Apostasy

APOSTASY.

JUDE.

I want to talk to you this morning about apostasy. Jude is describing what we are going to call an apostate. Now look in verse 8. That is Jude explaining or describing an apostate. He describes them as filthy dreamers. Jude also says an apostate defiles the flesh, despises Dominion and speaks evil of dignities. In other words an apostate is not merely an unbeliever but someone who has known the truth and then turned his back on it. An apostate is someone who has, No. 1. Received the truth in his head. No. 2. Rejected the truth with his heart. No. 3. Reticules the truth with his talk and his walk or actions. No. 4. He then substitutes something else in the place of the truth.

Years ago General Booth, founder of Salvation Army, said this about the 20th century. There will be religion without Jesus, forgiveness without repentance, salvation without regeneration. He said there will be politics without God and heaven without hell. He said that is what the world is going to be like in the 20th century. I believe he is right. Now Jude writes about these things.

Look in verses 3, 4. Jude said I wanted to write about the common salvation. I just wanted to preach a Gospel message but the Holy Spirit would not let me. The Holy Spirit of God said you warn people that they should earnestly contend for the faith. That word contend means a battle for the faith. We are to take our stand on the Word of God. Because, we are told in verse 4, certain men have crept in unawares. Now there are apostate’s who have come in to Bible believing churches. It has the idea of someone who can slip into the water without making a ripple. You see, the devil is not fighting churches, he is joining churches. An apostate, folks, is a person with a do it yourself religion. He thinks up to his own theology. He has his own ideas. It isn’t something that God has sent down but something he has dreamed up.

Now the Bible gives us three descriptions of these filthy dreamers. We can see them right here in the book of Jude verse 8. The first of these three is THEY DEFILE THE FLESH. I want to tell you this about an apostate, he gets into a rousing sins. Many times, sexual sin.

You notice the word likewise in verse 8. That tells us that verse 8 refers back to verse 7. Now the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah were given over to fornication and homosexuality. They got into sexual and sensual sins.

Did you know that an apostate is more wicked than just an unbeliever? An unbeliever may be your next-door neighbor. He might be your good friend. He doesn’t know the Gospel of Jesus. He is lost but outwardly a fine, moral man.

But an apostate is someone who is going to defile the flesh. I want to tell you why. When a man knows the truth and rejects the truth something happens to him. He commits soul suicide. He just kicks his conscience to death. When he does that, he becomes the Devils play thing. You see, it is the Word of God that keeps us from sin. But when a person rejects the truth, something happens to his character. Apostasy and fleshly sins are linked together. Apostasy, my dear friend’s is happening in all churches. The devil will see to it that he has a servant in God’s house.

Let’s look at the second point. Not only does an apostate defile the flesh but THEY DESPISE THE FATHER. Look again in verse 8. It’s says they despise dominion. If you want to know who has dominion look at verse 25. God has dominion and the apostate despises God. The apostate likes to emphasize his freedom. Haven’t you heard I can be a good Christian and not go to any church? You can no more be a good Christian and not attend church than you can be a good airplane pilot and never fly an airplane. But freedom is the apostate’s battle cry.

Now let me insert something here. Apostate means falling away. Now listen, over the past few years I have noticed some of your falling into this category of an apostate. Positions you volunteered to be responsible, you have fallen back. Some of you say I want our children to be a part of the children’s choir. You start out well by giving them to practice then something else happens. If you have said you would teach, sing or any other position you ought to contend, battle for the faith. Did you think for one minute the devil would not place stumbling blocks in the way to? I tell you parents your better look at situations real good. You are molding some young minds with decisions you make. The Lord’s work had better be high priority in your decision-making. Don’t one day, that’s son or daughter will say I don’t want to go down to the church anymore. Hardly any of my friends go. Listen for a child who has heard the truth and to reject the truth; statistics say that about 80 percent will become sexual immoral and drug users. I don’t believe you go wrong when you encourage your children to be involved in programs of the church.