{"id":18732,"date":"2019-02-10T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-02-10T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sugar-land-bible-church.local\/sermon\/jude-010-avoiding-apostasy-a-call-to-remember\/"},"modified":"2022-02-23T10:44:39","modified_gmt":"2022-02-23T16:44:39","slug":"jude-010-avoiding-apostasy-a-call-to-remember","status":"publish","type":"sermon","link":"https:\/\/slbc.org\/es\/sermon\/jude-010-avoiding-apostasy-a-call-to-remember\/","title":{"rendered":"Jude 010 – Avoiding Apostasy: A Call to Remember"},"content":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","book":[110],"series_event":[483],"sermon_service_type":[472],"speaker":[450],"class_list":["post-18732","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 010 - Avoiding Apostasy: A Call to Remember","sermon_date":"20190210","sermon_month":"","sermon_year":"2019","sermon_notes":"","sermon_slides":6430,"sermon_mp3":6433,"sermon_id":"210191441336563","series_or_event":483,"service_type":[472],"speaker":450,"books_of_the_bible":110,"chapter_and_verse":"17-19","sermon_transcript":"SUGAR LAND BIBLE CHURCH\n\nGabe Morris\u00a0 2-10-2019\n\nAvoiding Apostasy: A Call to Remember\n\nThe 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. [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]\u00a0 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\u2014Father, thank You for what\u00a0 You have already said in Your Word,\u00a0 Your Word is a Lamp unto our feet and a 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 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\u2019m 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.\u00a0 \u00a0Verses 5-7, then going to the present day failures of apostasy, verses 8-10.\n\n[Jude 1:5-7, \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. [6] And 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.\n\nJude 8-10, \u201cYet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties. [9]<\/a> 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 [10<\/a>]But 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]\n\nAnd in Jude\u2019s day he singled out these men, these were the false teachers creeping in unnoticed 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\u00a0\u00a0 This is a prerogative that only the Lord Himself holds.\u00a0 We emphasized the nature of their error and what these false teachers are capable of.\u00a0 In short they lure the believers and lead them astray.\u00a0 Leading God\u2019s church astray is apparently a crime so serious that Jude called them marked for condemnation.\u00a0 He also called them ungodly, licentious, denying the Lord Himself.\u00a0 Verse 4 says that.\u00a0 [Jude 1:4, \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]\n\nThey were dangerously rebellious, wickedly perverse, unnaturally defiling their own flesh, verse 7.\u00a0 [\u201cVerse 7<\/a><\/strong>, \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, verse11 and 13. [Verses 11-13, \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. [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.\u201d]\n\nAnd the certain judgment of their error, verses 14-16.\u00a0 [Jude 1:14, \u201cIt was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, \"Behold, 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 [16] 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]\n\nSo serious was their sin, please notice verse 11, Jesus says, \u201cWoe to them!\u201d\u00a0 \u201cWoe to them!\u201d\u00a0 The phrase woe to you, depending on 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; for example, in Revelation 9:12, this is immediately after the trumpet which, God willing, we\u2019ll get to in Andy\u2019s series.\u00a0 This is what John says.\u00a0 \u201cThe second woe is passed 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 D. Edmond Hiebert.\n\nAn example of this woe would be in 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 The angel is expressing lament for these people on earth.\u00a0 Tyndale describes this woe as an expression of regret or sorrow about the miserable situation that promoted this exclamation. 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 has already stated that they were destined for God\u2019s judgment, a judgment that is certain, that no man can thwart.\n\nVerse 10, if we look back at verse 10 it says, \u201c\u2026like unreasoning animals, by these things they are destroyed.\u201d\u00a0 [11] Woe to them!\u201d\u00a0 So right out of the gate this has applicational value.