This morning I get to do something I love doing – preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. It’s the gospel that changed my life. I’m not sorry if what I’ll say makes you think of Jesus Christ every time you see a pumpkin. In fact, I hope that’s the case.

At this time of year, people harvest pumpkins from the dirt for the purpose of cleaning them off, gutting them, carving the image they want on them, and putting light in them for all to see. The LORD Jesus Christ finds dirty people, full of sin within and without. Most love their sin and have little care for what Almighty God thinks about their lives. There are a few who seek the righteousness of God, immortality and having a fear of God. These souls submit to themselves to the leadership of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are cut by the sharp word of God. They are cleaned up inside and out. They’re given a new image – Christ’s image – carved out by the words of God. And light is put inside of them for all to see the image contrasting the darkness.

You think eternal life is convincing God you’re good

I’m a good person. Like the pumpkin in the dirt saying, I’m not dirty.

But you’ve told lies? 

You’ve used the Lord’s name in vain or cursed with God’s name.

You’ve been angry with someone because they were better than you.

You’ve looked at pictures and thought things you’d never want to be known.

You’ve spread accusations about people and gossip.

Romans 2:3 And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind.

You say, but I’ve never killed anyone, but I’ve never done this or that.

The dirt you have on you and in you may not be the same dirt someone else has on them, but it is still dirt all the same.

But I’m a good person. Imagine a man brought up on the charge of murder. His guilt is unquestionable. He doesn’t even dispute the fact that he committed murder. But his defense is unimaginable. He says, Judge, I committed this murder, but I’m such a good person. For the other 364 days that year I was a great employee, faithful to my wife and children, went to church regularly, gave to charity often, and for the other 364 days I didn’t commit murder.

I prayed to receive Jesus, I come to church, I know some Bible verses about eternal security

1 John 5:13

1 John 2:3-5 And hereby we do know that we know him, if we keep his commandments. 4 He that saith, I know him, and keepeth not his commandments, is a liar, and the truth is not in him. 5 But whoso keepeth his word, in him verily is the love of God perfected: hereby know we that we are in him. The soul that keeps God’s word has a right to the confidence that Jesus Christ dwells in them. How do you keep the commandment? The LORD told sinners to keep the commandments almost 130 times in the Bible. And He recognized that the people keeping the commandments were sinners.

1 John 2:28-29 And now, little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming. 29 If ye know that he is righteous, ye know that every one that doeth righteousness is born of him. The soul that does righteousness has a right to the confidence that Jesus Christ dwells in them.

1 John 3:14-17 We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 15 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. 16 Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. 17 But whoso hath this world’s good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him,

Fake Christianity (by Ben Boatman)

Jesus Christ is the shepherding father in Proverbs. He directs by His words and so Jesus Christ is the Word in the old Testament. In the New Testament He is the Word made flesh. He is the embodiment of wisdom and righteousness. Psalm 23:3, Proverbs 2:20, and 2 Timothy 3:16 all describe instruction in righteousness which is wisdom, which is what this chapter is about. 

Put a value on wisdom

if thou wilt receive my words

Sometimes we fail to make the right decisions because when someone was speaking we weren’t listening.

People come for counsel and the preacher ends up repeating what was said on Sunday. If you’d have been there to receive the words, we wouldn’t have to take this time to redo this. The trouble is they aren’t willing to receive the words at mealtime. It’s like the kid who doesn’t show up for dinner, then wanders in later complaining he’s hungry and there is nothing to eat.

hide my commandments with thee

Meditate on her.

When no one is watching you need to take counsel from wisdom. Don’t forsake wisdom in the dark. We are willing to hide other things, but not wisdom.

Remember them, take them with you.

incline thine ear

Listen for wisdom. Turn your ear toward her.

apply thine heart

Put principle into practice.

crieth after knowledge

You need to ask.

seekest her as silver searchest for her as for hid treasures

Value wisdom like treasure.

You need to come to the point in your life where you’ll dig for wisdom like you will an extra income.

Treasures waiting for the righteous

the Lord giveth wisdom

God’s the only one that’s got it to give.

Consider the source. God can’t be fooled. You can’t hide sin then beg Him for wisdom when the sin catches up with you in order to outsmart the consequences.

