Jude (3)
Notes
Transcript
1 What marvelous love the Father has extended to us! Just look at it—we’re called children of God! That’s who we really are. But that’s also why the world doesn’t recognize us or take us seriously, because it has no idea who he is or what he’s up to.
Do you hear the excitement in John’s voice?! Do you hear the Joy he has for the Lord?!
Every single time I read this verse, I get excited… You see, John is in the middle of his letter to the church… He is in the midst of writing… encouraging… lifting up… strengthening the believers there… He is in the midst of writing a letter sharing the Glory, Freedom, and Grace of the Gospel…, and he is overcome with excitement!!!!
Can you hear that same excitement in the opening words of Jude?!
1 Jude, a servant of Jesus Christ and brother of James, To those who are called, who are beloved in God the Father and kept safe for Jesus Christ:
2 May mercy, peace, and love be yours in abundance.
3 Beloved, while eagerly preparing to write to you about the salvation we share, I find it necessary to write and appeal to you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.
He says that he is writing to “Those who are Called”… Those who are Chosen by God!
And that they are “Beloved”!
The root word in the Greek is agapao… We’ve all heard that word before… It means “love”… or more specifically “to be Loved”…
Agapao — “To be Loved”
Literally every translation translates this as “Those who ARE Loved!”
And… It doesn’t mean “by people,” it means “by God”!
Jude starts with a reminder of the same thing that got John so excited when he pondered and was reminded of it:
You are LOVED by God!
He CHOSE you!
Can you get excited about that?!
The very thought makes me want to dance with JOY!
— We are called “Children of God” — We have been chosen and adopted by God! I don’t think we consider that idea enough… God did not have to make us His own… But He CHOSE to.... He CHOSE you!
— We are called “Beloved” — that means that we are deeply loved… cared for… nurtured… by a God who loves us… and promises to provide EVERYTHING we need!
15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, “Abba, Father.”
16 The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
17 Now if we are children, then we are heirs—heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ, if indeed we share in his sufferings in order that we may also share in his glory.
Can you get excited about that?!?!
That is the JOY of our salvation!!!!
That is the JOY that stopped John in mid-sentence and caused him to cry out in praise to God!
That is the JOY that filled the hearts of the disciples…
That is the JOY that Jude desperately wanted to write about… But…
3 Beloved, while eagerly preparing to write to you about the salvation we share, I find it necessary to write and appeal to you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.
Jude saw a desperate need among God’s children…
We must “contend for the Faith” against false teachers… who have “stolen in among us”…
Like Spurgeon, Jude “Could not endure false doctrine...”
We must not either! No matter how nice… how comfortable… how good it looks!
We MUST contend for the faith!
Remember Watson’s words from last week:
“Contending involves building up the Church in Faith and proclaiming the Faith to those who are no longer contending for it, in order to rescue them from judgment...” — Watson
How we live matters!
We are commanded to lift each other up… to support each other… strengthening each other to walk in one Faith!
4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your calling,
5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6 one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.
WE… are responsible for the strength of the Church!
“Each individual Christian has the dual responsibility of maintaining the truth unadulterated and of carefully handing it off to others.” — Hillyer
Therefore, we must “contend for the Faith” both to strengthen ourselves and to protect against false teachers.
So… How do we recognize “false teachers”?
Is it as simple as they are teaching something we don’t agree with? Something that goes against what we have always been taught?
4 For certain intruders have stolen in among you, people who long ago were designated for this condemnation as ungodly, who pervert the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.
Jude says that they “Pervert Grace”… and that they “deny Christ’s Lordship”…
This denial and perversion is what Jude is concerned with.... But, We’ve heard it all before, amen?
We know that we need to avoid “false prophets” and “false teachings”.... So…
Why do we need to hear this?
Why is this message so important to Jude? Why is he so focused on US hearing it?
Why did this message take precedence over the celebration of God’s Grace and Salvation in Jude’s mind?!
Because.... We can fall prey to false teachings, and BECOME the false teachers ourselves!
Look at what Christ said to the church in Ephesus:
2 “I know your works, your toil and your patient endurance. I know that you cannot tolerate evildoers; you have tested those who claim to be apostles but are not, and have found them to be false.
