Untitled Sermon (4)

You may by but you will not get away

Randy Jacks / General

Jude 1:5 - 11 08/15/21

When I was a boy growing up in the sixties and seventies. I hated to hear my mother say, “just wait till your daddy get home, you are going to get it.” Later that day my father would come home, eat his dinner, go to his second job, and arrive home again later that night. I would be thinking to myself that just maybe he had forgotten when suddenly, his belt would come off. All that day and into the evening I got by thinking that I would not be punished but I did not get away! The false teachers who corrupt the word of God, the troublemakers who sow discard among the brothers may seem to be getting by, but they will not get away.

The Reminder verse 5

Jude lived in a time when Christianity was under severe political attack from Rome and aggressive infiltration from Gnostics who had sown a seed of doctrinal error. All the apostles accept for John had been martyred and Christianity was thought to be extremely vulnerable. But instead of throwing in the towel Jude encourages the church to fight for the truth amid spiritual warfare.

Jude has warned his audience concerning the false teachers here in verse 5 we see Jude desire. His desire is to remind them of something that they already know. First, he reminds them of how God delivered his people who were enslaved for some 400 years until God sent Moses to deliver them. God led them through the wilderness which was vivid picture of redemption. When they were hungry, he feed them with manor from heaven. When they were thirsty, He brought water from a rock. When they were trapped by the Red Sea, He made a highway in the middle of the sea. Jude audience knew this story well they knew what God had done. Jude uses what God has already done to reveal Gods unchanging attitude toward anyone in any time or place who corrupts His Word. God destroyed all those who did not believe. The first born of the Egyptians all died. Pharaoh army were all drowned in the Red Sea because they did not believe. This story of the Exodus serves as a stern reminder of divine judgment not only on the Egyptians but for the Israelites who faithlessly turned away from God. (When Moses had been gone to long they had Aaron make them and idol)They got by but they did not get away!

Verse 6 The angels who rebelled did not get away

But who are these angels that have been bound in everlasting chains? Who are these angels who did not keep their proper domain? Who are these angels who left their own abode? Some believe that these angels refer to Satan but that could not be true because 1 Peter 5:8 ‘Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.” So, it cannot be the devil and his demons because he is not bound, he is still prowling around.

John MacArthur holds this view and I agree with it he believes that the actions of the angels in Gen. 6:1-4 was so heinous, so severe that God placed the offending demon in chains to prevent them from committing such perverse things ever again. 2 Peter 2:4 For if God did not spare the angels who sinned but cast them down to hell and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved for judgment. The angels in Jude were kept in eternal darkness the angels in 2 Peter 2 were cast down to hell to be reserved for judgment. Peter said they sinned Jude said that they did not keep their own domain meaning that they went outside of the authority given to them by God which is sin. Jude went on to say that they abandon their proper abode meaning that some them co-habituated with human women to produce a corrupt generation of demon influenced children. God sent those fallen angles to a place under darkness for the judgment of the great day. Peter said they were committed to the pits of darkness reserved for judgment. The point that Jude makes here is that even the angels did not escape judgment!

Verse 7 Unbelieving Gentiles did not get away

The third example that Jude gives is that of the unbelieving gentles who lived in Sodom, Gomorrah, and the surrounding cities. The people of Sodom were wicked people who engaged in sins as shocking as those of the angels. One of the sins of Sodom is a sin that is readily accepted by people today even those in the church. Listen to Gen. 19:4- 5

4. Now before they lay down, the men of the city, the men of Sodom, both old and young, all the people from every quarter, surrounded the house.

5. And they called to Lot and said to him, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us that we may know them carnally.”

They were asking Lot to bring out the men so that men could have sex with other men. Just like the fallen angels before them their sin was the sin of immorality. Jude says that they went after strange flesh. Strange flesh means that they pursue someone who was outside of what was proper for them. It was not proper for the angels to cohabit-ate with women and it was not proper for men to have sex with men. But the sin of Sodom was not just related to homosexuality the sin of Sodom was also related to heterosexual relationships. Remember also in Genesis 19:8 that Lot offered his virgin daughter to the men of Sodom instead of the men in his house, but they refused. Homosexual relationships are sin just like heterosexual relationships that happen outside of marriage. I don’t care how many men you see kissing on television it is a sin. I don’t care how many women you see in sitcoms living as married couples it is a sin. I don’t care how many celebrity’s co-habitat outside the bonds of marriage it is a sin. Nobody gets a pass; social standing will not buy you a pass. Fame and fortune will not buy you a pass. Matthew 25:41 says, “Then He will also say to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” You will not escape the judgment of God. If you reject Christ, there will be no mercy for when you die without Christ the last drop of mercy for you will have already been used! But the message is not just for unbelievers it is also for believer. This warning should inspire us to contend for the truth. This warning also serves as a warning to those who know the truth but walk away from the gospel. It is for the person who will say when they hear truth, I know that this is right but still refuse to turn their lives over to Jesus. Hebrews 10:29-31 says, “Of how much worse punishment, do you think, will be deserved by the one who spurned the Son of God, and profaned the blood of the covenant by which he sanctified, and has outraged the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord. And again, “The LORD will judge His people.” 31 It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Unsaved church goers who hear the truth but refuse to obey the truth will suffer severe punishment.

Verse 8-9

God destroyed the enemies of his people who He brought out of Egypt. God punished the angels who left their proper domain reserving them for everlasting judgment and He destroyed His enemies in Sodom and Gomorrah who engaged in sexual immorality. In verse 8 we are introduced to another group who will not escape the judgment of God the text calls them the dreamers. The dreamers are those who rely on their dreams instead of relying on God. Like the others mention in the text these dreamers also defile their flesh they are free of moral restraint they are characterized by their immoral lifestyle.