\u00a0 We live in an age of political correctness, do 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 that when I see church culture today they would tolerate such things, all sorts of things that we ought not tolerate.\u00a0 You know, many times we are intolerant of truth, right, if we see or hear some pastor teaching something 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 in 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 let the world rebuke us.\u00a0 Right?\u00a0 Oh, you\u2019re unloving. Oh, you\u2019re a homophobe or an Islamaphobe, or whatever, whatever phobia it is, you fill in the blank.\n\nSo 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 Jesus\u2019 day there was no such thing as political correctness and as a man or woman of God we call a spade a spade.\u00a0 Amen!\u00a0 Jude was not a \u201cfill in the blank\u201d phob.\u00a0 He said \u201cWoe to them.\u201d If anything Jude showed a 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 come back or contend of come against the sin of these people, especially when it threatened or endangered the body of believers.\u00a0 And we see churches struggle with this.\u00a0 There are people out there, including 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\u00a0 Jude is saying here, to stand against error.\n\nAnd we should not be afraid of their irrational reactions.\u00a0 So Jude, being the poetic genius that he was, he goes on to employ yet another triad, three human examples, as he did back in verse 5 and 7.\u00a0 No doubt these examples are very familiar to the Jewish audience.\u00a0 Notice 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.\u201d\u00a0 Again Jude prompts his audience to consult the past and remember because you can learn a lot about history.\u00a0 Amen.\u00a0 In his first poetic device he mentions a character named Cain.\u00a0 Who was Cain? \u00a0The son of our forbearers, Adam and Eve.\u00a0 Cain was, of course, pre Israel, however his infamous legacy had more of an impact on humanity than I think we could put into words.\u00a0 This is why I have entitled this message The Infamy of Apostasy.\u00a0 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 characters, Cain, Balaam and Korah.\u00a0 And he sums up their infamy in a matter of phrases.\u00a0 So \u201cthey have gone the way of Cain.\u201d\u00a0 Well if we trace the life of Cain we quickly discover that way.\u00a0 We are all familiar with Cain and Abel in Genesis 4. Cain\u2019s way began with a posture of bold prideful and reckless dis-obedience 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.\u00a0 He came to God as Cain saw fit [can't understand word].\u00a0 We cannot do that.\u00a0 And when God\u2019s pleasure was apparent\u2026 God\u2019s displeasure was apparent in a fit of rage Cain killed his brother.\u00a0 He was the first murderer, and he murdered the man of God; the man of God who sought to be faithful to God and His Word, and he murdered his brother.\n\nSo Jude equates these false teachers with the first murderer.\u00a0 And so we see (in the Cain and Abel account) we see LORD \u201d 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 porotype of hatred, of envy towards one\u2019s own brother.\u00a0 And some sources in fact it says Jude saw Cain as the first heretic because of his outward cloak of religiosity.\u00a0 Cloak of religiosity.\n\nNotice Jude again, his second triatic example.\u00a0 \u201cFor they have gone the way of Cain,\u201d the first triatic element, \u201cand for pay they have rushed headlong into the error of Balaam\u2026.\u201d \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]\n\nWho is this character Balaam?\u00a0 And what was his error?\u00a0 Simply put, Balaam was a prophet in the Old Testament who used his gifting of prophecy for gain, for sordid gain.\u00a0 As we know Balaam aligned himself with the enemies of Israel; he influenced the nation of Israel to commit idolatry and destroy themselves from within.\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 and evading Balaam\u2019s only demise by a preincarnate Christ Himself his love for money and power still got the best of him.\u00a0 Remember what the angel of the Lord said?\u00a0 This is the preincarnate Christ.\n\nIn Numbers 22:32 he said, \u201c\u2026Behold, I have come out as an adversary, because your way was contrary to me.\u201d\u00a0 [Numbers 22:32, \u201cThe angel of the LORD said to him, \"Why have you struck your donkey these three times? Behold, I have come out as an adversary, because your way was contrary to me.