3 I also know that you are enduring patiently and bearing up for the sake of my name, and that you have not grown weary.
4 But I have this against you, that you have abandoned the love you had at first.
… in Thyatira:
19 “I know your works—your love, faith, service, and patient endurance. I know that your last works are greater than the first.
20 But I have this against you: you tolerate that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophet and is teaching and beguiling my servants to practice fornication and to eat food sacrificed to idols.
in Sardis:
Revelation 3:1–3 (NRSV)
“I know your works; you have a name of being alive, but you are dead.
2 Wake up, and strengthen what remains and is on the point of death, for I have not found your works perfect in the sight of my God.
3 Remember then what you received and heard; obey it, and repent. If you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.
If we are not careful… If we do not “contend for the Faith”… for ourselves AND for others… we can fall into the trap of false teachings… and that takes us away from God!
Can I tell you this — God takes you seriously!
That’s why He warns us to “contend for the Faith”!
— (Someone needs to hear this) God Loves you! He created you… He wants a relationship with you… Sin SEPARATES you from that relationship!
That is why God takes it seriously!!!!
(apparently, Jude is still talking about salvation, amen! ;) )
Look at Jude 5-16
5 Now I desire to remind you, though you are fully informed, that the Lord, who once for all saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.
6 And the angels who did not keep their own position, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains in deepest darkness for the judgment of the great day.
7 Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which, in the same manner as they, indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural lust, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
8 Yet in the same way these dreamers also defile the flesh, reject authority, and slander the glorious ones.
9 But when the archangel Michael contended with the devil and disputed about the body of Moses, he did not dare to bring a condemnation of slander against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
10 But these people slander whatever they do not understand, and they are destroyed by those things that, like irrational animals, they know by instinct.
11 Woe to them! For they go the way of Cain, and abandon themselves to Balaam’s error for the sake of gain, and perish in Korah’s rebellion.
12 These are blemishes on your love-feasts, while they feast with you without fear, feeding themselves. They are waterless clouds carried along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, uprooted;
13 wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the deepest darkness has been reserved forever.
14 It was also about these that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, “See, the Lord is coming with ten thousands of his holy ones,
15 to execute judgment on all, and to convict everyone of all the deeds of ungodliness that they have committed in such an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things that ungodly sinners have spoken against him.”
16 These are grumblers and malcontents; they indulge their own lusts; they are bombastic in speech, flattering people to their own advantage.
Jude gives us three reminders of God’s judgment of sin.
I. Israelites (5)
5 Now I desire to remind you, though you are fully informed, that the Lord, who once for all saved a people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe.
God delivered the Israelites out of Egypt… We know the story — the plagues… crossing the Red sea… the death of Pharoah and his army… and all the while God guiding them by smoke and fire…
When God did what He did in Egypt… He chose lowly, worthless slaves as His People! He chose them!
… But… later He destroyed an entire generation… WHY?
— Unbelief and unfaithfulness.
“Let none therefore presume upon past mercies, as though he was now out of danger.” — John Wesley
That was the Israelites failure! They thought that they were automatically saved… after all, God had promised Abraham… He had delivered them from Egypt… He had led them all the way to the promised land… and yet… they still grumbled.... they still failed to believe that God would take care of them.
Think about that…
— God had displayed His awesome power and protection in Egypt… He had delivered them from the suffering and bondage they had experienced… He had led them to a new place to live… and promised them true life!!!
— But… ALL they saw were the OBSTACLES before them!
Numbers 13:1–30 (NRSV)
1 The Lord said to Moses,
2 “Send men to spy out the land of Canaan, which I am giving to the Israelites; from each of their ancestral tribes you shall send a man, every one a leader among them.”
3 So Moses sent them from the wilderness of Paran, according to the command of the Lord, all of them leading men among the Israelites....
25 At the end of forty days they returned from spying out the land.
26 And they came to Moses and Aaron and to all the congregation of the Israelites in the wilderness of Paran, at Kadesh; they brought back word to them and to all the congregation, and showed them the fruit of the land.
27 And they told him, “We came to the land to which you sent us; it flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.
28 Yet the people who live in the land are strong, and the towns are fortified and very large; and besides, we saw the descendants of Anak there.
29 The Amalekites live in the land of the Negeb; the Hittites, the Jebusites, and the Amorites live in the hill country; and the Canaanites live by the sea, and along the Jordan.”
