Accepting Godly Authority

Jude states that he was to “remind” them of what they came to know “once and for all”. He is saying that they know the Gospel but he wants to give them warnings in the past of those who rejected God’s authority and what happened.

Lessons about Jesus’ Authority

First, there is an important textual issue here. It says in v. 5 that it is “Jesus” that saved a people, not the Father. Why is this important? Because it reads back into the OT that Jesus was the one speaking to Moses, and who presented Himself in a pillar of fire and smoke. Although some wonder if it is actually “Lord” instead of “Jesus”. What is clear is that the Son was active and using His authority as God.

Jesus delivers those who believe but will judge those who do not

This is one of the most important moments in Israel’s history. Time and time again Israel would return to this event as a reminder of God’s faithfulness and His salvation for His people. Later when Israel was in captivity they would look back to this a reminder that God would save them again.

Why was is it so important? It was God showing he was greater than the gods of Egypt, that He was the one with final authority.

But then something else came out of this

When the Israelites were about to enter the promised land there were spies who went into the land and came back. 10 of the spies gave a report that they couldn’t defeat their enemies in Canaan so the people panicked and believed that God brought them out into the desert just to die.

Although they had God’s promises, they had God’s power, they saw the miracles, they didn’t believe His authority. They didn’t believe He was who He said they was. They didn’t “believe”.

I have heard people say that if God showed them a miracle or spoke to them in an audible voice that they would believe in God. But what the Bible tells us is that we walk by faith and not by sight. That faith is the being convinced of what we have not seen.

-The Israelites prove this to us. They saw the miracles of God, they heard his voice, and yet many still didn’t believe. Even Pharoah saw the miracles of God!

It reminds us that just because we hear the truth, go to church, and even have been baptized does not mean we have been saved.

An initial commitment to the truth doesn’t secure future salvation.

-We need to respond to God’s warnings and neglecting our trust in him

-Notice, it was those who “did not believe”, not those who didn’t act in the right way. It

-We never grow beyond our need to believe and trust in Jesus. When we fail to trust God and His promises for us in Jesus this is when we turn away from God and reject His authority

-If we believe, Jude tells us in Jude 24-25 that God will keep us from stumbling

Jesus has authority over all creatures

The story Jude talks about next is the story of the Angels in Gen. 6 who had relations with the “daughters of men”. Jude takes from ancient Jewish sources that discuss this event. Jude believed these to be angels and not men.

What Jude says about them is that they “abandoned their proper dwelling”. They abandoned their home to find somewhere they shouldn’t have been.

-Now, to this day there are “everlasting chains” that are waiting for them. This doesn’t mean literal chains, but that there is an eternal punishment that is waiting for them. But they aren’t just in chains now, but a “judgment on the great day” awaits them as well.

-1 Enoch 10:13–14 says,

13 In those days they will lead them into the bottom of the fire—and in torment—in the prison (where) they will be locked up forever. 14 And at the time when they will burn and die, those who collaborated with them will be bound together with them from henceforth unto the end of (all) generations.

-It is like if you sneak out of your home to do something you shouldn’t. At some point you are going to have to come home and face the “chains” that might await you.

-It is a reminder that if Jesus’ judges angels then he will also punish us. We can’t escape His authority. No amount of money, no amount of scientific advancements…nothing can keep us from having to face Jesus.

Only Jesus can bring life

What Genesis tells us about Sodom and Gomorrah were on very vibrant land, in fact it looked like “the Garden of Eden”. But instead of these people praising God, showing gratefulness for what He had provided, they instead became arrogant and prideful.

Ezekiel 16:49–50 “Now this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: She and her daughters had pride, plenty of food, and comfortable security, but didn’t support the poor and needy. They were haughty and did detestable acts before me, so I removed them when I saw this.”

Jude says that Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding towns (Admah and Zeboiim) “went after other flesh”. What does this mean?

-They were committing sin against other men, violating others for their own desires. It would seeking a different type of flesh then what they were supposed to seek.

-What was the punishment for these men in Sodom? Eternal fire. They had life, but instead they chose eternal fire.

The dangers of “chasing dreams”

The people that Jude warns against are those who “rely on dreams” for their way of life. They use dreams as their source of revelation.