\u201d]\n\nAnd as we continue to trace the life of Balaam, even after the blessing where God made Balaam bless the nation of Israel, Balaam\u2026 remember the story? \u00a0Balaam and Balak went their separate ways; Balaam went home, he never got paid.\u00a0 But in Numbers 31 we see that he advised a Midianite king on how to destroy Israel, not from without but from within.\u00a0 Now by you power but by God\u2019s power.\u00a0 In Numbers 31:16 it says, \u201c\u2026through the counsel of Balaam, to trespass against the LORD.\u201d\u00a0\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]\n\nSo Balaam went down in history infamously for the one responsible for the apostasy of Israel, which by the way caused the death of twenty-four thousand Israelites.\u00a0 And we later, at his death, at Balaam\u2019s death we find him with the Midianite king as Israel killed him.\u00a0 What was Balaam doing with a 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 it while getting paid.\u00a0 And we must remember in the first century church traveling teachers, traveling missionaries, traveling pastors would travel and teach the Word of God, going house to house.\u00a0 And did not Paul say that pastors and teachers are worthy of double honor?\u00a0 [1 Timothy 5:16, \u201cThe elders who rule well are to be considered worthy of double honor, especially those who work hard at preaching and teaching.\u201d]\u00a0 So they were abusing this system, the system of benefits for those who were the teachers.\n\nPaul warned about this in 1 Timothy 3:8 and Titus1:7.\u00a0 Right. [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\u00a0 And by the way, this word, this Greek word \u201cerror\u201d there in verse 11, Balaam\u2019s error, it literally means wandering or one led astray from the right path; error, Balaam\u2019s error.\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]\n\nNotice, if you will, Jude\u2019s final triatic example.\u00a0 He equates these false teachers to a final Old Testament example.\u00a0 Quote, verse 11 says, they \u201cperished in the rebellion of Korah.\u201d\u00a0 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, let a rebellion of two hundred and fifty leaders against Moses and Aaron, whom God put in charge.\u00a0 The rebelling was essentially a discontentment with Moses\u2019 position.\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.\n\nNot 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.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 How do you think that turned out?\u00a0 The Bible says Korah, his family, his household, all of the men who belonged to Korah in his rebellion, including their position, were all swallowed up, Scripture says, by the earth.\u00a0 The earth opened up and swallowed them, then closed its mouth.\u00a0 What a scene.\u00a0 [Numbers 16:32, \u201cand the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up, and their households, and all the men who belonged to Korah with their possessions.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 Numbers 26:10, \u201cand the earth opened its mouth and swallowed them up along with Korah, when that company died, when the fire devoured 250 men, so that they became a warning.\u201d]\n\nAnd this was to let millions of people, millions of Israelites who were left\u00a0 under the leadership of Moses to understand that what the Lord had structured and put into place no man could usurp or change. 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?\u00a0 One could only conclude that they had been influenced already wholly by Korah.\n\nSo Cain, Balaam and Korah\u2026 a very creative style of writing as we said before, a triad, used very strategically.\u00a0 Notice these examples are not in chronological order, if they were they would be Cain, Korah, then Balaam. But you notice these are examples that intensify in sin and end in judgment.\u00a0\u00a0 I think that\u2019s the whole point of Jude in emphasizing these false teachers.\u00a0 It starts with an ill will towards God and the people of God, then quickly graduating into causing many to apostacize, Balaam, and consequently all reference and honor lost, all authority towards God would be lost and then it metastasis \u00a0into rebellion against the ordinance and authority of God Himself.\u00a0 At that point we\u2019ll be used.\u00a0 This is why apostasy is so serious and this is what Jude was trying to prevent and exhort his audience to fight for the truth.\u00a0 This is not a game to Jude.\n\nWe just be constantly pursuing Christ and His Word.