“Beware of False Teachers and Teaching”
Notes
Transcript
Sometimes truth hurts.
Sometimes truth hurts.
Mrs. Fisher was recovering from surgery and received a card from her fourth-grade class. It said:
“Dear Mrs. Fisher, Your fourth-grade class wishes you a speedy recovery by a vote of 15-14.”
Sometimes, truth hurts. Other times the truth heals. Proverbs 30:5
5 Every word of God proves true;
he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.
There was a deceptive disease in the churches that received Jude’s letter.
Consisting of only one chapter, Jude’s epistle is an indictment against false teaching, along with a message of encouragement to Christians to stay true to Jesus, regardless of the ideas and behavior of others.
Who was Jude? He is the brother of James, the leader of the church of Jerusalem. Both men are thought to have been the younger brothers of Jesus, part of the family that Mary and Joseph had after Jesus was born.
Who is Jude writing to? We are not told specifically. But given the time and the locale, probably churches around Palestine. The fact that there are lots of Old Testament references, denotes that the recipients are either a Jewish audience or mixed, at the least.
Edwin Blum says that Jude is “The most neglected book in the New Testament.” (The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 384). In Jude, Blum says that God is discovered as “righteous and true and He hates sin and error.” The cult that was infiltrating churches at the time was antinomianism (against the law), a precursor to Gnosticism.
This belief said that all matter an this world are evil. God has nothing to do with it. The material universe could not cohabitate with the spiritual, so this world was of little value to God. As a result, what you do in this world is of little consequence. Blum states:
“To follow the Gnostic path led to a radical rejection of all God’s word to man and to a substitution of a different salvation.”
So, it does not matter how you behave, as long as you believe the “secret, sacred things,” according to the cult’s teaching.
In contrast, the Bible tells us that Jesus came into this world as God in-the-flesh. He took on a human body and lived among us. He became hungry and tired. He cried real tears. He felt pain. He became angry, and yet He never sinned. Jesus coming into our world signaled that his world was important to God; and Jesus would eventually give His life for us.
Lessons from Jude are simple. In this message on this short book, I’ll present two. First, Jude reminds us that...
We must adhere to the one true faith.
We must adhere to the one true faith.
A significant question in Christian thought is how does one stay faithful to Christ, amidst various temptations and teachings that threaten such faithfulness?
Jude, in part, teaches that it is God that keeps us faithful. Notice how he begins his letter in Jude 1
1 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:
The Greek verb is τηρέω, which means “to keep watch over, to guard, hold or reserve.” It speaks of God’s mysterious ability to preserve His children in a world of temptation, struggle and threats to their faith.
Jude would mention this again in Jude 24
24 Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy,
1 Peter 1:4-5 gives a similar thought. He speaks of the new birth that God affords every believer and states that those believers... 1 Peter 1:5
5 who by God’s power are being guarded through faith for a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.
It is part of the Father’s role as the vinedresser, to tend to His garden of followers, keeping them attached and receiving life from His Son (John 15:1-5).
Jude is calling his readership to stay faithful, even though some heretics have crept into the church. Jude 3-4
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. 4 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.
Jude’s emphasis on a fixed core of truth known as “the faith once for all delivered to the saints,” (verse 3). It is common for some Christians to ask, “Why do churches need a statement of faith? Doesn’t that push people away.
Early Christian creeds or statements of faith arose as an answer to heresy or aberrant teaching. Such things have been around throughout human history. The Jews lived among those that worshipped idols. Early Christians lived in the Roman Empire where the Emperor was revered as a god. And the first century church contended with false prophets and false teachers that would lead others astray.
One of those teachings denied the resurrection of Jesus. And so, Paul gives evidence of an early Christian creed found in 1 Corinthians 15:3-9
3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures, 5 and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. 6 Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have fallen asleep. 7 Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. 8 Last of all, as to one untimely born, he appeared also to me. 9 For I am the least of the apostles, unworthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God.
That portion sounds a lot like the Apostles’ Creed, which affirms that we believe in Christ who was “...crucified, dead and buried, … he arose again from the dead.”
In Jude, the false teachers claimed that they were led by dreams and instincts. Both are pitfalls. There were those who claimed that God has spoken to them in these ways. Both are subjective experiences. But whenever the message of that dream goes against the plain teaching of Scripture, you know that it is wrong.
Dream or no dream, Paul would say if anyone or anything taught a different way, they would receive God’s judgement. Galatians 1:8
8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed.
Judgement and woe are pronounced upon these because they are dangerous. And God will deal with them severely, as He has in the past. Notice Jude 5-7
5 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. 6 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— 7 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.
It reminds us that what you believe and how you live are critical aspects of being a Christian. And that the things taking place around you were predicted long ago.
