In this sermon, the preacher begins by explaining the context of the passage in Exodus where the people of Israel, led by Moses, are waiting for him to come down from Mount Sinai. The preacher emphasizes that the people had been in bondage in Egypt for 400 years and had cried out to the Lord for deliverance. However, when Moses delays in coming down from the mountain, the people gather around Aaron and ask him to make gods for them to worship. The preacher then connects this story to the present day, warning against ministers who preach a gospel that is focused on personal pleasure and rejects the lordship of Jesus Christ. The preacher urges the audience to turn away from delusion and sensationalism and instead surrender their lives to Christ and seek the supernatural working of God within their hearts.

I come before you this morning, and I acknowledge my weakness and frailty, but I acknowledge your strength and your power. And O God, David came into the camp of Israel and saw something, and he said, Is there not a cause? And in his weakness, Lord, you strengthened him, and you were honored and glorified, and a great victory was won that day. And so, Lord, I ask this day that the words that you put into my heart and my hand would become a smooth stone, that you, by the power of the Spirit, would cast into the foreheads of your enemies those that have exalted themselves above the knowledge of God. Lord, I ask that you give wings to this word today. God, release those that are captivated by ministers of lasciviousness. God, grant an understanding and anointing of the Holy Spirit in this message today. Lord, I ask that you sanctify my inward parts, every part of me, God. Lord, out of my belly, you said, would flow rivers of living water. And I ask that in this house today, God, beyond these walls, that living water would flow, giving strength to those who love you and want to love you. Lord, releasing those who are captivated by false religious illusion. God, giving life to those that are without life and strength to those that are without strength. Giving direction to those who are on a crooked or an obscure path. And Father, I thank you for this today. I thank you for the touch of your Holy Spirit upon this word. May you put it forth with power. I ask this in Jesus' name. Amen. Jude, beginning at verse 1, the ministers of lasciviousness. Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ and called. Mercy unto you and peace and love be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write to you and to exhort you that you should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. Isn't that incredible? Here's Jude writing. It's only A.D. 66, just a little over 30 years after Christ's death and resurrection. And he's already, the Holy Spirit is already moving upon men in the Holy Ghost to write to the church and to encourage the people to get back to the faith, to contend, to fight for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness and denying the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. I will therefore put you in remembrance, though you once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterwards destroyed them that believed not. And the angels which kept not their first estate but left their own habitation, he has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them, in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion and speak evil of dignities. Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil, he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said the Lord rebuked thee. But these speak evil of those things which they know not. But what they know naturally as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves. Woe unto them, for they have gone in the way of Cain and ran greedily after the heir of Balaam for reward and perished in the game-saying of Korah. These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear. Clouds, they are without water, carried about of winds. Trees, whose fruit withers, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots. Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame. Wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever. And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints to execute judgment upon all and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds, which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches, which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts, and their mouths speaketh great swelling words, having men's person in admiration because of advantage. The whole intent of the Gospel of Jude is to warn those who are called, he says in verse one, those that are sanctified by God the Father, I mean set apart and preserved in Christ Jesus and called. The whole intent of the Gospel of Jude is to exhort those that are called by the name of Jesus Christ to stand up and to once again contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints. Jude warns that there are ministers that have come into the body of Christ, now I speak corporately throughout all of the body, who are turning the grace of God into lasciviousness. They're being used of darkness. They don't realize they're being used of darkness. They're well-intentioned in their own sight, but they are misinformed in the things of God. Verse four, he gives a clue to the characteristics of their ministries. Now they are sincere, but they are sincerely wrong in what they're doing, in the direction they're leading the people of God. In the book of Revelation chapter 12, verse 15, out speaking of the devil, and Jesus in his revelation to John says, And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood. And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth. And the dragon was wroth with the woman and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus Christ. Now the serpent, that's the devil, he knows that he has but a short time. You see that in Revelation chapter 12, verse 12. One of the greatest tactics of darkness against the church of Jesus Christ is found in verse 15, that he sends out water as a flood. Now we know that the word of God is described as a water. Jesus said, He that believeth on me, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. We know the prophet Ezekiel said, in chapter 36, the Lord says, I'm going to sprinkle clean water upon you. I'm going to wash you with clean water and you're going to be clean from your filthiness and from your sins. But the enemy also has his own water. It's not the same water. It looks like sometimes the water of God, but it's a dirty, a polluted stream that takes us away from the centrality of Christ, the centrality of the cross of Christ, causes every man's way to be right in his own sight. It's a polluted stream sent to obscure the pathway of Christ, obscure the direction and call of God upon the life of those that are called by his name. Now Jude, in Jude verse 4, it says the characteristics of these ministries is that they turn the grace of God into lasciviousness. Now the Greek word for lasciviousness is asologia, which translated means a wantonness or something that's lacking, a readiness for pleasure that acknowledges no restraints. So they turn the gospel of Christ into a ready thing for pleasure that has no restraints upon it. And then we go a little farther down in that verse 4 and says, and denying the only Lord God. Now some would look at that and say, well, you know, they don't deny the Lord. They don't deny Christ. And so therefore that can't apply to this ministry that I'm listening to on tape or watching on television or whatever the case is. But the word deny is arneome, which means to reject him in the face of former relationship. And Lord is the word kurios, which means one who exercises morally restricted authority for good. And so now I'm going to put it all together. Verse 