Wednesday, June 29, 2016

What Are The Beloved To Do?

Temple Baptist Church - 6-29-2016

Jude 17-21


Introduction:

A.  We are now “contenders” for “the faith once delivered.”  We will continue to walk in the Old Path of Biblical Faith in the Scriptures!  We will not forsake the old paths that were paid for with such a horrific price: the lives of godly men and women who died for it.

B.  We need to understand that we can only contend where we are.  The apostasy of 2 Thessalonians, chapter 2, is in full swing and we can only stand “our ground” here where we live and where we go to church.  Things will continue to deteriorate around us.  “Change and decay in all around I see” was the observation of a song writer.  We are not to be disappointed, discouraged, or defiled by it. 

1.  We cannot change the apostates because these are lost people who will not receive the Word of God.  2 Thessalonians 2:10-12  And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.  (11)  And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie:  (12)  That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness.

2.  We cannot change the apostates because they cannot comprehend the Word of God.  1 Corinthians 2:13-14  Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.  (14)  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.

3.  It is difficult to convince the liberal because they do not recognize the perfect Word of God.  They hold the Word of God but do not believe the Word of God.  Romans 1:18  For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;  (They will tell you that they are Bible believers but then they will change or contradict the Bible.  It is either the pure Word of God or it is not the Word of God at all: it is simple a translation which is the work of man.)

4.  Let the liberal stand where he/she wants, we cannot change them.  Our contending for the faith is not to convince the apostate but to maintain the Old Paths of the Scripture for us and our posterity.  They MUST not change us!  Proverbs 24:21  My son, fear thou the LORD and the king: and meddle not with them that are given to change:

C.  Now, Jude gives instructions through the Holy Ghost to God’s children, the Beloved.  The first word of verse 7 is “But.”  We are to contrast the “falling away” by standing fast!  How are we to stand?

Ephesians 6:13-18  Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.  (14)  Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;  (15)  And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;  (16)  Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.  (17)  And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:  (18)  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

1.  “But”  We are not going to change them apostate!  We are to contrast them.  We are to offer a stark, black and white difference.  a)  For our children to see and follow  b) For the world to see so that they can make a responsible choice.  I say responsible because, if they choose right or wrong, they will be held accountable for their choice.

2.  “Building”  Building up yourselves on your most holy faith is a continuing work.  Colossians 2:7  Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving. (Rooted to the Word of God and drawing from the True Vine which is Christ.  Rooted and built means that the fruit produced will be in accord with the milk and meat of God’s Word that we “have been taught.”  Verse 17)

Colossians 2:7  Rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.

3.  “Praying in the Holy Ghost”  No, this is not praying in tongues!  Romans 8:15  For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.  (It is confident praying; it is selfless praying; it is affectionate praying; it is effective praying in the will of God.)

Ephesians 6:18  Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Galatians 5:16-18  This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.  (17)  For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would.  (18)  But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law.

4.  “Keeping”  Keeping ourselves in the love of God.  Keeping our faith in the Second Coming of Christ.  Titus 2:11-13  For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men,  (12)  Teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present world;  (13)  Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ;  (This does not mean that we can live in such a way as to fall from the love that God has for us.  It goes back to our walking in the love of God instead in the love of the world.)

1 John 2:15  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

Sunday, June 19, 2016

Abstain From All Appearance Of Evil

Temple Baptist Church - 6-19-2016
1 Thessalonians 5:22

 
Introduction:
A.  This message actually ties in with the one that I preached last Sunday night.  “Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
1.  in order to “prove all things,” we need to understand that we are in this world and will be exposed to many things that are wicked, distasteful, tantalizing to the flesh, etc. and there is nothing that we can do about it.  If you would allow me, I want to pull a text out of context for a moment:
1 Corinthians 14:10  There are, it may be, so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without signification.  (We are exposed to many voices and have to learn to Scripturally distinguish them as to good or bad through the Bible.)
 