\u00a0 Let this creeping disenchantment come overtaking the things of God.\u00a0 When I read this it kind of reminded of\u00a0 the media mogul, Ted Turner, founder of CNN, you know we might see this guy in heaven.\u00a0 I read an article from the Spokesman Review, it says this:\u00a0 \u201cCable television mogul Ted Turner criticized fundamentalist Christianity and said Jesus probably would be \u201cbe sick at his stomach over the way His ideas have been twisted,\u201d the Atlanta Journal Constitution reported.\u00a0 Turner made his 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 had a strict Christian upbringing and at one time considered becoming a missionary.\u00a0 He said I was paid,\u201d [quote] \u201cI was paid seven or eight times\u201d the newspaper quoted him saying, but he said he became disenchanted with Christianity after his sister died despite all his prayers.\u00a0 Turner said the more he strayed from the faith the better I felt.\u201d\n\nJude was concerned for this 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 who and what they were capable of.\n\nNotice Jude 12.\u00a0 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 this phrase here is tied very closely with verse 4 which says concerned people had crept in unnoticed.\u00a0 \u00a0[Jude 1:4, \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 They were \u201chidden reefs\u201d in your love feast caring for themselves.\u00a0\u00a0 What are hidden reefs?\u00a0 Well, I don\u2019t know.\u00a0 Some would say way above my pay grade they say that the word \u201corigin\u201d is uncertain and it\u2019s this Greek word [\u03c3\u03c0\u03b9\u03bb\u03ac\u03b4\u03b5\u03c2] spilades.<\/a><\/em> It carries two meanings, either a rock in the sea or a spot of stain, depending on the context.\u00a0 So a rock or a stain or a blemish.\u00a0 Other Bibles would reflect this, and also scholars vary in this choice or words .\n\nBut being of an agrarian culture, farmers and what not, this would make a lot of sense to this audience, the Jews audience,\u00a0 spilades <\/a><\/em>or a hidden reef.\u00a0 A hidden reef would cause extensive damage to a fisherman\u2019s boat, right, or 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 shipwreck, would be shipwrecked or sink.\u00a0 Did not Paul use this kind of language in 1 Timothy 1:19?\u00a0 \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 in 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 \u201c\u2026they \u201care hidden reefs in your love feasts.\u201d\u00a0 [Jude 1:12, 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.\u201d]\u00a0\u00a0 What are \u201clove feasts\u201d?\u00a0\u00a0 According to Arnold Fruchtenbaum, love feasts refers to early believer\u2019s practice of eating a full meal in connection with the celebration of the Lord\u2019s Supper.\u201d\u00a0 You know our fellowship Sundays are biblical?\u00a0 Amen!\n\nYou could argue also that this word spilades <\/a><\/em>could also mean a spot or a blemish, a stain.\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 spilades<\/em>, not [can't understand word], that\u2019s what Jude has, \u201c or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless.\u201d This could be the proper rendering because over in 2 Peter 2:13 Peter also predicts these false teachers; he says they are stained and blemishes reveling in their deceptions, as they carouse with you.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 That word \u201ccarouse\u201d means as they\u00a0 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 is, in an appropriate sense of serious danger; both are serious and both have repercussions.\n\nNotice, they also \u201cfeast with you without fear, caring for themselves\u201d again in verse 12.\u00a0 [Jude 1:12, \u201cThese 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.\u201d]\n\nThis is very interesting because Jude said these unbelievers, we\u2019re talking about unbelieving false teachers, granted themselves the role of a teacher, they were traveling teachers, right?\u00a0 False teachers, yet not feeding the spirit man of the believer, rather only feeding themselves in these feasts, in this fellowship Sunday.\u00a0 They had no awe, they had no fear of the Lord whatsoever.\u00a0 And why would they, they denied it in verse 4, they denied our Lord and Savior.\u00a0 They rejected authority, verse 8. [Jude 8, \u201cYet in the same way these men, also by dreaming, defile the flesh, and reject authority, and revile angelic majesties.