4, what the apostle Jude is saying to the church is this about these ministers. They preach a gospel that is designed for personal pleasure. It's a gospel that knows no restraints, a gospel that rejects Jesus Christ in the face of former or his proven history of relationship, and a gospel that casts off the moral right of Jesus to exercise absolute lordship over their lives. Now this is exactly what the children of Israel did after their deliverance from Egypt. Jude says in verse 5, I will therefore put you in remembrance, though you once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterwards destroyed them that believed not. Now go to the book of Exodus please. We'll look at the children of Israel. Exodus chapter 32. We'll begin at verse 1. And when the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mount, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron. Now you see the people have been, for those that are new to the Lord, these people, the children of Israel, had been led out of the land of Egypt. They were 400 years in bondage. They had cried out to the Lord. God had sent them a deliverer. His name was Moses. And Moses came along with his brother Aaron. And now they have been led out of captivity. They're in the wilderness. They're in a season of silence, of temporary silence, when God is speaking to Moses. It says, When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down out of the mountain, the people gathered themselves together unto Aaron, and said unto him, Up, make us gods which shall go before us. For as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we want not, or we don't know what has become of him. And Aaron said unto them, Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives, of your sons, of your daughters, and bring them unto me. And all the people break off the golden earrings which were in their ears and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool, after he had made it a molten calf. And they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. And when Aaron saw it, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made proclamation and said, Tomorrow is a feast to the Lord. And they rose up early on the morrow and offered burnt offerings and brought peace offerings. And the people sat down to eat and to drink and rose up to play. And the Lord said unto Moses, Get thee down, for thy people which you brought out of the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves. They have turned aside quickly out of the way which I commanded them. They have made a molten calf and have worshipped it and have sacrificed thereunto. And said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which have brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. Jude says that these filthy dreamers speak evil of things that they don't know. They're known for their evil speaking. And we see in Exodus chapter 32 and verse 1, the people began to speak evil against Moses. Moses had only been 40 days or somewhere near 40 days set apart for God where God was giving him the law, the Ten Commandments and speaking to him. And the people all of a sudden got restless and they began to speak evil. They said, As for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we don't know what has become of him. You see the children of Israel at this time were in a season of silence. And I believe that season of silence was a possible time of testing of their hearts. And we are today living at a time when people are now saying, What has become of Christ? Second Peter chapter 3 verse 4 says the people are saying, Where is the promise of his coming? Where is he? All things are together just as it used to be from the beginning of time. The apostle Peter calls them scoffers walking in their own lusts. Now what are they scoffing? They're scoffing the day of judgment. They're scoffing the warnings of God that there's a coming day of judgment when all the heavens are going to be on fire and everything around us is going to be dissolved. And all of a sudden there's a scoffers, a spirit of scoffers begin to arise. And they say, Where is the promise of his coming? Don't listen to these prophets that are telling you the judgment is at the door. Just cast them off. This is a day of peace and prosperity and never ending good is ahead of us. They scoff the day of judgment. But Jesus said, As a thief in the night into which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up. The apostle Peter is speaking that in 2 Peter 3.10. It's coming and it's closer than we think. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise. There's a day of justice and judgment coming upon the earth. And one of the signs that we're getting close is that we see a ministry of lasciviousness, a wanton ministry beginning to arise all over North America, especially in this hour that we're now living. A ministry of peace and prosperity and never ending good ahead of us. And yet we sense in our hearts the judgment of God is right at the door. We see economic failing happening all over North America. Society is virtually crumbling around our feet. All governments now are starting to call evil good and they're starting to call good evil. You see the tide now turning against the church of Jesus Christ. It's during this season of silence that we see the rise of the Aaron ministry in the book of Exodus. The Aaron ministry. The greatest, I suppose, mistake that Moses ever made is bringing along his brother with him into ministry, into the call that God had put upon his life. He was somewhat afraid to go alone and so he brought his brother Aaron with him. And Aaron was there and Aaron saw the power of God in Egypt and Aaron stood before Pharaoh and Aaron cast down the staff. Aaron saw the delivering hand, the power of God, but Aaron had a different heart than Moses. And there's a ministry, it's a ministry that walks alongside those that are called and anointed of God in this generation, but they are men of a different heart. Aaron had a different heart than Moses had. They fashioned their own gods and began to despise those who speak from the heart of God. Jude verse 8, he says, They despise dominion and speak evil of dignities. Now the word dignities, the Greek root word, refers to those who have been set apart and truly desire to reflect the glory and the splendor of a holy God. You see they speak, they despise dominion, they won't come under government and they speak evil of those who have a genuine heart for God, who really love the Lord, who really love God's people, who really yearn for the truth and their hearts cry and desire to see the glory of God come back into his house again, the glory of God upon his children. But these ministers of lasciviousness rise up and they begin to speak evil and they despise the dominion of God over their lives. That's the reality of it. They despise it. Now we see Jude in verse 11, he says, Woe unto them, for they've gone in the way of Cain and ran greedily after the heir of Balaam for reward and perished in the gainsaying of Koreh. It's, who are these people? Well I believe it starts with but is not limited to all the success and prosperity preachers that we've had in North America over the last two or three decades. But there's more. It's those now in this generation that are leading the people of God into worshipping gods of gold that they have made with their own hands. They have fashioned their own gods. They proclaim a continual feast around this god. I grieve in my heart. I sense the grief of Jesus for his people in this hour that we're living in. So many, so many of God's people ensnared by these ministers of lasciviousness who have taken the grace and the gospel of Christ and made it a wanton thing, made it a thing that has no restraints anymore and caused the people to cast off the absolute moral authority of