2.  Then, when proven, we are to “love not” the things that are against the Scripture and stay away from them!
1 John 2:15-17  Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  (16)  For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.  (17)  And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
 
3.  Our Lord not only left us in the world but also sent us to the world (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15) to win them to Christ.
1 Corinthians 5:9-10  I wrote unto you in an epistle not to company with fornicators:  (10)  Yet not altogether with the fornicators of this world, or with the covetous, or extortioners, or with idolaters; for then must ye needs go out of the world.  (Every creature needs a preacher!)
 
Romans 10:14  How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?
 
4.  These are “beautiful” feet that carry the gospel to people enslaved by sin and, to carry the gospel to them, we MUST go to where they are.
 
Romans 10:15  And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!
 
B.  Now, we have to “hold fast that which is good” and “abstain” from that which is not while being around it on every hand.
 
1.  This does not mean that we are to go everywhere!  There are some places that I refuse to go.  The “Pastor of Bourbon Street,” who preached New Orleans, LA and in the “joints” thereof, Bob Harrington (not our Bob Harrington J ), fell prey to the sinfulness of his flesh by not doing what I will preach about tonight.
 
2.  By holding fast that which is good, we are to have unshakable Biblical convictions and enough obedience to the Holy Spirit to know where and when to go.  I do not go into the dives of this world but rather wait until the sinner comes out
 
C.  Let us break down our verse and then give some good, Biblical advice.
 
1.  Abstain – to refrain from or to hold oneself off.  Safe conduct!
 
2.  From – departure, cessation, separation.  To keep at a spiritual distance!
 
3.  All – The Greek word for “all” is “all.”  All means all and that’s all that all means.
 
4.  Appearance – shape or fashion.  Not what we are told that it is but what we see that it is.
 
5.  Evil – morally wrong, harmful, or malicious.
 
D.  How to abstain.
 
1.  Stay in the Bible - Psalms 119:9-11  BETH. Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed thereto according to thy word.  (10)  With my whole heart have I sought thee: O let me not wander from thy commandments.  (11)  Thy word have I hid in mine heart, that I might not sin against thee.
 
2.  Stay close to the LORD - John 8:12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.
 
3.  Follow the leading of the Holy Ghost - 1 John 2:20-21  But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things.  (21)  I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth, but because ye know it, and that no lie is of the truth.
 
4.  Know your weaknesses - 1 Corinthians 2:3  And I was with you in weakness, and in fear, and in much trembling.
 
5.  Guard your strengths - Galatians 6:1  Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
 

Father’s Day

Temple Baptist Church - 6-18-2016
Joshua 24:14-25

 
Introduction: 
 
A.  Father’s Day normally takes a back seat to Mother’s Day and I have no problem with that.  We need to make much of our precious wives and mothers because of their great importance to the family structure.  We make much of the ladies and need to do so because we love them and are proud of them.
 
B.  This is Father’s Day and today we will exalt the man and praise him in the position that the Lord gave to him. 
 
1.  He is the glory of his children - Proverbs 17:6   Children’s children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers.  (Daddy, you are so very important in the lives of your family and especially in the lives of your children!)
 
2.  He is the head of his home - 1 Corinthians 11:3  But I would have you know, that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of Christ is God(The father is the spiritual leader and as goes the father, so goes the home!  Weak fathers = weak homes.  Strong fathers = strong homes. Spiritual fathers = spiritual home.)
 
a)  He is to take that responsibility seriously!
 
b)  The wife is to willingly give him that headship.  Dr. B. R. Lakin used to say, “Some husbands are so henpecked that they roost on the foot of the bed at night.”  America needs some men who are born again with a strong spiritual backbone who will begin to lead their family.
 
C.  Only time and eternity will show the real importance of men in both the family and the work of the Lord. Every Family Needs Three Homes:
 
1.  They Need A Heavenly Home - Acts 16:31  And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house.
 
2.  They Need A Church Home - 1 Timothy 3:15  But if I tarry long, that thou mayest know how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth.
 
3.  They Need A Christian Home - Ephesians 6:4  And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.
 
D. The Importance of the Men - “A child is not likely to find a father in God unless he finds something of God in his father.”  I thank God for the men in our church!  Good men, godly men, faithful men.
 
