Latest / Teachings On This Day On FerventWord / On May 23, 2010: Jude 1 Contend Earnestly For The Faith
Transcript
- As we look at the book of Jude, I wanted to, you know, literally put upon my heart to cover the entire book instead of splitting it up for the main reason that oftentimes as we look at the book of Jude, we get distracted. There's a lot of things that Jude makes reference to that go along with it are a lot of questions, a lot of speculations, a lot of ideas that we could talk about and discuss. And a lot of times, for me, myself, as well as I think for us generally, we get caught up and consumed in those things and we miss the overall point of what Jude is talking about. And so as we look at this book today, I want to ask you to pay careful attention to the overall thrust of what Jude is talking about. There's some specific things that he is saying that are very important to us. And so we need to take care not to be distracted by some of the references that he makes and thereby miss the point. It's important for us to build ourselves up, Jude is going to share. It's important for us to contend for the faith and be strong in a relationship with God. Because of the tough times that are ahead, because of the ungodly and the mockers that exist and that will continue to exist within the church, there's a great need for us to build ourselves up. to stand up for the truth of Jesus Christ and to hold fast to our relationship in Him. And so I want to encourage you this morning as we look at these things to stand fast, to contend for the faith and to put into practice these things that Jude is writing. We pick it up in verse 1 and it tells us there that this is written by Jude who is a bondservant of Jesus Christ. He's also the brother of James and he's writing it to those who are called, sanctified by God the Father and preserved in Jesus Christ. As we look at this book written by Jude, there's six points I want to share with you, six things that I think are important and applicable to you and I as believers today. First of all, as we look a little bit of history into this book, we know it's written by Jude. He names himself there in the beginning, but we don't know exactly who this Jude is. The name Jude is a variation of the name Judah, which is the Hebrew form of the name. Then it's also a variation of the name Judas, which is the Greek form of the name. And so you have Judah, Judas, and Jude, all different forms of the same name. And so it can be used or he could be referred to in any of these names. And we have people in the New Testament referred to as Judah, Judas, and Jude. And so it's one of those guys most likely that is referred to in the New Testament. And looking at the evidence, it's most likely that this Jude is Jesus' half-brother. In Matthew chapter 13 verse 55, as Jesus is ministering amongst his own people in his hometown, the people are kind of wondering like, hey, who is this guy? And where did he get this insight? Where did he get the authority to teach this way? And they begin to ask themselves, isn't this the carpenter's son? Joseph was the father of Jesus, not biologically, because of course Jesus was born of the Virgin Mary, but he was the adopted son of Joseph. And so Joseph was known as his father. And they say, isn't this Joseph's son, the carpenter? And they also ask, hey, isn't his mother called Mary? And that's in fact true, that Jesus was born of Mary. But then they go on to say, aren't his brothers James, Joseph, Simon, and Judas, also known as Jude or Judah. And so Jesus had a half-brother, wasn't the full brother because of course Joseph wasn't Jesus' biological dad. But Joseph and Mary went on in their marriage relationship to have children. And so Judas was one of Jesus' brothers or half-brothers, and that's probably the same person who is writing this today, because he also mentions that he is the brother of James. Now James was also a brother of Jesus. He became a prominent leader of the church. We see that in Acts chapter 15 and other portions of the New Testament. And Jesus, his brothers did not believe in him during his earthly ministry. While he was going around doing miracles, James, Judas, none of these guys really believed in him as the Messiah. It was only after he resurrected that they believed, that they came to know the truth that Jesus Christ indeed is the Savior of the world. And so growing up they didn't believe in Him as He's doing His ministry. John 7:5 tells us that His brothers did not believe in Him. But then in Acts 1:14, very early there at the beginning of the church as the disciples are waiting for the promise of the Holy Spirit that Jesus promised, it tells us there that the brothers of Jesus were there with the disciples waiting for the promise of the Holy Spirit. And so after Jesus resurrected, there was a change. There was a conversion that took place and the brothers of Jesus began to believe in him. They put their faith in Jesus Christ and received salvation. And so this Jude is probably one of those brothers, that half-brother of Jesus, who did not believe on him during his earthly ministry, but after he resurrected, as he saw the proof that indeed Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, he put his faith in Jesus Christ and was involved in the ministry and involved in the church as it began. And so he writes this letter, he says, to those who are called, sanctified, and preserved. This is a letter that is written to all Christians. It's not a letter written to only a specific place or church or specific people within the church. This is a letter that's written to all who are called. That's those who have answered the call of God. Those who have received the gift of salvation that God has offered. Maybe this morning you've not received that gift of salvation. You're not included in this list. You are not called until you answer the call that God has given to you. You're invited. Everyone is given the opportunity to receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. You're given the opportunity to be forgiven of your sins, but you must respond to God's call. You must respond to His offer of salvation. And those who respond, those