{"id":18731,"date":"2019-01-20T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-01-20T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sugar-land-bible-church.local\/sermon\/jude-009-the-infamy-of-apostasy\/"},"modified":"2022-01-12T17:16:12","modified_gmt":"2022-01-12T23:16:12","slug":"jude-009-the-infamy-of-apostasy","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/slbc.org\/es\/sermon\/jude-009-the-infamy-of-apostasy\/","title":{"rendered":"Jude 009 \u2013 The Infamy of Apostasy"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","book":[110],"series_event":[483],"sermon_service_type":[472],"speaker":[450],"class_list":["post-18731","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 009 \u2013 The Infamy of Apostasy","sermon_date":"20190120","sermon_month":"1","sermon_year":"2019","sermon_notes":"","sermon_slides":"","sermon_mp3":19995,"sermon_id":"1201916387593","series_or_event":483,"service_type":[472],"speaker":450,"books_of_the_bible":110,"chapter_and_verse":"1:11-16","sermon_transcript":"Gabe Morris\n\nThe Infamy of Apostasy\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 --\u00a0 Contending for the Faith\n\n1-20-16 \u00a0\u00a0Jude 009\u00a0 \u00a01:11-16\n\nOpen your Bibles to the Book of Jude, verse 11. It says, \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.\u00a0 [12] These are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; [13] wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.\u00a0 [14] It was<\/em> also about these men that<\/em> Enoch, in<\/em> the seventh generation<\/em> from Adam, prophesied, saying, \u201cBehold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, [15] to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.\u201d [16] These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own<\/em> lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an<\/em> advantage.\u201d\n\nCan we pray; Father, thank You for what You have already said in Your Word,\u00a0 Your Word is \u201ca lamp unto our feet and a\u00a0 light unto our path.\u00a0 I pray, Father, that You would illuminate Your Word this morning to us and may we live accordingly.\u00a0 Bless the teaching of\u00a0 Your Word this morning.\u00a0 In Jesus\u2019 name, Amen.\n\nWe have been traveling through the Book of Jude verse by verse and I don\u2019t know about you but I\u2019ve been learning a lot so far from this little book.\u00a0 So by way of review we covered Jude 8-10 in our last session about the present failures of apostasy, verses 5-7.\u00a0 Then going through the present day failures of apostasy, verses 8-10.\u00a0 And in Jude\u2019s day he singled out these men, these were the false teachers creeping in unnoticed.\u00a0 And I tried to make the case that it was fruitless, in fact dangerous for the believer to give him or herself more authority than they have and go so far as to rebuke or reprove demons or the devil.\u00a0 This is a prerogative that only the Lord Himself holds.\n\nWe emphasized the nature of their error and what these false teachers are capable of.\u00a0 In short they lure believers and lead them astray.\u00a0 Leading God\u2019s church astray is apparently a crime so serious Jude called them mark for condemnation.\u00a0 He also called them ungodly, licentious, denying the Lord Himself; verse 4 says that.\u00a0 [Jude 4, \u201cFor certain persons have crept in \u2026 and deny our only Master and Lord, Jesus Christ.\u201d]\u00a0\u00a0 They were dangerously rebellious, wickedly perverse, unnaturally defiling their own flesh, verse 7.\u00a0 [Jude 7, \u201cjust 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.\u201d]\u00a0 And Jude employs a full funnel attack on these false teachers, exposing them to who they were.\u00a0 He verbally attacked them so hard he even called them unreasonable beasts.\n\nSo we\u2019ve reached in our outline a reminder of their apostasy, verses 11 and 13, and the certain judgment of their error, verses 14-16. [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.\u00a0 [13] wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.\u201d\u00a0 [14] It was<\/em> also about these men that<\/em> Enoch, in<\/em> the seventh generation<\/em> from Adam, prophesied, saying, \u201cBehold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, [15] to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.\u201d [16] These are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own<\/em> lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an<\/em> advantage.\u201d]\n\nSo serious was their sin, please notice verse 11, Jesus says, \u201cWoe to them!\u201d\u00a0 The phrase \u201cwoe to you\u201d depending how it\u2019s used in its context can either mean a prophetic or an apocalyptic judgment, disaster, or it could mean an expression of horror, regret or sorrow.\u00a0 It\u2019s sort of like lament.\u00a0 For example, in Revelation 11:14, this is immediately after the trumpet which, God willing, we\u2019ll get to in Andy\u2019s series, this is what John says, \u201cThe second woe is past, behold, the third woe is coming.\u201d\u00a0 In other words, another terrible disaster or judgment is certain to take place.\u00a0 And why is that?\u00a0 Because God willed it to take place.