1.  We have fathers in our church and
 
2.  We have father figures in our church (you are one or the other)
 
3.  We Need Fathers Who Fear God – **Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 - Ecclesiastes 12:13  Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man.
 
a)  Clean Men (Free from bad habits) - Psalms 19:9  The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether.
 
b)  Moral Men (Men of character) - Proverbs 8:13  The fear of the LORD is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.
 
Proverbs 16:6  By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of the LORD men depart from evil.
 
c)  Wise Men - Proverbs 9:10  The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: and the knowledge of the holy is understanding.
 
4.  We Need Fathers Who Are Faithful To God - Psalms 22:4  Our fathers trusted in thee: they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.
           
a)  Faithful To The Lord – Men who are willing to serve.
 
b)  Faithful To Fill The Gap – Men who are willing to stand.
 
c)  Faithful To Help The Church – Men who are willing to spend time.
 
E.  In our text, we find that wonderful testimony of Joshua as he declared to the people that he and his house would serve the Lord.  
 
1.  Joshua is well known in the Bible for his unwavering faith, commitment, and fearlessness in battle.  Joshua 10:12  Then spake Joshua to the LORD in the day when the LORD delivered up the Amorites before the children of Israel, and he said in the sight of Israel, Sun, stand thou still upon Gibeon; and thou, Moon, in the valley of Ajalon.
 
2.  Joshua was a man of God!
 
Dear Lord, Please Give Us Some Joshua Fathers!
 
1.  Joshua Was A Man Of  Unashamed Conversion (Saved and know it!)(Joshua means Jehovah is salvation.)  Joshua 5:15  And the captain of the LORD’S host said unto Joshua, Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy. And Joshua did so.
 
Joshua 8:30   Then Joshua built an altar unto the LORD God of Israel in mount Ebal,
 
a.  God, Give Us Men Who Are Not Ashamed Of Their Salvation - Philippians 1:20  According to   my earnest expectation and my hope, that in nothing I shall be ashamed, but that with all boldness, as always, so now also Christ shall be magnified in my body, whether it be by life, or by death.  (Let the world know that you are saved and love the Lord!)
 
2 Timothy 1:12  For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.
 
b.  God, Give Us Men Who Are Not Ashamed Of Their Associations - 2 Timothy 1:8  Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner:             but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God;  (Love and spend time with God’s people!)
           
2.  Joshua Was A Man Of Unblemished Character (Saved and show it!) – Joshua 11:15   As the LORD commanded Moses his servant, so did Moses command Joshua, and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the LORD commanded Moses.
 
1 Corinthians 16:13   Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong.
 
a.  God, Give Us Men Who Are Sober – “watch ye”  (Spiritually discerning.)
 
b.  God, Give Us Men Who Are Steadfast– “stand fast in the faith”  (Doctrinally correct.)
 
c.  God, Give Us Men Who Are Strong– “quit you like men, be strong”  (Unwavering.)
 
3.  Joshua Was A Man  Of Unwavering Commitment (Saved and owe it!) – Joshua 23:1 (Joshua is an old man and still committed.)  Judges 2:8  And Joshua the son of Nun, the servant of the LORD, died, being an hundred and ten years old.       
 
a.  God, Give Us Men Who Are Sold Out To God - Philippians 1:21   For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain.  (Serving as an example to others.)
 
b.  God, Give Us Men Whose Families Are Sold Out To God - Joshua 24:15   And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD.  (Serving as an example to the home.)
 
Happy Father’s Day!  I love the men of this church!  Be a good Christian and then you will be a good Dad!  God bless!

Sunday, June 12, 2016

Prove All Things

Temple Baptist Church - 6-12-2016
1 Thessalonians 5:21


Introduction:

A.  In the days of my childhood, things were a lot simpler. 

1.  Things were simpler in a lot of ways.  We talk of the America that our children will never know.  When we talk about the “good old days,” we are talking about days when kids were safe and could be kids. 

2.  I remember the days when I knew what a boy or girl was!  Today, I have to look at some several times before I am convinced and often leave the scene confused.  Boys who identify as girls and girls who identify as boys.  Pray for me!  I do not want to end up in the wrong restroom!

