1 John 3:4, “Everyone who is practicing sin…” That means you do it habitually, “…is also practicing lawlessness, for sin is lawlessness.” Now, “lawlessness” comes from the Greek word anomia, which means “against law.” Now that doesn’t mean you’re standing up and you’re hateful toward it. You can even stand up and just ridicule it, and say, “Oh, that's just the Law of Moses. It isn’t going to save you.” Well, that’s why Christ came - because it couldn’t save. But Christ came also that we should keep the law the way it should be. To keep the commandments and have the faith of Jesus, as we saw.

Let’s go back to 2 John, verse 9, “Anyone who is transgressing, and is not abiding in the teachings of Christ, does not have God.” That can’t be any stronger, can it? No. That can’t be any stronger. 2 John 9. Since there are no chapters, it’s just nine. “Anyone who is transgressing, and is not abiding in the teachings of Christ, does not have God. The one who is abiding in the teachings of Christ, this one has both the Father and the Son. If anyone comes to you…” Now, here’s a responsibility for everyone - all elders, all brethren. “If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not receive this one into your house, and do not say to him, ‘Greetings’. Because anyone who is saying ‘Greetings’ to him is partaking in his evil work” (2 John 9-11, AT). Well, that’s pretty strong language, isn’t it? Why? Because they are coming bringing a lie. They don’t have the truth in them. And that lie is being preached today within the congregations of the Worldwide Church of God. And I’ll tell you a couple the scriptures that are going to be used here in just a minute.

Verse 12, let’s finish this, “I have many things to write, but I do not wish to convey these things to you with paper and ink. But I am hoping to come unto you and speak face-to-face, in order that our joy may be completely full. The children of your chosen sister salute you.” It’s interesting the Greek there is “mouth to mouth.” English, you say “face-to-face.” In Greek you say “mouth to mouth.”

Now let’s consider, we finished the epistle of 2 John. So that will speed up our series. Let’s look at how this is done. Let’s go to the book of Jude. Again, there no chapters here, just verses. And these things are happening so fast that it’s almost impossible to keep up with it. You know, you would like to be right on top of it and keep right up with it and have everything, but you just can’t keep up with it. But here’s what’s happened.

Jude verse 3, “Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful…” He’s saying it was just obligatory: “I really had to do this.” “…For me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares…” Didn’t know their true colors at first. Came out, just like as I mentioned last week about the posthypnotic situation that comes on someone years later. Just like someone comes along and pulls a trigger, and all of a sudden, then, your true purpose becomes known.

Verse 4, “…Crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men…” Now, what do they do? What is and ungodly person? It’s one who does not know God, is that not correct? They come along and say, “You don’t need to keep the commandments of God.” And John said, “If they say they know Him and don’t keep His commandments, the truth is not in them, and they are a liar.” Correct? Ungodly men, waiting for the time, the moment, the hour to cut loose all of their subterfuge, and it’s coming in a floodgate today. “…Turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ.” (Jude 3-4). That’s what they do. And they do it - put in your notes there, Isaiah 5:20-24, which is, they cast the commandments of God behind them; they call evil good and good evil. When you speak disparagingly concerning the Law of Moses, what did Paul say? And you broke it? In the mouth of two or three witnesses you were condemned, correct? When they represent Christ as being something totally other than that, what you think they’re worthy of?

Let’s go to 2 Peter 2. Let’s see again. The apostles knew these things were coming. I’m sure it was a shock to them when it really came. I’m sure it just about - just blew them away, if we could use a modern expression. Look at how Jude wrote there. 2 Peter 2:1, “But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who [shall] privily…” That means “stealthily.” You can’t detect them. You can’t find them out. It’s like the stealth plane. You can’t pick it up on radar, you can’t see it, you can’t hear it. So they came in stealthily. “…Who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction. And many…” So it’s going to be interesting to see how many love the truth enough to know what’s right or wrong. Because that’s the test. “…And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of” (2 Peter 2:1-2). Then you can read all the rest. We’ll save the rest for when we get into the series.

Let’s go to Colossians 2. Now, at this time I would like to announce on this tape, for all of those of you who have not received it - and it will require an extra amount on your part to help with it, because of the things that we are doing - that if you have not received the series on Colossians with the eight tapes, to write for it. Because that is most important, because we go through Colossians the second chapter word for word. Let me read this, Colossians 2:16. Let me read it the way it says then I will read it the way it is currently being preached in the Churches of God today. Verse 16, “Let no man therefore judge you…” Now if they’re judging you, they’re judging your behavior. “…In [eating] meat [it says ‘in meat’], or in drink, or in respect of an holyday, or of the new moon, or of the Sabbath days: which are a shadow of things to come; but the body is of Christ.”