30 But Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, “Let us go up at once and occupy it, for we are well able to overcome it.”
But the other spies didn’t agree and were afraid… look at the people’s reaction:
1 Then all the congregation raised a loud cry, and the people wept that night.
2 And all the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron; the whole congregation said to them, “Would that we had died in the land of Egypt! Or would that we had died in this wilderness!
Their fear overcame their faith!
In the very shadow of God’s miraculous deliverance of them.... they traded their faith for fear!
How often do we do that?!
How often do we face a new challenge… or receive a word from God, telling us to do something crazy, promising amazing things for us, but… we stay right where we are out of fear of the unknown… out of fear of failure… or fear that God night not see us through?
How often does that happen?
How often do we allow fear of our finances… or fear of condemnation… shame… rejection… from the world… stop us in our tracks?
We need to remember the truth that we always seem to forget…
God provides! God overcomes! God saves!
33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
We are called to live by Faith!
II. Angels (6)
6 And the angels who did not keep their own position, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains in deepest darkness for the judgment of the great day.
This is interesting… scripture doesn’t tell us a lot about angels… but here, Jude gives us a glimpse into fallen angels.
18 He said to them, “I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning.
12 How you are fallen from heaven, O Day Star, son of Dawn! How you are cut down to the ground, you who laid the nations low!
First, angels fell because of pride… satan thought himself better than God, and some of the angels agreed!
Second, angels fell because of lust!
1 When people began to multiply on the face of the ground, and daughters were born to them,
2 the sons of God saw that they were fair; and they took wives for themselves of all that they chose.
3 Then the Lord said, “My spirit shall not abide in mortals forever, for they are flesh; their days shall be one hundred twenty years.”
4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days—and also afterward—when the sons of God went in to the daughters of humans, who bore children to them. These were the heroes that were of old, warriors of renown.
Do you see what happened there?
The angels saw the people God created… they saw their beauty… their grace… the image of God within them… and they lusted after it!
Daryl Charles states:
“The focal point in Jude is not so much the identification of the exact sin of the angels, rather the fact that [they] LEFT THEIR DOMAIN” — Daryl Charles
The angels traded their position in heaven for the lust of man… and the result was the Nephelim.
Now, notice what it says in Gen 6:5
5 The Lord saw that the wickedness of humankind was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of their hearts was only evil continually.
The Nephelim were not a good thing!
They were born out of sin… They were the result of the angels giving in to pride and lust, and trading their God ordained position for the satisfaction of the flesh.
Now, here’s my question: How often do we do that very same thing?”
When we trade our place in heaven for LUST, WE LOSE!
III. Sodom and Gomorrah
(Go ahead let out that collective groan!) :)
7 Likewise, Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which, in the same manner as they, indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural lust, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire.
What was Sodom and Gomorrah’s sin?
The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is highly controversial… amen?
Traditionally, their sin is seen as homosexuality, but in today’s cultural mindset, that thought has come under scrutiny.
One argument says: “They lusted after angels, just as the angels had lusted after women.”
But here’s the problem… The people didn’t know they were angels!
5 and they called to Lot, “Where are the men who came to you tonight? Bring them out to us, so that we may know them.”
So… the second argument arises…
(2) It is not homosexuality… it is really a “breach of courtesy rules.”
In other words, the people of Sodom and Gomorrah’s sin was not homosexuality, it was simply a “boorish hostility toward foreigners” — Webb
However, throughout scripture the words — “wicked” “disgraceful” “vile” — are used to describe Sodom and Gomorrah…
I don’t know about you, but that seems a bit harsh and inappropriate to describe a simple “breach of hospitality”.
The inescapable truth is that Sodom and Gomorrah’s sin was homosexual lust, and attempted gang rape!
Sodom and Gomorrah had traded their place within the blessings of God for the lust of the flesh! Their sin was in pursuing lusts that were against the created order of God.
But here’s the catch!
9 Do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites,
10 thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, robbers—none of these will inherit the kingdom of God.
11 And this is what some of you used to be. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
The sin of Sodom and Gomorrah is no different than ALL other sin!
Sin is rebellion against God’s Law…
Sin separates us from God… it separates us from the blessings of God… and it prevents us from entering the Kingdom of God!
