{"id":18723,"date":"2017-09-17T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-17T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sugar-land-bible-church.local\/sermon\/jude-001-contending-for-the-faith\/"},"modified":"2017-09-17T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2017-09-17T05:00:00","slug":"jude-001-contending-for-the-faith","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/slbc.org\/es\/sermon\/jude-001-contending-for-the-faith\/","title":{"rendered":"Jude 001 – Contending for the Faith"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","book":[110],"series_event":[483],"sermon_service_type":[472],"speaker":[450],"class_list":["post-18723","sermon","type-sermon","status-publish","hentry","book-jude","series_event-jude","sermon_service_type-main-service","speaker-gabe-morris","no-post-thumbnail"],"acf":{"sermon_title":"Jude 001 - Contending for the Faith","sermon_date":"20170917","sermon_month":"9","sermon_year":"2017","sermon_notes":"","sermon_slides":6155,"sermon_mp3":4937,"sermon_id":"91717111577","series_or_event":483,"service_type":[472],"speaker":450,"books_of_the_bible":110,"chapter_and_verse":"1-25","sermon_transcript":"SUGAR LAND BIBLE CHURCH\n\nGabe Morris\n\nJude 1-25 \u2013 Contending for the Faith\n\n9-17-17\n\nCan we open our Bibles to thank Pastor Andy for another opportunity to preach, even though he\u2019s in San Antonio, bringing a different lesson in the middle of the Seventy Weeks Prophecy I\u2019m sure for some it\u2019s a tough time to interrupt.\u00a0 I\u2019m certainly enjoying and spiritually benefitting from the lessons in Daniel 9.\u00a0 How about you, Amen!\u00a0 So today I hope to bring a pleasant break in the Seventy Weeks Prophecy.\u00a0 You know, sitting under Andy at CBS and hearing him preach verse by verse I too developed a desire to teach my first book of the Bible verse by verse.\u00a0 And I asked Andy what he thought about it and he seemed more excited than me.\u00a0 I was actually terrified about it and avoided it.\u00a0 And I was hoping he would say you know, just leave the verse by verse to me but he didn\u2019t say that.\u00a0 When Andy is your Senior Pastor it\u2019s kind of intimidating. At any rate I got Andy\u2019s blessing and he\u2019s excited to see the fruit of this and how the Lord will work through it.\n\nSo today I was thinking of going verse by verse to the Book of Deuteronomy\u2026 no, just kidding.\u00a0 [Laughter]\u00a0 We\u2019re going to begin in the Book of Jude.\u00a0 What better way to get my feet wet than preaching the shorts book in the Bible.\u00a0 You have to crawl before you walk, Amen!\n\nSo despite what critics say, they say the Bible is not relevant for today and for our world today.\u00a0 They really don\u2019t have an idea what they\u2019re talking about; the truth of the matter is that the Bible is nothing but relevant for us today.\u00a0 It speaks to everything that you and I are going through.\u00a0 It speaks directly to our situation, our difficulties and how we should move forward.\u00a0 And so as we begin to learn the Book of Jude we will see just that, that the Book of Jude speaks to us today, the 21st<\/sup> century church.\u00a0 It has a timeless message for us in our situation and therefore we should take notice.\n\nCan we pray before we begin.\u00a0 Abba, Father, we glorify You this morning and not with just our lips but with our hearts as well. We acknowledge our utter dependence upon You and we give ourselves to the teaching of Your Word this morning.\u00a0 As we open the Book of Jude, Father God, we thank You in advance for the truth in it, we pray that we can learn, that we can digest and we can act on Your Word, becoming a testimony to the world and ultimately glorifying the name of Jesus.\u00a0 Use me, Father, to deliver Your teaching and bless\u00a0 Your people today.\u00a0 And it\u2019s in Christ\u2019s holy name that we pray, and God\u2019s people said\u2026 Amen!\n\nBefore any study of the Bible it\u2019s prudent that preliminary study and research surrounding a particular book is tremendously benefitting, beneficial to your study, to our study in understanding any book, in turn giving you a better understanding of the Bible as a whole.\u00a0 This is called Bible study methods and all we want to do here is ask a few preliminary questions to get us familiar with the book, acclimated with the book before getting into it verse by verse.\u00a0 So this is sort of an outline or direction we are going; we\u2019re going to ask eight questions.\u00a0 Who wrote the book?\u00a0 Who was the book written to?\u00a0 When was the book written?\u00a0 Where was the book written from?\u00a0 What\u2019s the genre of the book?\u00a0 What\u2019s the purpose of the book?\u00a0 What\u2019s in the book?\u00a0 And is there an application?\n\nThese questions are an excellent way to get familiar with the book.\u00a0 I emphasize this to the youth group; we are currently studying the Book of Philippians and there is a reason why Paul wrote that letter.\u00a0 There\u2019s some things, perhaps most things, we may not understand if we don\u2019t get a proper background of the book, you know, the setting, the audience, the questions we just asked.\u00a0 One may never understand what the author is writing about until they find these things out.\u00a0 And if that happens, if we don\u2019t get a proper understanding of the book one can usually walk away with a wrong interpretation, or worse, a misapplication.\u00a0 We don\u2019t want to do that; we want to honor God\u2019s Word.\u00a0 So we will cover the introductory matters, so let\u2019s jump right in.\n\nThe first section here we want to answer the question, who wrote the book, and that speaks to the authorship.