\u00a0 BDAG, a Greek Lexicon, favors the latter rendering of \u201cwoe\u201d here in Jude, Jude 11, which is an expression of regret or sorrow, lament.\u00a0 And so does late scholar [can't understand name].\u00a0 An example of this woe would be Revelation 8:13 which says, \u201cThen I looked,\u201d John here is speaking, \u201cand I heard an eagle flying in midheaven, saying with a loud voice, \u2018Woe, woe, woe to those who dwell on the earth, because of the remaining blasts of the trumpet of the three angels who are about to sound!\u2019\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 The angel was expressing lament for these people on earth.\n\nTyndale described \u201cwoe\u201d as \u201can expression of regret or sorrow about the miserable situation that promoted this exclamation.\u201d\u00a0 And I think Jude 11 is just that; it begins with an interjection of sorrow, of lament, because we have already covered in previous lessons, Jude\u2019s already stated that they were destined for God\u2019s judgment, a judgment that is certain, that no man can thwart.\n\nVerse 10, as we look back at verse 10 it says, \u201clike unreasoning animals by these things they are destroyed. \u00a0[11] Woe to them!\u201d\u00a0 \u00a0[Jude 1:10, \u201cBut these men revile the things which they do not understand; and the things which they know by instinct, like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.\u201d\u00a0 [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.]\n\nSo right out of the gate this has here applicational value.\u00a0 We live in an age of political correct\u00adness \u00a0do we not?\u00a0 Do these false teachers, do they really pose a threat?\u00a0 Do they represent something that threatens the church if left unchecked?\u00a0 I say this because many churches, by and large, employ an unholy tolerance, a tolerance that ought not to be there.\u00a0 And I am amazed when I see church culture today they\/we can tolerate such things, all sorts of things that we ought not tolerate.\u00a0 You know, many times we are intolerant of truth, right?\u00a0 If we see or hear some pastors teaching doctrinally incorrect we say oh no, we won\u2019t tolerate that.\u00a0 But when it comes to certain sins, blatant sins, we are tolerant of it.\u00a0 We are an age where we wouldn\u2019t dare say anything strong or criticize someone else or rebuking things like homosexuality, adultery, transgenderism, whatever the case may be left in the world rebuke us, right?\u00a0 Oh, you\u2019re unloving!\u00a0 Oh, you\u2019re a homosexual or an Islamicist or whatever, you fill in the blank.\n\nBut when we reach a book like Jude we quickly discover that the spirit of this book is contrary to the spirit of this age.\u00a0 In Jude\u2019s day there was no such thing as political correctness.\u00a0 And as a man or woman of God we call a spade a spade.\u00a0 Amen!\u00a0 Jude was not a\u2026 fill in the blank\u2026phob.\u00a0 \u00a0He said \u201cWoe to them.\u201d\u00a0 If anything Jude shows as holy intolerance for sin and error.\u00a0 Yes, there was great regret and sorrow on the part of Jude but Jude was not afraid to combat or contend or come against the sin of these people, especially when it endangered the body of believers.\u00a0 And we see churches struggle with this, do we not?\u00a0\u00a0 There are people out there, including in Christian circles that we ought to contend with or stand against.\u00a0 There is such a time with a balance of love and truth to confront or contend.\u00a0 That\u2019s what Jude is saying here, to stand against error, AND we should not be afraid of their irrational reaction.\n\nSo Jude, being the poetic genius that he was, he goes on to employ yet another triad, three human examples, as he did back in verses 5 and 7.\u00a0 [Jude 5, \u201cNow I desire to remind you, though you know all things once for all, that the Lord, after saving a people out of the land of Egypt, subsequently destroyed those who did not believe.\u201d\u00a0 Jude 7, \u201cjust 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.\u201d]\n\nNo doubt these examples are very familiar to the Jewish audience, notice verse 11, \u00a0it says, \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 Again, Jude prompts his audience to consul the past and remember because we can learn a lot about history (amen).\u00a0 In his first poetic device he mentions a character named Cain.\u00a0 Who was Cain?\u00a0 The son of our forbearers, Adam and Eve.\u00a0 Cain was (of course) pre-Israel, however his infamous legacy had more an impact on humanity than I think we could put into words.\u00a0 This is why I\u2019ve entitled this message \u201cThe infamy of Apostasy<\/em>.\u201d There is a sure and certain tragedy when one takes the road of apostasy.\n\nAnd I like, I admire the way Jude concisely introduces these character, Cain, Balaam and Korah.\u00a0 And he sums up their infamies in a matter of phrases.\u00a0 \u201cFor they have gone the way of Cain,\u201d what\u2019s \u201cgone the way of Cain\u201d?\u00a0 Well if we trace the life of Cain we quickly discover that \u201cway\u201d. \u00a0We are all familiar with Cain and Abel in Genesis 4; Cain\u2019s way began with a posture of bold, prideful and reckless disobedience to God.