who are called, he says, are sanctified. And again, this is a term that applies to all believers. We are all sanctified, or the word means set apart. We are set apart from sin, from the world, from the flesh. We're set apart from the things that defile. But we're also set apart unto the things of God. Dedicated to God. Consecrated unto God. And so he's writing to those who are called, to those who are sanctified, but also to those who are preserved. And isn't it wonderful to know that this is who we are in Christ. We're called of God. We're set apart for God. but we're also preserved in God or in Jesus Christ. We're preserved. He's got us taken care of. He's going to keep us. He's going to continue to work in our lives. As Paul said in Philippians chapter 1, that God is going to finish the work that he began in us. And so Jude is writing this to all believers, to those who are called, sanctified, preserved, and that's every single one of us who've put our faith and trust in Jesus Christ. This is written to us that we might take these things and learn from them and put them into practice in our lives. Verse 2 goes on to say, mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you. It's a very customary, typical greeting of the day. Paul often would use grace and peace, and sometimes he'd throw in mercy as well. But Jude uses mercy, peace, and love. These things that God has in store for his followers. These things that God wants to abound. And so Jude says, may these things be multiplied in you. Again, what a wonderful heritage we have as Christians. That mercy, peace, and love are multiplied within us. Well, verse 3, we find really the core of the first point, but also the overview of the whole book. And that is, the first point is to contend earnestly for the faith. Look at verse 3. He says, Beloved, while I was very diligent to write to you concerning our common salvation, I found it necessary to write to you exhorting you to contend earnestly for the faith, which was once and for all delivered to the saints. Here I get the picture as Jude is getting ready to write this letter. He's sitting down, he grabs his parchment, he grabs the pen, he's preparing himself to write this letter and he has in mind some of the things he wants to say. He wants to talk about their common salvation, the things that they can rejoice in together, the things that God has afforded them by faith in Jesus Christ. But he says, you know, while I was diligent, I was getting ready to do this, I found it necessary instead to write to you, to exhort you, to encourage you, to contend earnestly for the faith. And so he's sitting down to write. He wants to, you know, just rejoice and glory and all of the wonderful things that God has provided for us in salvation. But the Holy Spirit changed his heart and put a burden upon him and prompted him instead to write about contending for the faith. And that's what this book is all about. That's what we're talking about today. Contending earnestly for the faith. You know, there are those times that as believers we get to partake of, we get to receive, we get to share those common salvation messages. You know, it's a nice message. We just get to hear about how good God is and what God has done for us. They're exciting and joyful. But there's also other times that we need to hear some exhortation, that we need to be corrected or encouraged or pressed on or pushed forward into certain areas of our lives. And it's one of the great values and blessings of going through the Bible like we do, chapter by chapter, because we get to hit those times of we just get to rejoice in what God's done for us. But then we also have the times like today where it's an exhortation. Hey, you and I, we must earnestly contend for the faith. The idea here of earnestly contend is not real hard to understand. It's a term from sports or athletics. It's actually a term from the wrestling match. He's telling us that we are to fight faith. That's what it means to earnestly contend. There is to be a fight that takes place. There's a battle that's going on and he says, you need to engage in this battle. You need to fight for the faith, to earnestly contend for the faith that has been entrusted to us. You know, the Christian life is not easy. If you want an easy, comfortable, kickback, relaxing life, do not follow Jesus Christ. Because the Christian life is a battle. There's an incredible and intense battle that rages. And the battle is intense because the stakes are high. We're talking about eternity. And there's eternal things that are being accomplished all around us continually. And so there's this battle with these huge stakes that's going on. And so for you and I as Christians... We're not going to have an easy kickback, comfortable, you never have to think about anything, just put it in cruise control and just, you know, roll with the punches. No, we are going to be involved in this battle. We're going to be part of this fight. And it's going to be intense. And so we must earnestly contend. We must get involved in this fight and be a part of the battle that is taking place. We cannot kick back as Christians. We cannot put it in cruise control. We must engage. He says, we're to fight or to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints. This idea of delivered is entrusted. It's the idea that you would use this word if you are having someone watch your kids for you while you go off and do something. You are entrusting your child to this person, to this babysitter, to this family member. And you're expecting that they're going to be responsible. And you're expecting that they're going to take care of that child. And you're expecting that everything is going to be under control and they're not going to be lazy. They're not going to let them play on the freeway. You know, that they're going to take good care and provide for their needs and take care of that child. That's the idea of having something entrusted to someone. Jude says, hey guys, you need to contend earnestly for the faith because the faith has been entrusted to the saints. When he talks about the faith, he's talking about not an individual's belief, but he's