3.  We are talking about days when family values created solid homes for us to grow up in.  Not necessarily what we would call Christian homes but good homes where parents taught us good manners, respect for authority, obedience to whatever the authority was, to be courteous and kind to others (Golden Rule), to be good citizens, and to fear God.  All of these things are missing in today’s society, not that there are no good homes, but that good homes are about as scarce as “hen’s teeth.”

B.  Let’s bring this down to our day.

1.  Our day has become much more complex and, therefore, often confusing to God’s children.  Things were more “black and white” then than they are today as the lines of right and wrong have been blurred by the world and the political correctness of our day. 

2.  Now the public schools are beginning to teach children that Gay/Lesbian/Transgender/Cross Dressers/etc. are acceptable lifestyles.  Back in our youth, they were still in the “closet” and rejected across the board because people had Biblical principles.  Today, the poor old sinner is just confused because he/she is trapped in the wrong body.

3.  In our day, people no longer think it necessary to get married.  In our day, you go to prison and pay a hefty fine for destroying a Bald Eagle’s egg (an unborn bird) and find it perfectly legal to kill an unborn baby. 

4.  Years ago, a drunk was a drunk but, in our day—he has a sickness or disease and needs to be treated for it!  One man said that the difference between a drunk and an alcoholic was that the drunk didn’t have to go to all of those meeting.

5.  The list could go on but you get the point.  These are confusing times to those who do not know the Lord and do not know the Bible (I am talking about the right Bible, the King James Bible.

C.  Morality has changed because the world has changed, the government has changed, the schools have changed (they are not breeding places for the socialistic progressive liberalism that we see all around us), the churches have changed, because the homes have changed—leaving children no sense of right and wrong.

D.  As these have changed, much confusion within the ranks of Christianity has taken place.  One person says this, another says that, and who are we to believe; what are we to do?  This confusion is not of God for God is not the Author of confusion! 

1 Corinthians 14:33  For God is not the author of confusion, but of peace, as in all churches of the saints.

E.  In today’s Christianity:

1.  If you stand for the Old Paths, or for the old traditions (which are not wrong as long as they are not against the Scripture or taught as commandments of God), you are cultic, legalistic, or pharisaical. 

2.  If something condemns or brings conviction, malign it or mock it, do not just leave it alone.  Just look at the politics of our day.  If someone or something is contrary to what the politician believes or stands for, just demonize or laugh at it.

3.  We live in the day of “gray or shaded areas.”  As lines of morality and right/wrong have been blurred and moved, so have the things of God.  We live in days of change and the changes are neither right nor are they consistent with the Bible.

F.  I tell people if there is something that they do not know if it is right or wrong, do what they know is right until they can prove the rightness or wrongness of what they are wrestling with spiritually.  Giving the world the benefit of the doubt is not Scriptural principle.

1.  God’s children are to measure all things by the Bible.  In the midst of all of the change and confusion, we still have a “benchmark.”  A point of reference from which all things are measured.  We have the unchanged King James Bible.  People who do not know what “bible” to use remain confused because their “bibles” constantly change as more and new versions are put on the marked. 

2.  As “bible teachers” who do not stand for inerrancy and infallibility continually switch versions.  I remember well when the liberal teachers and preachers left the King James Bible for the New American Standard Version (NASV).  Now, most of those have changed to the English Standard Version (ESV).  As they changed from the King James Bible, their standards began to fall and their “Christianity” changed.

1.  God’s children have been saved unto good works.  Though salvation is not of works, salvation does work!  Today’s Christian does not act like yesterday’s Christian.  I used to hear the phrases “He/She was a godly man/woman.  Today, people just say that he/she professes to be saved.  Thank God for professions and confession that show a Biblical conversion!  Biblical conversion is measured by the Bible.

Ephesians 2:10  For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.

2.  God’s children need to walk in the light as He is in the light.  When we are saved, we should have a desire for righteousness.  Matthew 5:6  Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

Psalms 36:9  For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light.

Psalms 119:105  Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

John 8:12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

John 12:46  I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness.

