Tools to Spotting False Teachers(Jude 1-16)

Introduction

We are going to be in Jude 1:1-16

There is only 1 chapter in Jude, so we won’t be in this book very long.

Background:

Written by Jude or Judah the half-brother of Jesus who like James the half-brother of Jesus didn’t believe in Him until after his death, burial, and resurrection, but he became a traveling missionary, sharing the gospel

Jude never specified to whom he was writing but based on the content of this book, that being all the Old Testament and extra-biblical references, it’s safe to assume that whoever he is writing to is of Jewish background, though now Christian

Something I want to go ahead and address with you guys because I don’t want to dig into it now on stage, but you are welcome to come and talk to me to after the sermon is the extra-biblical works Jude quotes. I want to make sure we are focused on the actual meaning of the book rather than the questions you may have about why Jude quotes 1 Enoch if it’s not included in the canon of scripture or why he quotes the Testament of Moses. The reason he quotes these works despite their noncanonical background is because they were popularly known among the Jews. Most Jews would have grown up hearing of these works, maybe even listening to some of the wisdom they hold, but they would never consider them factual.

Similarly today, we are all familiar with the Chosen. The Chosen, like Enoch and the Testament of Moses, was inspired by scripture, though it contains a lot of fictional things that are just not in scripture, therefore, we do not regard it as factual but we respect its themes.

That is all I will say on those works for right now. I figured there would be somebody who has looked into Apocryphal books a little bit and you may be curious of things like that. It’s good to be curious about scripture and how the canon came together, but we don’t want it to catch us up on things.

The main point of this book though, is to warn the church of false teachers among us. They claim to be like us, but they, themselves, sin while cohersing others to sin with them. As we’ll see in the text, this is a horrible, wicked thing!

I title this sermon “The Red Flags of False Teachers” because I want to talk about red flags to look for. We all know what red flags are within relationships and stuff like that. When we see them, we know we need to skidaddle out of there!

*read text and pray*

Jude 1–16 ESV

Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, beloved in God the Father and kept for Jesus Christ: May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. 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. For certain people have crept in unnoticed who long ago were designated for this condemnation, ungodly people, who pervert the grace of our God into sensuality and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ. Now I want to remind you, although you once fully knew it, that Jesus, who saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day— just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. But when the archangel Michael, contending with the devil, was disputing about the body of Moses, he did not presume to pronounce a blasphemous judgment, but said, “The Lord rebuke you.” But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. Woe to them! For they walked in the way of Cain and abandoned themselves for the sake of gain to Balaam’s error and perished in Korah’s rebellion. These are hidden reefs at your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, shepherds feeding themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever. It was also about these that Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of his holy ones, to execute judgment on all and to convict all the ungodly of all their deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.” These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.

Know God’s Word

Every point after this will build off of this fact

You guys need to be disciplined in knowing the scriptures so that you can hold leaders accountable

Look at the things Jude compares the false teachers to

There are A LOT of OT scripture references in this book

Verse 5 references Numbers 14 where the people tried to turn on Moses to return back to Egypt, denying the Lord

Verse 7 references Genesis 19 where the Lord destroys Sodom and Gomorrah for their wickedness

Verse 11 References Genesis 4, Numbers 22-25, and Numbers 16

Verse 12 references Ezekiel 34:2, Proverbs 25:14, Isaiah 57:20

If it’s not clear enough, Jude knows the Old Testament pretty well

It is because Jude knows the scriptures that he was able to call out sin when he saw it.

Likewise, we need to make sure that we know the Bible so that we are able to protect ourselves from those who are going to try and lead us astray with sly teachings.

Look at all of the popular churches nowadays that are preaching the “name it, claim it” gospel. A message that does not revolve around Christ but the self. It asks what does God have to offer me? Rather than what do I have to offer God?

Those churches have thousands and thousands of followers.

I want to be careful about who I call out to be false teachers from the pulpit, but I think it’s pretty clear that Joel Osteen is preaching the wrong gospel.

think about how he is misleading 45,000 people every single week. Their church holds 16,800 people at 3 services every Sunday, that’s more than 45,000 people not including the people they touch through their broadcasting.

It’s abhorrant how many people are being fed a false doctrine to “live your best life now.”

But for those who know scripture, they know Matthew 6:19-21

Matthew 6:19–21 ESV

“Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

That sounds a lot like living your best life in eternity with Christ

This is just an example of discerning through false teachings.

What about those who sneakily use scripture to lead people astray?

If you have ever heard a sermon from Mr. Osteen, he quotes scripture, but he morphs it to fit whatever sermon he tries to preach.

It is not enough to just mearily know the Word, but we also need to know what it means.

