-6-
The Lord is Coming!
Jude writes to believers and emphasizes the responsibility that we all have to ‘earnestly contend for the faith that was once and for all delivered to us, the saints.’
What is ‘the faith’? A definition could be broad enough to mean - the doctrinal statement to which we hold as a group of evangelical believers. Or it could be a little narrower than that. At the very least ‘the faith’ includes the basic message of salvation.
The doctrines that surround salvation include what we know and believe about God, His creation of man, the fall, the resulting eternal separation from God, God’s provision of a substitute to take the punishment of each sinner and an offer to save those sinners who repent and accept His Substitute.
Any change to the message of salvation has eternal consequences. Jude says that we must ‘fight’ to keep it accurate.
Jude’s vivid description of certain men who were guilty of degrading the teachings of God to the point of presenting a version of the Gospel in which there was no actual salvation, shows just how damaging and dangerous these men were and still are today.
Jude’s emotions seem to be running high. I have singled out some of his statements and put them together, first of all, according to what these men do.
8 ¶ by their filthy fantasies in just the same way; they show utter contempt for authority and make a jest of the heavenly glories. (Philips)
10 But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively.
16 These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage. (ESV)
In the following verse Jude says what they are like. They are like, 13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. (NKJV)
And in these two verses Jude summarizes what they are:
12 These are blemishes on your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, looking after themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn,
16 These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.
Now we know what Jude thought of them. What do you think of them? Can you be as ‘hard on them’ as he was? If not, why not? If we are ‘softer’ on those who we suspect have ‘dumbed down’ the gospel, does that not show that we ourselves do not have a solid grip on the gospel and the justice of God?
The ‘faith’ that we are to defend is from God. It is His word. He defines what constitutes the ‘new birth’. He defines what kind of a relationship is possible between Himself and us. He sets all the parameters.
Recently I heard a person begin a paragraph of words by saying, “My religion is just to be kind and helpful to people”. If and when you ever hear someone say something similar to this, it is not the time to correct him or her and say, I don’t have a religion, I have a relationship. That is the wrong time to do that. If you fall for doing that, you are allowing yourself to be distracted from what needs to be really be addressed.
No, this is the time to use the same words that he or she understands, and address it more like this: “You and I do not have the privilege of having our own religion. There is only one religion to have, and that is God’s religion”.
This is not the time to start your sentence with “I believe that …” This does not matter to the person to whom you are speaking. That would simply put you on an equal footing with the person. He or she hears what you just said, but inwardly says, “Ok, so that is what you believe … this is what I believe … to each his own.”
So you need to leave your belief statement out of it, and say God’s religion (gospel) is clear in the bible, and it says …. Etc.”
Any other ‘religion’, not coming from God, is by definition, ‘ungodly’. And now, as we move forward, note Jude’s repeated use of the word ‘ungodly’.
14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,
15 ¶ “to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” (NKJV)
Jude is affirming that these false teachers are going to get their just due. We have already noted that Jude does not pray for their salvation. In his view, they have had their chance at salvation, and they have blown it. He says that they have been plucked up by the roots. They are ‘twice’ dead. And God is coming.
Jude states that Enoch made a prediction. As Jude makes it clear, we are speaking about the Enoch mentioned in Genesis. He lived only seven generations after Adam.
Much has been written about this Enoch and much speculation has taken place. Some have said that this Enoch is actually not the same one at all, but is really a different person of the same name.
Complicating the matter is the existence of 'the book of Enoch'. Some claim that Noah’s great-grandfather, Enoch, wrote the book. This would mean that Noah had it in his possession on the Ark.
If Noah did have possession of this book, the content of the book becomes important. If Noah did not have the book, and it was written, as some claim, between the years 300 to 400 years before Christ came, then the content could be considered as purely fiction.
However, the words that Jude gives us regarding Enoch are actually in the book of Enoch. This makes us wonder if we should consider the book of Enoch as valid. But some of the content of the book of Enoch is so ‘off-the-wall’ we want to invalidate the entire book.
From Wikipedia, The book of “Enoch contains unique material on the origins of demons and Nephilim, why some angels fell from heaven, an explanation of why the Genesis flood was morally necessary, and prophetic exposition of the thousand-year reign of the Messiah.”