Now they go back up here to verse 10 and say, “You are complete in Him; therefore if you’re complete in Christ, that’s all you need.” Now here’s how this verse is read today. Verse 16, “You should judge no one concerning eating or drinking, or which day they keep…” Now, it doesn’t say that, brethren, at all. So what is being taught, because people are asleep, and people don’t love the truth, and people have not been studying, now it comes through and they sit there and they say, “Yeah.” But that isn’t what it’s saying. It doesn’t say you are not to judge. It says “Let no one judge you,” see. And many other scriptures that way.

Let’s go to Ephesians 2. Here’s another one. Because you see, the thing that they want to do, they want to get away from our Christian works. Also put in your notes - and I’ll make mention - everyone of the seven churches Jesus starts out this way: ”Unto the church of…”, where ever it is, Ephesus. He says, “I am so happy you’re not doing any works.” Aha. No. He said, “I know your works,” does He not? Yes. And every one of the sins described within the seven churches are breaking the laws of God, are they not? Yes. They come here and give just strictly the traditional standard thing. Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: not of works, lest any man should boast.”

“So therefore, forget all about the law; forget all about the Sabbath; forget all about the Holy Days. I want you to forget about everything you have ever learned in all the years in the Church of God, because all of that was a big lie.” That’s what’s being said. I’ve got the tape. I heard it. It was hard listening to. Some of those are most difficult. Because it reveals the complete and total utter disregard for God, utter disregard for the word of God, and also, it puts the brethren in the situation that, “Hey - you’re nothing but a bunch of dumb dodos, and you don’t know anything.” Well, after one sermon down in Big Sandy, this videotape of three hours was so long, they took a break at an hour-and-a-half, and when they took a break they ended up with huge groups of people arguing back and forth with one another, because of all these lies which were being dispensed.

So the battle is thick and heavy. Now their full hand is known. They want to destroy the Church of God. And how you destroy it is get people in there to tear away the faith and the belief. So God is going to scatter. God is going to bring together, and that’s what the brethren want to know: Where is Christ? Where is God? Where’s the truth? What is His word? Because Jesus said, “I know My sheep, and they know Me, and they hear My voice and they follow Me wherever I go,” (John 10:14, 27, paraphrased). Which means that He isn’t going to be in one place all the time, correct? Yes.

Ephesians 2:8, “For by grace are ye [have been] saved through faith…” That’s true. There’s no law which can do it. But that doesn’t mean you throw them away. “…And that not of yourselves…” It can’t come out from within you. Has any man beat death yet, except Christ? No. “…Not of works…” That was the whole lesson of Job, wasn’t it? “…Lest any man should boast.” But here is the thing, verse 10 - and they never read this. They never, never read this. “For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them” (Eph. 2:8-10). That is, walking in the commandments. Isn’t that what John just told us? Yes.

That’s why this whole thing of law versus grace has got to be completely reversed. For us to stand by and just defend commandment keeping for the sake of commandment keeping, and not go after the licentiousness of their misinterpretation of grace, we have missed the point. We should be the ones who are saying, “You Sunday-keepers don’t have Christ.” We should be the ones who are saying, “You cannot receive salvation if you have your own works of Sunday-keeping, of Christmas, of Easter. Because the works that were ordained by God for us to walk in are the commandments of God.”

Brethren, we’ve got to reverse this whole thing. Let’s go to 1 Timothy 1, which in this particular case, will clearly emphasize why you need to understand the Greek. Now, if you don’t believe what I’m going to tell you, then what you need to do, you need to - if you have a Strong’s Concordance, you get it out at home. That’s ok. I’m sure Strong’s will tell you. If you have an Interlinear, go ahead and read it in the Interlinear. 1 Timothy 1:5, “Now the end of the commandment is charity [love] out of a pure heart…” Oh my, what you going to do with that? [Laughs] There it is, clear as a bell. “…And of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned…” Can you have faith and commandment keeping together? Yes. It takes faith to keep the commandments, doesn’t it? Yes. If not, what do you end up with? The Code of Jewish Law, where they govern every little thing that you do.