\u00a0 He essentially refused to give God His proper worship and offering.\u00a0 Cain didn\u2019t agree with God\u2019s method of salvation, in other words; he came to God as Cain\u00a0 saw fit.\u00a0 [can't understand word].\u00a0 He cannot do that.\u00a0 And when God\u2019s displeasure was apparent \u00a0in a fit of rage Cain killed his brother; he was the first murderer.\u00a0 And he murdered the man of God, the man of God who sought to be faithful to God and His Word.\u00a0 And he murdered his brother!\n\nSo Jude would equate these false teachers with the first murderer.\u00a0 And so we see in the Cain and Abel account, we see God\u2019s judgment coming on Cain, and the Bible says \u201cCain went out from the presence of the Lord.\u201d\u00a0 [Genesis 4:16, \u201cThen Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and settled in the land of Nod, east of Eden.\u201d]\u00a0 And according to one commentary he was not only the first murderer, he was also the archetype sinner, the instructor of others to sin.\u00a0 Others saw Cain as a prototype of hatred, of envy, towards one\u2019s own brother.\u00a0 And some sources, in fact, said Jude saw Cain as the first heretic because of his outward cloak of religiosity.\n\nNotice Jude again, his second triatic example. So \u201cthey have gone the way of Cain\u201d first triatic element, \u201cand for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam,\u201d who was this character, Balaam?\u00a0\u00a0 And what was his error? Simply put Balaam was a prophet in the Old Testament who used his gifting of prophecy for gain, for sordid gain.\u00a0 As you know, Balaam aligned himself with the enemies of Israel, he influenced the nation of Israel to commit idolatry and destroy themselves from within.\u00a0\u00a0 And even despite warnings from God Himself to cease and desist, Balaam still went because of his lust for wealth and power.\u00a0 Despite witnessing a talking donkey an evading Balaam\u2019s only demise by a preincarnate Christ Himself, his love for money and power still got the best of him.\n\nRemember what the angel of the Lord said?\u00a0 This is the preincarnate Christ.\u00a0 In Numbers 22:32 it says, \u201c\u2026Behold, I have come out as an adversary, because your way was contrary to me.\u201d\u00a0 And if we continue to trace the life of Balaam, even after the blessing where God made Balaam bless the nation of Israel Balaam, if\u00a0 you remember the story, Balaam and Balak went their separate ways.\u00a0 Balaam went home, right?\u00a0 He never got paid, but in Numbers 31 we see that he advised a Midianite king on how to destroy Israel, not from without but from within; not by your power but by God\u2019s power.\n\nIn Numbers 31:16 it says through the counsel of Balaam the sons of Israel trespassed against the Lord.\u00a0 [Numbers 31:16, \u201cBehold, these caused the sons of Israel, through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD in the matter of Peor, so the plague was among the congregation of the LORD.\u201d]\u00a0 So Balaam went down in history infamously for the one responsible for the apostasy of Israel, which by the way, caused the death of 24,000 Israelites.\u00a0\u00a0 And we later, at his death, at Balaam\u2019s death we find him with the Midianite king as Israel killed him. What was Balaam doing with the Midianite king?\u00a0 Why was he there?\u00a0 He was there to collect.\u00a0 Jewish tradition says that he was there to collect.\u00a0 So like Balaam these false teachers of Jude\u2019s day were enticing children of God to apostacize, all doing this while getting paid.\n\nAnd we must remember that in the first century church traveling teachers, traveling missionaries, traveling pastors, were travelling, teaching the Word of God, going house to house.\u00a0 And did not Paul say that pastors and teachers are worthy of double honor?\u00a0 So they were abusing this system, this system of benefit for the teachers.\u00a0 Paul warned about this in 1 Timothy 3:8 and Titus 1:7. Right.\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0[1 Timothy 3:8, \u201cDeacons likewise must be men of dignity, not double-tongued, or addicted to much wine or fond of sordid gain,\u201d\u00a0 Titus 1:7, \u201cFor the overseer must be above reproach as God's steward, not self-willed, not quick-tempered, not addicted to wine, not pugnacious, not fond of sordid gain.\u201d]\u00a0 Leaders or deacons should not be \u201cfond of sordid gain.\u201d\n\nAnd by the way, this Greek word \u201cerror\u201d there in Jude 1:11, Balaam\u2019s error, it literally means wandering or one led astray from the right path.\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 Error, Balaam\u2019s error!\n\nNotice, if you will, Jude\u2019s final triatic example, he calls teachers to a final Old Testament example, Korah.\u00a0 Verse 11 says, \u201cperished in the rebellion of Korah.\u201d Now what was Korah infamous for?\u00a0 Korah\u2019s infamy was characterized as rebellion against the Lord Himself.\u00a0 Korah, along with two other individuals, led a rebellion of 250 leaders against Moses and Aaron whom God put in charge.