment is certain. What does Jude use? He uses three examples. He's going to tell us first about the Jews. God judged unbelieving Jews in the wilderness. That judgment was certain. Secondly, God judged rebellious angels in the antediluvian world. All that means is the world before the flood. Antediluvian: the deluge that came upon the world. This is the world before the flood. Now, he says in verse six, "And angels who did not keep their own domain but abandoned their proper abode, he has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day." And here's the point that Jude is making: God judged Israel for unbelief; he judged the angels for doing what they did, where they transgressed their own domain. They stepped outside their proper abode, and judgment came. God committed them to pits of darkness. God judged them. God judged unbelieving Israel, God judged the angels, and then he says that God judged grossly immoral Gentiles in Sodom and Gomorrah. Verse seven: "Just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire." So he's bringing these pictures and these scenes from the Old Testament. They would know about these things. Sodom is known for homosexuality, and the sin of sodomy comes from that city. And the Bible says in Ezekiel 16, the Lord says about Sodom, "Thus they, the people of Sodom, were haughty and committed abominations before me. Therefore, I removed them when I saw it." Just like God judged the unbelieving Jews, just like he judged the rebellious angels, just like he judged the grossly immoral Gentiles in the cities of the plain. Second observation: their conduct. This is the conduct of the apostates, the false teachers, the wolves in sheep's clothing. Their conduct is abominable. Says in verse eight, "Yet in the same way, these men also, by dreaming, defile the flesh and reject authority and revile angelic majesties." Defile the flesh, reject authority, and revile angelic majesties. To defile the flesh means to sully and taint and contaminate the flesh. And here gives you a picture of the false teacher, the false preacher, the false prophet, the false apostle: he is sexually immoral. That's one of the things that you find out about these guys—sexually immoral. Second Peter 2:14, Second Peter and Jude are very, very similar in what they talk about. And Second Peter says these guys indulge the flesh with its corrupt desires and despise authority. They have eyes full of adultery and that never cease from sin. Interesting, I asked AI, I said, "Give me some examples of false teachers who are sexually immoral." And one of the four that came up in my response to that: Tony Alamo. Tony Alamo was from around here. And Tony Alamo had a cult. I remember when I first came here, some of his cult members they put flyers on all the windshields in our parking lot because the cult leader always goes after Christians because they pretend and proclaim themselves to be Christian. "We follow the Bible, we follow Jesus," but they preach another Jesus whom we have not preached. Sexually immoral. David Koresh, the Branch Davidians—what do we learn about him? Sexually immoral. Jim Jones, Jonestown, Guyana—sexually immoral. He was the leader of the Peoples Temple. You just dig a little deeper, and you find sexual immorality in this false teacher, false prophet. Their conduct is abominable. And they reject the authority of Christ and his word. "Yet in the same way, these men also, by dreaming, defile the flesh and reject authority." It's interesting they dream, and their dreams trump what the Bible has to say because they'll say, "Well, you know, God speaks directly to me, and this is what I hear from the Lord. This is what the Lord says." It doesn't—they get their authority from these dreams, not from scripture, not from what Jesus said in his word. They reject that. That's why it says in verse four, they turn the grace of our God into licentiousness—that's the sexual immorality part—and deny our only Master and Lord Jesus Christ. They say no to his lordship. No, we're not going to follow him. Now, they'll say they are, but they're not. They have another gospel that they're preaching. The gospel of prosperity, and God wants you healthy and wealthy and wise. That really sells well in Peoria. People want that because that's what the devil offered Jesus on the mount of temptation. "You worship me," showing him all the kingdoms of the world in a moment in time, and said, "You worship me, bow down and worship me, and I'll give all this to you." Well, that's what the fallen human heart wants. Total depravity wants: what are you going to do for me? Christianity doesn't appeal to your flesh. It tells you how to be right with God. Christianity says, "Hey, the riches are not in this life; they're in the life to come. The reward is to come; it's not now." So they reject the authority of Christ and his word.
Guest (Male): Pastor Jeff Schreve returns on From His Heart in just a moment to complete the lesson, "The Wheels of God's Justice," from the series, "Faith Under Fire: A Study of the Book of Jude." We want you to stay with us, but we also want you to go with us on a special trip. Here's what that's about.
Dr. Jeff Schreve: Hi, Pastor Jeff here, and I'm excited to announce that we'll be going to Israel in 2027. Our trip is set for April 2nd through the 11th, and we would love for you to join us as we walk where Jesus walked. This is truly the trip of a lifetime as the sacred places you've only read about will now be seen up close and in full color. You can find out all the details by going to our website, FromHisHeart.org. That's FromHisHeart.org, and follow the link titled "Holy Land 2027." I look forward to having you with us for this awesome experience in the land of Israel.