It goes back to the first thing we said about sometimes we make bad decisions because when wisdom was speaking we weren’t listening.

out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding

So all wisdom and knowledge will be in line with this book.

People say, I had this vision or I got a word of knowledge. Well, that’s great, let’s get what the scriptures have to say about the subject now.

layeth up sound wisdom for the righteous

God sets aside wisdom for those who please Him.

he is a buckler to them that walk uprightly

assurance to those who apply what they’ve been given

he keepeth the paths of judgment

he preserveth the way of his saints

Righteousness equips you for deliverance

then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord… find the knowledge of God – find out what God thinks about what’s happening.

understand righteousness, judgment and equity and every good path

Discretion and understanding will deliver you

From the evil man (vss 12-15)

Speaketh froward things – Froward: Perverse, that is, turning from, with aversion or reluctance; not willing to yield or comply with what is required; unyielding; ungovernable; refractory; disobedient; peevish; as a froward child.

Conversation is the dirty jokes, the lewdness, the cursing.

In education it shows up as the man that eloquently justifies sin.

Leave the paths of uprightness – so he was on the path before.  

Forsakes morals, restraints, self control, self denial

He’s led away of his lust and you follow him because you have no wisdom.

walk in the ways of darkness

Prefers to stay out of the light.  Men loved darkness because their deeds were evil

The thing he doesn’t want is exposure.

Consequently he doesn’t know where he’s going.

Know not at what they stumble

Rejoice to do evil

The messianic line would come through Isaac. The problem now is that Isaac and Rebekah are going to have twins. So the question becomes which child will the messiah come through now?

People read this and think God is picking Jacob over Esau before they’re born. He’s not.

Just so the LORD can show His power, He ignores the natural order and declares His blessing on the younger child, whoever that will be. This is critical to understand. When the LORD says the elder shall serve the younger, He’s not saying Jacob shall rule over Esau. It doesn’t matter who comes out first and who comes out last. The LORD is just ignoring the natural order of blessings so that His power might be made manifest.

Romans 9:10-13

This is not about the predestination of an individual. It is and was always about the power of God.

Now the Philistines are gathering to fight against Israel. David has been living among the Philistines, but running his own campaigns, still fighting the LORD’s battles, while serving a Philistine commander. But now David will be expected to fight his own people. It’s been over a decade since David slew Goliath, so David may not be an obvious hero to some younger Philistines. However, some of the older crowd do recognize him.

Achish is either not very bright, or he’s chomping at the bit to utilize this war hero under his command. But some clearer thinking Philistine “influencers” – leaders – make a reasonable case against David fighting on their side.

Achish brings the news back to David that he and his men are dismissed and should return to Ziklag in the morning. David pretends to be shocked because he can’t let Achish know he’s happy about this. That would certainly create questions. In the morning, David and his men return to Ziklag.

You need to care about your reputation

Some of you are so spiritual you don’t care what others think about you. Some of you are so carnal you don’t care what others think about you. Do you reflect Christ? You need to care about your reputation because you care about Jesus Christ’s reputation.

David’s reputation was faultless (vs 3), warrior (vs 5), upright (vs 6), and good (vs 9).

1 Timothy 6:1 Let as many servants as are under the yoke count their own masters worthy of all honour, that the name of God and his doctrine be not blasphemed.

Titus 2:5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.

Abstain from all appearance of evil. That’s reputation.

Here’s how you guard your reputation, obey God publicly. I’m not talking about being a hypocrite, I’m talking about people who are scared to obey God publicly.

Care about God’s work in your life early. Notice what the Philistines said in verse 5. They made reference to something David had done as a teenager.

Your reputation will either deliver you or entrap you

David’s testimony keeps him out of trouble.

Some of you are an easy target to the world. Your reputation gets you into trouble instead of keeping you out of it. You wonder why you keep ending up in temptations and situations that hurt you. A lot of it has to do with what people think about you. People know you’ll participate with them in this sin.

My time in the corporate world.

Proverbs 22:1 A good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favour rather than silver and gold.

Your reputation will be used by God

All things work together for good to them that love God and are called according to His purpose.

The qualifiers are to love God and be called according to his purpose. Do you think those are secret things? That a person who loves God in secret and is working out God’s purpose between you and the wall? No. Love God, called according to his purpose, these are all public things.