\u201d] And they had a fa\u00e7ade of biblical teacher but not really having the results of a true shepherd that fed the flock.\n\nWe can notice Jude launches into more metaphorical language to support this idea.\u00a0 Verse 12 again says they were, \u201cclouds without water, carried along by winds;\u201d again Jude is coming from an agrarian mindset\u00a0 and a I understand it the most grueling time in Israel is in the summertime.\u00a0 Right?\u00a0 It\u2019s very hot, long, dry, sometimes a total absence of rain, as I\u2019ve heard.\u00a0 But not all the time, 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. And I imagine this come into clear perspective if\u00a0 you\u2019re a farmer in the hot climate.\u00a0 When the farmers see clouds in the distance I imagine excitement is 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 fall.\u00a0 In other words, the clouds and wind were deceptive, they were giving the farmers an illusion of something better.\n\nI remember my first deployment in the Navy CDS was the [can't understand word] with NATO.\u00a0 This was 98, 99 time frame, and they directed Cookeville to rebuild right after the NATO bombing.\u00a0 This is some photos I took from Fabie\u2019s collection, these bombings, 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 employment and we built over 80 sea huts, all of the branches of the military and our allies, and I remember when the sun reared its ugly head it was so hot, I mean HOT.\u00a0 And I can remember clearly\u2026 I was on a roof crew and I built those trusses and [can't understand word] there, but I can remember clearly up on those roofs as the sun beamed down and cooked my skin.\u00a0 I could just remember those little clouds in a 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.\u00a0 It lowered moral, it slowed productivity, it was bad!\n\nBut I can imagine that Jude had this in mind.\u00a0 I think even Solomon had this in mind.\u00a0 Proverbs 25:14 says, \u201cLike 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 wind and the Word is not in them.\u201d\u00a0 And it\u2019s interesting, the more I follow this metaphoric phraseology of a waterless cloud and as they were carried by wind, it was always connected or in the context of deception, lying, trickery.\n\nBut Jude continues with this same idea but a different picture, notice verse 12 again, These men are \u201c\u2026autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted.\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.\u00a0 Not only that, incredible hardships 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,\u00a0 no fulfillment.\u00a0 There were maybe fanciful oratories but empty in producing any type of value for the believer. D. Edmond Hiebert called these men spiritually barren offering the believer absolutely zero nourishment.\n\nAnd if that\u2019s not enough for you notice verse 13, he says they\u2019re not just waves, they\u2019re \u201cwild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam;\u201d you know sometimes in the Bible it talks about or refers to the seas 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, \u201cthey are wild wives\u201d he says, \u201cthey cannot be controlled, they are unpredictable.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0 \u00a0They also cast their shame up like foam. [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]\n\nYou know Paul knew a bit about false teachers.\u00a0 In Philippians, chapter 3 he warned the church about false teachers.\u00a0 He says, [Philippians 3:18] \u00a0\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 Boy, this sounds like Jude.\u00a0 Paul said they \u201cglory in their shame.\u201d\u00a0 Jude said they cast up their \u201cshame like foam.\u201d\u00a0 They were proud, they were arrogant.\n\nNotice 13 again, covering the spectrum of land, sea and now the heavens, they were \u201cwandering stars,\u201d in verse 13, \u201cfor whom the black darkness has been reserved forever.\u201d\u00a0 Here again Jude gives\u00a0 this very unique metaphor, stars.\u00a0 Of course stars help navigate the ships at night, guiding the captain, the ship\u2019s navigator.\u00a0 So what use to the ship\u2019s navigator [can't understand word] side, trolling side?\u00a0 There\u2019s absolutely zero.\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 \u201cThey will be plunged in the most intense awful indescribable darkness forever.\u201d\n\nAnd then we see Jude close this section out again referring to a non-canonical source there, this time the Book of Enoch.