Kingdom Times
Notes
Transcript
14 It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones,
15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
16 These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.
17 But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ,
18 that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” 19 These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
14 It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, 15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”
This is dealing with the final judgment day.
We right now have two options, let the Holy Spirit convict us and follow Jesus—or let our eternal conviction happen.
Our entertainment industry makes light of this day. We sing songs glorifying our sins, we boast about being on a Highway to Hell, we joke about it—But this is no joking matter.
What do these folks look like?
16 These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.
Surly the Church does not sound like these folks
Do we find ourselves being grumblers?
Constantly only finding fault in ever situation
(When we constantly look for faults, our mind will manifest fabricated faults when there really is none)
Do we speak with arrogance?
Do we seek after our own agenda—our own lusts?
Lusts for power, prestige, money, relationships… anything that draws us from the Lord.
These snakes have infiltrated pulpits and churches all around the world
MacArthur Study Bible NASB (Commentary)
-They speak pompously and even magnificently, but with empty, lifeless words of no spiritual value.
-Their message has external attractiveness, but is void of the powerful substance of divine truth.
-They tell people what they want to hear for their own profit, rather than proclaiming the truth of God’s Word.
May that never be said of us here.
17 But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, 18 that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.” 19 These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.
They claim to know the Bible and God’s plan for man, but they deny the coming judgment, they even deny the existence of Hell.
Sometimes we may say that we believe the bible and coming judgment, but our lives say otherwise. By our actions we try to make a mockery of God and His word.
We are so quick to spout off what our opinion is on something before we even let all the facts come out.
we allow our personal predisposition to divide us… (reading an email or text message in what tone we think they had, instead of gaining clarification).
We seek out faults in imperfect faithful people because they don’t fit our personal cup of tea. Yet they show up faithfully and give their all.
We could go on all day about the apostate heart of man—and if we are honest, we are all infected with it.
20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
We have a cornerstone that we can build ourselves upon—Jesus.
It is not optional for us to have a prayer life, but we must constantly be preparing our hearts and minds for prayer.
Dwight Lyman Moody (Evangelist)
If we are full of pride and conceit and ambition and self-seeking and pleasure and the world, there is no room for the Spirit of God, and I believe many a man is praying to God to fill him when he is full already with something else.
If we truly want to pray in the spirit we first must ask the Lord to empty us of our junk.
Fire Bible (Chapter 1)
By praying in the Spirit. We should communicate and interact with God by relying on the power of the Holy Spirit.
This means depending on the Spirit to inspire, guide, energize, sustain and help us pray according to God’s will.
The Spirit also helps us to do effective spiritual battle as we pray.
26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;
This could be something as raw as just sitting there weeping, saying “Oh God my God!”
Praying in the Spirit includes praying with one’s mind (i.e., in one’s own language and understanding) and praying with one’s spirit, all of one’s being.
21 keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.
This is imperative, We have a responsibility to be obedient and faithful in seeking out the Will of God.
It looks like gathering when ever we can with fellow brethren
It looks like faithfully reading His Word, constantly searching the Scriptures for more of Him. (A bible that is falling apart belongs to a soul who is probably not).
It looks like being intentional about setting time out of the day for prayer and methodical meditation on the Word of God.
It looks like running to God for all problems first not last—running to God to celebrate all things first and not last—running to God just to simply bask in His presence.
Take Home?
Which of these reflects your life?
Do we find ourselves as the Apostate or the Spirit filled?
What do others see in us?