talking about the collection of doctrines about God. He's talking about the gospel message. He's talking about the truth of who God is, what Jesus Christ has done for us upon the cross. That faith, the message of God, the fact that God desires for all to be saved and to get to know Him and to walk with Him through Jesus Christ, that faith is something that we are to contend earnestly for because it's something that has been entrusted to us. The gospel message has been given to the saints. God's not going to use another means of offering salvation to mankind. He's not going to use all of a sudden just himself and he's just going to appear and he says, okay, the church really failed. They didn't really get the gospel out. They didn't deliver the message. They didn't share the truth. And so here I am, see me, touch me, and I'll tell you my story. No, God has once for all delivered the faith. He's delivered the message. He's delivered the truth, the word of God to his people. And we are entrusted with this message. We are entrusted with the faith. We are called and responsible to preserve it, to share it, to protect it, to fight for it, to deliver it to all those that God seeks. to reach with His grace and forgiveness. It's our responsibility. He's delivered it to us. He's entrusted it to us. And so you and I have a responsibility to fight, to contend earnestly, to protect the message that you and I have been given. Why? Well, He tells us in verse 4. He says, for certain men have crept in unnoticed, who long ago were marked out for this condemnation. Ungodly men who turn the grace of our God into lewdness and deny the only Lord God and our Lord Jesus Christ. The reason why there's the need for us to fight for the faith and to contend earnestly is that there are those who have crept in unnoticed, that are ungodly. Jude says, look, you've got some creeps among you. They've crept in. They are not seeking after God. They do not have the things of God in heart or in mind. They're not pursuing a relationship with God, but they're among you. They've snuck in as if they do have the things of God on their hearts. They are among you as if they were following after God and seeking God. They've crept in, but their agenda is not in agreement with the word of God. And it's not in agreement with the message of God. In fact, they seek to subvert others and lead people astray. Now, that doesn't mean that, you know, you and I as believers were to be very suspicious of everybody. You know, someone comes in, someone new is sitting next to you and you're like, hey, are you a creep? You know, are you creeping in unnoticed? What's going on here? No, we're not supposed to be suspicious. He's not saying that, you know, suspect everybody. But what he's saying is we need to be aware that this is going on and we need to be on guard. We need to be alert. We need to watch out, right? Because there are those who come in who are not innocent, who are not just coming to find out the truth, but they're coming to lead people astray. I like what Spurgeon says. He says, Spurgeon says, can do a lot of damage, much more damage than outward oppression. And history has shown that to be true. There's been all kinds of devastating things that happen from within the church. When there's pressure from the outside, when governments come down upon the church, the church grows. It's blessed. It spreads. You see that in Acts chapter 8. You see that in China. There's a great work of God that goes as there's pressure from the outside. But what's most destructive to the church is when those come in from the inside. They go unnoticed. And instead of being a part of the body of Christ, they wreak havoc and divide the body of Christ. And so Jude is warning us against these ungodly men. He's saying, look, there are these kinds of people and that's why we must earnestly contend for the faith. We must fight because there's this battle that's going on and there are those who are from the enemy that are coming in undercover. They're covert operatives. They're coming in to subvert, to lead away and to destroy. Instead of being a part of the things of God, they're ungodly. And he says that they turn the grace of God into lewdness. The idea here of lewdness is practicing sin without shame. They practice sin without shame. They're not shameful about their rebellion against God. They're not ashamed of their practices that are not according to the word of God. But they turn the grace of God and say, Oh, you know, because of God's grace, I can live this way and I can disregard this command and I can disregard what God has said. He also says that they deny the Lord Jesus. And whether they deny it verbally or or whether they just deny it by their lifestyle, probably both are true. These ungodly men come within the church, Jude says, and that's why it's necessary for us to contend for the faith. And so how do we do this? How do we contend against these things? How do we contend for the faith or against these ungodly people? Well, I can tell you, it's probably not the way that we would normally think. We don't contend for the faith by jumping them after service. Oh, there he is, guys, get him! Just a big dog pile. That's not contending for the faith. It's really not a physical battle at all. In fact, as we look at the rest of Jude, he'll be telling us how to contend for the faith. And it's really less to do with them and more to do with us. with us trusting in God to do His work, with us pursuing our own relationship with God, with us sharing the Gospel message and holding fast the truth, but having discernment as we share with people around us and us looking to God to finish the work. It's really about you and me and our relationship with God. We're contending for the faith, but not in a physical battle, not fighting against someone else. We're contending to preserve our own hearts before God, to keep us right where God wants us to be. And you know, the enemy wants to lead you astray. He wants to destroy your life. He wants to just completely wreck everything that God wants to do in your life. He hates you. And... There's a great effort on his part to bring destruction, to lead you astray, to