Living Waters of Grace 09.10.25

This is living. Waters of Grace, the teaching

ministry of Lewis Harold, assistant pastor of Calvary

Chapel of Westmoreland County in Greensburg, PA.

Now here's Pastor Lewis as he continues teaching through God's

Word. Is this in line with what the

apostles of Jesus Christ taught? That was their test and it

should be our test. When we open the Scriptures, we

should know what the apostles are teaching.

So when someone comes in our company and they want to teach

something or try to get you to consider something that is

contrary to what the Word of God says, we should know what the

apostles talk. What do the apostles teach?

How does it line up with that? That should be our test as well.

Have you ever read a passage from the Bible with a friend or

a family member and noticed that you both interpreted it

differently? In today's message, Pastor Lewis

encourages you to study the Bible diligently, but also to

learn about the apostles who wrote the passages under the

guidance of the Holy Spirit. While spending time with God in

the Bible is essential, it is equally important to know

doctrine, to understand the intended message and the

audience for whom it was written.

Now here's Pastor Lewis in the book of Jude chapter 1 as he

Jude 1 · chapter mention

begins his message Building up yourselves and Others.

So we're looking at verse 16 and I'm just going to read through

and then we're going to go back and we will comment and it just

says this. These are grumblers,

complainers, walking according to their own lusts, and they

mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain

advantage. And we'll stop there.

So one of the things that was really laid heavy upon my heart

as I was preparing for this is I just sensed that there is a need

for unity in the church. Unity, not unity in Word, but

unity indeed, that we truly, truly love each other in these

times. Because this is the time when

the enemy is roaring the most. This is the time that he's

attacking the most. This is the time that the enemy

is the most active. Because I believe he knows his

time is short. And one of the ways, the only

real hope of this world is Jesus Christ and his church.

And if he's going to destroy any hope of righteousness, it would

have to be him trying to destroy the church.

So I believe he's attacking the unity of the church.

And I believe that he's doing that in a number of ways, but

he's attacking the small areas. Remember we talked last week

about how the, the boats would go over these hidden reefs and

it, and, and, and it would get destroyed not by what they see

on top of the water, but what they can't see under the water.

It would be destroyed by these hidden reefs, these hidden rocks

that tear up a boat from beneath, underneath.

And there are things that can happen in the church that can

cause a church to become divided from within the church.

And Jude talks about that here in this verse when he mentions

these are grumblers, complainers walking according to their own

lusts. Now he's talking about the false

teachers is what he's talking about.

But this also applies to false Christians, you know, those

tears that grow up with us and sit with us and we think that

they believe what we believe because they profess that they

believe it, but in truth do not. And these false teachers that

he's talking about here, he says that they, they, they, you know,

they're grumblers and they're complainers.

And that is one of the first ways that the enemy would try to

come in and cause a divide is to get people grumbling and

complaining. If the Lord can get us grumbling

and complaining instead of praying and praising that he can

tear this place apart. But because we understand that

it's it's these things that can cause these small holes to to

take place in the undercurrent or the under body of our church,

we want to be aware of it. And Judas said, I want the

church to be aware of the grumbling and complainers.

Even way back when the children of Israel first came out of

Egypt, one of the first things that Moses had to deal with was

the murmuring and complaining of the people.

The Bible says back in Numbers 11 one that they were just out

of they were just out of Egypt three days when they started

complaining. The Lord showed his hand many

times against Pharaoh caused them to be able to be let go

after the after all of the the the miracles that he did there

and he calls them to be let go. They came through the Red Sea

that divided. They watched this Red Sea

divide. They came through it on dry

land. Three days later they're

complaining and grumbling and murmuring.

And that can also happen with the church.

We can start complaining, we can start murmuring.

All after all the things that God has done for us, rather

individually or corporately. We can get to a point where the

devil can put a light on something we don't like or

something that goes against our flesh, because it is the flesh

that does the murmuring and complaining.

That's not of the Spirit that is the flesh calls us not to like

something and we just start complaining.

And unfortunately, when the people start complaining, just

like these grumblers, they don't just complain amongst

themselves. They go and complain to other

people. It's not like they find these

things that they don't like and they go to the source or go to

the leader or go to the person that they have this issue with.

But what they end up doing is complaining to other people and

to try to get them complaining and murmuring and grumbling and

it's all out of flesh. So we know back in #16 that Cora

complained that he grumbled and he and he and he murmured

against Moses. Moses, who are you that you

should be the one to to make the call?

