Surviving Apostasy

Sermon OverviewScripture Passage: Jude 1:17-21The Bible warns us that in the Last Days, many men shall depart from the faith. The Book of Jude prophecies the apostates to come and gives us insight on surviving the apostasy.First, we must remember our exhortation.Jude 17-18 says, “But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts.”These verses warn us of apostates who want to disprove the Bible as the Word of God. We don’t have to be taken off guard or deceived.Second, we must recognize our enemy.“These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit” (Jude 19).Apostates present themselves as unifiers, yet they cause division because those who know and believe the truth cannot walk arm-in-arm with apostasy.They are depraved – being motivated by the flesh rather than by the Spirit of God. And because they don’t have the Spirit of God, they are dead in their flesh.We must retain our environment.“But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life” (Jude 20-21).This passage urges us to keep ourselves in God’s love.Adrian Rogers says, “If you are going to survive the apostasy, the safest place is in the love of God.”Though we can’t lose God’s love for us, we can remove ourselves from the protection and provision of His love if we aren’t vigilant.We retain our environment by building our faith on God’s Word. We also remain in God’s love by praying in the Spirit. The Holy Spirit encourages, enlightens, and energizes our prayers; He expresses to us how we should pray.Finally, we must look to Jesus with steadfastness.Apostasy is one of the signs that Jesus is at the door; He may come any day now. We must be sure to keep our eyes on Him, who keeps us.Apply it to your lifeAs Believers living on the edge of eternity, we must remember our exhortation, recognize our enemy, retain our environment, and look to Jesus with steadfastness. Get a hold of God’s Word and put it into practice; pray in the Spirit and look to Jesus, our blessed hope.