Jesus to reign and rule over their lives. Who is lord over us, they say. That's what David said in one of the Psalms. With our tongues we will prevail. Now there's the positive confession movement and all of these things that have happened in North America. Such a grief to the heart of God. It's from those who have their hand in the till from corrupt ministries to those who withhold the truth for fear of losing their works. Oh, brothers and sisters, you thank God. If you're visiting here today and you're under a ministry that opens this book and challenges your heart, you better thank God. Because all over North America there are ministers of lasciviousness who stand in pulpits and they're cowards. They won't open the word of God. They won't touch the sins of the people. They won't touch the hearts of the people for they're afraid to lose their works. They're afraid to lose their salaries. They're afraid to lose their church. They're afraid to lose their jobs. And they won't open the word of God. My brother and sister in Christ, that is why North America is in the condition it is today. I lay the blame on behalf of Jesus Christ at every pulpit that has existed in this country for the last 100 years where men and women have stood and will not declare the lordship of Jesus Christ, will not take the sword of the word of God and examine their own heart first in the Holy Ghost and then take that sword and send it out with the healing balm of Gilead to reprove, to rebuke, to exhort, to convince those that have got hearts and consciences that are contrary to the nature of Christ, that they are contrary to Christ and Christ has died for them and has absolute right to rule and reign over their lives. All kinds of men standing and fearing in this generation. But so help me in the name of God. I speak for Pastor David and myself. I know his heart that if we have to stand in Central Park on a soapbox, if that's the only pulpit that we can get in some day in the future, I'd rather stand there and have to trust God and preach the word of God than stand in some house and bow down to the wishes and whims of men. Exodus 32, again, we see Aaron, the Aaron ministry and Aaron said to them, Break off the golden earrings which are in the ears of your wives and your sons and your daughters and bring them to me. And all the people broke off the golden earrings which were in their ears and brought them unto Aaron. And he received them at their hand and fashioned it with a graving tool after he had made it a molten calf and they said, These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt. Now, this is such a sad scenario. The children of Israel had left Egypt not just with their wives and sons and daughters and grandparents and horses and donkeys and cattle, but they had left with the spoils of Egypt, earrings and gold and all of these things. You ever wonder why did God give them these things? There was no Max Milk Store in the wilderness. There was nowhere to spend this stuff in the time they were going to be there. No, I believe with all my heart that God gave it to them to test their hearts and to prove their hearts. There was going to come a season of silence where they would have to make a choice whether or not they were going to live for the Lord or whether they were going to fashion a god of gold. And in this generation in North America, hear me if you've never heard me before, in this generation there have been Aaron ministries that have arisen now and they have taken the gold, the spoils of the people. What should have been a blessing has become a curse all over North America and they have taken the gold and they have fashioned gods of gold and they say these be thy gods which brought thee up out of the land of darkness. They've fashioned a golden calf and they have called his name Jesus. They can make him anything they want him to be. They can point him in any direction they want to point him. They have continuous conventions now to convince one another that he is indeed in their midst because deep inside there is a gnawing feeling that he's not with them. And most recently they have turned from seeking the very heart of God, they have turned to a lust for the supernatural, a lust for signs and wonders, a lust for manifestations. There are people maybe even in this sanctuary today, you're not here because you have a passion for Jesus, you're here because you have a lust for the supernatural, you're not being led by the Spirit of God, you're being led by another spirit. Something has been sown in you that's contrary to the nature of God. He makes a god of gold and then he said, and listen in verse 5, and it says, When Aaron saw it, when Aaron saw this calf, he built an altar before it. And Aaron made a proclamation and said, Tomorrow is a feast unto the Lord. You see this god of gold, one of the signs that you're around an altar of a god of gold, no matter what his name is, is a proclamation of continual feasting. There's no warning. These people are right at the very threshold of the judgment of God. God is in heaven, He's looking, He's seeing what's happening. There's an anger kindling in the heart of God. You need to see this, you need to understand it in this passage of Scripture. When Moses came down from the mountain just a few days later, God said to Moses, Step aside, I'm going to consume these people in a moment. I'm going to wipe them right out and I will make of you a great and a mighty nation. You see these people are right on the brink of disaster. They're right on the brink of judgment and now this Aaron ministry, this ministry of lasciviousness rises up and says, A continual feast before the Lord. Good days are ahead of us. Peace and prosperity are going to be within our borders. Now brothers and sisters, in North America, we're on the threshold of the judgment of God right at this hour as I speak. In a moment, in a day, in an hour that you think not, the heavens are going to be on fire and the elements themselves are going to be dissolved. The Apostle Peter says, Seeing that these things are going to be dissolved, what manner of people ought we to be in all holy conversation and godliness? I tell you, we ought to be a people, as Jude says, who are contending for the faith that was once given unto the saints. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. In the realm of these ministries, there's no limit to the foolishness when carnality takes over as a substitute for the holy things of God. In verse 6 it says, They rose up early on the mall and offered word offerings and peace offerings. You see, it looks so religious. It looks so good. They can come to the house of the Lord. They can be worshiping. They can be doing all kinds of things. But it says, The people sat down to eat and drink and rose up to play. There's no limit to the foolishness. There's no limit to the things that will be done. Oh, and he says in Jude 7, Even as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities about them in like manner giving themselves over to fornication and going after strange flesh are set forth as an example suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. The end result of the Aaron ministry is that the people were naked. They were shamed before their enemies. Exodus 32, 25, Moses comes down. His heart is broken. Aaron is now making his pitiful excuse. There is coming a day when these ministers of lasciviousness are going to stand before a holy God. And woe be unto them. That's all I can say. Woe be unto them when they stand before God and have to answer for bringing God's heritage to the place where they lust for gold. Or bringing God's heritage to a place where they think with their own tongues they're going to prevail. For bringing the children of God who should be, their lips should be speaking the praises of God. Their lips should be yearning