\u00a0 The rebellion was essentially a discontentment with Moses\u2019 leadership.\u00a0 And really an assault on God\u2019s ordained structure for the Israelites.\u00a0 So Korah somehow neglected to see this, God structuring it that way, and believed in his heart of hearts that he could do a better job than Moses and Aaron. Not content with his already privileged position Korah demanded a priestly position.\u00a0 And we all know that that didn\u2019t go well.\u00a0 Moses essentially said to Korah, don\u2019t get mad at me, this is the Lord\u2019s doing, and if this is my doing then nothing will happen to you for this rebellion, but if this is your fault, Korah, then God will deal with you and everyone with you.\n\nHow do you think that turned out?\u00a0 The Bible says Korah, his family, his household, all the men who belonged to Korah in his rebellion, including their possessions were all swallowed up, the Scripture says, by the earth; the earth opened up and swallowed them, then closed its mouth.\u00a0 What a scene.\u00a0 And this was to let millions of people, millions of Israelites who were left under the leadership of Moses to understand that what the Lord has structured and put into place no man could usurp or change.\u00a0 Korah rebelled against God.\u00a0 And so even his wife and children went down, and some people say weren\u2019t they innocent?\u00a0 If they were why were they with Korah at the tents of Moses? One can only conclude that they had been influenced already, totally by Korah.\n\nSo Cain, Balaam and Korah, a very creative style of writing, as we said before, a triad used very strategically.\u00a0 Notice these examples are not in chronological order; it they were they\u2019d be Cain, Korah, then Balaam.\u00a0 But you notice these are examples that intensify in sin and end in judgment.\u00a0 I think that\u2019s the whole point of Jude in emphasizing these false teachers. It starts with an ill will towards God and the people of God, Cain, then quickly graduating into causing many to apostacize, Balaam, and consequently all reverence and honor lost, all authority towards God would be lost.\u00a0 And it metastasis into rebellion against the ordinance and authority of God Himself.\u00a0 At that point [can't understand word] will be used.\n\nThis is why I thought this is so serious and this is what Jude was trying to prevent and expressed his audience, to exhort his audience to fight for the truth.\u00a0 This is not a game to Jude. We must be constantly pursuing Christ and His Word lest a creeping disenchantment comes, overtaking the things of God. When I read this it kind of reminded me of the media mogul, Ted Turner, founder of CNN.\u00a0 You know, we might see this guy in heaven.\u00a0 I read an article from the Spokesman Review that says this: \u201c Cable television mogul, Ted Turner, criticized fundamentalist Christianity and said Jesus probably would be\u201d quote, \u2018\u201cbe sick at His stomach over the way His ideas have been twisted the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported.\u00a0 Turner made the remarks Friday evening at the banquet in Orlando, Florida where he was given an award by the American Humanist Association for his work on behalf of the environment and world peace.\u00a0 Turner said he has a strict Christian upbringing and at one time considered becoming a missionary.\u00a0 He said I was saved,\u201d quote \u201cI was saved seven or eight times\u201d the newspaper quoted him saying, \u201cbut he said he became disenchanted with Christianity after his sister died, despite all his prayers.\u201d\u00a0 Turner said, \u201cThe more he strayed from faith the better I felt.\u201d\n\nSo Jude was concerned for the maturation, the maturity of his audience; their faith was at stake.\u00a0 He said \u201ccontend for the faith.\u201d\u00a0 [Jude 1:3, \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 This is why Jude is giving descriptive detail after descriptive detail of who these people were and what they were capable of.\n\nNotice Jude 12, Jude 12 gives more descriptive details, this kind of series of metaphors from nature.\u00a0 He says, \u201cThese are the men who are hidden reefs in your love feasts when they feast with you without fear.\u201d\u00a0 This phrase here is tied very closely with verse 4 which says, \u201cFor certain people have crept in unnoticed,\u201d they were \u201chidden reefs in your love feasts caring for themselves\u2026.\u201d What are \u201chidden reefs\u201d?\u00a0 Well, I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 Scholars say, way above my pay grade, they say that the word \u201corigin\u201d is\u00a0 uncertain and it\u2019s this Greek word spilades<\/em>, it carries two meanings, either a rock in the sea or a spot, a stain, depending on the context, so a rock or a stain or a blemish. Other Bibles would reflect this, and also scholars vary on the choice of words, but being of an agrarian culture, farmers and what not, this would make a lot of sense to this audience, this Jewish audience, spilades<\/em>, or a hidden reef.\n\nA hidden reef would cause extensive damage to a fisherman, right, who were out at sea on a ship if they didn\u2019t catch it in time.