Intro

This morning we shall finally conclude our examination of Jude’s little letter. At first our focus will be upon the final evaluation of false teachers, and it has to do with listening to what they say and not just how they sound. From there you will notice Jude’s words change as he introduces a change of focus. Look at verse 17 and then again in verse 20 and the words “But you, beloved”. These words indicate that Jude has no longer revealing the character and actions of false teachers and has now moved upon the believer’s responsibility of what to do about this condition that has crept into the church unnoticed (verse 4). The believer’s responsibility is twofold based upon the use of that phrase:

1. Vs. 17-19 The first is in the negative as they need to remember the words that they had been taught by the apostles in regard to the reality of ambitious false teachers and their characteristics. There ought to have been no place for a surprise invasion these false teachers were hidden at all and in fact were in plain sight and easy to spot.
2. Vs. 20-23 The second is in the positive as they needed to be actively involved in their own spiritual maturity and growth. This would involve prayer, a concerted effort to find our only security in the love of God as well as our only identity in the work of Christ on our behalf. We would know that we have accomplished these things in how we would be treating others Jude reveals.

The final section of verses 24-25 is a benediction who solidifies the inevitable success of the above two things and that is trusting only in God to do the work as it is only Him who will receive the glory.        

Vs. 16 Three indicators in the words of false teachers

Jude in verse 4 indicated the need for the urgency of this letter be saying that these false teachers had “crept in unnoticed”. Their stealth wasn’t based upon a disguise but rather the ignorance of the body of Christ. The remainder of this letter was all designed to remind his readers on what to look for in these false teachers. Finally Jude reminds his readers to be aware of three things about the content of the teaching of these false teachers that they need to be aware of that will enable them to determine that they are indeed false teachers. The problem seems to be that the body of Christ paid greater attention to the “Way something was taught” instead of “What was being taught”! It is interesting to note that in verse 17 Jude will remind them to “Remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles..” and here before us are three words that indicate someone is a false teacher:

1. Grumblers and complainers: They are consistent in their complaining against God but done so in such away like the cooing of a dove, an undertone of murmuring against the Lord. This word isn’t found any other place in the New Testament and reminds of the Israelites in the wilderness. The word “complainers” in the Greek means to find fault and speaks of a continual discontentment in their hearts that they “deserve and have earned better”.   
2. Walking around according to their own lusts: They have a spoken planned course of conduct, and it is to follow and walk after the passionate cravings of their fallen flesh. They pursue the things of their former life and teach others to do so as well.  
3. Mouths of great swelling words, flattering people to gain advantage: To aide in their false teaching they use words that flatter the flesh of those they teach to gain advantage for their own profit. They were better known for their swelling words then they were for the gospel. Their promotion to the pulpits was based upon popularity that was won by flattery instead that they were in possession of the Mind of Christ. 

Vs. 17-19 Remembering the Word

Jude now moves his readers into two things that they can do to “contend for the faith” and you will notes them by the phrase “But you, beloved” verses 17 and 20. Breaking this down I notice four truths that Jude closes with regards to accomplishing our contending for our faith:

• Vs. 17-19 Be aware
• Vs. 20-21 Be growing
• Vs. 22-23 Be reaching out
• Vs. 24-25 Be dependent 

Vs. 17-19 The exhortation for the believer is to “be aware” and before the believer can be aware they need to know where they are to turn to hear the warning and it is in the “words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ”. There are far too many Christians that will miss the warning because they are not listening to the “Words spoken” in the Bible and have instead turned to competing words written by popular teachers. It seems to me that Christians will turn to these competing authors as they heap up teachers that tickle their fancy instead of the “inspiration of the Scriptures”. They don’t have time to study God’s word but all the time in the world for some modern author. The warning is fund many places as we are told in 1 Cor 2:13. In Acts 20:29 Luke records Paul’s practice of teaching the whole council of God’s Word instead of some five-week topical teaching series where the teacher picks the topic and finds the verses that support their view of the topic. The chief characteristic of these false teachers that Jude calls “mockers” is that they have a disdain for teaching through the Bible verse by verse line upon line. Such a practice will aide in their quest to follow their own lusts and passions. Such a practice of topical teaching also causes “divisions” as they can stay upright on their hobby horses. Nothing speaks to more about the time that we now live in than the lack of verse-by-verse Bible teaching by those who are called to teach God’s word. I like my coffee black and my Bible as it is written! I don’t need an entertainment media group to be Jesus’ apologist or populist making Him more relatable and presentable to today’s Christian. And at the risk of offending the norm I don’t need to watch season 3 of the “Chosen” to see the “Chosen One”, I have God’s Word by the Holy Spirit! There is no better sound in a church that illustrates worship then the turn of pages in their Bibles! All of which leads to three conditions in the hearts of both false teachers as well as those that listen to their teaching:

1. Sensual persons: Paul said in 1 Cor. 2:14 that the natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God. The word used for “sensual” in the Greek is a word that means of the “realm of the senses” and as such they can only be moved if it moves their emotions. Emotionally driven  entertainment aimed at the senses of the Christian as the basis of moving them instead of God’s Word. I’m not opposed to having a display of emotions but that is not how I determine if something is truth. Instead I just read God’s word! 
2. Cause divisions: Here Jude write of the set off of an Idea or concept through selecting a topic to the exclusion of the whole council of God’s word on a subject. Often a person who teaches this way will read the Word of God then launch out into a subject that has nothing to do with the text or the context of the passage. The reason for this using that which is inspired for something that clearly isn’t. 
3. Not having the Sprit: There are two ways of looking at this statement of Jude: One is that they are devoid of the Spirit of God which means that they aren’t believers. The second is that they are so caught up in the emotionalism that they are unable to properly divide the word of God.                

Vs. 20-21 Four keys to spiritual health

Jude now move to second thing necessary for the believer to contend for the faith and this one is activated in the positive as they are to be growing spiritually in their own maturity. The question is “How can a believer build themselves up spiritually”? Act’s 20:32 gives us the answer as we are told in Paul’s words to the Ephesian elders when he said, “I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you an inheritance among all those who are sanctified.” And here he lists four keys to spiritual health which cause the believer to be less vulnerable to false teachers.

1. “But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith..”: The “building ourselves” is only as strong if the foundation has been upon the Solid Rock of Christ. Paul spoke of this to the Church in Ephesus 2:20 when he wrote, “having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief corner stone.” For the Christian to remain strong they will need to build with the same materials in which the foundation of their faith has been established by, namely the Word of God. There are far too many of the faith today that have shipwrecked their faith as they have not continued to build with the same material them what their faith was established in. Let this be a warning for the believer NOT to substitute the material of the Word of God for the opinions of men! The apostle John wrote in 1 John 2:5 that, “whoever keeps the Word, truly the love of god is perfected in him. By this we know that we are in Him.”    
2. “Praying in the Holy Spirit..”: The prayer that Jude is writing of is that which produces in our hearts both our unconditional surrender of obedience but also that which realizes that such surrender is our life breath to unending communion that produces His fruit in our lives. 
3. “Keep yourselves in the love of God..”: At the beginning of this little letter Jude wrote that the believer was “preserved in Jesus Christ” and now they are encouraged to reside in “God’s love”. I can’t help but notice that by maintaining the first two will be encircled by His love. Jude had written of the fact that the fallen angels had failed to keep their proper domain and had left their abode and because of this departure will receive that for which they left chains and darkness. What a reminder for the believer that when we seek other things in our life instead of the Love of God we will only find darkness and bondage. We are not told to keep our hearts aflame with love for God but instead to remind ourselves continually of His love for us!  
4. “Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.”: Finally the believer is to continually realize that this life IS NOT all there is. The atmosphere is to be that of continual hope and eager anticipation of the reality that this life is short, but eternity is never ending! 

Vs. 22-23 Reaching the lost

Jude’s next words focusses upon three groups of people:

• Those that need compassionate tenderness
• Those that require urgent boldness in their decision to follow Christ
• Those that require the believer to use caution lest they be contaminated by what afflicts the false teacher

Jude who has spent the entirety of this letter to warn the church of false teachers now spends the final words to reach those who have been entangled by such teaching. To contend for our faith is a serious matter and requires discernment in how to approach the person who is contaminated by false teaching.

• Vs. 24-25 The promise to believers

The final two verse are a benediction that follows, and I paraphrase: “I have bidden you to keep ourselves in the love of God, I have warned you against the lack of piety and impurity of false teachers. But there is one last thing you must understand: You cannot attain to the one, or guard yourselves from the other, in your own strength. You can only do so in close connection to Him which has been provided by Him in His power and not your own.” There is a two-fold promise to the believer:

1. It is ONLY Jesus that enables us to NOT stumble. Apart from His work we are prone to the fall!
2. It is equally true that it is ONLY in Jesus that we will be presented faultless before the presence of His glory.

Intro

Our study in Jude verses 14-15 centered around three questions with regards to this mysterious character of the pre-flood world named Enoch. Of the three questions we only answered the first of those:

1. Who is this person Enoch and what is his prophecy about?

During that study we discovered in the two texts found in Jude verses 14-15 and Genesis 5:18-24   that this Enoch was the 7^th from Adam on the godly linage of Seth. We also noted that Enoch’s prophetic words in verse 14-15 many have been a part of a greater revelation that not only included the pre-flood civilization but obviously was meant for our generation as well. We spent time looking at the spiritual development of Enoch as it seemed to coincide with the birth of his son Methuselah and continued for 300 years until the Lord called him to be with him. The last thing we noted was the prophetic message found in the godly linage of Seth. This week we will finish our investigation of Enoch by answering the last two questions of:    

2. Where did Jude receive the information with regards to the prophecy of Enoch?

3. What does the use of this illustration supposed to be in reference too?

Vs. 14b The seventh from Adam

Vs. 14b Jude writes that Enoch was the 7^th from Adam, and that he prophesied about “these men” which is a reference to the false teachers that he had just described in the five-word pictures in verse 12-13. What follows we will discover is the certainty of future judgment upon present false teachers just like the judgment that had occurred upon the pre flood false teachers. We will dig further into this but first we need to answer the question of authenticity with regards to the story that Jude utilizes in these verses. Where did Jude get this prophecy? There is an apocryphal book call by the name of Enoch, and it does contain a prophecy similar to this one given by Jude. This has led to many to assume that Jude has simply copied from this apocryphal book, but this isn’t the case. The apocryphal book is a patchwork of various writings from many different writers written over many different years. It contains fanciful and legendary stories that are very ridiculous. The apocryphal Book of Enoch was known to the church in the 2^nd century church, but it was lost for close to a 1000 years with only a few fragments remaining. That was until a book by that name reappeared in its entirety found in a copy of Ethiopic Bible in 1773. The problem is that we have no way of knowing if this was what the 2^nd century church fathers had or how much of it they had as there remained no copy of what the 2^nd century church fathers had. What we do know is that the 1773 version consists of “false revelations as some of those revelations contradict the scriptures that we do know are true” even though they claim to be from Enoch and his great grandson Noah. What we do know is that the knowledge of Enoch and his calling was an establish truth at the time of Jude’s writing this little letter and is clearly referenced in Genesis 5:18-24 and his information doesn’t necessitate the acceptance of the apocryphal Book of Enoch. Jude information of Enoch fits into the class of Bible authors who Peter described in 2 Peter 1:21 that “spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit”. Jude is not the first to deliver his readers information that can’t be found elsewhere in the Bible.