\u00a0 Look with me at Jude 1, Jude 1 says, \u201cJude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James.\u201d\u00a0 The name \u201cJude\u201d (of course) is a Hebrew name, also known as Judas or Judah.\u00a0 There is, as you can see, the Hebrew rendition and the Greek, pronounced you-das.\u00a0 In Hebrew it means praised.\u00a0 And Jude was a common\u00a0 name in Israel and because the name was so common we have a problem.\u00a0 In the Bible there are eight people that have the name Jude or Judas and obviously there can only be one Jude who wrote this book.\u00a0 So we need to figure out who that was.\n\nThe first candidate here is in this first verse, Jude 1, it says the \u201cbrother of James.\u201d\u00a0 Okay, we have eight candidates, as you can see up here, the verse being in Jude 1, so who was James?\u00a0 James is the half-brother of Jesus Christ Himself.\u00a0 Galatians 1:19 says this: \u201cBut I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord's brother.\u201d\u00a0 So logically if James was the half-brother of Christ that would mean the first candidate, Jude, was also Christ\u2019s half-brother.\n\nThe second candidate is the son of the Patriarch, Jacob, in Matthew 1:1-2 and Luke 3:33 says that. It says that, the son of the Patriarch Jacob.\u00a0 [Matthew 1:1-2, \u201cThe record of the genealogy of Jesus the Messiah, the son of David, the son of Abraham:\u00a0 [2] Abraham was the father of Isaac, Isaac the father of Jacob, and Jacob the father of Judah and his brothers.\u201d\u00a0 Luke 3:33, \u201cthe son of Amminadab, the son of Admin, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez, the son of Judah,\u00a0 [34] the son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor.\u201d]\n\nThe third candidate would be the Apostle Judas\u00a0 Iscariot, the one who betrayed Jesus and\u00a0 you can reference that in Matthew 27:3.\u00a0 His name was\u00a0 Jude or Judas.\u00a0 [Matthew 27:3, \u201cThen when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,\u201d]\n\nThe fourth candidate is Judas, also known as Barsabbas, he was a church leader and a prophet in Acts 15:22 and 27.\u00a0 [Acts 15:22, \u201cThen it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas-- Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren.\u201d\u00a0 Acts 15:27, \u201cTherefore we have sent Judas and Silas, who themselves will also report the same things by word of mouth.\u201d]\n\nThen there\u2019s the fifth candidate, Judas, not Iscariot, and he was the son of James, (this is another James) and you can find that in Luke 6:16 and Acts 1:13.\u00a0 [Luke 6:16, \u201cJudas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.\u201d\u00a0 Acts 1:13, \u201cWhen they had entered the city, they went up to the upper room where they were staying; that is, Peter and John and James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, and Simon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James.\u201d]\n\nAnd then there\u2019s a sixth candidate, the ancestor of Christ.\u00a0 And then there\u2019s Judas of Galilee, the Zealot, Acts 5:37.\u00a0 [Acts 5:37, \u201cAfter this man, Judas of Galilee rose up in the days of the census and drew away some people after him; he too perished, and all those who followed him were scattered.\u201d]\u00a0 And then there\u2019s Judas, the owner of the house on Straight Street, where Ananias was to meet Paul, Acts 9:11,\u00a0 you will see that candidate there.\u00a0 [Acts 9:11, \u201cAnd the Lord said to him, \"Get up and go to the street called Straight, and inquire at the house of Judas for a man from Tarsus named Saul, for he is praying,\u201d]\n\nSo let\u2019s go through this list carefully, shall we?\u00a0 Candidate 2 is highly unlikely as well as 5-8.\u00a0 Now these candidates are unlikely because, simply because of the lack of evidence.\u00a0 There is a lack of evidence.\n\nCandidate 3, the Apostle Judas is also unlikely and the reason is because the author of Jude here chose to distinguish himself apart from the apostles.\u00a0 In other words, he didn\u2019t want to be known as an apostle, perhaps he felt he was unworthy, maybe, to be called one.\u00a0 I really don\u2019t know but\u2026\u00a0 in fact, if we scroll down to Jude 17 you will see that the author kept himself out of this large group of disciples.\u00a0 \u00a0[Jude 17, \u201cBut you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ,\u201d]\u00a0\u00a0 It\u2019s likely that this author has seen the apostles higher than himself so candidate 3 is out.\n\nCandidate 4 is also unlikely, Barsabbas, and although he was deemed a prophet in Acts 15:32 he also accompanied Paul, Barnabas and Silas on Paul\u2019s missionary journeys, and you can see that in Acts 15:22, there is also very little evidence that points to him as the author.\u00a0 [Acts 15:32, \u201cJudas and Silas, also being prophets themselves, encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message.\u201d\u00a0 Acts 15:22, Then it seemed good to the apostles and the elders, with the whole church, to choose men from among them to send to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas-- Judas called Barsabbas, and Silas, leading men among the brethren.\u201d]\n\nSo this leaves us with the first candidate, Jude, the brother of James and consequently the half-brother of Jesus Christ, our Lord.\u00a0 And so with this tidbit of information we can piece together some biographical information about the author, Jude.\u00a0 He was the brother of James, half-brother of Jesus, Galatians 1:19, [James 1:19, \u201cBut I did not see any other of the apostles except James, the Lord's brother.