Oakbrook Evangelical Free Church

Jude 24-25 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.”

Why is it so easy to stumble?

Why do so many fall? It is the story of our personal histories.

Story (Morley, p.169)

I. Introduction: Identity, 1-2

Who he is – Who they are.

Triad:

1. Called by the Holy Spirit

2. Loved by God the Father

3. Kept by Jesus Christ

2 Corinthians 13:14 “The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all.”

John 10:27-29 ““My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. “My Father, who has given them to Me, is greater than all; and no one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand. “

John 17:6 ““I have manifested Your name to the men whom You gave Me out of the world; they were Yours and You gave them to Me, and they have kept Your word. ”

John 17:12 ““While I was with them, I was keeping them in Your name which You have given Me; and I guarded them and not one of them perished but the son of perdition, so that the Scripture would be fulfilled.“

Romans 8:34 “who is the one who condemns? Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us. “

God’s part…our part!

“Spiritually we are simply that which we have received, and Jude does not lose sight of this for a moment, even when he is insisting upon the importance of the human cooperation by which the work of grace is made complete.”

We need God’s mercy in view of our exceedingly sinful condition.

We need His peace in view of the subtle and stimulating temptations that surround us on every hand.

We need His love to sustain and encourage us in our spiritual warfare.

II. Purpose: Take A Stand in the Battle vv. 3-4

Most Spirit-led preachers have felt exactly how Jude said he felt in this verse. It is enjoyable to talk about salvation and something positive. Nevertheless occasionally a particular situation compels us to speak about a danger that God’s people need to appreciate.

A. Contend for the faith – Take a Stand!

The faith delivered to the saints is the special revelation of God that Scripture contains and the apostles preached

Jude’s readers needed to struggle to maintain this faith as a champion athlete labors to dominate and to subdue his or her challengers (cf. 1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 4:7-8).

“To ‘contend earnestly for’ (epagonizesthai) is an expressive compound infinitive which appears only here in the New Testament. The simple form of the verb (agonizomai), which appears as ‘agonize’ in its English form, was commonly used in connection with the Greek stadium to denote a strenuous struggle to overcome an opponent, as in a wrestling match. It was also used more generally of any conflict, contest, debate, or lawsuit. Involved is the thought of the expenditure of all one’s energy in order to prevail.”

Pictures a person taking his or her stand on top of something an adversary desires to take away, and fighting to defend and retain it.

“These efforts are, it is surely unnecessary to add, of a moral and persuasive nature only; all force of a physical nature being expressly forbidden the faithful. When Peter sought to defend the Lord with a sword he was rebuked for his pains; and in bidding him sheathe it, he forevermore made it clear that his followers are not to fight with carnal weapons in his behalf.”

“Jude has two major concerns—

Not be led astray by false teachers.

Instead take the initiative and contend for the faith.”

We are not to be balconeers. We are fellow warriors in the arena.

These words are addressed to those in the fight.

“Indifference to error is a sign of false liberalism and humiliating weakness.”

We are called to live in a manner worthy of our calling.

This is active, engaging, personal faith.

B . Why? Opponents Have Crept In

“wormed their way in”

The verb “crept in” (Gr. pareisedusan), “. . . indicates a secret, stealthy, and subtle insinuation of something evil into a society or a situation.”

Whether it is people in the church or out that lead us astray.

Or indwelling sin and our flesh…the attacks are subtle!

III. Warnings against false teachers vv. 5-16

A. Previous failures vv. 5-7

1. The example of certain Israelites v. 5

failed to continue to believe God’s promises and trust His power gone willfully astray!

A sin of rebellion by at least professing and genuine believers.

2. The example of certain angels v. 6

A group of angels that did not remain in their privileged position near God but left that sphere and so incurred God’s wrath. The apostates in his day had also abandoned a position of great privilege and blessing, namely, the opportunity to serve and glorify God.

The sin of a proud departure from a position of superior privilege.

Quote Morley, page 156

3. The example of certain pagans v. 7

This example shows God’s judgment on those who practice immorality and sexual perversion, which the false teachers of Jude’s day evidently felt liberated to practice.

A sin of immoral behavior always seems to be involved.

B. Present failures vv. 8-16

1. What exactly were the failures? vv. 8-9

“Their perverted views and unrestrained conduct made them like dreamers living in the arbitrary fancies of their own imagination; they substituted the unreal world of their fancies for the real world of divine truth and righteousness.”

Sensuality

Rebellion

Bold face, presumptive irreverence

It is a dangerous presumption for us to confront Satan directly and to argue with him since he is much stronger than we are. Jude cited this incident as historical. The book from which he evidently got it was an apocryphal one, The Assumption of Moses.

2. How Serious Is This? vv. 10-13

What they did understand was the gratification of the flesh, and that would destroy them.

“Their way of life is to allow the instincts they share with the beasts to have their way; their values are fleshly values; their gospel is a gospel of the flesh. Jude describes men who have lost all sense of, and awareness of, spiritual things, and for whom the things demanded by the animal instincts of man are the only realities and the only standard.”

“Jude is stating a profound truth in linking these two characteristics together. If a man is persistently blind to spiritual values, deaf to the call of God, and rates self-determination as the highest good, then a time will come when he cannot hear the call he has spurned, but is left to the mercy of the turbulent instincts to which he once turned in search of freedom.”

