Jude
Sermon • Submitted • Presented
0 ratings
· 2 viewsNotes
Transcript
Contend for The Faith
Contend for The Faith
You will notice the Jude likes to work in triads, you can find 14 in this book. And you can also notice many similarities between this book of Jude and the book of 2 Peter. Most likely, Jude was written later, as he references several passages from the book of 2 Peter, but in a present tense. Peter prophesied of the false teachers to come into the church, and Jude writes: “they are here”. We know this Jude was the half brother of Jesus, who did not believe in HIM until after the resurrection, like his brother James. But he does not open his book with the title: “Read this because I’m the half brother of Jesus”, rather he calls himself the duolos of Jesus the Christ. Again, growing up with Jesus, if anyone could find fault in Him it’d be His brothers, but we read in scripture here them referring to Him as Jesus the Christ, the Holy and Anointed One.
It will be difficult to knock out Jude in one sitting, because there is so much packed in these 25 verses, containing at least 8 OT references
The book was probably written to primarily Jewish Christians, because of the similarities between Jude and 2 Peter, as well as all of the OT references. But it’s message is definitely applicable today, and has been through the ages. The warning against false doctrines (Gnosticism back then) and the exhortation that could be the theme of the book to “keep yourselves in the love of God” have much for all Christians today to glean from.
Gnosticism back in these days was one of the popular false teachings, but don’t believe that just because you haven’t heard the term “gnosticism” thrown around today, that it’s not alive and active. Gnosticism declares that the spirit is good, and the material is evil. But there is no connection between the 2, therefore the false teachers involved in gnosticism would promote free indulgence of the flesh and it’s sinful desires, therefore, as we will see in v.4, they turned the grace of God into a free pass to live their sinful lifestyles.... that doesn’t sound like anything like today at all… does it??
1 Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called:
2 mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied.
(Sanctified, Preserved, and called.... Mercy peace and love… already 2 triads)
3 Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.
Jude originally intended to write a letter of the common salvation, not common in the sense that it’s cheap and everyone has it, but common in the sense that we are all saved the same way, whether rich or poor, young or old. But instead of this being a letter of the common salvation, The Holy Spirit compelled him to change the content of his letter to exhorting his audience to earnestly contend for the faith.
This word exhort in the greek is a military term that generals would use to give orders. This epistle had originally intended to be a sweet sound of common salvation, must turn to the sounding of a trumpet to prepare for battle!
The word contend in the greek literally means to struggle for, and the word faith in the greek has a definite article, meaning it is THE faith. This refers to the body of apostolic doctrine which was once for all delivered unto the saints.
Interestingly enough, Jude is not about bringing up some New and catchy teachings that’ll attract followers, his concern is to bring believers back to the roots, exhorting them to fight for The faith, and fight for it EARNESTLY. This implies that there is something worth fighting for here, and also that there is a fight over it.
And notice what the readers need to contend for… it’s not “one of the faiths”, it’s not “faith”, it’s THE FAITH. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, set apart as the one and only.
Jesus said himself in
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
not one of the ways.... THE WAY
Peter says in
12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
Paul was right in line with this teaching as we can see in his letters
4 There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;
5 One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
5 For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus;
It’s important to understand the faith here that is mentioned, again what Jude is referring to is the same thing the apostles wrote of.
Faith can be misplaced, misled, misinformed. But the Bible does define this for us...
1 Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
And it says,
6 But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
So how can the righteousness before God be attained? Paul tells us
21 But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets;
22 Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: for there is no difference:
See our faith, THE faith, can only be referred to as THE faith because it is not misguided, it’s not misled, it’s not deceived or misinformed or any of that. The Christian faith is not faith in:
works of ourselves, because we are weak
it’s not faith in men or the pope, because men are mistaken
its not faith in finances or success in this life, because that is all fading
Our faith, THE faith, is in the PERFECT, TRUE, HOLY, ETERNAL Person of our LORD JESUS CHRIST! So when I tell you to ‘have faith’ brothers and sisters, no matter what you are going through, please understand this; I do not mean, have faith in that your situation will get easier, I do not mean have faith in that you will come into some money, and I do not mean have faith in that health and wealth are what lie ahead. No, when I tell you to have faith, I mean have faith in Jesus Christ, and Who He is, and what HE can do.
Now jude tells us WHY we need to earnestly contend for the faith
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.
