Some Things to Remember, Jude 11-19

About three weeks ago, I had the privilege of preaching at Gospel Community Church (my home church).  The sermon I preached that day dealt with Jude 11-15 and was entitled "Some Things to Remember."  It was the third lesson in a series of sermons on Jude.  If you'd like an audio copy of the sermon, please click this link and look for May 26:  http://www.gospelcc.org/media/.  The notes for the sermon can be found below.

Introduction:

1st Week—Pastor Andrew preached on Jude 1-4.  He noted that there are Two characteristics of False Teachers in this passage—They Pervert grace (behavior) and they deny Jesus (theology).  Remember,    When Doctrine Goes Bad, Hearts Can Go Bad.  We must be diligent to Contend for the Truth.

2^nd Week—Robb preached on Jude 5-10 on the topic of Reminding and Fighting.  He reminded us that Satan fights dirty, so we must be on our guard. In these verses, Jude describes the character and sins of the apostates/false teachers.

This week—My text is Jude 11-19.  I want us to see that Jude gives us Three Things to Remember:  1. Remember the character of the False Teachers, 2. Remember that Judgment will come, 3. Remember what God has said.

1.  Remember the character of the False Teachers;  A Person’s Life Reveals a Person’s Heart.

Three OT Individuals mentioned here—before Jude describe the sinful lives of the false teachers,  he portrays them as people who lead others astray.  His examples are:  Cain, Balaam, Korah.

Cain’s heart/reputation—(for Cain's story, check out Gen. 4)—Jealous of Abel, A Murderer, Lacked in love 

Green: “Cain stands for the cynical, materialistic character who defies God and despises man.”   He is devoid of faith and love, and even Josephus described him as a man who instructed others in wickedness.

Balaam’s heart/reputation—greedy for gain, his actions encouraged God’s people to sin by worshiping a false god.  

His advice led the children of Israel to commit fornication and leave the worship of God.  Perhaps he told the Jews that their position was so certain with God that they could sin without repercussions (licentiousness). The false teachers apparently taught something similar—if you belong to Jesus you can live however you want; holiness is not necessary.

Korah’s heart/reputation—(for his story see Numbers 16)—arrogant, rebellious, disrespectful of authority

The false teachers embody all of these issues—like Cain, they are devoid of love; like Balaam they are greedy and teach others to pursue false gods and unholy lives for money; like Korah, they disrespect authority

Jude describes the false teachers with several metaphors

 “hidden reefs” (“love feasts”; greed, disorder, immorality had invaded these celebrations)—they are arrogant hidden dangers that are not always obvious.

They are “selfish” caring only for themselves (like Ez. 34—they pose as shepherds but fail to care for the sheep, cf. Peter in John 21).

They are “clouds without water”—they promise rain but in the end offer nothing good (they pretend to be “enlightened” and “mature” but offer no real nourishment to others).

They are “dead fruitless trees”—they look good but produce no good fruit of the Spirit (cf. Gal 5:19-22); they are “doubly dead” which may refer to being dead in sin and being dead in the future judgment (the “second death” in Rev).

They are “wild waves” carrying their filth wherever they go, and they are “wandering stars” (from 1 Enoch?) always looking for a superior position, promising light but bringing darkness, ending in doom, destined darkness.

These false teachers are also described as—arrogant self-serving (self is all that matters, self-esteem is better than humility), grumblers (remember the wilderness wanderings?—grumbling and complaining may be a good sign of a person out of touch with God), complainers, flatterers (they seek to increase their influence by flattery, they are full of themselves and want others to be as well), focused on worldly things (their concern is on their “best life now” rather than looking at the long haul living for Jesus, they despise suffering for a life of safety, they want the “easy” button for holiness), following their own lusts (self-focused and pursuing immoral lifestyles), create divisions, devoid of the Spirit (claiming to be the “spiritually elite” they are actually controlled by the natural world and not by God; they are focused on things contrary to the Spirit—flesh in Galatians 5) 

Simply put—they do not follow Jesus or his example in Philippians 2:5-8

These false teachers are teaching a type of “cheap grace” that does not require any cross or any holiness—they teach it and they live it—they are immoral and teach false doctrine.  God’s grace produces trust and humility and holiness; and the lives of these false teachers showed not these things but unbelief, pride, and immorality.  These teachers are not from God.   

Today—The fastest growing group in America are those who see themselves as spiritual, who believe in God, but are affiliated with no particular religious group.  They want to pick and choose their spirituality.  It’s “salad bar style Christianity.”  Create your own.  They want spirituality without commitment. 

2.  Remember that Judgment will come (v. 11, 14-15) Woe to them!  The prophecy of Enoch; The false teachers will be judged for their deeds (note how often Jude uses the term for “ungodly” or “godless” in these verses—4 times).  They will also be judged for their words.

The church will also be judged (Peter reminds us—1 Peter 4:17-18)—how then should we live in light of these things?  We ought to be careful how we live (remember the old VBS song—be careful little hands) because we will all give an account to God who is holy.  God warns us about mockers (cf. 1 Tim 4:1, or 2 Tim 3:1, or 2 Tim 4:3, or 2 Peter 3:3).

3.  Remember what God has said—God does not leave us defenseless. He has spoken his word to us as a warning and a promise, and he has given us his Word to equip us to live Truth faithfully.

The “apostles” here could refer to either the original 12 or to the people who established the church to whom Jude writes. In all likelihood there were on-going prophecies about false teachers and mockers that were passed on to the church (Paul mentions them in Acts, Peter mentions them in 2 Peter).  This could also be reference to the Word written by apostles as well (2 Peter 3). The idea here is that God has given a Word for his people to heed, and here we have Jude’s first imperative (command)—“Remember!”  That is, these were words that were spoken and still being spoken, and the “last times” probably refers to the end of days;.

So, what do we do with this information?

Remember—your actions reveal your heart—whose side are you on? 

What do your actions tell others about your heart? 

Could they convict you of being a Christian by your lifestyle?  

Remember what God said—We are called to remember what God has said and in doing so, be equipped to discern truth from error.  Reality: Often it is easier to recognize error in others – while denying it in ourselves. 

We need to spend time in his Word to know his Truth (v.17)—this week spend extra time reading through 1 John and Jude—ask yourself—what is required of me as a Christ-follower in these passages?  How should I respond?  

Ask yourself where you are like Cain, Balaam or Korah? Where do you grumble, complain, cause divisions, or get all religious?  

 Remember to set your heart on Jesus—Instead of being self-led, we need to be Spirit-led.  If you are Spirit-led, your life should reveal it. If Jesus is your Master, what can you do this week to show it? 

Thanks for reading!  

 

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