1 John 1:5-7  This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.  (6)  If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:  (7)  But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.

3.  God’s children are to glorify God in all things.  A good question to ask oneself when nor sure is this:  “If I do this, will it bring glory and honor to God?”

Philippians 1:10-11  That ye may approve things that are excellent; that ye may be sincere and without offence till the day of Christ;  (11)  Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

Romans 12:1-2  I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.  (2)  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.

1 Corinthians 10:31-33  Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God.  (32)  Give none offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God:  (33)  Even as I please all men in all things, not seeking mine own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved.


Conclusion:  Put every aspect of your life to the Biblical test, get assurance for the Bible, and hold it fast!!  Don’t let the world change your mind or set your lifestyle.

1 Thessalonians 5:21  Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

Wednesday, June 8, 2016

Enoch’s Prophecy

Temple Baptist Church - 6-8-2016
Jude 14-16


Introduction:

A.  In our verses for tonight, we find the antiquity of the problem at hand.  This study will take several weeks so don’t faint when you see the length of it.

1.  Satan has been active since Genesis 3 in trying to negate the authority and truthfulness of the Word of God.  God said, “Thou shalt surely die,” while Satan said, “Thou shalt NOT surely died.”  What difference does it make if one little word is changed, added, or deleted?  No big deal says the liberal Bible Corrector.  What difference does it make if a verse is missing?

Acts 8:37  And Philip said, If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God.  (This verse is missing from the modern perversions of the Bible.  So, Phillip baptized the Ethiopian Eunuch without a confession of faith in Christ.  Churches have been doing this for many years as they baptize lost people into their churches.)

Don’t tell me that word changes or deletions and verse changes or deletions are of little or no consequence because they change and pervert the Word of God!

2.  It makes all of the difference in the world!  The person of Christ is attacked because He said that we need “every word” that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.  the salvation of Christ is attacked when words are left out or changed; when entire verses are left out.  Jesus said that not one “jot” or one “tittle” would pass away until all was finished.  Either Jesus did not tell the truth (that is called lying) or He just did not know what would transpire in the future and that makes Him not God.  I believe God!  I believe the Bible!

3.  It makes all of the difference in the world!  If the Bible is in error, then its authority is flawed and the man who is smart enough to correct the error becomes the authority.  Hello?  Does this not sound like the false teachers, liberal pastors and preachers, hypocritical schools and universities of our day?  Bible correctors are on every side and the faith once delivered is consistently attacked while men of God are afraid to contend for it.

4.  You may ask, “Why do you keep ‘going off’ on this subject.’”  Your asking this question fuels me to continue to reinforce the subject because it is not important to you and it needs to be in order for you to earnestly contend for the faith once delivered.

B.  Let us look at the time frame in which Enoch gave this prophecy.  Jude’s mention of Enoch’s prophecy tells us that the both the Old and New Testament prophets were aware of that Enoch said.

1.  Genesis 5:18-27  The Old Testament says nothing about what Enoch may or may not have said or preached but the New Testament gives the prophetic message that he preached very clearly. 

a)  Enoch was the seventh from Adam.  This was the age of the Patriarchs where the eldest son remained as the patriarch and spiritual leader of the family as long as he lived.  There were many thousands of children being born but, in the Messianic Line, Enoch was the seventh. 

b)  The number seven is a number of completion.  Enoch prophesied the end of all flesh (except for those who got on the ark) and the end of the Church Age and the Second Coming of our Lord along with the impending judgment that would follow. 

2.  The ultimate judgement of God upon ungodly men is given in type in Genesis 6 and finds its fulfillment in Revelation 19-20. 

a)  Enoch was 65 years when his son, Methuselah, was born and Enoch walked with God for the next 300 years and God took him to heaven without dying.  Enoch is a beautiful type of the church and the believer who will be raptured out in the end time without dying.

b)  Noah is a type safety through obedience and also a type of the Nation of Israel going through the Tribulation Period in the safety of God: the ark.  The ark has been wrongly preached for many years as a type of salvation but it is safety through obedience.  Man has never been saved by what he accomplished but by the grace of God.  Man is saved by what Christ or the Messiah would, in their case one day do or, in our case, what He has already done.  Salvation is found in the finished work of Christ, the gospel, and not in human merit.  

