Taking our Stand
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Introduction:
Introduction:
Biblical truth is the heart of every born-again believer. The truth about God, His creation, His Son and our penal substitution, Jesus Christ. The life, crucifixion, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ. How there is no other name given to be saved by Acts 4:12
Biblical truth has always been under attack, yet seems to have increased as the time of Christs’ return draws nearer. As back in Jude’s time, biblical truth is being even more challenged, not believed, not followed, not thought as important. Biblical truth is being challenged in its authenticity, accuracy, and its reliability. The Bible has given us readers many examples of people challenging and outright reviling God’s holy word and commandments.
Moses dealt the unbelieving Jews led by Korah.
Jeremiah dealt with false believers proclaiming a word from God that God never gave (Jer. 14:13-22; 23:9-11; 27:9-15; ch. 28; 29:8-20).
John the Baptist dealt with false believers/proclaimers
7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming for baptism, he said to them, “You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Jesus dealt with false believers and proclaimers
15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
Matthew ch. 23 & 24)
Paul dealt with false believers/proclaimers
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;
Peter dealt with false believers/proclaimers
1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
Apostle John did as well
1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
All of these warned the church of those to come that had their mind set on maligning the truth of God, hurting the word of God, and tearing apart the very fabric of of what true believers hold in hope within them. All of these said they are coming, they are coming, they are coming....Jude tells the church THEY ARE HERE.
So, the church must be ready. The church must be prepared. The church must be unwavering in God’s holy truth, that was....(read vs. 3 handed down).
What else must the church be ready and prepared to do?
11 Do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of darkness, but instead even expose them;
This is exactly what the Holy Spirit moved Jude to write about therefore giving us the God breathed epistle of Jude.
BACKGROUND:
Jude was written around A.D 65-67. We get this by Jude never mentioning the destruction of Jerusalem, which occured in A.D. 70, led by Roman General Titus and Emperor Vespasian. Jude was the full brother to James and half brother to Jesus.
55 “Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
Jude at first was not a believer (Jn 7:1-5), but did come to salvation after the resurrection of Jesus (Acts 1:14).
Jude’s epistle is considered a general epistle, as it was not written to a specific church. Jude’s letter was probably circulated to many churches, starting with the church of Jerusalem where his brother James was the pastor.
The epistle of Jude almost did not make it into the cannon of Scripture as some thought it lacked the marks of true God inspired writing. Yet, at the Council of Hippo A.D 393 and the Council of Carthage A.D. 397, Jude’s epistle was voted in as an inspired writing and placed before Revelation. HOW ACCURATE!! HOW DIVINE!!!
When it comes to the truths of the Bible, God’s truth must be:
Believed
Embraced
Obeyed
Never questioned
Never rejected
Trusted
Walked in
Never hidden
Rejoiced in
Seen as magnificent wisdom
Revered
Worshiped
Celebrated
Praised
Advised
Prescribed
Taught
Learned
Loved
Retained
DEFENDED
12 Fight the good fight of faith; take hold of the eternal life to which you were called, and you made the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.
15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;
Unbelievers, even the ones hidden in the churches, will hate the truth. They will have nothing to do with the truth, though, they appear to be in the truth simply by going through the religious motions. But ultimately their hatred will shine forth.
Why do they hate the truth? Because they hate Jesus Christ.
7 “The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me because I testify of it, that its deeds are evil.
18 “If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.
13 Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.
4 Everyone who practices sin also practices lawlessness; and sin is lawlessness.
5 You know that He appeared in order to take away sins; and in Him there is no sin.
6 No one who abides in Him sins; no one who sins has seen Him or knows Him.
7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;
8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
They hate truth, holiness, righteousness. They want what the world offers, what their father the devil gives them. It’s a drug and they do not want any help to get off of it. They simply want more at more frequency.
And these, these people are inside the church “hidden”, “unnoticed”, teaching, leading, guiding, smiling, loving on, and yet have only one thing in mind.....seducing (licentiousness) the word of God. Perverting the word of God. Twisting and distorting God’s truth into mans own lie.
Therefore, we have Jude writing the church on what the church must do....
The Church must have Sure Footing (Stance) vs. 1-3
a. A Particular Identity
Who you are.....