“Woe to them!” = doom vs. blessing

3. Illustrations - People

Cain’s way was the way of pride, greed and violence. Godlessness.

Balaam’s error was compromise with God’s enemies and teaching the Israelites that they could sin without punishment. Instigated men of Israel in sensual Baal worship.

“Balaam stands for two things.

(a) He stands for the covetous man, who was prepared to sin in order to gain reward.

(b) He stands for the evil man, who was guilty of the greatest of all sins—the sin of teaching others to sin. “Balaam was the prototype of all who use religion for financial gain and who lead God’s people into false religion and immorality . . .”

Korah’s rebellion was against God and His appointed leaders, Moses and Aaron (Num. 16:1-35). The false teachers were rebelling against God and his leaders, the apostles. Korah also perished.

4. Illustrations - Nature
a. Hidden reefs (blemishes at your love feasts)

Tear the bottom off a ship – ruin a local church = moral shipwreck

A small group leader “doing his / her own thing”

Gossip, critical spirit,

Like an underground fire!

Involved in the “love feasts” = the most intimate, significant elements of body life. Caring for themselves = self-centered. Not considering the welfare of the whole.

Safeguards: Leadership Covenant; Leadership community!

Vertical and horizontal alignment

b. Clouds without water

Like clouds the false teachers attracted attention to themselves and promised refreshment, but they proved to be all show and no substance

c. Autumn Trees

Farmers often dig trees that bear no fruit out of the ground. The false teachers bore no spiritual fruit and were incapable of bearing spiritual fruit

Twice dead = Bore no spiritual fruit and incapable of doing so. / Dead through and through

d. Wild Waves

Uncontrolled waves that cast up bits of filth and debris on the shore with their foam and flotsam. Similarly the false teachers spread evidence of their uncontrolled immorality and impurity wherever they went (cf. Isa. 57:20). This comparison emphasizes “. . . the restless and unrestrained nature of these men.”

e. Wandering Stars

Some “stars” move about in the sky differently from the other stars. We now recognize these as planets and distinguish them from stars. Similarly the false teachers behaved out of harmony with the other luminaries. The Greek word planetes, which transliterated means “planet,” really means wanderer. Long ago stargazers observed that these wanderers across the sky were different from the fixed stars. Likewise the false teachers had gone off course and had led people astray.

5. Consequences, 14-16 – Jesus is coming…

IV. Exhortations to the faithful vv. 17-23

1. Remember

2. Build yourselves up – add spiritual weight!

“‘Building up’ depicts this growth under the familiar figure of the erection of a house or temple. Points to the superstructure being reared on an existing foundation. Present tense underlines the

fact that the building of a strong and stable Christian

character is an ongoing process.”

“. . . one can destroy in just a few hours that which has

taken years to construct.”

We must build and rebuild fences in our lives.

The need for boundaries…the perfect law of liberty! (James 1)

1. A fence around our hearts!

Proverbs 4:23 “Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life. ” NASB95

Deuteronomy 28:1-2 ““Now it shall be, if you diligently obey the Lord your God, being careful to do all His commandments which I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. “All these blessings will come upon you and overtake you if you obey the Lord your God: ” NASB95

Deuteronomy 28:13-14 ““The Lord will make you the head and not the tail, and you only will be above, and you will not be underneath, if you listen to the commandments of the Lord your God, which I charge you today, to observe them carefully, and do not turn aside from any of the words which I command you today, to the right or to the left, to go after other gods to serve them.” NASB95

Psalm 119:9, 11 “How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word. Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You. ” NASB95

1 Peter 1:13-17 “Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; because it is written, “You shall be holy, for I am holy.” If you address as Father the One who impartially judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves in fear during the time of your stay on earth; ” NASB95

“gird up the loins of your mind” = trim your thoughts!

Preach to yourself with the Word of God.

Set your mind on things above, not on things below.

Struggling to live a life that is worthy of our calling in Christ.

Building fences is not about religious structures

It’s about protecting your personal relationship with Christ.

Since Christ has apportioned us with enough grace to live a life worthy of our calling, are we applying it? Many believers under apply their grace.

Motives: 1 Timothy 6:6-10 ” those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a snare and many foolish and harmful desires which plunge men into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is a root of all sorts of evil, and some by longing for it have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. “

2. A fence around your time, 1 Peter 4:2-3

3. A fence around where you go and what you do, 1 Peter 4:2-3

4. A fence around your body! – Joseph! Matt 5:29-30 eye/hand

3. Pray

Matthew 6: Matthew 6:13 “‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.]’ “

Matthew 26:41 ““Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ”

Pray for protection. Pray for strength. Pray for more grace.

4. Keep yourselves in God’s love by abiding in Him.

“To be conscious of being beloved by God is one of the greatest protections that the believer can possess.”

John 15:9-10 ““Just as the Father has loved Me, I have also loved you; abide in My love. “If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love; just as I have kept My Father’s commandments and abide in His love. ” NASB95

When we depart from His Word and His will, we erect barriers between ourselves and God thus blocking the free flow of His love to us. We keep ourselves in His love by abiding in Him

5. Be merciful – Galatians 6:1-3

6. Rescue others – 1 John 5:16 Pray and God will give him life.

V. Anthem of Hope - The Eternal and Only Sovereign

Jude 24-25 “Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to make you stand in the presence of His glory blameless with great joy, to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen.“