3.  Enoch walked on earth a total of 365 years: 65 years until the birth of his son, Methuselah, and then he walked with God another 300 years until God took him. 

a)  At age 65, Enoch had a son whom he named Methuselah.  Methuselah is noted for two things: his longevity (969 years) and the meaning of his name. 

b)  Methuselah was noted for his longevity.  

1)  His longevity shows the longsuffering of God in His will for the lost to come to Christ.  Methuselah was the oldest recorded man who ever lived.  The reason that I say “oldest recorded” is that we do not know for sure that some of the people who were not patriarchs may have lived nor how long some of the women may have lived.  969 years shows the longsuffering and mercy of God to sinful man. 

2)  The last 120 years of the 969 years that Methuselah lived, Noah preached as he built the ark.  One again, the longsuffering and mercy of God.  God even left the door to the ark open for seven days before shutting it and bringing the waters upon the earth.

c)  Methuselah was noted for the meaning of his name. 

1)  The name Methuselah means “when he is dead it shall be sent” or “when he is gone it shall come.”  I have personally check the numbers and Methuselah died the year of the flood.  He was not one of the ungodly so died prior to the flood, not in the flood.  You find some variations of the words but Enoch named his son Methuselah to prophesy the year of the judgement of God. 

2)  This means that 1,000 years before the flood came, Enoch prophesied the year that the flood would come.   It is interesting that Enoch lived close enough to the flood to see the wickedness that preceded it.  He prophesied the impending judgment of God upon the world.

d)  Methuselah lived to be 969 years old.  Enoch lived until Methuselah was 300 years old, so Enoch died 669 years before the flood.  What transpired in Genesis 6 was a repetition of what took place in the Garden of Ede was already in full swing over 969 years before the flood.

C.  We looked at all of this to show how old that Jude’s prophecy actually was.  Jude was not only telling of what was happening in his day but also setting forth the problems that we would face in the end time by interjecting Enoch’s prophecy along with the problems that he faced.  The problem of apostasy is age old and someone earnestly contended for the faith once delivered so that you and I have the Word of God today!

D.  There are a several interesting things found in these verses:

1.  The problem found in the Book of Jude was not only found in his day but was also prevalent in Enoch’s day prophetic of our day.

2.  That Enoch, along with others in his day, knew a lot more about Bible Theology and Prophetical Eschatology than most men give him credit for.

3.  The problems that we now face as Bible believers in our day is an age old problem that found its beginnings in Genesis when Satan questioned the Word of God by asking, “Yea, hath God said?”

E.  I want to take a Biblical look at Enoch’s day, Jude’s day, and our day in the light of the Scriptures.  This will take more than one service.

Part 2 Begin Here

1.  Enoch’s day.  Genesis 6:1-9

a.  Most casual Bible scholars too often separate Genesis chapter 6 from its context. 

1)  One of the problems causing a lack of understanding of the Bible is a lack of Bible study that needed to rightly divide the word of truth.  I am not going to spend a lot of time on what has commonly been referred to as the “Angel Theory,” but do feel the need to touch upon it.  Preachers have no business teaching theory as fact from the pulpits!

a)  Too many preachers use the notes and commentaries of other men instead to doing the work themselves.  Men who teach the Angel Theory have made no effort to do a personal, verse by verse study of what God said concerning the sons of God in Genesis 6 within its context.

1a)  The Angel Theory has the same problems as “science falsely so called.  As false science must violate or set aside natural laws of physics such as e=mc2 and natural law, matter can neither be created nor destroyed, etc., the Angel Theory violates the laws of First Mention, Last Mention, Context, as well as the continuity of the Scriptures.

2b)  In the first chapters of the Bible, there is no mention of angels; angels have no reproductive powers; if giants were the result of angel cohabitation with women, the seed would have to be angelic, not of men (giants were mentioned before the sin in Genesis 6, not after the sin took place;

3b)  The Last Mention and the First Mention of any subject in the Bible are consistent with each other.  The Bible has continuity throughout.  The Last Mention of the “sons of God” is found in 1 John 3:1 and has nothing to do with angels.  We are the “sons of God.”