I. Slave (doulos)
20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
23 You were bought with a price; do not become slaves of men.
A believer in Christ is a slave, a doulos. A position of lowest of low. The third deck of a rowing ship. You submit, you obey, you die to self. You understand said place and gladly fall into place under the Lordship of Jesus Christ.
5 Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus,
6 who, although He existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped,
7 but emptied Himself, taking the form of a bond-servant, and being made in the likeness of men.
II. Called (election; predestined; foreordained; chosen)
7 to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
13 But we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord, because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the Spirit and faith in the truth.
Ephesians Ch. 1
28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.
29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;
30 and these whom He predestined, He also called; and these whom He called, He also justified; and these whom He justified, He also glorified.
III. Beloved/Sanctified (in intimate relationship with God through Christ)
5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.
God loves His own unconditionally, unending, with nothing able to separate God from those that are His. An absolute love! A love that sent His only Son Jesus to the cross on our behalf!
IV. Kept (sealed)… Eph. 1:13; 4:30; Jn 6:37)
A doctrine of eternal salvation that cannot be loss. Some people believe when you sin you can loose salvation and have to start over again. Oh folks that just isn't so! You are kept. You are sealed. There is nothing you can do to separate the love that God has for you!
4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life.
5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection,
6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin;
7 for he who has died is freed from sin.
8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him,
9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him.
10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God.
11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.
1 Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers,
39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
26 For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners and exalted above the heavens;
27 who does not need daily, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because this He did once for all when He offered up Himself.
11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things to come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this creation;
12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, but through His own blood, He entered the holy place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.
27 And inasmuch as it is appointed for men to die once and after this comes judgment,
28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, to those who eagerly await Him.
10 By this will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.
Do you know who you are this morning?
Do you know whose you are this morning?
Do you where you stand with god this morning?
We MUST examine these things before we go on further because if you are not certain about anything just spoken on, how can you fight for the faith?
Oh you can don the uniform. Oh you can don the battle gear. Oh you can put on the fighting face. Oh you can yell out the battle cry. But you will cower and run when face to face with the enemy or join them because you have no roots. No training. No strength.
b. A Particular Appeal vs. 3a-b
Jude here is sitting at his desk where he is writing and struggling to write about “our common salvation”. Now, we know that salvation is not something that is common per se.
Salvation is:
1. Power from God (Rom. 1:16)
2. Causes you to be born-again (John ch 3)
3. Transforming (Rom. 12:2; 2 Corinthians 3:18)
4. Sanctifying (Rom 6:22; 1 Thess. 4:3)
5. Grace, Mercy, Pardon, Freedom, Cleansed, Forgiveness, Eternal life all from God through the Lord Jesus Christ!
Jude was wanting to celebrate this with other believers. To express the gladness and joy in such a time of oppression and depression.
The Holy Spirit had other plans. Amen?
“I felt”.....
“the necessity”.... this is the internal stirring of the Holy Spirit.
We find this elsewhere in Scripture:
44 “No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up on the last day.
16 All Scripture is inspired by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness;
9 Then the Lord stretched out His hand and touched my mouth, and the Lord said to me,
“Behold, I have put My words in your mouth.
20 But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation,
Jude here is not confused about what to write or changing his mind, but through obedience being led by God through the Holy Spirit, Jude changes his human letter to write a God-breathed letter to the saints.
What is the “appeal”?.... To “contend”…to fight, strive, stand against
Contend....how? Earnestly = seriously. With a dedicated serious
mindset. Jude says here there is no more time for playing as the
enemy is within and they are here to destroy the truth that was “once
for all handed down to the saints” handed down to the true believers
that make up the church.
c. A Particular Faith vs. 3c
This is not just some faith or a faith. Biblical faith, biblical truth, is the faith.
What is “the faith”? If you asked many proclaiming
39 “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; it is these that testify about Me;
6 Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father but through Me.
68 Simon Peter answered Him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have words of eternal life.
1 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me.
11 “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me; otherwise believe because of the works themselves.
Faith is not earning salvation by any other means; works, charity, sacrifices, sacraments, etc., but by believing in Jesus Christ and placing all hope in Him for your salvation for eternity.
“Faith only glances at problems, but gazes upon Jesus.” Steve Lawson
That is why Jesus commands us to cast all your burdens on Him.