The devil used scripture against Jesus during His temptation in Matthew 4, so we too need to know the scriptures and what they truly say.

Like Jude, who uses SO MUCH scripture to identify false teachers, we too need to know the Word of God.

Know How to Look at Their Fruit

Is the teacher bearing fruit for the sake of the gospel? Are they even preaching the gospel? What do they say about Jesus?

In Jude, we are not blatantly told what the false teachers were teaching, but based on the comparisons he makes between stories in the OT and the false teachers, they were guilty of denying the Lord’s sovereignty (v. 5, 6, 11), sexual immorality (v. 7, 10), and greed (v. 16). They were “following their own sinful desires” (v. 16).

Verse 10 compares them to unreasoning animals who only understand their instincts and bodily functions

The false teachers Jude is talking about in this book are not bearing fruit whatsoever (Matt. 7:16). He downright calls them “fruitless trees in late autumn, twice dead, uprooted.” If a teacher is not bearing fruit whatsoever the things they are bearing is sinful and wicked, that’s a pretty clear indicator that this person is a wolf in sheeps clothing (Matt. 16:17)

Illustration:

You guys may know this about me but growing up I skateboarded. Within the skateboarding community there’s a running gag which a lot people know about, but we learned how to spot a “poser.”

I don’t know why this was such a big deal, but for some reason it was. But on the other side of this coin people would try to fake being a skateboarder for some reason. They would scuff up the bottom of their boards and beat up their boards to look like they actually skated, but man, I could spot a poser from a mile away.

I would be at the park and some dude and his friends would pull up and they would being wearing the clothes that are so popular in skateboarding like baggy pants and all that stuff, but they would just come and sit down at the edge of the park and talk a bunch of smack. It would make me and my friends so mad because they would be in the way, messing people up while they were trying to get better and learn new stuff, and they would would talk a big game. Most of the time, they were just there to get involved in partying and whatever other sinful stuff they could get their hands on.

Similarly, a false teacher is going to look the part but never act it. A false teacher is seeking to teach people for the wrong reasons.

In Jude’s context, these teachers were enouraging people to sin and corrupting the gospel in people’s heads so that they could continue on in their sin.

A true pastor or godly leader is going to preach the gospel in all that he does!

A true pastor is one who preaches biblical doctrine based on the inerrant Word of God and is one who never strays from this.

Know That God Controls Their Judgment

Let’s think about this. Why are false teachers judged so heavily?

They are creating false Christians who are not actually saved because they don’t know the true gospel of Jesus Christ

They can creep into a community of true believers and while the believers are not able to lose their salvation, their testimony can be tainted and ruined before unbelievers.

Satan is a prowling lion always trying to destroy the things that God has built. The Church is meant to be a beacon of light and hope for the world. They are a hospital for the spiritually sick. Why wouldn’t the enemy use sinful people to infiltrate the Church?

But as we see in this text, those that lead God’s people into sinful doctrines will have a harsh judgment waiting for them after death.

Jude compares their judgment to that of Sodom and Gomorrah’s (the people who were destroyed by God’s power), the angels that rebelled against God (who were chained up in gloomy darkness until Judgment Day), and the Israelites who were led out of bondage in Egypt but still denied the Lord and were struck down by God, Himself.

The Good Shepherd, Jesus Christ, will not suffer His sheep to be eaten alive by wolves in sheeps clothing

Teaching is such a serious thing in the eyes of the Lord that He gave those who desire to be overseers or deacons in the church guidelines for qualifications in 1 Timothy 3.

The Lord gave strict guidelines for the kind of men that lead God’s people until His return, so how much more would the Lord care about those who intentionally sneak into the church to lead people into dark teachings?!

Conclusion

Another place in scripture that talks about false teachers is Romans 16:17-20.

Romans 16:17–20 ESV

I appeal to you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and create obstacles contrary to the doctrine that you have been taught; avoid them. For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own appetites, and by smooth talk and flattery they deceive the hearts of the naive. For your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, but I want you to be wise as to what is good and innocent as to what is evil. The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.

I think this text kind of wraps everything up that we’ve been talking about in Jude.

Paul says here in Romans that we need to watch out for false doctrine, false teachers serve their own appetites, they decieve the naive, be wise as to what is good and what is evil, and the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet.

My friends here that know the Lord in your hearts, please stay in the Word of God because it will teach you to protect yourself from wicked people who wish to harm the church.

My friends who don’t know Christ as your personal Lord and Savior, I invite you to believe in Jesus and place your faith in Him, for He will protect you. He will wipe you clean from your sins and you will have eternal life with Him! You will be given life after death with God, for in His presence is the fulness of peace. Please don’t leave here today unchanged!

*Pray and dismiss*