Please turn in your Bibles this morning to Romans chapter 1 as we finish up our study on a section that I have called, CONDEMNED BY CREATION. Over the past several weeks we have broken these verses down and expounded on them, showing that creation itself testifies that there is a God, you can’t deny it. You can suppress that truth, but when you take a good look at creation, there has to be a creator, there has to be a designer, and thus, there has to be a God!  We looked at how there is no evidence for evolution or how life evolved from non-life and presto we have all these varieties of life forms all over the world!  But there is plenty of evidence for creation!

            This morning we are going to focus on verse 25 and talk about “the lie” that Paul is speaking of, what that is all about.  Before we get to our text, let me share with you this important news bulletin. Yes, another tragic plane crash.  We are told:

The plane crash referred to happened only yesterday or the day before on the south side of Hazen, North Dakota. It was labeled as “North Dakota 's Worst Air Disaster,” so this story is to inform some us of some of the basic facts.

I'll quote the short article I read:  “North Dakota 's worst air disaster occurred today when a Cessna 152, a small 2 seater plane, crashed into a Norwegian Lutheran

Church cemetery here early this morning.  "Ole and Sven, working as a search and rescue team, have recovered 826 bodies so far and expect the number to climb as digging continues into the evening.”

- Source Unknown

            As funny as that is, it truly is sad what some people dig up when the go through the Bible. They come to unbiblical conclusions and leave behind all kinds of wreckage of bodies. Paul is pretty straightforward in this section as he shows that those that reject the righteousness of God that is from heaven and found in Jesus will receive His wrath that is also revealed from heaven and they are without excuse. With that said, let’s begin reading in Romans chapter 1, starting in verse 18 and see what the Lord has for us as we look at “the lie” spoken of in these verses this morning.

            Man, who knows that there is a Creator God and yet rejects Him will be given over to all kinds of immoral activities, a debased mind and will be judged for his actions. Now please understand that God is light and there is no darkness in Him at all. And when man rejects God, then God gives him over to the desires of his heart and that is not a good thing. Just look at what man is doing apart from God as you turn on the news or read the newspaper. It is not good it is dark!

            Now why am I taking the time to go over this issue of “the lie”?  Because, even though this lie has been around for thousands of years, I see it now infiltrating the church of Jesus Christ and thus, we need to be warned, we need to be aware of this lie that will fill the earth one day as we will see. And please keep in mind that it is specific, it is singular, there is one lie out there amongst the millions of lies that are out there today, but this one is deadly and it is growing, as I have said.

            Let me start out by telling you what this lie is and then we will look at where it got its start, where it is today and then, where it is going.  This lie is as follows, we are god!  I know, it sounds ridiculous and it is if you know anything about the Scriptures and even if you don’t, how can we be gods?  “Oh my friend, you just forgot that you are god and you have to be reminded that you are god!”  Okay, if that were true, and it isn’t, how dumb are we? What kind of god are we that we have forgotten that we are god?  Yes, I forget at times where my keys or glasses but to forget that I am a god? That is foolishness and that is what Paul has said, “professing to be wise, they became fools.” Romans 1:22.  So with the remainder of our time this morning, we will be looking at: WHERE THE LIE BEGAN. Then we will look at, WHERE THIS LIE IS AT TODAY.  And lastly, WHERE THIS LIE IS GOING.

1.  WHERE THE LIE BEGAN

            Believe it or not this lie got its start some 6,000 years ago in the Garden of Eden as Satan got Eve to believe that she is a god or goddess if you want to be specific about it.  In Genesis 3:1-5 we are told, “Now the serpent was more cunning than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman, ‘as God indeed said, “You shall not eat of every tree of the garden”?’ And the woman said to the serpent, ‘We may eat the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God has said, “You shall not eat it, nor shall you touch it, lest you die.”’ Then the serpent said to the woman, ‘You will not surely die. For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’”

            Not only did Eve partake of this but so did Adam! And notice the downward progression. First was the challenge to God’s Word, God really didn’t say that! Then, once there is some confusion about God’s Word, then Satan tells Eve that you are not going to die, there is no penalty for disobeying God!  First he challenges God’s Word, then God’s judgment and lastly, the character of God.  Listen carefully to what Genesis 3:5 says again, “For God knows that in the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” In other words, Satan is telling Eve that God does not want her to partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because when she does, she will be like god and God is holding back, He doesn’t want you to know that you too are god!