• Moses reached past antiquity when he wrote the story of creation in Genesis.
• Paul in 2 Tim 3:8 named the names of the two Egyptian magicians Jannes and Jambres when Moses records no such names.
• Luke quotes Paul who refers to a statement by Jesus in Acts 20:35 “It is more blessed to give than to receive” even though that quotes is not found in the Gospels.
• Peter tells us that Noah was “a preacher of righteousness” a fact that apart from Peter’s comment we would have been ignorant of.           

Jude received this prophecy from information known and recognized as being a fact and that information apart from Jude’s quote has been lost and not it is not necessary to attach his quote to the apocryphal Book of Enoch.     

Vs. 15 To Execute judgment upon all

Vs. 15 We can now takeup the third and final question, “What does the use of this illustration supposed to be in reference too?” We find the prophecy as Jude records it as “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints, to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken.” The point of reference from Jude in Enoch’s prophecy is obvious that it was fulfilled as the Lord saved only eight and the rest were destroyed in the flood. The warning is set as they those false teachers today will not escape their coming judgment either. But this prophecy came with a visible walking living clock in Enoch, (whose name means teaching) son Methuselah whose name is found in Genesis 5:21 and means his death shall bring! If you put the given ages of those listed in Genesis and figure in the overlapping ages with the succeeding generations and lay that next to Genesis 7:10-11 where we are given the date of the start of the flood which is dated to the age of Noah at the time it started we discover a very important truth that was also a Jewish tradition that Methuselah died the week before the flood began! That means that Methuselah’s earthly life was the living example, the clock to his father’s prophecy that start at 969 years and counted down until it hit zero. Not only did the prophet Enoch escape the judgment but so too did the living clock as well. The life of all humanity hung on Enoch’s prophecy and began with the birth of this baby whose name meant “his death shall bring”. And this baby grew into a man and this man continued year in and year out to live life have family, breathed air into his lungs, enjoyed the life given him for 969 years always knowing that at his death the world would be judged by God. With every second, minute, hour, day, week, month, and year judgment was getting closer to a world that always believed that they had more time to continue to practice their bondage to sin. Methuselah’s 969 years not only speak of pending judgment they also speak God’s glorious grace and patience with a rejecting world. The prophet was gone but his son remained to every moment of the day to remind the world what awaited those that refused to believe God’s word through Enoch. God even extended Methuselah’s life to give the maximin amount of time for the world to head the prophecy. Enoch saw the coming flood 969 years before it happened and warned about the enviable outcome upon a God forsaking world. Listen carefully as this is the only prophecy that remains from the pre-flood world, and it is given us living in a post-flood world….what should we do in light of that fact? I see four things in Enoch’s prophecy that we today should pay close attention too:

1. “Behold the Lord comes”: Enoch’s prophecy was given a vision of the future that should cause all who read it to give their hearts and lives over to the only One who hold their future, the Living God. The certainty is laid out for all to understand…“Behold the Lord comes”! Such a statement begs the listener to ask the question to themselves based upon the reality of this, “What and Who and I living for? Is this my heaven, is this what my live should be lived like?” Enoch removed the veil of uncertainty and with his unveiled eyes decided at that revelation to “walk with God” and he continued to do so for the remainder of his 300 years, until the Lord took him home to heaven because he had never lived his life on this earth as if it was heaven he was convinced that of what Hebrews 11:10 “For he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” It is no coincidence that this first prophecy ever recorded is like the last in Revelation 22:20. The Lord came for Enoch before he came for judgment, and He will still do the same for all who call upon Him!   
2. “With ten thousands of His saints”: This reminds us that there will be many who see this vision and respond by walking with God. There are times that we head the prophecy of God in His word only to be impacted by the lies of the enemy and the discouragement of the dying caught up in this fallen world system. Here is an encouragement to all who have chosen to head God’s word the race isn’t won in the beginning or the middle but the end. So run your race to win! The prize is never awarded at any other time then at the end my brothers and sisters! Hey saint, if you don’t like the chapter of the book of your life setting down the book and choosing not to read it any longer only ensures that you will remain in that same chapter. Instead pick up your book and keep reading, you may very well not like the pages ahead, but I promise you that you will love the ending if you keep reading it as God only writes love stories and you my friend are His love story!      
3. “To execute judgment upon all”: God came the first time to bring the opportunity to all who trust only in Him salvation but when He comes again He will bring only judgment. No believer will ever fall into judgment as we will only appear before Christ to receive our rewards for obedience to His service.
4. “To convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken”: Their will be no 2^nd chances, no appeal to a higher court as God’s decision is complete it’s the supreme court of all universes. The sentence will be what Jesus said in Matt. 25:41 “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels.” Enoch’s prophecy reminds us that God takes notice of ALL humanities works of ungodliness, He has not forgotten or misplaced any of them. He will not except the WOKE reasoning and excuses for them, Every idle word will be accounted for every second noted and all who have not trusted in Jesus God’s only Son will be judged!        

Intro

In Genesis 4:17-22 Moses writes from the verbal history of humanity when he tells the story of the pre-flood civilization. A society that was not like what we are told today; Neanderthals who had no speech, education, or a structured society, instead just grunted as they went along. That is a far different historical representation then what the Bible presents. The Bible reveals a very advanced civilization with vast cities, technology, fine arts, education, and manufacturing. But we also notice that with those advancements, like today, we share this in common with that pre-flood generation; namely that even with these advancements it has had no lasting impact upon a moral maturity and human decency. Instead according to Genesis 6:5 “The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.” The reason for this introduction is that if it were not for Jude we would have even less knowledge on this time in human history. The use of this illustration of Enoch brings up more questions than it provides answers. I’m sure you may have even more questions than I have thought of but from the point of context I can see that we need to address three questions with regards to these two verses that Jude uses as an illustration of what awaits false teachers:  

1. Who is this person Enoch and what is his prophecy about?
2. Where did Jude receive the information with regards to the prophecy of Enoch?
3. What does the use of this illustration supposed to be in reference too?

This Sunday we will take up only the first of these questions and the following week will conclude our education in the life of Enoch.

Vs. 14a Now Enoch

Vs. 14a The first question we will need answered for the sake of the context of this passage is two-fold: Who is this person Enoch and what is his prophecy about? There are two men who shared this name according to the Genesis account:

1. The first Enoch mentioned is found in Genesis 4:17-18 where he is identified in the linage of Cain being his son who went on to build a city in which he named it after himself.
2. The second Enoch is a completely different as he is mentioned briefly in Genesis 5:18-24 where his linage is from the godly line of Seth after Cain had murdered Able.

Based upon Jude’s words it is clear that he is speaking of Seth’s linage and not Cain’s do to the fact that Cain’s Enoch was Adam’s grandson; where Seth’s Enoch was the “seventh from Adam” as stated by Jude. You will find this list in Genesis chapter 5 where we are given their names as Adam, Seth, Enos, Cainan, Mahalalel, Jared, and Enoch. In Genesis and Jude are the only references that we can draw from too discover the facts about Enoch.

• Gen. 5:18 tells us that he was born in the 162^nd year of his father Jared’s life. His father went on to live 800 years after his birth and we are told that his father went on to have many other children dying at the age of 962. This is interesting as this would make Enoch’s father the 2^nd oldest recorded living person behind Enoch’s son Methuselah’s 969 years of life.
• Based only upon Jude’s words, Enoch was a prophet during the preflood civilization and if there were other prophets his words are the only ones that remain and those are only found in Jude. That makes this prophecy mentioned by Jude the oldest prophecy mentioned in the Bible or does it? I will attempt to show you that Enoch’s words may only be a part of a further prophetic word that still has something to say not only for the civilization of the preflood time but ours today.
• Enoch’s spiritual life seems to have a progression of maturity. This is realized by examining the passage in Gen 5:24 where we are told specifically that “he walked with God” and furthermore this continued for 300 years which was the remainder of Enoch’s life on this earth. Enoch’s life was to be an example to a fallen society until God took him at the age 365 years old, the youngest of all of his relative’s lives upon this earth. This observation causes me to want to understand this part of Enoch’s life. According to Gen. 5:21-24 something happened to Enoch that changed his spiritual life, as we aren’t told that he “walked with God” until after his son Methuselah was born. For the first 65 years of Enoch’s life he was most likely a man of God but after his son’s birth something changed in his relationship towards God as he entered into a closeness with God. Enoch’s encounter with God led him to order his life and steps around following closer towards God then he had previously. Furthermore this transformation was a permeant change that marked his life as we are told that he remained a man that “walked with God” not just a man of God continually and consistently that “walked with God” until God took him.
• Enoch’s prophetic ministry seems to be tied to his son’s Methuselah’s birth and may have been a catalyst of his walk with God. While it is not clear whether it was a “God encounter” that caused Enoch to hear from the Lord or if it was the revelation that he was going to become a father that caused him to hear the Lord. What is certain is that God knew all along what he was going to do in Enoch and through Enoch as his name means “teaching”. This is seen in the name Enoch gave to his son as Methuselah means “His death shall bring”. It seems that Methuselah name coincided with Genesis 6:5 and the Lord seeing the hearts of all of humanity being wicked and every intent of thoughts of their hearts being only evil. Methuselah became a living walking prophecy throughout his 969 years of life. These are a part of a further prophetic truth hidden in the meaning of the names given us in the linage of the godly line of Seth are also in themselves a clear presentation of the gospel.

