CONTEND FOR THE FAITH

CONTEND FOR THE FAITH

Nominal Christianity has always been the enemy of the church. Jesus warned against the nominal kind of spiritual lifestyle when He quoted Isaiah in saying, “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me” (Mark 7:6; Is. 29:13).

In 1981, I was privileged to participate in a consultation on world evangelization held in Thailand. Hundreds of Christian leaders gathered from around the world to prayerfully plan strategy to reach some twenty major categories of people’s groups throughout the world who had not yet been reached with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Some of those unreached groups of people are more obvious than others. For example, there are millions of Chinese and millions of Muslims who have never been reached with the gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ. But I was assigned to the category of “nominal Christians.” And as many of us have discovered, nominal Christians are among the most difficult people to reach with the gospel.

Jude understood that principle and was deeply concerned with encouraging believers to avoid the satanic trap of becoming merely nominal Christians. Like Peter, Jude believed that the best defense against nominalism and against false teaching was a strong, offensive, dynamic faith in Jesus Christ. We need to contend earnestly for our faith (v. 3).

Paul A. Cedar and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, James / 1 & 2 Peter / Jude, vol. 34, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1984), 248–249.

Greeting to the Called

1 Jude, a bondservant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James,

To those who are called, sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ:

2 Mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

Contend for the Faith

3 Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. 4 For certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation, ungodly men, who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ.

Grace to Lewdness- LEWD'NESS, noun

1. The unlawful indulgence of lust; fornication, or adultery.

2. In Scripture, it generally denotes idolatry.

3. Licentiousness; shamelessness.

THEY WILL DENY THE CLEAR TEACHINGS OF JESUS.

Jude has two major concerns—that they do not drift and that they will not be led astray by false teachers. He prays that they will instead take the initiative and contend for the faith.

Paul A. Cedar and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, James / 1 & 2 Peter / Jude, vol. 34, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1984), 251.

Jude warns against nominal Christianity and against those false teachers who would divide the body of Christ and who would seek to destroy the faith of believers rather than to build it.

Paul A. Cedar and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, James / 1 & 2 Peter / Jude, vol. 34, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1984), 252.

Old and New Apostates

5 But I want to remind you, though you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. 6 And the angels who did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode, He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day; 7 as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.

8 Likewise also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. 9 Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil, when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!” 10 But these speak evil of whatever they do not know; and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts, in these things they corrupt themselves. 11 Woe to them! For they have gone in the way of Cain, have run greedily in the error of Balaam for profit, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.

JUDE gives us 2 categories:

1: exposes the characteristics of these ungodly men

2: judgement that God is going to bring on them and their ungodly ways

DEFILE THE FLESH

by their sin and their words

REJECT AUTHORITY

They reject the authority of Gods Word, they do not respect authority of leadership God has within the church

They “speak evil of dignitaries” (v. 8). Love and respect for godly leaders is given a high priority in the church. Paul teaches that we should esteem those who labor among us very highly in love (1 Thess. 5:13), and that the elders who rule well should be counted worthy of double honor (1 Tim. 5:17).

Paul A. Cedar and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, James / 1 & 2 Peter / Jude, vol. 34, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1984), 253.

Hebrews 13:17 NKJV

17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you.

2 Peter 2:10 NKJV

10 and especially those who walk according to the flesh in the lust of uncleanness and despise authority. They are presumptuous, self-willed. They are not afraid to speak evil of dignitaries,

THEY SPEAK EVIL OF WHAT THEY DO NOT KNOW

they will deny the clear teachings of Jesus and speak against

Example Jesus casting out devils by beelzebub

THEY CORRUPT THEMSELVES

They are like irrational or dumb animals without realizing it they corrupt or destroy themselves

Apostates Depraved and Doomed

12 These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves. They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds; late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots; 13 raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame; wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.

14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, 15 to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.”

THEY ARE SELF SERVING

They do things or serve when it’s convenient

They don’t feed the sheep they feed themselves, they feed their egos and their pockets and their own fleshy desires

CLOUDS WITHOUT WATER - or like wells without water

No refreshing, no spiritual full up you leave church the same way you come in

Empty cup

TREES WITH NO FRUIT

No kingdom fruit and no spiritual fruit just dead trees

RAGING WAVES OF THE SEA FOAMING UP THEIR OWN SHAME - tossed to and fro

Apostates Predicted

16 These are grumblers, complainers, walking according to their own lusts; and they mouth great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage. 17 But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ: 18 how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. 19 These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.

GRUMBLERS and COMPLAINERS

They never contribute to anything but have a problem with everything

Much like the Israelites When they were  in fellowship with God you will praise

Out of fellowship they complain

They are “walking according to their own lusts” (vv. 16, 18). Twice Jude describes the false teachers as those who walk after their own lusts (epithumı́a). Peter begs his readers to abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul (1 Pet. 2:11). Unfortunately, these teachers do not warn against such conduct; they practice it in their own lives.

Paul A. Cedar and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, James / 1 & 2 Peter / Jude, vol. 34, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1984), 255.

1 Peter 2:11 NKJV

11 Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul,

GREAT SWELLING WORDS:

They like to impress you with their knowledge and political correctness

FLATTER TO GAIN ADVANTAGE:

Insincere or excessive praise it goes beyond the point of encouraging someone

Proverbs 28:23 NKJV

23 He who rebukes a man will find more favor afterward, Than he who flatters with the tongue.

NOTHING MORE THAT A FORM OF WITCHCRAFT

“These are [the sensual ones] who cause divisions” (v. 19). The Spirit of God brings unity to members of the body of Christ. But those who walk according to their own ungodly lusts are the ones who cause divisions or separations within the body. Wherever and whenever there is division in the body, you can be certain that the lust of the flesh is being expressed rather than the unity of the Spirit.

Paul A. Cedar and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, James / 1 & 2 Peter / Jude, vol. 34, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1984), 255.

They are “sensual” (v. 19). To be “sensual” (psukikós) is “to live in the natural as opposed to the supernatural.” It is to walk after the flesh (vv. 16, 18) rather than after the Spirit. Paul teaches, “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Cor. 2:14).

Paul A. Cedar and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, James / 1 & 2 Peter / Jude, vol. 34, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1984), 255.

They are “not having the spirit” (v. 19). Now we come to the very summation statement of all that Jude has been teaching about the false teachers. Their basic problem is spiritual. They do not have the Holy Spirit. Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the “Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him” (John 14:17). He also said, “When He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth” (John 16:13).

Paul A. Cedar and Lloyd J. Ogilvie, James / 1 & 2 Peter / Jude, vol. 34, The Preacher’s Commentary Series (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Inc, 1984), 255–256.

Maintain Your Life with God

20 But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, 21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

22 And on some have compassion, making a distinction; 23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.

Glory to God

24 Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling,

And to present you faultless

Before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy,

25 To God our Savior,

Who alone is wise,

Be glory and majesty,

Dominion and power,

Both now and forever.

Amen.

The New King James Version (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1982), Jud 1–25.