\u00a0 In fact, the damage would be so bad that the boat could possibly be shipwrecked or sink.\u00a0 Does not Paul use this kind of language in 1 Timothy 1:19, speaking to Timothy, \u201ckeeping faith and a good conscience, which some have rejected and suffered shipwreck in regard to their faith.\u201d\u00a0 And this phrase also ties nicely with verse 13, Jude 13, \u201cwild waves of the sea,\u201d they were very dangerous.\u00a0 In fact, they were detrimental because they were unnoticed.\u00a0\u00a0 [Jude 13, \u201cwild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.\u201d]\n\nYou know, in boxing they say the punch that knocks you out is the one that you don\u2019t see.\u00a0 That\u2019s right.\u00a0 They were hidden reefs in your love feast.\u00a0 What are love feasts?\u00a0 According to Arnold Fruchtenbaum \u201clove feasts\u201d refer to the early believers practice of eating a full meal\u00a0 in connection with the celebration of the Lord\u2019s Supper.\u00a0 You know our fellowship Sundays are biblical?\u00a0 Amen!\u00a0 So you could argue also that this word spilos<\/em>, could also mean spot or blemish or stain.\u00a0 Right?\u00a0 Doesn\u2019t the Bible talk about that in Ephesians 5:27, \u201cthat He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot\u201d that word there is spilos<\/em> \u201cor wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.\u201d\n\nThis could be the proper rendering because over in 2 Peter 2:13 Peter also predicts these false teachers. He said, \u201cThey are stains and blemishes, reveling in this deception as they carouse with you.\u201d\u00a0 [2 Peter 2:13, \u201csuffering wrong as the wages of doing wrong. They count it a pleasure to revel in the daytime. They are stains and blemishes, reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you,\u201d] \u00a0That word \u201ccarouse\u201d means as they feast together with you.\u00a0 And I sort of favor this latter rendering, but I think no matter what word you use or meaning you use I think both ideas give an appropriate sense of serious danger; both are serious and both have repercussions.\u00a0 Notice, they also \u201cfeast with you, without fear, caring for themselves,\u201d again in verse 12.\u00a0 [Jude 1:12, \u201cfeast with you, without fear, caring for themselves.\u201d]\n\nThis is very is very interesting because Jude said these unbelievers, we\u2019re talking about unbelieving false teachers, granted themselves the role of the teacher, the traveling teachers, false teachers, yet not feeding the spirit man of the believer, rather only feeding themselves in these feasts, in their fellowship Sundays.\u00a0 They had no awe, they had no fear of the Lord whatsoever.\u00a0 And why would they?\u00a0 They denied it in verse 4, right, they denied our Lord and Savior.\u00a0 They rejected authority, verse 8.\u00a0 And they had a cathode of biblical teacher but not really having the results of a true shepherd that fed the flock.\n\nIf you notice, he launches into more metaphorical language to support this idea.\u00a0 In verse 12 again, it says, \u201cclouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted;\u201d again Jude is coming from an agrarian mindset and as I understand it the most grueling time in Israel is in the summer time.\u00a0 Right?\u00a0 It\u2019s very hot, long dry, sometimes total absence of rain (as I\u2019ve heard) but not all the time.\u00a0 Winter, on the other hand, is distinguished by its rain and the rest of the seasons are relatively short, sometimes lasting as little as six weeks in Israel.\u00a0 And I imagine this comes as a clear perspective if you\u2019re a farmer in a hot climate.\u00a0 When the farmers would see plows in the distance I imagine excitement generated because this will essentially give their crops refreshment and enrichment.\u00a0 But what an incredible disappointment when the clouds that they see would pass and nothing falls.\u00a0 In other words, the clouds and wind were deceptive, \u00a0they were giving the farmers an illusion of something better.\n\nI remember my first deployment in the Navy Seabees was [can't understand word] with NATO, this was 98-99 time frame, and we went to [same word] to rebuild right after the NATO bombing, this is some photos I took from [can't understand name] collection, these bombings were\u2026 they essentially displayed the Serbian force so we could move in and establish a presence.\u00a0 And I was so excited because this was my first deployment and he built over eighty sea huts for all the branches of the military and our allies.\u00a0 And I remember when the sun reared its ugly head, it was so hot, I mean HOT, and I can remember clearly\u2026 I was on a roof crew and I built those trusses and [can't understand word], but I can remember clearly up on those roofs as the sun beamed down and cooked my skin.\u00a0 I can just remember those little\u00a0 clouds in the distance, praying that they would drop some water or at least give me a moment of shade and nothing, NOTHING.\u00a0 And the crew and I just a wave of disappointment \u00a0came and it lowered morale, it slowed productivity, it was bad.\u00a0 <\/em>\n\nBut I can imagine that Jesus had this in mind.