            How can anyone fall for that? Folks, we will see that it is happening at an alarming rate and it will continue to grow.  And that leads us into our second point, WHERE THIS LIE IS AT TODAY!

2.  WHERE THIS LIE IS AT TODAY

            This is nothing more than the New Age doctrine dressed up a little differently but it is the same lie of Satan, that you can be god!  In his book Out On a Broken Limb, F. LaGard Smith is responding to Shirley MacLaine’s statements that she is God.  What I want you to notice is the words that Shirley MacLaine uses.  And keep in mind that this book is from 1986 and we are told:

            If there was any lingering doubts in Ms. Maclaine’s mind about her own self-being a metaphor for God, in Dancing in the Light she quite clearly has resolved it in favor of self-deity. Her attempt at a logical syllogism [a logical scheme of a formal argument consisting of a major and a minor premise and a conclusion which must logically be true if the premises are true] is not only patently illogical but also brazenly blasphemous:

            I know that I exist, therefore I AM.

            I know that the God source exists. Therefore IT IS.

            Since I am a part of that force, then I AM that I AM.

             Just in case the significance of that last phrase is lost on anyone, it should be pointed out that “I AM that I AM” is a biblical reference applied exclusively to the Creator God of the universe, the one true and living God.

            What Ms. MacLaine’s higher self tells her (her H.S., as she abbreviates it) confirms what she wants to believe:

            “Then what is the difference between you and God? [Shirley] asked [her higher self]. “None,” it said. “I am God, because all energy is plugged in to the same source. We are each aspects of that source. We are all part of God. We are all individualized reflections of the God source. God is us and we are God.” “And you are me.”  “Precisely.”

            It is not just coincidence that Shirley MacLaine has accepted her own deity with every-growing resolve. After all, she takes the first five minutes of every day reminding herself that she is God.  [It truly is sad when you have to remind yourself that you are God, talk about forgetful!].  As she explains in Dancing in the Light, her daily affirmations make her feel good.

            “Affirmations are spoken resolutions which, when used properly, align the physical, mental, and spiritual energies. The ancient Hindu Vedas claimed that the spoken words I am, or Aum in Hindi, set up a vibrational frequency in the body and mind which align the individual with his or her higher self and thus with the God-source.  The word God in any language carries the highest vibrational frequency of any word in the language. Therefore, if one says audibly I am God, the sound vibrations literally align the energies of the body to a higher atunement. 

            You can use I am God or I am that I am as Christ often did, or you can extend the affirmation to fit your own needs.”

- F. LaGard Smith, Out on a Broken Limb, pp. 180-181

            How in the world can people believe the lie of Satan?  Just as Eve did, we are told in Genesis 3:6, “So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate. She also gave to her husband with her, and he ate.” 

You see, it feeds our flesh nature and it is exactly what John is talking about when he tells us in I John 2:15-17, “Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him.  For all that is in the world — the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life — is not of the Father but is of the world.  And the world is passing away, and the lust of it; but he who does the will of God abides forever.”

            Notice the lust of the flesh – Eve saw that the tree was good for food.  Then we have the lust of the eyes – Eve saw the food was pleasant to look at. And then the pride of life – Eve took the food and ate it disobeying God, making herself to be God in a sense! You see, Satan hasn’t changed his schemes, it is the same lie and people are still falling prey to it, they believe that they are in control; they are, in a sense, GOD!

            And what is happening out in the world, the unsaved believing this lie, is that it is also coming into the church of Jesus Christ. Robert Schuller wrote in his book, Peace of Mind Through Possibility Thinking, “The most effective mantras employ the “M” sound. You can get the feel of it by repeating the words, “I am, I am,” many times over. . . . Transcendental Meditation or TM . . . is not a religion nor is it necessarily anti-Christian.” (Peace of Mind Through Possibility Thinking, pp. 131-132).  Of course TM is a religion but he denies it and how many question what he is saying?

