Contend for the Faith Against: Those Prophesied for Judgment

1. Judgment Will Come . . . (14-16)

Jude 14–16 NASB 95

It was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.

Just Like Enoch Prophesied (v.14-15)

Who was Enoch?

=> In Gen. 5 we learn that Enoch was the father of Methuselah, the oldest living man (age 969). He was the great-grandfather of Noah. We don’t know much about Enoch except one unique thing: it is said that he did not die but was taken to heaven directly.

Genesis 5:24 “Enoch walked with God; and he was not, for God took him.”

Confirmed in Hebrews:

Hebrews 11:5 “By faith Enoch was taken up so that he would not see death; and he was not found because God took him up; for he obtained the witness that before his being taken up he was pleasing to God.”

The Prophecy of Enoch:

This prophecy is found nowhere in the Bible. It is a quote taken from a pseudepigraphical work known as 1 Enoch (1 Enoch 1:9).

pseudepigraphal = “false writing”

1 Enoch not considered by any Christian group to be Scripture.

So why does Jude quote it?

=> Probably because he viewed the alleged prophecy contained in 1 Enoch to be true. It does not mean that Jude necessarily thought it was Scripture. We quote things all the time that we think are true, but we do not believe they are Scripture.

Another option: 1 Enoch was quoted for illustration purposes and no indication of whether it reflected something that really occurred.

=> Either way, Jude quotes it to demonstrate that the false teachers are being prepared for the judgement of hell.

Judgement will come because of who they are at heart:

Upon Those Who are Arrogant (v.16)

Jude 16 NASB 95

These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.

“grumblers” - reminds us of the Israelites who grumbled in the desert after being led out of Egypt.

“finding fault” - “very complaining — given to excessive complaints and crying and whining” “discontent” [Lexham Research Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, Lexham Research Lexicons (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020)].

“following after their own lusts” - this was the primary fruit: sexual perversion and licentiousness

“speak arrogantly” - a good summary for all that they are: arrogant.

“flattering people for the sake of advantage” - lit. “admiring faces for the sake of gain/use”

They are condemned for their (1) behavior and (2) harsh words

Two Take-Aways

Judgment will come upon those who practice evil

Harsh judgment will come upon those who pervert the Gospel of Christ

2. But Remember This (17-19)

There Will be Mockers (v.17-18)

Jude 17–18 NASB 95

But you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, that they were saying to you, “In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.”

We finally get a little reprieve from the heavy warnings

Jude addresses them gently: Beloved. This is as if to say, “It’s going to be o.k. Take courage. Be comforted.”

“Beloved” = “dearly loved and cherished; sometimes preferred above all others and treated with partiality” [Rick Brannan, ed., Lexham Research Lexicon of the Greek New Testament, Lexham Research Lexicons (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2020).]

Jude is also giving a contrast here: “But you . . .” You are different than the false teachers.

We need to remember that this is nothing new

The apostles taught that there would be mockers, people following after their own lusts.

2 Peter 3:3 “Know this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts.”

1 Timothy 4:1 “But the Spirit explicitly says that in later times some will fall away from the faith, paying attention to deceitful spirits and doctrines of demons.”

2 Timothy 3:1 “But realize this, that in the last days difficult times will come.”

Notice “last days” and “later times” = Now and since the time of Jesus’ death and resurrection

Hebrews 1:2 “In these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world.”

There is nothing new about false teachers infiltrating into the church; it has been happening since the church began.

They Are without the Spirit (v.19)

Jude 19 “These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit.”

Ultimately, these false Christians are without the Spirit of God. As such, they cause division.

Note they are also worldy-minded.

So how do we live in light of this?

3. Stay Grounded in the Faith (20-23)

Jude 20 NASB 95

But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,

“building” - it’s strong, and it’s active

Interesting: “most HOLY faith” - faith is the body of Christian teaching (Christian/biblical worldview/doctrine)

Pastors and Biblical Worldview

“The new findings come from the American Worldview Inventory 2022, conducted by the Cultural Research Center at Arizona Christian University and administered to 1,000 Christian pastors to better understand the worldviews that drive their thinking and behavior.”

