Contender - Pretender / Jude 1-4

How do you spot someone who is really good at something compared to posers?

During high school I moved from Virginia to Louisiana. One of the first things I noticed was the different the style of clothes they wore. They wore shorts, not jeans. They wore sperry’s, not vans. And then there was camo. A whole lot of camo.

I liked hunting, so I’d ask them about their hunting experience. To my surprise, very few of them hunted. They just wore camo to fit in. They were posers! If they wanted to go hunting with me, I’d let them. But I sure would’t trust them with a gun!

This summer we will be in the book of Jude. Out of love for Christians, Jude gives a clear message of warning. There are posers in the church! They look like Christians, say the same phrases (bless your heart), go to the same events, but they twist the truth.

By the end of this Summer, my prayer is that you will be able to spot pretenders and contend for the truth with confidence.

Let’s meet the author...

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

Jude was the half brother of Jesus Christ. If you were Jesus’ brother, wouldn’t you want to put that on your resume? Instead, Jude describes himself as a servant of Jesus. Why?

There are a couple times in the bible when Jesus’ family enters the scene. During one scene they try to bring Jesus back home because they thought he was loony. During another his brothers attempt to give him career counseling for his miracles to be seen by more people. Sadly, the Bible teaches us that they did these works because they did not believe Jesus.

But when the church began, some of his brothers became the leaders. What changed? They witnessed Jesus’ death and resurrection.

You may have grown up near Jesus. You may be embarrassed by Jesus. You may try to make Jesus fit your mold. There is still hope for you to believe. Trust in his death and resurrection for you and you will be changed.

Who knows, some of you who are most opposed to Jesus now may become leaders in his church later.

To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: 2 May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you.

Jude is writing to Christians who are surrounded by pretenders who want to take from them. So he reminds them of the safety they have in Jesus.

When Jordyn and I go to events where we do not know the guests, we wrap Levi up and keep him close. We wont let strangers hold him. We keep him because we love him.

Before Jude describes the false teachers who want to snatch Christians away from the truth. He comforts them with the truth that they will be kept by Jesus.

Some of you have been left. Parents have left you. Friends have left you. God is different. He will never leave you or forsake you. God will keep you.

And one of the ways to remain in his keeping is to know the difference between true Christians and false teachers. Contenders and pretenders.

First, lets look at the contenders.

Contenders

3 Beloved, although I was very eager to write to you about our common salvation, I found it necessary to write appealing to you to contend for the faith that was once for all delivered to the saints.

Jude had a plan. He was going to write a happy little note about salvation. But the Spirit had a different idea! This church needed a battle cry, not a lullaby. False teachers slipped into the church and the Christians needed to respond.

The great poet, Mike Tyson, once put it like this, “Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”

Christians are called to contend the truth. When Jude references “the faith” he is not talking about your faith in God. He is referring to the authoritative books written by the apostles. God’s word that was once and for all given to the church.

He warns them that there will be people who seek to add to the truth (like claiming that angels have given them new revelations). And perhaps more dangerous, he warns them that there will be people who twist the truth.

Instead of just defending what is true, they need to contend for the truth (an athletic term). He is essentially telling them to get off of the bench and get in the game.

Are you in the game? Are you a contender?

Contend for the faith.

And as you do, watch out for the...

Pretenders

4 For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people,

What makes these false teachers so dangerous? First, they are insiders not outsiders. They crept “in.” Because they can do more manipulation from within than from the outside. Next, they are not easy to recognize. They did not come to church with with a “heretic” name tag. Initially they seem like everyone else. But though they are initially unrecognizable to us, God seems them for who they really are, ungodly. Here is one example of how they are unlike God. They twist the truth.

who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.

Just like godly teachers, they talk about grace. But they apply grace incorrectly.

If we truly understand grace, we will be motivated to live for Jesus out of gratitude.

Instead, these teachers use grace as an excuse to live however they want.

If you are sitting under a teacher who excuses sin because of “grace”, then you can be confident they do not understand grace.

They are delighting in the very deeds that Jesus died to free us from.

The dream about the cat and the child.

Before we evaluate others, let’s begin with ourselves, are we contenders or pretenders?