\u201d]\n\nHe was the son of Mary and Joseph obviously; he had an identical salutation to James, James 1:1, [James 1:1, \u201cJames, a bond-servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, To the twelve tribes who are dispersed abroad: Greetings.\u201d]\u00a0 And in addition to Jude he had brothers and sisters.\u00a0 Did you know Jesus had brothers and sisters?\u00a0 That\u2019s listed in Matthew 13:55-56 and Mark 6:3.\u00a0 [Matthew 13:55-56, \u201cIs not this the carpenter\u2019s son? Is not His mother called Mary, and His brothers, James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? [56] And His sisters, are they not all with us? Where then did<\/em> this man get<\/em> all these things?\u201d\u00a0 Mark 6:3, \u201cIs not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us?\" And they took offense at Him.\u201d]\n\nThis is the same Jude that didn\u2019t believe Jesus, John 7:5 says this: \u201cFor not even His brothers were believing in Him\u201d in Jesus.\u00a0 But later, in Acts 1:14 he and his brothers believed.\u00a0 [Acts 1:14, \u201cThese all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.\u201d]\u00a0 Now you see, proximity to Jesus, being a disciple of Jesus, not even a blood relationship to Jesus, guaranteed salvation.\u00a0 Right?\u00a0\u00a0 Only faith alone in Him alone guarantees salvation.\n\nAnd I\u2019m so glad that Betty Cooke came up last week and gave her China\u2019s mission report.\u00a0 She said something that was loud and clear about their team and that was about planting seeds\u2026 planting seeds; us Christians we are in the business of planting seeds.\u00a0 So many times we want to see salvation results right away because of our fleshly nature.\u00a0 Many times we want to evangelize or minister to someone else and we want to hear a response right away.\u00a0\u00a0 We have that mindset.\u00a0 And if a person doesn\u2019t make a decision about Christ right then and there then perhaps he or she is a hopeless cause.\u00a0 We think that way.\u00a0 That\u2019s nonsense, because we\u2019re in the business of planting seeds; we\u2019re all about planting a seed of truth in their heart.\n\n1 Corinthians 3:5-7 Paul said, \u201cWhat then is Apollos? And what is Paul? Servants through whom you believed, even as the Lord gave opportunity<\/em> to each one. [6] I planted, Apollos watered, but God was causing the growth. [7] So then neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but God who causes the growth.\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s God who gets the increase Paul is saying; we\u2019re simply the means or the workers or the laborers.\u00a0 As Betty rightly said, in His field the job of Paul and Apollos was to evangelize unbelievers but also bring believers to maturity.\u00a0 Amen.\u00a0 To Christ-likeness.\u00a0 For me I\u2019m very thankful for those who had the courage to speak in my life, in my immaturity, at the risk of our relationship.\u00a0 Those are the type of people that you need in your life.\u00a0 It\u2019s not necessarily you don\u2019t want in your life, you need them in your life.\n\nAnd when you speak truth in someone\u2019s life you notice that it never really goes well.\u00a0 They don\u2019t really want to receive what you have to say, and it depends on their spiritual maturity and teach-ability, right?\u00a0 It may take years for them to receive what you have to say, to fully understand the truth in their lives.\u00a0 Before mature Christians had the courage to speak in my life, you know, I really never knew what I never knew.\u00a0 So my flesh would lash out.\u00a0 Jude, and apparently his brothers, are perfect examples of this.\u00a0 They never knew what they never knew.\u00a0 It took him a long time, perhaps years, for him to believe in his older half-brother.\u00a0 But thank the Lord Jude did come to his senses and in Acts 1:14 it proves that, they believed.\u00a0 [Acts 1:14, \u201cThese all with one mind were continually devoting themselves to prayer, along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His brothers.\u201d]\n\nAccording to 1 Corinthians 9:3 Jude was married, and he took his wife with him to evangelize.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01 Corinthians 9:3 says that.\u00a0 [1 Corinthians 9:3, \u201cMy defense to those who examine me is this:\u00a0 [4] Do we not have a right to eat and drink?\u00a0 [5] Do we not have a right to take along a believing wife, even as the rest of the apostles and the brothers of the Lord and Cephas?\u201d]\n\nLet\u2019s take a look at Jude 1 again.\u00a0 Here Jude crosses over to the threshold of just a believer to a disciple.\u00a0 Jude 1 says, \u201cJude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ,\u201d praise the Lord Jude believed; he put his faith in Christ Jesus but it didn\u2019t stop there, Jude was teachable, thus becoming sold-out for Christ, as they say, so much so that he identified himself as a bond servant, a bondservant of Jesus Christ.\u00a0 That word in the Greek is doulos<\/em> which simply means slave.\u00a0 How many of you would describe yourself as a slave?\u00a0 One person!\u00a0 He described himself as a slave.\u00a0 Would you put that on your job application?\u00a0 A slave, not only that, a slave of Jesus Christ.\u00a0 Jesus Christ wasn\u2019t a popular figure in that time. We Americans have a negative reaction when we hear the word \u201cslave,\u201d especially in today\u2019s time, right?\u00a0 Whereas the first century disciples, it was an honor to be called a slave.\u00a0 Many of us have no idea what a slave\u2019s life is like, to be in submission or subject to another person.\u00a0 I think the closest we get is our employer, right?\n\nThe author of Jude, he was a bondservant, a slave of Jesus Christ.