            How can this even get into the church in the first place? Just like with Eve, doubting God’s Word, doubting God’s judgment and believing that God is holding something back from us that can be found in other religions! And we take the bait; hook, line and sinker!

Just in case you don’t believe me, listen to what one source tells us how easy it is for false doctrine to come into a church and why. They write:

“While religion is highly popular in America, it is to a large extent superficial; it does not change people’s lives to the degree one would expect from their level of professed faith. Related to this is a ‘knowledge gap’ between Americans’ stated faith and the lack of the most basic knowledge about that faith.”

“In the spring of 1991, New York University released a nationwide study which showed 86 percent of all Americans identified with Christianity. Yet, another study showed that only nineteen percent of Americans knew that being a Christian was having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ.”

Where are we today?

Richard E. Geis comments in his personal journal that:

“The mainstream Christians are lip-service religions in the main, convenience religions, social religions, and they are the ones most subject to erosion and defections and infiltration and subversion. A large and successful effort seems to have been made by the occultists’ New Age planners to dilute and alter the message of the mainstream Christian religions.”

This is made evident by a quote, which appeared in a newspaper interview with the owner of a New Age bookstore. She reveals:

“A lot of people come in who are very Christian.  They are looking, by whatever means, to move closer to God on an individual basis.”

            Just to give you a quick sampling of what is going on in the church today, listen to these quotes and you will see that this lie spoken of by the Devil in the Garden of Eden to Eve is still being promoted today and often from the pulpits of churches across America!

Kenneth Copeland has this to say about us being god. He writes:

“Being in Christ Jesus makes you a new creature, or a new creation. The literal Greek text says ‘A new species of being which never existed before.’ When you become a new creature, your sprit is completely recreated.  Old things are passed away, all things become new and all things are of God. You need to realize that you are not a spiritual schizophrenic-half-God and half-Satan-you are all-God.”

Elsewhere, Copeland is more explicit:

“Every man who has been born again is an incarnation and Christianity is a miracle. The believer is as much an incarnation as was Jesus of Nazareth.” (Word of Faith, 1980, KCP Publications, p. 14).

“I say this and repeat it so it don’t upset you too bad. When I read the Bible where (Jesus) says, ‘I am,” I say, ‘Yes, I Am, too (July 19, 1987 crusade).

“God’s reason for creating Adam was His desire to reproduce Himself. . . . He was not a little like God. He was not almost like God. He was not subordinate to God even.” (Following the faith of Abraham, tape).

Kenneth Hagin tells us, “Man . . . was created on terms of equality with God, and he could stand in God’s presence without any consciousness of inferiority. . . . God has made us as much like Himself as possible. . . . He made us the same class of being that He is Himself. . . . Man lived in the realm of God. He lived on terms equal with God. . . . [T]he believer is called Christ. . . . That’s who we are; we’re Christ!”  (Zoe: The God-Kind of Life, pp 35-36, 41).

Morris Cerullo makes this bold claim: “Did you know that from the beginning of time the whole purpose of God was to reproduce Himself? . . . Who are you? Come on, who are you?  Come on, say it: ‘Sons of God!’ Come on, say it! And what does work inside us, brother, is that manifestation of the expression of all that God is and all that God has. And when we stand up here, brother, you’re not looking at Morris Cerullo; you’re looking at God. You’re looking at Jesus.”  (The Endtime Manifestation of the Sons of God, tape).

M. Scott Peck, a psychologist, wrote a book, The Road Less Traveled, which has been read by many Christians and New Age followers, and yet his words are not of God and that leaves only one other place they came from!  He wrote, “God wants us to become Himself (or Herself or Itself). We are growing toward godhood. God is the goal of evolution.”  (The Road Less Traveled, p. 270).  How sad that Christians have read this book and yet see nothing wrong with his teachings!  I have seen this book in Christian bookstores, in Christian book Distribution Company’s, being promoted by Christians!  It is not at all Christian and yet, Christians are reading it and thus, do they believe we are god?