Hebrew             English

Adam                 Man

Seth                    Appointed

Enosh                 Mortal

Cainan                Sorrow

Mahalalel           The blessed God

Jared                   Shall come down

Enoch                 Teaching

Methuselah        His death shall bring

Lamech              Despairing

Noah                  Rest

If you put these names into a normal sentence structure it would proclaim this:

“Man is appointed mortal sorrow; but the blessed God shall come down teaching that His death shall bring the despairing rest!”     

I seems that this will be a good place for us to stop for today and we will take on the rest of our questions of:

1. Where did Jude receive the information with regards to the prophecy of Enoch?
2. What does the use of this illustration supposed to be in reference too?

Next week as I wouldn’t be able to give the answers to these two questions in the time given me today. But I can imagine that you can consider the truths we have uncovered today as they speaks to our “walk with God” and that such a walk can play an important truth to a world whose only thoughts and intents are upon evil as we will be a part of the gospel too them.  

Intro

We started examining Jude’s words inverses 12-13 into the realm of poetry in the use of five word-pictures that directly and indirectly revealed three things:  

1. As five characteristics of false teachers
2. As five conditions that plague fallen humanity
3. As the exact opposite of what Jesus offers humanity in the giving of Himself

We also took time looking at these five word-pictures generally as we discovered three things about them:

1. These five word-pictures are natural phenomena! None of these five word-pictures are outside the realm of reality; they are NOT supernatural in nature as they normally occur.
2. These five word-pictures are meant to compliment BUT NOT complete the truths with regards to false teachers. These five-word pictures are not duplicates of what Jude has already wrote. Instead they offer further revelation on false teachers!
3. These five word-pictures can be best understood when we consider them from three different criteria: What they illustrate, What they represent and What Jesus is in contrast

This morning we will go back to them and complete them from not only the five-word pictures but also the commentary that Jude offered after each of them.

Unseen danger

Vs. 12a “These are spots in your love feasts, while they feast with you without fear, serving only themselves”. As noted the words “Spot” in the Greek only appears here in the NT and refers elsewhere in ancient Greek literature as a reef or hidden rock. Jude uses this word-picture to describe the Unseen danger these false teachers presented the body of Christ. The reason for this was that they were invisible to most of the Church as they were in calm and safe waters and not the turbulent seas of the world. Jude says they were under the surface of detection and were “reefs” in the love feasts that brought shipwreck to many who were drawn into their current. The custom of the first church was to hold feasts known as “love feasts” and the word used for love here is agape and it was usually held around when they took part in the Lord’s supper or communion. It was common for those who were blessed with more provisions to love on the those with less and provide enough food so all could enjoy. But based upon the words here as well as Paul’s teaching on this in his letters to the Corinthian church; some of those that gathered brought only enough for themselves or those that were wealthy to the exclusion of those that shared fellowship with them in Christ. They would flaunt their wealth instead of sharing it and this even became decadent as they got drunk so that Paul had to rebuke them. Jude recognizes the root of this was “selfishness” and is always present with false teachers who unlike Jesus have come to “be served” and not to serve. These selfish leaders see themselves as better than those that they take advantage of. This selfishness reveals that they don’t belong to be in the company of true believers and are showing that they have fallen away from the truth.     

False promises

Vs. 12b “They are clouds without water, carried about by the winds.” As noted last week, this word-picture is best interpreted based upon the location of where it was first offered. Israel is a very arid climate with little water while being an agrarian society which was almost completely dependent upon rainfall as they practiced “dry farming”. It is interesting to note that Jude uses the same illustration that Jesus did in Luke 12:54 in the opposite way. Jesus said, “Whenever  you see a cloud rising out of the west, immediately you say, “A shower is coming”; and so it is.” The clouds Jude writes about as an illustrations of the teaching of false teachers is that they give “false promises” of refreshment to a thirsty world, and they bring no truth only disappointment. Solomon wrote of them the same way saying in Proverbs 25:14 “Whoever falsely boasts of giving is like clouds and wind without rain.” Their “false promises” are due to a “false profession” as they had never received the gift of “living Water”. “Clouds without water” can only produce “the croups of deception and discouragement” to those look to their path to refresh them. Another problem with these false teachers is that their teaching only darkens skies of truth which dims the vision of the “Son of Righteousness”! It is of further interest to realize that the words “without water” are the same words used in Matthew 12:43 of “dry places” in which unclean spirits go. This suggests that there is a correlation between false teaching and demons that influence them as Paul warned Timothy in 1 Tim 4:1, when he wrote “Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.” These clouds are “caried about by the winds” Jude declares but it is the winds of this world and wicked spirits that is driving their teaching. They are as Paul warned in Eph. 4:14 when he encouraged the Christian to no longer be like little children who are, “tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting.” Clouds cannot go where they please they must go where the wind carries  them and either it is the wind of the Holy Spirit or the aimless lies of demons. What a contrast to what the Word of God by the Spirit of God offers as we are told in Proverbs 25:25 that this is “As cold water to a weary soul, so is good news from a far country.”            

Barren profession

Vs. 12c “Late autumn trees without fruit, twice dead, pulled up by the roots.” As noted last week, the Greek word for “autumn” is a word used for a season where fruit is harvested. There are many prophetic passages that speak to a “late harvest” of souls when the world will be ripe for evangelism but also for judgment. Jesus said in Matt. 13:30 that He will gather His wheat of true believers into His barn, but He also warned in Matt. 15:13 of what Jude does here and that is that every plant, which God the father had not planted will be up rooted. Based upon this passage we know that Jesus was speaking of the Pharisees and Jesus said that those that would not accept His teaching would be rooted up. Those that follow God word are likened to “Trees planted by rivers of water” according to Psalm 1:3. Here in verse 12 Jude speaks of false teachers as trees but uses the illustration to warn those who would listen to them that they are “twice dead” that is without any “fruit” and “without any roots into truth”! These false teachers were dead: In the fruit of profession and they were dead in the root of possession? Their fruitlessness was a sign of their absence of life. Their uprooting will be their 2^nd death as their doom is sealed as the tense of this verse suggests that in the sight of God they are already uprooted and will be cast into the fire. The damage that false teachers have done to souls is something that those who have been given the charge to teach the truth great reflection on the consequences if we are not faithful stewards as we shall receive stricter judgment!    

Wasted effort

Vs. 12d “Raging waves of the sea, foaming up their own shame.” Here is another illustration that the Bible used frequently. It is used of those who do not know God as Isa 57: 20-21 we are told that the “Wicked are like troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, says my God, for the wicked.” Jude picks up on this idea as he describes false teachers as wild waves who try change the truth and all they do is reveal their own shame. They have great shows of passion and sincerity of conviction, but it isn’t of the truth it’s against the truth! The motion and emotion of the false teacher can never have any affect upon the rock of truth it will only pound upon that which will never be moved. The illustration serves as a reminder for those who are prone to follow the instrument instead of evaluating what the instrument is playing. The Christian and Church will only be tossed to in fro if they are into the waters of false teachers instead of the rock of the Word of God. It is God’s word that stills the storms and calms the seas that false teachers exclaim. Such false teaching is ineffectual against truth no matter how many waves sent to pound against it as the waves only in up foaming up their shame defeated by the truth of god’s Word. Throughout church history there have been waves of false teachers who have sent the full force of their les upon the rock of truth and many have been shipwrecked their faith. But those who make their stand upon God’s word will always be able to withstand the continual attacks against God’s truth.     

Aimless course

Vs. 12e “Wandering stars for whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever.” Our world is one of many planets revolving around a sun. It is from this continual track that we enjoy light and climate that is controlled. If we weren’t on this consistent track we all be wandering away from life! This is how Jude describes false teachers as those who tempt people with their brief brilliance as they enter our atmosphere only to pass out of view or crash into something solid. These falling stars are impressive for a moment but are erratic in their direction as they come claiming illumination, but they is only because they are doing so under the brilliance of the Sun. It is only He that is the light of the world not these imposters. They have no order as does truth they aren’t stars that are all on a course as the planets and galaxy’s instead they are mere fragments, disconnected from what they were once attached to. They have no orbit and once they move away from that which illumination they steal they will end up only in darkness, forgotten dislodged from what they could have been. These comets only give an impression of illumination but move away from the order of the truth of the Creator they claim to represent. The darkness is the end of their aimless journey, they offer love but are on the run from the One in whom has demonstrated Love! These five word-pictures do far more than point out characteristics of false teachers as they point to the amazing blessings God has granted us to be students of His Word!      

Intro

In our study in this brief letter by Jude that deals with the “acts of the apostates” the reader at any age must be impressed with the exact nature and extent of the illustrations and examples that Jude employed to describe the charter and nature of false teachers. The Holy Spirit prompted Jude to use illustration from the whole of God’s creation when looking at corporate departures from truth. This morning Jude will take his readers into the realm of poetry in the form of five word-pictures. Jude brings before his readers the earth, air, trees, sea, and the heavens to show the reader the complete panorama of conditions facing the church in false teachers. I notice three general observations with regards to these two verses:

1. These five word-pictures are natural phenomena! None of these five word-pictures are outside the realm of reality; they are NOT supernatural in nature as they normally occur. I believe that the church can discern from this fact that “false teachers” happen in a fallen world and are in fact part of the consequences of fallen humanity.
2. These five word-pictures are meant to compliment BUT NOT complete the truths with regards to false teachers. These five-word pictures are not duplicates of what Jude has already wrote. Instead they offer further revelation on false teachers! They say nothing on what Jude already wrote with regards to: Defiling the flesh, Despising dominion, or Disregarding dignities. Neither do they say anything more on the “Way of Cain, Error of Balaam or Korah’s Perishing”.
3. These five word-pictures offer five other characteristics of false teaching and teachers. These five word-pictures can be best understood when we consider them from three different perspectives:
   • As five characteristics of false teachers
   • As five conditions that plague fallen humanity
   • As the exact opposite of what Jesus offers humanity in the giving of Himself

When we examine these five word-pictures from these three different perspectives we will realize a powerful truth as it relates to both false teachers as well as fallen humanity! It is this: False teachers only offer what they are already plagued with. And this comes at the cost of deflecting people away from the only ONE truth that can transform their condition, Jesus, and His Word.

Illustrate, represent and contrast

First we will examine these five word-pictures from these three perspectives based upon three criteria: What they illustrate, What they represent and What Jesus is in contrast. Next week we will look at them individually. 