4b)  The Angel Theory removes Genesis, chapter 6, from its context and makes that chapter a “stand alone” portion of Scripture.  Genesis, chapter 6, begins with the word “And” which ties it to the preceding chapters.  I will deal with this in a minute.

5b)  The Angel Theory is just that, theory!  It cannot be proved and takes a lot of imagination and speculation.  God did not tell us to imagine nor did He tell us to speculate.  We are to preach Truth which never violates Biblical principles.

b)  Enoch’s Prophecy, found in the Book of Jude, prophesied two events: 1) the impending judgement of God upon ungodly men of his time, both through his preaching and also the naming of his son, Methuselah  2)  also the Seconding Coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and the final judgment upon ungodly men. 

c)  Who the sons of God were is made perfectly clear within its context in the Bible. The word “man” is mentioned 8x in Genesis 6-8 which deals with the sin that brought about the Judgment of God.  God destroyed mankind because of the wickedness of man, not of angels (angels are not mentioned once in the context).  The context of Genesis 6 includes Genesis 3-5! 

2)  In Genesis 3, we find the attack upon God’s commandment, the fall of man, the setting forth of the sacrificial system of atonement of the Old Testament, the promise of the Seed of the Woman (Jesus Christ), the results of the fall found in the judgment of the serpent, Eve, and Adam, and the expulsion of man from the Garden. 

3)  In Genesis 4, the chapter begins with the word “And” which shows the continuity of chapters 3-4.  In chapter 4, we find the birth of two sons; the apostasy of the elder brother; the indictment of God upon Cain’s offering; the death of righteous Abel; and the beginning of the ungodly line of Cain.  It is rebellion and the genealogy of ungodly Cain. 

4)  In Genesis 4:25, we find the word “And” which introduces chapter 5.  Chapter 4, verse 25, begins the setting forth of the godly line of Seth.  We need to understand that chapter divisions were not found in the original manuscripts but were later supplied by the translators to help us find things more quickly.  Genesis 4:25 is the beginning of the godly line of Seth and is detailed in chapter 5. 

5)  The first word in Genesis 6 is “And” which shows the continuation of the context and involves genealogy also.  Who were the “sons of God?”  The godly line of Seth who held the Word of God in unrighteousness!  “The faith once delivered” was the commandments of God that were unchanging.

b.  Ungodly end!  I want to begin with the end result of Enoch’s day because the Book of Jude does so.  The Book of Jude begins with the few “common salvation” who are in a battle for the truth of God’s Word while the masses reject it. 

1)  In order to understand our text and the interjection of Enoch’s preaching thousands of hears beforehand, we will need to go back to Genesis once more.  In order to fully understand Enoch’s Preaching or Prophecy, it is necessary that we compare several portions of Scripture within our context.

Genesis 3:8-9  And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God amongst the trees of the garden.  (9)  And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?  (In the First Mention of communing with God, we find that God communicated with Adam and Eve by His Voice: the Word of God walked with them and express Himself with the Word of God!  It was not a physical presence but rather a communication by Voice.)

Genesis 5:21-23  And Enoch lived sixty and five years, and begat Methuselah:  (22)  And Enoch walked with God after he begat Methuselah three hundred years, and begat sons and daughters:  (23)  And all the days of Enoch were three hundred sixty and five years:  (How did Enoch walk with God?  The same way that Adam and Eve walked with God: Enoch both heard God and spoke to God.  The Word of God walked with Enoch and Enoch walked with the Word of God.  Hearing and heeding!)