On the TBN program, Praise The Lord back on July 7, 1986, Paul Crouch made this comment: “Do you know what else has settled in tonight?  This hue and cry and controversy that has been spawned by the devil to try to bring dissension within the body of Christ that we are not gods. I have His name. I am one with Him. I’m in covenant relation. I am a little god. Critics be gone.“

Copeland goes on to say, “You don’t have a God in you. You are one!” (The Force of Love, tape).

            Maybe you are still not convinced but listen to this web page article called “Are We Little Gods?” from Tom Brown Ministries. When I read it I was truly sadden by the lack of Biblical knowledge and discernment ministers of God have today. This is what was in the article, a question from a minister and then the response and then the conclusion to what he now believes. We are told:

Today’s Question: I am a minister in Oklahoma who has recently been studying the various aspects of Word of Faith Doctrine. I successfully navigated my way through the fear-mongering and altered my theology in regards to the sufferings of Christ.

At this point I am on a personal quest in trying to find all that I can on what the heresy hunters call the "little gods" doctrine. I have done a lot of study in the Word and am at the doorway to full acceptance of this. What I want to do now is seek Godly counsel (most of what I have read on your site is right on target) before I delve full on into the fight. Could you give me your perspective on this doctrine? I'd like to have a full amount of ammunition to defend the faith.

Bill Humble

Bible Answer: It is great to see a teachable spirit in you. Concerning the so-called "little gods" doctrine, it is based on John 10:34-36:

Jesus answered them, "Is it not written in your Law, 'I have said you are gods'? If he called them 'gods,' to whom the word of God came—and the Scripture cannot be broken—what about the one whom the Father set apart as his very own and sent into the world? Why then do you accuse me of blasphemy because I said, 'I am God's Son'?

Jesus meant this. He said, "the Scripture cannot be broken." This passage simply affirms Genesis 1:26 about mankind being made in God's image endued with dominion. Jesus was simply comparing His status as the ‘Son of God’ with fallen creatures’ status as ‘gods’. He is saying that if God exalted fallen men by calling them gods, then why are you upset with Him, who is without sin, if He should call Himself the Son of God. Christian theologians have used the term ‘gods’ for thousands of years to explain how close mankind is in God’s image.

Athanasius, in his famous work, On the Incarnation of the Word of God, wrote, "The Word was made man in order that we might be made gods." Athanasius is consider very orthodox.

Even fairly recently, the great Baptist preacher, Charles Spurgeon, commented on this passage:

The greatest honour was thus put upon them: they were delegated gods, clothed for a while with a little of that authority by which the Lord judges among the sons of men. [The Treasury of David: An Expository and Devotional Commentary on the Psalms, 7 vols, vol. 4, page 41]

            Now let me stop here for a minute and expound a little on what he is talking about, the error he is making and the misquoting of Spurgeon before I blow my top. First of all let’s look at John 10:34-38 and see what it says, “Jesus answered them, ‘Is it not written in your law, “I said, ‘You are gods’”? If He called them gods, to whom the word of God came (and the Scripture cannot be broken), do you say of Him whom the Father sanctified and sent into the world, 'You are blaspheming, because I said, ‘I am the Son of God’? If I do not do the works of My Father, do not believe Me; but if I do, though you do not believe Me, believe the works, that you may know and believe that the Father is in Me, and I in Him.’”

           This can be very confusing so let me see if I can help clear these verses up for you. You see, the Mormons pick up on this and go to Psalm 82 and use it as a proof text that they can be god’s and one day have their own planet to populate and rule over.  That is not at all what these verses are saying. And this minister is also wrong in what he is saying, that we are gods!  And Spurgeon, he quotes him out of the Psalms and he was not saying that we are gods, he was talking about authority.

            First of all we must go to the “law” because that is what Jesus tells us here, not the Psalms, the law is where He is speaking from.  In Exodus 21:22 we read, “If men fight, and hurt a woman with child, so that she gives birth prematurely, yet no harm follows, he shall surely be punished accordingly as the woman's husband imposes on him; and he shall pay as the judges [Elohim] determine.”  The word “judges” in the Hebrew is Elohim, gods.  Also, in Exodus 22:8 we read, “If the thief is not found, then the master of the house shall be brought to the judges [Elohim] to see whether he has put his hand into his neighbor's goods.” 