1. “Spots in you love feast”: The words “Spot” in the Greek only appears here in the NT and refers elsewhere in ancient Greek literature as a reef or hidden rock.
   • What they illustrate: So in the Greek understanding this word-picture represents “Unseen danger”. What makes this characteristic to deadly is that it is primarily invisible to our own hearts.  
   • What they represent: The greatest unseen danger in fallen humanity is “selfishness” ours as well as those around us. Selfishness is the most “dangerous” because it is often what we notice about others while being ignorant of our own selfishness. What is called conceit in others is simply confidence in us! We are so unaware of our own selfishness that even when someone else crashes into us we blame them for scrapping our rock all the while their boat is taking on water!
   • What Jesus is in contrast: Jesus is described as “The Rock of Salvation” pointing the right way to live the “unselfish life”. While fallen humanity is plagued by the invisibility and hidden danger of their own self-centered life Jesus is the beacon and guiding light to the possibility of being visibly other’s centered as the basis of true joy and happiness.       
2. “Clouds without water”: This word-picture is best interpreted based upon the location of where it was first offered. Israel is a very arid climate with little water while being an agrarian society which was almost completely dependent upon rainfall as they practiced “dry farming”.
   • What they illustrate: So with that as an interpretation “clouds without water” is a word-picture that is meant to speak to the “False promises” that comes with false teaching. Few things are as debilitating as a “false promise” as what is offered looks so promising only not to produce what it offered, hope. This especially true when it is offered as being truth!   
   • What they represent: When we notice “clouds without water” and the “False promises” that they offer they can only produce a “helplessness” for those who trusted in what was promised. And to make matters worse; what was promised was said to be TRUTH while in reality its only similarity was in likeness of shape not of life-giving substance.    
   • What Jesus is in contrast: Jesus comes as “Living Water”! His clouds can only refresh the weary but not just temporarily but for all eternity. The clouds of false teachers can’t even bring temporary relief while the clouds of Christ bring rivers of living water upon parishad souls. Furthermore they are always come to pass!           
3. “Late autumn trees”: The Greek word for “autumn” is a word used for a season where fruit is harvested.
   • What they illustrate: It is clear by the use of this word-picture that Jude was illustrating that these false teachers are like fruit trees that offer fruit in its season only to produce nothing. They are “barren in their profession” making promises, causing expectations only to not having that which is necessary to sustain life!   
   • What they represent: Because of the above, it isn’t about what they produce, instead it is about what they don’t produce namely SPIRITUAL FRUIT! They are “Fruitless”!
   • What Jesus is in contrast: And in Jesus we have come to the One who alone is the “Tree of Life” who only and always produces fruit in its season as He only does wonderous things in our life. He can make that which has never been fruitful and has no natural inclination to be fruitful bare much fruit!    
4. “Ragging waves of the sea”: Here we have often used word-picture in the bible and a symbol of those who don’t know God. These waves wash upon the rocky shores methodically with great show and fanfare but the rocks they crash into thousands a time a day are not defeated by their constant attempt to erode there stability.
   • What they illustrate: From the perspective of the false teachers their efforts to erode truth at best indicates naivety of character but more to the point they are engaged in “wasted effort” in spite of all their performance!  
   • What they represent: Such effort with all their engaging performance and bluster indicate a character of “shamelessness” that is far too often modeled by others who pound upon the truth thinking that such passionate performance can cause the altering of the truth of the character and nature of God who alone made the waves, the rocky shores they beat upon and has placed the sun, moon, wind, and current all as He wishes!   
   • What Jesus is in contrast: And our Lord is the “One that calms the seas” and leads us beside still waters. His character is such that John the Baptist wonder if He was the promised Messiah. Jesus is the bruised reed; it was never His performance that revealed His identity.  It was His character that revealed the TRUTH that no human wave of emotion can ever erode!       
5. “Wandering stars”: Stars in the heavens were our forefathers GPS system used to navigate the seas of life and the rocky terrain and desert valleys of life. All that were lost and left to wander in this world needed to follow that which they can count on to be fixed and certain.  
   • What they illustrate: Based upon this truth we can see what “wandering stars” are to a lost world as they create an “aimless course” that take the follower on a helter-skelter path that leads us by the same landmarks over and over again. We often call this a treadmill life with much effort all the while staying in the same place in life!
   • What they represent: Any person who has followed these “wandering stars” along for any amount of time has come to an emptiness that produces such a despair of “hopelessness” that can destroy the soul. These were NOT stars of navigation, fixed truths but were only moving across the horizon taking our attention away from TRUTH that if followed would have set our course in the right path in life!  
   • What Jesus is in contrast: Our Lord is the “Bright Morning Star”…He not only knows the way He alone is the WAY, TRUTH, and LIFE! He has never lost one soul who has used Him to navigate the paths of life and there has never been any geography that He cannot navigate!     

These five word-pictures present these three different perspectives:

What they illustrate: Unseen danger, False promises, Barren profession, Wasted effort and Aimless course!

What they represent: Selfishness, Helplessness, Fruitless, Shamelessness, and Hopelessness

What Jesus is in contrast: The Rock of Salvation, Living Water, Tree of Life, One that calms the seas and Bright Morning Star!

Intro

In the 11^th verse Jude delivers a three-fold declaration of woe to those guilty of being false teachers. It is issued because of three sins that they have willing entered into. Jude uses these three example of these sins that were visible in three historical figures in their past: The way of Cain, the error of Balaam and the rebellion of Korah. Each of these need to be examined to fully comprehend the specific sin associated with each of these false teachers, so get ready to write down references for later study and turning in your Bibles. There are FOUR general observations:  

1. First, these three historical figures of false teachers is placed at the mid-point of the letter, right between the illustrations drawn from the spiritual battle between GOOD and EVIL as seen in Michael the archangel and satan and the examples Jude draws from nature in verses 12-13. And it reminds me of the contrast between the book of Acts and this little letter of Jude is that Acts describes the acts of the apostles and Jude describes the acts of the apostates!
2. A second observation is that apostacy and false teaching is not confined to one group or class of individual as these three examples are very diverse: Cain was a farmer: Balaam was a prophet; and Korah was a leader and prince in Israel. False teachers can from any group or denomination and can spring from prophets, princes, and ordinary people, from pulpits, palaces, and poorhouses. Individually Cain, Balaam, and Korah each illustrate specific aspects of what it looks like when someone falls away from the truth of God’s Word and as such together they form a complete picture.
3. A third observation is seen in the negative progression in false teaching! Note the order that these three historical figures are placed in the text: Cain enters a wrong way; Balaam runs greedily in error; and Korah perishes in rebellion! What Jude seems to suggest is that those that are involved in false teaching have entered into the slippery slope that accelerates downhill to destruction and becomes increasing more difficult to stop once started! In fact, nowhere in this little letter of Jude does he ever suggest of their being able to halt the process or turning back towards truth; there is no hope found for apostates and false teachers in Jude’s writing; their doom is as certain and they have a reservation at the eternal resting place of blackness of darkness forever, (verse13)!
4. The fourth general observation is found in the contrast between who Jesus is and the departure these three false teachers made. In John 14:6 Jesus describes Himself as: THE WAY, THE TRUTH, and THE LIFE! These apostate false teachers would NOT have Him rule over them and to do so they knowingly exchanged the: The WAY OF CHRIST for the way of Cain, THE TRUTH OF CHRIST for the error of Balaam, and THE LIFE OF CHRIST for the perishing of Korah! Apostacy and false teaching begins with a WAY, it then leads to a RUN in the wrong direction, and it always ends PERISHING in rebellion.       

Vs. 11a The way of Cain

Vs. 11a What we will now investigate is what Jude specifically meant in “The way of Cain”. We find Cain’s story in Genesis 4:1-15 with the first seven verses of that passage informing us that Cain brought a sacrifice to God of the fruit of the ground that due to the fall of his parents was now cursed by sin. In comparison Able the younger son brought what had been prescribed by God at his parents fall and that was a blood sacrifice of a lamb. We know that both these boys (who were now men) had been taught the truth of the only way to approach God was through the blood of an innocent substitute as Hebrews 11:4 tells us that Able brought his lamb “by faith” which means that Able did so by believing what God had revealed about the only way to approach Him. Cain, on the other hand, offered what he thought was more aesthetically more pleasing to him then a slain lamb! But to do so it meant that Cain had to “set aside” God’s Word on the shed blood as the only basis of approaching a Holy God from the place of sinful man. Cain’s offering was pleasing to him, it represented his works, his goodness, and his effort as the basis of approaching God! When a so-called Bible teacher sets aside the teaching of the necessity of Jesus shed blood upon the cross as the only basis of our relationship with God then they are doing that which Cain did. The false teacher may not become a murder like Cain, but they have taken Cain’s position as a false teacher by rejecting God’s ONLY WAY of salvation. Hebrews 9:22 reminds us that “without the shedding of blood there is no remission.” There were two paths that day in Genesis according to Matthew 7:13-14 “the narrow gate that Able took” and the “broad way that Cain choose”! Able choose the narrow gate, the difficult way which lead to life. Cain to choose the broad way that many traverse that leads to destruction. All of humanity is divided by these two diverging paths and they take the sojourner on a journey to two different destinies. Jude tells us that Cain went down the wrong path and God in His mercy told Cain as much and gave him an opportunity in Gem 4:7 to go back and do what he knew was right. It is a sad state in our hearts that we who can know intellectually the truth can arrive in the hardness of our heart where what we know is true no longer convicts our hearts! We need to be warned that the “Free choice of today determines the unchangeable destiny of tomorrow”! When the Holy Spirit’s restraint of the Word of God is thrown aside their remains little to slow down the sinful inclinations of our corrupt flesh! Simple put the “Way of Cain” is ignoring God’s word! Specifically as it relates to the false teacher setting aside the necessity of the cross of Christ or deemphasizing the importance of the work of Christ by emphasizing the works of man!    