“From which some having swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling…” And boy, I would have to say that's exactly what I heard. Now, I didn’t hear that minister quote these two verses. He started with the next verse. “Desiring to be teachers of the law; understanding neither what they say, nor whereof they affirm” (vs. 6-7). And I’d have to say that’s so true of him. He didn’t know what he was saying. He didn’t know what he was affirming.

 Now, here’s the verse - verse 8 and verse 9, “But we know that the law is evil, and terrible and miserable, and no one should keep it. And it’s a rotten, dirty thing. That’s why Christ delivered it from us.” No. “…We know that the law is good, if a man use it lawfully…” Now that’s says a whole lot, doesn’t it? Yes. The Code of Jewish Law is not using the law lawfully.

Verse 9, “Knowing this, that the law is not made for a righteous man…” So therefore they conclude, if you have the righteousness of Christ imputed to you, you don’t need to keep the law, because the law was not made for you. But that’s not what the word “made” means. The word should be translated, “the law is not enacted upon a righteous man.” It’s not enacted upon. If you are going the speed limit, can a police officer stop you and arrest you for speeding? No. The law cannot be enacted upon a righteous person. What are we supposed to be in Christ? Righteous. Which means we’re keeping the commandments of God, correct? Yes. Now let’s read on.

“…But [the law is enacted upon] for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and for sinners, for unholy and profane, for murderers of fathers and murderers of mothers, for manslayers, for whoremongers, for them that defile themselves with mankind, for menstealers, for liars, for perjured persons, and if there be any other thing that is contrary to sound doctrine;…” Now that’s all-inclusive law-keeping, isn’t it? And true to the prophecy that’s right here, that they tried to be teachers of the law and they don’t even know what they’re doing. They don’t even know what they’re affirming. Now you can take this little section right here and you can go ahead and analyze out of it every one of the 10 Commandments, correct? Yes you can. You might do that for a study. “…And contrary to any, anything, anything that is against God.”

Now let’s go to Romans 13. And this is pure Protestantism. Pure Protestantism. But what happens when you’re in the Church for 20 years, and after a while you begin to know that you know as much as the minister? Have you ever been out in the congregation, sitting out in the congregation, and here comes this minister in to be teaching you, and he announces what he’s going to preach on. And you’re sitting there, and because you’ve heard this before, you say, “I wonder where he’s going to next?” So you have your little dutifully marked Bible with all little things and references that you’ve marked in there - which is fine, nothing wrong with that. My Bible is all marked. But the ultimate result of that is to put it here between those two eyes, up in the mind. So to mark the Bible to get it there is perfectly all right. I’m not denigrating marked bibles.

But when you go along and you find that the minister is preaching a sermon that you’ve heard so many times over, you’ve got it so well marked in your Bible, going from verse to verse. And after a while you get to thinking, “Boy, I know where he’s going next - yep. Sure enough he goes there, and now I know where he’s going next - sure enough, he’s going there.” I had a man I talked to on the phone the other day, he said for 20 years he read the Bible while the sermon was being preached, because it was nothing new being preached. Now that’s tragic. The Bible is so full of the word of God, and the Spirit and the truth, that we can’t keep up with it, brethren. It’s just the opposite, see? Here in services we read the Bible – together - while the sermon is going on.

Romans 13, here we go. This is what’s going to be given, saying, “You don’t need to keep the law, you just need to have love.” Well, what if you love to steal from your neighbor? What if you love your neighbor’s wife? What if you love your neighbor’s husband? What if you love your neighbor’s car? What if you love your neighbor’s house? And you get it all through your conniving and scheming? It doesn’t mean that at all. Let’s pick it up here in verse 9. You probably know where I’m going. So I have to get this back on myself again, right? You guessed were I was going. Knowing Protestant doctrine, that’s good.

Verse 9, “For this [in this], Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear false witness, Thou shalt not covet; and if there be any other commandment, it is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely…” Are there any other commandments? Yes, we read some in Exodus 23, correct? Yes. “…It is briefly comprehended in this saying, namely, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. Love worketh no ill to his neighbor: therefore love is the fulfilling of the law” (Rom. 13:9-10).

Same way with God. If you’re going to love God, are you going to have idols? If you’re going to love God, are you going to have a big Buddha right in your house, and at sunrise you go get the incense, and you light the incense, and all the smoke comes up, and you stand out there in your yellow garb before this Buddha and say, “I am delivered to do all of this…”? No. You see, it is almost ridiculous.