            So what does this all mean?  First of all the judges in Israel represented God before the people, they had the power over life and death depending upon the sentence. They were handing out, you might say, God’s punishment to the people for their actions, and thus they were called god’s, Elohim.  Not literally God, but acting in His place, representing Him before the people. They were human judges.

            What Jesus is doing here is arguing from the lesser, the earthly judges, to the greater, the Judge over all the earth, Himself. Thus, if they called these earthly men gods, how much more it is to call Jesus God! You see, look at the testimony that He has left for them; there is no denying He is God!  I hope that clears things up for you that Jesus is God, and we are not!

Special note concerning Bill Humble. Later he writes to Tom Brown.

. . . You are the factor that has helped push me into a complete acceptance of this doctrine. For that I thank you. You were used of the Lord. I am rather slow in changing my doctrine. It seems that I take several months to study and get a complete scriptural picture of something before I absorb it into my personal theology. I want to avoid being misled. I also want to have both barrels blasting when inevitable attacks come. This doctrine here speaks to the very heart of what Christ’s work was meant to accomplish in us. The fact of why Christ had to die and be raised as He did is clear in light of this, for He is the first fruits of many brethren. . . .

- Tom Brown Ministries

            Do you see how twisted people can be when they read what they want to read in the Scriptures and they can dig up all kinds of things that are deadly, not helpful as we see here! And this deadly heresy continues to grow!

Matthew Fox tells us that, “We need to become aware of the Cosmic Christ, which means recognizing that every being has within it the light of Christ.” “Everyone is born a mystic and a lover who experiences the unity of things and all are called to keep this mystic or love of life alive.”

M. Basil Pennington wrote, “When we go to the center of our being and pass through that center into the very center of God we get in immediate touch with this divine creating energy . . . that the divine energy may have the freedom to forward the evolution of consciousness in us and through us, as a part of the whole, in the whole of the creation.”

“[T]he God who dwells in our inner sanctuary is the same as the one who dwells in the inner sanctuary of each human being.” (Here and Now by Henri Nouwen, p. 22).

“Deep within us all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a Divine Center.” (Streams of Living Water by Richard Foster, 1998, beginning of chapter 2 – a quote by Thomas Kelly).

“[Even people] who have yet to turn their lives over to Jesus Christ – can and should practice them. [spiritual disciplines].” (Celebration of Discipline by Richard Foster, p. 2). 

“[I]f I find Christ, I will find my true self and if I find my true self, I will find Christ.” (Abba’s Child by Brennan Manning, p. 125).

“I’m going to say something, WE are gods, in this earth, and it’s about time we start operating like gods instead of a bunch of mere powerless humans”

         (Creflo Dollar, Changing your World, LeSea Broadcasting, April 17, 2002)

“Are you ready for some real revelation knowledge . . . you are god”

                                    (Benny Hinn, Our Position In Christ, tape # AO31190-1)

“You know, I was listening to a set of tapes by one man and he explained it like this, and I think this kind of gets the point across, he said, ‘Why do people have such a fit about God calling His creation, His man—not His whole creation, but His man—little gods? If He’s God, what’s He going to call them but the god-kind?’ I mean, if you as a human being have a baby, you call it a human kind. If cattle has another cattle, they call it cattle-kind. So, I mean, what’s God supposed to call us? Doesn’t the Bible say we’re created in his image? Now, you understand I am not saying you are God with a capital G.”

                                                      (Joyce Meyer, “Authority and Opposition”, tape 1236)

Folks, Scripture does not teach that we are god, gods or even 'little gods'. If it were true then one would expect to see qualities in humans, similar to those that the Bible teaches that is true about God. God is all-knowing, all-powerful, omnipresent, holy, eternal, truth and love. Man is none of these things. Why was Eve deceived by Satan when he said “you shall be as gods” if she was already a god? What does the Bible say about this? Listen carefully:

“Remember the former things of old, for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like Me” - Isaiah 46:9

“For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” – Romans 3:23

“Now see that I, even I, am He, And there is no God besides Me;” - Deuteronomy 32:39

“For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time,” - 1 Timothy 2:5

“Before Me there was no God formed, Nor shall there be after Me.” - Isaiah 43:10

I hope that clears that up. There is no doubt about it; we are not gods, not even a little like gods!  As we have seen, this is WHERE THIS LIE IS TODAY. But now lets look at WHERE THIS LIE IS GOING?