David is very public in these matters. Consequently, the LORD makes sure David is seen by influential Philistines who will not want him on their side.

Jude gives three examples of problems that arise under the guise of Christianity. He calls them spots (Jude 12) like cancers. These cancers that entered under the banner of Christianity are unbelief, fornication, and pride. Jude is not threatening the believers with the lake of fire. But what he is saying is these sins are like cancers in a body. They spread through the body in verse 16 and affect healthy cells.

Everyone in here has been touched by the plague of cancer whether it was in your own body or in the body of someone you love. Jude’s reference is to what happened in Numbers 13-14 and how it affected and condemned an entire generation.

Unbelief spreads through the congregation (Numbers 13:26-33)

Ten of the spies brought back an evil report.

And it was that bad influence that sealed their destruction: howbeit not all that came out of Egypt by Moses.

So the fear spread through the congregation and they became infected with anger towards God and Moses, Joshua, and Caleb.

For some, when they had heard (the evil report), did provoke.

Why did they not want to go into the land? What was the reason they gave?

Unbelief sickens the congregation (Numbers 14:1-10)

The people’s minds are affected – they’re crying when they should be rejoicing. The people begin to hurt the people that are helping them. They come up with a solution for a problem that doesn’t even exist outside of their own minds.

Joshua exhorts the people to follow the LORD. But unbelief attacks the healthy cells (Joshua 14:6-10).

harden not your hearts as in the day of provocation (Hebrews 3:15). Read it in Numbers 14:20-24.

The admonition is to exhort one another daily (Hebrews 3:13) because you aren’t stronger than the cancer. The treatment is regular exhortation from Christians.

The Great Physician says he’s cutting the cancer out (Numbers 14:11-12)

Consequences of unbelief (Numbers 14:13-39)

The Israelites that died in the wilderness were the ones that complained and believed the evil report (Numbers 14:28-29).

The men that brought the evil report died at that time (Numbers 14:36-39).

A little known event in Numbers 14:40-45. Presumed to go up – it’s like a body flush with adrenaline.

Jude uses this example to remind Christians what unbelief does to people. Did they experience God’s blessings during their lifetime? Absolutely. That was the frustration God had with them. They had been partakers of the miraculous work of God, being fed with manna, walking through the Red Sea on dry ground, but never partook of God’s rest for them in the promised land.

The reap what you sow principle. According to your faith be it unto you. Matthew 9:29. Give, and it shall be given unto you… Luke 6:38. Judge, with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. Merciful shall obtain mercy principle.

Wisdom is rejected

I called…ye refused

I stretched out my hand…no man regarded

Set at nought my counsel – That’s cursing wisdom. It’s bad mouthing  wisdom. Making wisdom look stupid.

None of my reproof

Wisdom’s “I told you so” moments

Laugh at your calamity

Mock when your fear comes

Mock when distress comes

Mock when anguish comes

Wisdom has disappeared

You’ll call but I won’t answer

You’ll seek me but I won’t be found

You made your choices

You wouldn’t listen

Tragic irony

Eat of the fruit of their own way.

This is the path you’ve chosen.

If the path you’ve chosen doesn’t have what you’ll need, you should choose a different path. You say you’re travelling to Houston. You know you’re going to need gas along the way, but you choose a way of backroads where there are no gas stations. Eventually you’ll find yourself out of gas and no way to remedy that. Trying to get what you need at that point is way more difficult than it would’ve been if you chose a different way.

If the way you’ve chosen doesn’t have what you’ll need, you should choose a different way.

Filled with their own devices

Like our addictions to our mobile devices.

Turning away of the simple slay them.

Simple turned from wisdom in verse 22 because they loved simplicity.

They loved their ignorance of God and now that has come back on them.

Prosperity of fools shall destroy them;

The problem with sinners is they love the thing that’s killing them.

You made prosperity your master and prosperity is not a good master.

Whosoever will (vs 33)

The wise listened, made preparations, and were safe.

Why is it so hard to listen?

Is it your own way?

Is it your device?

Is it you turning away?

Is it prosperity?

I was going to move past Ishmael’s generations in the next few verses because there didn’t seem to be that much important information there other than the nations that came out of Ishmael. After reading this a couple of times I saw a little nugget in here. It’s a point of distinction between a worldly family and a godly family.