\u00a0 And incidentally, according to popular commentaries, church fathers such as Clement, Alexandria, Origen, Jerome, Augustine, they all agree with our assessment that the author of Jude wrote this book.\n\nSo the next section answers the question, who was the book written to?\u00a0 And this speaks to the issue of audience.\u00a0 Look with me at Jude 1 again; it says, \u201cJude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, To those\u201d this letter, \u201cTo those who are the called,\u201d THE called, \u201cbeloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ:\u201d\u00a0 so as we just read notice that Jude did not specifically name nor reveal where his audience is from.\u00a0 Instead he refers to them has \u201cthose who are the called beloved in God the Father, and kept for Jesus Christ.\u201d\u00a0 He uses the word \u201cbeloved\u201d verses 2, 3, 27 and 20.\u00a0 So Jude had tremendous affection for these people.\u00a0 He calls them \u201cbeloved.\u201d\n\nAnd if we look at verse 3 the audience shared a common salvation.\u00a0 He also made note of \u201cthe faith,\u201d THE faith.\u00a0 And that they not only contend for it but was once for all handed down to them, the saints, verse 3, confirming... this verse confirms their sainthood.\u00a0 [3, \u201cBeloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.\u201d]\u00a0 They were believers.\u00a0 We can confidently say that Jude\u2019s audience were believers.\n\nBut if we read further in Jude we will discover that his audience was not just a believing audience but a Jewish one. There\u2019s strong evidence of that, a Jewish believing audience.\u00a0 How do we know that?\u00a0 Well, throughout the book Jude makes frequent references to the Old Testament, many references.\u00a0 Not only that the apocryphal writings, in particular The Assumption of Moses<\/em>, he refers to that.\u00a0 He refers to The Book of Enoch<\/em>, so we can safely assume that his audience was of Jewish descent because a Gentile believer would have no idea what he\u2019s talking about.\u00a0 Right?\n\nAnd we know that because Jude never offers an explanation; he doesn\u2019t clarify those references, the Old Testament or the Apocryphal writings.\u00a0 He references the Exodus and the death of the Israelites in the wilderness.\u00a0 He references the fallen angels in verse 6, Sodom and Gomorrah, verse 7.\u00a0 Moses\u2019 body, verse 9, Cain and Abel in verse 11, Balaam, Korah Enoch and Adam.\n\n[Jude 6, \u201cAnd angels who did not keep their own domain, but abandoned their proper abode, He has kept in eternal bonds under darkness for the judgment of the great day, [7] just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the cities around them, since they in the same way as these indulged in gross immorality and went after strange flesh, are exhibited as an example in undergoing the punishment of eternal fire [9] But Michael the archangel, when he disputed with the devil and argued about the body of Moses, did not dare pronounce against him a railing judgment, but said, \u201cThe Lord rebuke you!\u201d [11] Woe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.\u201d]\n\nIn other words, his audience knew what he was talking about.\u00a0 In contrast, a contrasting example would be someone like Luke.\u00a0 We finished Luke a few Sunday\u2019s back and Luke explained his Jewish references, his Jewish cities and localities.\u00a0 So by that information we know that his audience was Jewish.\u00a0 So we can assume that they were Jewish.\u00a0 We have strong evidence of this.\n\nBut not just that, we can assume that they lived outside of Israel, meaning that they were scattered in the Diaspora.\n\nWe can come to that assumption because of Jude\u2019s similarities to another book and that\u2019s 1 Peter, Peter\u2019s writings.\u00a0 You will discover many similarities with those books, as this chart shows.\u00a0 We\u2019ll talk more about this later in our study; however scholars say that Jude relied on Peter\u2019s writings as far as content and material and so since Peter, 1 Peter 1:1, he wrote, Jews \u201cscattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia, who are chosen.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 [1 Peter 1:1, \u201cPeter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, To those who reside as aliens, scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, who are chosen\u201d]\u00a0 See that area there in the circle, that\u2019s who Peter wrote to, scattered Jews in Asia Minor. And so since the similarities cannot me missed nor ignored we can safely assume that Jude wrote to these people as well, these scattered Jews.\n\nThis brings us to our next section, the date of the book, answering when the book was written.\u00a0 Now here there\u2019s some debate.\u00a0 We all love debates, right?\u00a0 Surrounding the time when Jude was written and many accepted the date of Jude, written around 68-80 A.D.\u00a0\u00a0 And again, the reason for this is because 2 Peter was written around that time and the similarities between the two.\u00a0 Now notice all these similarities.\u00a0 If you compare, like this chart does, both side by side, you will see very striking parallels. They speak on the same issues.\n\nNow this begs the question, who influenced who?\u00a0 Who borrowed from who?\u00a0 Who preceded who? And I believe Peter\u2019s epistles precedes Jude, Jude\u2019s letter, for four reasons.\u00a0 The first reason is because Jude, many times as we see here, directly quotes Peter\u2019s book.\u00a0 And Jude even references the apostles.\u00a0 Look at verses 17-18 for a second.