There is not anything in particular in this definition that sounds off-the-wall, and here is how the book begins;
[Chapter 1]
1 The words of the blessing of Enoch, wherewith he blessed the elect and righteous, who will be 2 living in the day of tribulation, when all the wicked and godless are to be removed. And he took up his parable and said -Enoch a righteous man, whose eyes were opened by God, saw the vision of the Holy One in the heavens, which the angels showed me, and from them I heard everything, and from them I understood as I saw, but not for this generation, but for a remote one which is 3 for to come. Concerning the elect I said, and took up my parable concerning them:
The Holy Great One will come forth from His dwelling, 4 And the eternal God will tread upon the earth, (even) on Mount Sinai, [And appear from His camp] And appear in the strength of His might from the heaven of heavens.
5 And all shall be smitten with fear, and the Watchers shall quake, and great fear and trembling shall seize them unto the ends of the earth. 6 And the high mountains shall be shaken, and the high hills shall be made low, and shall melt like wax before the flame. 7 And the earth shall be wholly rent in sunder, and all that is upon the earth shall perish, and there shall be a judgment upon all (men).
8 But with the righteous He will make peace and will protect the elect, and mercy shall be upon them. And they shall all belong to God, and they shall be prospered, and they shall all be blessed.
And He will help them all, and light shall appear unto them, and He will make peace with them'.
9 And behold! He cometh with ten thousands of His holy ones to execute judgement upon all, and to destroy all the ungodly: and to convict all flesh of all the works of their ungodliness which they have ungodly committed, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.
From the above verses there is nothing blatantly anti-biblical or strange. As a matter of fact, Enoch has just given the identical prophecy that John recorded in the book of Revelation. He mentions the devastation of the tribulation and the second coming.
And from verse 9 you notice the similarity of Jude’s words in verses 14 and 15.
But here is a reference to the off-the-wall physical size of the so-called nephilim.
[Chapter 7]
1 And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms 2 and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants. And they 3 became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells: Who consumed 4 all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them, the giants turned against 5 them and devoured mankind. And they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and 6 fish, and to devour one another's flesh, and drink the blood. Then the earth laid accusation against the lawless ones.
The measurement, 3000 Ells refers to cubits. The ‘L’ being a person’s arm. The measurement was 18 inches from the elbow to the end of the hand. The other term is cubit. Translated into feet, 3000 Ells is 4500 feet. In other words, just short of a mile tall. Some have suggested that this figure was not copied correctly and should read 300 Ells. That would still be exceedingly tall … 450 feet.
Those who believe that the book of Enoch is accurate and was actually written by Enoch, the seventh from Adam, state that God’s reason for the global flood was to provide enough water so that a 450 foot tall person … or 4500 foot tall person, would not be able to stand on tip toes to avoid drowning. Indeed, if 450 foot tall giants existed, they could easily stride up to the top of the highest mountain and avoid drowning. If they were 4500 feet tall, one small step would put them onto a mountaintop.
This is one example of text that requires an enormous stretch of the imagination to be able to accept it.
Others have researched the origins of the book of Enoch. Here is one example. “One thing that I think it is important to keep in mind is that the book of Enoch we have today was not written by the Enoch you refer to. The best evidence (using the same methods we use to confirm the early dating of the Gospels) shows that the oldest portions of 1 Enoch were written around 250BC. Long after Enoch was taken up to heaven. The book uses his name and may contain a tradition of some of his sayings but does not date from his time.” (Taken from a blog by a writer identifying as ‘KG’.)
So, getting back to our Jude text, here again are verses 14-15
14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,
15 ¶ “to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” (NKJV)
To me it is obvious that the original Enoch made this prophecy. Why? Because Jude said so, and I take the whole Bible as the Word of God. Most likely, another person with the name of Enoch, some 4000 years later, wrote his book, including the original information from the first Enoch. Why? Who knows. It makes for exciting science fiction which is likely what it was.