Guest (Male): That sounds like a trip of a lifetime, and Pastor Jeff would love for you to join him next year. Again, go to FromHisHeart.org, scroll down just a little bit, and you'll see the Holy Land link. But now, let's finish the message from Pastor Jeff's series, "Faith Under Fire." It's called "The Wheels of God's Justice." Pastor.
Dr. Jeff Schreve: So they reject the authority of Christ and his word. And they have no sense of humility and respect. They reject authority and revile angelic majesties. Now, verse nine is an interesting verse because it tells us something that we've never heard before anywhere else in scripture. But Michael, the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment but said, "The Lord rebuke you." Now, where is this coming from? There was an apocryphal work, really part of another big theological word, pseudepigrapha. It wasn't scripture, but it was familiar to the people in the first century. It's called "The Assumption of Moses." And in "The Assumption of Moses," there's an account of the devil and Michael arguing over the body of Moses. So Jude may be using that as an illustration, or it may have really happened. Either way, the people are going to follow with him. Well, he says that there was this incident where Michael the archangel disputed with the devil over the body of Moses. Now, Michael is not chop liver. He's not low-rung angel. He's an archangel. He does battle with the devil in Revelation chapter 12. Michael and his armies against Satan and his armies, and Michael and his armies defeat Satan and his armies, and they throw him out of heaven. In Job, he had access to heaven, to God, and he has a conversation with God in the book of Job. Now he's thrown out, and it's Michael who does it. But when Michael is disputing over the body of Moses—see, the Lord buried Moses. Nobody knows where Moses was buried. He was—the Lord took him up to Mount Nebo. Remember, he said, "You can't go into the promised land because you sinned against me." And Moses really committed the sin of death because when he died, his strength was not abated nor his eyes dim. He was still in good shape, but God was done with his life. And he said, "I'll take you up; you can see the promised land, but you can't go in there." And so he died there on Mount Nebo, and the Lord buried him. Now, here's the thing: the devil wanted his body for what purpose? So people would worship his grave, so it would be idolatrous. Remember the bronze serpent that Moses, by the Lord's direction, put on a pole, and the people were bitten by the serpents? They would look to this bronze serpent on a pole and they would be healed. A picture of Jesus. Jesus said, "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to me." That bronze serpent was a picture of Jesus. Well, God used that one time, and the people kept that bronze serpent on a pole, and they had it for centuries, and they worshipped it, and they called that bronze serpent Nehushtan. And Hezekiah, in his reforms and bringing Israel back to the God of the Bible, he destroyed Nehushtan. He smashed it because they had no business worshipping that at all. Well, the devil wants Moses' body for that—to get the people to be idolatrous. But here's the point: Michael does not stand up and say, "I rebuke you, Satan." He says, "The Lord rebuke you." And you know what else is amazing, just mind-blowing? In Zechariah chapter three, the Lord speaks to Satan, and the Lord says to Satan, "The Lord rebuke you, Satan." He doesn't say, "I rebuke you." He says, "The Lord rebuke you, Satan. Indeed, the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you." Now, that's a word to all of us: that we don't, on our own, start going after the devil. You don't revile angelic majesties. And Lucifer was the greatest angel God made. And you and I are no match for him. So we have to always turn that over to the Lord: the Lord rebuke you. Watch out for the guys that always seem to be going after the devil. It's a telltale sign that that person is who Jude is talking about. You have to be careful. These guys are abominable in their character. And then lastly, the future for these guys is horrific. He says in verse 11, "Woe to them, for they have gone the way of Cain." For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay, they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam and perished in the rebellion of Korah. So he likes threes. So he had the threes in verse eight: they defile the flesh, reject authority, revile angelic majesties. And he says, "Woe to them, they've gone the way of Cain, the way of error of Balaam, and the rebellion of Korah." Now, let's look at Cain. Like murderous Cain, what's going to happen? These people will be exposed and humiliated. Cain is the guy that's talked about over and over in Genesis chapter four. He's the first son of Adam and Eve. He killed his brother Abel because Abel's offering was accepted because he came God's way, brought a blood sacrifice. Cain, he came his own way. And God's not going to take you your own way. You want to sing Frank Sinatra's song, "I Did It My Way"? Well, that's where everybody who goes to hell did it his way. You can do it God's way and go to heaven, or you can do it your way and go to hell. Woe to them, they have gone the way of Cain. The way of Cain is the way of woe. The way of Cain is the way of works. It's the way of, "This is how I'm going to do it, God, and you're going to accept me." And God says, "Oh, no, I'm not." And Cain, in his anger, slew his brother Abel. And he basically said to God, "Okay, God, you