\u00a0 This is unique because Enoch is mentioned a handful of times in the Bible, places like Genesis, we learn that Enoch pleased God and God raptured him to heaven.\u00a0 Enoch is also mentioned in Hebrews, a hero of the faith.\u00a0 And then here in Jude as a prophet.\n\nIn the Book of Enoch Jewish people revered his writings, this was a very popular and strong influence in the Jewish communities, even the early church fathers revered his writings because, one because of his credentials, he was raptured up by God, and the number 7 there, very Jewish in nature; 7 spoke of the grace of God.\u00a0 Of course, if you said seven the Jewish community would immediately turn to or think of the sabbath.\u00a0 So putting that together this is very Jewish in nature.\u00a0 And apparently Jude, inspired by the Holy Spirit, included Enoch, the single prophecy of Enoch and took it as truth, historical fact.\u00a0 And he said this, notice what Jude 14 says.\n\nJude 14, \u201cIt was also about these men that Enoch, in the seventh generation from Adam, prophesied, saying, \u2018Behold, 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 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.\u00a0 Again the number seven is a very big deal in the Jewish mind.\n\nBut notice the prediction there, \u201cBehold, the Lord came with many thousands of His holy ones,\u201d this is classic Hebrew construction, prophetic construction.\u00a0 And Enoch actually was not Jewish, this was pre Israel.\u00a0 But somehow he had a working knowledge of the Coming One.\u00a0 I find that fascinating.\u00a0 Jude translated Enoch\u2019s word here, \u201cLord\u201d as 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 this coming one who is He coming with\u2026 \u201cmany thousands of His holy ones.\u201d\u00a0 Hmm, that sounds familiar.\u00a0 This Greek word, \u201cmany thousands\u201d myriasin<\/em>, is myrias<\/em> or innumerable.\u00a0 Didn\u2019t we hear this before?\u00a0 He said \u201choly ones,\u201d hagios,<\/em> D. Edmond Hiebert says this a very broad term which 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 and us elders, right, 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\u2019s or Enoch\u2019s prophecy.\u00a0 \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\u2026 oh but wait, there\u2019s more.\u00a0 There\u2019s also a horrific side to Enoch\u2019s prophecy.\u00a0 Yes, there will be a \u201ccoming one,\u201d praise the Lord, coming with His holy ones, but also coming to execute judgment.\u00a0 Judgment on who?\u00a0 \u201c\u2026to execute judgment upon all,\u201d Jude 15, and \u201cto convert all of the ungodly and their ungodly deeds .\u00a0 [Jude 1:15, \u201cto 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]\n\nIf I recall correctly Jude mentions these false teachers as ungodly, verse 4.\u00a0 They are marked for judgment, verse 4.\u00a0 [Jude 1:4, \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 They deny our Lord, they rebel against God.\u00a0 And notice here Jude concludes with his ninth, this is his ninth and perhaps scariest triad yet, \u201cincreasing in nature and in specificity.\u201d He\u2019s coming to execute judgment on all the ungodly; no one will be overlooked or escape.\u00a0 Can you imagine just how sad this day will be?\u00a0 There will be a Coming One to convict them of all their ungodly deeds, their empty works of religiosity, heretics as he already tells us.\u00a0 All of their pride and rebellion will come to a complete halt.\n\nAnd notice, he says all the things which they have spoken against Him.\u00a0 [Jude 1:15, \u201cto 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 I\u2019ve heard it said, and I\u2019ve 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 powers, our words, and also horrific consequences; they will not be overlooked, both works and deeds\u00a0 of these ungodly.\n\nAnd for our last hoorah notice Jude summarizes his denunciation of these false teachers with a tenth triad.\u00a0 Imagine that.\u00a0 He said \u201cthese\u201d again, \u201cthese\u201d!\u00a0 He\u2019s putting emphasis on \u201cthese.\u201d\u00a0 He is no longer speaking in metaphor, he\u2019s speaking directly of them.\u00a0 He\u2019s pointing the accusing finger.\u00a0 My mom always taught me it was never nice to point.\u00a0 Apparently Jude never was taught that.\u00a0 But with descriptive details he calls them grumblers who always find fault.\u00a0 Other versions call them murmurers, they\u2019re murmuring. This is a word that describes an individual dominated with discontent, so much discontent that it expresses itself not in loud boisterous noise but with soft muttering, grumblings.