Who They Are & What We Do

Jude compels us to contend for the faith and to be weary of imposters in our midst. He helps us to identify the imposters by revealing a number of their most common characteristics. This not not mean that anyone who struggles in one of these areas is automatically an imposter. However, if someone is making a conscience decision to live their lives according to these characteristics then Jude is warning us to be cautious with such people. We cannot see their hearts, only God can, which of course is why we must be cautious. We must also be cautious that we are not walking so close to the line that we might be mistaken for one of these imposters.

Who They Are:

WHO THEY ARE:

Grumblers / Complainers (v. 16)

People who complain as a means of getting their way.

They may do it with:

Pity

Anger

Deceit

Churches are often full of grumblers.

As in politics it often is true of churches as well that he who is loudest wins.

In churches it is because we are so afraid of offending or pushing people away that we give the grumblers what they want just to keep the peace. Rather than doing what is actually best for the church.

This is how many churches die slow painful deaths.

If you come to church looking for something to disagree with you will find it.

“Someone could have taken what you said this way...”

“I can’t believe that they changed the bulletin board without asking me.”

Don’t come to church looking to be validated some to church looking to be convicted.

Hedonists (v. 16, 18)

Hedonism - the doctrine that pleasure or happiness is the highest good.

Jude says that these individuals are “walk according to their own lusts.” In other words whatever brings them pleasure is what they will pursue.

In many ways this kind of thinking is exactly what is wrong with our world today. Not only are we encouraged to pursue our greatest pleasure, but neither are we to judge the pursuit of pleasure in others.

If a man thinks he is a woman we are suppose to enable his delusion.

If a woman decides that her life would be too hard if she has a baby then we are suppose to sit back and let her end the life of her child and act like that is not only acceptable but good.

Isaiah 5:20 “Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil; Who put darkness for light, and light for darkness; Who put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!”

Flatterers (v. 16)

“they mouth great swelling words” - boastfulness

“flatter others for their own advantage”

Even when they compliment someone else it is really a boast about themselves.

What does the Bible say we should boast about?

James 4:16 “But now you boast in your arrogance. All such boasting is evil.”

Proverbs 27:2 “Let another man praise you, and not your own mouth; A stranger, and not your own lips.”

2 Cor. 11:30 “If I must boast, I will boast in the things which concern my infirmity.”

1 Cor. 1:31 “that, as it is written, “He who boasts, let him boast in the Lord.””

Galatians 6:14 “But God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.”

Mockers / Scoffer (v. 18)

A mocker or a scoffer is someone who makes fun of serious matters.

It is a baseline for maturity. Mature people take serious things seriously.

And before you say that “that is defiantly me” consider this:

Obviously someone who mocks serious things is immature.

What about someone who ignores it?

What about someone who it apathetic about serious matters?

Taking serous things seriously involves both your words and actions.

Worldly (v. 19)

The NKJV calls them “sensual persons” but the idea is simply that they are worldly.

In the Bible, the term world can refer to the earth and physical universe (Hebrews 1:2; John 13:1), but it most often refers to the humanistic system that is at odds with God

Matthew 18:7 “Woe to the world because of offenses! For offenses must come, but woe to that man by whom the offense comes!”

John 15:19 “If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.”

1 John 4:5 “They are of the world. Therefore they speak as of the world, and the world hears them.”

When we are told not to love the world, the Bible is referring to the world’s corrupt value system. Satan is the god of this world, and he has his own value system contrary to God’s.

The imposters Jude is identifying belong to the world, but as believers who have been called out of the world we need to frequently examine the world’s influence on our thoughts and hearts.

Do your priorities reflect worldly or spiritual values?

Does how you spend your time reflect worldly or spiritual values?

Do your entertainment choices reflect worldly or spiritual values?

Divisive (v. 19)

Consider the words of Paul when it comes to divisiveness

Romans 16:17 “Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.”

1 Cor. 1:10 “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.”

Titus 3:10 “Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition,”

So, before you grumble or complain about something you better make sure that it is an issue worth disrupting the unity of the church.

Externals - color of the carpet

Pride - why didn’t they ask me to lead that ministry?

These are not things worth disrupting the unity of the body.

Unbelievers

Finally Jude points out their greatest problem and it is simply that they do not have the Spirit.

They are unbelievers.

This is the one area where we simply cannot reflect the imposters.

But there is a parallel concept a believer can quench the Spirit of God.

What We Do:

WHAT WE DO:

Remember (v. 17, 18)

The church has been warned that this would happen.

Acts 20:29-30 “For I know this, that after my departure savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. Also from among yourselves men will rise up, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after themselves.”

Matthew 7:15-20 ““Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes from thornbushes or figs from thistles? Even so, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a bad tree bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Therefore by their fruits you will know them.”

Two Truths

We were told this would happen.

It will only get worse the closer we get to Christ’s return.

Build (v. 20a)

“Build yourselves up in you most holy faith.”

How do you build yourself up in the faith.

Bible Study

Not just a “proverb a day to keep the devil away.”

Deep, rich Bible study (ie. the meat of the word.)

Prayer - Jude gives prayer its own section so more on this in a moment.

Fellowship

Not just a potluck or game night

Encouragement and Exhortation in the faith

Pray (v. 20b)

To truly be effective in contending for the faith we must pray in the Spirit. This means that our prayers are guided by the Spirit.

The place of prayer

Individually

Corporately

Ephesians 6:18 “praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—”

Keep (v. 21)

“Keep yourselves in the love of God.”

Believers should make God’s love for them the center of their lives.

It is not that God’s love is dependent on their actions, but that their actions are a result of experiencing God’s love enveloping their lives.

It is interesting that in v. 1 Jude says that we are kept by Christ and here he exhorts us to keep ourselves. So which is it?

It is actually a false dichotomy.

Our ability to love God is enabled by His love for us. We can keep ourselves in God’s love because He keeps us in His love.

That being said the promise of being kept in God’s love does not nullify our responsibility to keep the faith.

Make sure that you keep God’s love for you as your highest motive.

Wait (v. 21b)

“Looking (waiting) for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to bring us to eternal life.”

What are we waiting for? Jesus is coming back.

An important part of contending for the faith is that we eagerly wait the return of Christ.

Reach (v. 22, 23)

The great dander of the imposters is that they would mislead genuine believers away from the faith, or that they would inhibit the spread of the gospel in our midst.

There are those in that category upon whom Jude tells us to have compassion and mercy. We need to reach out to them. We need to faithfully declare the truth to them.

Jude says faithfully reaching out to those who have strayed is like plucking them out of a fire. The hard reality is that God cannot let them continue in that course forever. Eventually they will be on the receiving end of God’s wrath if they do not know Christ and if they do John clearly warns in his epistle that God may end their lives as a mercy to bring them back to Himself.

What Jude does not tell us to do:

Debate

Argue

Social media warriors

To genuinely contend for the faith we must:

Grow in our own faith

Share the gospel

Love the backslidden

Make much of Christ