But the above verses are absolutely true and inspired words of scripture. The Lord IS coming back. With ten thousands of His saints. This means you, me and all the others who have already gone on to be with Jesus will return to earth with Him. We will have been with Him at the Judgment Seat of Christ. We will have been with Him at the ‘marriage supper of the Lamb’. And we will be with Him as He descends in judgment to the earth.
All of these false teachers that Jude is mentioning will face judgment. But Jude is not just thinking of the ones that were present during his time on this earth. He is also talking about the false teachers who will multiply in the last days. Jude says,
17 But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ:
18 - how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts.
We are living in the final generation before the return of Christ. These people are here and they will continue to grow in number. Jesus said, “Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. Mat 24:11 - 13
Jesus mentions two things here. False prophets will deceive many. This is a not only a prediction. It is a warning so that it does not happen to you. Many, Jesus says, will be deceived. Sadly in that number, many will be believers who are not familiar enough with scripture to recognize the deception.
And the second thing that Jesus mentions here is that love will grow cold in Christian churches because lawlessness increases overall … everywhere.
The ‘new normal’ will be the acceptance of things once considered unlawful. We are well into that era. It was once considered unlawful to ‘shack up’. Not anymore. It was once considered unlawful to have sex outside of and before marriage. Not anymore. It was once considered unlawful to practice homosexuality. Not anymore. It was once considered murder to kill an unborn baby. Not anymore.
And most Christians are accepting this new sinful normal. Is it any wonder that we are losing our joy of fellowshipping around God’s word? It makes us feel guilty. Our love for Jesus grows cold. We don’t like feeling guilty but we don’t like feeling cold either. So what do we do? We change our meetings to be happy and joyful and full of praise … and hopefully no one will remind us of the holiness of God’s word.
This is certainly not true of all evangelical churches. But it is true of far too many.
Jude says that we need to be on guard for people like this;
19 - These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.
So what do you think, are you able to detect such persons? Are you becoming ‘well-versed’ in scripture so that you can?
Jude’s emphasis has been a kind of multi-approach.
We are to defend the faith by watching for false teachers.
We are to look forward to the justice of God to take care of them.
And then, finally, we are to care for those who are being deceived.
In order to help others, it has to start with you. Jude says,
20 - But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
Two things … building yourselves up on your most holy faith means bible study. Becoming ‘well-versed’.
And secondly, praying in the Holy Spirit. Jude is not referring to a special prayer language. The problem of the day was more that of a liturgical kind of repetition used by the Jews. Jesus said that the Pharisees thought they would be heard by their style of prayer.
For example, “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. Mat 6:5
Praying in the Holy Spirit means praying from your heart when there is no one around but you and God. Jesus went on saying, But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Mat 6:6
So this is taking care of yourself first in order that you will be able to take care of others. Jude adds, 21 - keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Assuming that we are doing that, Jude says, 22 - And on some have compassion, making a distinction; 23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
As we reach out to bring others to Jesus, we notice that Jude is mentioning two extremes. First he mentions using compassion, and secondly he talks about using force. Of course everything in between would be good also.
Using compassion refers to talking to an unsaved person about the love of Jesus. Perhaps it involves even talking about the love of family, and even of family members that have gone on to be with Jesus … asking, “Don’t you want to be with them some day?”
But soft talk does not work with many. If it comes down to it, Jude says … talk about the hell that is prepared for the Devil and his angels. Jude gives this part of the illustration as if someone reached over to a fire where some dirty, vile and stinking person has fallen into. And with our nose turned away, reaching over, taking hold of their collar … we pull them to safety.
Jesus is coming soon. Defend the faith. Be forewarned of persuasive false teachers. Stay close to God. Bring others to Jesus. That is the message of Jude.
So Jude concludes; 24 - Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, 25 - To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever.
Amen.
What is ‘the faith’? A definition could be broad enough to mean - the doctrinal statement to which we hold as a group of evangelical believers. Or it could be a little narrower than that. At the very least ‘the faith’ includes the basic message of salvation.
The doctrines that surround salvation include what we know and believe about God, His creation of man, the fall, the resulting eternal separation from God, God’s provision of a substitute to take the punishment of each sinner and an offer to save those sinners who repent and accept His Substitute.
Any change to the message of salvation has eternal consequences. Jude says that we must ‘fight’ to keep it accurate.