want a blood sacrifice? I'll give you a blood sacrifice. It's the blood of Abel." And then the Lord said to Cain, "Where is your brother Abel?" He said, "I don't know. Am I my brother's keeper?" He said, "What have you done? The voice of your brother's blood is crying out to me from the ground. You are busted, pal. And you are a farmer, but the ground is not going to yield anything for you anymore." And he put a curse on Cain. And Cain was exposed and humiliated. His future was horrific. But not only like murderous Cain, like greedy Balaam, these false teachers, they sell their soul for money. "And for pay, they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam." Who was Balaam? It's really interesting. This guy Balaam, who was a prophet, he's given a lot of time and space in the book of Numbers. But Balaam was a prophet—P-R-O-P-H-E-T—for profit—P-R-O-F-I-T. He was in it for the money. Peter says he loved the wages of unrighteousness. He was hired by Balak, the king of the Moabites, to curse Israel. And he wanted to do it because he wanted the money, but God wouldn't let him do it. But he kept pushing, and God says, "No, don't go." And then he kept pushing. "Well, I want to go." And they kept sweetening the deal. And so God finally let him go, but he wouldn't let him curse Israel, and he blessed Israel. But here's the thing about Balaam: he was a lover of money. False prophets, lovers of money. And lastly, like rebellious Korah, they will come to a devastating end. You say, "Who was Korah?" Korah was a Levite in Numbers chapter 16. A Levite, the tribe of Levi, assisted the tribe of Aaron. Aaron and his descendants were the priests, and the Levites assisted the priests in the things pertaining to God. But the Levite couldn't offer sacrifices. Only the priest could do that. And the Levite couldn't be a high priest because you had to be in the lineage of Aaron. And Korah was a Levite, and that wasn't good enough for him. He wanted to be a priest. And so he was upset at his position, and he opposed Moses, and he opposed Aaron. Said, "You've gone far enough. We're all holy. Everybody is holy. The whole congregation is holy." And he called out Moses, rebelled against Moses. Well, Moses said, "Okay, we're going to see who is from the Lord and who is not." And he said, "Come out the next day. You and your company, come with your priestly firepans. You burn incense to the Lord. We'll see who the Lord says is his." And if you know the story of Korah, he came out with his whole family, stood there, and the ground opened up, swallowed him whole and all that he had, and closed up over him. And he went down alive into Sheol. I think God made a strong statement to the children of Israel that day: who is on the Lord's side. And Moses was doing everything that the Lord had commanded him to do, and Korah was rebellious. And Korah had a horrific end. Where does all this take us? And what do we glean from all of this? You say, "Well, Jeff, I'm not a false prophet. I'm not a tare among the wheat." Here's where it took me: how serious do we take the warnings from scripture? We have an idea that God is just such a good, kind, loving God that he kind of winks at sin in our lives. He's not that concerned about the sin in our lives. He's very concerned about the sin in our lives. He doesn't wink at sin. God hates sin. And so until you and I—and I'm speaking to myself—until we get serious about walking with God and saying no to the things of this world and the things of the flesh and put on the Lord Jesus Christ and make no provision for the flesh with regard to its lusts. We live in a world saturated with the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life. Until we get serious about saying, "I'm going to walk in the light as the Lord is in the light," we're not going to see God use our lives the way he wants to use us, and we're very susceptible to false teaching and false doctrine. Solid food, Hebrews 5:14, is for the mature, who because of practice have their senses trained to discern good and evil. So I want to leave you with this question: are you taking the warnings from God's word seriously?
Guest (Male): Well, it's so imperative that we do heed God's stern warnings in scripture. I hope that these have been moving and stirring insights for you today on From His Heart. If you'd like a copy of the message that you've heard, go to the listen link at FromHisHeart.org. You can listen to it again there. You can download a free MP3 of this broadcast or make a gift to From His Heart this month of any amount and get the entire unedited six-lesson series on either a USB flash drive, CDs, DVDs, or an immediate MP3 download. Messages based on the book of Jude include "Attention Saints," "Christianity Under Siege," today's "The Wheels of God's Justice," "The Character of a Counterfeit," "Godly Living in an Ungodly Age," and "The God Who Never Lets Go." To get your copy, go to FromHisHeart.org or call 866-40-BIBLE. 866-40-BIBLE. And make that gift that'll help us reach more people each and every day. Remember, Pastor Jeff receives no income from this ministry. He's our chief and most important volunteer. God bless you. Thank you for joining us today on From His Heart. I'm Larry Nobles, inviting you to come back with us on Wednesday for the fourth message in this series. It's called "The Character of a Counterfeit." Join Pastor Jeff Schreve then as he speaks truth, love, and hope to a lost and a hurting world. No matter what, God loves you and has a wonderful plan for your life. Find out more at FromHisHeart.org.