When I say at home in this world I’m describing people who are fully invested in this life. No thought of a righteous government under Jesus Christ. These people’s hopes and dreams are here and now. Eat, drink, be merry, for tomorrow we die.

Ishmael’s kids live in castles (25:16). Isaac lived in tents (26:17).

Ishmael’s kids are princes (25:16), political leaders. Isaac is characterized as a sojourner (Genesis 26:3).

Hebrews 11:9-10, 13-16 By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: 10 For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God. … 13 These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. 14 For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. 15 And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned. 16 But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city.

Perfect for this Halloween month. It’s got witches, seances, the dead speaking, and the ominous shadow of death over the very sad life of a king. The chapter is heartbreaking.

We’ve come to the last night of king Saul’s life. The LORD stopped guiding him long ago when he stopped taking direction from the LORD. And now absent any divine revelation Saul seeks the counsel of a witch. A medium specifically. And it’s so fateful that Saul is going to seek a witch for help. Samuel the preacher warned Saul years ago rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft. Because thou hast rejected the word of the LORD, he hath also rejected thee from being king. The day before Saul’s death he’s desperately looking for help from a witch because rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft.

God is silent (vss 3-6)

Rebellion has now led to witchcraft (vss 7-14)

People palm reading, looking into astrology and the signs in the stars, reading your horoscope, etc. That is all done because there is no voice of God in your life.

A people in rebellion to God are fascinated with witchcraft and sorcery.

People who don’t know where the book of Genesis is can name all the books in the Lord of the Rings. People who can’t find the book of Galatians can name all the Harry Potter books.

Acts 19:16-20 This stuff has always been a main staple of literature and entertainment.

Acts 16:16-21, there has always been money in it. People will tolerate unclean spirits. People will use unclean spirits to make money and will spend money on unclean spirits.

The unreasonableness of seeking the medium (vss 15-20)

Samuel somehow makes an appearance. He rebukes Saul with a question. If God isn’t speaking to you, what possible information could I have to help you?! Do you think I am more knowledgeable than God? If the LORD isn’t speaking to you, there is nothing I can help you with.

My encounter with a witch.

Clarity in the face of death (vss 21-25)

It’s that time in everyone’s life when they stand face to face with the decisions they’ve made in regard to God. And it’s too late to change anything at this point.

You come face to face with your own mortality and death becomes a real enemy you can’t beat. Suddenly there is clarity and soberness.

Isaiah 8:19-20 Looking among the dead? Why?!

I would say beware of witchcraft, but it’s more like beware of rebellion when God speaks to you. Witchcraft is a symptom like fever is a symptom. It’s not the virus, it’s a symptom of the virus. Witchcraft is a symptom of rebellion.

What does Christian liberty mean to you? What does it mean to be free in Christ?

A gospel that says sin is your problem cannot be teaching you to continue in sin. The LORD Jesus Christ who taketh away the sin of the world would never be telling you to continue in sin. Romans 6:1-2.

Jude makes it clear that certain lost people’s understanding of God’s grace is given to you so you can do what you want. Notice this misuse of grace is equated with denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. Christian liberty is not the ability to do what you want. Christian liberty is the ability to please God and yield the fruit of the Spirit of God.

Initial purpose

The original purpose of the letter was to write of the common salvation in Jesus Christ among Gentiles and Jews just like Paul said in Ephesians 2:11-17.

It’s the same understanding the apostles came to in Acts 15.

Holy Spirit changes the purpose

His initial purpose becomes secondary to the issue at hand. Jude fires off a very clear warning that there are wolves among the sheep. The purpose of the letter became an instruction to earnestly contend for the faith. Look at verse 4.

Ordained of old is not a decision God makes about an individual. You are not predestined to fiery judgment. The fiery judgment is created and ordained for the wicked. If you don’t have the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ, you’re end has already been determined.

Misuse of grace

Lasciviousness is defined in Ephesians 4:18-19.

Looseness; irregular indulgence of animal desires; wantonness; lustfulness.

Tendency to excite lust, and promote irregular indulgences.

Paul uses the word lasciviousness with the Corinthians church in 2 Corinthians 12:19-21.

Check out Peter in 1 Peter 4:3-6.

Grace of God in the gospel teaches Titus 2:11-12. The proper use of grace is found in this verse as well.