Vs. 11b The error of Balaam

Vs. 11b Balaam’s story and tragic life is found in several places: Num. 22-24, Deut 23 and in the New Testament in 2 Peter 2:15 and her in Jude 11b. Combining all those texts you will quickly see that Balaam was a “greedy” prophet and I suppose instead of the normal way of spelling the word he would spell it P.R.O.F.I.T. Balaam’s illustration of false teaching happens as the young nation of Israel was at the end of their 40 year wilderness wondering and on the verge of entering the land of promise. As the nation camped in the plains of Moab, Balak the king along with other leaders banded together in a joint effort for Moab and Midian out of fear of what Israel had done to the nations that opposed them. In Deut. 23:4-5 Moses sums up the situation that involved Balaam when he wrote, “because they hired against you Balaam the son of Beor from Pethor of Mesopotamia, to curse you. Nevertheless, the Lord your God would not listen to Balaam, but the Lord your God turned the curse into a blessing for you, because the Lord your God loves you.” What we learn is that the fear of Israel caused Balak and the leadership to conspire together to cause the prophet Balaam to curse Israel of their behalf. And even though God told the prophet in Numbers 22:12 that all such effort would have no effect as God said, “You shall not go with them; you shall not curse the people, for they are blessed.” Deprived of the rewards that Balak promised Balaam covetous heart still tried five times to supersede God’s word! First by going even after God told him not too and there he was met on the path by a Donkey whom he was riding refused to move due to an angel that stood in his way with a drawn sword. So, the donkey who had more common sense then Balaam turned aside. This prompted Balaam to strike the donkey and this scene repeated itself two more times until we are told in verse 28 that the Lord opened the mouth of the female donkey who asked, “What have I done to you, that you have struck mew these three times.” This causes a dialog between Balaam and his donkey which the greed of Balaam is visible in the fact that he never questions once why he was able to have a conversation with his donkey! It is only after the Lord opens the eyes of Balaam that he realizes that the donkey had saved his life and repents. But this is repeated through four failed attempts to fulfill the contract of Balak only to prophecy blessings instead of a curse. Deprived of his rewards promised by Balak Balaam’s covetous ways conceived an evil plot whereby God would judge Israel and that was to send the beautiful women Midian and Moab to seduce the Israelite men to commit sexual immorality. In the 25^th chapter of Numbers in verses 2-3 the plane was successful as the daughters of the Moabites and Midianites seduced the sons of Israel and further caused them to sacrifice to their gods instead of the true God of Israel and in Num. 31:16 we are told that the plan laid forth by Balaam worked as there was a plague among the Israelites. In Revelation 2:14 Jesus’ records this with regards to the church at Pergamos in reference to Balaam saying, “I have a few things against you, because you have their those who hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balak to put a stumbling block before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed to idols, and to commit sexual immorality.” The rest of the story of Balaam is that the rewards of Balak and his rebellion against God’s word destroyed him as Joshua 13:22 records his end when we read that, “The children of Israel also killed with the sword Balaam the son of Beor, the soothsayer, among those who were killed by them.” The error of Balaam is the sacrificing of the eternal riches of Christ for the temporal treasure of this life! His was the lust for pleasures of sin for a season and the greed for the treasures of this life! The nearsightedness of gaining what the world craves at the cost of your own eternal soul! The pursuit of what the world craves at the cost of the blessings of God. And this all happened to Balaam when he went after the error of this world instead of the Word of God! Cain ignored the Word of God; Balaam opposed the Word of God! 

Vs. 11c The rebellion of Korah

Vs. 11c Our final illustration of false teachers is found in Exodus 6:18-21 and Numbers 16:31-33 in the story of Korah rebellion. Korah was a Levite and cousin to Moses that under his leadership instigated a rebellion against the authority of God’s servants Moses and Aaron. It reached its crisis when according to Num 16:31 the ground split apart under them as they became the first examples of a “church split”. Korah reject Moses not only as a leader but as mediator whom God had appointed to stand between Him and His people. Korah spoke evil of those chosen by God. Now today we have one mediator according to 1 Tim 2:5-6 “we have one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all..” Moses was a typology of Jesus and Korah shows what false teachers do in that they set themselves up as the mediator between God and men and to do so they need to remove Jesus as the only mediator. Korah encouraged another truth that was at the expense of the ONLY truth!  Again, Cain ignored the Word of God, Balaam opposed the Word of God and Korah rebels against the Word of God.

These three examples are always signs of false teachers: Ignoring God’s Word, Opposing God’s Word or Rebelling against it!        

Intro

When were last in the little letter of Jude we were examining verse 7 and the example of the Residents of Sodom and Gomorrah. Remember that all of the teaching in this section is in the main body of teaching and focuses in on “three truths about truth” in these illustrations. Jude pulled from three different groups or “corporate departures” from truth. Each of them is different from the others and all illustrate why the reader of this letter need to be very diligent to contend for the faith:

1. Vs. 5 Israelites “Truth Cuts both ways: The example is taken from the history with regards to Israel who all were under the blood of the Passover yet after they were saved by obedience to God’s word at the Passover but afterward many of them in the wilderness were destroyed because they refused to obey.
2. Vs. 6 Fallen angelic  Knowing truth doesn’t guarantee obedience to it: The fallen are the second example in a difficult passage that Jude uses to illustrate that these fallen angels were in the constant proximity to ALL TRUTH didn’t that proximity didn’t guarantee obedience to it.
3. Vs. 7 Residents of Sodom and Gomorrah Ignorance of the truth is no excuses; “Sodom and Gomorrah…given themselves over…gone after strange flesh..” The final illustration is that of two worldly cities that were ignorant of truth so much so that Lot was sent there to try to bring truth into these wicked cites and there were not 10 righteous and it appears that wickedness had a greater impact upon righteousness then righteousness had upon wickedness.

We now move on to Jude’s “common practices of false teachers”  as we examine verse 8-10.

Vs. 8 Four general characteristics of false teachers

Vs. 8 Three times Jude took his readers to familiar examples of apostasy and each time God’s judgment was exercised upon the perpetrators of the lies. They set forth specific corporate characteristics of apostasy. The inevitable end of the road to false teachers is that they will do three things:

1. They will defile the flesh in “like manor” with those he wrote of in Sodom and Gomorrah verse 7.
2. They will NOT keep their proper dominion as the fallen angels who “reject authority” of God’s word verse 6.
3. They will speak evil of the TRUTH like those who murmured against Moses, verse 5.     

The sentence starts out with the word “likewise” and is a connective word and in the Greek it is meant to cause the reader to realize that these false teachers were fully aware of the above three “corporate departures” from truth they nonetheless persisted in their present sin of false teaching! Jude identifies their general characteristics as being four things:

1. Dreamers: Jude uses a demonstrative pronoun in a metaphorical way as he suggests that they are preoccupied with sensual images that directs their course of conduct. 
2. Defile the flesh: The Greek words here mean to pollute the flesh as one would in contaminating the soil making it infertile and useless for anything other than garbage. These first two characteristics suggest immorality as a chief characteristic in what guides them. 
3. Reject authority: Here the Greek words describe a characteristic that lays aside that which is truthful and established. It carries the idea of thwarting or nullifying truth making it void. The word for authority here is a word that we get our word for Lord from and is used of ultimate truth and that is what they were making void.  
4. Speak evil of dignitaries: Here is how they attempt to do so as the Greek word means to blaspheme or to speak reproachfully, revile or demean. The word for dignitaries speaks of splendor, brightness and is used to speak of God’s glory. 

These marks of full apostasy aren’t apparent in every false teacher immediately but over time, at the end of their road they will arrive at the same destination as those three examples above. When a person has publicly denied our Lord and only Master in Jesus they have set aside God’s authority for their own and in so doing have rejected His authority and spoken evil of the Only one who has never been evil! The decline in morality is merely the inevitable symptom of their departure from truth. Those who have denied the only One who bought them will not be able to hide from their departure as they will again be practicing the former works of the flesh. Furthermore, it is the nature of apostasy to despise God’s sovereign rule and authority and why it is always the chief aim of false doctrine to oppose God’s WORD! This is what Paul had warned Timothy in 1 Tim. 4:1 that in the last days they would be marked by a time when the church would be easily seduced by “doctrines of demons”. The denial of the necessity of the Lordship of Jesus over us and His authority over all the creation is what satan has always pushed. Satan well knows the truth of Philip. 2:10-11 “That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and those on the earth, and those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” Without a doubt the setting aside of the authority and dependence upon ONLY the word of God is the clearest example of false teachers. The illustration of this will be brought out in verse 9- 10 where we note first the historical example of apostasy before Jude will clarify the chief characteristics of their apostasy in verse 10 before he issues a biblical warning towards them in verse 11. 

Vs. 9 Michael contending against the devil

Vs. 9 It is interesting to note that this verse is one of the greatest texts in the Bible addressing hyper authoritative spiritual leaders by revealing the contrast of Michael the archangel, yet it does so by utilizing a story that has very little in the Bible! There is no record in the Bible to tell us when the incident of Jude 9 took place, where it took place or why it happened and there doesn’t need to be in the way in which Jude uses it. Even though outstanding marks of apostasy had already been illustrated as noted above in verse 8, the Holy Spirit prompted Jude for another and chose the one before us even though it appears nowhere else in the Bible. This verse fits into one of the challenging passages of Jude’s illustrations as the story narrated by Jude is taken from the apocryphal “Assumption of Moses”. The book in which we only have fragments deals with Moses’ funeral. In this story Michael the archangel is commissioned to bury Moses. Satan opposes his burial on two grounds:

1. Satan claimed authority of the body because he said that he is the god over the earth and thus the body should belong to him. To this Michael rebukes satan in the Lord’s name as it was God who created the world and mankind.
2. Satan second claim for Moses body was based upon Moses’ homicide which was based upon his killing of the Egyptian. To answer this claim Michael takes him to Deut 34:6 where the law stated that a murder was to have  been buried outside the people in an unmarked grave.      

Jude uses this illustration which was an oral tradition not from the position of the dispute over Moses’ burial but instead from the position of how Michael the arch angel handled the dispute! The facts of this story are that at one time two mighty angels representing two opposing sides,

(Michael the side of God and truth and satan the side of lies and falsehood), disputed over the body of a creature lower in order than they were. A significant fact is that Michael was God’s chief agent for defeating satan’s purposes. And in this roll he who was faithful to truth and his creator said nothing on his own authority to defend truth even though he was doing the work of God in obedience to God’s command. Whereas the devil was opposed to the truth, was acting in disobedience, and was seeking to thwart God’s purposes. It is one of three battles that Michael and the devil will have as Daniel 12:1 and Rev. 12:7-9 we will be the others. Jude shows that the difference in false teachers and true teachers as false teachers like satan seek to defeat truth by deception. It is also interesting to see that God’s instruments defeat this deception by resting only upon God’s authority and His Word. It isn’t just in being right in what they say, it’s in behaving right because of their dependance upon the truth they believe. The rebuke from Jude is in the contrast in the Michael when compared to the devil in how they dealt with authority even when we are right! False teachers stand upon is their own authority and true teachers stand-alone upon God’s authority!