\n\nIt says, speaking to his audience, \u201cBut you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ, [18] that they were saying to you, \u201cIn the last \u2018time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts.\u201d\u2019\u00a0 There Jude quoted 2 Peter 3:3.\u00a0 Now notice what Peter says, \u201cKnow this first of all, that in the last days mockers will come with their mocking, following after their own lusts,\u201d see that, he quotes Peter, Jude does.\n\nThe second reason I think Peter preceded Jude\u2019s writings is because around the time of Jude\u2019s writings the destruction of Jerusalem either happened or was imminent but Jude never mentions this, this destruction.\u00a0 Some may say that doesn\u2019t prove anything but I think it\u2019s very significant because the destruction of Israel was a very significant time in Israel\u2019s history\u2026 very significant.\n\nThe third reason why I think Peter\u2019s writings precede Jude\u2019s is because Jude references other sources.\u00a0 Like we said before, he quotes Moses, Enoch, he quoted the apocryphal writings.\u00a0 It was normal for Jude to quote other people so that would mean it wouldn\u2019t seem out of place for him to quote Peter, right? \u00a0Peter\u2019s writings.\u00a0 And he can\u2019t really quote someone that was after him, right?\u00a0 That\u2019s the third reason.\n\nThe fourth reason I think Peter\u2019s writings precede Jude is this: notice the priority in this chart.\u00a0 Peter predicted and Jude confirmed.\u00a0 Peter predicted there will be false teachers, 2 Peter 2:1.\u00a0 [2 Peter 2:1, \u201cBut false prophets also arose among the people, just as there will also be false teachers among you, who will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing swift destruction upon themselves.\u201d]\u00a0 Jude reveals certain persons have crept in, Jude 4.\u00a0 [Jude 4, \u201cFor certain persons have crept in unnoticed, those who were long beforehand marked out for this condemnation, ungodly persons who turn the grace of our God into licentiousness and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.\u201d]\u00a0 Peter predicted many will follow these false teachers.\u00a0 Jude reveals they have already gone the way of Cain.\u00a0 Peter predicted that scoffers will come.\u00a0 You notice the \u201cwill\u201d?\u00a0 They will, many scoffers will come. Jude reveals that they are already there.\n\nYou see that in verse 12, also in verse 17 and 18.\u00a0 Do you notice the priority there?\u00a0 Peter, moved by the Holy Spirit, clearly made predictions.\u00a0 Then Jude comes, moved by the Holy, merely confirmed those predictions.\u00a0 Does this not speak loud and clear about the reliability when it comes to predictive prophecy?\u00a0 We\u2019re learning that in Daniel 9, aren\u2019t we.\u00a0 I think so!\u00a0 God means what He says and says what He means.\u00a0 So given the Book of Jude\u2019s strong similarities to that of 2 Peter you can safely assume that it was written around the same time as 2 Peter, around 68 to 80 A.D.\n\nThis brings us to our next section: location, and this answers the question where was the book written from?\u00a0 So Bible students usually ascertain this answer from either or external geographical clues.\u00a0 However, and unfortunately there are none [can't understand word].\u00a0 There\u2019s no source that lends, any other source that lends to the clues as to where this letter was written from.\u00a0 Our best guess comes from a trusted scholar we all love, Andy Woods, (he\u2019s an okay scholar so\u2026 you know) he says, \u201cIf Judah is written along with Peter\u2019s letters then it could have been written from Babylon or Rome,\u201d because 1 Peter was written from Babylon.\u00a0 Another possibility is that it was written from inside of the land of Canaan.\u00a0 Now that\u2019s a large area which includes Israel, which would make sense because his audience was scattered outside of Israel.\u00a0 So three, possibly Babylon, possibly Rome, possibly the land of Canaan.\u00a0 Short section.\n\nThis brings us to our next section.\u00a0 One thing that stands out about the Book of Jude is its genre.\u00a0 What genre does this letter fall under?\u00a0 And we can classify this books as an epistolary sermon within the genre of oratory discourse because of its strong exhortation to its audience, an urgency to action.\u00a0 For example, verse 3, and 17-23 show that, a very strong exhortation.\u00a0 Let\u2019s look at verse 3 for a second.\u00a0 \u201cBeloved, while I was making every effort to write to you about our common salvation I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend.\u201d\u00a0 So being that Jude did not present this orally, notice he \u201cfelt the necessity to write\u201d makes this an epistolary book in form.\n\nAnother reason why this epistle stands out is because of its unique characteristics.\u00a0 Jude\u2019s style of writing, very unique, very colorful.\u00a0 He uses vibrant, very colorful illustrations and borrows from nature, you\u2019ll see that in the book, many figures of speech, like verse 12 and verse 13. He repeatedly refers back to the Old Testament.\u00a0 He cites non-canonical literature as we\u2019ve just seen or discussed earlier.\n\nOne thing to take notice, Jude uses triads all throughout this book.\u00a0 Triads are a group of threes; groups of threes closely related things or persons.\u00a0 He uses this method in his introduction.\u00a0 Notice Jude 1, Jude, bond-servant, brother.\u00a0 [Jude 1, \u201cJude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James.\u201d]\u00a0 All the way to his benediction, before, now and forever.\u00a0 Very unique.