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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Truth or Consequences: How to Avoid Deception, 1 John 2:18-23, Theology Matters Series

Hello all:

I teach an Adult Bible Community at Thomas Road Baptist Church called the G.A.P. (for Graduates and Professionals), and each week I post the outlines and discussion questions from my lessons on the G.A.P. page on Facebook. A while back I started posting these notes on the blog too. So, here is the outline for our meeting on November 28, 2010. A while back we started a new series on 1 John entitled "Theology Matters." This lesson looks at 1 John 2:18-23 and discusses the idea that our we have to be careful about our doctrine and where we get our theology. John warns us that there are people who want to deceive us or to draw us from the Truth about Jesus, and he gives us some tips on how to avoid spiritual deception. If you have any questions or would like to add a comment or two, that would be great!

Truth or Consequences: How to Avoid Deception
1 John 2:18-23
Theology Matters Series

Introduction
Teaching philosophy at the community college yielded some interesting conversations:
a. Well, that is “your” truth, not mine
b. It doesn’t really matter what you believe, just as long as you are sincere

These views can be dangerous, right?

If I genuinely believe that a bottle of poison will cure my illness, I may end up dead in spite of my belief
The example of the person who almost kills a loved one because he or she sincerely believes that the person is an intruder

In religious circles, we sometimes hear things like:
Doctrine divides, so let’s avoid doctrine and just focus on getting along
Jesus said you will know you are my disciples by your love, not by your doctrine. Let’s avoid disputes about doctrine and just find places where we agree

John, on the other hand, seems to put a premium on doctrinal issues

In chapter one he even claims that true joy comes from a sound doctrinal foundation
He argues against a bad doctrine that ignores the Incarnation or makes Jesus less than God

What a person believes is just as or more important than the sincerity of that belief

Apparently, it really makes a difference what you believe!

John has already given us a couple of tests in this chapter—the moral test of obedience to God (2:1-6) and the relational test of love (2:7-18). Now, John reminds us that there is also a doctrinal test for believers to consider—1 John 2:18-23

John here offers a warning of sorts to his readers—be careful what you believe, be careful what you accept

In John’s day, there were false teachers who were teaching a doctrine whose consequences would lead to shipwreck and death

In our passage today, John gives his readers instructions on how to avoid deception in spiritual matters. To avoid deception, we need to focus on two things:
a. We need to know the source
b. We need to know the truth

Let’s look at John’s advice on how to avoid deception
1 John 2:18-23

1. Know the Source
1 John 2:18-20
John contrasts true believers and false teachers in these passages

The first thing that many note is John's reference to “the last hour”
May be a reference to the return of Christ
Most likely a reference to the fact that since Christ’s resurrection and ascension the world has entered the last stage of history before God’s kingdom is fully revealed
Mark 13:33—no one knows how long this period will last, but there is a sense of urgency here
The end could come at any moment

Another interesting issue is his mention of Anti-Christ and antichrists
John alone uses the term “antichrist” in his epistles. It does not appear anywhere else in the NT
“Anti-Christ” refers to a particular person, but that does not seem to be John’s focus here
“Many antichrists” is the reference that John emphasizes
“Antichrist” means either “against Christ” or “in place of Christ”

John is referring here to the spirit that stands against the sound teaching of Christ or that tries to replace Christ with another

In John’s day, these folks came claiming a “new revelation” or a “deeper knowledge of the truth” –they claimed an experience that no one else had

To avoid deception, know your teachers

These false teachers (or “antichrists”) may operate in the range of Christian ideas and concepts—they may even came from our ranks

This means we need to be careful to examine ourselves—are we genuinely following Christ, or are we merely tagging along with others to see what happens?

We also need to be on our guard—there are actually people in the world who would like to mislead others and teach a false doctrine

These false teachers may have started off as orthodox teachers, but soon they veered from the truth so that they no longer abide by the teaching of apostles
a. They are more interested in being popular
b. They are more interested in being heard
c. They are interested in making money
d. They claim to have a “fresh” or “new” revelation not given before

The false teachers separated themselves from the church, from orthodox belief
We must beware of anyone who breaks from orthodox teaching of the Scripture to pursue a new or different doctrine

Verse 19 does not refer to individuals who simply leave a church to go to another place of worship. Rather, it refers to folks who leave the sound teaching of who Jesus is for a false gospel that puts the focus on anything but Jesus

They not only attack orthodox beliefs, but they also recruit others to their aberrant views
Modern examples include: Jehovah Witnesses, Mormons, Scientology, Christian Science, Islam, etc.

John makes the following points:
a. True Christians are born of God
b. True Christians persevere in the truth and with other believers
c. Church growth or unity are not as important as good doctrine

The test of orthodoxy is submission and obedience to the apostolic teaching found in the New Testament, particularly the teaching about the person and work of Jesus

Verse 20 mentions an “anointing” that Christians have
The false teachers apparently claimed a higher anointing than John or the apostles
John says that we all know the truth because of God’s anointing in our lives
John 14:6-7; 16:13-14
We must be diligent to learn and to follow the truth

To avoid deception, know the source of your doctrine

2. Know the Truth
1 John 2:21-23
In these verses, John reminds us that we must be careful to know the truth
Not knowing the truth has consequences

We live in a day that has rejected the idea of absolute truth
To think that someone could stand in front of a group like this and claim to speak of “the Truth” is considered illogical, intolerant, and even (in some cases) evil by many postmodern people
Truth is what you make of it in a postmodern society

John simply does not agree

In verse 21, John claims to be writing to those who actually know the truth
John was no postmodern

To avoid deception, pursue and know the truth

As we noted earlier—sound doctrine matters
John encourages his readers to recognize the difference between a lie and the truth
Simply stated, truth and lies do not mix—they do not get along (i.e., the Law of Non-Contradiction)

Lies are tied to how Jesus is viewed (v. 22)
To deny Jesus as the apostles taught him is to deny truth, to deny God himself

Sound doctrine is strongly linked to a personal relationship with God
To deny the Son means that one does not “have” the Father
Knowledge of Jesus is salvation, to deny who he is (i.e., the Incarnation of God, God in the flesh, God among us) is to deny what he accomplishes and the God he makes known (John 1)

Sound doctrine about the person and work of Jesus is essential to a proper relationship with God

True believers pursue the truth about God as revealed in Christ (Heb. 1:1-3)

John wants his readers to know that Jesus is the only true revelation of God
a. He is not just a good teacher or an anointed man
b. He is God among us, redeeming us, and leading us
c. He is our only means of salvation, and his divinity guarantees our redemption

To avoid deception, know good doctrine/learn the truth

Application
So what do we do with this information? How do we respond to what John has written here?

If we wish to avoid deception in spiritual matters, then we must be discerning in two areas—who teaches us and what is true doctrine

This week we can do the following
a. Look closely at those who teach us—are their lives consistent with the life of Jesus? Do they exhibit the same attitudes as Christ (Phil 2)? Where is their focus? Are they focused on legacies, numbers, buildings, money, or Jesus? What is their character?

b. Pay attention to your own doctrine. Take some time this week to read through 1 John or the Gospel of John. Ask the Spirit who anoints you to give direction and understanding about what the Bible says about Jesus. Read good books on sound doctrine. Make it a point to be around believers who hold to sound doctrine.

c. Check yourself by John’s three tests—are you obeying God’s commands, do you love others, and are you abiding in truth?

To avoid deception, we must know our teachers and know the truth

Thanks for reading!