3.  WHERE THIS LIE IS GOING

Paul, in II Thessalonians 2:11 tells us, “And for this reason God will send them strong delusion, that they should believe the lie.”  Once again we see “the lie” spoken of and I believe this delusion that will fill the earth because they have rejected the truth is that they will believe we are gods! And folks, I believe this is an end time’s belief that will continue to grow and grow, even in the church as we have seen, the apostate church!

What I see happening with this apostate church of the last days is that they will teach and many will believe that we are gods, it is the New Age teaching that has been going on for years.  And I believe, as I have said, it is “the lie” that the Bible speaks of and is related to the idea that we are gods.  And this is not just a New Age idea, it started really with the fall of Lucifer who wanted to be god and was then introduced to Eve in the Garden of Eden by Lucifer, the Serpent and it is now permeating the world!

And I believe we see this spoken of in Matthew 24:5, in the Olivet Discourse as Jesus tells us, “For many will come in My name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and will deceive many.”  The Greek word for “many” is POLUS and it speaks of a very great number, as in millions and millions of people, not just a select few and they will claim to be god! If you still doubt that, look at Luke 21:7-8, where we are told of this same teaching, this Olivet Discourse, “So they asked Him, saying, ‘Teacher, but when will these things be? And what sign will there be when these things are about to take place?’ And He said: ‘Take heed that you not be deceived. For many will come in My name, saying, “I am He,” and, “The time has drawn near.” Therefore do not go after them.’” 

In verse 8 the word “He” or “Christ” is italicized, it shouldn’t be there but was put there by the translators to make it clearer, but it truly doesn’t. It should read, “Many shall come saying, ‘I AM.’” Isn’t that interesting because that is what the New Age movement is saying and it is what the church is beginning to say at an alarming rate as we have seen this morning!

            Paul, in II Corinthians 11:13-15 gives to us this warning, “For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into apostles of Christ. And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also transform themselves into ministers of righteousness, whose end will be according to their works.”  You see, the enemy is deceptive and he can easily fool people but we have the truth tester, the Word of God!

            But make no mistake about it, the reason people fall prey to THE LIE is that they have rejected the love of the truth and God gave them over, He gave them a strong delusion to believe the lie since they rejected His truth!

            That is what we have read this morning here in Romans chapter 1, “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man — and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things. Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen.”  Romans 1:18-25.

            They rejected the truth and God gave them over to these wicked ways, these immoral life-styles, not because He is unfair or mean, but because that is exactly what they wanted and God gave them over to it!

Turn to Jude 3 and lets read this verse because I believe it speaks to us on what we are to do today. He wrote, “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” The Amplified Bible puts this verse like this, “Beloved, my whole concern was to write to you in regard to our common salvation. [But] I found it necessary and was impelled to write you and urgently appeal to and exhort [you] to contend for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints [the faith which is that sum of Christian belief which was delivered verbally to the holy people of God].”  Obviously this is important!

The purpose for Jude writing this letter was to share about the common salvation that they enjoyed.  Now please understand, when Jude speaks of our “common salvation” he is not saying that our salvation is cheap, it cost our Lord His life to save us.  Nor is he saying that our salvation is common in the sense that everyone has it or all roads lead to God.  No, he is saying that we are all saved in common or that our salvation is based upon Grace alone, through Faith alone in Christ alone.  You see, there is salvation in no other name; there is no salvation apart from Jesus!  That means the rich and poor, the famous and common people, the educated and uneducated, all have the same accesses to God and that is through Jesus Christ!

            But as Jude began to write about our common salvation, the Holy Spirit got his attention and directed him to write about something else, something that was also very important.  Now, if Jude refused to write, if he hindered what the Holy Spirit was doing, then this letter would not be included in the Bible, but Jude not only listened to the Spirit’s leading, he obeyed!  Thus, Jude is going to speak on this difficult subject of apostasy, false doctrine and how we need to be prepared to fight against it. Folks, as important as this letter was to first century Christians, it is just as important to twenty-first century Christians!