\u00a0 Jude\u2019s creative writing according to some scholars become very unfamiliar to the modern reader, even Christians.\u00a0 In fact, one scholar wrote a book entitled It\u2019s the Most Neglected Book in the New Testament<\/em>.\u00a0 That was the title of his book.\n\nThe readers are either puzzled or terrified of Jude\u2019s cryptic message as he makes reference to all of these references, Enoch, Moses and others.\u00a0 It\u2019s an amazing piece of literature, very short, very concise, and it demands respect because of its style, vocab.\u00a0 One scholar said: \u201cIt\u2019s astounding brevity though through acquaintance with and calculated use of Jewish literary sources marshalled in a concise, well-conceived polemic that simultaneously exhorts the faithful and warns the unfaithful.\u201d \u00a0\u00a0The genre of the book is epistolary in form.\n\nThis brings us to our next section, a very important section and that\u2019s the purpose.\u00a0 This answers the question why? Why did Jude write this letter?\u00a0 Almost every letter in the New Testament was written to address a problem, an issue facing the church.\u00a0 Many times Christians fail to fully under\u00adstand this when an author of any book is trying to get across to his readers, they fail to understand it simply because of a lack of understanding of the overall purpose of the book.\u00a0 And these preliminary questions that we\u2019re asking ourselves are immensely beneficial.\u00a0 It\u2019s a great exercise to get familiar with any book.\u00a0 In fact, it\u2019s a requirement for Bible College or Seminary.\u00a0 Ask Alice.\u00a0 It was one of my favorites.\u00a0 And so the goal is to fully understand the Bible.\n\nThat said, the purpose of Jude\u2019s letter is immediately found in his salutation.\u00a0 Look with me again at verse 3.\u00a0 \u201c\u2026I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 Please take notice of what his former subject was going to be\u2026 a common salvation, he was going to talks about salvation.\u00a0 That\u2019s a pretty important topic; right?\u00a0 However, Jude \u201cfelt it necessary to write\u201d about we believers contending for the faith.\u00a0 Why would he want to write about such a topic as contending for the faith?\u00a0 Look at the following verse.\n\nVerse 4, this is why, \u201cFor certain persons have crept in unnoticed,\u201d the purpose of the book was to warn his fellow believers of these false teachers.\u00a0 Now remember, Peter predicted and Jude confirmed, right?\u00a0 It became a reality, these false teachers were in there; contend for you faith now he says.\u00a0 Why is that?\u00a0 For they \u201ccrept in,\u201d \u201cFor certain persons have crept in,\u201d these were false teachers, false believers, perhaps false prophets.\u00a0 We call them apostates, heretics, sheep in wolves clothing, slithering in the ranks of believers, \u201cunnoticed\u2026\u201d \u00a0unnoticed!\u00a0 I have a question.\n\nIf Peter predicted these\u00a0 in the first century and Jude confirmed these prophecies shortly thereafter, I wonder, is the church now filled with false teachers, these persons?\u00a0 And\u00a0 you know what else concerns me?\u00a0 Notice the word \u201cunnoticed,\u201d they \u201chave crept in unnoticed\u201d not observed, given no attention, given no mention, undetected.\u00a0 The church was not aware nor alarmed.\u00a0 They did not discern them.\u00a0 They were not cognizant of these people creeping in.\u00a0 No one said a word.\n\nThis sort of reminds me of the writing on the wall incident in Daniel 5.\u00a0 Remember that?\u00a0 If I could use the incidents in Daniel 5 as\u00a0 a comparison, who with Belshazzar, the king of Babylon, partying with his guests, eating and drinking.\u00a0 And then fingers of God writes this cryptic message on the wall for Belshazzar and his guests to see.\u00a0 And then Daniel is summoned in to interpret the writing. Can he basically reveal that the king\u2019s kingdom was going to be stripped away, just like that.\u00a0 And here\u2019s the comparison I wanted to make: the Medes crept in unnoticed, undetected, without any battle.\u00a0 There was no war, in other words, they crept in unnoticed.\u00a0 And I think Jude is revealing something similar here; they\u2019re creeping in unnoticed, without a fight.\n\nDoes that mean the church was asleep?\u00a0 Partying it up?\u00a0 Not vigilant or alert in their posture.\u00a0 Or worse, did these believers begin caving in, believing these lies, being devoured by apostates?\u00a0 This is the reason why Jude said \u201ccontend for the faith,\u201d not just contend, contend earnestly.\u00a0 I think the answer is yes, that\u2019s the reason.\u00a0 The word \u201ccontend\u201d there, in the Greek, means to fight, to do battle, to war.\u00a0 He said \u201ccontend earnestly.\u201d\n\nAnd not only that, again look back at the purpose; there was a necessity to fight because of the fact that they\u2019re already in there.\u00a0 Of course not a physical war, just spiritual war, a war of truth and lies, a war against speculation, things like that.\n\nYou know, when a boxer trains he is trained to keep his hands up, to stay alert, to be on guard.\u00a0 If you ever watch a boxing match you\u2019re going to hear hands up, hands up.\u00a0 He must always have his hands up protecting his head and his body, the vulnerable parts and then attack and counter and be aggressive in order to win the fight.\u00a0 In Jude\u2019s letter is this not an exhortation to be aggressive in that manner in the face of false teachers and their falsities?\u00a0 He said \u201ccontend earnestly.\u201d\u00a0 So the purpose of Jude\u2019s letter is to warn believers of this present threat of apostasy or apostates.