Genesis 6:8-9, 13  But Noah found grace in the eyes of the LORD.  (9)  These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God ... (13)  And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them; and, behold, I will destroy them with the earth.  (How did Noah walk with God?  The Word of God walked with him and he walked with the Word of God!  This is the way that all men walk with God.  Within the Scriptures, we find the Truth of God.  Man has always walked with the Voice of God or the “faith once delivered” in our day, which is our Bible.)

a)  Enoch preached what God told him to preach the same as Adam preached to his family (both Cain and Abel knew what sacrifice to bring because of their upbringing).  Because these children were born to the right family did not save them.  It was their personal faith in the coming Woman’s Seed that secured their eternal life with God.  Enoch preached faithfully almost 1000 years before the flood because someone had faithfully preached to him.  God has always had contenders of the faith.

b)  Enoch prophesied the impending judgment of God upon mankind in the naming of his son, Methuselah.  Methuselah means “when he is gone it shall come.”  You may read a little variation in the wording but the prophecy is that when this man dies, the judgment of God will come.  I personally checked the genealogy and found that Methuselah died the year of the flood.

3)  Genesis 6 begins with the sons of God openly flaunting their passions before both God and man while Enoch and Noah, those contending for the faith once delivered, mocked, rejected, and persecuted.  Thank God for the Enoch’s who stand for the faith once delivered and the Noah’s who have brought the Word of God forward in all of its purity! 

a)  They were wicked in Noah’s day.  They were so wicked that God destroyed every living thing except for what got on the ark. Genesis 6:5-7  And GOD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.  (6)  And it repented the LORD that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.  (7)  And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the creeping thing, and the fowls of the air; for it repenteth me that I have made them.

b)  They were wicked in Jude’s day.  This is the context in which Enoch’s Prophecy was written.  Romans 1:28-32  And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;  (29)  Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,  (30)  Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,  (31)  Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:  (32)  Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

c)  They are wicked in our day.  Today, we find the culmination of 6,000 years of departure from the Truth.  As it was in Noah’s day, as it was in Lot’s day, combined with the apostasy (2 Thessalonians 2) and apathy (Revelation 3) of these last times.  2 Timothy 3:1-5  This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.  (2)  For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,  (3)  Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,  (4)  Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;  (5)  Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.

4)  Can you imagine the mockery?  A man building an ark of that magnitude when there had never been a cloud in the sky (God watered the earth with the morning mist), much less rain.  For 120 years, Noah preached exactly what Enoch preached and, yet, not one person outside of Noah’s family got on the ark. 

5)  If Noah had quit, things would no doubt have been a lot different in our day!  Noah would not have been “upright in his generations” because no one else was!  Noah had Enoch’s prophecy in his heart because he had been taught by those who kept the prophecy alive in all of its purity.  They had no written Word of God as far as we know but, through the 969 years plus following Enoch’s prophecy, men had kept it from “faith to faith.” 

6)  Thank God for contenders!  They can get mad at us if they choose; they can malign us if they want; they can reject what we teach if they do not desire it; but they cannot change us!!  We are not ashamed of our King James Bible, which is the Word of God for the English speaking people.  We are not ashamed to reject the liberal teachings of those who oppose the inerrancy and infallibility of God’s Word.  They have not rejected us.  They have rejected God!  They do not oppose us, they oppose the Bible!

1 Peter 1:23-25  Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.  (24)  For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:  (25)  But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.  (The Bible declares itself incorruptible, alive, and abiding for ever.  That is where we stand while all others stand against it.  They, without putting the words to it, call God and the Bible a liar!)

c.  Ungodly men!  God calls them this!  Men who knew what God said and rejected it.  Cain certainly knew which was shown by the question asked by God: “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.”  Not “here is how to do well,” but “If thou doest well” which shows that Cain knew right from wrong.

d.  Ungodly deeds!  The Messianic line knew the Word of God and, therefore, right and wrong but made a choice to reject God’s way of salvation and godly living.  These sons of God knew better but chose not to do right.  Genesis 6 is the culmination of their rebellion that began over 1000 years before the flood.  Noah knew to do right and so did they.

e.  Ungodly progression!  “murmurers” They murmured to themselves first.  “complainers” They made their complaint known openly. “walking after their own lusts” They openly walked in their sins.  “hard speeches … spoken against him”  They spoke evil of Enoch when he preached to them the truth of God’s Word.  Their hidden sins became open rebellion against God’s Word and God’s man.