keep you distracted, to get you deceived. There's a great effort on his part to ruin your life and to keep you from eternity with God. And so you and I, we must contend earnestly for the faith. How do we do that? Well, the second point this morning begins our Our understanding of how to contend earnestly for the faith. Point number two is to know that the Lord will judge the ungodly. You and I, we need to know God will judge the ungodly. Again, He's going to take care of it. And we see this in verses 5-10. through 15 and that's a big chunk. We're going to go through it a little bit quickly because what he's dealing with here is these ungodly people. He's describing them. He's giving us some examples of what they are like. He's also giving us some examples of how God has dealt with ungodly people in the past. So that you and I could know that the Lord will judge the ungodly. We can rest assured. As we see these things happen, as there are those who creep in unnoticed. We can rest assured, we can trust in God that He knows how to take care of those who are rebelling against Him. He's not, you know, it might be unnoticed to us that ungodly people creep into the church, but it's not unnoticed to God. He knows. And that's what Jude is pointing out here in verses 5 through 15. So let's go through it together. And as we do... There's going to be lots of references that he's making and they're going to be put on the screen for you. Some other passages that you can look up and you can dig into on your own. Again, I'm not going to get into it too much because I don't want to get distracted from the overall message. But there's plenty there and it's worth your time to spend time and consider and meditate on the points that he is making and to look up these references that he's calling to mind. Verse 5 says, But I want to remind you that you once knew this, that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who did not believe. Jude says, here's a reminder. I want to remind you, you once knew this, perhaps you've forgotten this, but God saved his people out of the land of Egypt and afterwards he destroyed those who did not believe. You remember the account, the children of Israel, they're in the land of Egypt, they're in bondage. God sends Moses to deliver them, to lead them out. But not all of them really believed in God. Many of them, in fact, were rebellious against God and doubted God. In fact, so much so that when they got to the edge of the land that God had promised to them, the whole multitude said, we're not going in. We refuse. We don't trust God to go with us. It's too hard. It's too difficult. We're too scared. And so as a result, those who did not believe... died in the wilderness. God said, you're going to wander in the wilderness for 40 years and this whole generation is going to die. They're going to be judged as a result of their unbelief. Only two guys survived, Joshua and Caleb. These two believed in God. These two told the multitude, look, we can go in, God's with us. But they wouldn't receive it. And so the younger kids, they survived. Joshua and Caleb are the only older guys that survived. And the next generation went into the land. But Jude calls us back to remind us, hey, God saved the whole multitude out of Egypt. He could have just brought Joseph and Caleb and the younger generation out of Egypt if he wanted to, but he didn't do it that way. He brought the whole multitude out and then there in the wilderness dealt with those who did not believe. And so Jude is calling us to mind. He's saying, hey, remember, God knows how to deal with those who don't believe. God knows how to deal with the ungodly. He gives us another example in verse 6. And so now he gives us the example of angels. Specifically, fallen angels. And what angels is Jude referring to is a big question here in verse 6. It's an opportunity for much discussion. If you want to have it, there's much to discuss. We can talk about all kinds of things about this. There's lots of questions surrounding this verse. What angels is Jude referring to? Well, here's what we do know. We know that when Satan fell, he took one-third of the angels with him. There's one-third of the angels that are fallen angels, or we often refer to them as demons, or demonic beings. Revelation chapter 12 describes this for us, the third of the angels going with Satan. Now, we know that... All of the angels that fell are not confined in chains at this time. Not presently, they will be, but not at this time, because in Jesus' day there was a big issue of demon possession, and that extends to today. And so there are those fallen angels who are out and about, and they're at work in the world around us. And so he's not referring to all the angels who fell, but just a specific portion or a specific group of angels that are bound in everlasting chains under darkness for the judgment of the great day. So who are these angels? Well, again, we don't know specifically. There's some discussion that we could have. Genesis chapter 6 has an interesting account of sons of God marrying with the daughters of men. And many believe that this is a reference to angelic beings having sexual relations with human women and producing some type of offspring. And that's a big discussion and questionable things on both ends. But Genesis chapter 6 says, Again, you can look it up, you can dig into it, there's value in doing so, but we're not going to get caught up in it this morning. Here's another aspect. It might be the angels that is referred to in Revelation chapter 9. In Revelation chapter 9 verse 13 through 21, it talks about specific angels that are held and chained until this point in the tribulation period where God sets them free and they're part of the judgment that God is bringing upon the earth. And so it might be that Jude is referring to angels that are held in chains, not for their own judgment, but for the judgment that will be placed upon mankind during the tribulation period. Whatever the case, it's really not the point. The exact reference is not that important. Here's the point that Jude is making. Jude is saying, look, angels who have rebelled against God, he knows how to