\u00a0 I think even Solomon had this in mind, Proverbs 25:14 says, \u201c<\/em>Like clouds and wind without rain Is a man who boasts of his gifts falsely.\u201d\u00a0 I think the prophet, Jeremiah, also had this in mind when he says, \u201cThe prophets\u201d speaking of false prophets, \u201care as wind, and the Word is not in them.\u201d\u00a0 [Jeremiah 5:13]\u00a0 And it interesting, the more I follow this metaphoric phraseology of waterless clouds and that were carried by wind, it was always connected or in the context of deception, lying, trickery.\n\nBut Jude continues with the same idea but a different picture.\u00a0 Notice verse 12 again, these men are like \u201cautumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted\u2026\u201d\u00a0 In Israel autumn is the season when farmers and gardeners expect a harvest, expect their final crop for the year in fact.\u00a0 If nothing came they must endure a tremendous disappointment and not only that, incredible hardship through the winter.\u00a0 So farmers would consider these crops dead, worthless and they uprooted them.\u00a0 In other words, these false teachers likewise characterized promise but no performance, no fulfillment.\u00a0 There were maybe fanciful oratory but empty in producing any type of value for the believer.\n
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  1. D<\/em>. <\/strong>Edmond Hiebert<\/em> called these men \u201cspiritually barren, offering the believer absolutely zero nourishment. And if that\u2019s not enough for you notice Jude 1,verse 13. He says they were, \u201cwild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; [wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.\u201d]\u00a0 Sometimes when the Bible talks about or refers to the sea it\u00a0 symbolizes those who do not know God, drawing from Jewish sources no doubt, Jude had Isaiah 57:20-21 in mind.\u00a0 He said, \u201cBut the wicked are like the tossing sea, For it cannot be quiet, And its waters toss up refuse and mud.\u201d\u00a0 In other words, they spit out waves , their wild waves he says, they cannot be controlled.\u00a0 They are unpredictable.\u00a0 They also cast their shame up like foam.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\nPaul knew a bit about false teachers.\u00a0 In Philippians, chapter 3, he warned the church about false teachers.\u00a0 He says, \u00a0[Philippians 3:18] \u201cFor many walk, of whom I often told you, and now tell you even weeping,\u201d he says, \u201cthat they are enemies of the cross of Christ, [19] whose end is destruction, whose god is their appetite, and whose glory is in their shame, who set their minds on earthly things.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Wow, this sounds like Jesus.\u00a0 Paul says they \u201cglory in their shame.\u201d\n\nJude says they cast up their shame like foam.\u00a0 They were proud, they were arrogant.\u00a0 Notice verse 13 again, covering the section of land, seed and now the heavens, they were \u201cwandering stars\u201d in verse 13, \u201cfor whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.\u201d\u00a0 [Jude 1:13, \u201cwild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wandering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.\u201d]\u00a0 \u00a0Here again Jude gives us this new unique metaphor, stars!\u00a0 Of course stars help navigate the ships at night guiding the captain, the ship\u2019s navigator.\u00a0 So what use\u00a0 to the ship\u2019s navigator is wandering sights, trolling sights.\u00a0 Absolutely zero, they are worthless to him.\u00a0 And he climaxes this series of metaphors with certain judgments.\u00a0 Notice the double designation there, \u201cblack darkness.\u201d\u00a0 Black darkness that\u2019s been reserved forever.\u00a0 This group is so dangerous that they will be separated from the very light of God, the true source of all light forever.\u00a0 One scholar said that they will be plunged in the most intense awful indescribable darkness forever.\n\nAnd then we see Jesus close this section off again referring to a non-canonical source there, this time the Book of Enoch.\u00a0\u00a0 This is unique because Enoch is mentioned a handful of times in the Bible, like Genesis, we learned that Enoch pleased God and God raptured him to heaven.\u00a0 Enoch is also mentioned in Hebrews being a hero of the faith.\u00a0\u00a0 And then here in Jude as a prophet.\u00a0 In The Book of Enoch<\/em> Jewish people reviewed his writings because this was a very popular and strong influence in the Jewish community.\u00a0 Even the early church fathers revered his writings because (1) because of his credentials he was raptured up by God, and the number 7 there, very Jewish in nature, seven spoke of the greatness of God.\u00a0 Of course, if you said seven the Jewish community would immediately turn to or think of this status.\n\nSo putting that together this is very Jewish in nature.\u00a0 And apparently Jude, inspired by the Holy Spirit, included Enoch, this single prophecy of Enoch and took it as truth, a historical fact. \u00a0And he said this, notice what Jude 14 says:\u00a0 \u201cIt was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, \u201cBehold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones, [15] to execute judgment upon all, and to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have done in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Now when we read this there\u2019s a lot to consider.