Wolves Among Us: Destructive Deception

Sherri Wilson

Wolves Among Us • Sermon • Submitted 5 years ago

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Go into more detail on how wolves operate and their doom.

Notes

Transcript

Jude 8–10 NKJV

Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves.

The term “dreamers” always interested me because it’s kind of a weird thing to say. Why did Jude use this term? In the Greek a dream is a significant communication from God that have the significance of visions. But still, what does this have to do with wolves? I believe the NLT shows what it means in relation to wolves.

New Living Translation Jude

In the same way, these people—who claim authority from their dreams—live immoral lives, defy authority, and scoff at supernatural beings.

These

Jude 1:8-

You can see from this verse and what we learned last week that these are those that operate in the supernatural; although, at this point it’s defiled. They go to conferences, prayer meetings, Bible studies, but there’s almost a hyper emphasis on the supernatural, signs, and wonders with little emphasis on personal growth and Bible study and even a love for the Lord. There’s a shallowness there and lack of character that’s going from meeting to meeting for the latest and the greatest along with a spiritual pride of their hyper spirituality.

And part of that hyper spirituality is dreams and visions that become their “claim of authority” and that they live by instead of the word.

You need both the power and the Word of God in your life. It’s not either or. Jesus rebuked the Sadducees for that very thing.

Matthew 22:29 NKJV

Jesus answered and said to them, “You are mistaken, not knowing the Scriptures nor the power of God.

Jude tells us that they defile the flesh. Flesh means “the physical body.” Defile is “to cause someone to be morally tainted or defiled—to defile, to contaminate, to cause to be morally filthy.” This is clearly implying sexual immorality, which Jude already alluded to.

Jude 4 NKJV

For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Jude 4 NKJV

Lewdness is “behavior completely lacking in moral restraint, usually with the implication of sexual licentiousness—extreme immorality.” It’s the equivalent meaning “to live like a dog” pertaining to promiscuous sexual behavior. Basically these people had “wormed their way into churches, saying that God’s marvelous grace allowed them to live immoral lives.” (NLT). Instead of using grace as the empowerment to say NO to sin, they used it as a cover to sin. And by doing so, they denied the Lord. PEOPLE NEED TO UNDERSTAND THAT SEXUAL SIN IS A DENYING OF THE LORD. Paul stated it here and later in Thessalonians.

They wilfully and with contempt reject, disregard, and rebel against authority and then go even further and speak evil of dignitaries. Dignitaries literally means glories and can also refer “glorious ones.” Some have said it’s referring to human leaders in the church, and I’m sure wolves do that. But it refers to benevolent supernatural powers deserving respect and honor and even the dead residing in heaven. It has the idea of “arrogant people showing no respect for the glorious powers above.”

The Passion Translation: New Testament Major Themes

In the same way, these sensual “dreamers” corrupt and pollute the natural realm, while on the other hand they reject the spiritual realms of governmental power and repeatedly scoff at heavenly glories.

“Speak evil” is “abusive speech, scoffing, mocking, and speaking against someone in such a way as to harm his or her reputation. The main idea is an absolute disregard for both natural and supernatural authority and of both the living and dead.

Jude 9 NKJV

Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”

This shows the difference between false prophets and teachers and those who truly serve the Lord. If the archangel, Michael, didn’t revile the enemy out of respect, then a person who does such things is suspect and exhibiting wolf characteristics.

The Passion Translation: New Testament Major Themes

These people insult anything they don’t understand. They behave like irrational beasts by doing whatever they feel like doing. Because they live by their animal instincts, they corrupt themselves and bring about their own destruction.

The implication here is that they are like animals in heat. Again, there’s a high sexual component to wolves.

Judge 11

Jude 11 NKJV

Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.

Continue in Jude

We’ll get into the woe more but it can be translated, “A curse is on them.” Jude then lists three men who did whatever they wanted showing how these are also living and will end up:

Cain. The way of Cain was to reject the blood sacrifice that God desired and instead offer the fruit of his own labors (works). False teachers will insist on adding something to the gospel, polluting it with human works. (TPT commentary).

The way of Cain was to reject the blood sacrifice that God desired and instead offer the fruit of his own labors (works). False teachers will insist on adding something to the gospel, polluting it with human works.

Balaam. Balaam abused his prophetic gift for financial gain. He really, really wanted the money. Remember how his donkey kept backing away and crushed his foot again the wall? He was so focused on the money that he couldn’t see what was going on but his donkey could. And she was trying to protect him (Number 22). It’s bad when greed is so blinding that a donkey, an animal, has more prophetic insight than the prophet. Jude said that these ABANDON themselves to using their gift to make lots of money.

Simmons, B. (Trans.). (2017). The Passion Translation: New Testament. BroadStreet Publishing.

Korah. Korah rebelled against Moses. Let’s see exactly what he said.

The New King James Version Chapter 16

Now Korah the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, with Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men; 2 and they rose up before Moses with some of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty leaders of the congregation, representatives of the congregation, men of renown. 3 They gathered together against Moses and Aaron, and said to them, “You take too much upon yourselves, for all the congregation is holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD?”

Korah was jealous and wanted Moses’ position. He was of the tribe of Levi and he recruited men from the tribe of Reuben to incite a rebellion along with 250 other LEADERS of the community. Notice the words: “We are all set apart by the Lord. He is with all of us. What right do you have to act as though you are greater than us?”