deal with. Angels are far superior to us physically, spiritually. They're stronger than we are. They're more powerful than we are. Yet God is able to deal with their rebellion. He's not limited. They're not out of His control. He's got control. And He has those bound who need to be bound for the judgment of the great day. And that's His point, that God is able to judge those who rebel against Him. Verse 7, Here's the third example he gives. He says, "...as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them in a similar manner to these, having given themselves over to sexual immorality and gone after strange flesh, are set forth as an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire." Now he starts talking about Sodom and Gomorrah. Sodom and Gomorrah were famous in their rebellion against God. We hear much about Sodom and Gomorrah because they rebelled against God very severely to the point that he rained down fire and brimstone upon these two cities to destroy them completely. Jude says they gave themselves over to sexual immorality. Notice also in verse 7, he says, in a similar manner to these. And so he kind of connects this idea of sexual immorality with verse 6, which is talking about the angels, which some see that as support, that it's referring to Genesis chapter 6 and the Nephilim. But we're not going to get into that. But Genesis chapter 19 has the account of Sodom and Gomorrah and how God dealt with those cities that were in rebellion against God. And even how God brought out Lot and his family. He was able to preserve the righteous while at the same time judging the ungodly, judging the wicked. And so he says these are an example of those who suffer the vengeance of eternal fire. He's pointing out that the Lord will judge the ungodly. that what's in store for the ungodly is vengeance of eternal fire. God will deal with those who rebel against him. Going on into verse 8, it says, Likewise, also these dreamers defile the flesh, reject authority, and speak evil of dignitaries. He goes on to describe these guys a little bit more, those who creep in to the church. He says they're similar to those who are in Sodom in that they defile themselves. They also reject authority. They won't be submitted to those that God has placed in authority. And they speak evil of dignitaries. They speak evil of authorities, whether it be physical or spiritual authorities. But in contrast to these guys who have this mindset or have this heart, he gives us verse 9. He says, Yet Michael the archangel, in contending with the devil when he disputed about the body of Moses, dared not bring against him a reviling accusation, but said, The Lord rebuke you. And so these guys, they speak evil of dignitaries, they speak evil of authorities. He goes on to say in verse 10, these speak evil of whatever they do not know and whatever they know naturally, like brute beasts and these things, they corrupt themselves. They speak evil of things that they know nothing about. They speak beyond their knowledge and they speak evil of those things. But he says, but look at the example of Michael, the archangel. He's powerful. He's the lead angel. And yet even Michael, when he was contending with the devil, he did not directly come and attack the devil. He said, the Lord rebuke you. And so he didn't speak evil even of the devil. He didn't bring in a reviling accusation, it says. But he said, the Lord rebuked you. He's letting God fight that battle. And that's the point here that Jude is seeking to make. That we are to let God fight that battle. And these guys who are ungodly, these people who come in that do not have the things of God at heart, they speak evil of things that they know nothing about. Instead of letting God fight those battles, instead of letting God take care of the situations, they try to speak evil of it and accomplish it with their own means. Now the question connected here with verse 9 is, okay, when did this happen? Michael contending with the devil about the body of Moses. We don't have an account of that in the scriptures that we have today. We know in Deuteronomy chapter 34 that God buried Moses' body and it's possible, as we understand here from Jude, that God perhaps buried Moses' body through Michael the archangel and Michael buried it at the command of God. Where did Jude get this from? What is this that he's talking about? We really don't know. What was the dispute about? Why did the devil want Moses' body? We don't know. All we have here is what is given in verse 9. And so there's lots of speculation, lots of discussion you could have over this. But again, let's not get distracted. Here's the point. Michael did not bring a reviling accusation. These ungodly, Jude is saying, they're clueless. They're speaking evil of things that they know nothing about. But those who are of God, those who walk with God, they don't do that. In dealing with the devil, I never want to have direct contact. I want the Lord to fight that battle. I stand firmly behind Jesus and I say, the Lord rebuke you and let him accomplish that. But that's not for me to take on myself. It's not for me to speak evil of dignitaries. It's the Lord who will deal with those. Verse 10, I'm sorry, verse 11. He says, And so here he gives us three examples. Cain, Balaam, and Korah. And he parallels these three people with those who are ungodly. He says they've gone in the way of Cain. Genesis chapter 4 gives the account of Cain. He offered a sacrifice without faith. He was about the religion, but not about the real connection with God. These who are ungodly, they do rituals, they go through the motions, they look religious. If you were standing on the outside looking on at Cain and Abel, you would have thought, hey great, two brothers that love the Lord, they're sacrificing to God. But there was a problem with Cain's sacrifice because he sacrificed without faith. He wasn't a genuine believer. And so the same is true as these who come in, who creep in unnoticed. There's no real faith. They don't have a real relationship with God. They also follow the error of Balaam, he says. And Balaam, his account is in Numbers chapter 22 through 25. He was a prophet who King