            What is an apostate?  It is someone who knows about God, knows about Jesus, receives what the Bible says but only superficially, he is not a believer but a pretender!  So they look like believers, but they are not and that is the danger. They speak with flashy words, they speak is if they have the truths of God, but they do not!  Apostates never make a genuine commitment to God; they only make a superficial one. Yes they know the truth but they never apply the truth to their life!

            Tragically we see many Christians today taking on the mentality of a pacifist, they are antiwar, and thus, they don’t fight for anything, even the faith that has been entrusted to them. Thus, they go with the flow, they don’t want to cause trouble, and they allow the lies, the false doctrine to grow because they are not willing to fight the good fight of faith that God has entrusted to them!  The Greek word for “earnestly contend” is EPAGONIZOMAI, (ep-ag-o-nid’-zom-ahee). 

It is a word that was related to an athletic competition, it speaks of being diligent, to agonize earnestly, it speaks of hard work, not pacifism!   And this word is in the present infinitive, which means it is a continuous struggle for us as Christians!  It will continue until the Lord comes.  We are in a battle and like Paul exhorted Timothy, “Fight the good fight of faith” in I Timothy 6:12.  It is not time to give up or give in because lives are at stake!

            Now what is this faith that Jude is speaking of, that Jude is exhorting us to fight for? Jude is speaking of “the essential truths of the Gospel that all true Christians hold in common.”  Thus, we must earnestly contend for the truths of God found in the Word of God!  Now, do we see that happening in the church today, this departure from the truths of God found in the Word of God?  Yes and the reason is simple, many are not contending earnestly for this faith, they are unwilling to fight this good fight of faith!  You see, it is not about what I believe or what you believe, but it is the Gospel message, the truths of God found in the Word of God!

            Also note that Jude says that this faith “was once for all delivered to the saints.” Have you ever heard someone say something like this, “We are living in different and difficult times from when the Bible was written and thus, we must adapt the Bible to the way we are currently living, to fit in with the culture of our day!”  Sorry, but what God has said is unchanging, it has been delivered and we don’t need new revelations or a new Gospel for the days we are living in. It is as Erdman put it, “There is no other gospel, there will be none. Its content will be more fully understood, its implications will be developed, its predictions will be fulfilled; but it will never be supplemented or succeeded or supplanted.”

Or, as Paul said in Romans 1:16, “For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek.”

            Folks, Jude is not saying we should be like Casper milk toast, just accepting whatever people say. No, he is saying to us to stand strong in the Lord’s army, the battle is intense and thus, we must earnestly contend for that faith that has been entrusted to us.  That unchanging faith, the truths of God!  Listen to the charge Paul gave to Timothy regarding the preaching of God’s Word no matter what the people want or don’t want, you do the work that God has called you to do – you earnestly contend for the faith.

Thus, we are told in II Timothy 4:1-5, “I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.”

As I close this morning I hope your eyes have been opened to the battles we are facing out there and that we must contend for the faith because the lie will continue to grow. As much as you may not agree with me, listen carefully to the words of New Ager Wayne Dyer. I think he is right:

When enough of us align in a certain way, reaching a critical mass, then the rest of us will begin to be affected and align that way also. (Interview from Science of Mind magazine, 01/93)

            And Perhaps the words of Alice Bailey, (who personified the New Age Movement) were right also when she said that the Age of enlightenment, (when everyone realizes they are one with each other and God), will come, not around the Christian church but rather through it!  That should be a warning to us folks, it is happening! May we earnestly contend for the faith that has been entrusted to us for the days are evil, they are dark and we must shine brightly for Jesus with the truth!

Yes, many have exchanged the truth of God for the lie, but we don’t have to, we need to take a stand against it!  Won’t you do that? I pray that you will!  Remember what the Lord said in Ezekiel 22:30 “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one.”  May that not happen with us, may we stand in the gap before the Lord and intercede for the land that God has given to us!