Jude’s vivid description of certain men who were guilty of degrading the teachings of God to the point of presenting a version of the Gospel in which there was no actual salvation, shows just how damaging and dangerous these men were and still are today.
Jude’s emotions seem to be running high. I have singled out some of his statements and put them together, first of all, according to what these men do.
8 ¶ by their filthy fantasies in just the same way; they show utter contempt for authority and make a jest of the heavenly glories. (Philips)
10 But these people blaspheme all that they do not understand, and they are destroyed by all that they, like unreasoning animals, understand instinctively.
16 These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage. (ESV)
In the following verse Jude says what they are like. They are like, 13 Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. (NKJV)
And in these two verses Jude summarizes what they are:
12 These are blemishes on your love feasts, as they feast with you without fear, looking after themselves; waterless clouds, swept along by winds; fruitless trees in late autumn,
16 These are grumblers, malcontents, following their own sinful desires; they are loud-mouthed boasters, showing favoritism to gain advantage.
Now we know what Jude thought of them. What do you think of them? Can you be as ‘hard on them’ as he was? If not, why not? If we are ‘softer’ on those who we suspect have ‘dumbed down’ the gospel, does that not show that we ourselves do not have a solid grip on the gospel and the justice of God?
The ‘faith’ that we are to defend is from God. It is His word. He defines what constitutes the ‘new birth’. He defines what kind of a relationship is possible between Himself and us. He sets all the parameters.
Recently I heard a person begin a paragraph of words by saying, “My religion is just to be kind and helpful to people”. If and when you ever hear someone say something similar to this, it is not the time to correct him or her and say, I don’t have a religion, I have a relationship. That is the wrong time to do that. If you fall for doing that, you are allowing yourself to be distracted from what needs to be really be addressed.
No, this is the time to use the same words that he or she understands, and address it more like this: “You and I do not have the privilege of having our own religion. There is only one religion to have, and that is God’s religion”.
This is not the time to start your sentence with “I believe that …” This does not matter to the person to whom you are speaking. That would simply put you on an equal footing with the person. He or she hears what you just said, but inwardly says, “Ok, so that is what you believe … this is what I believe … to each his own.”
So you need to leave your belief statement out of it, and say God’s religion (gospel) is clear in the bible, and it says …. Etc.”
Any other ‘religion’, not coming from God, is by definition, ‘ungodly’. And now, as we move forward, note Jude’s repeated use of the word ‘ungodly’.
14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,
15 ¶ “to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” (NKJV)
Jude is affirming that these false teachers are going to get their just due. We have already noted that Jude does not pray for their salvation. In his view, they have had their chance at salvation, and they have blown it. He says that they have been plucked up by the roots. They are ‘twice’ dead. And God is coming.
Jude states that Enoch made a prediction. As Jude makes it clear, we are speaking about the Enoch mentioned in Genesis. He lived only seven generations after Adam.
Much has been written about this Enoch and much speculation has taken place. Some have said that this Enoch is actually not the same one at all, but is really a different person of the same name.
Complicating the matter is the existence of 'the book of Enoch'. Some claim that Noah’s great-grandfather, Enoch, wrote the book. This would mean that Noah had it in his possession on the Ark.
If Noah did have possession of this book, the content of the book becomes important. If Noah did not have the book, and it was written, as some claim, between the years 300 to 400 years before Christ came, then the content could be considered as purely fiction.
However, the words that Jude gives us regarding Enoch are actually in the book of Enoch. This makes us wonder if we should consider the book of Enoch as valid. But some of the content of the book of Enoch is so ‘off-the-wall’ we want to invalidate the entire book.
From Wikipedia, The book of “Enoch contains unique material on the origins of demons and Nephilim, why some angels fell from heaven, an explanation of why the Genesis flood was morally necessary, and prophetic exposition of the thousand-year reign of the Messiah.”