Balak tried to hire in order to curse God's people. Balaam said no because God told him no. But then Balak offered more. He says, well, I'm going to give you all this stuff and I'm going to make you rich and wealthy and give you all of these things. And so Balaam then compromised in order to obtain the wealth, in order to obtain the riches. He compromised and did... against God what God had told him not to do. And so in the same way, these guys follow the error of Balaam. They disregard what God has said in order to obtain profit for themselves, in order to gain for themselves that which they are seeking. And then he also relates them to the rebellion of Korah. And that's found in Numbers chapter 16. Korah was a man who led a rebellion against Moses, rejecting the authority of Moses and telling Moses, Moses, you're not the only one who hears from God. We hear from God too. We're not going to listen to you. And as a result, Korah and his family, those who followed him, they perished. They were judged. These guys are similar to Korah in that they reject the authority that God has put there in place. They reject those that God has placed with leadership or authority within the body of Christ. And so he compares them to these three, again, giving us further insight to what these people are like, but also reminding us, in all of these cases, Cain, Balaam, and Korah, they were judged, there was a consequence for their rebellion against God. Verse 12. He says, Again, as he describes these ungodly who have crept in, he gives us some illustrations, some pictures for us to consider. He calls them spots or blemishes at their love feasts. A love feast was what we would call a potluck today. They would get together, they would celebrate what God has done and the love of God for them by having a meal together and they would partake of communion together as well. And so it was a thing that they would do as common, just like we often have fellowship around food and include that in the things that we do here. Because it's a great way for us to connect and just to enjoy what God has done for us through Jesus Christ. But these guys, they're coming to the feast, but they're blemishes. They're really not there to celebrate the love of God. They're there for their own reasons. They're spots and blemishes. He says, "...they're clouds without water." Now personally, I like clouds without water. I don't like to get wet. I don't like how the roads get and how people drive when it rains. Clouds without water, in my opinion, is a good thing. But understanding their perspective, rain is vital for their survival. Their crops were depending on it. And so to have clouds with no water was not a good thing. They needed the water. They wanted the water to come and to water their crops to be able to provide the food that they were in need of. And so clouds without water was not a good thing for them, although we might consider it so today. He also compares them to late autumn trees without fruit. You know, they've been around, but there's no fruit. They should have. It's been a long season, but there's no results. There's no fruit from their walk with the Lord because they're not walking, because they're ungodly. And you remember what Jesus said would happen if you do not bear fruit. John chapter 15, he says, those who don't bear fruit will be cast out and burned. Outer darkness. Outer darkness. He compares them also to raging waves of the sea. They're loud. They make a lot of noise. But he says they just foam up their own shame. They're just producing things that they will be ashamed of as they stand before God. He says they're like wandering stars or shooting stars. They flash brightly, but then they're gone. They don't last. But he ends and he concludes saying, For whom is reserved the blackness of darkness forever? Jude is making it clear what is in store for the ungodly people. Everlasting judgment. This is what is in store for those who rebel against God. For those who do not receive the gift of eternal life that God offers to us. Verse 14 and 15. He says, Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, 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 against him. Here now he quotes Enoch as he's talking about those who are ungodly. And Enoch has a lot to say about the ungodly. Now, where did this quotation come from? Again, this is another area where we don't have a specific understanding of where Jude is quoting from. This quotation, what Enoch said here, it's not found in the Bibles that we have today. And so he knew of this prophecy from some other source. There is what's called the book of Enoch that was later discovered and it does have this quotation but it's really not clear if Jude was quoting from that or if he had some other source because there's many things that were not preserved until today. And so regardless... It's a truth that is taught throughout the whole Bible. So we have the understanding, we know that the Lord is coming with ten thousands of his saints and he's coming to execute judgment on all and to convict the ungodly. God is coming. Jesus Christ is coming again. Jude is making the point, going back to summarize verses 5 through 15. That we need to know that the Lord will judge the ungodly. Jesus is coming again and he will bring judgment with him. And that's what Jude is saying. And so in contending earnestly for the faith, this is the first thing. That we are to know that God will take care of those who are ungodly. He might use us in specific ways to protect the flock. He might use us to deal with and confront certain situations. But ultimately it's God who's going to deal with them. according to their rebellion, according to their ungodliness. Well, the next thing he tells us about contending for the faith is in verses 16 through 19. And that is that we are to remember that there will be mockers. Look at verse 16. He says, They're grumblers, always complaining, grumbling about what is taking place, about what is happening, about what is going on, about who did what. They're grumbling and complaining. They're walking according to their own lust. Their life is based on their own desires instead of what God has