One of the first things that makes these false teachers dangers is, notice, they crept in unawares. It seems most people think the fight between light and darkness, between God’s people and satan’s army is one with battle lines drawn, 2 clearly different armies opposing one another. But, satan is a lot smarter than this, and it’s been said, that he knows that one devil inside the church can do a lot more damage than a thousand outside.
another triad Jude uses to describe these false teachers that have slipped in through the back door.
their condemnation was ordained of old - we could spend all day on this topic but I will refrain
-Just because false teachers creep in unnoticed by men, does not mean God does not notice them. As far is God is concerned, their destiny of condemnation has been ordained from long ago, He is not surprised or baffled by their creeping in and deceiving the church at all.
-We should be sober minded, paying attention and aware of these false teachers, because God has written of them beforehand, of their judgement, and warned us several places in scripture (Matt.13.36-43, Matt. 7.15-20)
they turn the grace of God into lasciviousness
-The 2nd description of these false teachers is what they do with the grace of God, they turn it into literally in the greek, unbridled lust.
-Many have a hard time with the unbelievable freedom and gift of God’s grace. But the truth is, if you’ve really experienced God’s saving grace, you will then want to become a duolos, but these wicked ones who claim to be spiritual prophets, take God’s grace, and use it as a free pass to “live the way you are”. This false doctrine has always been popular, especially today, because it tickles the ears of those who “want to be spiritual”, but not a biblical spirituality.
-This is referred to as Sheilaism, or (Insert your name here) ism.
Obviously this is false teaching that does not jive with the words of our Lord Jesus
24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?
or with Paul’s later teachings
1 What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?
2 God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?
Our 3rd description in the triad of these false teachers, is:
3. they deny the ONLY Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ
-Let me tell you people, this is why the Word is so important. When you dig into God’s Word, the person, work, and deity of Jesus Christ will become clear, and those are the things that will help you spot a false teacher right away.
LESSON IN HISTORY
5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not.
This first of 3 examples gives two lessons Jude has referred to, ideas that are not NEW, but found in the OT scriptures, Firstly, the judgement of unbeliever is certain, just like long ago when God judge those who did not believe the report of Joshua and Caleb, but rather sided with the report of disbelief from the other ten spies...
That being said, the other exhortation in this would be for believers to take heed, and CONTINUE in belief in walking with God. Endurance is probably one of the biggest traits needed in the Christian’s walk, because we can see through this and the other examples, that it’s possible to experience God’s miraculous power, His voice, His provision, and yet still not enter His rest because of disbelief. That is precisely what happened to the wandering Israelites.
This reminds me of why the Word so beautifully states that faith comes from hearing, and hearing the Word of God. Not from experiencing the miraculous, or having spiritual experiences of hearing God’s voice.
You’ll remember Jesus Himself even said:
26 Jesus answered them and said, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Ye seek me, not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves, and were filled.
27 Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed.
28 Then said they unto him, What shall we do, that we might work the works of God?
29 Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that ye believe on him whom he hath sent.
the 2nd example of sure judgement for the unbelievers, and taking heed to continue in belief
6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
This again, shows us that it is possible to experience the presence of God, and to worship God, yet in the end, be reserved in darkness unto the judgement.
7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them, in like manner giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire.
Part of the use of these examples and why it’s important, is again, because these false teachers are within the church, just like the Israelites and the angels, they look like they are a part of the rest of the church… but their wicked deeds like that of sodom and gomorrah show that they are not of God.
8 Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities.
9 Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke thee.
10 But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
Another mark of these false teachers that jude goes into detail on is how they speak evil of spiritual authority that they know not.
rejecting authority means rejecting who God has put in place, linking the korah reference.
This is another obscure reference by Jude, but this is awesome proof that michael the archangel is NOT Jesus. Jesus rebuked satan in His own authority, but michael dared not.
You see we have a beautiful picture here of how to engage in spiritual warfare. michael found himself in a battle with satan, but he did not try to battle satan in his own strength, rather he understood his submission to God, The One Who will ultimately deal with satan and all of his minions. And so the power is in understanding Who our God is. You see, many have painted this false idea that satan is Jesus’ opposite, but this couldn’t be further from the truth. The bible accredits creation through Jesus, and angels, like michael and lucifer, are created beings.
the idea is, if michael the archangel dared not bring an accusation against the devil, how much more should these men not speak evil of dignities
11 Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core.
anger greed and envy, the other triad jude points out to mark the false teachers. So not only do they reject God’s authority and contend against it, but it is out of these sinful motives that they do so.