\u00a0 Notice the word \u201calso,\u201d meaning this passage is very intimately connected to the previous.\n\nAgain, the number seven, a very big deal in the Jewish mind.\u00a0 And notice the prediction here, \u201cBehold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones,\u201d this is classic Hebrew construction, prophetic construction.\u00a0 And Enoch, secondly, was not Jewish, this was pre-Israel but somehow he had a working knowledge of this coming one.\u00a0 I find that fascinating.\u00a0 Jude translated\u00a0 Enoch\u2019s [can't understand word] kurios<\/em>, this is a title given only to God the Son.\u00a0 It\u2019s very, very fascinating.\u00a0 And it sounds very familiar, right?\u00a0 He says, \u201cthis coming one, who is He coming with?\u00a0 Many thousands of His holy ones.\u00a0 Hmmm, that sounds familiar.\u00a0 This Greek word \u201cmany thousands\u201d is [can't understand words] or innumerable.\n\nDidn\u2019t we hear this before?\u00a0 He said \u201choly ones,\u201d hagios<\/em>.\u00a0 [can't understand word] says this is a very broad term, we shouldn\u2019t just immediately translate it as angels, this is a very broad term, broad enough to include the church age saints.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t we learn in Revelation 5:11 Revelation 5:11 says, \u201cThen I looked, and I heard the voice of many angels around the throne and the living creatures and the elders; and the number of them was myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands,\u201d\u00a0 Who is around the throne?\u00a0 Angels [can't understand words] the church.\u00a0 Do you think Enoch\u2019s prophecy falls in line with John\u2019s prophecy?\u00a0 I think that would be a safe guess.\n\nOr how about Paul\u2019s prediction in 1 Thessalonians 3:13 in line with Jude or Enoch\u2019s prophecy, \u201cso that He may establish your hearts without blame in holiness before our God and Father at the coming of our Lord Jesus with all His saints.\u201d\u00a0 Paul talks about this again in Colossians 3:4, \u201cWhen Christ, who is our life, is revealed, then you also will be revealed with Him in glory.\u201d\u00a0 What a prediction.\n\nOh but wait, there\u2019s more.\u00a0 There\u2019s also a horrific side to Enoch\u2019s prophecy. Yes, there will be a coming one, praise the Lord, coming with His holy ones, but also coming to execute judgment.\u00a0 Judgment on who\u2026 \u201cto execute judgment upon all,\u201d Jude 15, \u201cand to convict all the ungodly of all their ungodly deeds\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 If I recall correctly Jude mentions these false teachers as ungodly, verse 4. They are marked for judgment, verse 4.\u00a0 They deny our Lord, they rebel against God.\n\nAnd notice here Jude concludes with his ninth\u2026 this is his ninth and perhaps scariest triad yet, increasing in nature and in specificity. \u00a0He is coming to execute judgment on all the ungodly.\u00a0 No one will be overlooked or escape.\u00a0 To me can you imagine how sad this day will be?\u00a0 There will be a coming one to convict men of all their ungodly deeds, their empty works of religiosity, heretics as he\u2019s already covered.\u00a0 All their pride and rebellion will come to a complete halt.\n\nAnd notice, it says all the things they \u201chave spoken against Him.\u201d\u00a0 I\u2019ve heard it said and I taught this just today in youth about the tongue, sticks and stones, I\u2019ve heard this before, \u201csticks and stones may break my bones but words will\u201d what? \u201cnever hurt me.\u201d\u00a0 On the contrary, according to God they have tremendous power, our words and also horrific consequences.\u00a0 They will not be over\u00adlooked, both work and deeds of the ungodly.\n\nAnd for our last two notice Jude summarizes his denunciation of these false teachers with a tense triad.\u00a0 Imagine that.\u00a0 He says \u201cThese\u201d again, \u201cthese,\u201d he\u2019s putting emphasis on \u201cthese.\u201d\u00a0 He\u2019s no longer speaking in metaphors, he\u2019s speaking directly of them.\u00a0 He\u2019s pointing the accusing finger\u2026 my mom always taught me it\u2019s never nice to point, and apparently Jude was never taught that.\u00a0 But with descriptive details, he calls him [can't understand word], who always finds fault.\u00a0 Other versions call him murmurers and murmuring. This is a word that describes an individual dominating with discontent so much discontent\u00a0 that it expresses himself not in loud voiceless noise but with soft muttering or grumbling.\u00a0 Does anybody know someone who does that, soft grumbling.\u00a0 I looked at my wife to see if she is raising her hand\u2026. [laughter]\n\nBut you know, Jesus witnessed this when He was on the scene, when He spoke truth, when He did miracles, the Bible says the people and the Pharisees against Christ they wouldn\u2019t mutter, they would whisper their whispers of discontent.