“Among all Christian pastors in the United States, slightly more than one out of every three (37%) possesses a biblical worldview. The proportion varies by the pastoral position held. Among Senior Pastors, four out of 10 (41%) have a biblical worldview—the highest incidence among any of the five pastoral positions studied. Next highest was the 28% among Associate Pastors. Less than half as many Teaching Pastors (13%) and Children’s and Youth Pastors (12%) have a biblical worldview. The lowest level of biblical worldview was among Executive Pastors—only 4% have consistently biblical beliefs and behaviors. Much like other Americans, the pastors who do not have a biblical worldview are unlikely to fully embrace a competing worldview (such as Secular Humanism, Marxism, or others). In fact, less than 1% of pastors embody a worldview other than Biblical Theism (i.e., the biblical worldview). Instead, their prevailing worldview is best described as Syncretism, the blending of ideas and applications from a variety of holistic worldviews into a unique but inconsistent combination that represents their personal preferences. More than six out of 10 pastors (62%) have a predominantly syncretistic worldview.”

If 62% of pastors do not hold a biblical worldview, what does this say about the average Christian? Glad you asked!

“The new AWVI 2022 study found that although two-thirds of the parents of pre-teens claim to be Christian (67%), only 2% possess a biblical worldview. The outcome is barely different among the two-thirds who claim to be Christian. A mere 4% of them possess a biblical worldview.

Equally shocking was the finding that none of the six alternative worldviews tested is embraced by even 1% of parents. These alternative worldviews include: Secular Humanism, Moralistic Therapeutic Deism, Nihilism, Marxism/Critical Theory, Postmodernism, and Eastern Mysticism/New Age.

That leaves more than nine out of 10 parents of pre-teens—a full 94%—having a worldview known as Syncretism, a blending of multiple worldviews in which no single life philosophy is dominant, producing a worldview that is diverse and often self-contradictory.”

Pray in the Spirit (v.20)

Jude 20 “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit.”

Ephesians 6:18 “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,”

Remain in God’s Love (v.21)

Jude 21 “keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.”

This is actually the primary focus. We are exhorted to “keep ourselves in the love of God.” We do this by building ourselves up in the faith and through prayer.

Wait Anxiously for Mercy (v.21)

Jude 21 “keep yourselves in the love of God, waiting anxiously for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.”

Better rendered: “. . . waiting for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ to eternal life.”

Have Mercy on Doubters (v.22)

Jude 22 “And have mercy on some, who are doubting;”

Students have claimed that they asked questions in church and told to just have faith, stop asking questions.

But questioning and doubting are o.k. Look at the disciples.

We can look to all kinds of advice when it comes to doubting. One article I came across states to: be honest about doubts, ask for God’s help, fast and pray, remember God’s promises. These are all true and can be helpful. But many times doubts come because of unanswered questions and a desire to understand more deeply. And so one piece of valuable advice is to seek answers to the doubts and questions you have. And those who have them, be merciful to them. We need to help them.

Also why one of LCC’s values is “education.”

Save Others (v.23)

Jude 23 “save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.”

This gets at the heart of the Gospel: evangelism. This is yet another LCC value.

LCC mission: “Spreading the Gospel to Every Tribe and Nation”

Have Mercy Even on Some Ensnared by Sin (v.23)

Jude 23 “save others, snatching them out of the fire; and on some have mercy with fear, hating even the garment polluted by the flesh.”

Jude indicates here that some Christians had fallen for the false teaching. As a result, they became “defiled, polluted, corrupted” by sin. This is what the metaphor “the garment polluted by the flesh” means. Some had been stained by sin.

Jude wants them to snatch them, too, from the fire—to have mercy on them. But they are to do this with “fear.” This does not mean they are to be scared of them, but to be aware of the possibility that they, too, could be lured in to the false teaching and thus sin. They need to be on guard as they attempt to correct and guide them back to repentance and the faith.

Conclusion

We are to contend for the faith against those set for judgment. But as we do this, we need to remember that this is nothing new. We have been told that this would happen. And as we move forward with this awareness, we need to ensure that we are grounded in the faith once for all delivered to the saints, keeping ourselves in the love of God. We need to be praying and waiting for our Lord’s return. While we wait, let us snatch people from the fire . . .