like David's lips were yearning. Saying, Oh Jesus, create in me a clean heart. Renew a right spirit within me. Their lips should be speaking like the prophet Isaiah who said, Woe unto me, I'm undone. Mine eyes have seen the King of kings, the Lord of lords. I've seen the Lord of glory. I've seen him. I've seen him. Their lips should be speaking as Isaiah said, Oh Lord, here am I. Send me. As unworthy as I am, God, touch my life. Purify me. Set me apart for your purposes, Oh God, and use my life. And yet these ministers of lasciviousness have got God's people clucking like chickens and barking like dogs and roaring like lions in this generation. Do you understand that this generation is under the judgment of God? While they promised them liberty, Peter says, they themselves are the servants of corruption. The end result of the Aaron ministry is in verse 25. It says, When Moses saw that the people were naked, for Aaron had made them naked unto the shame, their shame among their enemies. Isn't that what Jesus said to the church in Laodicea? You say you're rich and increased with goods and have need of nothing, but you're poor, you're blind, you're wretched, and you're naked. The people were naked. The end result of lusting for the supernatural is a nakedness before your enemies. God's armor, you've not put on the armor of God. You've not walked in the honesty of Christ. And as such, the enemies of your soul will come after you and in the long run your state will be worse than you were in the beginning. Jude says, I would therefore put you in remembrance though you once knew this, how that the Lord having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterwards destroyed them that believed not. The end result of lusting for the supernatural is to lose your confidence in Christ. And you need one new experience after the next experience and you will go deeper and deeper and deeper into sensuality, into the sensual realm. And you will lose out on the key element that causes your life to no victory. That's faith in the finished work on Calvary. It's faith in Jesus Christ. It's not the man who rolls on the floor and groans and barks. It's the man who stands up before all of his enemies and declares that Jesus Christ has been victorious on Calvary. Walks in the Word of God and says, Lord, take that sword and smite out of my heart every vestige of unbelief, everything that causes me to stand in a place of fear and unbelief. God, smite it out of my heart and make me stand up on my feet like a man, like a woman of God, plainly declaring the truth and contending for the faith which was once given unto the church. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. The Apostle Paul, let me just read it to you. The Apostle Paul says that we're to put on the full armor of God. Now that's work. And not too many people in this generation want to work. Everybody wants a quick fix. Nobody wants to kneel anymore before God and humble himself before God and groan in the prayer closet. There's so very few that want to get into this book and read it and spend an hour or two a day reading this book and praying and saying, Holy Ghost, Holy Ghost, Holy Ghost, speak to my heart. Speak to my life. Let this word not just be in my mind but let it live in my heart. Let this word form the very nature and essence and character of Christ within my life. There are so few. We're living in a lascivious generation that has turned the gospel of Christ into a wanton thing, a thing that is lacking, a thing that denies the right of Christ to morally exercise lordship over people's lives. And we see all the people now running for quick fixes. I heard recently that there's a new thing now that's begun in the nation of Canada where people are birthing down the house of God. Don't even ask me what that is. I couldn't, I don't know and I couldn't care less what it is. Birthing. This lady went to this church. They're lined up at the doors you can't even get in now. They've gone from laughing to birthing now. And birthing is, the people are all over the floor in the church. They're rolling in the aisles. They're holding their bellies and they're groaning and the leadership is teaching them how to give birth. Don't ask me what the spiritual significance of that is. It's, it's just foolishness. That's all it is. Total foolishness in the sight of God. And they rose up to eat and to play and they're dancing around their own path and their own making and they call him Jesus. And they're going deeper and deeper and deeper into delusion. Deeper into darkness. Farther and farther away from God. And the end result is they're going to stand naked before their enemies. The apostle Paul cries out to the Ephesian church. He says, finally my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armor of God. You don't get it by barking and rolling. You don't get it by positive confession. You don't get it by lusting for gold and the things of this world. Put on the whole armor of God. You get it by humble submission to the lordship of Jesus Christ. You get it by asking the Holy Ghost to make this word real and alive in your heart. Put on the whole armor of God. That you may be able to stand against the wiles or the schemes of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armor of God that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand. Stand therefore. Stand. That's what the scripture says. Stand. Stand to your feet church of God. Stand to your feet in this last hour and contend for the faith that was once given unto the saints. Stand therefore having your loins, that means your deep inward parts, girt about with truth. Having that truth grip you, so grip you that you become one in nature with Christ and one in heart with Christ. One in faith with Christ. One in direction with Christ. One in determination with Christ. One in honesty with Christ. One in truth with Christ. One in compassion with Christ. Stand having your loins girt about with truth and having on the breastplate of righteousness. Having your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace and above all taking the shield of faith wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit which is the word of God. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the spirit and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. Now back in Exodus chapter 32 verse 26 Moses comes back and his heart is broken. And I believe with all my heart that the heart of Jesus is broken for this North American church generation. The heart of Jesus. He looks down and sees it all. All of the foolishness that's going on and calling itself by his name. And his heart is broken. And he turns to Aaron and he says what have you done? You've made the people naked under their shame among their enemies. Then Moses, verse 26 stood in the gate of the camp and he said these words Who is on the Lord's side? Let him come unto me. And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together unto him. And I declare in the name of the Lord to state that God is reaching out to North America. God's reaching out to Canada. God's reaching out to the United States. And to anybody who can still hear he's saying Who is on the Lord's side? Who is on the Lord's side? Who is going to walk with me? Who is going to come out of this foolishness? Who is going to stand in the pulpits across America and plainly and clearly without compromise without fear declare the unadulterated counsel of the word of God? Who is going to cause the people to come back to holiness once again? And to understand what it is to be a servant of the living God? Who is going to stand? Jude says Beloved contend for the faith that was once given unto the saints. The faith that was once delivered. Now, go to the book of Acts please. I just there's so much I can talk about in the once delivered faith but