\u00a0 Peter predicted it and Jude confirmed it.\n\nLook with me at Jude 3 again, Jude 3, there\u2019s the purpose statement.\u00a0 And I encourage you to highlight this and underline it, this is a key verse.\u00a0 It says, \u201cBeloved, while I was making every effort to write you about our common salvation, I felt the necessity to write to you appealing that you contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all handed down to the saints.\u201d\n\nIf we could capture the purpose of Jude\u2019s letter in one statement it would be to exhort believers to earnestly contend for the faith in the face of apostasy.\n\nThis brings us to our next section.\u00a0 There\u2019s the wolf in sheep\u2019s clothing.\u00a0 The purpose of Jude: to exhort believers to earnestly contend for the faith in the face of apostasy.\u00a0 The next section, what\u2019s in the book?\u00a0 What\u2019s in the Book of Jude?\u00a0 And this is basically an overview and an outline of the book.\u00a0 And thankfully God is a God of order.\u00a0 Amen!\u00a0 And Jude\u2019s letter consists of just 25 verses and it can be nicely divided into four sections.\u00a0 The first section is the purpose, we\u2019ve just been through that.\u00a0\u00a0 A warning to believers, be prepared to contend against false teachers.\u00a0 The second section, to describe the false teachers.\u00a0 Now in this section it not only describes the teachers, he also illustrates their imminent and ultimate doom, in detail.\u00a0 How is this doom executed?\u00a0 By divine judgment.\u00a0 God is the judge.\n\nAmong the references Jude uses to describe the false teachers, he uses references from Israel\u2019s past, particularly in the time of Moses.\u00a0 Jude takes lessons from the angelic rebellion; remember that in Genesis 6.\u00a0 He uses lessons from Sodom and Gomorrah.\u00a0 He lists judgments in the Book of Enoch, very cryptic and sobering, a very sobering section and that we should not take lightly.\u00a0 The third section is the defense against false teachers.\u00a0 In other words, what do we do as believers, what do we do to insulate ourselves, protect ourselves from these false ideas and false teachers?\u00a0 \u00a0A very interesting and very eye-opening section.\u00a0 He teaches us how to treat other believers as well, who may have been affected by false teachers and their ideas.\n\nAnd then the fourth section we see a doxology of Jude, verses 24-25, a very important aspect for us today, that everyone should be doing, myself included, and that is we should be giving praise to God in the midst of this apostasy.\u00a0 Look at Jude 24 and 25.\u00a0 It says, \u201cNow to Him who is able\u201d now in light of the false teachers that are among us, \u201cNow 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, [25] 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.\u201d\u00a0 Jude rightfully gave glory where glory is due, which is what we should be doing in these times.\u00a0 Peter called it the end times; in these end times, or last days giving all glory to God.\n\nAnd then the last section speaks to an application.\u00a0 After answering all these preliminary questions we, as Bible students, should ask another very important question: how can I apply this message of Jude to my life?\u00a0 We don\u2019t want to ask this question before, we want to ask this question\u2026 when we answered the last question how was it applicable to my life?\u00a0 And of course as we go through this book verse by verse we can extract more life applications and the information that we just learned and discovered by asking these questions we can generate a general application for us to go home with.\n\nAnd so knowing the purpose of the book, I love how one scholar summarized an application of value, he said this about the Book of Jude: \u201cThe book is a solemn warning to Christians everywhere since all are subject to the same doctrinal and practical errors.\u00a0 Though its theme regarding apostasy was specifically directed to first century Jewish Christians it\u2019s message is applicable to all Christians.\u00a0 All believers need to avoid the pitfalls of denying Christ\u2019s Lordship, promiscuously following the fleshly desires, rejecting authority, being divisive, and living for self.\n\nApparently these false teachers were promoting those ideas in Jude\u2019s time.\u00a0 And so there\u2019s a very loud and clear message that Jude is conveying here and it\u2019s the frightening reminder of the recurrent dangers of error, or rebellion, of apostasy and of judgment.\n\nAlso, that false teachers will by no means escape from divine judgment.\u00a0 There\u2019s past and present examples to prove that.\u00a0 The polemic against false teachers should not be missed; it sticks out like a sore thumb.\u00a0 And Jude exhorts his audience to remember these examples.\u00a0 He fluently illustrates the tension between the two, the ungodly and the godly and that should not be missed as well.\u00a0 And it\u2019s amazing how Jude does that.\u00a0 The ungodly is reserved and the godly are kept for their appointed end.\u00a0 According to Jude apostasy is linear; there\u2019s a progression, it moves from deception, as in the example of Cain, verse 11, then it moves to error as an example of Balaam, verse 11, THEN to destruction, also in verse 11.\u00a0 [Jude 1:11, \u201cWoe to them! For they have gone the way of Cain, and for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam, and perished in the rebellion of Korah.\u201d]\u00a0 He uses the example of Korah.\n\nAnd that\u2019s why in my prayer time I have committed myself to pray for the leadership of this church.