But… it can ALL be forgiven!
God can… and will… deliver us from ALL sin!
But pastor.... What does all of this have to do with “contending for the Faith”?!
What does it have to do with us today?
(I’m glad you asked!)
8 Yet in the same way these dreamers also defile the flesh, reject authority, and slander the glorious ones.
Jude tells us three things about these “dreamers”:
They pollute their bodies. They give in to their lusts… Peter says this about them: 2 Peter 2:14 “14 They have eyes full of adultery, insatiable for sin. They entice unsteady souls. They have hearts trained in greed. Accursed children!”
They reject authority. They reject God’s authority and choose to “live their own way.”
“If you want to live your own way,… You have to adjust your doctrine accordingly, for if you accept Jesus’s Lordship ‘either your doctrine will make your life blush, or your life will make your doctrine blush, and be ashamed.’” — Manton
— Dreamers step away from the Biblical Standard, citing that “it is culture-bound and needs reinterpreting.” They choose instead to “interpret” it in such a way as to give permission to their lifestyle.
3. They slander celestial beings. Celestial beings are angels. So… They are really rejecting the LAW of God, because it is delivered to people by angels.
— They reject the Law as irrelevant… especially in light of the New Covenant!
We haven’t ever heard anyone do that have we?!
So… Who are these “Dreamers”?
J.N.Kelly tells us:
“These people are not living in a world of their own, nor are they indulging in erotic dreams of angelic orgies.” — J.N. Kelly
They are not “anti-Christian”, or “anti-church”…
In the O.T., “dreamers” were those who claim to have a message from God.
They were the prophets… the preachers… the leaders who spoke for God…
They could be us!
We must realize [daily] just how near the edge of evil we really are at any given time.
Look at God’s warning to Cain:
7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin is lurking at the door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.”
We must walk and talk carefully… not veering from walking in God’s light!
— We must check everything we say and do… everything we believe… against scripture… and here’s the catch — Be Willing To Change!
9 But when the archangel Michael contended with the devil and disputed about the body of Moses, he did not dare to bring a condemnation of slander against him, but said, “The Lord rebuke you!”
10 But these people slander whatever they do not understand, and they are destroyed by those things that, like irrational animals, they know by instinct.
11 Woe to them! For they go the way of Cain, and abandon themselves to Balaam’s error for the sake of gain, and perish in Korah’s rebellion.
12 These are blemishes on your love-feasts, while they feast with you without fear, feeding themselves. They are waterless clouds carried along by the winds; autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, uprooted;
13 wild waves of the sea, casting up the foam of their own shame; wandering stars, for whom the deepest darkness has been reserved forever.
Cain gave way to anger and jealousy, and committed murder!
Balaam gave way to greed, and sacrificed the purity of God’s people… to gain a few bucks!
Korah rebelled against Moses, just because he wanted control!
Each of these examples are examples of passions gone wild!
Let me tell you:
When we let our selfish-passions… our addictions… guide our lives… WE LOSE!!!
We become just like those whom Jude is speaking of here… who “pervert the Grace of God and deny His Lordship!”
When our passions run wild, we soon find ourselves angry, resentful, proud, and ultimately defeated…
That is what “God made me this way” does…
The whole statement is a means of control… It is a means of controlling our lives ourselves… of excusing the things we know are against God’s desire for our lives…
“God made me this way” is really saying “I’m gonna do what I want regardless…”
It is nothing more than an excuse to sin, and worse… it is a justification of it!
16 These are grumblers and malcontents; they indulge their own lusts; they are bombastic in speech, flattering people to their own advantage.
Look at how Jude describes these people.... (read it again)
How often does this list describe us?!
Let me tell you a truth — We see in OTHERS what we KNOW to be true about ourselves!
I want you to hear that…
Next time you are tempted to judge someone else… remember that…
(repeat statement)
So… What do we do? How do we avoid becoming “false teachers” ourselves?
We MUST contend for the Faith!
We need to hold each other accountable… in Love!
We need to be honest and transparent with each other.
16 Therefore confess your sins to one another, and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective.
— There is freedom in confession…
We need to strengthen each other.
17 Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens the wits of another.
1 Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us,
2 looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God.
This world needs to see us — it needs to see the Church — stand strong on our Faith, not justifying our lusts.