Instead of accepting correction from God in humility, Cain became angry with his brother Abel, as you know, leading to the first murder recorded in the bible. Not only was Cain’s sacrifice and offering to God incorrect, he was also furious with his brother who had been accepted by God...
Second is balaam, you remember the events of this prophet, who was driven by greed. Using the things of God to better themselves, like a selfish shepherd, these false teachers follow the way of using the pulpit for financial gain.
Finally korah, who thought it wrong that moses be in the position God placed him in, was full of envy. The ground opened up and swallowed him and his family. Isn’t that what envy does? You’ll end up losing all of the things you have and should’ve been grateful for because you were driven by envy, ungrateful for what you didn’t have.
12 These are spots in your feasts of charity when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots;
13 raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever.
clouds without wind, useless, very disappointing, ooh rain is coming, life and refreshment!… nope, nevermind. Shooting stars, there for a second in all their glory, and then poof, they’re gone. Rather let your light shine enduring for eternity, than to have a little blast of light shining from a moment but then eternal darkness after the fact.
14 And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying, Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints,
15 to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him.
Good reference here to the saints arriving WITH Jesus to judge in the 2nd coming. You remember paul writing to the corinthians, he said why are you guys going to secular judges to dispute matters? Don’t you know that the church will judge the world, angels even? This giving proof to all of the scriptures that point to the church coming WITH Jesus to judge the world
16 These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.
Interesting, take note that one of the bad fruits to point out these is complaining. Easy to tell someone has lost touch with God when the complaining is much in their life. It is not good enough that salvation is provided, they need it provided on a silver plate with some dainty napkins, and shortly after that, they are complaining about the manna (Spurgeon), wishing for quail instead.
Flattery also sets them apart, again to be used to gain advantage and promote themselves. How careful one must be in the position of leadership, because of the temptation to just tickle the ears of your followers to gain promotion. God provide ministers faithful to the truth, no matter the cost, and help us to discern such men, especially in these days.
17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ;
18 how that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts.
19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit.
Here the letter takes a turn, from describing and discerning the false, to exhorting the true children of God to remember that this has all been prophesied, and that our walk should look differently.
20 But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,
21 keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
We need to understand the meaning when the bible says that Christ died for the ungodly, because the significance that God loves us all has been significantly twisted. Consider the sinner who defends his sinful practice by saying: “God loves me just the way I am” His implication is that “God loves me, I must be pretty good how I am”
The truth is, the fact that God loves him is a reflection of GOD’s goodness, not his own. The perspective is not “I’m so great that even God loves me” but rather: “God is so great that He loves even me”
Keeping yourself in the love of God is not an implication that you need to work and live in such a way to make yourself lovable to God. We’ve already determined that God demonstrated His love for us in that WHILE WE WERE YET SINNERS.... But the idea is something we can glean from the prodigal son message in the NT.
Some people live like they are on the dark side of the moon… the sun is always shining, and they could be living in it, receiving it’s warmth, but they are never in the place to receive it, just like the son who never left the father’s house in the first place. He thought of himself as better than the prodigal son, because he never left the father’s house. But, his heart and attitude were in such a place where even though he was living with the father, he did not keep himself in the father’s love, but rather grew bitter hearted.
22 And of some have compassion, making a difference:
23 and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh.
Spirit give us discernment for this...
24 Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,
25 to the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
Here is our key, we receive all of this warning from Jude, and some serious stuff to take heed on, continuing in belief, not falling for the deception, etc. What do we do?! How can I keep myself in the love of God? How can I help brothers and sister who are falling prey to the deception? How can I discern when to have compassion and when to pull dude out of the fire?!
The answer is in verse 24… To HIM WHO IS ABLE to keep you from falling… and not only able to keep you from falling, but HE is the one able to present you before the presence of His glory. And not just present you, but present you FAULTLESS (Because we are covered in HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, not our own). AND NOT ONLY PRESENT US FAULTLESS BEFORE the presence of his glory, but to do it with EXCEEDING JOY!
You see the key is shifting our focus off of ourselves and onto the KING. amen.