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God;
This is the faith we contend for, the truth of Jesus Christ. The truth of salvation. The truth of eternal life. The truth of God’s wrath. The truth of judgement. The truth of the incarnation. The truth of the sinless sacrifice on the cross for sin only in one man Jesus Christ.
**This is why DOCTRINE MATTERS!!
This is why we must contend and do it earnestly. Do it with a serious life or death mindset.
Now this reminds us who we as true born-again Christians are. Amen?
Again, as I said two Sunday’s ago, if your not on board here with what Jude is writing to the churches, then you are apart of the problem that the Scriptures are about to explain. You are the problem that the church is dealing with today.
2. The Church must Analyze their Surrounding vs. 4
Paul would advise a young pastor named Timothy why you as the church must pay attention (film
reel).
(2 Timothy 1:15; 4:10, 14; 1 Timothy 1:18-20)
Because, the church has:
a. A Particular Opponent (vs. 4a)......”For certain persons”
Apostates
Phonies
Masquerade
Rejector’s of truth
Liars
Whitewashed tombs
Empty
Reviler’s
These are ones that God has marked out, announced, prescribed, set forth, ordained, condemned for this very purpose.
God has sanctified His own by His grace, His purpose, His glory. These He has done this to are His elect, the called. Then God also has set apart those that are used for His glory, for His purpose, but are subjects of his wrath. These “certain people” are those that pervert His gospel, His truth, His glory, His reign, and are subject to his wrathful judgement.
Two distinct sets of “certain people”. The Elected. The Rejected.
These are not babes in Christ, but the spiritual immature. These are traders of the cross, ones that hate Christ and all that follow Him.
3 As I urged you upon my departure for Macedonia, remain on at Ephesus so that you may instruct certain men not to teach strange doctrines,
18 This command I entrust to you, Timothy, my son, in accordance with the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you fight the good fight,
19 keeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.
15 “Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves.
16 “You will know them by their fruits. Grapes are not gathered from thorn bushes nor figs from thistles, are they?
b. A Particular Method vs. 4....”they have crept in”
Crept in the Greek is parĕisdunō, par-ice-doo´-no, meaning to “settle in alongside”. To “lodge stealthily”.
To come in, to join in, to blend in, to participate covertly in. There intention is not about having a church membership, the right hand of fellowship, to partake in the Lord’s Supper, to sing the glorious songs of worship to God, but their intention is to implant, to cultivate their evil intentions.
1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
Its “the enemy among us” unaware story.....
How did they creep in? Fully unnoticed
They come in. The blend in. They stay in. They engage in. They settle in. They contribute in. All along the way sowing seeds of destruction to the point where the church does not even realized what has happened to them. As a result, fellowship is broken. Trust is no more. Worship is ignored. Gathering becomes undesired. The church splits or closes.
c. A Particular Mindset.....vs. 4c.. “ungodly persons”
What does it mean to be ungodly?
The New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words asĕbēs ἀσεβής
asĕbēs, as-eb-ace´
Which means to be impious. Wicked. Even more, it means devout in wickedness.
The Bible gives us some examples of some devout wicked people that would match up to what is seen here in Jude and today’s church.
Jezebel (1 Kings 18, 19, 21)
Delilah (Judges 16)
Haman (Esther 3)
Cain (Genesis 4:1-12)
King Herod (Matthew 2:1-16)
Herodias (Matthew 14:3-12)
Satan (Revelation 12:7-9)
These that Jude expresses about, that the church is filled with today, this morning, are in the same category as these seven I just read!!
13 For such men are false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ.
14 No wonder, for even Satan disguises himself as an angel of light.
d. A Particular Morale vs. 4c “licentiousness”
What other mindset do these false believers have? .....Read rest of vs. 4
They turned, twisted, changed, personally defined, fashioned themselves, “the grace of our God into licentiousness” ======> sensuality====> an excuse for their fleshly desires of perversion and worldly living then by twisting Scripture they seduce others into their web of wickedness.
1 But false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.
2 Many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of the truth will be maligned;
19 Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality,
They turn God’s grace into a lie by devaluing it. This is the living proof of ones that are not born-again, not converted from death to life but still in death awaiting judgement.
3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, He condemned sin in the flesh,
4 so that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.