\u00a0 Does anybody know someone who does that, who grumbles?\u00a0 I looked at my wife to see if she was raising her hand\u2026 [laughter]\u00a0 But that\u2019s, you know, Jesus witnessed it 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 would mutter, they would whisper their whispers of discontent.\u00a0 And they found fault with everyone and everything but themselves.\u00a0 They grumbled.\n\nAnd thy in the world would they do that?\u00a0 Because it says, \u201cthey follow after their own lusts.\u201d\u00a0 Contrary 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 They \u201cspeak arrogantly\u201d he continues.\u00a0 \u00a0\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]\u00a0 That comes with no surprise does it?\u00a0 They flatter people for the sake of advantage.\u00a0 That phrase there they \u201cspeak arrogantly,\u201d actually means an over inflation of themselves, an exaggerated sense of self.\u00a0 They saw 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?\u00a0 They had gone headlong.\n\nSo it was a dog and pony show in other words, to take\u00a0 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.\u00a0 Because if we\u2019re not expect a long and arduous road ahead for the church.\u00a0 As a matter of fact, what did Jesus say?\u00a0 What does Jesus say?\u00a0 Christ\u2019s younger half-brother said we, as believers, must do.\n\nLook with me at verse 17 very quickly.\u00a0 It says, \u201cBut you beloved\u2026.\u201d\u00a0 \u201cBut you beloved\u2026.\u201d \u00a0[\u201cBut you, beloved, ought to remember the words that were spoken beforehand by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ.\u201d\u00a0 I think he\u2019s talking to us, he switches his focus from these false teachers to \u201cyou beloved.\u201d\u00a0 And if we want to know about what Jude says my prayer is that you will come back, God willing, for our next session where we begin that section where Jude turns his attention to the believer.\u00a0 I\u2019m looking forward to that study.\n\nWe spoke earlier about there will be a \u201ccoming one\u201d who will return to the earth with His holy ones, His angels and the church, and we will witness, as Andy would say, [can't understand words] as having the best seats in the house, right?\u00a0 The greatest judgment that will ever take place!\n\nMy question to you is will you be on His side or will\u00a0 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 and it\u2019s already been predicted, as we see here in Enoch\u2019s prophecy, but the refreshing truth is of the weight lifting truth is that there\u2019s still time\u2026 there\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 Not tomorrow, not next week, TODAY, because tomorrow, the next week is not guaranteed.\n\nPlease don\u2019t wait.\u00a0 Before you walk out of here, before you, before you turn off the computer, please get this settled.\u00a0 It\u2019s called salvation, it\u2019s called the gospel.\u00a0 How do you get saved?\u00a0 How 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] They said, \u201cBelieve in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved,\u201d Paul never gave them a self-help program, or a series for a life challenge to prove themselves.\u00a0 All he said was to \u201cBelieve,\u201d just believe!\u00a0\u00a0 And when one believes solely on Jesus Christ and what He has accomplished on the cross, that He died, was buried and rose again on the third day, you are saved.\u00a0 A transaction takes place and you become a son or daughter of God, trusting Him for your salvation.\u00a0 When you do that you have gained and secured eternal life, never to be taken away.\u00a0\u00a0 You are now on His side; He calls you His own in fact.\u00a0 So if you did this or are doing this or thinking about it, let me rewind, if\u00a0 you did this congratulations,\u00a0 you are a child of God.\u00a0 If you\u2019re thinking about it and need more information about it I\u2019m available to talk.\n\nShall we pray.\u00a0 Father God we thank\u00a0 You for the Book of Jude; we thank\u00a0 You for the sobering reminder of false teachers and how they can creep in unnoticed and Father we pray that we remain alert and steadfast, and faithful to\u00a0 Your Word and faithful to\u00a0 Your Son, Jesus Christ.\u00a0 We ask that You would bless the remainder of this day.\u00a0 We love you, we thank You, and it\u2019s in Jesus\u2019 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