God doesn't only talk to you. He talked to other people too.

Who are you that you should be the ministry leader?

You know, God talks to other people too.

He can give me direction to run that ministry too.

Why are you the pastor? God can speak to any of us.

This is what the enemy would do. And he did that back in the book

of Numbers and he and, and it caused the people to, to, to

grumble and to and to complain. And Moses dropped to his knees

and said, look, tomorrow we're going to settle this.

The Lord is going to tell who is going to who he called for this

position. And unfortunately, many of them

lost their lives because they continue to murmur and complain

and to rebel against the authority that the Lord put in

place. Jude is telling us here, Mump,

these grumblers and, and, and complainers, these false

teachers, they complain against the, the, the pastors who were

teaching the truth. They complain against the, the

teachers who were teaching the apostles doctrine.

And they're trying to get people to question it.

They're trying to get people to doubt it.

And he's already told him that because of that, God bless you.

And he already told him that because of that they are going

to be judged. Philippians tells us that we're

not to do anything but complaining and grumbling or

murmuring anything. Peter tells us that your

hospitality, when we offer hospitality, we're to do it

without grumbling. We do it without grumbling.

So then he says, these grummers and complainers, they're walking

according to their own lust. That is what motivates the

complaining and the murmuring is because they're looking at,

they're being driven by their lust.

They want things to be done and whether they want to do it, not

according to the word of God, but according to the way that

they want to do what fits them, what will benefit them.

And if the decision that's made doesn't benefit, then then they

grumble when they complain about it because it's out of their

flesh that these false teachers are complaining out of their

flesh. So they're, they're, they're

living according to the desires of their own flesh.

And the thing about a complainer and a grumbler, they're never

satisfied. So even if they did complain and

grumble, and if you did address that, there would be something

else that they would complain and grumble about because

they're never satisfied, never satisfied.

And, and, and it's because it's out of their own.

It's out of selfishness, wrong motives and, and, and, and wrong

way of dealing with things. It's evil they're just doing

with their evil instincts or their flesh prompts them to do.

And then the Bible says over here in the the bottom of verse

16, it says in they mouth, great swelling words, flattering to

gain advantage. Now these great swelling words,

these are just like, you know, the, the, these men who will

stand up and and and speak these long these vocabularies.

You know, they have this great vocabulary and they can stand up

and, and just dazzle the people, you know, with their vocabulary

and their long, their big words. And you know, these words that

sound so impressive and sound, you know, so convincing, but yet

there's no substance. There's no substance.

You still leave and and we're hungry, we're thirsty for what,

what did I learn? What was I taught?

What did I get from that? Because it's just like great

swelling words but nothing of substance.

And he said they flatter the people.

And we know that the flattering of of the people, it is

something that is also, excuse me, selfish.

And it's of the flesh flattering speech.

Again, that's due to manipulation for the purpose of

manipulation to manipulate people to do what they want them

to do. They pay compliments and, you

know, in order to try to get advantage.

And it's not even compliments that they're planning that are

that they're not even being truthful about it.

They're just speaking in order to try to gain advantage.

But it's deceitful. It's deceitful speech.

Now, don't get me wrong. Genuine encouragement is a value

in the church. We need to have genuine

encouragement and that's one of the reasons why I really love

what I see in this body of believers often because I'm

always hearing people encourage other people, regardless of what

it is that they're doing. It's not just, you know, Clark

and myself or people that are that are teaching the word, but

but they also encourage the AV. They courage, praise and

worship. They courage, you know,

encourage the the announcements or encourage the people who are

who are teaching youth or teaching the kids.

You know, there's always people encouraging one another and

helping one another and speaking life to one another and not

tearing them down. This is what we are to be about,

that unified church. And this is what the enemy

doesn't like, which is why he tries to get people to grumble

instead of build people up, complain instead of praise and

encouraging people. And this is what he's saying

about these, these these false teachers.

He said they use flattery to try to gain advantage.

Look, it's good to exhort one another in ministry, to build

one another up, to affirm one another.

Good to affirm one another in ministry, to let people know

that, listen, the Lord is working through you.

I can see the Lord working through you.