Now let’s talk about Christ in you. Let’s go to Colossians 1:27, because it is absolutely true: God never created a law which could give eternal life. Did you know that? That’s why Christ had to come. But what are laws and commandments for? Loving God. Loving your neighbor. Are we still in the flesh after we are converted? Yes. Do we need the commandments of God to live by? Yes. Now, for all those of you who have ever played a musical instrument, remember the difficulty you had in memorizing the notes of the octaves? Do – Re – Mi – Fa – So – La – Ti - Do. Do you, in advanced music, throw away those notes? No. You try and take those notes and the variations on it and you try to create something, legally and lawfully, that is beautiful. Different. Same way with us, and the laws and commandments of God.

Colossians 1:27 is the whole key. This is how you are saved, but please understand that you’re not going to receive the Holy Spirit unless you obey God. It’s that simple. It is a condition. You cannot get into the Kingdom of God being a lawless person. What is repentance all about? Repentance is all about being sorry for your past law-breakings, correct? So that’s why we repent. What does it say in the model prayer? “God, thank you that I can continue sinning everyday…”? No. It is, “Forgive us our debts as we forgive those who are our debtors,” (Matthew 6:12, paraphrased). If you do not forgive your brother from the heart, God won’t forgive you either. If there is no law, there’s no sin. Verse 27, “To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory…”

Now, let’s just sit here and think about the life of Christ for a minute. We know that Peter said, “…Who did no sin…” Is that not correct? Yes. If you truly have Christ in you, you cannot be living and practicing sin. Now it’s changed this way: “If you have Christ in you, you cannot lead an immoral life.” Oh, ho, ho! Slight of hand! Because then, by whose definition is morality? Because then they say, “Well, you can’t look down on Sunday-keepers.” We’re not looking down on them - were just pointing out their sin. I just heard a sermon that when we throw away Christmas, we throw out the baby Jesus with the bathwater. Spare me! No, we didn’t. I mean, this is unreal. I’m glad we have a potluck this afternoon. And I don’t know if I’m going to listen to any more of these heresies this week. It’s been something for me.

Did Christ ever break the Sabbath? No, He came along and He healed on the Sabbath. He read in the synagogue on the Sabbath. Was that sin? No. Jesus never sinned. He healed on the Sabbath, correct? He did good things on the Sabbath, right? He is the Lord of the Sabbath, correct? Yes. And the Sabbath is the big question. That’s the big thing. Why? Because, you see, all of this false grace is really the carnal mind in disguise. Did you know that?

Let’s go to Romans 8. All of this false grace, it is a hostile carnal mind in disguise. That’s all it is, pure and simple, but just trying to be nice about it. That’s all. Get them in a corner and really corner them down, and either their carnal mind will be fully exposed and all the hostility will come out in all of it’s inglorious wrath, or they will begin to see the truth concerning the commandments of God. Romans 8, and let’s pick it up here in verse 6. “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity against God…” Now, not only just the laws of God. Enmity. And enmity means an enemy of God. “…For it is not subject to the law of God,…” And that is how the carnal mind is exposed. Not subject to the law of God. “…Neither indeed can be” (Rom. 8:6-7).

So it looks for a way out. “Well, Jesus really didn’t mean what He said. When Jesus healed the man on the Sabbath and told him to take up his bed and walk, He broke the Sabbath.” So they read that mistranslation, which should be He “loosed the Sabbath” from that command, which, if you read The Code of Jewish Law, you will see. Now, if you’re sick for 38 years with an infirmity, and Jesus heals you and He says, “Pick up your bed and walk,” and your bed is only just little roll like a sleeping bag, did He break the Sabbath or did He not glorify God in releasing that man from his bondage on the Sabbath? Was that not a spiritual work? That’s why Jesus said, “My Father works and I work.” And they got mad because He made Himself the Son of God. He didn’t make Himself the Son of God - He was the Son of God. So the carnal mind was exposed that way. Same way here. “Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God” (vs. 7-8). It’s an impossibility. So the whole thing needs to be turned all the way around.

Now let’s go to Ephesians 4 for just a minute. No, Colossians 3 - that will be better. We don’t have time to go to both. Let’s go to Colossians 3. Once you resolve all the issues concerning idolatry and Sabbath-keeping and holy day keeping, then what are the other problems and difficulties that you’re going to have? You’re going to have the difficulty in overcoming the human flesh, right? Right. Verse 1, “If ye then be risen with Christ,…” That is, out of the watery grave of baptism, “…Seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in glory. Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth…” (Col. 3:1-5).