\u00a0 When I pray for Pastor Andy or Pastor Jim, the elders, Carol, Casey, as well as for myself, I pray that the Lord keeps us from compromise or from false ideas, or false influences because we\u2019ve seen throughout church history that once, that anyone or any group is susceptible to apostasy.\u00a0 Apostasy\u2014falling away from known truth.\u00a0 And I\u2019m sure you guys agree, for me I love the teaching that comes from this pulpit, that comes from Pastor Andy and I pray for Pastor Andy because once false ideas fill the ranks of the leadership it\u2019s just a matter of time\u2026 it\u2019s just a matter of time.\u00a0 I pray that we all get serious about praying for leadership in that respect.\n\nSo as far as a general application it\u2019s loud and clear, Jude desires for us to grow spiritually, verse 20.\u00a0 Grow spiritually!\u00a0 Number 2, be assured of your salvation, verse 21, verses 24-25.\u00a0 And also help the weaker believer, in this case those who are in doubt, those who have fallen because of false teachers.\n\nSo by way of review?\u00a0 Who wrote the book?\u00a0 Jude, the brother of James, half-brother of Jesus Christ.\u00a0 Who was the book written to?\u00a0 Jews scattered in Asia Minor.\u00a0 When was the book written?\u00a0 Between 68 and 80 A.D.\u00a0 Where was the book written from?\u00a0 Possibly in the land of Canaan or Babylon.\u00a0 What\u2019s the genre of the book?\u00a0 Epistolary in form.\u00a0 What\u2019s the purpose of the book?\u00a0 To exhort believers to earnestly contend for the faith, THE faith, in the face of apostasy.\u00a0 What\u2019s in the book?\u00a0 A present threat of and a defense against false teachers.\u00a0 And is there an application?\u00a0 Yes there is, to grow spiritually, be assured of your salvation, and also to help those who doubt.\n\nApostasy is real in the world and in the body of Christ and it ought not be taken lightly.\u00a0 Amen.\u00a0 I remember when I was a child visiting my grandparents in [can't understand word] on\u00a0 the island of Oahu, on the weekends with my family, my grandparents lived near the mountains, very green and lush.\u00a0 They lived in and old house, creaky floors, and so I could remember the faint smell of mustiness, [can't understand words] he had chickens in the background always making noise.\u00a0 I remember running to the house [can't understand word] this was my grandparents\u2019 house, I loved them.\u00a0 But I was instructed by my grandpa NEVER enter the backroom---NEVER!\u00a0 And the reason was because it was infested by termites.\u00a0 The damage was so extensive that it affected the sub structure of the walls and the floors.\u00a0 There was\u2026 you could see the dirt underneath the house because of holes.\u00a0 I mean, it was bad, and he says don\u2019t go there, just don\u2019t go there.\u00a0 They had to fully reconstruct and renovate that section of the house.\n\nBut the termites had crept in unnoticed, silently wreaking havoc on the structures of the house and compromising the whole integrity of that house.\u00a0 And that\u2019s the picture that comes to mind when I consider Jude and the false prophets in Jude, people who secretly creep in Christian churches unnoticed and prey on the weak\u2026 the weak.\u00a0 They impose their will and speak with selfish intentions and speak lies concerning Christ and His church, trying to advance their godless agendas.\n\nAnd like termites, false teachers affect and infect the substructures of the church, the leadership, the congregation and things of that nature.\u00a0 And eventually, if not treated, or eliminated, the house and everything in it falls.\u00a0 I\u2019m excited to embark on this expositional journey with you.\u00a0 This will be my first time going through a book verse by verse so please pray for me; I would greatly appreciate that.\n\nYou know the Book of Jude reminds us that Jesus Christ is able to keep us from stumbling in the ways of the false teachers.\u00a0 He is able to make us stand in His presence blameless.\u00a0 The Scripture says blameless with great joy [Jude 1:24].\u00a0 But what about the unbeliever?\u00a0 Well, he doesn\u2019t have those benefits, right?\u00a0 The Bible says they are enemies of God.\u00a0\u00a0 That\u2019s not a good position.\u00a0 And there might be some of you who may not have a relationship with Jesus Christ.\u00a0 Instead of an enemy of God how can I be a child of God.\u00a0 And that\u2019s plain and simple, it\u2019s a relationship with Jesus Christ.\u00a0 And how do I get into a relationship with Jesus Christ?\u00a0 One thing\u2026 believe, believe in the gospel.\u00a0 The gospel is Christ came, lived a perfect life, died for our sins and yours, He rose on the third day and ascended into heaven.\u00a0 That\u2019s the gospel.\u00a0 And when we believe on that the Bible says we have transferred from death into life.\u00a0 And I encourage you to believe, the best you can, believe on the gospel and you will be saved.\u00a0 The Bible says today is the day of salvation.\u00a0 I pray you are doing that; if you are still confused about it or need some assistance I\u2019m available to talk after the service.\u00a0 Shall we pray.\n\nHeavenly Father, I thank You that Your Word is settled and\u00a0 Your Word is sure.\u00a0 I pray that from this day forward we would take Your Word serious as it pertains, contending earnestly for the faith and about false teachers.\u00a0 Keep us from the snare of the devil; cause us to remember Your Word and live out Your Word and trust You for our provision.\u00a0 We love you and we give You all the praise.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name God\u2019s people said Amen.","series_sermon_number":""},"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t