I want you to see something. Acts chapter 2 I want to look at the faith that was once delivered. Beginning at verse 1 And when the day of Pentecost was fully come they were all with one accord and in one place. One of the keys is that these people were in unity. However, this unity was in obedience to the word of God as opposed to unity in spite of truth. We see a false unity movement going throughout much of the church or those who call themselves the church of Jesus Christ all throughout North America. It's a false unity. It's not based on the truth of Jesus Christ. It's not based on the Lordship of Christ. It's not based on holiness and truth within the life of the believer. In Proverbs 11 21 says Though hand joined in hand they shall not remain unpunished. There's a punishment coming upon the purveyors of false unity. Let's be unified. I remember being in a ministerial meeting several years a few years ago and there was this big push for unity. If we were all being unified then the world is going to see and it was a unity that was being promoted among all churches of all denominations irrespective of what their doctrinal statements are. We are one in Christ. Let's move ahead. Concentrate on our similarities not our differences. Many of you have heard these things and now all of these ministers that were at that meeting have all embraced sensuality and foolishness. They've all got their people barking and roaring now. They've all been led astray. There's no unity apart from truth. It's a phony false unity. You cannot be unified. The unity doesn't come from men's minds and wills. It comes from the very heart of God. If you love Jesus Christ with all your heart, if He's the Lord of your life, if you want to serve Him with all of your life, if you want to walk in holiness and obedience to this Word, if you truly love Him, then I'm unified with you right away. It doesn't matter what color you are, what country you come from, or what church you attend. If that's your heart, I'm automatically walking in unity with you. But Jude says in Jude 19, these be they, the ministers of lasciviousness, who separate themselves. It's not from the body. They separate themselves from truth. Sensual, having not the spirit. They talk about unity, but their whole movement is in the realm of the senses. It's a sensual movement, and they have not the spirit of God. As time goes on, you wonder sometimes, brothers and sisters, I've often wondered. I saw years ago a documentary on Jonestown in Guyana, South America, and in that group of people there were lawyers, there were educated people, there were people that were not new to the things of God. How did one man get a hold of these people and bring them to a place of drinking poison Kool-Aid and committing suicide in a South American country? You see, they left off truth. And when you leave off walking in this book, never underestimate the power of your enemy, the delusion power. And I see a whole segment of the Church of Jesus Christ going deeper and deeper and deeper into delusion. And I challenge anybody that can hear my voice, not only today but the coming days, if you can still hear, get out, get out, get out, get out of it, get out of it, and get back into the Word of God again. Get under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. Get to a place where you're willing to surrender your life in totality to Christ without any strings attached. Get away from the sensational vent that's flowing through the North America right now. Get away from the lust for the supernatural. What you need to long for is the supernatural working of God within your own heart and own life, casting off the works of darkness and putting on the light of Christ. That's the faith that was once delivered to the early Church. And again in Acts chapter 2 verse 4 says they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance. You see, the Holy Ghost doesn't come and fill His Church to make us foolish. The Holy Ghost doesn't come and fill His Church to make us a laughing stock in the sight of the whole world. The Holy Ghost fills His Church to give us the power to stand and be a living witness of the testimony that Jesus Christ has been raised from the dead. You shall receive power after that the Holy Ghost has come upon you, Jesus said, and you shall be witnesses unto me. Judea, Samaria, Jerusalem, to the uttermost ends of the earth, you shall be my witnesses. The Holy Ghost comes to purge our lives. The Holy Ghost comes to give illumination to the Word of God. The Holy Ghost comes to make us alive in Christ Jesus and Christ Jesus alive in us. The Holy Ghost comes to bring us to the place where we stand with our loins geared about with truth, the sword of the Spirit in our hand. We stand in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation that has gone off into foolishness and we stand in the power of the risen Christ and declare the truth of the Gospel of Jesus. The Holy Ghost is not given for self-interest. This is evidenced in the book of Acts immediately as Peter stands up with the sword of the Spirit and leads people to the cross. In Acts chapter 2 verse 14, cowardly Peter gets filled with the Holy Ghost and you don't find him barking and roaring at this point. As a matter of fact you never find him doing any of these things. He stands up and that's what the Apostle Paul is saying to do, stand in this last hour, contend for the faith. Jude says it was once given unto the church. But Peter standing up with the eleven, not only did he stand up alone, they all stood up. They were filled with the Holy Ghost. When the Holy Ghost comes upon a church one of the things he gives is boldness and compassion for the truth. He lifted up his voice and he said unto them, here's the same Peter that was once denying the Lord, the same Peter that cursed the name of Jesus. He said you men of Jerusalem and all that dwell at, Judea and all that dwell at Jerusalem be this known unto you and hearken unto my words. And now Peter begins to expound on the truth from verse 15 right through to verse 35. He opens the word of God. You see the Holy Ghost was now upon him. Everything he had learned but without the Holy Ghost it had left him in a place of fear. But when he was filled with the Holy Ghost he stood up and all of a sudden the Scriptures came alive not just to his mind but they were alive within him. He now knew what it was to walk with God and he began to reveal the truth of God. The truth that exposes the ugliness of sin and leads the sinner to Christ. And that's what God is calling you and I to contend for once again. To stand up and say to the world you are lost in sin but the good news of the Gospel is that Jesus Christ has died for your sin. It is your sin that has crucified him. He didn't spare the people. In verse 36 we read he says let all therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made that same Jesus whom the Romans crucified. Is that what it says? Whom some religious people crucified? Who somebody else crucified? No. He says that same Jesus whom ye have crucified both Lord and Christ. This is the end of side one. You may now turn the tape over to side two. Took the sword and right to the hearts of those that were listening. Brothers and sisters sin is an ugly thing and it's your sin and it's my sin that put Jesus Christ on that cross of Calvary. It's your sin and my sin that caused God the Father to have to pour out his wrath that Christ an innocent lamb before God would have to pay the horrible penalty for what you and I have done. Nobody should escape when the word of God is preached. We shouldn't seek to escape and feel good when we're coming into the house of God. If there be any way in us that is contrary to the nature of Christ we should say God smite it in my heart. Get rid of it in my heart. Take it out of my life. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. And verse thirty-seven Scripture says now when they heard this they were pricked in their heart and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles men and brethren what shall we do? Then Peter said unto them repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins and you shall be saved. Receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. This is the faith that was once delivered unto the saints. Repentance. Brothers and sisters in Christ there is no forgiveness of sins without repentance. You can't come into the house of God and blame somebody else for your sin. You can't blame your grandmother, your grandfather, your mother, your father for the way that you have lived and the things that you have done. And I know there are ministries that would try to persuade you that it was somebody else's fault that caused you to do the things that you did. That takes you right back into the Garden of Eden again. Eve, Adam was not, Eve was not willing to take blame for what she had done. Adam was not willing to take blame for what he had done. Everybody tried to pass the buck off onto somebody else. But I, I challenge you with all of my heart that without repentance. Repentance is an understanding that sin is a willful, a lawless disobedient act against the Holy God. Therefore repentance is a willful, lawful turning away from what we know is wrong and turning to what we know is right and turning to what we know is truth. Let the man who lied lie no more. Let him who stole steal no more. Let him work with his hands that he may have to give to him that has need. Let, let the adulterer turn from his ways. Let the thief turn from his ways. Be baptized. That was the faith once delivered unto the saints. It's a symbolic act of being immersed in water and declaring to the whole world that I'm leaving my old way of life. I'm leaving my old ways. I'm leaving the old things I used to do. I'm leaving the old foolishnesses. I'm leaving all of the carnal self-seeking that so characterized all of my life before coming to Christ and I'm putting off this old nature and I'm putting on a new nature in Christ. I'm going down. I'm going to identify with His death and in identifying with His death I'm coming up and I'm going to identify with His life. I'm going to begin to walk with Him. I'm going to let the Holy Spirit touch my heart. I'm going to let this Word come alive in my life and I'm going to be a man. I'm going to be a man. of God. I'm going to put on the full armor of God and I'm going to stand in the final day. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. And be filled. He says repent, be baptized and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Hallelujah. The Holy Ghost. I believe that Pastor David is going to be speaking on that at 6 o'clock tonight. Repent, be baptized and be filled with the Holy Ghost. Hallelujah. Holy. Holy. Holy. Be filled with the Holy Ghost. Not some kind of a sensual spirit that drives you to a lust for the supernatural but be filled with the Holy Ghost. The Holy Ghost that produces in you and gives you a revelation of the very knowledge and character of Christ and gives you the strength to be sanctified and to walk that path whereby you can become a witness of the fact that Christ is raised from the dead. Verse 39. The promise is unto you and to your children. And unto all that are afar off. Even as many as the Lord our God shall call. And with many other words did he testify and exhort saying save yourself from this untoward or this crooked generation. Then they that gladly received his word were baptized. And the same day were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine. There was a quest for truth in this early church. They continued steadfastly. They studied. They broke apart. They examined them the things that had been given to them through the apostles. And in fellowship and in breaking of bread and in prayers. There was a desire for truth. There was a fellowship, a true unity among believers that was found in the early church. They were walking in obedience to the word of God and prayer characterized the very movement and direction of that early church. And verse 43 it says and fear came upon every soul and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. Fear. This was a church that walked in the fear of the Lord. This was an early church that saw shortly after this passage of scripture they saw Ananias and Sapphira, two people that lied to the Holy Ghost. They saw them slain before a Holy God. They were walking in the fear of the Lord. They were a church that knew that you don't play around with the Holy God. If we're going to do it, we're going to do it his way or no way at all. They understood these things. And in verse 44 and all that believed were together and had all things common. And they sold their possessions and goods and parted them to all men as every man had a need. You see, they were a church that was moving in compassion. They cared one for another. But it was not a natural promoted care. It was a supernatural care. The very heart of Jesus was in this church body now. The heart of Jesus was moving them. And they were not looking to themselves anymore. They were not looking for their own gain or their own benefit. But they were now looking around them and saying, Is there somebody here that has a need that I can meet? Is somebody lonely? Can I go and keep them company? Is somebody lacking bread? Can I give them half of what I've got in my own cupboard? You see, the heart of Jesus was in this church. And brothers and sisters, Jude says, Contend for the faith that was once given to the saints. Contend for that compassion of Christ and that caring for one another. In verse 46 it says, And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart. They were in one accord breaking bread. There was joy in this early church. There was gladness. There was singleness of heart. Singleness of heart. And that's really the key. That's the issue. That's what made David a man of God. That's what made Peter and Paul men that God could cause to stand and use even in adversity. There was a singleness of focus, a singleness of heart. Ye are the light of the world, Jesus said. If thou and I be single, thy whole body shall be full of light. Hallelujah. Hallelujah. A singleness of heart. Oh, I hope that that's our prayer in this generation that we're living in now. God, give us a singleness of heart. That Lord Jesus, you would use our lives to bring honor and glory to your name. That you would use our lives to reach people for Christ. That you would use our lives to bring honor to you. Verse 47 says, Praising God and having favor with all the people and the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved. The Lord added to the church. This was a worshiping church. They were praising God, walking in love and unity. They were walking in repentance. They were filled with the Holy Ghost. They were living in genuine fellowship and obedience to the word of God. The church was moving forward in prayer. They never did anything without praying. Did you notice that? When Peter and John were threatened, they got back together with the body believers and they began to pray. They said, Lord, consider the threatenings of darkness now against your name and grant that great boldness would be given to us and signs and wonders would be done in the name of thy holy child, Jesus. They never did anything without prayer. It was a certain hour, Peter went up on the roof of a house and he began to pray and God opened heaven to him and gave him in a demonstration the understanding that he was about to pour out the Holy Ghost on Cornelius and all his house and that the Gentiles were now about to receive of the Holy Ghost. They began to pray and God, in that prayer, began to