Vs. 10 Brute beasts

Vs. 10 Jude here gives the specifics of the illustration: They speak reproachfully by reviling against what they know nothing about intellectually as they are not known by the natural mind. It is for this reason that they possess no understanding and have become like the animals that are ruled only by instinct. Jude is showing that these false teachers have become “unreasoning animals” and it is this very aspect about them that will be their own destruction. The teacher of God’s word won’t be arrogant and prideful even when they are being obedient to God’s plan and His word but instead will rest only the authority of God’s word.     

Intro

We will take up where we left off in Jude verse 7 but first a quick review for those that missed last week. All of this teaching is in the section that is the main body of teaching. Jude’s focus in this section was broader as he presented “three truths about truth” in these illustrations. To do this Jude pulled from three different groups or “corporate departures” from truth. Each of them is different from the others and all illustrate why the reader of this letter need to be very diligent to contend for the faith:

1. Vs. 5 Israelites “Truth Cuts both ways: The example is taken from the history with regards to Israel who all were under the blood of the Passover yet after they were saved by obedience to God’s word at the Passover but afterward many of them in the wilderness were destroyed because they refused to obey.
2. Vs. 6 Fallen angelic  Knowing truth doesn’t guarantee obedience to it: The fallen are the second example in a difficult passage that Jude uses to illustrate that these fallen angels were in the constant proximity to ALL TRUTH didn’t that proximity didn’t guarantee obedience to it.

We will now move on to the last of these three and the:

3. Vs. 7 Residents of Sodom and Gomorrah Ignorance of the truth is no excuses; “Sodom and Gomorrah…given themselves over…gone after strange flesh..” The final illustration is that of two worldly cities that were ignorant of truth so much so that Lot was sent there to try to bring truth into these wicked cites and there were not 10 righteous and it appears that wickedness had a greater impact upon righteousness then righteousness had upon wickedness.

Vs. 7 Ignorance of the truth is no excuses

Vs. 7 The third corporate example must have been a rather humbling one for the church to receive. I can only imagine what it was like for believers to receive instruction from the example of Sodom and Gomorrah found in Genesis 13-19. The context of this is found at the end of the 6^th verse where Jude wrote of the fallen angel’s judgment of being “for the judgment of the great day”; then Jude writes in verse 7 “as Sodom and Gomorrah”. There appear to be two things that are being linked in the illustration with fallen:

1. First, it is clear that their final judgment is something both the rebellious angels and the rebellious inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah share, even though the exact manner of that judgment differs:
   • The fallen angels are “reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for judgment of the great days”.
   • The inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah are going to “suffer the vengeance of eternal fire.”
2. The second thing these two illustrations have in common is the manner in which their rebellion manifested as both went after “strange flesh”. This is more visible in the  Greek then it is in the translation but as I mentioned last week it is what further clarifies the biblical reference of verse 6 of Jude with the Genesis 6:1-7 passage. For instance, notice the phrase “similar manner to these” in verse 7 as the similarity between theses two illustrations is NOT upon the cites of Sodom and Gomorrah but that of the “going after strange flesh”. The Greek word for “strange” means of  a “different kind” which clarifies the interpretation of the Genesis 6:1-7 as the fallen angel’s rebellion was fornication with a different kind then what they were created with. They were in some way having sex with women of the human race and that is why I believe that this involved demonic possession on men as angels do not procreate according to the words of Jesus in Matt 22:30.               

With that said the question we need to ask is what biblical examples can the church learn from Sodom and Gomorrah? I believe that that Jude will points out four lessons we can learn from the fall of Sodom and Gomorrah as it relates to false teachers:

1. Vs. 4 Their practice “They turn the grace of God into lewdness”
2. Vs. 8 Their attitude “They defile the flesh”
3. Vs. 10 Their nature “They like brute beasts corrupt themselves”
4. Vs. 16 Their appetites “They walk according to their own lusts”

A quick scan of the Bible will allow the student to see the connection with Sodom and Gomorrah and the apostasy in last days. Jesus spoke of it in Luke 17:28-30 saying, “Likewise as it was also in the days of LOT …” The conditions of that time and the time of the apostasy will be similar. It is for this reason that Jesus used these two fallen cites as an illustration and why it is beneficial for us to look at this story in greater detail. To do so we will need some basic information  specifically “the setting and timing of the story found in Genesis 13-19.” One of the dangers of knowing a story as well as most do in the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah is that we fail to dig deeper. The first clue we have is found in Jesus words concerning the great apostasy just prior to His second coming when he used two historical references to paint a picture of the setting and timing. Again, we need only go back to that passage of Luke 17:28-30 and look at verse 27 as Jesus places these two historical events next to each other… “They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.” Here we are given an interesting truth with regards to these two historical events and that is that they were connected! What we need to realize is that the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah were not ignorant of truth they were disobedient to it! I present two facts that support this position:

1. God’s revelation of His holy character was not unknown to that generation as we assume that it took Lot to bring the truth to them and then the angels to rescue Lot. The chronological history the Bible sheds light on this as from the time of Noah and the destruction of the world except for 8 people preserved in the ark was only 450 years. In those 450 years the world had already began to repopulate and all of those that lived in Sodom and Gomorrah were direct descendants of those 8. In fact, we can deduce that Shem, Noah’s middle son who was born when Noah was 503 would still be walking upon the earth for another 50 years at the time of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. The people who lived in those two cites had recent history of what happens when as society has as its core “every intent of the thoughts of their heart only evil continually.” Gen. 6:5. Shem was 98 when the flood started and 100 when his first-born son Arphaxad was born according to scripture. Shem was their when his younger brother Ham uncovered their father Noah. Shem saw the repatriation of the land and witnessed that sin lay at the door of this early family. Could have spoken of the destruction of the first civilization and warned the growing population of continued disobedience.      
2. The second fact that supports this reality is found in the commentary of Ezekiel in 16:49-50. It is Ezekiel’s words that we find out that the sin of Sodom and Gomorrah was not what we naturally assumed as Ezekiel writes, “Look this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom: she and her daughter had pride, fullness of food, and abundance of idleness; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy. And they were haughty and committed abomination before me.. ” The reality is that sexual immorality was only the by-product of what Ezekiel writes about. Sodom and Gomorrah became what Paul warned about in his letter to the Romans in 1:18-32 where he writes that men who once knew God failed to glorify Him, and they became vain in their reasoning and that left hearts foolish and darkened.

The seduction of Sodom and Gomorrah must not be underestimated in light of our fallen flesh as we can see it’s lure to even a righteous man such as Lot.

1. Gen. 13:10 Here we see that given the confusion Lot “Lifted his eyes and saw the plain of Jordan, that it was well watered everywhere….like the garden of the Lord…like the land of Egypt..” Clearly Sodom and Gomorrah had an attraction to the flesh, but I also see that it also caused a confusion between what the Lord offered and what the world offered as Lor describes it as like the garden of the Lord…like the land of Egypt and those are two very different things!
2. Gen 13:11 Next we see the choice of Lot, “The Lot chose FOR HIMESELF all the plain of Jordan, and Lot journeyed east. AND THEY SEPARATED FROM EACH OTHER.” Lot’s choice appealed to his flesh and the lust of his eyes, but the choice came at the price of separation from Abraham the man of God to pursue the things of the flesh.
3. Gen. 13:12 Next we see Lot’s further progression towards Sodom and Gomorrah as we read that “Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent  even as far as Sodom”. Here we see that the seduction of these cities was drawing Lot further and further into their grasp.
4. Gen. 19:1 Finally we see Lot “Sitting in the gate of the city” as he has become a leader in a community ruled by the flesh.  

What can we learn from Lord as it relates to the illustration?

• First, when God’s Word is neglected and resisted it won’t be long before it is rejected. And this darkness will lead to our blindness to truth.
• Second, Lot’s slide began when he didn’t understand the grace of God. Progression towards sin is always a result the setting aside of the grace of God.

Lot chose to live a life of the boarder (a borderline life) that was as close as to the wickedness in the world while trying all the time to have one foot in God’s kingdom. But his life proves that if we choose to live with one foot in the world we will never be able to maintain one foot in the kingdom of God! Furthermore, we look at the outcome of his choice as we see what Lot LOST by this choice:

• Gen. 19:19 He lost his friends when he tried to stand for righteousness after living a compromised life.
• Gen. 19:14 He lost his testimony as his witnessed seemed to be a joke to those he tried to speak to.
• Gen. 19:26 He lost his wife as she turned into salt as she was gazing back with fondness at the life lost if Sodom.
• Gen. 19:31-38 He lost his family as his daughters proved that it easier to leave Sodom and Gomorrah than it is to have Sodom and Gomorrah leave you.

In the illustration of Sodom and Gomorrah we see that the ignorance was not only of the truth but also of our own fallen nature… no wonder that Jude started this section with the exhortation of “I want to remind you, though you once knew this..”!     

Intro

Jude now moves to the main body of teaching which will support the stated reason for this letter which we examined in verse 3-4 which was the exhortation for the Body of Christ to “Contend earnestly for the faith”. This was urgently necessitated due to what Jude described of the fourfold description of these false teachers in verse 4 namely that they were:

1. Have crept in unnoticed: They were already active in the Church, and the believers weren’t aware of the danger that was already at work in the pulpits.
2. Ungodly men: They were not to be underestimated as they were as “committed” to the lies they taught as those who were apostles were committed to the truth.
3. Who turned the grace of our God into lewdness: Their lies were extremely affective as they appealed to the flesh giving excuses to remain in bondage top our former life of sin.
4. And deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ: They were extremely dangerous as their lies came against the very foundation of the believer security. They sought to divert and destroy the believer security and identity in Christ.  