Sabbath keeping, holy day keeping, tithing - now you mortify all those things, right? No. No. You have to use a little sarcasm here just to point out the point, you see. But that is true. No. “…Fornication…” Is that against God’s law? Yes. “…Uncleanness…” Ooh. Now that’s kind of broad, isn’t it? “…Inordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry:…” (vs. 5). So what is happening? Paul is saying, “Have the laws and commandments of God written in your heart and in your mind.” That’s what he’s saying. He’s teaching the spiritual faith keeping of the commandments of God. That’s what he’s doing. That’s why they’re keeping the commandments of God and the faith of Jesus Christ and salvation by grace, because you can’t save yourself; it is all together in one package.

Verse 8, “But now ye also put off all these…” This is my toughest one here. “…Anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy [evil] communication out of your mouth.” Now he’s talking to Christians, huh? “Lie not one to another, seeing that that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of Him that created Him…” (vs. 8-9). That is, Christ. You see?

Now verse 12, “Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And above all these things put on charity [love], which is the bond of perfectness [or perfection]. And let the peace of God [Christ] rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful” (vs. 12-15).

And, verse 16, “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly…” How? “…In all lawbreaking and all throwing away the commandments of God.” No. How? “…In all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spirituals songs…” “And whatsoever ye do in word, or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by Him” (vs. 16-17). Now there are many other scriptures we could go to, but let’s just end with these.

Let’s go to Revelation 21. Do you want to know the conclusion of the matter? Go to the conclusion of the Bible. Because, you see, if Christ came to give license to sin, then Christ died in vain, did He not? If Christ came to forgive sin, and after He’s here there’s no more sin, then there are no more sinners from the time of Christ till now, then, there would be no more sinners - there’s nothing to repent of. And you don’t need a Savior, because you are not a sinner. Now that is the doctrine of the anti-Christ. Now, Revelation 21:8. The final judgment is going to be based not only on Christ in you, but also commandment keeping too. That’s why I think it’s important that we went through “The Two Righteousnesses” very carefully, because that really helps define what we need to know.

Verse 8, “But, [left out, that is, not included in eternal life are] the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable,…” Now abominable has to do with every commandment going against God, such as other gods, and idolatry, and taking God’s name in vain, and so forth. “…And murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part and the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”

So if ministers are getting up there in preaching lies in the name of Christ, guess where they’re going to end up? Just like Jesus said, “You can come and say to Me, ‘Lord, Lord! I’ve done this, I’ve preached Your name, cast out demons in Your name, did many wonderful works in your name!’” And He’s going to say, “Well. hey, I never knew you, because you weren’t practicing the will of My Father Who is in heaven. Depart from Me, you who are against law,” (Matthew 7:22-23, paraphrased). And where does He say they’re going to go? Into the lake of fire, prepared for Satan and the demons. It’s what it’s saying here.

Let’s come over here to chapter 21 and verse 27. “And there shall in no wise…” In no case - it isn’t ever going to happen. “…There shall in no wise enter into it anything that defileth, neither whatsoever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie: but they which are written in the Lamb’s book of life.” Now, you're not going to have your name written there if you’re a commandment breaker. It’s just that simple. You’re not going have your name written there unless you have the Spirit of Christ.

Let’s go to the conclusion of the whole matter concerning the commandments of God, chapter 22 verse 12, and we’ll end here. “And, behold, I come quickly; and My reward is with Me, to give every man according as his work shall be.” And there’s that word again: work. It’s required. Verse 13, “I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and last.” Cursed is everyone that keeps His commandments. No. Quite the opposite, right? Blessed. Are you blessed for keeping the commandments? Yes. What has been the problem in Worldwide? The problem in Worldwide has not been commandment keeping. It’s been the lack of the understanding of true grace in relationship to commandment keeping. That’s what the problem has been. “Blessed are they that do [and that means, practice] His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter into the gates into the city” (Rev. 22:12-14).

That’s what God says concerning the commandments. So you’re going to hear a lot of things, there’s going to be a lot of turmoil going on. This week I’ve just been inundated. The phone has just been ringing off the hook, and I didn’t get the Belief’s booklet done the way I wanted to, but I’ll get it to you next week.