There is not anything in particular in this definition that sounds off-the-wall, and here is how the book begins;
[Chapter 1]
1 The words of the blessing of Enoch, wherewith he blessed the elect and righteous, who will be 2 living in the day of tribulation, when all the wicked and godless are to be removed. And he took up his parable and said -Enoch a righteous man, whose eyes were opened by God, saw the vision of the Holy One in the heavens, which the angels showed me, and from them I heard everything, and from them I understood as I saw, but not for this generation, but for a remote one which is 3 for to come. Concerning the elect I said, and took up my parable concerning them:
The Holy Great One will come forth from His dwelling, 4 And the eternal God will tread upon the earth, (even) on Mount Sinai, [And appear from His camp] And appear in the strength of His might from the heaven of heavens.
5 And all shall be smitten with fear, and the Watchers shall quake, and great fear and trembling shall seize them unto the ends of the earth. 6 And the high mountains shall be shaken, and the high hills shall be made low, and shall melt like wax before the flame. 7 And the earth shall be wholly rent in sunder, and all that is upon the earth shall perish, and there shall be a judgment upon all (men).
8 But with the righteous He will make peace and will protect the elect, and mercy shall be upon them. And they shall all belong to God, and they shall be prospered, and they shall all be blessed.
And He will help them all, and light shall appear unto them, and He will make peace with them'.
9 And behold! He cometh with ten thousands of His holy ones to execute judgement upon all, and to destroy all the ungodly: and to convict all flesh of all the works of their ungodliness which they have ungodly committed, and of all the hard things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.
From the above verses there is nothing blatantly anti-biblical or strange. As a matter of fact, Enoch has just given the identical prophecy that John recorded in the book of Revelation. He mentions the devastation of the tribulation and the second coming.
And from verse 9 you notice the similarity of Jude’s words in verses 14 and 15.
But here is a reference to the off-the-wall physical size of the so-called nephilim.
[Chapter 7]
1 And all the others together with them took unto themselves wives, and each chose for himself one, and they began to go in unto them and to defile themselves with them, and they taught them charms 2 and enchantments, and the cutting of roots, and made them acquainted with plants. And they 3 became pregnant, and they bare great giants, whose height was three thousand ells: Who consumed 4 all the acquisitions of men. And when men could no longer sustain them, the giants turned against 5 them and devoured mankind. And they began to sin against birds, and beasts, and reptiles, and 6 fish, and to devour one another's flesh, and drink the blood. Then the earth laid accusation against the lawless ones.
The measurement, 3000 Ells refers to cubits. The ‘L’ being a person’s arm. The measurement was 18 inches from the elbow to the end of the hand. The other term is cubit. Translated into feet, 3000 Ells is 4500 feet. In other words, just short of a mile tall. Some have suggested that this figure was not copied correctly and should read 300 Ells. That would still be exceedingly tall … 450 feet.
Those who believe that the book of Enoch is accurate and was actually written by Enoch, the seventh from Adam, state that God’s reason for the global flood was to provide enough water so that a 450 foot tall person … or 4500 foot tall person, would not be able to stand on tip toes to avoid drowning. Indeed, if 450 foot tall giants existed, they could easily stride up to the top of the highest mountain and avoid drowning. If they were 4500 feet tall, one small step would put them onto a mountaintop.
This is one example of text that requires an enormous stretch of the imagination to be able to accept it.
Others have researched the origins of the book of Enoch. Here is one example. “One thing that I think it is important to keep in mind is that the book of Enoch we have today was not written by the Enoch you refer to. The best evidence (using the same methods we use to confirm the early dating of the Gospels) shows that the oldest portions of 1 Enoch were written around 250BC. Long after Enoch was taken up to heaven. The book uses his name and may contain a tradition of some of his sayings but does not date from his time.” (Taken from a blog by a writer identifying as ‘KG’.)
So, getting back to our Jude text, here again are verses 14-15
14 Now Enoch, the seventh from Adam, prophesied about these men also, saying, “Behold, the Lord comes with ten thousands of His saints,
15 ¶ “to execute judgment on all, to convict all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have committed in an ungodly way, and of all the harsh things which ungodly sinners have spoken against Him.” (NKJV)
To me it is obvious that the original Enoch made this prophecy. Why? Because Jude said so, and I take the whole Bible as the Word of God. Most likely, another person with the name of Enoch, some 4000 years later, wrote his book, including the original information from the first Enoch. Why? Who knows. It makes for exciting science fiction which is likely what it was.
