Now let us turn to the epistle of Jude again and we read from verse 8. Jude verse 8. Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh despise dominion and speak evil of dignities. Yet Michael the archangel, when contending the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke 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. We have now come to verse 10. 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. You'll notice there is a contrast here in these words. things which they know not what they know naturally at first glance it seems like a contrast between ignorance and knowledge doesn't it things which they know not what they know naturally if that were the case then that would be true it would be true of us all wouldn't it None of us knows everything. There are things which we know not as well as things we know naturally. But we shall always be learning new things to fill our ignorance, to remove our ignorance. We shall always be learning new things to the end of our days. And we have probably been quite struck by the fact that the more we come to know about things, the more we find we hardly know anything at all. and the more we need to know, get more. It's an amazing thing. Things which they know not, things they know naturally. However, this is not what Jude means here by these words. The contrast is not between ignorance of some aspects of human knowledge and knowing other aspects, The contrast is this, between knowledge of spiritual things and knowledge of ordinary things, things which they know not, spiritual things, and what they know naturally, ordinary things. It's the description of a non-christian who has no understanding of spiritual things but natural understanding of ordinary things. For instance, you see, you can speak to an unregenerate person about the new birth, union with Christ, you wouldn't necessarily use this technical language even, but you know what I mean, and praying to him, his dealings with you, promises, things you learn from him, and they look at you with glazed eyes. It's just a total riddle. Things which they know not. It's just as if you're speaking in a foreign language. You can hear words but just can't relate to it. It's a spiritual thing, you see, to an unregenerate man. But on the other hand, talk about cars, talk about DIY, talk about foreign holidays, oh yeah, and they'll converse non-stop. Things which they know not what they know naturally. It's a typical description of unregenerate people with no relationship at all to spiritual things, no ability to receive them, but all the relationship to earthly human things with all the capacity to talk about those things. That's the contrast then. Now Jude is still referring to these false teachers But these, goes back to verse 4, these ungodly men who have crept in unawares, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and he's saying these, but these, these are the sorts of people he's referring to. Now remember last time we looked at, well the time before, verse 8 and then verse 9, But we saw that these false teachers described in verse 8, they had contempt for the powers that be ordained of God. They despised dominion. That means civil government that God has put there in the state. And they insult rulers. They speak evil of dignities. something that even verse 9 Michael the archangel would not do toward the devil himself that didn't rail upon him but ask the Lord to rebuke him over that dispute which we saw last time and you see it's this aspect in particular that Jude means things which they know not They don't realize that human government is an ordinance of God not to be despised, not to be spoken evil of. They had a very low view of it as unregenerate people often do. We'll look at that in a minute. So, what this verse 10 is telling us then is something about the natural man and his relationship to spiritual things, or his lack of it, because it's total ignorance. Now this is familiar to us, because we know that we were like that once. We know what it was to find it impossible to connect with the gospel, and impossible to connect with the things of God. So different now, isn't it? Now we're born again. 1 John 2 verse 20, we have an unction from the Holy One, the Holy Spirit, whereby we know all things. We know all these things. Not everything in the spiritual realm, but we know these things. And so it will be helpful perhaps regarding our witness, regarding evangelism, regarding appreciating the change that's happened to us, regarding our own progress in knowledge of spiritual truth, to look at this verse and to see how raw human nature stands regarding spiritual truth. It's something perhaps we sometimes leave behind in our thinking. We get so used to being familiar with the things of God ourselves that we almost expect everyone to be familiar with them and we're almost surprised that they're not. and we get pulled up short when the average person who's not a Christian just cannot comprehend what we're talking about, just cannot understand what makes us dick. So it's good to think about this, the doctrine of man, if you like, and man in total depravity. So let's look at this first of all in terms of the description of it here, and then the application, some lessons we can learn for ourselves. first of all the description these speak evil of those things which they know not now what exactly is the unregenerate person like regarding spiritual truth and the Bible is so clear isn't it no capacity to understand whatsoever Verse 10, things which they know not. 1 Corinthians 2, verse 14. It's interesting the way Paul puts it there. He says, the natural man, the unregenerate man, ordinary man in the street, the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God for they are foolishness unto him neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. Now notice the problem is not just that an unregenerate man has