said. They have great swelling words, Jude says, and they flatter people to gain advantage. Again, they come in to subvert, to lead people astray, to bring people to their opinion, to their side, and they do not have the things of God in mind. Verse 17, but you, beloved, so in contrast to these guys, here's how we are to be. He says, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts. He says, remember, this should not be a surprise that these kinds of people will come in the church. There's going to be mockers. The apostles told us so. The disciples of Jesus announced and told us ahead of time, this is going to happen. Paul told the church of Ephesus that there's going to be wolves that come in to seek to devour the flock. We need to not be surprised. We must remember that these kinds of people are going to come in. Verse 19 says, He says they are sensual persons who cause divisions, not having the Spirit. These are not believers, although they might pretend to be. They're grumblers and complainers. They don't have the Holy Spirit. Romans chapter 8 tells us if you don't have the Spirit, then you're not of God. And they cause divisions, he says. Their purpose, their plan is to divide, to separate you from me, me from you, you from each other, to bring division. These divisions that cause us to be on opposing sides and against each other, to cause us to self-destruct. Again, this is a work of the enemy. They're covert operatives who come in, whether they know it or not. But they're not of God. And you see, this is why we must contend earnestly for the faith. Because there's these forces of the enemy that are working against us. The body of Christ is to be united, but these come in to divide, to separate us, to get us upset with each other, mad at each other, against one another. We need to fight for the faith, to fight against those divisions and those who would bring such divisions. These guys existed in Jude's day and they will exist in ours. We need to be on guard. Remember, people will come in and try to cause division and try to turn us on each other. They'll use flattery and deception, grumbling and complaining. There's a big arsenal here. And unfortunately, it's often used. We can look back in history and see time and time again how churches are divided and destroyed from the inside out. And so we need to remember that there will be mockers. Remember that there will be those who come in to divide. Number four. We need to build up ourselves in the faith. Verse 20 and 21 says, But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of the Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. In contrast to those who come in to divide, they bring destruction. He says, you are to build yourselves up on your most holy faith. You are to build yourself up Do you see the need to be built up in the faith? Because there's this, well, there's this powerful work that's against you. The enemy wants to destroy your life. With such ungodly people coming in to cause problems and bring divisions, you need to be established in Jesus Christ so that you don't fall prey to these traps, so that you are not led astray. Notice who has the responsibility. He says, build yourselves up. You and I have the responsibility to build ourselves up, to establish ourselves in the faith, to grow in our relationship with God. You and I are responsible to progress spiritually, to mature. And we need to do it. There's a desperate need for us to grow because there are those who creep in unnoticed to lead us astray. Again, the stakes are high. And so we must build ourselves up. in the faith. How to build ourselves up in the faith? It's really not a great mystery. The real question is, are you doing it? Pastor Tom shared with us on Wednesday about the importance of building ourselves up in the faith. And here we see it again. Very often what we share with those who just come to faith in Jesus Christ, there's four steps, four things to do to build Walk with God. It's reading the Bible, spending time in prayer, fellowshipping with other believers as we're doing this morning, and sharing the gospel with others around us. Now there's other things as well that are part of our Christian life, but that's a good four, a basic four things for us to do. And these are things that we need to continue to practice and to pursue. We can't put it in cruise control and just kind of, you know, get through life without really spending time with God and His Word and spend time in prayer and expect to make it into eternity. Because along the way are going to be those who would lead us astray. Those who would seek to destroy our life. Those who would subvert us. We have to be on the offensive. We have to be pushing forward and pursuing a relationship with God by spending time with Him and building ourselves up in the most holy faith. We need to get to know God. Because there's a great danger. There's a great threat of those who are ungodly. Who would be used by the enemy to lead us astray. He also tells us in verse 21 that we are to keep ourselves in the love of God. The idea of keeping is to attend to carefully. To guard carefully. We're to guard carefully, to keep carefully ourselves. Again, who has the responsibility? We do. We have to keep ourselves in the love of God, Jude says. Now God loves us and nothing can separate us from the love of God. But... we can remove ourselves from receiving the benefits of God's love. Those who will not receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord, God loves them. But they will not receive salvation. They won't enter into eternity with God unless they put themselves into the love of God and they receive the gift that God is offering to them. You and I as believers, we need to keep ourselves in the center of God's will. We need to keep ourselves in the center of God's plan for us so that we can receive the fullness of what God has for us. We can remove ourselves from the blessings that God wants to give us. We can remove ourselves from the fullness of what God wants to do in us. And so he says, keep yourselves in the love of God. Keep yourself under that spigot, under that flow of God's love so that you receive all