-What does this mean? It means that they find ways to justify their rejection of God’s law. People at this time took dreams as “signs” from the gods, they use them to validate things they desired.

-We can use superstitions and our imagination to validate, our friends to validate what we want to believe, finding someone on youtube who agrees with us to validate our opinions.

“These dreamers are laying claim to a position of inspired leadership within Jude’s church, and the members are too sleepy to notice what is being smuggled in under their noses” - Green

-Our world finds many reasons to validate the 3 things that Jude talks about. Sexual immorality, rejecting God’s authority, and slandering God’s Word.

It pollutes us

It says “defile the flesh” but it actually means to “pollute oneself”.

Polluting themselves through sexual sins, justify lust.

We can also pollute our bodies through things like smoking, alcohol, and gluttony. Justifying them by saying we “need” them, using them as therapy while they are really harming us.

It makes us believe we have control

This term means to “disregard lordship”, that is they deny the power of God in our lives. Rather than agree that God has authority over everything, they want to take control of their own lives.

We like to think we can have control of our lives, but we don’t now just how worrying that is.

-Many of us think we want more responsibility, but once we have it we realize just how difficult it is when people are looking to us to make a decision.

When we make our own standard of right and wrong then we are constantly changing based off what the world says.

“In” fashion over the years

It leads us to slander what is good

Jude looks back to the Israelites who slanders God’s command, who slandered the good things that he gave them because they wanted something different, who grumbled whenever things God difficult. They didn’t just reject it, they argued that God was against them rather than for them.

Jude uses an example of Michael having an argument with the devil over the body of Moses. We have this story in Deuteronomy 34 but there is no mention of Michael or Satan. Jude is quoting a book called the “Assumption of Moses”. This story says that Michael came to bury the body of Moses (the Bible says the Israelites did not bury him so many believed it was the angels) , but the devil argued that Moses should be given to him for being a murdered and was not to receive an honorable burial. But Michael appealed to the Lord as the one who rebuke the Devil rather than rebuking the Devil himself. The devil then withdrew because he knew that God would decide in the favor of Michael. Michael is considered one of the “chief angels” who is called the “great prince” by Daniel and will lead God’s army against the dragon in revelation. But rather than take the place of God in judging the Devil, he gives the authority to God. Micahel doesn’t take the place that the fallen angels in the past had done.

-Therefore, in refusing to overstep his position he showed he would not slander even one who was evil but leave it to God.

-Zechariah 3:1–4 “Then he showed me the high priest Joshua standing before the angel of the Lord, with Satan standing at his right side to accuse him. The Lord said to Satan, “The Lord rebuke you, Satan! May the Lord who has chosen Jerusalem rebuke you! Isn’t this man a burning stick snatched from the fire?” Now Joshua was dressed with filthy clothes as he stood before the angel. So the angel of the Lord spoke to those standing before him, “Take off his filthy clothes!” Then he said to him, “See, I have removed your iniquity from you, and I will clothe you with festive robes.””

-It is not that God does not judge, but that it is God who will judge and not any man. Just like Michael would not condemn Satan and left that to God. These false teachers had anger that God’s Word seemed to judge their actions, but it is God will do the judging. We can slander others and say “only God can judge” but that is presuming that God will not judge us for our actions against him.

-These false teachers what taking the place of God, slandering God’s good word and His angels by trying to create their own authority.

-The Lord’s Word is effective in declaring what is Good and in vindicating the righteous against evil. God’s Word is what tells us of our sin and what can remove our sin.

One day you will be pulled over, and most likely you are going to get upset at the police officer over what was YOUR actions. “why did they pull me over, I was only going 10 miles over the speed limit? What about the other people speeding?”

Jude says that they slanders because they don’t understand. These people think they have a “higher knowledge”. They think they have developed the right thinking and wisdom, but in fact they are out of their league.

-But because they don’t understand they go to the one thing that makes sense to them…desire, passion, appetite. They are driven by desire.

-This statement Jude makes is ironic. Because although these people claim to have a higher knowledge, in fact they only follow primal instincts.

-This is how many believe. They can’t get past the simple. That they should get to enjoy what they want to enjoy, they should be able to live however they want with no repercussions . That their impulses are correct.