difficulty with the gospel, or with the teaching of the Bible, or even an inability to receive it, to comprehend it, but an incapacity. Neither can he know them. It's an utter impossibility. That's what you and I were like. We may have been familiar with the themes and truths of the Bible if we had a Christian upbringing and background, a mental kind of familiarity, but we did not understand and we did not receive them and we did not find them a blessing to us. That is the fall, isn't it? The fall of man. See, our Lord in John chapter 3, those familiar verses, except a man be born from above again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. He can't see, can't understand, comprehend, can't get his head round these things. And of course, Nicodemus proved it when in the next verse he said, how can a man be born when he's old? Can he go back into his mother's womb? What incredible inability to follow the truth that our Lord was stating about the new birth he took it literally because at that point he was a natural man no capacity to understand those things which they know not and we can say something further this ignorance, this incapacity it's not removed by exposure to the truth itself merely or should I say alone It's not removed by teaching the Bible, preaching, getting them to listen to our verbal witness, not that alone, it's the means God uses, but not that alone. You see, if it was just some other subject, some ordinary subject, you could inform the ignorance by teaching. And of course, most other subjects you can learn about, can't you? Little by little, but these things which they know not." No, no. To comprehend spiritual truth, you need a spiritual mind. Like relates to like, you see. If you've got a carnal and regenerate mind, you can't relate to spiritual truth. Compare this look, what they know naturally. Everyone knows naturally about cars. Men do anyway. even some women, but men especially. Most people know about DIY to a greater or lesser extent. Most people know about holidays of course, what they know naturally, not spiritual things. That's why you need the new birth, because in the new birth God renews the mind and restores a spiritual faculty in the mind that then becomes capable of receiving spiritual truth. 1 Corinthians 2 verse 15. The follow on verse from the verse we quoted just now. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them, they are foolishness unto him, but he which is spiritual discerneth, judgeth, discerneth all things. See? Because the new birth gives us that faculty, doesn't it? That spiritual understanding. And we're not talking about a cerebral thing, are we? High intelligence, mental stature. We're talking about the new birth and divine teaching and illumination. And a Sunday school child can have that, as surely as an adult can have it. But if you haven't got it, things which they know not. Isn't that the case? That was how it was with us, that's how we find it with people who are not converted yet. That's the state of things. Now this example, coming back to this example in verse 8 about despising dominion and speaking evil of dignities. Now why were these false teachers encouraging anarchy, rebellion against human authority and speaking evil of civil rulers? Well, things that they know not, speaking even of things they know not. They didn't see Romans 13. The powers that be are ordained of God. He is the minister of God to thee and you give account He gives account to God and you give account to this minister of God, under God, for your conduct and behavior in the state, which is an ordinance of God, prime minister, government, all in authority, all various levels of human authority. These people, they spoke evil of things they knew not, they didn't accept and believe, they didn't realize. Romans 13. And isn't that the case? The average unregenerate person? how do they refer to the Prime Minister and the government and the royal family and so on? well you see they speak evil of things they know not that's why you've got spitting image you see I'm not recommending that program I've never seen it properly but I just I know I am aware of it this very cleverly done program whereby they get up these puppets a grotesque caricature of politicians and the royal family and they make them act all stupidly and things and they make they raise a terrific laugh now if the people programming that and those who laugh at that understood Romans 13 they wouldn't dare do it because they are laughing at the ministers of God aren't they? and see thing they speak evil of things they know not and the cartoons in the newspapers, I know they've always been cartoons in the newspapers about politicians and so on and they're very clever and very amusing but you see it's the principle that lies behind it, isn't it? despising dominion disrespect for speaking evil of dignities and it does find out, doesn't it? what goes on And that's why, of course, among unregenerate people by and large, there is this very low view of civil government. But it's a kind of a necessity, really, otherwise it would be the law of the jungle, wouldn't it? We've got to have a leader, we've got to have a government, we've got to have police and the courts and everything to keep law and order and keep things going in an orderly fashion, much better than anarchy. But it's government by consent, isn't it? We buckle down, we acknowledge the need of it and we sort of submit, but not that high view that an enlightened Christian has, whereby we pray for kings and for all that are in authority and pray that they'll be guided with a higher wisdom to govern wisely and righteously in the land, you see. so these speak evil of those things which they know not and it extends to everything put in place by God think of capital punishment now that is a sanction that is a biblical sanction so what did our government do in 1960 odd? well it