that he has in store for you. Number five, preach with discernment. Verse 22 and 23 says, He says, and on some have compassion, making a distinction, but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh. Part of contending for the faith is not only building ourselves up, but it's also reaching out to others. But he says, look, you need to make a distinction as you reach out and share with others the truth of God. As you share the gospel message, you need to have discernment You can't approach everybody the same way. But you need to share with them according to what they need. And so we need to be led by the Holy Spirit. On some, we need to have compassion. We can look at the example of Jesus in this. With the woman at the well, Jesus had compassion. The idea of having compassion is to feel or to put yourself in another's situation, to feel their pain, their circumstances. And so Jesus ministered to her on her level, reached her in a way that, well, it was effective. And she turned and she followed Jesus. The woman who is caught in adultery, Jesus had compassion. He says, hey, where are those who condemn you after the whole writing in the sand thing? Oh, there's no one. Oh, I don't condemn you either. Go and sin no more. He had compassion. But others, Jesus dealt with very harshly. The religious leaders, Oh man, Jesus had some scolding words for them. He rebuked them severely. And yet even from that, there was fruit. Nicodemus, who was one of the religious leaders, later became a follower of Jesus Christ. And so there are those that we need to, he says, save with fear. We need to remind people about the reality of hell and eternal judgment. It is real. And listen, if you need to be saved with fear, you need to know that you will go to hell. You will spend eternity away from God if you do not receive Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord. But some of you need to be saved with compassion. Hey, God loves you. And he wants what's best for you. And he has incredible plans for you. He wants to spend eternity with you. Hey, whatever you need, come to Jesus Christ. That's the idea. I share that with those who are here who need to receive Jesus. But you and I are responsible to share that with the world around us. And to make a distinction and to know the difference of when to share with fear and when to share with compassion. And in doing so, we contend for the faith. You know, if you just run up to everybody and tell them, hey, you're going to hell, man. That's probably not going to be very effective. You're not making a distinction. That's not really how God wants you to share. But there are those who you need to tell that to. We need to speak the truth. It is a reality. So some we save with compassion. Some we save with fear. Finally, number six. We give God the glory. Verse 24, he says, Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to God our Savior, who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power both now and forever. Amen. You know, as we consider the work of the enemy against those who believe, As we consider the ungodly who could come in and wreak havoc and bring destruction, it couldn't cause us to fear. And so Jude gives us this final reminder, this final exhortation. Hey, God's able to keep you from stumbling. You don't got to be freaked out and terrified. Oh, what if I don't make it? What if I lose my salvation? What if I stumble and fall? What if I get deceived? You don't have to be freaked out and paralyzed with fear. He says, look, God is able to keep you from stumbling and His desire is to present you faultless in His presence. He's going to finish the work that He began in you, Jude is saying. So you can trust God to do that work. And so the point is that you and I are to submit ourselves to God. Surrender yourself to God. He will keep you. Let Him do that work that He wants to accomplish in you. Give Him glory. The word glory means to exalt. Lift Him up. Make Him Lord. Let Him be the God that He needs to be in your life. Let Him be Master. Let Him have all authority because He is able to keep you from stumbling. Stay focused on Him. Here Jude says we are to contend earnestly for the faith. And we see the need because there is a big threat. The enemy wants to destroy us, wants to ruin our lives. And he's got his agents who come in. They're ungodly. And they come in even to the church. So we must contend. Knowing that God will judge those who are ungodly. He'll take care of those. He'll deal with them. knowing that there's going to be mockers, expecting it, preparing ourselves, not being shocked and surprised, oh, I can't believe that happens in the church. Hey, it's going to happen. There's going to be destruction. There's going to be those who rise up. There's going to be divisions. And so we must build ourselves up in the faith, pursuing with all of our hearts a relationship with God, engaging in the battle, not in cruise control, not just skating by, but pushing forward, in a relationship with God, sharing with the world around us according to their needs, with compassion, with fear, making sure that we present ourselves to God, that we glorify Him, because He is the one who is able to keep us from stumbling. Let's pray. God, as we look at these things, I pray that You would help us to contend earnestly for the faith, Lord, because the need is great. And so, Lord, I pray that You would press upon us that urgency, that need, Lord, that we would seek you and pursue you with all of our heart, soul, mind, and strength. God, help us not to be lukewarm or half-hearted. Lord, help us to fully engage in this battle, to draw near to you, to surrender completely to you. God, that you might finish the work that you began in us. And Lord, if there's any that do not know you here, listening to this, Lord, I pray that you would reach them. Lord, that they would respond to your offer of salvation. Lord, that they would know how much you love them and the wonderful things that you have in store for those who follow you. So Lord, I pray that you would help those who need to, to surrender to you this day. In Jesus' name, Amen. We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.