5 For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.
6 For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace,
These are descendants of what is known as Gnosticism. Gnosticism (Gnostics, meaning knowledge). Their belief is that their knowledge is superior. They believe in what is called “Dualism” meaning everything created was on a divided level, spiritual vs. physical. That matter is evil and spiritual is good. That their are two god’s. One god of creation and the other god of redemption. Gnostics believe that their salvation id different, that it is superior, which allows them to claim salvation (spiritual-good) yet live how they want to live while in the flesh (matter-evil).
Gnostics even have their own writings called the “Gnostic Gospels”, yet they were not allowed into the cannon of Scripture.
e. Their Particular Mark vs. 5 -16 (Character)
These that creep in unnoticed, that are ungodly, that are fully of sensuality, are also ones that through action and verbal, deny the sovereign lordship of Jesus Christ.
Want to know about Jesus Christ of the Bible? Don’t run to these people!
Want to know about the lordship and kingship of Jesus Christ? Don’t ask these people!
These certain people will not have anything to do with submitting to Jesus Christ. They are their own master. Not Jesus… no way...
Do people run to these types of false believers and leaders? You bet they do!
6 I am amazed that you are so quickly deserting Him who called you by the grace of Christ, for a different gospel;
Their MARK’S of Indictment
A. Mark of Unbelief
They do not believe....vs. 5
B. Mark of Immorality
They are fallen angels who rebelled with Satan....vs. 6
C. Mark of Rebellion
They are perverted......vs. 7
4 that each of you know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,
5 not in lustful passion, like the Gentiles who do not know God;
D. Mark of Irreverence
They are terrorists of God and Gospel.....vs. 8 - 9
They have no understanding....vs. 10 2 Peter 2:10…Rom. 1:22
They desire to consume....vs. 12
They do no wrong....vs. 16
E. Mark of their Eternal State....their outcome
They are marked out....vs. 4
They are condemned.....vs. 4
They are spiritually dead…vs. 12
They are cursed…vs. 11
Cain
Balaam
Korah
Fallen angels
Sodom and Gomorrah
They are devoid (not having) of the Spirit....vs. 19
They are convicted.....vs. 15
They are judged…vs. 14-15......MATTHEW 25:31 from Bible
They are destroyed....vs. 7, 10. 5
40 “So just as the tares are gathered up and burned with fire, so shall it be at the end of the age.
41 “The Son of Man will send forth His angels, and they will gather out of His kingdom all stumbling blocks, and those who commit lawlessness,
42 and will throw them into the furnace of fire; in that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
What MUST the church do? Where must we begin? What are the elements to surviving such an attack, not only on the faith, but on the church here today?
3. The church must have a will to Survive....vs. 17-25
The church must Remember....vs. 17-19
The words that were spoken
Jesus
The apostles
the Scriptures
The preaching
Our History
1 This is now, beloved, the second letter I am writing to you in which I am stirring up your sincere mind by way of reminder,
2 that you should remember the words spoken beforehand by the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior spoken by your apostles.
13 I consider it right, as long as I am in this earthly dwelling, to stir you up by way of reminder,
7 Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness is righteous, just as He is righteous;
8 the one who practices sin is of the devil; for the devil has sinned from the beginning. The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil.
9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
10 By this the children of God and the children of the devil are obvious: anyone who does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor the one who does not love his brother.
1 Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world.
2 By this you know the Spirit of God: every spirit that confesses that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God;
3 and every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world.
4 You are from God, little children, and have overcome them; because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world.
5 They are from the world; therefore they speak as from the world, and the world listens to them.
6 We are from God; he who knows God listens to us; he who is not from God does not listen to us. By this we know the spirit of truth and the spirit of error.
2. The church must Remain....vs. 20-21
a. The faith
b. In prayer
c. In the Holy Spirit
d. In the love of God
c. In patience through Jesus Christ
e. Steadfast in doctrine
f. Steadfast in study
g. Steadfast in gathering together
h. Steadfast in accountability
i. Steadfast in truth
4 I have no greater joy than this, to hear of my children walking in the truth.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God,
And renew a steadfast spirit within me.
58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your toil is not in vain in the Lord.
13 looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus,
3. The church must Reach Outward....vs. 22-23
a. To those who are struggling…vs. 22
b. To those who are confused...
c. To those who are weak
d. To those who are lost
e. To those who are apostates....vs. 23b
4. The church must Rejoice…vs. 24-25