Jude: A call to change and defend.

Jude 8-11

Passage 8 Yet in like manner these people also, relying on their dreams, defile the flesh, reject authority, and blaspheme the glorious ones. 9 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." 10 But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively. 11 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.

Introduction

Jude the brother of James and half brother of Jesus- son of Mary and Joseph. Originally desired to write a letter about salvation but his direction was changed by the Holy Spirit and he instead addressed false teachers and false livers! Fake Christians.

He referred to himself as a slave of Jesus Christ which is a strong contrast about what he is about to address.

Apostasy is turning away from the faith. TO ABANDON OR RENOUNCE RELIGIOUS BELIEF. It is saying that you are a Christian, but not living like one. It is false teaching and false living.

God’s Word tells us the closer we get to the second coming of Christ that Apostasy will continue to increase. That many will “know God in mind and words” but few with “know Him in saving relationship and action.”

In the early church there were people who as Jude puts it “crept in unnoticed” and began to pull the church away from the truth of Scripture.

VS: 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.

The call to defend is a call to fight against such teachings that these false teachers and false “livers” are doing.

In the previous verses Jude gives three examples about judgment that fell upon people in the OT who were apostates. The unbelieving Israelites, The self-centered angels,The godless Gentiles of Sodom and Gomorrah= all resulted in destruction

Today, we look at what the lifestyles of the apostates of the early church.

1. They justified their sins and followed their dreams.

Dreams are not bad. God spoke through dreams and visions throughout the Bible. However, we must remember that when God speaks through dreams, visions, and other people, He will not contradict His Word. If you get a dream that you believe is from God, but it contradicts God’s Word, the dream is not from God.

Revelation 22:18-19 18 I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, 19 and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.

Hebrews 12:1-2 1 Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

God can still speak to the human heart through dreams, but it will not contradict His Word. These dreams that these apostates relied on spoke against God’s Word. One big dream they believed in was as a believer you had freedom to sin in Christ. They believed it, they lived it, they taught it in word and deed. They were wrong! What are you relying on to justify your beliefs and actions? Is it man’s teaching? Is it your mind? Or is God’s Word?

2. They defile the flesh.

These folks liked to party! They liked to live it up! The word defile here, when used in the Bible, generally talks about sexual sin.

Basically they disregarded God’s teaching in the Bible when it comes to sex. That teaching is that God created sex to be enjoyed and done within the boundaries of a marriage relationship between a man and woman. Anything outside those boundaries is a perversion of something beautiful that God created.

These apostates did not like that teaching so they took it out of their Bibles. Instead, they would say, God told me in a dream that this was alright, so let us indulge in it. They did this to justify their sinful nature and sinful habits. It was too hard for them to allow God to change them, so they changed what God said. Are you like that?

3. They reject authority.

One, they rejected the Lordship of Jesus in their life. They refused Jesus to be their Boss, their Master. They wanted the salvation, but not the change. They did not understand that part of the salvation process is the one receiving the salvation allows the one who does the saving complete control of the saved life. In other words, if you want Jesus to save you, you must surrender your life to Him. Your life is not yours any longer, it belongs to Jesus. The more control you give to Jesus, the more He changes you to become like Him. They did not like that part. So even though they may have confessed to being a Christian they really were not because they were unwilling for Jesus to be Lord. Because they refused the Lordship of Jesus, they also rejected the authority of sound biblical teaching in their life.

They hated it because it revealed the sin in their life. It brought condemnation on them. Thus, they rejected those who taught them God’s Word. They were judgmental, harsh, out of the times of the day. A word of warning to those who try to live by God’s truth.

9 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." It comes from the Jewish Apocrypha. The jest is that even God’s chief angel would not judge Satan, he left it up to God.

So should we. We are called to encourage people to turn to Jesus and live like Him. We are called to speak, and live, the truth of scripture into peoples lives and allow God to do the convicting and judging. Because of their rejection of authority, they blasphemed the glorious ones. Namely Jesus, and His saints. Apostates look at Jesus and His saints with scorn and ridicule just like the religious leaders during Jesus’ ministry.

4. They fall under judgment. (vs. 11)

11 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. When you see the word “woe” in Scripture you better watch out because a word of judgment from God is coming.

Jude gives another 3 examples from scripture concerning those who choose to reject God.

Cain killed his brother Abel and was sent into exile. (Genesis 4) JEALOUSY AND HATRED

Balaam chose material gain over spiritual obedience (Numbers 22-25) GREED FOR WEALTH AND MATERIAL GAIN

Korah leading a rebellion against Moses and Aaron (Numbers 16: 1-35) REBELLION

If you continue to live the life of an apostate, you are declaring that you have never trusted Jesus as Savior and Lord. A true believer does not continually reject the truth of Scripture. A true believer does not cheapen the grace of Jesus. The church is called to defend against this type of teaching and living. So I must ask you, do you love the truth of scripture and do your best to live by it? Or are you rejecting it? If you are living a life of rejecting the truth of scripture and the lordship of Jesus I encourage you today, to come to the Savior for real.