But the above verses are absolutely true and inspired words of scripture. The Lord IS coming back. With ten thousands of His saints. This means you, me and all the others who have already gone on to be with Jesus will return to earth with Him. We will have been with Him at the Judgment Seat of Christ. We will have been with Him at the ‘marriage supper of the Lamb’. And we will be with Him as He descends in judgment to the earth.
All of these false teachers that Jude is mentioning will face judgment. But Jude is not just thinking of the ones that were present during his time on this earth. He is also talking about the false teachers who will multiply in the last days. Jude says,
17 But you, beloved, remember the words which were spoken before by the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ:
18 - how they told you that there would be mockers in the last time who would walk according to their own ungodly lusts.
We are living in the final generation before the return of Christ. These people are here and they will continue to grow in number. Jesus said, “Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. Mat 24:11 - 13
Jesus mentions two things here. False prophets will deceive many. This is a not only a prediction. It is a warning so that it does not happen to you. Many, Jesus says, will be deceived. Sadly in that number, many will be believers who are not familiar enough with scripture to recognize the deception.
And the second thing that Jesus mentions here is that love will grow cold in Christian churches because lawlessness increases overall … everywhere.
The ‘new normal’ will be the acceptance of things once considered unlawful. We are well into that era. It was once considered unlawful to ‘shack up’. Not anymore. It was once considered unlawful to have sex outside of and before marriage. Not anymore. It was once considered unlawful to practice homosexuality. Not anymore. It was once considered murder to kill an unborn baby. Not anymore.
And most Christians are accepting this new sinful normal. Is it any wonder that we are losing our joy of fellowshipping around God’s word? It makes us feel guilty. Our love for Jesus grows cold. We don’t like feeling guilty but we don’t like feeling cold either. So what do we do? We change our meetings to be happy and joyful and full of praise … and hopefully no one will remind us of the holiness of God’s word.
This is certainly not true of all evangelical churches. But it is true of far too many.
Jude says that we need to be on guard for people like this;
19 - These are sensual persons, who cause divisions, not having the Spirit.
So what do you think, are you able to detect such persons? Are you becoming ‘well-versed’ in scripture so that you can?
Jude’s emphasis has been a kind of multi-approach.
We are to defend the faith by watching for false teachers.
We are to look forward to the justice of God to take care of them.
And then, finally, we are to care for those who are being deceived.
In order to help others, it has to start with you. Jude says,
20 - But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
Two things … building yourselves up on your most holy faith means bible study. Becoming ‘well-versed’.
And secondly, praying in the Holy Spirit. Jude is not referring to a special prayer language. The problem of the day was more that of a liturgical kind of repetition used by the Jews. Jesus said that the Pharisees thought they would be heard by their style of prayer.
For example, “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. Mat 6:5
Praying in the Holy Spirit means praying from your heart when there is no one around but you and God. Jesus went on saying, But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Mat 6:6
So this is taking care of yourself first in order that you will be able to take care of others. Jude adds, 21 - keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.
Assuming that we are doing that, Jude says, 22 - And on some have compassion, making a distinction; 23 but others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating even the garment defiled by the flesh.
As we reach out to bring others to Jesus, we notice that Jude is mentioning two extremes. First he mentions using compassion, and secondly he talks about using force. Of course everything in between would be good also.
Using compassion refers to talking to an unsaved person about the love of Jesus. Perhaps it involves even talking about the love of family, and even of family members that have gone on to be with Jesus … asking, “Don’t you want to be with them some day?”
But soft talk does not work with many. If it comes down to it, Jude says … talk about the hell that is prepared for the Devil and his angels. Jude gives this part of the illustration as if someone reached over to a fire where some dirty, vile and stinking person has fallen into. And with our nose turned away, reaching over, taking hold of their collar … we pull them to safety.
Jesus is coming soon. Defend the faith. Be forewarned of persuasive false teachers. Stay close to God. Bring others to Jesus. That is the message of Jude.
So Jude concludes; 24 - Now to Him who is able to keep you from stumbling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, 25 - To God our Savior, Who alone is wise, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and forever.
Amen.