move them forward into the realm of his spirit, into the realm of that place where his church begins to move forward with great power, bringing honor and glory to his name and the Lord added to the church daily, such as should be saved. Daily, God added to that church. I heard of a minister's meeting recently in another city who have embraced much of the sensual movement that's going now throughout North America and other parts of the Western world and they got up and it was like a testimony meeting but in reverse and these ministers got up one after another. A minister friend of mine just called me yesterday and was telling me about it and he says, one got up and said, since embracing this I've lost 50 people out of my church. Since embracing this, now we're talking about the fruit of about a year or so of this kind of ministry. I've lost 30, I've lost 40, I've lost 100. Some cases they lost their whole church and yet they say this is a good thing. That God, they excuse it by saying God is purging the church. After one year of supposedly having they say, a great manifestation of the Holy Ghost in their midst. The only fruit that they have to show for it is a loss of souls in the house. I thank God that God has delivered these people out of their grasp. They're ministers of lasciviousness. When the Holy Ghost is operating in a church there is a genuine conviction of sin. When the Holy Ghost is operating in a church a lost man or woman who comes in is brought under conviction that they're cut off from God. When the Holy Ghost is operating in a church the Word of God goes forth first as a sword cutting, piercing, dividing, exposing the thoughts and intents of the heart and then as a healing oil healing those who repent before a Holy God. When the Holy Ghost is in a church daily God adds to the church such as should be saved. That's the business of God. It's the business of the Holy Ghost and it's never changed. I believe with all my heart now that we're living at an hour in North America where the church has got to make a choice. North America is at a crossroad. The choice is between following the carnal self-seeking sensual and spiritually naked religion of the ministers of lasciviousness or choosing to walk with those who contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints. Brothers and sisters we're living at the threshold of Christ's return. There is no longer any middle ground. There is no longer any middle ground. There's no more time to wallow in and out between the two. God is causing those who have called themselves by His name to have to choose one or the other. God is making the choice now. There have been warnings all over the nation. There have been warnings even from this pulpit in years gone by that a day was coming when God was going to make the choice for those who refused to make it for themselves. We see now a judicial blindness of God having come upon ministers and ministries and followers all over North America. It is a judicial blindness of God. You can sit these people down with the scriptures. I had a minister talking to me recently, an honest God-fearing man, a holy man. God has blessed his work. His church is prospering. And he sits down and tries to talk to people. He said, Pastor Conlon, they can't hear. You open the scriptures, they can't hear. They can't see. He said, it's the most terrifying thing I've ever seen. It's a judicial blindness of God. And they're getting deeper and deeper and deeper into foolishness. There's going to be no limit to what they will do. The people rose up around this golden cap and began to eat and drink and began to pray. The only hope for them, the only hope for those that are captivated, is that you and I, the church of Jesus Christ and as many as can still hear in this hour, would have the courage to rise up and say, God, conceal me. God, fill me. God, strengthen me. God, let your word live in me. God, let me stand. Let my voice declare your truth and your righteousness to this generation. Lord, deliver them out of the grasp of darkness. We must become contenders for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints. God spoke to my heart yesterday. Such a gripping of the Holy Ghost in my inward parts. And he brought me to the place where David came into the camp of Israel. And all of Israel sitting on the hillside. And the giants are coming down and threatening the very testimony, the name of God, the honor of God. And this young boy that didn't have any real strength in himself, all he had was a confidence in the Holy God. And he runs around through those that are in the camp and through his brothers and saying, is there not a cause? Is there not a cause? And he surrendered his life to the purposes of God. And because of that a great deliverance was wrought among the people that day. And if you, my brother and sister in this house, if you who are hearing my voice by tape in the future, if you can surrender your life to the purposes of God, pastors, pastors I beg you in the name of Jesus, stand up, stand up and preach the word of God in this generation. Stand up. Don't compromise any longer. If they, if they leave you then set up a box in the parking lot and preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Stand up. Fight for the heritage of God. Fight for the children of God. Let your voice be counted for righteousness in this generation. Speak for the Lord. Speak for the Lord Jesus Christ. You can only contend for the faith by allowing Jesus Christ to have full lordship over your life. It's not you don't contend for the faith by joining a dozen Bible studies and arguing doctrine. That's not going to do it. It never would and it won't in this generation. It's by allowing Jesus to have full lordship over your life. You say, oh God, I want to contend for the faith. Lord, let this book live in me. God, consume me. Touch my heart. Take me through the places that I can't go in my own strength. Cast down the giants that stand in my way. Deliver me from every fear. Deliver me from all things. God, cut the cords of mammon off of my life. Take away from me the desire for the praise of men. Roast it out of my heart. Push it away from me. Deliver me from desires for the sensual and supernatural. Let it be sufficient that I would see lives changed and souls saved and your glory and honor go forth in your people, oh God. That's how you contend for the faith. There's no other way. It's not a doctrinal argument. Everybody's got their viewpoint in this generation. Everybody's got an answer. You turn on the radio, everybody's got something to say. But who will stand for God in this generation? That's what God has put on my heart. Who will stand for the Lord in every generation? There's a George Whitefield. There's a John Wesley that will just stand. There's somebody somewhere that will take their wagon and go to the field and begin to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. Having Christ totally consume their vessel, having Jesus as everything that they are and ever will be, Lord of their life, Lord of their life, who will stand? Who will stand? It starts with somebody somewhere. It starts by turning your life over to Christ and beginning to pray like you never prayed before. It starts, Jesus, I ask firstly, Lord, that throughout this entire continent, North America, give courage to your ministers. I believe there are 7,000 out there that have not bowed their knee to Baal. God, give them courage. Give them courage to know they can preach the gospel. Aaron feared the faces of the people. When he was challenged by Moses, he said, I feared the people, that's why I formed this calf. I formed this palatable God, this user-friendly Jesus. I formed him because I was afraid of the people. I was afraid of losing them. I was afraid of their reaction. I was afraid of losing them. Oh, God. Oh, God. Give