\u00a0 And they found fault with everyone and everything but themselves.\u00a0 They grumbled, and why in the world did they do that?\u00a0\u00a0 Because it says they follow after their own lusts.\u00a0 [Jude 1:16, \u201cThese are grumblers, finding fault, following after their own lusts; they speak arrogantly, flattering people for the sake of gaining an advantage.\u201d\n\nContrary to you, beloved, we who are led and governed by the Word of God and by the Holy Spirit, these men were governed by their lust, their lust that could never be satisfied.\u00a0 That was the reason why they would grumble and fault-find.\u00a0 \u201c\u2026they speak arrogantly,\u201d he continues, that comes to no surprise, right?\u00a0 They \u201cflatter people for the sake of advantage.\u201d\u00a0 That phrase, \u201cthey speak arrogantly\u201d actually means an over inflation of themselves, and exaggerated sense of self.\u00a0 They thought themselves as important, more important than their audience.\u00a0 Swelling words they would say, extravagant speech, only to gain something from the congregation.\u00a0 Financial gain?\u00a0 Yeah, you could say that.\u00a0 That was the case, for pay, right, they have gone headlong.\n\nSo it was a dog and pony show in other words, take your money, take your possessions, take advantage of the body of believers, feed their bellies and consequently lead many astray.\u00a0 Are we aware that this is happening in the churches?\u00a0 Are we willing to stand for truth, contend for truth, call a spade a spade despite their irrational reactions, because if we\u2019re not, expect a long and arduous road ahead for the church.\u00a0\u00a0 As a matter of fact, what does Jude say?\u00a0 Christ\u2019s younger half-brother says we as believers must do?\u00a0\u00a0 Look with me at verse 17 very quickly.\u00a0 He says, \u201cBut you beloved,\u201d \u2026 \u201cBut you beloved,\u201d I think he\u2019s talking to us, he switches his focus from these false teachers to \u201cyou beloved.\u201d And if we want to know about what Jude says my prayer is that you will come back, God willing to our next session where we begin that section where Jude turns his attention to the believers.\u00a0 I\u2019m looking forward to that study.\n\nWe spoke earlier about there will be a coming one, who will return to the earth with his holy ones, his angels and the church, and we will witness, as Andy would say, the scene as having the best seats in the house, right?\u00a0 The greatest judgment that will ever take place!\u00a0 My question to you is will you be on His side or will you be on the side that\u2019s being judged?\u00a0\u00a0 This is a sobering truth at the end of this judgment; it\u2019s already been ordained, it\u2019s already been predicted, as you see here in Enoch\u2019s prophecy but the refreshing truth is the weight lifting truth is that there\u2019s still time.\n\nThere\u2019s still time to be transferred to the winning side.\u00a0 If you have breath in your lungs you still have time.\u00a0 But I\u2019ll say this, you don\u2019t have much time.\u00a0 The Bible says \u201cToday is the day of salvation.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0[2 Corinthians 6:2, \u201cfor He says, \u2018AT THE ACCEPTABLE TIME I LISTENED TO YOU, AND ON THE DAY OF SALVATION I HELPED YOU.\u2019 \u00a0Behold, now is \u2018THE ACCEPTABLE TIME,\u2019 behold, now is \u2018THE DAY OF SALVATION .\u2019\u201d]\u00a0 Not tomorrow, not next week, today because tomorrow, the next day is not guaranteed.\u00a0 Please don\u2019t wait. Before you walk out of here, before you turn off the computer, please get this settled.\u00a0 It\u2019s called salvation; it\u2019s called the gospel.\n\nHow do you get saved?\u00a0 Acts 16:30-31, the jailor asked Paul, he said, \u201cSirs, what must I do to be saved?\u201d\u00a0 [31] \u2018They said, \u201cBelieve in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved\u2026\u201d \u00a0\u00a0Paul never gave them a self-help program or a life challenge to probe themselves.\u00a0 All he said was to believe, just believe.\u00a0 And when one believes totally on Jesus Christ and what He\u2019s accomplished on the cross, He died, was buried, and rose again on the third day,\u00a0 a transaction takes place and you become a son or a daughter of God.\u00a0 Trust in Him for your salvation.\u00a0 When you do that you have gained and secured eternal life, never t be taken away.\u00a0 You are now on His side; He calls you His own in fact.\u00a0 So if you did this, if you\u2019re doing this, if you\u2019re thinking about it, let me rewind, if\u00a0 you did this congratulations, you are a child of God.\u00a0 If\u00a0 you\u2019re thinking about it and you need more information about it I\u2019m here to talk.\u00a0 Shall we pray.\n\nFather God we thank You for the Book of Jude; we thank you for the sobering reminder of false teachers and how they can creep in unnoticed.\u00a0 And Father, we pray that we remain alert and stick fast and faithful to Your Word and faithful to your Son, Jesus Christ.\u00a0 We ask that You will bless the remainder of this day.\u00a0 We love you, we thank You, in Jesus name we pray.\u00a0 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