Today, people would be tempted to affirm such teaching. If not agreed with, some would still say: “Oh, they’re just on their own spiritual journey. Live and let live. Who are we to judge?”
But Scripture says that they are void of the Spirit and we ought to stay far away.
What were some of the early Christian heresies? Why were they dangerous? Historian Robert Walton points out the following:
There was Ebionism (late first century), that taught that adherence to Old Testament law was necessary for salvation. For these, Jesus was acknowledged as the Messiah, but only as a man on whom the Spirit came at His baptism.
Or there was Gnosticism (first and second centuries), which we’ve already mentioned. This school of thought taught that adherents were possessors of unique higher insight. They believed that all matter was evil and that they were uniquely spiritual, while others were made of soul and body. They participated in sensual activities.
Then there was Manichaeism (third century), which believed in a dualistic universe of light and darkness. Mani taught that Jesus’ body was illusory and that the apostles corrupted Christ’s teaching, but that he revealed it in its pure form. (Robert C. Walton, Chronological and Background Charts of Church History).
Then there are modern day cults and world religions that gain much attention:
Mormonism or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Its founder, Joseph Smith, believed himself to be a prophet and taught that he received another revelation in a set of gold plates in the woods outside of Palmyra, New York. He taught that “As man is, God was; as God is, man may become.” What did not occur to Smith is that this is a view of polytheism and he is teaching a deified view of humankind. Both are heretical.
Good Mormons will graduate to a higher state of reality in the universe, where they will govern their own planets, made of people. But this goes against the idea that there is One God, uniquely revealed in the three persons of Father, Son and Spirit.
There is Jehovah’s Witnesses who believe that they are the 144,000 spoken of in the book of Revelation. That their Bible, the New World Translation and the Watchtower literature, are bearers of truth, although they pervert the text of Scripture. They believe that Lucifer, (or Satan), was Jesus’ spiritual brother and that their adherents should not say the pledge of Allegiance, practice birthdays or celebrate Christmas.
One thought that I’ve encountered states that Islam and Christianity are virtually the same religion just because they are monotheistic. Yet, Islam denies that Jesus Christ died on a Roman cross and that His death atoned for the sins of the world. That, in addition to their treatment of women as a subclass.
Why should all of this matter? Because you are kept, called and loved, living in a world of temptation and false teaching. And you must discern!
Your spiritual development and understanding is essential.
Your spiritual development and understanding is essential.
You are responsible for what you believe. Perseverance in the faith is a sign that you truly believe in God and follow Jesus. You have to have the tools and the knowledge to “...examine everything and hold fast to that which is good.” 1 Thessalonians 5:21
21 but test everything; hold fast what is good.
Pray for understanding. Jesus prayed for you in John 17:17
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
Caspar Schwenckfeld taught that one must first know Christ before one can understand the Bible.
Study, read and strive for spiritual maturity. Acts 17:11
11 Now these Jews were more noble than those in Thessalonica; they received the word with all eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see if these things were so.
Truth is an evasive thing. There is so much entertainment around us today. What is true is not always popular and what is popular is not always true.
Do not be give over to entertainment. Be careful of the church of “What’s happening now.” Adjust your filter to Scripture and orthodoxy. I’ve seen people in this church leave because they felt like we were tied to a particular politic. I’ve had others leave because they did not like how we handled COVID.
Conclusion
Conclusion
In the end, you must embrace the Scriptures as your guiding truth. Charles Haddon Spurgeon, who was England most well known pastor in the last half of the 19th century, said:
“If my compass always points to the North, I know how to use it; but if it veers to other points of the compass, and I am to judge out of my own mind whether it is right or not, I am as well without the thing as with it. If my Bible is right always, it will lead me right; and as I believe it is so, I shall follow it.”
In April of 2011, a line of deadly tornadoes ripped across the state of Alabama, leaving some 250 people dead in its wake. Near Wellington, Alabama, the Hardy family realized the storm was coming too late to find a permanent shelter. They considered trying to take shelter in a metal clubhouse, but it had already been turned on its side by the strong winds. So in desperation, they took shelter in a small stand of trees. They tied a rope around the children and huddled around them in the trees as the storm passed. A family member said that while they had been scratched by flying dirt and debris, none suffered any serious injuries.
Imagine how tightly you would cling to the trees and rope in such a situation. Knowing that your life or the life of your child might depend on your grip would give you all the motivation you needed to hang on with every ounce of power you could muster!
Although there are no warning sirens or news alerts, each of us is living in the path of destructive storms. There are temptations and destructive philosophies abounding around us, and if we do not have a secure place of protection, we will be destroyed.
Because the Word of God is so readily available to us, we often take it for granted rather than treasuring it as the precious resource it is. When you view the Bible as a lifeline designed to keep you safe through the storms of life, you begin to take it more seriously.