This is one of the best example of envy and selfish ambition in a congregational setting. Moses didn’t place himself in that position. God called him to it. He was merely following Father’s instructions.

New Living Translation Chapter 16

Then Moses spoke again to Korah: “Now listen, you Levites! 9 Does it seem insignificant to you that the God of Israel has chosen you from among all the community of Israel to be near him so you can serve in the LORD’s Tabernacle and stand before the people to minister to them? 10 Korah, he has already given this special ministry to you and your fellow Levites. Are you now demanding the priesthood as well? 11 The LORD is the one you and your followers are really revolting against! For who is Aaron that you are complaining about him?”

12 Then Moses summoned Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, but they replied, “We refuse to come before you! 13 Isn’t it enough that you brought us out of Egypt, a land flowing with milk and honey, to kill us here in this wilderness, and that you now treat us like your subjects? 14 What’s more, you haven’t brought us into another land flowing with milk and honey. You haven’t given us a new homeland with fields and vineyards. Are you trying to fool these men? We will not come.”

The reason they weren’t in a land flowing with milk and honey is because THEY rebelled and refused to go in. That’s what people do. They sin and receive the consequences but then blame the leader for those consequences. I’ve had that happen to me before.

New Living Translation Chapter 16

Meanwhile, Korah had stirred up the entire community against Moses and Aaron, and they all gathered at the Tabernacle entrance. Then the glorious presence of the LORD appeared to the whole community, 20 and the LORD said to Moses and Aaron, 21 “Get away from all these people so that I may instantly destroy them!”

22 But Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground. “O God,” they pleaded, “you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Must you be angry with all the people when only one man sins?”

23 And the LORD said to Moses, 24 “Then tell all the people to get away from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.”

25 So Moses got up and rushed over to the tents of Dathan and Abiram, followed by the elders of Israel. 26 “Quick!” he told the people. “Get away from the tents of these wicked men, and don’t touch anything that belongs to them. If you do, you will be destroyed for their sins.” 27 So all the people stood back from the tents of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram. Then Dathan and Abiram came out and stood at the entrances of their tents, together with their wives and children and little ones.

28 And Moses said, “This is how you will know that the LORD has sent me to do all these things that I have done—for I have not done them on my own. 29 If these men die a natural death, or if nothing unusual happens, then the LORD has not sent me. 30 But if the LORD does something entirely new and the ground opens its mouth and swallows them and all their belongings, and they go down alive into the grave, then you will know that these men have shown contempt for the LORD.”

31 He had hardly finished speaking the words when the ground suddenly split open beneath them. 32 The earth opened its mouth and swallowed the men, along with their households and all their followers who were standing with them, and everything they owned. 33 So they went down alive into the grave, along with all their belongings. The earth closed over them, and they all vanished from among the people of Israel. 34 All the people around them fled when they heard their screams. “The earth will swallow us, too!” they cried. 35 Then fire blazed forth from the LORD and burned up the 250 men who were offering incense.

Even though I wanted to refrain from getting into the wolves’ judgment, it reveals the fact that the true rebellion wasn’t against Moses. It was against the Lord.

Jude 12–13 NKJV

These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

Love feasts were church gatherings of worship, teaching, prophesying, having communion together and fellowshipping with one another. But these false teachers, wolves, were just waiting to shipwreck the IMMATURE. They have no reverence at all and “submit their souls to no one” (the Aramaic).

I want to point out a few things from The Passion.

Clouds without rain is a lack of REVELATORY TEACHING.

Swept along by the winds. Winds is spirits in both the Hebrew and Aramaic revealing they are swept along by demonic spirits.

Fruitless late autumn trees twice dead. This implies that they were once born again and now are not. The thing with late autumn trees is the amazing beauty of the leaves turning. These wolves appear amazing but are dead through and through.

Wild waves flinging out foam. They are very chaotic and unpredictable. They’re confused and make others confused. It’s never restful around them. And in the midst of all the chaos, you see their shame and disgrace revealed.

Misleading like wandering stars. Back then and today when needed, stars are navigational tools. But these couldn’t be depended on. They were misleading and deceptive. These give disastrous guidance.

And, finally, their end will be complete darkness of eternal gloom as far away from God as possible.

Jude 16 NKJV

These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage.

These try to get “in” with those they want something from—influence, money, power, control, recognition, etc.

Jude 18–19 NKJV

how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.

The Passion Translation: New Testament Major Themes

These people are always complaining and never satisfied—finding fault with everyone. They follow their own evil desires and their mouths speak scandalous things. They enjoy using seductive flattery to manipulate others.

A Call to Remain Faithful

17 But you, my delightfully loved friends, remember the prophecies of the apostles of our Lord Jesus, the Anointed One. 18 They taught you, “In the last days there will always be mockers, motivated by their own ungodly desires.” 19 These people cause divisions and are followers of their own natural instincts, devoid of the life of the Spirit.

The Passion Translation: New Testament Major Themes

A Call to Remain Faithful

Again, we see that these CAUSE DIVISIONS. They do not have the Spirit. If they are twice dead then the Holy Spirit left them and they’re operating on gifting only because God doesn’t take that back. Saul prophesied after losing the Spirit. The main idea is that these are DEVOID OF THE LIFE OF THE SPIRIT.