Now as we move own we see their methods these false teachers employed to divert and destroy the believers trust in THE TRUTH! These methods are NOT NEW as they are as old as human history and Jude will show this going all the way back to the beginning as in verse 11 he will bring up “The way of Cain”. The failure of the believers to heed these words of Jude are not due to “ignorance” instead they are due to “willful disobedience”, and this isn’t new either. All we need to do is read the pages of our Bible to see the repetition of deception. Paul wrote of this in 1 Corinth 10:11-12 “Now all these things happened to them as examples, and they were written for our admonition, upon whom the end of the ages have come. Therefore, let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall.” This week in verses 5-7 we will look at three “corporate departures” from truth. What I mean by the use of that phrase as these are groups of that we can learn from and not individuals. The point of Jude is to cause his readers and through this letter us today so that we would not repeat the errors today with regards to the present danger that false teaching holds. If you are inclined to take notes you will find these three examples of their mannerisms as they would want the follower of Christ to forget these three things with regards to truth:

1. Vs. 5 Truth Cuts both ways: “Saved out of Egypt destroyed because they didn’t believe”: Here the example is taken from the history with regards to Israel “God’s people”. These were the folks that were under the blood of the Passover yet after they were saved by obedience to God’s word at the Passover we see afterward many of them in the wilderness being destroyed because they refused to obey.
2. Vs. 6  Knowing truth doesn’t guarantee obedience to it: “Angels did not keep their proper domain…left and are not reserved for judgement”. In a difficult passage Jude uses this illustration to show that these angels that were in the constant proximity to ALL TRUTH didn’t guarantee obedience to it. 
3. Vs. 7 Ignorance of the truth is no excuses; “Sodom and Gomorrah…given themselves over…gone after strange flesh..” The final illustration is that of two worldly cities that were ignorant of truth so much so that Lot was sent there to try to bring truth into these wicked cites and there were not 10 righteous and it appears that wickedness had a greater impact upon righteousness then righteousness had upon wickedness.

These warnings cause the reader to understand that such deception from false teachers is not a new phenomenon, nor is it isolated to a specific location, time, or even specific creation. This is an important few verses so the reader will not think that somehow they are immune to this warfare and attack. False teachers have always been around to deceive the faithful away from the truth of the glorious life in Christ. They have always employed the same methods of creeping in unnoticed, perverting the doctrines of grace given lies to keep people in bondage to the fallen nature. And they have always attacked the person and work of Jesus! There is nothing new  about people departing from the truth that have appealed tour fallen nature.

Vs. 5 Truth cuts both ways

Vs. 5 The question for the Bible student is, “What is the Holy Spirit through Jude trying to teach us”? The event mentioned first by Jude is the contrast of two events by the same group of people and what that has to say to us believers that can serve as a warning to us about false teachers who have crept in? The same group of people were told the truth of the need to obey God exactly or they would suffer the same experience of those who didn’t have the regular access to the truth the Egyptians. Yet some of them later suffer death when they refuse to obey the word of God. It is our “continual” obedience to truth that preserves our fellowship with God and the enjoyment of the life in Christ He has given us. The lesson in Exodus is that “the blade of truth cuts both ways”. Truth is NOT a respecter of persons! Furthermore, past obedience doesn’t make present obedience automatic, we will need to continue to obey truth. It seem as though there were some of the Israelites that viewed the blessings of obedience as a once for all guarantee even if they chose to disobey God word and follow after lies. We must NOT fail in our understanding that our transformation has NOT made obedience to God’s word obsolete, instead it has made it a necessity! There is no doubt that there were those who came forth from the land of Egypt that had a deeper understanding of the work of God in their salvation. So, there was a mixed multitude that came from this obedience that include those that were not convinced of the necessity obey God Word and it these that perished in the wilderness. All those who had escaped the angel of death at the Passover all experienced the same three truths:

• They all crossed through the sea
• They were all under the cloud by day and fire by night
• They all ate the same food and drink provide by God

Thus, the exhortation that peter gave in his 2^nd letter applies here: 3:17 “You therefore, beloved, since you know this beforehand, beware lest you also fall from your own steadfastness, being led away with the error of the wicked.” The truth obey saves, the truth disobeys destroys!  

III.Vs. 6 Knowing truth doesn’t guarantee obedience to it

Vs. 6 Here the example changes to the very ancient past from the realm of humanity to the angelic realm. Here is what Jude gives us in this passage that we will need to understand in order to heed the warning of this illustration. We are given two clues in this verse as to the timing of this illustration was when: 

1. “Angels did not keep their proper domain, but left their own abode”
2. “He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day”

The questions are “When did this angelic apostasy take place?” “Is there anything in scripture on it?” “What lessons does Jude intend the reader of this letter to understand about the illustration?”

There are three views on this verse in Jude:

1. We are not supposed to know or understand anything more than what Jude provides. In this view of this illustration a person would just repeat what the text provides without any interpretation. “The angels were dissatisfied, wanted a still higher domain that didn’t belong to them, so they left their own. The place God had given them wasn’t grand enough for them, so they sought higher.” There is no attempt to know their sin and placement in everlasting chains under darkness for judgment of the great day. The reader is only supposed to be on guard against this characteristic within false teachers even if we don’t know what exactly it is that we are to be on guard against.  
2. The second explanation of verse 6 is that it refers back to the fall of Lucifer, who became satan. The biblical reference to this is Isa. 14:12-17 and Ezek. 28:12-19 which describe a sin that swept a 1/3 of the angelic realm from their heavenly abode. The problem with this view is that some of the details of this story in Jude agree with this interpretation while clearly others are not. The biggest problem with this interpretation has to do with the second part of this verse and the statement of “He has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day”. The problem is that according to Rev. 12:9 and Matt. 10:8 neither satan or his demons are presently bound and that means to use this as the interpretation for this illustration would cause some biblical gymnastics to make it fit.
3. The final explanation as to the reference that Jude is alluding to comes from Gen 6:4. The Bound angels are in this present condition do to the events of Gen. 6:4 but the problem of accepting this view is that though it best fits the illustration it doesn’t leave todays reader with any better understanding.

To best see why we will need to examine Gen. 6:1-7 and cover the interpretation of the event: “Now it came to pass, when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose. And the Lord said, My Spirit shall not strivewith man forever, for he is indeed flesh; yet his days shall be one hundred and twenty years.” There were giants on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of men and they bore children to them. Those were the mighty men who were of old, men of renown. Then the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intentof the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the Lord was sorry that He had made man on the earth, and He was grieved in His heart. So, the Lord said, “I will destroy man whom I have created from the face of the earth, both man and beast, creeping thing and birds of the air, for I am sorry that I have made them.” A brief examination of this passage reveals the commentary as to the reason for the crumbling of the global society.

1. Multiplication of people: Vs. 1 describes the first condition that led to the crumbling of the global society. “When men began to multiply on the face of the earth”. At this time humanity due to the global  atmospheric conditions at the pre-flood time people lived hundreds and hundreds of years making the global population of close to 10 trillion people. If you were to start with Adam and Eve and increase the population by todays 2% a year and then span that out over the 1,656 years from Adam to the flood that is approximately the number of people that would be on the earth. Also realize that this pre-flood people possessed a common language where thoughts and ideas were freely exchanged, and you can see that this first family of humanity was not prehistoric but extremely advanced. The problem was that they were all “sons of Adam” and as such offspring of those infected by the humanity’s fall from an intimate relationship with God. When society multiplied they did so largely as sinners apart from a relationship with God. In the beginning of this first family of humanity God had warned Cain the first son of Adam and Eve “sin lies at the door and its desire is for you”. What this reminds the reader is that at the root of all moral and social evil is the root of sin which has the only antidote for its effects the blood of Jesus.
2. Compromise: “and daughters were born to them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men, that they were beautiful; and they took wives for themselves of all whom they chose.” Whatever else that can be said about this passage one thing is certain and that is that societies downfall came about do to compromise.

To understand specifically what the compromise was we will need to answer a few questions related to this passage:

• Who are the sons of God?
• Who are the daughters of men?
• Who are their offspring, “the giants upon the earth” verse 4?

To answer the first question, “Who are the sons of God?”; we will need to realize that there are three views to this:

1. Sethites: Genesis makes it clear that this line began to call upon the name of the Lord, thus this view assumes that ALL of Seth’s decedents were godly while all of Cain’s were ungodly. The problem with this view is that we know that the godly line intermarried with the ungodly line. Furthermore, this would be impossible because it would mean that all Seth’s descendants would have to have been boys while all of Cain’s were girls’ which id biblically and mathematically impossible. A further problem is that 100% of Adam’s descendants were in the image of fallen man and not God which means all were born sinners.       
2. Children of rulers: Some have chosen to interpret “the sons of God” which is the word “elohim” in its plural form “gods” which in some places can be interpreted “rulers”. In this interpretation the point is to say that theses “sons of God or rulers” were those men from influential homes and they took women from whomever they wanted making offspring in verse 4 that were “mighty men who were of old, men of renown.” The trouble with this interpretation is that the Jewish scribes translated the word into Greek in the singular form and in the three other places the phrase “sons of God” appear the meaning is never rulers as this interpretation suggests.    
3. Demon possessed men: The Hebrew phrase has always been interpreted by the Jewish Scribes as “angels of God” and this fact is further implied in the text of Jude 6. This interpretation is the one that best suits the text, grammar, and Jude 6 in my opinion.  

It can also be cross-referenced to 2 Peter 2:4-6 where it appears that the fallen angels of demons left their own habitation of which they have no sexual reproduction and possessed ungodly men who in turn took women sexually who were themselves demon possessed producing an offspring  that were genetically altered into giants, mighty men of renown.     

The second question, “Who are the daughters of men?”: The simple interpretation is the best as “daughters” have been born into families prior to this as the words “and that they were beautiful” implies and without daughters being born there would be no increase in population. What the phrase “and that they were beautiful” tells us is that “the sons of god” were looking at the daughters of men with only the eye to the beautiful ones, classifying the ones that were physically more attractive. They were not examining the “daughters of men” with an eye upon their inward heart and as such they were blinded to the heart of the women and tended to make choices to those that were ONLY attractive outwardly instead of inwardly! The problem with this interpretation is that marriage to ungodly isn’t a good idea but it doesn’t produce genetically altered children or even ones that are more sinful for that matter.

The final question is Who are their offspring, “the giants upon the earth” verse 4?: The word “giants” is a word that has a double meaning in the Hebrew: “Fallen ones” and the “physical stature”  of some of the people in the land of Canaan.

Now taking all of this together I come up with the possibility that “demons” left their own habitation of which there was no sexual reproduction and possessed ungodly men who took women that appealed to their flesh and were possibly demon possessed as well that the offspring was genetically altered into giants, mighty men of renown. The purpose of this seems to be to prevent the redemptive plan according to 2 Peter 2:5 and was the reason for the flood as humanity was polluted by this genetically altered humanity. All of this difficult interpretation leads me to see Jude’s point which is that following false teachers leads to the pollution of God’s word and leads people away from their only redemption the blood of Christ.