abolished it and put in its place a capital punishment of innocent unborn babies and as someone has said it was a macabre trick to remove the death penalty from the guilty where it belongs and to impose it upon the innocent in the family where it does not and isn't that an incredibly amazing irony but you see these people who decry capital punishment and justify abortion they speak of things they know not the sanctity of life requires requires capital punishment of murderers and the protection of the unborn in their mother's womb. Think of AIDS, the terrible scourge of AIDS worldwide. If there had always been chastity before marriage and faithfulness within marriage, there never would have been AIDS, would there? And if there were to be chastity before marriage and faithfulness within marriage, how many generations would it take for the AIDS virus to die out? It presumably would, wouldn't it? Now you try and tell that to AIDS charities and people who call for the supply of more protection and all the rest of it and getting us to feel sorry for people who contract this thing because of their pervertedness and immorality. Well yes of course we do have compassion upon them and do everything to help but the solution doesn't belong to protection in order to carry on this behavior and mere alleviation of the disease. The cure is to come back to what God's Word says, doesn't it? But oh, if you say that, you'll be criticized and condemned and terrible things and there'll be intolerance and all that. But these are the things that they know not. Because their unregenerate mind does not understand what God has said about these things and will not receive these things. Doesn't mean to say we shouldn't say them. But they do not understand them. Same regarding creation and evolution, isn't it? To us, it's self-evident. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth and this biblical worldview of the world and why we are here on this planet, it's the most elevating, satisfying worldview you could have, of course. Tells you where you've come from, why you're here, where you're going. It's so wonderful. It ought to be taught. at least alongside evolution, at any rate. There's a man, wasn't there, who was a rather high-ranking professor and also a Church of England clergyman, and he dared suggest, he was a director of science education, I think, and he dared suggest that creation ought to at least be mentioned alongside evolution. Next thing we know, he resigns. Forced to resign. The mafia, you see, have got rid of him. He stepped out of line. speaking evil of those things which they know not. Isn't it up to date? Because you see, the tendency of human nature is always downwards, isn't it? What they know naturally as brute beasts. In those things, they corrupt themselves without at least the restraints of the civil state and good laws and the knowledge of the Ten Commandments, human nature will degenerate and go down. The things they know naturally, carnal mind, sensual pleasures, corrupt lifestyle. It's interesting, you look at all the graphs that plot how things have gone from the 1950s till today and almost in every case incidents of every crime and disease and anti-social behavior and problems in society is going from very little right up to huge amounts by 2008, always that way up in these 50 odd years Because the course of human nature is to degenerate and get worse and worse unless common grace, knowledge of the Ten Commandments, the fear of the Lord, the state with good laws that restrain and keep back the bounds of wickedness and promote uprightness and righteousness, which God charges the state to do. When these things are spoken evil of by people who know not, and they're taken away, then as brute beasts, knowing only sensual things, naturally they corrupt themselves. Psalm 49 verse 12, Man being in honour, abideth not, he is like the beasts that perish. Now you see, that's the description of the natural man. And the natural man, he gets worse and worse as there's less and less of real religion, less and less of respect for God and the commandments, less and less respect for civil government, less and less good laws that protect and promote a brightness and family life and marriage and righteousness and these things. We can see it and we know why, don't we? This is what was happening in the beginning. These false teachers were promoting this very thing and that's why Jude was warning his readers against them. How it makes us feel the need to pray, doesn't it, for our society, for our land, for our government, for the witness of the church. Well, that's the description. Let's turn secondly to the application. These speak evil of those things which they know not. Firstly, dear friends, what the fall has done to human nature? Those things which they know not. Total depravity. When we say total depravity, we mean a fall we refer to a corruption of nature that is extended to the totality of our being, to the mind, the understanding, to the affections, to the will, to every capacity, so that when we think of spiritual things, it's those things which we know not And that's why the Bible speaks of unregenerate people as blind, in darkness, darkened mind, even fools. And I say there are things, things which they know naturally, of course, but spiritual things, the things of God, the things of divine truth, Things they know not. And let's be very clear about this. There is this total depravity. It'll affect our evangelism, won't it? Our understanding of man in sin. When you see someone who's got a religious tendency, you think, ah, not quite so bad in his case. He's inclined to listen and read the Bible and so on. Don't you believe it? unless it's the work of the Spirit of God begun in his heart, that will quickly wear off. There is a religious instinct that is in most people's nature, but it's not an instinct for the truth that is in Jesus, not