The first thing that the dreamers are guilty of is this; they reject authority. These dreamers can be better described as pretenders, who reject all authority, civil authority, pastoral authority and even the authority of scripture. You know them well they are generally the ones who will say the Pastor is man just like me. The Pastor is a man but unlike you He is a man whom God chose to lead His people. Because God chose him you must not reject the God given authority that he has been given. The Pastor is the shepherd, he is the overseer of the church a man who deserves respect. If you doubt what I am saying look at Acts 20:28, “Therefore take heed to yourselves and to all the flock, among which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God which He purchased with His own blood.” One last warning is found in Psalm 105:15 it says, “Touch not My anointed one do My prophet no harm.” The dreamers are people who reject all authority who try to harm God’s prophet physically and with words!

They also speak evil of dignitaries the dignitaries here are not preachers or any other person they are angels. I know that they are angels because of what Jude said in verse 9. In verse 9 Jude illustrates what he means by speaking evil of dignitaries. He refers to Michael the archangel. Michael is the chief angel who watches over Israel and leads the holy angels. This is the only place in scripture that speaks of the confrontation between Michael and the devil. The confrontation was over the body of Moses. Moses died on Mount Nebo so, this confrontation must have taken place there. We don’t know why the devil would want the body of Moses, but rest assured it was for some evil purpose. But notice that Michael does not pronounce judgment on the devil instead he said the Lord rebuke you. Well, if an arch angel did not rebuke the devil who do you think you are? None of them will get away in time they will get what they deserve not in our time but the Lords time. 2 Peter 3:9 says, “The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.”

Verse 10 -11

Jude concludes this section by saying these men revile the things which they do not understand. The word revile means to blaspheme; it means to speak evil of the things that they do not understand. It always amazes me when people can talk bad about something or someone even though they have only heard one side of the story. I am amazed at how long people will judge you based on what you use to do even though your pass may be 20 years behind you. A person can be judged wrongly because the one judging lacks understanding. But what did they fail to understand? It is the things of God concerning angels, demons, human sin, and forgiveness. They see sin as a mistake and forgiveness as optional! Instead of understanding the things of God they are like animals who know the things they know by instinct. They operate out of their own unholy instinct and lust the bible describes them as unreasoning animals. The word unreasoning means without a word. The bible describes these people as dumb animals who cannot speak reasonably because they cannot reason. They may be highly educated false teachers who think that their teaching is profound, but they are still like brute animals. They profess to be wise, but they have become fools. In the end they are destroyed but notice here that they are destroyed by themselves. What they tried to destroy others with ends up destroying them. I am not going to keep talking about this, but I will mention one thing that destroys you; un-forgiveness destroys the person who refuses to forgive. Un-forgiveness ruins the person who holds the grudge you can’t pray right because you have iniquity in your heart and the Lord want hear you. You cannot communicate properly because you are too busy avoiding certain people. And while all of this is going on the other person is going on without a care in the world!

Finally, Jude closes with a woe. A woe is an emotional cry. Jude is warning his audience of how bad it will be for those who reject Christ. He gives three examples of people who rejected the Lord. First, there is Cain who murdered his brother because he offered God an unacceptable sacrifice. Cain killed Abel because he was jealous. Cain offered a sacrifice which says to us that he was religious, but he was also disobedience, he offered God something that God did not require. Cain did it his way and because he did it his way, he wandered the earth for the rest of his days.

Balaam error was rushing headlong into greed. False teachers’ fundamental motive is the money, they are not true shepherds of God. Balaam devised a plan to lure the people of God into idolatry so that they could be judged by God. But God used a donkey to stop him from carrying out his plan.

Then there is Korah who was a cousin of Moses, he had been given significant duties in the church but when he was not chosen to be a priest, he became irate, he became so irate that he enlisted others to rebel against Moses. He accused Moses of exalting himself before the people (Number 16:3) He told the people that they did not need a leader, they did not need a teacher, so he openly rebelled against Moses God given authority. But God did not allow Korah to succeed the bible says in Number 16:32-35 that earth open her mouth and swallow up Korah, his followers and all their possession. All the examples that I gave you were examples of people who rejected God, people who did harm to the man of God by openly rebelling against his God given authority. They all got by but none of them got away. Listen if God did not spare the angels, if He did not spare the children of Israel who rebelled if He did not spare Sodom and Gomorrah and the dreamers; He will not spare you. The question before us now is this, what shall you do now that you know that judgment is sure? Repent! Isaiah when He saw the Lord high and lifted up, he said to the Lord woe is me. I am a man of unclean lips and I dwell among and unclean people. But his eyes saw the Lord of host and when he saw Him, when he confessed his faults, the Lord cleaned him up. And when the Lord cleaned him up, I heard the Lord say whom shall I send and who will go for us? I heard Isaiah say, Lord here and I send me. It is only after you confess your sin and turn back to God it is then and only then that God will be able to use you. Do what the woman at the well did after Jesus told her all that she done she repented of her sins and went running into town saying come see a man who told me all I ever done. She was used by God but only after she confessed her sins. I got question is there anybody here who wants to be used by God? Well, if you do and if you have sinned and have not repented. Here the words of the hymn writer and run to the cross for it was at the cross where I first saw the light and the burden of my heart roll away. It was there by faith that I received my sight and now I am happy all day. (Amaze in grace and other songs) Amen.