We will pick us next week verse 7 and the final “corporate departures” from truth.       

Intro

Last week we started this 25-verse letter an odd way by first going over the 8 verses or 1/3 of the letter’s difficulties with regards to the interpretations. As mentioned all of them are found in the main body of the letter in verses 5-23 and as we approach them we will be taking a look at each of them. I also want to remind you that this problem with interpreting these illustrations is unique to today’s reader and NOT the original readers as Jude would have NOT used illustrations on such an important topic as the “descriptions and characteristics of false teachers”. This morning we continue our study through the first 4 verses completing the introduction of the letter through the reason for the letter in verse 4.

Vs. 1-2 From and too

Vs.1 One of the things that fascinates me about this little letter is how it fits together form the introduction to the closing each aspect of the letter interlocking with the next. Nothing be more connected to the theme of the letter then the identity of the writer. Here at the beginning of the letter the author identifies himself as Jude! For the first time reader of this letter, which is on false teaching and apostasy, it is interesting that it bares the same name as the greatest deception ever fostered, “Judas”!  Here is a name that for the most part is not a common name today as it clearly once was. People name their sons, Peter, John, and Paul. They may even call their pets Nero or Caesar but like other names like Adolf…..Judas as all but disappeared for the registry of names. Yet with that said God choose a man whose name was Jude to write on a letter on apostasy and treachery. I believe that one of the reasons for this is the correlation with the name Jude with the actions of Judas as both turned away from truth, yet both claim a relationship with truth. Jude’s identification is twofold with the greater being displayed first:

1. Heavenly identification “A bondservant of Jesus Christ”: The Greek word for “bondservant” is Doulos and means a servant by choice. The connection of this Greek word with Whom Jude declares as his Master is a great truth; a person will never truly experience the “blessings” of our relationship with Jesus apart from laying our life down to the very Person who laid His life down for us.  
2. Earthly identification “And a brother of James”: In Gal 1:19 James is called the “Lord’s brother” and when we look at the fact that in verse 17 Jude refers to the “apostles” instead of identifying himself as one further makes it unlikely that this is the Jude of Luke 6:16 who is called the “son of James”. This only leaves us the Jude of Matt. 13:55 where we read at the rejection from his hometown of Nazareth that some said, “Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called Mary? And His brothers James, Joses, Simon, and Judas?” This then is the “JUDE” that is mentioned as one of Jesus’ 4 ½ brothers who grew up with their older brother in Nazareth.  as the Christ based upon John 7:5 and that their faith in Him came after the resurrection. The only other reference to Jude is in the brief passage in 1 Cor. 9:5 where we are told that “that the brothers of the Lord took their wives with them on missionary journeys”. It is also to note the similarities in their two letters:  James writes that “Good works” are evidence of “real faith”. Jude writes that “Evil works” are evidence of apostasy and false teaching.  

Jude calling himself the “brother of James” places him in the family of Jesus alongside of Mary and Joseph; yet Jude does not chose to allude to his earthly connection to Jesus only his spiritual connection to Jesus. This clearly indicates humility instead of what Jude will write about in regard to the false teachers who are arrogant. Furthermore, it indicates what Jude valued and identified with more, as he would rather be identified with Jesus spiritually being His servant of choice then being identified with being his earthly 1/2 brother! It was only in his spiritual connection that he truly entered into an everlasting relationship which was far greater than his time of knowing his brother in unbelief. It is this truth that unlocks the readers understanding of this little letter. We must put aside our earthly identification if we are going to grow in our relationship with Jesus and we can only do so as we understand that our “heavenly identification” is what is most and important. As it relates to our identification: It is always better for our life and souls if we see ourselves as Jesus’ servant by choice instead of our connection by works our others connection to.             

Vs. 2 “To those” is the designation to whom the letter was intended: And Jude identifies that the recipients of this letter have three common qualities; “Called, Sanctified and Preserved”: These qualities are NOT attributes that come from the individual that Jude has in mind in this letter instead they are things bestowed upon people that DID NOT ever deserve such designation. Also, not that these three qualities that are bestowed upon the reader of this letter cover a person’s PAST, PRESENT and FUTURE! Also notice the Godhead involved in these qualities that are bestowed as we are called by the Holy Spirit, Sanctified by God the Father, and Preserved in Jesus Christ. 

1. Called: That is what happened to us in the past as we were called. The word in the Greek is one that is used for an invitation and in our case we were called while sinners to salvation whereby the sinner is called to repentance by the act of faith in the Lord who called him. The amazing truth is that all have been “invited” to become believers. In John’s gospel 1:12-13 we read that “But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name, who born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor the will of man, but of God.” Jesus said in Matt. 22:14 that “Many are called but few are chosen”. The fact that from the beginning we have been called to salvation through sanctification because we trust in His truth. And through this calling we will be showered in the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have been called out of darkness and into His light, called out of death and into life! Furthermore, our glorification is as certain as our salvation and sanctification. We have a new identity and security as we are God’s beloved!         
2. Sanctified: The second quality is that they are “set apart” and Jude describes specifically Who it is that has “set us apart” as it is “by God”! Security that’s only emphases is in the beginning has no lasting security. What happens if what God called is LOST because of our failure? This answers that objection: We are the objects of the Fathers love and because we have received His only Son we are also the recipients of this love as well. There is no greater experience a human being can ever have then to be “set apart in the love of God”. Chosen out of fallen humanity by His love. This love isn’t based upon our qualities but upon His and they can never be earned or deserved instead they are our simply because we have accepted them. It is for this reason that they have “set us apart” from all that were to all that He has for us!  
3. Preserved: Here the Greek word means to be “kept or guarded from loss or injury”. Again, the key to understanding this word is to be found in Who’s hands we are kept or guarded as we are told that it is “IN JESUS CHRIST”. It is in the very hands of the Person who our sin drove the nails meant for us through! It is in Jude’s closing in verse 24 that he reminds the reader that we are “invited to be objects of our Father’s love, forever kept by the One in whom love was given through.” We are under the watchful care of Jesus. I wonder if Jude reflected upon his brother who watched over he and his siblings? 

To the person who is “called, sanctified and preserved” by God and in Christ Jesus they can expect the following three things which are the prescription for contending for the faith as well as fruit of the above three qualities.

1. Mercy: Mercy in the Greek is a word that has a view on the misery which is the consequence of sin. Mercy precedes grace as is means not getting what we deserve, and Paul says in Eph. 2:4 that God is rich in mercy.
2. Peace: The word peace here means to join together that which has been separated. Such peace can be ours the moment when we as believers do what D.L. Moody encouraged that we, “Worry about NOTHING, pray about EVERYTHING, and thank God for ANYTHING.”
3. Love: The word here is “agape” which is that divine love which is shed abroad in our hearts. This love is so infused with the believer that the believer security and identity becomes impossible to be separated from the love of God.

Jude prays that these three fruits of being a believer will continue to be multiplied as this is the antidote to being persuaded by false teachers to abandon the truth. What a comfort it is in a letter that is full of the future judgment for false teachers that the Holy Spirit affirms through the words he gave Jude of the assurances and blessings of the believer. The Holy Spirit HAS called us, God the Father HAS set us apart and we ARE preserved in Jesus Christ and these FACTS PRODUCE  His mercy, peace, and love!

Vs. 3-4 Contending for the faith

Vs. 3 “Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation.” This “common salvation” is NOT common because lacks value as it is the most precious faith. Instead, it is “common salvation” because it is the property of all who have obtained it by faith. No person’s salvation is of greater value then another’s, as no person’s salvation came about do to anything of themselves! Jude’s salvation came the same way as did those he was now writing too. It is also important to note that this letter was NOT written for the false teachers to read but for those that shared a common salvation to read so as not to be lead astray. Jude’ intentions were interrupted. The word in Greek for “necessary” is a word that means to “compress or apply pressure” as one would do if they came upon a person who had a sever wound and was in danger of bleeding to death. These believers had the enjoyed “the blood of Christ” but false teachers had “cut away at the truth” and they were in danger of bleeding out the Life of Christ. The word “exhorting” is the same word used of the Holy Spirit as it describes a person coming along side to help. The God breathed exhortation of this letter to its readers is that they needed to counter these false teachers, it was of necessity that these follow believers go on the offensive and “contend for the faith”. The Greek word for “contend” describes what an elite athlete does in an athletic contest! This letter is a direct result of the Holy Spirits constraint placed upon Jude to warn the believers of the false teachers’ tactics to get believers to move away from the truth of God’s word. In the book of Nehemiah, we have an illustration of what Jude is encouraging from the believers. As Nehemiah was rebuilding the wall in Jerusalem there were those that were actively involved in stopping that work so God spoke to Nehemiah in 4:17-18 that “Those that built on the wall, and those that carried burdens, load themselves so that with one hand they worked at the construction, and with the other hand they held the weapon. Everyone one of the builders had his sword girded at his side as he built…” We Christians have the Sword of the Spirit and need to keep it on us as we build the kingdom. There is no other truth as what we are to contend for is “once for all delivered to the saints”. There is “No other name that can be named that is given save Jesus Christ”!

Vs. 4 The urgency of the change in the message by Holy Spirit given through Jude to these fellow believers can best be understood when we read the characteristics of these false teachers. As we see four things about them: “For certain men”:

1. “Have crept in unnoticed”: For Jude notes the tactics of these apostates: They HAVE CREPT . That means that the danger was present not future has their penetration into the Church had already begun. The Greek word “crept in” means to “enter alongside” as they came in the “side door” and the believers were unaware that they had “apostates” among them. They had slipped in and were now teaching lies from the pulpits. These like their father the devil appear as “angels of light” from the outside but are like their father full of lies! They perhaps used the same words as God’s word but established different means to these words to deceive people from following the truth. 
2. “Ungodly men”: Jude uses a play on words as he says these false teachers had a “calling” on their lives, but it wasn’t from God the Father it was from the father of lies as they were “ungodly men”. Here we note that these false teachers had strong convictions but for lies instead of truth. Their piety was away from the things of God, and they didn’t share in the godly characteristics.   
3. “Who turned the grace of our God into lewdness”: They twisted truth and started with the grace of God and turned the grace of God into a license to continue in bondage to sin. They didn’t restrain the flesh instead they indulged the flesh calling in grace!   
4. “And deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ”: Lastly they corrupted the character and nature of the Son of God Jesus! They disowned the Jesus of the Bible and instead created their own Jesus!