gospel truth, not the truth of the narrow way that leadeth unto life, Yes, there's a religious instinct, but not for the truth of Christianity. All at bottom are fallen, corrupted, blind, ignorant, foolish, cannot and will not get their heads around saving truth. Things which they know not. And you can have a talkative, like in Pilgrim's Progress. If you've read Pilgrim's Progress, you've encountered him. He can talk about every subject very eloquently, but gives no evidence of heart acquaintance with those subjects, religious subjects. No evidence of spiritual understanding that enters the heart and transforms the life and governs and controls behavior and conduct. Those things which they know not is a very bleak, negative picture, isn't it? But it's the truth. Let me add something more as well. It's not only that the fall is made for a total incapacity, but there is even an enmity toward what they even might begin to see superficially. See verse 10, they speak evil of those things which they know not. coming into contact with the biblical teaching, the powers that be are ordained of God. They despise dominion, speak evil of these dignities. Seeing something of the truth just superficially, what they see is enough for them to see to make them hate it. And so they speak evil of it. And dear friends, isn't this the case? Most unbelievers, really? And you're getting it more and more these days, aren't you? It's not just that people are find these things incomprehensible but they're neutral about it. There's an innate hostility and opposition and sometimes hatred. I know it can be polite and it can be very sort of deferential, quiet, hidden, so on. But it's there, isn't it? And we're seeing a kind of a revival, aren't we, of atheists who are coming out and showing themselves and making themselves heard and boy aren't they speaking speaking evil of things which they know not but it's nothing new Acts 28 verse 22 the Jews said to Paul what is this what is this teaching as for this sect it is everywhere spoken against that was Christianity referred to as a sect everywhere spoken against so don't be dismayed if you find that the likes of us are called the Christian Taliban and that kind of thing because we have always really been a class like that narrow-minded fundamentalists and ignoramuses, obscurantists, simple believers in an outmoded, outdated book, six days creation, Adam and Eve, the fall, and all that kind of thing. Sect everywhere spoken against. Don't be dismayed if you get written off because it's always been the case. Paul was written off like that in those very words. 1 Corinthians 1 verse 23, the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness, laughter, mocked, jeered, rejected, of course. Speaking evil of those things they know not. There's a hatred behind it. Romans 8 verse 7, the carnal mind is enmity against God, neither is subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. There's a smouldering antipathy in every fallen corrupt heart of each non-Christian toward God and the Gospel and the way of eternal life. People hate what they do not understand. Isn't it amazing? But they understand just enough to hate what they see. It's curious. You may have had someone come up to you and say, I know it's a little bit past now, but you might say, what about the Da Vinci Code? Have you read that book? And what do you think about that then as a Christian? You see, because it rewrites everything you believe, doesn't it? About the four Gospels and the New Testament. You see, as this is the Roman Catholic sort of suppressing, isn't it, of what really happened? I say it reverently, Jesus married to Mary Magdalene and had children but of course the Roman Catholic Church suppressed that and gave us the version that we say we accept and of course it completely undermines the authority of the four Gospels and the New Testament, doesn't it? You say, what about that then, eh? What have you got to say to that? Have you read that book? well I read that novel only because someone asked me that question so I said right well I'll read this novel for you if you'll read one of mine and so I bought a very good critique of it with an evangelistic application at the end so I kept my part of the bargain I read the book it's not too edifying but I had to do it and then I gave this person the critique and the gospel application And I've not heard anything about it since. Because you see, it's not the issue, is it? The real issue is enmity against God. Enmity against the truth that they don't understand anyway. You can clear up everything. You can answer every question and it's right to try to do so, isn't it? because by clarifying the truth it might please the Spirit of God to make the truth of saving benefit and quicken and give a new birth to people. Of course you've got to try and remove every intellectual stumbling block over creation and authority of scripture and everything else as much as you can not saying you don't do that but you'll find by and large that that wasn't really the problem after all. The problem was they did not understand the gospel and any inkling of understanding they do have they hate what they see and they don't want to be converted and they don't want to come to know the Lord as a sinner saved by grace. You see it's not only an incapacity it's an enmity And then, one further thing to add in this application, it's a dreadful picture, isn't it, of human nature, but it's the truth. You've got to face it in order to see what God's remedy is and how blessed we are if we are different. You see, it's not only that the fall has taken away our capacity to understand, and the fall has left us as enemies of God and of the Gospel, but also unregenerate man shares instincts with the beasts. what they know naturally as brute beasts in those things they corrupt themselves now it's regarding natural human things isn't