Contend for Christmas: Jude 1:5-11

Summary:

5. Remember that Jesus saved the Israelites from Egypt and then destroyed them for unbelief.

6. The rebellious sons of God (angels) who chose to step out of their God-given order are now chained in darkness for ultimate destruction.

7. Sodom and Gomorrah did whatever they wanted sexually and were judged by eternal fire.

8. And these false teachers are essentially doing the same thing.

9. Michael, a powerful angel, wouldn’t even speak so presumptuously to the devil.

10. But, in every way, these people are headed towards destruction.

11. These rebellious teachers better watch out because judgment is coming!

Context: False teachers have snuck into the church. Contend for the faith! The gospel/LORD demands a whole life response.

It’s not how you start but how you finish (vv. 5-7). The gospel saves. The gospel results in you being kept. If you end up destroyed, something has gone wrong.

The Lord is in charge (vv. 8-9). Stop acting like the devil.

There’s a right way to live and it’s not following these false teachers. (vv. 10-11). “You don’t get to tell me what to do.”

Big Idea:

Chasing after sin always leads to destruction. [What are you giving your life to?] Follow Jesus this Christmas.

Intro:

What am I chasing? I dont need to win. Why am I placing that expectation. Winning doesn’t determine impact. There’s a kid who I know I made an impact on because I cared, not because we wont - because we didn’t. Hayden at the gym. Same with families. Jesus calls us to love people not chase winning. Winning is somethign we want to do. God has a greater purpose - impact.

Exegesis:

1) It’s not how you start but how you finish (vv. 5-7). [unbelief]

v5 - “Now I want to remind you…” You already know these stories… and against what these false teachers are saying…

Don’t be short-sighted. Where are you headed? Wins (feelings and recognition) or impact?

theologians believe “destroyed” refers to Num 14 and unbelief and not entering the promised land.

v6 - The watchers. Gen 6. This was the original understanding of Jude and his generation. Enoch - the origin of evil. 1 Enoch 6-19. Watchers were a sort of false teachers. Michael does the binding? Forever means without hope of release until the final judgment. The reverse of the earlier “kept.” (perfect) Also, they did not “keep” their part (unfaithful), so God did not keep them. Reminder, if it were dependent on us, we’d have no hope. But angels are not us. Emphasize KEEP. Jude does!

v7 - Sodom and G also committed sexual immorality. “unnatural desire” refer to sex with angels though sometimes interpreted to as homosexuality. Either way, the call out is this mentality that “I can do whatever I want sexually.” God has given an order and purpose to sex.

2) Listen to the Lord (vv. 8-9). [belief]

v8 - These “dreams” of prophetic revelation that no one can authenticate (false prophecy - how it’s used in the OT). They likely used this to establish themselves as prophets (authority). They used them to justify their sexual and sinful practices.

Reject authority (lordship - v4). How Jesus judges sin doesn’t matter.

blaspheme angels - Not sure why.

Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 50: Jude, 2 Peter Comment

Much more plausible is (5) the view that it was the angels as givers and guardians of the law of Moses whom the false teachers slandered (Chaine)—and, we may add, the angels as guardians of the created order. This view has the advantage of cohering with what we know for certain about the false teachers—their antinomianism—and of making the three accusations in v 8 a closely connected series. All three are their rejection of the moral order over which the angels preside.

v9 - Michael is the chief. Master Chief?

Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 50: Jude, 2 Peter Comment

The devil in his ancient role as accuser tried to establish Moses’ guilt, in order to prove him unworthy of honorable burial and to claim the body for himself

Word Biblical Commentary, Volume 50: Jude, 2 Peter Comment

All he could do was ask the Lord, who alone is judge, to condemn Satan for his slander. The moral is therefore that no one is a law to himself, an autonomous moral authority.

We are all subject to authority… to the Lord!

Don’t follow these ding-bats.

3) Don’t be a blockhead.

[False teachers are teaching and practicing unbelief]

Charlie Brown is called a blockhead because he makes bad choices. But here’s the gospel. God can redeem those choices. If we look to the true meaning of Christmas.

Look at their lineage (Cain, Balaam, Korah) - stupid. Don’t be stupid.

Last week I said… Jude, the faithful brother of Jesus, is writing to the church, his faithful brothers and sisters in Christ. And later in the letter, we’ll discover that he’s likely writing to the Jerusalem church or one primarily comprised of Jewish believers because of his many references to OT and Jewish literature without any explanations, implying his audience was familiar with these works. .

Connection to Psalm 1

Cain - I can approach God however I want. Jude - no there is one way delivered to all. There is one way to appraoch God and if we get this wrong, it has eternal consequences. It rebels against God’s heart.

The audience had a knowledge of Jude’s examples. And were still deceived. How much more if we don’t know the examples: Read the Bible.

Joe P as a cop at the beginning of Home Alone.

Jude says Jesus will present us perfectly if it was any other way we would just die in his presence we would be like Isaiah who is me because Jesus keeps us he’s promising just as he promised Christmas that we will be able to have a right relationship with God and live forever in the way that we are created to live

2 peter 2 mirrors this passage but also expands giving some application and warnings.

George Lim:

Jude says Jesus will present us perfectly if it was any other way we would just die in his presence we would be like Isaiah who is me because Jesus keeps us he’s promising just as he promised Christmas that we will be able to have a right relationship with God and live forever in the way that we are created to live

“For God did not spare even the angels who sinned. He threw them into hell, in gloomy pits of darkness, where they are being held until the day of judgment. And God did not spare the ancient world—except for Noah and the seven others in his family. Noah warned the world of God’s righteous judgment. So God protected Noah when he destroyed the world of ungodly people with a vast flood. Later, God condemned the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and turned them into heaps of ashes. He made them an example of what will happen to ungodly people.”

‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭4‬-‭6‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Was this formulaic? Similar to Jude?

George Lim:

“It would be better if they had never known the way to righteousness than to know it and then reject the command they were given to live a holy life.”

‭‭2 Peter‬ ‭2‬:‭21‬ ‭NLT‬‬

Response:

Here’s the point: 2 Peter 3 (God is being patient with you, so repent!). Repentance is a good thing. It’s sourced from God’s kindness.

Give us clarity - all this temporary stuff that we’re worried about or desiring, it’s all going to literally burn. Don’t focus on the fire, but on what the fire produces. If it burns up, it’s value is questionable at least. Meaning it doesn’t last and it’s not trading your eternal soul for. So - live holy lives. This is going to give you a return on your investment that lasts forever. Actually, it’s not gonna be a fair trade because when it comes to rewards, God’s not fair - He is with judgment… but blessings are always above and beyond. If I do this, I will receive a spanking. If I do this, I’ll get a million dollars. Read parts of 2 Peter 3:11-18.