courage, Lord, to your ministers. Give courage to those who have not fully bowed their knee to Baal. Give them courage to stand, and if they're going to fear anything, let them fear you once again, oh, God. Let them walk in the holy fear of God once again in this generation. Lord Jesus, I cry out to you, God. Deliver your church from the power of hell. Deliver your church from darkness, oh, God. Deliver your body, Lord, throughout this entire continent, oh, God. Deliver your church, Lord, for a season, for a season, for a season. Let your reflective glory be seen once again in your house, for a season, oh, God. Let your word go forth uncompromised, giving those that are lost a chance to hear, oh, God, and a chance to be saved. God, deliver the people from ministers of lasciviousness. Deliver them, oh, God, from men of unrighteousness, Lord, that have no business being in the pulpit. They were never in the pulpit. They were never called of God in the first place. God, deliver the people from their hands. Oh, hallelujah, hallelujah. Lord, you can do it. God, raise up a church. God, raise up a church, Lord, house to house, fellowship to fellowship, God, raise up a church, Lord, that will stand for your name in this hour of time, oh, God. Hallelujah, hallelujah. Those that are listening to my voice by tape in the future, if you're in a place like this, get out. Just get out of it. Get out of it. The scripture says in the book of Acts, they met from house to house, they broke bread, they got into the word of God, they had fellowship, they prayed, they had communion together. Get, find somebody somewhere, find a group of people that are hungry for God. Find them and get together and begin to study the word of God. Come out of her. Touch not the unclean thing. The Lord wants you out of this thing. Get out of it. Get out of it. Get out of it while there's still time to get out. Let God begin to touch you and he will raise up a righteous standard. He will raise up a testimony through your life if you'll surrender your life to Christ. He will raise up a testimony through you. Hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah, hallelujah. Please stand. You contend for the faith by allowing Jesus to have full lordship over your life. It begins with your full redemption. Jesus saved me. If you're here today and you're lost in your sin, you can come to this altar and Christ will save you. But count the cost before you come. Your life of self-seeking has got to end. He has the right to your life. The scripture says you're bought with a price and your life is no longer your own. He has the right to your life. Count the cost before you begin to build a house. But if you're lost in your sin, you can still This morning in the balcony, go to either side. Down below, you can come out right now. If you're a sinner, you need to be saved, you can come. If you truly want to turn from your sin and understand that Jesus paid the price for your sin, you can be saved today. You can be saved. It also includes then walking in the truth of the scripture as he reveals his pathway before you. If you're not fully committed to the Lord, I would encourage you to join this man who's coming and others who are making their way down. If you're not fully committed, God, I'm in danger. If you're not fully committed, brother and sister, you're in danger. You're in danger. Those things that you refuse to bring to the Lordship of Christ, God will endure with them for a season, but then they will begin to lead you. Ten years from now, if the Lord tarries, you'll find yourself on a path and a place that you never dreamt of you'd be today. There have been people that have been in this house that have heard strong preaching, but that word has not ever has not brought them to a place of surrender to the Lordship of Jesus Christ. And after years of sitting under ministry that is right from the very throne of God, they're now moving in the direction of the flesh. They're now being led by their own carnal desires. Many people over the last several years as this church has been here, they've come, they've heard, and they've gone, believing that they're following the leading of the Lord, but yet the unsanctified areas of the heart are now leading them. It's no longer the Holy Ghost. And as time progresses, you'll see deeper and deeper foolishness come upon their lives because they're not walking towards the Lord. Now they're walking away from the Lord and they don't know it. If you're not fully committed, and by that I mean, Lord Jesus, I give you all of my life. I give it all. Every part of my life. You can have it all. Everything that's in my heart. Lord, I don't have a right to hold on to anything. Maybe it's unforgiveness or bitterness this morning, or there's something in your heart. There's things you've not dealt with. Lord, God, I give it to you. God, I give it to you. I want to be a contender for the faith. I want to be one of those who stands up in this last hour of time and contends for the truth that was once delivered unto the saints. There are those who would say, this day, you just join with me and say, oh God, I want to be among those who are contending for the faith until you come, no matter what the cost. Would you step out of your seat if that's in your heart this day? Lord Jesus, I want to be among those who are contending for the faith. God, you can count me in, as David did. I'll go where nobody else will go. I'll go where nobody else will go. If I know it's you, if it's for your honor and your glory, I'll fight where nobody else will fight. God, I will trust you for the strength to get into the prayer closet. I can't win it in my own strength, but I will trust you for it, God. I will do what nobody else will do. God, I'm going to let you get a hold of my life, Jesus. I'm going to let you set me aflame. I want to stand up, oh God, and contend for the faith that was once delivered unto the saints. Hallelujah. You know, the only church in the book of Acts, it was not the fact that they were speaking in tongues that drew the people to God. It was the glory of Jesus upon this church. It was the singleness of heart and purpose. It was Jesus being reflected to a people that were walking in obedience to him. Oh God, I want to be among those. I want to be. Just come from the balcony. Below is God speaking to your heart. Please just come. We're going to sing one chorus to give you time to come. Hallelujah. I have heard your word. Lord, I want to be among those. Hallelujah. I have heard your word. among those. Who are contending for the faith. Who are contending for the faith. In this last hour of time. In this last hour of time. That was once delivered. That was once delivered. Unto the church. Unto the church. Jesus. Jesus. Come into my life. Come into my life. Take over my life. Take over my life. Take over my heart. Take over my heart. Challenge me. Challenge me. When I'm walking in a direction. When I'm walking in a direction. That is displeasing to you. That is displeasing to you. Deliver me. Deliver me. From carnal desires. From carnal desires. That would lead me. That would lead me. On a path of unrighteousness. Lead me by your Holy Spirit. Lead me by your Holy Spirit. Guide me in your truth. Guide me in your truth. Set me aflame for you. Set me aflame for you. Let me love you, Lord. Let me love you, With all of my heart. With all of my heart. My soul. My soul. My mind. My mind. And my strength. And my strength. Jesus. Jesus. I offer up my life. I offer up my As a living sacrifice. As a living sacrifice. For you. For you. Work out your purposes. Work out your purposes. Through my life. Through my life. May I never bring disgrace to you but through my life may you be honored Lord and may fruit come into your kingdom Jesus I love you with all of my heart amen hallelujah hallelujah