it? now let's think of daily food for instance daily food no bread of life they don't want that of course incapacity to understand rejection of it no bread of life whereby man might live forever. What about daily bread? What about mealtimes? Sit down and eat a meal. Any acknowledgement of God in grace? Thanks to God? Well, where is anything spiritual in it? Here's a little illustration. A godly farmer was asked to dine with a gentleman. And the godly farmer said grace. at the table as he was accustomed to do at home his host said jeeringly that is old-fashioned it is not customary nowadays for well-educated people to pray at the table the farmer answered that with him it was customary but that some of his household never prayed over their food ah then said the gentleman they are sensible and enlightened who are they? the farmer answered they are my pigs and you see as brute beasts they corrupt themselves fallen no capacity to know and even what little bit they do know they turn against and hate and it's all sensual isn't it? who mind earthly things whose God is their belly And drink, well, alcoholic drink, it's a sad example of it, isn't it? But a drunkenness that used to be considered shameful and is now fashionable and glamorized and eagerly followed by younger people particularly. But a drunkenness, you see, that knocks out the higher areas of the brain, the reason, the judgment, the inhibition, so that how do people behave when they're under the influence of drink? Often like brute beasts, because reason, judgment, conscience, inhibition are knocked out temporarily. And the kinds of things that are done Friday nights, Saturday nights, aren't they? you see unregenerate man shares instincts with the beast, lives on that level can do, that's how he sinks tragic isn't it? and sex won't be too explicit but you see the lifestyle of high-profile people as glamorized in magazines and things they're like dogs on heat aren't they? going from one relationship to another relationship fathering children no self-control no marriage that is God's ordinance that regulates this beautiful thing but instead behaving like animals, beasts indulging for pure gratification being smug and almost proud about it And regenerate man shares instincts with the beast. You know, we could go on and on, couldn't we? Thomas Manton, the Puritan, he said, if a man had the head of a horse, the face of a pig, and the hoofs of an ass, what a monster he would look. But what shall we say of man who has the heart of a beast? And that's where the fall has left us, apart from the grace of God. Let me say one more thing in closing. Dear friends, if we see, if we see spiritual truth clearly, if we know better, if this knowledge has become saving and has transformed our lives, those things Oh, what a wonder of grace. What the new birth has given us. And sometimes we forget, don't we? We are so used to being Christians, so used to being familiar with these things, that, as I say, we imagine everyone's like it. And we forget, really, what we were by nature and what everyone else still is by nature. But our Lord said, Matthew 13, 16, Blessed are your eyes for they see, and your ears for they hear. Oh, if we understand the Gospel, if we can receive the teaching of the Scriptures by the ministry of the Holy Spirit, if we can connect with spiritual verities and realities, if we're born of God and have that nature and that mind that connects and relates and loves receives and is changed by these things. My, we're standing miracles, aren't we? Supernatural, divine miracles. We should thank God every day that we're born again. Thank God every day that we're not unregenerate. Thank God every day that we see those things. And we don't speak evil of them, but we speak well of them. They're our bread and butter, our stock in trade, our everything, aren't they? And by these things we live. And because of these things we shall live forever in heaven. Oh, how wonderful this is. It is true. We don't always live up to these things. Asaph in Psalm 73, we sang earlier. He got into trouble, didn't he, about the prosperity of the wicked. He didn't have a right view of things in terms of the truth for a while. But he was recovered and he said, So ignorant and foolish was I. I was like a beast before thee. Sometimes we feel a bit like that, don't we? We just don't see things as we should. But the Lord doesn't leave us like that. He enlightens us, corrects us, reveals things and shows us and recovers us so that we are not like the brute beasts who corrupt themselves. We see these things. They're not things we know not. As I said in the beginning, 1 John 2 verse 20, But we have an unction from the Holy One, the Holy Spirit, whereby we know, we know all these things. Oh, marvel and wonder the description of man in sin and unregeneracy. The application? Oh, it ought to leave us praising God. We are what we are by the grace of God. Never undervalue it. Even in your worst and most discouraging times, If you can see these things, you can see more than countless millions who are yet in darkness. Once you were in darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord. Blessed be His name. Let us sing together hymn number 531. Lord, I was blind, I could not see, in thy love visit any grace, but now the beauty of thy face in radiant vision glooms on me. Lord, I was deaf, I could not hear the thrilling music of Thy voice, but now I hear Thee and rejoice, and all Thine uttered words appear. Lord, I was dumb, I could not see the grace and glory of thy name. But now, as touched with living flame, my lips, by the eager praises, wake. Lord, I was dead, I could not serve my lifeless soul to come to Thee, but now sin's love has quickened me. I rise from sin's dark, sad hold, Lord, thou hast made the blind to see, the deaf to hear, the dumb to see, the dead to live, and though I break, the chains of my captivity.