And sometimes in ministry and in our own Christian walks, it just

helps for somebody to just affirm what God is doing in our

lives. It just helps, but it's with

sincerity that that the affirmation and or that that

encouragement, it has to be with sincerity and not just out of

flattery, speaking in a deceitful manner, but insincere

praise, like the flattery, insincere praise is only used to

the to deceive and to the snare ensnare.

Rather, you know, people who are unaware, people who are just

unsuspecting, and it's not of the Lord.

Proverbs 29 and five says a man who flatters his neighbor

spreads a net for his feet. You know, he's literally trying

to trap someone with a purpose or by means of flattery.

Proverbs 27 and six says faithful are the wounds of a

friend, but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful.

But sometimes flattery can feel like kisses, but it's actually

knives going in the back. It's deceitful.

It's deceitful. There's a couple things on me

because Paul talks about flattery as well and and he

talks about how when he came to teach and he came to preach the

gospel, he didn't use flattering words.

He was just used the words of the Lord Romans 16, starting at

verse 17, he says, Now I urge you, brethren, note those who

cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine which

you learned, and avoid them. For those who are such do not

serve our Lord Jesus Christ, but their own belly.

And by smooth words here we go. And by smooth words and

flattering speech deceive the hearts of the simple, by smooth

words and flattering speech, swelling up, you know, words

that swell people up, swell themselves up, bragging about

themselves, but flattering you, they deceive the people.

And then over in Second Thessalonians chapter 2, he also

2 Thessalonians 2 · chapter mention

speaks about it as well when he was ministering to the that

young church over in Thessalonica.

And he ministered to them. And he said this to them over in

First Thessalonica, chapter 2, verses four and five, he says

this. But as we have been approved by

God to be entrusted with the gospel, Even so we speak not as

pleasing men, but God who test our hearts.

For neither at any time did we use flattering words, as you

know, nor a cloak for covetousness.

God is our witness. We didn't use flattering words

when we came to preach the gospel.

When we go to minister to somebody, we don't use

flattering words. We use the truth of the gospel.

We use the word of God. We have to, we don't want to.

We don't want to entice people by flattering people.

That has a deceitful purpose. The word of God draws the word

of God is withdraws. So then also he goes on in verse

17 and now he starts to move from talking about these these

false teachers so much and he now wants to talk to the body of

believers. So he says, But you, they

grumble, they complain, they murmur, they walk according to

their own lusts, they mouth great smelling words, and they

flatter with their tongues. But you, he said, beloved, he

speaks to them like children. Beloved, you who I love, he

says, remember the words which were spoken before by the

apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Remember the words. Remember we talked about that,

being reminded how the Bible was always the gospel was always

talking about being reminded of the things that God talks about,

the things that God says, being reminded of the word of God,

being reminded. We come here every Sunday to be

reminded you guys read the word all the time, but you come here

because you're being reminded of things that like we said, you

maybe have not read in a long time.

God reminds you of these things. So he tells them.

He says, you know, be remember the words which were spoken by

the apostles. So remember what?

Remember the word of God and remember who spoke it.

Remember who spoke it, the apostles, the apostles who were

the eyewitnesses of Jesus Christ ministry.

Remember who spoke these words? Who gave you this warning ahead

of time? It was the apostles of Jesus

Christ. It was Jesus who taught the

apostles, who now teaches you and then now sends you out to

teach. Same thing where it happens in

the church, right? We are learning from the

apostles as we go through His word.

We're learning through the apostles, the apostles doctrine

and he teaches us the Holy Spirit comes into our spirit and

teaches us these things and reveals the truth of, of what's

going on and what God is teaching us, warning us about in

his word. And then we build each other up

by sharing it and reminding one another of the word of God.

What a blessing that is. What a blessing that is.

He uses us all. So he says, remember the words

which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus

Christ, how they told you. Now He's going to tell them what

they need to remember and what they said to him.

How they told you that there would be mockers in the last

time who would walk according to their own ungodly lust.

He told them that this was going to happen just like he's telling

us it's going to happen. So we got to be aware of people

that we sit down with when we talk about the Word of God.

We got to make sure that we're seeing out of eye, that it's not

somebody that's preaching one thing and we're believing

something different. We got to make sure that we're

seeing eye to eye, that it correlates with the teaching of

the apostles. When I was studying this, I've

learned that when, you know, back in the times that they were

having these people who would come to their cities and they

want to, you know, sit before the OR stand before the people

and teach the word in order for them to find out or to make sure

that that word is true and that it is the word of God.

