To deny the LORD

I've been studying Jude in our bible study when I came across this verse;

 Jude 1:4 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.

Now there is plenty of stuff going on in this verse and we could probably spend weeks alone in this verse.  But what really stood out to me was "denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ."  As a godly man I instantly would say "Well I would never!!"  I could never deny my God and my Saviour, you might be saying that same thing right now.

Matt 10:33 But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my father which is in      heaven
So we all know better then that, and in our relationship with God we don't deny him we accept, love, and proclaim his name to the world.  What should we deny?

Matt 16:24  Then said Jesus uto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross and follow me.
So we are to deny ourselves.  We are to deny the flesh.  We are to put away everything that this earthly body has an urge to do, everything this earthly body thinks is right we should deny.  Because the flesh is sin and to be IN the Lord is holy.  
So of course we wouldn't deny God that means eternal seperation from him, we learned that in Matt 10:33.
  
Luke 9:23 And he said to them all, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me. 
There it is again deny yourself, but there is something else in this one.  Take up his cross DAILY.  
I was at a christian function a week or so ago and I heard one of those "that's what she said jokes".  It came out of a strong christian mans mouth.  I don't find them funny.  I don't appreciate them.  And I find them quite degrading to women and I'm sure God doesn't like the sexual connotations that it implies about a child of his.  So that got me thinking, how does something like that get into the vocabulary of a man of God, how does something as vile and degrading as that creep in unaware and become a part of our daily lives.  

2 Peter 2:1  But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.  

DENYING THE LORD, that's how that slips into our world that's how it slowly creeps in and after a while it seems to be ok.  We already know we won't deny God, but how about your daily walk your daily cross bearing walk where are you denying Christ?  Everytime you sin, Everytime you let something into your life that you know you shouldn't you Deny Christ and take on that sin acceptingly and knowingly.  You watch that dirty movie, you are denying God and letting sin in your life.  You listen to vulger music, you deny Christ and let sin in.  You do, look, participate, listen, read and willfully sin against God's will, You DENY him.  And as you deny him in the small things you will eventually become numb to those and allow more and more into your life.  Until someday it's part of your life and it flows from your mouth and it flows through your mind and it's ok.  It's just ok, part of life and you have no conviction about the sin, the denial of God that you now participate in.   

So to wrap it up I earge you to get that conviction and when sin (denial) creeps up in your life you will have the knowledge of God and the eyes of Jesus to know and recognize it.  HOW?  Well by being IN the Lord thy GOD.  By being IN the word everyday, by being close to GOD by haveing an intimate relationship with him.  If your not taking some quiet time and drawing near to GOD praying reading his word then you have no defenses Ephesians 6:10-18.