The one question that they have, their test that they have is, is

this what the apostles taught? Is this in line with what the

apostles of Jesus Christ taught? That was their test and it

should be our test. When we open the Scriptures, we

should know what the apostles are teaching.

So when someone comes in our company and they want to teach

something or try to get you to consider something that is

contrary to what the Word of God says, we should know what the

apostles talk. What do the apostles teach?

How does it line up with that? That should be our test as well.

Glory to God. So then he goes on and he says

here how they told you that there would be mockers who were

coming according to their own ungodly lust.

He told us that there's going to be mockers.

These people are going to come and they're going to mock what

you believe. They're going to make you doubt

what you believe. They want to make you turn from

what you believe, turn away from God and turn toward them, their

Antichrist. And as we said, Antichrist,

meaning they want you to follow them instead of Jesus Christ.

But you were told that you were told that in many places that

there would be mockers who would come and that would talk about

things that were other than Jesus Christ.

You know, I just want to go back here real quick.

The second Peter 2, second Peter 2.

And this is what Peter spoke. And it's just kind of gives you

that, that correlation between what the apostles teach.

They, you know, they're they're all teaching from the same

thing. They're teaching the word of

God. And this is what Peter says back

in second Peter chapter 2 verse 1, he says, but there were also

2 Peter 2:1

false prophets among the people, even as there will be false

teachers among you who will secretly bring in destructive

heresies and even denying the Lord who brought them, denying

Jesus Christ, denying him. This is what they're teaching.

And then just go over 1 chapter over to chapter 3, same book,

second Peter over in chapter 3 verse 3 says this, knowing this

first, that scoffers will come in the last days.

Scoffers, mockers, same thing people who will come and they're

going to make you doubt the word of God.

They want to try to convince you to turn away from your faith

that Jude is now telling you to contend for.

He said they're going to come in the last days walking how

according to their own lusts. I'll even read the next verse.

It says insane. Where is the promise of his

coming for since the fathers fell asleep.

All these things continue as they were from the beginning of

creation, something to make them doubt.

So we got to be strong in what we believe.

And first of all, know what we believe, Be strong in it, strong

in what we believe. And then I want to go down here

to verse 19. I'm, you know, because verse 19

is very important in reference to everything we just talked

about because it gives you the sum, total balance of who these

men are. And he says this.

These are sensual persons. These are spiritual people.

They're sensual people. That means they're soulish, that

means they're worldly, that means they're carnal, no spirit,

no spirit. They're not teaching by the

spirit, they're teaching according to their flesh.

So these are sensual persons who cause the visions.

And that's one of the things that will cause the visions

whenever someone begins to speak or teach or do anything out of

their flesh, it will cause divisions.

It will go against what the Word of God teaches, and it will

cause divisions among the people.

And then the last four words says this, not having the

Spirit. And that's what tells us these

people aren't saved. This has been Living Waters of

Grace, a ministry of Calvary Chapel Westmoreland in

Greensburg, PA Pastor Lewis Harrell has been teaching

through the book of Jude. This is a book of warning as the

audience that Jude was writing to was coming under attack from

false teachers. Even in the early days of the

church, there were teachers who claimed to have a unique

revelation from God that superseded Scripture.

Pastor Lewis wants you to be sure to be on your guard against

those teachers today, as they will try to distract you from

following the way of Jesus. By focusing on what God's Word

says, you can call out false teachers for what they are and

stay on the good path. Do you want to hear more

teaching from Living Waters of Grace?

You can do so by visiting our website at

calvarychapelonline.com. There you will find an archive

of past teachings from Pastor Lewis and Pastor Clark, find a

link to our mobile app, or even give to support the ministry of

Living Waters of Grace. Your gifts can help support the

work of Grace FM, spreading the gospel to people in our

community who are in need of the presence of God in their lives.

If you're in Westmoreland County, we'd love to invite you

to one of our Sunday services. We meet at 10:30 AM at 207

Hudson St. in Greensburg. It'd be a privilege to get to

meet you in person and learn how we can be praying for you and

helping you grow in your walk with Jesus.

And if you're in Greensburg, be sure to listen to us on the news

station for Grace FM at 91.7 to spread the word to others so

they can benefit from these solid Bible teachings as well.

You've been listening to Living Waters of Grace.